Captivated by Love (Grangers Book 1) Page 18

  She knew the shape and fullness of his shaft, so thick and engorged, and how well it would fit snug in her mouth. She would have a licking good time while her fingers skimmed the base of his testicles, feeling his huge and swollen member grow even larger in her mouth.

  The first time they’d made love, she had stamped ownership of his shaft. And as far as she was concerned, it had the name Carson written all over it. There was never a time when they made love that she wasn’t reminded that special part of him belonged to her.

  “Now to get you naked, Carson,” he said, moving toward the sofa.

  There was just something blatantly sensuous about the way he said her name right before he was about to strip her naked. Then there was the tilt of his chin whenever he touched her. Some would call it an arrogant tilt but she thought of it as a determined one. He intended to give her more pleasure than any woman could possibly endure.

  The caftan came off easily. Of course she was completely naked underneath and figured there was no way he hadn’t known that. Before tossing the caftan aside, he buried his face in it, as if absorbing her scent from the material through his nostrils. Watching him made her stomach quiver in anticipation.

  Then, he leaned down toward her mouth, immediately taking it in his and kissing her with a hunger she felt all the way to her toes. She pulled her naked body up to his, rubbing her breasts against his hairy chest and making intense desire shoot through her veins. He cupped her thighs and then his calloused hands began caressing her while an intense need nearly had her tumbling over the edge.

  He released her mouth. “Do you have any idea just how much I love you Carson?” he asked, his voice deep and ragged.

  “No. Tell me how much.” She knew, but wanted him to tell her anyway.

  He looked deep into her eyes. “Today I will show you.”

  He joined their mouths again and she immediately felt the heat of his desire, the fire behind his words. This kiss was more intimate than the last, more passionate. Blood surged through her veins, the moisture between her legs increased and her pulse was beating like crazy.

  He suddenly ended the kiss, then lowered her back to the sofa, spreading her legs in the process. Before she could draw her next breath, he buried his head between them and with unerring ease of a man who knew what he wanted, he slid his tongue between the folds of her feminine mound.

  Lordy. There was just something about the feel of having Sheppard’s tongue inside her. She began breathing hard as he lapped up her juices in a way that made every nerve in her body, every single cell and molecule, ignite. Intense heat curled inside of her, especially down there.

  It only took a few more licks to dismantle her senses, cause her nerves to begin dancing. Then she felt it. What started as a slow stirring began taking over her body and escalating as frissons of fire when he continued to make her his meal. When he pressed his mouth deeper, tilting her thigh at an angle to allow his tongue to gain even greater penetration, she felt a climax building within her.

  Sensation after sensation battered her, making her brain sizzle. The very air she was breathing grew thick. Suddenly, a gigantic explosion ripped through her, and it was as if her body was lifted on a higher plane. She arched her back, and he held her, his mouth firmly planted to her feminine mound. Surrendering, she gave herself up to the orgasm rocking through her. Fierce emotions shook her to the core and she tightened her hold on his shoulders.

  And that’s when she screamed at the top of her lungs.

  22

  Sheppard always loved hearing his wife scream whenever she was in the throes of an orgasm. Knowing he’d delivered such pleasure made his chest swell. Giving her one last lick, he pulled his mouth away and ran his tongue over his lips to enjoy her lingering taste.

  He then eased up her body and she wrapped her arms around him. Their mouths joined and began mating with raw, primitive need. He loved this woman, who had brought so much happiness into his life.

  Releasing her mouth, he began licking her jaw and neck, moving toward her chest. Her nipples, turgid and stiff were calling out to him to taste them, suck them, lick all around them.

  “Open your legs for me, Carson,” he whispered huskily.

  The moment she did so, he planted the fullness of his erection at the entrance of her feminine folds. He stared down at her, seeing aroused eyes look back at him. “I love you,” he whispered.

  “I love you, too,” she whispered back. “For always.”

  Her words were like a torch that had been lit, and the love and desire he saw in her eyes pushed him over. He eased inside of her, inch by inch, loving how her inner muscles clenched him hard. The force of her body gripping his was driving him insane, making him push into her deeper, needing to get as buried inside of her as he could go.

  He could feel her fingers dig into his shoulder blades. There was no pain, only the torture of wanting her.

  Sheppard began moving, easing in and out of her, loving the sound she made when he did, loving the way her scent filled the room. He continued to gaze down at her, watching how the heat of desire in her eyes burned right into him. He felt all the passion neither of them could hold back. Unrestrained and unlimited.

  Their mating became more ravenous and he couldn’t hold back a groan. His hips kept pounding into her, thrusting hard with relentless speed, unwavering desire. He tilted his head and then lowered it to capture her mouth. He needed to kiss her, mingle their tongues, and entwine their minds.

  And then it happened.

  It was as if the entire house shook the moment an orgasm rammed through their bodies. He continued to thrust into her with long, hard and powerful strokes. A part of him wished he could keep her like this, pinned beneath his body, for eternity.

  The force of their pleasure pushed him over the edge and he took her right with him. She screamed again and the sound make his body jerk in a succession of orgasmic strikes. His hands moved all over her body, needing to touch her skin, feel her heat. Intense pleasure rocked through his veins and made him call out her name in a guttural growl.

  He lowered his face to settle in the area between her breasts, drawing in the scent of her, of them, through his nostrils. This was the kind of lovemaking they shared. The kind that blew his mind, and connected them in both a physical and mental way. This kind of intimate connection was all theirs. It would always be theirs. She tilted her head up and offered her mouth. He took it, devouring her in a kiss that he felt all the way to his soul.

  He snatched his mouth away when another orgasm ripped through him and he roared out his pleasure when she screamed hers. And he knew tonight was just the beginning of another hot and steamy Sheppard and Carson weekend.

  #

  “We’re definitely getting too old for this.”

  Carson barely found the strength to move. If he thought they were too old for this, then how would he feel about them becoming parents? Would he think they were too old for that, as well? She tried pushing the thought to the back of her mind and instead concentrated on how he’d made her feel.

  After no telling how many back to back orgasms they’d had, they were lying there, facing each other, their limbs entwined. Their bodies were slick from sweat and their breathing choppy. She wondered at what point her body would begin feeling normal again and not a mass of ecstatic sensations.

  At some point, she couldn’t rightly remember when, they’d made it upstairs to the bedroom after making love on the sofa and in front of the fireplace. There was nothing like seeing the heat of a blaze while stoking your own fire.

  “Hungry?”

  She somehow found the strength to tilt her head to look over at Sheppard. Yes, she was hungry. They had definitely worked up an appetite and she felt giddy in knowing she was eating for two. He glanced over at the clock. They’d been going at it for four hours. It was a good thing Dr. Givens had assured her that she didn’t have to decrease her sexual activities due to her pregnancy. “Yes, but I doubt if I can make it downstairs to the
kitchen even if I wanted to.”

  He brushed a kiss across her lips. “You don’t have to. I’ll scramble up something and bring it to you.”

  She knew he was being modest. He was a good cook. Usually whenever he was in the kitchen, she would help out. But before he left her side, they needed to talk. “Tell me what happened with Pence, Sheppard.”

  “Okay.”

  He began talking, telling her of his call to Andrew Logan and the information Andrew had provided to him. It didn’t surprise her about Pence’s gambling addiction. While they’d been married, he’d played Lotto like all those numbers were going out of style. He never won anything big but had succeeded in gaining enough to make him want to try again.

  “Are you saying that the man who was his loan shark was someone you’d mentored at Glenworth?” she asked him, amazed.

  “Yes. Talk about a coincidence. But I never managed to get through to Karl Halifax, no matter how hard I tried. He’d come from a family of loan sharks and that was the life he knew. Before leaving Glenworth, Halifax and I had a long talk. Although he never said he would get out the business, I had hoped.”

  “You can’t change everyone, Sheppard,” she said softly.

  “I know, but I think I could have, if I’d had more time with Halifax. Unfortunately, when I arrived at Glenworth, he was on the last leg of his sentence.”

  He paused a minute, shaking his head at the lost opportunity. Then he continued. “I contacted Halifax and he and I came up with a plan. As a favor to me, he agreed to an extension of Pence’s loan and went further and told him not to come back and bother us again.”

  “And you don’t think Pence will?”

  Sheppard shifted in bed to bring her body even closer to his. “Halifax comes across as a bad-ass, and my guess is that the men who work for him do so as well. Halifax’s threats were convincing enough. Let’s just say he went above and beyond what I asked him to do. Poor Pence was shaking in his shoes. I kind of felt sorry for him. But when I thought of how he’d talked to my wife, I pushed my empathy aside.” He smiled gently at her.

  “What I hadn’t counted on was Drew telling Striker about what I was doing. Striker passed on the news to Quasar and Stonewall as well as to my sons. The six of them showed up at the hotel where Pence was staying after I left. I hadn’t known they’d paid him a visit until later today when they told me about it.”

  Carson raised up on her elbow with widened eyes. “The six of them went to see Pence?”

  “Yes. It’s a good thing Roland is out of town or I have a feeling he would have gone with them, too. They’re all very protective of you, sweetheart.”

  She knew what Sheppard said was true. There had always been a close relationship between her and Roland. And since marrying Sheppard, his sons and the men he considered surrogate sons, had accepted her as a part of his life as well. “What happened?”

  “From what I understand, they added to Halifax’s threats and really put the fear of God into Pence. They even made sure he got to the airport, whether he wanted to go or not. Took him there themselves.”

  Carson didn’t want to smile but she couldn’t help it. She’d accepted that her ex-husband was the worst kind of bully. He could dish it out but couldn’t take it. She knew how protective Sheppard’s sons—real and surrogate--were of him. If they felt the need to show up at Pence’s hotel, she had a feeling the scene hadn’t been pretty.

  “Well, I’m glad he’s gone. I intend to put all the money Emma left me to good use by donating it to your foundation.”

  Surprise showed in his eyes. “You don’t have to do that.”

  “I want to do it, Sheppard. And the day you decide to switch your focus from Granger Aeronautics to your foundation full-time, I want to join you.”

  He lifted a brow. “You do?”

  “Yes. There are so many young people out there who need us. If we can reach them before they make it into the criminal system, just imagine how many lives we’d be changing.”

  Sheppard pulled her into his arms, burying his face in the side of her neck. She knew what she’d just offered to do had touched him deeply. She figured that knowing the woman he loved also shared his dream undoubtedly meant a lot to him.

  “I love you, baby.”

  “And I love you, too, Sheppard.”

  And then she leaned in and lowered her mouth to his.

  23

  Are you ready to tell me what’s been bothering you for the past few days?” Sheppard asked Carson as they walked into their home after attending the Christmas party at the university with Ben and Mona.

  Carson thought it had been a fun night, filled with holiday cheer, good food and dancing. It was hard to believe that a little more than a year ago, Mona had been blind, not sure if she would get back her eyesight. And Ben had fallen in love with her, not caring if she did or not. Now the couple were married, Mona had her sight back and she knew the couple, like her and Sheppard, intended to share the rest of their lives together. The only difference was that unknowing to Sheppard, his life would be changing in less than nine months.

  She swallowed as she placed her clutch bag on the table. “What makes you think something is bothering me?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “You’ve seemed preoccupied about something lately.”

  She wished he couldn’t read her so well. Four days had passed since being told she was pregnant and she hadn’t worked up the nerve to tell Sheppard yet. “I’m fine, Sheppard.”

  She decided to ask him a question while making an observation. “Caden and Shiloh looked cheerful this morning when they joined us for breakfast. You can tell they’re happy about the baby.”

  A huge smile touched Sheppard’s lips. “Yes, they are and I’m happy for them. I’ve always known those two would eventually get together. They were inseparable as kids. I’m glad they were able to work out whatever issues were keeping them apart. And now they’re happily married with a baby on the way. Another grandchild for me. For us.”

  She swallowed. Why couldn’t he see them as something other than grandparents? Did the possibility of a child of their own ever cross his mind? She fought back tears. Too late, one slipped from her eyes. She tried to quickly swipe it away.

  “Carson? Sweetheart? What’s wrong?”

  Instead of answering him, she turned and raced up the stairs.

  #

  What the hell? Sheppard took the stairs two at a time after her, wondering what had upset Carson. Why had she raced off that way? He was so attuned to her that he had picked up on the fact that lately, her mind definitely seemed to be somewhere else. Had he misjudged Pence Denmark? Had the man contacted her again? Was he threatening her? The very thought that could be a possibility filled him with anger.

  He opened the door and found her in the middle of their room, undressing. “Carson, what’s wrong? And don’t tell me you’re fine, because you’re not,” he said in a voice firmer than what he’d meant for it to be.

  When she grabbed for her bathrobe as if to cover herself, he raised a brow. Why was she acting so shy? It wasn’t as if he hadn’t seen her naked before.

  She turned to him as she belted the sash of the robe around her waist. “I am fine, Sheppard.”

  He wondered how she could claim such a thing when it was obvious she’d been crying. Instead of saying anything, he crossed the room and swept her into his arms, then carried her over to the loveseat and cradled her in his lap.

  He held her and she smothered her face into his chest and cried, openly and brokenly. The sound tore at his heart and he tightened his hold on her. “Baby, what’s wrong?” he whispered close to her ear, about to come apart himself at seeing her so broken up. “Talk to me, Carson. Tell me what’s wrong. Is it Denmark? Did he contact you again? Is he back in Charlottesville?”

  She snatched her face away from his chest and looked up at him with startled, teary eyes. “No! It’s not Pence.”

  He was glad to hear that, but there was definitely somethi
ng wrong. What wasn’t she telling him? “Do you remember when we decided to become involved, Carson?”

  She nodded and he wondered if she was aware that tears were still falling from her eyes. “Yes.”

  “We made a pact that nothing would ever come between us. That there was nothing we couldn’t confront together. Do you recall us doing that, sweetheart?”

  She nodded again and swiped at the tears. “Yes, I remember.”

  Deciding to help, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped them away. “Are you going to back out on your promise to me? Our promise to each other, Carson?”

  She swallowed and then said softly. “I don’t want to.”

  He held her gaze. “Why do you feel the need to even think that you have to?”

  “It’s sort of complicated.”

  He reached out and wiped another tear from her eyes. “Nothing is too complicated for Sheppard and Carson Granger to handle. If the two of us indulging in an affair for five years while I was locked up wasn’t complicated, then as far as I’m concerned, nothing is.”

  She didn’t say anything for a minute, then she took a deep breath. “I went to the doctor a few days ago, remember?”

  “Yes, and you said it went okay.”

  “Yes, I told you that because I wasn’t ready to tell you everything.”

  Sheppard stiffened. Had it been more than the stomach virus she assumed? Was Carson about to tell him that she was deathly ill or something? Could he handle it if she was? The thought of losing her suddenly took a firm grip of his senses. His emotions. He fought dread from ripping out his insides. He took a deep breath to prepare his mind for whatever she was about to say. “And what weren’t you ready to tell me?”

  She began to shiver and he tightened his arms around her. “Carson?” What is it? Please tell me, baby.”

  She met his gaze, holding it for what seemed like a very long time. He watched her lips tremble. “I’m pregnant, Sheppard.”