Unexpected Packages Page 8

  I was at a loss for words and thankful that Lexi stepped into the conversation. “Why don’t you let us stay at the dating stage for a little while before you start planning our wedding, okay?”

  “Just promise me if you do get married, you’ll let me be one of your bridesmaids.”

  Lexi chuckled as she put her hand on my daughter’s shoulder. “If we ever get to that stage, we can talk about it then, alright?”

  “Okay.” She grinned and then threw her arms around Lexi’s waist to hug her. Damn, I loved the sight of the two of them embracing and felt my heartstrings tug a little tighter.

  They said goodbye, and I gave Lexi another small kiss and told her I’d talk to her later. Out in the hallway, I caught up to Nica at the stairs.

  “You are totally going to marry her.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because she’s perfect for you, and I want a little brother or sister.”

  “Whoa, hold your horses there, young lady. Lexi and I are a long way off from having a child together.”

  She grinned at me as she started to race down the steps. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”

  I dropped the subject, and we enjoyed the rest of the time we had together. After I had dropped her off, I was anxious to get home and back to Lexi. The roads were slick, and it took me a little longer to get home than I had anticipated. In fact, it was after nine when I finally got into the building.

  I didn’t even bother going to my apartment and took the stairs two at a time to the third floor. I knocked softly, and a moment later, the door opened.

  “I thought maybe you had changed your mind,” she said as she stepped back and let me enter.

  I pushed the door closed behind me, shedding my jacket and letting it fall right to the floor as I pulled her to me. “No way, the roads were icy.” I kissed her hard and then lifted her into my arms. “Couch or bedroom?”

  Chapter Eleven

  Lexi

  I had spent the day cleaning and doing work that I’d brought home with me. From time to time, I would find myself lost in a fantasy about Alex. I’d actually been able to picture the two of us walking down the street pushing a stroller. A little boy tucked into the seat as he pointed at things we passed while Alex carried a little girl close to his chest.

  Would it be possible to have that with him? Did I really want that? Want Alex like that? I was quickly finding that the answer to both of those questions was a resounding yes.

  My mind traveled back to Will, and I found myself comparing the two men. Maybe that wasn’t fair, because Will and I had been young. Both in our twenties at the time, but I couldn’t help myself. Will had made me laugh, and we’d talked about the future. In fact, I knew that once he returned from his deployment, we were going to be officially engaged.

  We’d already discussed the plans and what our life would be like. He had wanted two children, and while he wanted to stay in the military, he talked about the places we’d visit together and how important family was to those who served. I had been excited to take that step with him, and it was two weeks before Will and Chad were supposed to return that my mother had called and told me to come home immediately.

  When I arrived, there was an Army officer there, and my heart sank. I’d slipped down onto the couch beside my mother as the man had explained that my brother had been killed in action. My mother had grabbed my hand, “Lexi, Will didn’t make it either.”

  I’d gone numb, felt everything else around me begin to fade as my dreams of a future vanished before my eyes. In a moment, I’d lost my brother and my future. I’d remained numb for a long time and hated the way everyone in our small town had wanted to talk about it. I’d despised the massive funerals and the pomp and circumstance that went with them.

  It had taken a long time, and a move away, to get me to want to live again. Although it wasn’t until Alex showed up at my door that I’d realized that while I was living, I wasn’t really living. It was time now to put the past behind me and move forward. Could I love Alex the way I had loved Will? More? Was it possible to have two great loves in one lifetime?

  My mind returned to Alex, and I thought over what kind of a father he might be. Nica and Alex appeared to have a great relationship, although I had realized through listening to their conversation that they hadn’t seen much of each other. Why was that? Was it because he didn’t want to? Or had work kept him busy? Did he really want more children? Would he be a good father? A good husband?

  At that thought, I remembered Nica throwing weddings into the conversation. We weren’t anywhere close to that stage to discuss such things, but the idea had been planted. It was one thing to talk about kids because that was an important topic, but it wasn’t something to base a future off of.

  By eight o’clock that night, I’d cleaned my apartment from top to bottom, done all my laundry, ironed my clothes for the week, and even took a long hot shower. I curled up on the couch with a glass of wine and found myself looking at the clock on my phone every five minutes. Had he changed his mind? Had something happened to him on the way home?

  I was getting myself worked up and finished my glass and another one before there was a knock at my door. I sprang off the couch and paused at the door to take a deep breath. Alex was here; he hadn’t changed his mind, hadn’t been in an accident. Or had he changed his mind?

  I let him in, and the minute the door was closed, I was back in his arms, immediately reassured. He scooped me up and asked, “Couch or bedroom.” Had I not consumed two glasses of wine, I might have said the couch, but the feel of his arms around me and my earlier thoughts today had me answering a different way.

  “Bedroom,” I whispered, and his eyes widened ever so slightly. He didn’t say a word as he carried me down the short hall to my bedroom at the back of the apartment. The room was cast in soft light from the bedside table, and Alex let my body slide down his as he reached my bedside. His arms wrapped tightly around my waist as he kissed me.

  He lifted my chin. “I would have been happy with the couch. I don’t want you to do something you aren’t ready for.”

  I cupped his cheek, feeling the day’s growth of hair on his chin and shivering with anticipation of feeling that on my body. “I want you here. I want you, Alex.”

  He inhaled sharply and began to kiss my face. His lips traveled along my cheek, over my forehead, and to the other side before he suckled on my ear. His voice was rough as he whispered into my ear, “Say it again, Lexi. Tell me you want me again.”

  “I want you, Alex. I want you.”

  His arms tightened around my body, wrapping me and my desire into a cocoon of warmth. His lips grew more intense as they skimmed the column of my neck, and his hands slid to the bottom of my shirt. He pulled the edge up and slipped a hand underneath. The heat of his palm enflaming the need to have him to epic proportions. I arched my body toward him as his other hand curled around my butt, and he shifted my hips to his.

  I pulled at his shirt, needing to feel the heat of his skin on my palms, and he stepped back and whipped it over his head, dropping it to the floor. My arms curled around him, and my hands played over his full back. The muscles rippling as he bent his body around mine. He tugged my hair back and bit softly on my neck. I gasped in surprise as desire made my knees weak.

  Alex stepped back and lifted my shirt slowly over my head; his hungry gaze latched on to my chest, and his hands curled around my aching breasts, kneading them and making my legs begin to quiver. He bent down, touching one covered nipple and then the other with his mouth, swirling his tongue around the peaks. He peeled the cups back, lifting my breasts higher and ran the pad of his thumbs over them before sucking one deep into his mouth. The sight of him at my breast made my knees buckle, and his arm wrapped tighter around me to hold me upright.

  He dropped to his knees, kissing my stomach as his thumbs grabbed the waistband of my leggings, and he began to peel them down slowly. He kissed my hip bone, swirling his tongue over the sensi
tive skin, and then moved to the other side, pausing in the center to lick around my belly button. I held on to his head, needing something to keep me standing. The moment my pants were down to my knees, he pushed me back until I was seated on the edge of my bed. He pulled my leggings off, then ran his hands up my calves, to my thighs.

  He pushed my legs wider, kissing up the inside of my thighs, his eyes opening and closing slowly, his touch so gentle that I wanted to beg him to be rougher. I needed more; I needed him to do more. His gaze shifted up my body as his hands once again grasped my breasts. “I love the way your bra holds these up like that.”

  My core clenched at his husky voice. He sucked one of my breasts back into his mouth, then kissed up my chest to my neck. A whimper left my lips as his hands caressed my thighs, his thumbs coming to the apex of my thighs and then moving away. He chuckled. “You want more, don’t you, Lexi?”

  “Yes,” I breathed as my head fell back so he could reach my neck better. He brushed his hands back up my legs, his thumbs coming closer, and I shifted my hips.

  “I like that you want more, Lex. I want to give it all to you.” His hands drifted down my legs again, and I wanted to scream, ‘then give it to me already.’

  As they worked slowly back up, he kissed his way back down. One of his hands came up to my chest, and he pushed me back gently as his lips touched my hairline. On my back, my eyes rolled back in my head at his first touch. A single finger sliding down and back, followed by two, then his tongue. He lifted my legs, putting them over his shoulders as he began to devour my sensitive flesh.

  My hands fisted the quilt, and my body began to thrash as he brought me closer to the edge. He stopped for a moment. “Let go, Lexi. Let me see you fall.”

  He brought his mouth back to me, slipping two fingers into me as he suckled me, and I was instantly at the crest and falling over. He slowed his motions as I came down and kissed his way up my body. It was only then that I realized he was still dressed.

  “Pants, off,” I growled playfully, and he chuckled as he stood and began to undo his jeans. I could see the outline of his erection through the denim, and my mouth watered.

  He pushed his jeans and boxers down, and I soaked in the beautiful view of his body. There were a few scars on his chest and abdomen, but now was not the time to talk about them. I held my hand out to him. “Come to me.”

  Alex didn’t hesitate as he joined me on the bed, and the two of us scooted to the middle of the mattress. He kissed me slowly, letting his fingers slide over my skin, and I ran my hands along his back and curled them around his buttocks. He shifted, staring down at me, and I urged him closer.

  When Alex entered me, his eyes closed, and he inhaled sharply and paused.

  “What?” I asked, concerned that something was wrong.

  He ran his hand along the side of my face, staring down at me with eyes that had darkened. “Nothing. You feel incredible. I needed to get control of myself.”

  I smiled at him, and he slowly began to move. He brought me close again and then began to slow, but I didn’t want that. I wanted to keep going. I wanted to feel him finish with me. I shifted my body, surprising him and rolled him to his back. He laughed. “What are you doing?”

  I climbed up on all fours and crawled over him. His eyes enlarged as I sat over his hips and ground myself against him. He growled, grabbing my hips. I lifted and positioned myself over him. Our eyes locked as I slowly took him back in. His hands held my hips tightly as he arched his pelvis up, filling me completely. My head thrown back, I let out a moan as he began to move under me, and I rolled my hips. My hands were on his chest for leverage, and I ground myself on him, feeling the build again. “Come with me, Lexi,” he growled, and a moment later, I felt him start to explode. His action triggered mine, and I was right there with him.

  I collapsed on him, my body boneless, and he ran his hands over my back as we got our ragged breathing under control. I curled myself tighter over his torso and snuggled in as he kissed the side of my head.

  “You know, I knew it was going to be good, but I didn’t realize just how good it was going to be.”

  I barked out a laugh, and he jerked slightly. “Yeah, it was pretty good.”

  He shifted my chin so that I was looking at him. “Better than the rabbit?”

  I laughed. “Well, I don’t know about that.”

  He kissed me slowly, and then I rolled off him into the crook of his arm. It was as I lay there that I suddenly thought about the wetness between my legs.

  “We didn’t use a condom,” I stated softly, and he turned his face toward mine.

  “No, we didn’t. Are you on birth control?”

  I shook my head slightly, wondering if he was going to be upset, but he surprised me by smiling. “Well, then I guess we are already working on those three kids.”

  I stared at him in surprise. “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah, why not? I already know that I like you, a lot.”

  I shifted up on my elbow. “Yes, I get that, but liking someone a lot and having a kid with them is something else entirely.”

  He cupped my cheek. “True, Lexi, but if you get pregnant, it’s not going to make me like you any less. In fact, it might make me like you even more.” I glanced away and stared at the wall, and he tugged my face back to his. “Hey, I was joking, Lexi. If that happens, we’ll talk about it, but I think you know that I’m a little serious here. I do really like you, and I think you like me too. I can see a future with you. I hope you can, too.”

  I relaxed slightly. “Is it weird that today I had a daydream about us with two kids?”

  He grinned widely. “No, that’s not weird. Tell me about it.”

  I laughed. “No, it was just a silly daydream.”

  “Yeah, well, I want to hear about it.” I told him, and when I was done, he was frowning.

  “See, I shouldn’t have told you.”

  “Oh, on the contrary, I’m glad that you did. Although when I thought about it myself earlier today, I pictured a little girl and a baby boy, not the other way around.” He paused and then laughed. “And I’m not sure I can picture myself with a baby strapped to my chest.”

  I shook my head at him, and he pulled my face down to kiss him. “I do have one question though.”

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “Did you name our children yet? Or do I get a say in that?”

  Chapter Twelve

  Alex

  Having Lexi in my arms was incredible. Yeah, sex was usually good no matter who it was with, but when you were with someone that could reach your very soul with a touch, it put it on another level. As I lay there after, I thought back on my time with Annie. Sex had been great with her, but I don’t even think that she had ever made me feel as complete as Lexi did. That was saying a lot since I had been very much in love with Annie.

  When Lexi said she wasn’t on birth control, a small piece of me began to panic, but then immediately, the fear subsided. I had thought about it earlier on my way home from dropping off Nica. For the first time in ten years, I was ready to move forward. I was prepared to love again and have that family that I had always dreamed of.

  I was in a good place in my life. I had a great job and didn’t have to travel like I used to. Yeah, there were times that I would have to go away, but that would only be for a couple weeks, not months at a time. Weeks I could do, but I no longer wanted to immerse myself in my career to block out everything else my life was missing. I saw a future here with Lexi, and I was determined enough to want to fight for that future.

  “Did you name our children yet? Or do I get a say in that?”

  She laughed, and I felt the tension ease in her body as she lay back down against me. “No, I didn’t name the pretend children.”

  “Okay, well, I appreciate you letting me have some say in that. Personally, I like Edmond and Elouise.” She jerked her head off my shoulder, her lips twisted, her eyes wide, and I barked out a laugh. “What, you don’t
like those?”

  “Um, no.” She shook her head, her dark hair slipping over her shoulder, and I twirled a lock around my finger.

  “Hey, those are exquisite and classic names.”

  “So are Thomas and Anne, but I don’t like either of those names.”

  I snickered. “Okay, then what names do you like?”

  She stared at me for a moment. “Why are we even talking about this? It’s not like we have a child on the way.”

  “We might. In fact, this very minute, you could have an egg being fertilized and a life beginning. I think we should be prepared.”

  She chuckled as she cuddled beside me again. “Fine, I doubt it, but fine.” She sighed as her hand slipped slowly over my chest in a slow circle. “I guess I like the name Kari for a girl and Sylvester for a boy.”

  It was my turn to laugh. “Sylvester? Would we call him Vestor or Sy?”

  “That’s funny,” she said seriously and then snickered. “Okay, so not Sylvester, but what about Jack?”

  “Jack,” I said the name out loud and let it echo inside my head for a moment. “Not one that I would have chosen, but I think I like it, and I do like Kari. That’s a good one.”

  “Okay, what names would you suggest, other than Edmund and Elouise?”

  “I always liked the name Reba, but I think I might like your idea of Kari better. If Veronica had been a boy, we were going to name him after my father, Joseph.”

  “Is Veronica a family name?”

  “Yes, Veronica is named after her two grandmothers. Annie’s mother’s middle name is Veronica, and my mother’s middle name is Marie.”

  “Veronica Marie, that’s very pretty, and a nice way to pay homage to your family.”

  “Yes, very much so. Are you named after anyone?”

  “Me? No. My parents are Donna and Brad, and they just picked my name out of a hat.”

  “A hat?” I chuckled.