Our New Love (3 page)

As the last of her orgasm shuddered through her, he led her to the bed and lay flat on his back, guiding her over him. They’d had to get creative these last few weeks, and holy hell did
creative
pay off. They’d made love standing, lying sideways, on chairs, bent over tables. Now, with Savannah straddling him, fully seated on his erection, he caressed her breasts as she rode him like never before. Her hair curtained her face, and she clung to his arms as she shattered around him again and again.

When she leaned back on one palm while cradling his sac with the other, her gorgeous belly reaching for the ceiling, he thrust in deep. Heat stroked down his spine, igniting the flames inside him, and he gave in to his own powerful release. Every thrust filled her with his love, until she came down over him, and he helped her lie on her side and held her close.

“I love those pregnancy hormones.”

She laughed. “I think it’s a Remington addiction.
God
, Jack, what you do to me. I love making love to you more than anything else in the world. I always have.”

“I’m equally addicted to you.”

He kissed her lips, then touched his forehead to hers, breathing in her essence, enjoying the blissful moment.

WHEN SAVANNAH AWOKE the next morning, the fire Jack had started after dinner last night had already been tended to, burning warm and cozy in the fireplace, and Jack was outside chopping wood. She showered and dressed, then perched by the window watching him. Ogling him was more like it. She loved watching the muscles in his arms and back flex and bunch beneath his long-sleeved shirt as he swung that ax. It had snowed a lot last night, at least four or five inches, and she could see from the tracks in the snow that Jack had already gone to check on the plane. It was still coming down pretty hard.

She knew her husband well enough to realize that when he stopped cold every few swings and looked up at the sky, he was worried about getting stuck on the mountain. When they were dating, it had been fun to be stuck in the snow up here. They’d come just before snowstorms several times with the plan of getting snowed in. But that wouldn’t do this close to the baby’s birth. Jack would be a nervous wreck. In Savannah’s mind, however, this was perfect. She still had at least two weeks, and probably more. What could be better than being here alone with Jack? She’d help him relax, like she had last night. God, she loved being close to that man. Everything he did, everything he said, made her feel loved and desirable. She’d never had a chance to worry about her changing body turning him off. From the very first few pounds she’d put on, Jack had lavished her body with love and attention, and she’d soaked it up.

He looked around again, then up at the sky, then back at the house. When his eyes found her, he feigned a smile. There was a big difference between Jack’s forced smiles, which she knew were meant to put her at ease, and his real smiles—the ones that melted her heart. She couldn’t wait to see Jack with their baby in his arms, safe and sound. She knew he’d always worry—about her, about the baby, about their safety. He was going to be an amazing father, and she knew all that worry would still be there, but it would just endear him to her even more. She understood why he worried so much. He’d lost so much already, and Savannah loved him enough to help settle those worries down. That was one reason she’d wanted to come to the cabin this last time before the baby was born. She wanted to love him up before the baby arrived and let him know how much she appreciated all that he did for her, for them.

The next time they came here, they’d have their baby with them and her attention would be divided between the two most important people in her life. The idea of sharing her emotions scared her. Did she have enough love to go around? Or would she always feel stretched too thin? She already loved this baby as much as she loved Jack, but the baby was still inside her and didn’t require her full attention. She hoped and prayed she’d be as good of a mother as her mother was remembered to be, and as good of a parent as her father was. She had no idea how her father, as a single parent, had given each of his children so much attention while also running the ranch. She hoped parenting would be innate and that she was worrying for nothing, but she didn’t want to let Jack down.

As usual, the thought saddened her. She’d been so young when she’d lost her mother that she only really knew her from descriptions and stories her father and brothers had shared with her. Even after her death, her mother’s spirit had been kept alive through her father’s and brothers’ eyes. That alone told her what she’d missed out on by being born so near the time of her mother’s passing.

Movement in her belly pulled her mind from those thoughts, and she smiled, pressing her hands to her belly.

Our baby
.

Tears filled her eyes. These pregnancy hormones were going to do her in as badly as they had at the wedding. She needed to get out of the cabin or she was going to worry over what kind of mother she’d be all day.

She bundled up in her winter coat and tugged on her boots. She could barely bend over far enough to pull her boots on. At least the baby had sunk a little lower and was no longer living beneath her ribs. She could breathe easier, too. She just couldn’t go very long without having to pee—which seemed like a good idea right now, too, before going outside.

After doing her business, she pulled her knit cap on, grabbed Jack’s coat and gloves, and joined him outside.

He cocked a brow at her, stopping the ax midswing.

“Want to take a walk? I feel cooped up inside.” She held out his jacket, and he set the ax down. A sweet smile lifted his lips as he piled wood in his arms, then leaned in for a kiss.

“Let me just put this inside. The snow’s really coming down. We should stay close to the cabin.”

She followed him inside and waited as he piled the wood beside the fireplace and secured the metal screen across the front.

“I think the mountain air will do me good. I’m a little edgy today.”

He washed his hands, then wrapped his arms around her and kissed the tip of her nose. “Edgy? Like irritated edgy, or ready-to-have-the-baby edgy?”

“Like
I want to get out of the house and not think about whether I’m going to be a good mom or not
edgy.”

He hugged her closer, and she breathed in his woodsy, masculine scent.

“You’re missing your mom again, aren’t you?” He gazed sweetly into her eyes as she nodded.

“A little.” He knew her so well. Not for the first time, and definitely not for the last, Savannah was thankful she’d met a man who understood her emotions and who wasn’t afraid to express his own.

“Oh, angel.” His eyes warmed as he pressed his lips to hers in a tender kiss. “You’re going to be the most amazing mother. You put everyone else ahead of yourself. Always. You love completely, with your whole heart. And you had the best role models a person could wish for. You’ll see.” He hugged her close, and her eyes dampened again.

Damn pregnancy hormones
. “Thank you. I needed to hear that.”

“Baby, your mom is smiling down on you, so proud of the woman you’ve become. I can feel it in my heart. You’re probably just nervous because we’re going to meet our baby soon.” He rubbed her belly. “Baby Hallelujah.” He smiled with the tease.

“You are
so
not naming this child.”

A few minutes later they were bundled up and making their way up the tree-lined trail hand in hand. Snowflakes continued to fall, giving the bright afternoon a crisp, magical feel. Long spiny branches wore rich layers of snow, like white gloves over graceful fingers.

“Watch your step,” Jack said, when his heavy boot kicked a rock. He kept one hand on Savannah’s back as they wound their way up the mountain.

When they reached their favorite overlook, Savannah felt out of breath. “Jack, I need to rest.” Savannah stepped beneath the thick umbrella of trees that shaded the boulder where they usually sat.

“Hold on.” Jack brushed off the snow and then eased her down. “We’ve gone far enough. I don’t like you out here in the elements for too long anyway.”

Savannah rolled her eyes. “I’m pregnant, not on my deathbed. You don’t need to hover over me.” She reached for his hand and pulled him closer. His broad shoulders split the sun, casting a shadow over her face. “I love you, and I love that you worry, but you’ve taught me to honor my body.” She smiled up at him. “When I’m tired, I rest. When I’m hungry, I eat.” She slipped her finger into the waist of his jeans, earning a seductive smile that softened all of her man’s rugged edges. “And when I’m horny, I play with you.”

He lowered his lips to hers and she tugged him closer, causing him to stumble. His hands landed on the rock on either side of her. He nudged her legs apart and moved between them. They fit so perfectly together, like two pieces of a puzzle. His tongue swept over the seam of her lips and she opened up to him, fisting her hands in his thick hair and deepening the kiss. She wanted to disappear into that kiss for the next two weeks, until they woke up with their baby in their arms.

Snowflakes cooled on their cheeks, and as their lips parted, snow fell harder. They both looked up toward the bright white sky. Jack’s knit cap and the ends of his dark hair were covered in a sheen of white.

“We’d better head back.” Jack reached for her hand, lifting her gently to her feet. Savannah’s body swayed against him.

“Whoa.” She settled her hands on the backs of her hips as a dull ache spread across her lower back. “I must have been sitting for too long. Hold on.” She rubbed at the ache.

In the next breath Jack’s strong hands were massaging the pain away. Concern was written in the grooves mapping his forehead. “Better?”

She turned in to his body, tightness remaining at the base of her spine. “Better, but it still hurts a little. Maybe I was sitting at a funny angle.” She looked at the rock and smiled. “Remember the first time we made love? By the big rock that first night you followed me into the woods?”

His hands slid around her belly, and he nuzzled against her neck. “I’ll never forget. That was the night you stole my heart.”

He gazed into her eyes with so much love, her heart tripped in her chest.

“It sure didn’t seem that way,” Savannah teased, remembering how moody Jack had been the next day when he was teaching the survival class and they couldn’t stop looking at each other. She’d known that all the emotions he felt scared him, and it had made her want to get to know him better, to ease his pain and to find out more about the rough and gruff man whose heart had been broken so badly he hid away from the world in order to survive.

“It was a difficult time. My heart was coming alive for the first time in two years.” He pressed his lips to hers as they took a few steps out from under the protections of the trees and the density of the snowfall became evident. Snow fell in heavy sheets.

“Shit. Come on, angel. I need to get you home.” With one arm secured around Savannah’s waist and a firm grip on her arm, he led her as they descended the mountain.

Their footprints on the trail were already gone. Jack knew the mountain like the back of his hand, expertly maneuvering around trees and rocks, even without the trail to follow. The tension in Savannah’s back eased and returned in progressive waves. She slowed her pace each time it returned.

Remembering a conversation she’d had with Max about this sensation, she said, “I think these are Braxton-Hicks contractions.”

Jack stopped cold, his eyes filled with worry as they dropped to her belly.

“Contractions? But you have two weeks, at least.”

“Braxton-Hicks,” she repeated. “Remember I told you what Max said? They’re like practice contractions. She had them for three weeks before giving birth to Adriana.” She pressed her hands to her belly and smiled up at Jack. “My body’s just getting ready.”

His eyebrows knitted together. “You sure you’re okay?” He looked out at the snow. “I don’t think it’s safe to fly in this, but if you need a doctor—”

“Jack, I’m fine.” Knowing what she was experiencing made the waves of dull aches easier to handle. “Come on. Let’s go back to the cabin. Maybe I just pushed too hard today.”

The trek back down the mountain usually felt much faster than the walk up, but today, with the snow and the new bodily sensations, Savannah moved slower. By the time they reached the cabin, it was late afternoon, they were both sweaty—Savannah from carrying all the extra baby weight and Jack, she was sure, from pure concern—and Jack was in full doting mode, hovering over every move she made.

He helped her out of her coat and boots, taking each piece of wet clothing off carefully in front of the fireplace so she stayed warm. Her maternity pants and sweatshirt had remained dry beneath her jacket and boots. He settled her onto the couch and removed his own soaked clothing and boots.

“Where do you want to rest? The couch or the recliner?” he asked as he disappeared into the bedroom, returning with her favorite thick blanket, fluffy slippers, and her e-reader.

Her heart squeezed at his thoughtfulness as he knelt to ease her feet into her slippers.

“This is fine,” she said, settling back against the cushions.

Jack spread the blanket over her and moved the footstool closer. He placed her feet gently on the stool.

“Water?” he asked, already on the move to the kitchen.

“Jack, relax. I’m okay, really.”

He set a tall glass of ice water on the end table and sat down beside her.

“What else do you need? Want me to rub your back? Your feet?”

“Jack.” She loved the nurturing side of him, but he was making her nervous. “I just want you to sit with me and chill out.”

“I can’t help it. I know you said these are practice contractions, but what if they’re real?” He looked out the window as the sun set. Snow was coming down so hard, it was difficult to see past it.

“Then I wouldn’t be able to sit here so calmly. Remember what Max said? She said real contractions were like being kicked in the back by a horse.” She felt her smile falter. “Ohmygod, Jack. Please remember to tell the doctor that I want an epidural if I’m too far gone with pain to ask for it.”