The Proposal & Solid Soul (15 page)

Chloe paused for a moment and then said, “Ramsey made things easy for me when he came to me. We patched up things between us, found it had been nothing more than a huge misunderstanding and got back together. It was then that I told him about my pregnancy and he was happy about it.”

Bella took a sip of her tea and then asked, “When the two of you broke up did you stay apart for long?”

“For over three weeks and they were the unhappiest three weeks of my life.” Chloe smiled again when she added, “A Westmoreland man has a tendency to grow on you, Bella. They become habit-forming. And when it comes to babies, they love them.”

There was no doubt in Bella’s mind that Jason loved children; that wasn’t what worried her. The big question
was if he’d want to father any with her considering the nature of their marriage. Would he see that as a noose around his neck? For all she knew he might be counting the days until their year would be up so he could go his way and she go hers. A baby would definitely change things.

She glanced back over at Chloe. “Ramsey is a wonderful father.”

Chloe smiled. “Yes, and Jason would be a wonderful father, as well. When their parents died all the Westmorelands had to pitch in and raise the younger ones. It was a team effort and it wasn’t easy. Jason is wonderful with children and would make any child a fantastic father.”

Chloe chuckled. “I can see him with a son while teaching him to ride his first pony, or a daughter who will wrap him around her finger the way Susan does Ramsey. I can see you and Jason having a houseful of kids.”

Bella nodded. Chloe could only see that because she thought she and Jason had a normal marriage.

“Don’t ever underestimate a Westmoreland man, Bella.”

Chloe’s words interrupted her thoughts. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that from what I’ve discovered in talking with all the other wives, even those spread out in Montana, Texas, Atlanta and Charlotte, a Westmoreland man is loyal and dedicated to a fault to the woman he’s chosen as a mate. The woman he loves. And although they can be overly protective at times, you can’t find a man more loving and supportive. But the one thing they don’t care too much for is when we hold secrets from them. Secrets that need to be shared with them. Jason is
special, and I believe the longer you and he are married, the more you will see just how special he is.”

Chloe reached out and gently touched Bella’s hand. “I hope what I’ve said has helped in some way.”

Bella returned her smile. “It has.” Bella knew that she needed to tell Jason about the baby. And whatever decision he made regarding their future, she would have to live with it.

J
ASON DIDN’T BOTHER
riding his horse back home after his discussion with Derringer. Instead he borrowed Zane’s truck and drove home like a madman only to discover Bella wasn’t there. She hadn’t mentioned anything at breakfast about going out, so where was she? But then they hadn’t been real chatty lately, so he wasn’t really surprised she hadn’t told him anything.

He glanced around his home—their home—and took in the changes she’d made. Subtle changes but changes he liked. If she were to leave his house—their house—it wouldn’t be the same. He wouldn’t be the same.

He drew in a deep breath. What if the ladies’ suspicions were true and she was pregnant? What if Derringer’s suspicions were true and she loved him? Hell, if both suspicions were true then they had one hell of a major communication problem between them, and it was one he intended to remedy today as soon as she returned.

He walked into the kitchen and began making of all things, a cup of tea. Jeez, Bella had definitely rubbed off on him but he wouldn’t have it any other way. And what if she was really pregnant? The thought of her stomach growing big while she carried his child almost left him breathless. And he could recall when it happened.

It had to have been their wedding night spent in the
honeymoon suite of the Four Seasons. He had awakened to find her mouth on him and she had driven him to more passion than he’d ever felt in his entire life. He’d ended up flipping her on her back and taking her without wearing a condom. He had exploded the moment he’d gotten inside her body. Evidently she had been good and fertile that night.

He certainly hoped so. The thought of her having his baby was his most fervent desire. And no matter what she thought, he would provide both her and his child with a loving home.

He heard the sound of the front door opening and paused a moment not to rush out and greet her. They needed to talk and he needed to create a comfortable environment for them to do so. He was determined that before they went to bed tonight there would be a greater degree of understanding between them. With that resolution, he placed the teacup on the counter to go greet his wife.

B
ELLA’S GROOMING AND
social training skills had prepared her to handle just about anything, but now that she was back at Jason’s Place she was no longer sure of her capabilities. So much for all the money her parents had poured into those private schools.

She placed her purse on the table thinking at least she’d had one bright spot in her day other than the time spent with the kids. And that was her discussion with Elyse. They had made plans to get together for tea later in the week. She could just imagine how her uncle would handle it when he found out she and Elyse had decided to be friends.

And then there had been her conversation with Chloe.
It had definitely been an eye-opener and made her realize she couldn’t keep her secret from Jason any longer. He deserved to know about the baby and she would tell him tonight.

“Bella. You’re home.”

She was pulled from her reverie by the pure masculine tone of Jason’s voice when he walked out of the kitchen. Her pulse hammered in the center of her throat and she wondered if he would always have this kind of effect on her. She took a second or two to compose herself, before she responded to him. “Yes, I’m home. I see you have company.”

He lifted a brow. “Company?”

“Yes. Zane’s truck is parked outside,” she replied, allowing her gaze to roam over her husband, unable to stop herself from doing so. He was such a hunk and no matter what he wore it only enhanced his masculinity. Even the jeans and chambray shirt he was wearing now made him look sexy as hell.

“I borrowed it. He’s not here.”

“Oh.” That meant they were alone. Under the same roof. And hadn’t made love in almost a week. So it stood to reason that the deep vibrations of his voice would stir across her skin and that turn-you-on mouth of his would make her panties start to feel damp.

She met his gaze and something akin to potent sexual awareness passed between them, charging the air, electrifying the moment. She felt it and was sure he felt it, as well. She studied his features and knew she wanted a son or daughter who looked just like him.

She knew she needed to break into the sensual vibe surrounding them and go up the stairs, or else she would be tempted to do something crazy like cross the room
and throw herself in his arms and beg him to want her, to love her, to want the child they had conceived together.

“Well, I guess I’ll go upstairs a moment and—”

“Do you have a moment so we can talk, Bella?”

She swallowed deeply. “Talk?”

“Yes.”

That meant she was going to have to sit across from him and watch that sensual mouth of his move, see his tongue work and remember what it felt like dueling nonstop with hers and—

“Bella, could we talk?”

She swallowed again. “Now?”

“Yes.”

“Sure,” she murmured and then she followed him toward the kitchen. Studying his backside she could only think that the man she had married was such a hottie.

J
ASON WASN’T SURE WHERE
they needed to begin but he did know they needed to begin somewhere.

“I was about to have a cup of tea. Would you like a cup, as well?”

He wondered if she recalled those were the exact words she had spoken to him that first time she had invited him inside her house. They were words he still remembered to this day. And from the trace of amusement that touched her lips, he knew that she had recalled them.

“Yes, I’d love a cup. Thank you,” she said, sitting down at the table, unintentionally flashing a bit of thigh.

He stepped back and quickly moved to the counter, trying to fight for control and to not remember this is the woman whom he’d given her first orgasm, the woman
who’d awakened him one morning with her mouth on him, the first woman he’d had unprotected sex with, the only woman he’d wanted to shoot his release inside of, but more than anything, this was the woman he loved so very much.

Moments later when he turned back to her with cups of tea in his hands, he could tell she was nervous, was probably wondering what he wanted to talk about and was hoping he would hurry and get it over with.

“So, how was your day today?” he asked, sitting across from her at the table.

She shrugged those delicate shoulders he liked running his tongue over. She looked so sinfully sexy in the sundress she was wearing. “It was nice. I spent a lot of it at the children’s hospital. Today was ‘read-a-story’ day and I entertained a bunch of them. I had so much fun.”

“I’m glad.”

“I also ran into Uncle Kenneth’s daughter, Elyse.”

“The mother of the twins, right?”

“Yes.”

“And how did that go?” Jason asked.

“Better than I expected. Unlike Uncle Kenneth, she’s not holding me responsible for what happened to her sons. She says they were getting out of hand anyway and is hoping the two years will teach them discipline,” Bella said.

“We can all hope for that” was Jason’s response.

“Yes, but in a way I feel sorry for her. I can only imagine how things were for her having Kenneth for a father. My dad wouldn’t get a ‘Father of the Year’ trophy, either, but at least I had friends I met at all those schools they shipped me off to. It never bothered me when I
didn’t go home for the holidays. It helped when I went home with friends and saw how parents were supposed to act. Not as business partners but as human beings.”

Bella realized after she’d said it that in a way Jason was her business partner, but she’d never thought of him that way. From the time he’d slipped a ring on her finger she had thought of him as her husband—for better or worse.

The kitchen got silent as they sipped tea.

“So what do you want to talk about, Jason?”

Good question,
Jason thought. “I want to talk about us.”

He saw her swallow. “Us?”

“Yes, us. Lately, I haven’t been feeling an ‘us’ and I want to ask you a question.”

She glanced over at him. “What?”

“Do you not want to be married to me anymore?”

She broke eye contact with him to study the pattern design on her teacup. “What gave you that idea?”

“Want a list?”

She shot her gaze back to him. “I didn’t think you’d notice.”

“Is that what this is about, Bella, me not noticing you, giving you attention?”

She quickly shook her head. Heaven help her or him if he were to notice her any more or give her more attention than she was already getting. To say Jason Westmoreland was all into her was an understatement. Unfortunately he was all into her, literally. And all for the wrong reasons. Sex was great but it couldn’t hold a marriage together. It couldn’t replace love no matter how many orgasms you had a night.

“Bella?”

“No, that’s not it,” she said, nervously biting her bottom lip.

“Then what is it, sweetheart? What do you need that I’m not giving you? What can I do to make you happy? I need to know because your leaving me is not an option. I love you too much to let you go.”

The teacup froze midway to her lips. She stared over at him in shock. “What did you just say?”

“A number of things. Do I need to repeat it all?”

She shook her head, putting her cup down. “No, just the last part.”

“About me loving you?”

“Yes.”

“I said I loved you too much to let you go. Lately you’ve been reminding me about the year I mentioned in my proposal, but there isn’t a year time frame, Bella. I threw that in as an adjustment period to not scare you off. I never intended to end things between us.”

He saw the single tear flow from her eyes. “You didn’t?”

“No. I love you too much to let you go. There, I’ve said it again and I will keep saying it until you finally hear it. Believe it. Accept it.”

“I didn’t know you loved me, Jason. I love you, too. I think I fell in love with you the first time I saw you at your family’s charity ball.”

“And that’s when I believe I fell in love with you, as well,” he said, pushing the chair back to get up from the table. “I knew there was a reason every time we touched a part of my soul would stir, my heart would melt and my desire for you would increase.”

“I thought it was all about sex.”

“No. I believe the reason the sex between us was so
good, so damn hot, was that it was fueled by love of the most intense kind. More than once I wanted to tell you I loved you but I wasn’t sure you were ready to hear it. I didn’t want to run you off.”

“And knowing you loved me is what I needed to hear,” she said, standing. “I’ve never thought I could be loved and I wanted so much for you to love me.”

“Sweetheart, I do. I love every single thing about you.”

“Oh, Jason.”

She went to him and was immediately swept up into his arms, held tight. And when he lowered his head to kiss her, her mouth was ready, willing and hungry. That was evident in the way her tongue mated with his with such intensity.

Moments later he pulled back and swept her off her feet and into his arms then walked out of the kitchen.

S
OMEHOW THEY MADE IT
upstairs to the bedroom. And there in the middle of the room, he kissed Bella again with a hunger that she greedily returned. He finally released her mouth to draw in a deep breath, but before she could draw in one of her own, he flipped her dress up to her waist and was pulling a pair of wet panties down her thighs. She barely had time to react before he moved to her hips to bury his head between her legs.

“Jason!”

She came the moment his tongue whipped inside of her and began stroking her labia, but she quickly saw that wouldn’t be enough for him. He sharpened the tip of his tongue and literally stabbed deep inside of her and proceeded to lick circles around her clitoris before drawing it in between his lips.

Her eyes fluttered closed as he then began suckling her senseless as desire, more potent than any she’d ever felt, started consuming her, racing through every part of her body and pushing her toward another orgasm.

“Jason!”

And he still didn’t let up. She reached for him but couldn’t get a firm hold as his tongue began thrusting inside her again. His tongue, she thought, should be patented with a warning sign. Whenever he parted this life it should be donated to the Smithsonian.

And when she came yet again, he spread her thighs wide to lap her up. She moaned deep in her throat as his tongue and lips made a plaything of her clitoris, driving her demented, crazy with lust, when sensation after earth-shattering sensation rammed through her.

And then suddenly he pulled back and through glazed eyes she watched as he stood and quickly undressed himself and then proceeded to undress her, as well. Her gaze went to his erection.

Without further ado, he carried her over to the bed, placed her on her back, slid over her and settled between her legs and aimed his shaft straight toward the damp folds of her labia.

“Yes!” she almost screamed out, and then she felt him, pushing inside her, desperate to be joined with her.

He stopped moving. Dropped his head down near hers and said in a sensual growl, “No condom tonight.”

Bella gazed up at him. “No condom tonight or any other night for a while,” she whispered. “I’ll tell you why later. It’s something I planned to tell you tonight anyway.” And before she could dwell too much on just
what she had to tell him, he began thrusting inside of her.

And when he pushed all the way to the hilt she gasped for breath at the fullness of having him buried so deep inside her. Her muscles clung to him, she was holding him tight and she began massaging him, milking his shaft for everything she had and thought she could get, while thinking a week had been too long.

He widened her legs farther with his hands and lifted her hips to drive deeper still and she almost cried when he began a steady thrusting inside of her, with relentless precision. This was the kind of ecstasy she’d missed. She hadn’t known such degrees of pleasure existed until him and when he lifted her legs onto his shoulders while thrusting back and forth inside her, their gazes met through dazed lashes.