Craving Cecilia (The Aces' Sons 6)

“How’d it go?” I asked as he towed us toward our room.

“Woulda felt better if the rest of the team was there to get a look at things,” he said. “But it went fine.”

“How long is Eli staying?” The rest of his team had headed out that morning to take care of things in San Diego, and I knew Eli was anxious to do the same. I was finding that Mark’s friends weren’t the most patient people when they had a plan in motion.

“He’s leavin’ tomorrow,” he said with a sigh, stripping as we reached the doorway. He was down to nothing but his jeans in less than a minute. I checked on Olive, who was still completely passed out, before watching him slide the denim down his hips.

“When are you going to go?” I asked tentatively. I wasn’t looking forward to being apart, even for as long as it took him to pack his things and put his house up for sale. There wasn’t any question that Olive and I would stay in Eugene, though. I’d dragged her on enough road trips for a while, and we’d already agreed that Mark would go alone.

“Don’t wanna think about that tonight,” he said softly, reaching out to help me pull my shirt off. “Alright?”

“Fine with me,” I said, raising my arms.

“You’re so beautiful,” he breathed. “Fuck, sorry my hands are so cold.”

“Fine with me,” I said again, smiling.

Mark laughed quietly. “Thought about you all day,” he said as he finished pulling off my clothes. He knelt at my feet to take off my socks and help me step out of my pants and underwear. “Just like this.”

“You thought about me naked?” I asked dubiously.

“I always think about you naked,” he replied, running his hands up the backs of my thighs. “Its my favorite way to think about you.”

“What was I doing while I was naked?” I asked teasingly.

“This,” he said seriously. “Just this.” He sighed and laid his forehead against the small pooch beneath my belly button that had refused to disappear, even though I’d lost all the baby weight. My body was never going to be the same, but I found that it didn’t bother me that much.

“Well, that’s not very imaginative,” I said, running my hand through his hair.

“Doesn’t need to be,” he replied. “This is my happy place. Right here.”

“I could probably make you happier,” I mused, giggling as he tipped his head back and looked at me.

“Still too soon,” he said. “I looked online.”

I huffed out a laugh. “I don’t know,” I said, kneeling down with him, grateful for the quilt we’d left on the floor for Olive to lay on. “I’m feeling pretty good.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” I leaned up and kissed the center of his throat. “Do you have any condoms?”

“Yep,” he said instantly. “I got lube, too.”

“Lube?” I sputtered, my eyes widening. “I wasn’t offering you back door action.”

Mark started laughing. It was the kind of laughter that was so hard and fast that it didn’t even make any noise. His body shook with it.

“What?” I asked in confusion, laughing a little, too.

“I didn’t get it for that,” he wheezed. “I read that it might help, you know, when you get back in the saddle.”

“What?” I asked, still staring at him.

“Breastfeeding,” he said breathlessly. “And you know, the hormone shit.”

“The hormone shit?” At this point, I knew what he was trying to say, but I got a small sliver of satisfaction watching him try to explain.

“You might be dryer than normal,” he finally said in exasperation, clearing his throat uncomfortably. “And things might still be, you know, tender. So, lube. It’s supposed to help.”

My lips twitched.

“You knew that,” he said flatly.

“It is seriously sweet that you actually searched the internet to see how to have sex with me,” I said, fighting a smile. “Who said chivalry is dead?”

“You’re an asshole,” he said, grinning. “You know that?”

“I’ve heard that, yeah,” I said.

Mark shook his head, his hands sliding up my back until they reached my head. Leaning forward, he kissed me, his lips pulling at mine. Knowing that we were actually going to have sex, well thought out and carefully planned by him, sex, made my hands shake. It had been so long.

“Hold that thought,” he said, twisting to reach for his bag. A second later, he pulled out a small, wrinkled paper bag. “Condoms,” he said, pulling out a box and handing it to me. “I’ll get the lube ready.”

I nodded and started tearing at the cardboard. I was nervous, and the situation wasn’t helping. I shivered. Without his hands on me, I was acutely aware of the cool air around us and my lack of clothing.

“Hey,” he said, gently pulling the box from my fingers. “Hey, no rush.”

“I just thought—”

“When have I ever fucked you without playin’ first?” he asked, raising one eyebrow. “Come here.”