It Started with a Snap by Piper James

Chapter Thirty-Five

Ember

My body stilled, and I searched his eyes to find the truth buried in their blue depths. I could see it there, all the love and devotion he felt for me. For us. Me and the baby.

I felt like crying again, but somehow manage to stop the tears from flowing. I’d done enough crying this week to last me a lifetime. Sliding my hands up Ethan’s chest, I wrapped them around his neck and hugged him tightly. Pulling back, I met his gaze.

“I love you, Ethan,” I said. “I love you so much, and I was scared your anger over this pregnancy would rip us apart. That’s why I’ve been avoiding you all week. I didn’t want this, what we have between us, to end.”

“The only thing I’m angry about right now is the fact that you felt like you couldn’t tell me,” he said, his gentle voice and bright smile holding zero actual anger.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I know you better than that, and I should’ve come straight to you when I suspected the truth. I was freaking out, so I assumed you’d freak out, too. But I swear, I was going to tell you. I was just trying to work up the nerve.”

“You can tell me anything,” he said, brushing his lips across mine. “No matter what.”

He pressed my head against his chest, and his heart pounded out a steady rhythm against my ear. His hands caressed my back, and we ended up swaying and spinning. Ethan whispered words of love and praise against the top of my head, telling me how much I meant to him and how happy and excited he was to become a father.

I pulled back to look at him. “You’re really not upset at all? I mean, this wasn’t planned, and it was my fault for forgetting—”

He pressed a finger against my lips to shush me. I couldn’t even muster the slightest bit of anger at the move, though, because he was giving me the biggest, sappiest smile I’d ever seen grace his lips.

“We made this baby together, Ember. Don’t apologize or try to take blame for the thing that has made me the happiest man on the planet. I’m in love with you, and I’m in love with our baby.”

As soon as the words passed his lips, he dropped to his knees. Lifting my shirt, he pulled my leggings down just far enough to reveal the skin of my abdomen. He pressed his mouth to it in a gentle kiss, and the damn tears I’d managed to choke back earlier returned in full force.

Ethan pushed himself back to his feet. Moving in closer, he kissed my forehead. Then my cheek. My neck. My shoulder. My mouth.

My tears dried as his tongue slipped through my lips to brush against mine tentatively. Like someone flipped a switch, I was suddenly ravenous. Gripping his hair in my fists, I tilted his head to deepen the kiss. His hands gripped my ass and pulled me forward until I could feel his erection poking me in the stomach.

Breaking off, he said, “Are you sure? I mean, I know you’ve been feeling ill, and we’re both emotional right now. We can just be, if that’s what you need. I don’t want to pressure you.”

“Ethan,” I said, pressing my finger against his lips the same way he’d done to me a few minutes ago. “I’m sure.”

His lips curved up, and he parted them, sucking my finger into his mouth. I exhaled roughly as electricity shot to my core, flooding the channel with moisture.

Releasing my finger from his mouth with a pop, Ethan gave me a hard stare for a moment before saying, “Then tell me what you want.”

I shuddered, his familiar words sending a shiver of anticipation through me the way they always did. Grasping the hem of my shirt, I whipped it over my head.

“Take your clothes off,” I said as my hands reached behind me to unclasp my bra.

Ethan complied, quickly kicking off his shoes as he ripped his own shirt off. I shrugged my bra off and let it drop to the floor as he unfastened his jeans and pushed them down before stomping free of them. I laughed at his haste, and he smiled as his hands reached out to cup my bare breasts.

“They’re bigger,” he breathed, brushing his thumbs over my nipples.

“A little,” I said, arching my back. “And they’re really sensitive.”

His thumbs stilled, and I shook my head. Wrapping a hand around the back of his neck, I pulled him forward for a quick kiss before guiding his mouth to one breast. I needed to feel it on me.

Ethan licked the nipple with the flat of his tongue before gently sucking it between his lips. I groaned with pleasure, my hands pushing at the waistband of my leggings, but the material refused to budge.

“Help me,” I said, my voice cracking with need.

He obliged, his fingers slipping under the stretchy material and pulling it down my legs as his mouth moved to my other breast. I kicked the pants off and spread my legs apart. Ethan’s hand smoothed up my inner thigh, and his fingers rubbed over the damp crotch of my underwear, his touch making me even wetter.

Growling, he kissed a path down my stomach as his hands pushed the underwear down my legs. Lifting one of my feet, he slipped the material off and bent lower, propping my leg over his shoulder as his mouth pressed against my center.

I clutched his hair for balance, but he didn’t seem to notice as his mouth devoured me, licking and sucking like he was starved for it. He pushed a finger inside me, pumping it as he teased my clit with his tongue, and I shouted as my orgasm hit hard and fast.

“God, you’re amazing,” Ethan mumbled before pulling his finger from me and licking one last path along my slit.

He lifted my leg from his shoulder, planting my foot on the floor before pushing himself to his feet. Pulling me into his arms, he kissed my neck as my fingers gripped his cock and stroked it slowly. He moaned against my skin before lifting his head to gaze into my eyes.

“I love you so much, Ember.”

“Show me,” I said, pumping my hand faster.

His fingers gripped my wrist, and he pulled my hand away from his erection before picking me up and cradling me to his chest. I kissed him, our tongues tangling wildly as he laid me down and covered my body with his. My legs fell apart and he nestled between them, the tip of his cock teasing my entrance.

He pushed in slowly, tenderly, until he filled me completely. His body trembled with need, yet he moved with extreme care, making love to me as he whispered words of devotion in my ear. It was as exhilarating as it was heartwarming, feeling the depth of his love with our bodies joined as one.

I murmured my own words of love and commitment, and he started to move faster. I urged him on, feeling my second orgasm building until it exploded in a burst of sound and light. Ethan grunted and thrusted even deeper, freezing as his own climax emptied into me.

He kissed my jaw as he panted, then rolled us over so he was on his back, and I was sprawled across his chest. We lay like that for a long time, silent and satisfied until we were both breathing normally again. Lifting my head, I looked down at him as he met my gaze.

“I love you,” I whispered, smiling.

He smirked. “So, I guess that means you’ll move in with me?”

My mouth widened into a deep grin. “I guess it does.”

A loud whoop burst through his lips as his hands flew up to cup my face. Pulling me down, he kissed me, hard. I laughed through it, his joy seeping into me and filling me up in a way I’d never felt before.

And to think, if it hadn’t been for the termites, I wouldn’t be where I was right now. It started with a snap of wood that threatened to destroy my livelihood, and ended with an unexpected romance, a baby on the way, and more love than I could possibly ever want.

“I’m so happy,” Ethan murmured, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Me, too,” I replied. “Happier than I ever thought possible.”