Heart and Snow (Texas Highlanders Ice Hockey) (13 page)

Jo finally laid back as the tech checked a few other things, and then she packed up her ultrasound machine. She handed them a DVD and a bunch of pictures on a long sheet of paper and left. The rest of the appointment was a breeze, but Jo’s mind was elsewhere. She hoped Cody took notes, because Jo didn’t even remember it. All she could think of was… shit just got real.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Cody didn’t want to be driving. There were ten million thoughts in his head and they all zeroed in on one thing: He was having a girl.

He wanted to stop the car right then, and stare at the ultrasound pictures in Jo’s hand like she was. That was his child. The pictures were a mass of black and white, but he was getting to the point where he could see her.

A girl.

He—They were having a girl. A baby girl.

He wasn’t sure if he should be happy or freaked out, but honestly, he was running a little bit of both emotions at that moment. He was happy the baby was healthy and even that it was a girl. The thing with that was now he was going to be a father. To a baby girl.

When the hell did that happen?

As he pulled the rental into the garage at their house, his phone rang, further irritating him, because all he wanted was to go pop that DVD into the player and look at the life that Jo was carrying inside her. He pulled his phone out and answered without looking. “Hello?”

“Hey, Cody.”

Cody had just gotten out of the car. He froze in his steps, the blood draining from his head. His heart still pumped three times as fast as it had before he answered the call. Jo stopped when she saw him, a questioning expression on her face.

“Hi, Dad.”

Jo’s eyes widened, her hand going to her mouth. Now wasn’t the time he’d wanted to hear from his father. Her eyes softened, filling with sympathy. She knew how much he hated talking to his dad.

“You seem so happy to hear from me.”

“What did you want, a fucking party?” Cody snapped. He motioned for Jo to go in the house. She hesitated, but ended up taking the stuff from the doctor and going into the house. As soon as the door shut, he continued. “I was actually quite happy to not hear from you, Dad. I told you over New Year’s I didn’t want anything to do with you.”

“Look, I’m in town. I want to see you.”

“Want with one hand and shit with the other. See what gets filled first.”

“I’m serious, Cody.”

“So am I,” Cody ground out.

“I’m not the same guy.”

“You only call when you want money, Dad.” It was a ridiculous pattern, considering his father had once been one of the highest paid players in the league. Of course, he’d blown most of it over the years. He’d had court costs, and rehab, and gambling, and countless other problems that managed to dwindle away his savings.

“Just… would you have lunch with me? You can even make it a public place.” His father’s voice was just borderline desperate. He had to want money.

“Why should I?”

“Just come, will ya? I’m trying to do the right thing, here.”

“Right. Sure you are. My dad the washed up hockey player con man has changed his ways.”

“Son—”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Come see me, please. I’ll be at the Margaret’s Deli at noon. I’d like to see you.”

“If this is some scam, Dad…”

“No scam.”

“I don’t want any part of whatever business you have in town.”

“I get that. I just want to see my son.” He paused. “You could bring your wife. I’d like to meet her too.”

“Jo doesn’t need to have anything to do with you.” Cody snapped. Protective instincts roared up inside him. Jo’s delicate condition had him wanting to hide her away until the birth anyway. He didn’t want her anywhere near his father.

“Fair enough. So I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Cody sighed. His dad wouldn’t give this up. He knew him well enough for that. And if he wanted to get in there and watch that DVD again with his wife, he was going to need to get off the phone soon. “Fine. But just lunch. Nothing else.”

“Great. I’ll see you—”

Cody ended the call. For a brief second, a flicker of regret clenched in his chest, but quickly evaporated. He owed nothing to his father. The man’s continual goal in life was to disappoint him. It was sad, especially now that he was going to be a father, and that meant his father would be a grandfather. But it wasn’t like Jeremy Baker had ever cared about his family.

*~*~*

Cody was pissed. Jo could see it as soon as he came in the house. She stood from the couch and watched him as he stalked into the living room. His face was hard, set in that way when he had something unpleasant on his mind. His father always managed to bring out the worst in him.

“Cody?”

“I’m all right,” he said, his face softening into a small smile, albeit forced for her benefit. When was he going to learn that he couldn’t hide his feelings from her? That she knew her husband, every inch of him.

And currently, in his agitated state, with his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he clenched and unclenched his jaw… she suddenly wanted to lick every bit of him and blow his mind so far from his troubles he’d have a problem remembering his name, much less whatever his father had upset him with.

“Come watch the video with me again.” She took his hand to lead him over to her spot on the couch, but he didn’t budge. He stood frozen, his eyes lost in a sea of thoughts she couldn’t begin to understand.

He shook his head. “I’m good.”

She frowned. “Nonsense. Don’t let him upset you.”

“I’m not upset.”

“Yes, you are.” She took his other hand in hers and just held them. “I know our communication has sucked these last few months. But this is me. This is us. We weather it all. Together. This is what we decided, isn’t it?”

His features softened as he released her hands and enveloped her in a bear hug of epic proportions. She melted into his body, resting her ear against his heart, listening to it thump against his rib cage. His arms wrapped tightly around her, his hand smoothing down her hair.

“I love you,” he whispered into her hair.

She smiled. “I know.”

“Did you just ‘Star Wars’ me?” He held her by the shoulders, looking at her curiously.

“What?”

“You did the Han/Leia thing. You know, when they put him in carbonite?”

“That’s ridiculous.” She pulled away from him. “You’re the biggest nerd.”

“I’m just one step closer to having you in a metal bikini, aren’t I?” Cody grinned, his hungry gaze flitting over her body. His desire for her was palatable, so close to the surface that it throbbed against her clit and left her hungry and wanting.

“I don’t think so,” she replied, turning up her nose.

His hand lifted her chin so she had to look up at him. “Will you be my Princess Leia?”

She slammed her palm into his chest, but he caught it and held it against his heart. “You’re such a jerk.”

Even though she was trying to act mad, she still laughed at his stupid joke. His heart thudded against her palm. He stepped closer into her space, his hand splaying over her skin underneath her shirt. His warmth sent shivers up her spine and heat straight to her core.

God, she wanted him.

“So…” She pulled his hands from her body and pulled him toward the bedroom. “Did I tell you what happens to a pregnant woman in her second trimester?”

He blinked, confused, then shook his head.

“Well,” she smiled as they entered the bedroom. Slowly, she unbuttoned her shirt, revealing more and more skin. “I hear that my breasts get bigger, and I’m more easily aroused. A lot of people call the second trimester the ‘feel good’ trimester.”

She let the shirt slide from her body. She’d worn yoga pants for the appointment and she was glad of it now. They slid easily from her body, too, dropping to the floor in heap of fabric. The act left her in her bra and panties. Naughtiness kept her walking toward her husband, a will to seduce the man who had chosen to stand by her.

“Oh, really?” Was that Cody’s voice that just cracked?

“Yes.” She ran her palms up his chest. “Want to help me make it the ‘feel good’ trimester?”

He groaned as she fisted his shirt and pulled him to her. She smashed her lips against his, tasting him. The sweet musk of his natural scent, combined with the aftershave she so loved aroused her beyond belief. She melted into him, pressing her nearly naked body against him.

*~*~*

Her fists held his shirt tightly. She was trying to kill him, her soft body pressed against his. All his muscles were tense, his dick hard and straining against his jeans. She wrenched his shirt apart, the buttons popping everywhere and pushed it off his shoulders. He let it fall to the floor, opting instead to kiss that spot on her neck she so loved him to touch.

“I want you. I want you right now.” Her tone was super serious, so full of desperate desire he almost came right then. She followed her statement by unzipping his pants, and pushing both his pants and his boxers down his legs.

His erection sprang forth, like it was trained every time he heard her say those words. It throbbed as she pressed him backward toward the bed. His knees buckled, and he fell to the bed.

She stood before him, like some sort of succubus waiting to take his soul.

Hell, she didn’t have to wait. She already had it.

“Lay back.” Her demand was loud in the silent room.

Normally, he’d take the lead, because she enjoyed when he went all alpha on her, but he really liked where she was going with this. He liked this forthright woman who knew what she wanted and went after it. He grinned, as he laid back. “Tell me what else happens in the second trimester.”

She smiled, a true vixen as she ran her hands over his naked body. “The woman becomes incredibly aroused.”

“Oh, that sounds… that could be a problem.”

“It could, if no one was around to help her take care of it.”

“If someone was, it would make them a hero, wouldn’t it?”

She laughed. “Don’t applaud yourself yet.”

He pulled her to him, so she had to straddle him, and his face was level with her boobs. He leaned forward and licked the valley between her breasts, and her whole body convulsed. His hands slid up her back, to her bra, which he quickly undid and then relieved her of it. Her pert breasts did indeed seem bigger, or maybe it was just a result of her words earlier. Regardless, they looked tasty as hell.

He took one pert nipple into his mouth, swirling the tip around with his tongue. His senses were all filled with her. The sweet and salty taste of her skin, the fruity scent of her body wash, the softness of her skin against his tongue. Her hands braced her weight on his shoulders, and she let out a soft moan of approval.

Well, that wouldn’t do. He wanted to make her feel good, as she’d asked. He needed a bigger reaction than that. He sucked harder, and scraped his teeth along her skin. The resulting moan was louder, but not quite where he wanted it. His hand slipped between her thighs, and whether she realized it or not, she spread them more to grant him access.

He circled her clit, coaxing another moan from her, and played with the little bundle of nerves for a while, enjoying the little mewling sounds she made. He rimmed her pussy’s entrance with his wet finger. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, her head dropped back, forcing her breasts out toward him. He moved his mouth to the other nipple, tasting the sweet soft flesh of her body. Her blond curls hung down her back, and tangled with the hand he kept on her back, supporting her. He pumped his finger in and out of her pussy, stroking the walls in just that way she loved. A loud cry escaped her mouth.

Better.

Her eyes flashed with fire and want. She placed her palms on his chest and shoved, dropping him to the mattress. Climbing over him, she wrapped her hands around his shaft and it jerked in her hand. She grinned. “Someone is a little excited.”

“Always with you.”

“We should take advantage.” She straddled him, his cock pointing directly at her pussy, and sat down on him in one smooth move.

“Fuck.” He groaned loudly, her hips undulating above him, crashing against his pelvis as she fucked him. He wasn’t sure how long he laid there, the ecstasy of her pussy squeezing around his cock, milking him until he couldn’t stand it anymore. He thrust up to meet her movements, but he couldn’t quite reach the depths he wanted before she pulled away. He needed more.

Cody flipped them over, keeping them joined together, and slowed the rapid pace she’d set, pushing in oh-so-excruciatingly-slow, then pulling out almost to the tip before pressing into her body again. She whined her disapproval, obviously wanting him deep inside her. He kissed along her neck, her collarbone, anywhere he could reach with his mouth. But he needed to hear her cry out, to come so hard her legs turned to jelly.

“Are you okay? I’m not hurting you, am I?” He asked her, suddenly aware that they had another life to consider when it came to their sexual life. He wasn’t sure if sex was a good thing with a baby in there. They hadn’t even considered it beforehand.

She shook her head. “More.”

“Are you sure?” The unspoken question was there, and she picked up on it easily enough.

“Yes.”

He groaned and resumed a regular pace, thrusting in and out of her. The two of them climbed higher and higher together. Cody was close; the way her walls contracted around his dick drove him toward that peak. He slid his hand between them to that little bud and stroked in time with his thrusts. She cried out, this time his name leaving her lips in a gorgeous scream, her body tensing. Her entire body tensed, her hands fisting the sheets and her hips shooting off the bed in an effort to get him deeper. The sight of her climax was enough to turn him over the edge. He came, tumbling over that edge, his entire body overheating and seizing with the pleasure she’d brought him.

When it ended, the two of them lay there, panting with the exertion. He brushed her hair from her damp face. There was a glow about her lately. Something he couldn’t really identify, but loved seeing on her.

“You’re thinking pretty hard there,” Jo said softly smiling up at him.