School Ties (30 page)

I'm done for.

I don't try to hold back anymore because I don't have to. Giving in, the climax rips through me and I pour my release inside of her and, damn, does it feel good.

Until we got married a couple of weeks ago, we'd been doubling down with condoms and the pill, but now she's just on the pill. We're planning to wait on the whole baby thing until Caleb graduates but if she happened to get pregnant between now and then, it'd be fine. More than fine—I'd be thrilled. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about being a dad because it's not like I had a great role model, but I feel like that's something it's okay to be uncertain about. Besides, there's no doubt in my mind Erin will be a great mom.

In the meantime, I'm just going to love her like crazy. And tell her so, all the time. Because I do.

Still inside of her, I lean down and rest my chest against her back. I pull the tie from around her eyes so I can watch her lashes flutter against her cheek while she comes down, her heartbeat slowing beneath me. Eventually our breathing evens out and I slide my hand up to where hers is resting on the desk. I curl my pinky around hers and run my nose along the sensitive skin behind her ear. “I love you, Erin.”

My heart is filled close to bursting when she smiles and says, “I love you, too, Shep.”

A huge thank-you to Courtney Miller-Callihan for finding a home for this book and believing in me—you're the best agent a girl could ask for.

Also thanks to AJ and Piper, my beta readers, who gave me the courage to put this weird little story out in the world.

To my friends MTS, LG, EH, and KO for being onboard with whatever I decide to write next, and especially to AJ for putting together the outing that inspired this story. Also a very special thank-you to MRF for being willing to help me with math terms, since I'm far better with words than numbers.

Gratitude to Mr. Parker and Kidlet for dealing with the ups and downs of having a creative professional in the family. We won't have takeout for dinner again tomorrow, promise! Okay, maybe . . .

To Cindy, Kristine, and the rest of my crew at InterMix, thank you for all your hard work, I'm so glad to have you on my team.

And, as always, bottomless appreciation to my readers and reviewers. I couldn't do any of this without you.

Stay-at-home mom by day and writer by naptime,
USA Today
bestselling author
Tamsen Parker
lives outside of Boston with her family.
Personal Geography
, the first book in her self-published Compass Series, was selected as a Recommended Read by Romance Novel News, a 2014 Buried Treasures Pick by All About Romance, and was also selected by Heroes & Heartbreakers as one of their 10 BDSM Romances You Should Read.

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