Vital Blindside (Swift Hat-Trick Trilogy Book 3)

ADAM

Nails gently scratch at the patch of hairs above the waistband of my boxers, making me groan. I cover the soft hand with my own, capturing it and bringing it up to my mouth. My lips brush the palm, kissing it.

“It’s early. Go back to sleep,” I rasp.

The smell of cherry blossoms hits me, and I grin despite the exhaustion pulling at my eyelids. Scarlett buries her head in my shoulder, peppering the skin with kisses.

“I can’t. I think I’m too excited.”

Subconsciously, I twirl the cold silver band on her ring finger until I touch the diamond in the centre. “Yeah? Me too. What time are we going to visit your mom?”

“One, after she’s had lunch. They say it’s when she’s most lucid.”

I squeeze her hand and move it to my chest. She hums sleepily, but I know by now there’s no hope of her falling back asleep. Scarlett is the world’s testiest sleeper. It was one of the first things I noticed when I had managed to convince her to move in with me and Cooper two years ago.

Even though I had wanted her to move in pretty much as soon as she could, I knew it wasn’t possible. We all needed time to adjust to the changes in our lives, and she didn’t want to leave her mother until there was no other choice but to seek out assisted-living housing. Supporting her decision was easy, especially when I knew what it meant to her.

It wasn’t until Amelia could no longer safely live in their home without 24/7 care that Scarlett made the decision to get her approved into assisted living. She kept the house for a couple of months, but it was empty and lonely, and as she told me the night before it went up on the market, it just wasn’t a home anymore.

“What do you think she’s going to say to the news?” I ask my fiancée, loving the way that sounds. It’s been three weeks since I asked her to marry me, and I still haven’t gotten used to how much I love using the title whenever possible.

“She loves you as much as she loves me. She’ll be happy. Elated, probably.”

“I don’t think it’s possible for her to love anyone as much as she loves you, but I’ll take it.”

Scarlett pushes up on her elbow and looks at me. Her hair is a mess of curls, and I can’t help but reach out and push them out of her face, letting the silky strands slip between my fingers.

“When is everyone coming over? I’ll need a couple hours to charge my social battery beforehand,” she jokes, although there’s some truth to that.

I chuckle. “Before dinner. I told them not to stay late with how tired you’ve been lately.”

“Mm, thank you,” she whispers before leaning forward and capturing my lips in a soft kiss.

When she goes to back away, I nip at her mouth and use the hand tangled in her hair to pull her closer, keeping her trapped in my orbit. Her lips part on a gasp the second I grab her waist with my other hand and pull her to straddle me.

“Where do you think you’re going?” I mumble against her mouth.

She twirls her hips and grinds against the growing bulge in my underwear. “Nowhere now. I think I’m stuck right here.”

“You make it sound like it’s a punishment to have my cock inside you, but I never hear you complaining while you’re getting fucked, baby,” I whisper, sliding my mouth down her jaw to the sensitive skin beneath it and sucking, leaving a mark for everyone to see later.

A whimper escapes her before she’s making quick work of freeing my cock and pushing her panties to the side. A groan gets caught in my throat when she lifts her hips and lines herself up with the tip before sinking down on it, taking every fucking inch.

“Oh yes . . .” she sighs.

I slide my hand under the shirt she threw over herself last night—my shirt—and move it up her side and to her front until I have her breast in my hand. “You feel like heaven. Tight and soft and made just for me.” I drive my hips up into her and watch her eyes roll back as she starts to ride me harder, faster.

Reaching between her legs, I slide my fingers over her warm, wet skin and pinch her clit, twirling it over and over as her pussy pulses and beautiful noises spill from her lips.

“Oh, my—Adam, I—shower,” she gasps, tossing her head back. Her thighs quiver as she reaches for me.

Knowing what that means, I slip out of bed with Scarlett shaking in my arms and my cock still buried inside of her and head into the ensuite. She hides her head in my neck and shudders, her nails digging into my back as I turn on the shower and step inside, not bothering to wait for the water to warm up.

“Holy fuck,” she groans, and I’m not sure if it’s from the shock of the cold water or the way I press her into the shower wall and start to fuck her like a madman.

“Are you going to come for me, baby? Are you going to come all over this cock?”

She nods frantically before tensing up and biting down on my neck. Her legs shake as her pussy clenches tight around me.

“Adam—oh my fuck,” she whines before I feel her start to explode, soaking my cock in her cum.

Her orgasm triggers mine, and I groan low and long as I fill her, leaving myself buried balls-deep until I can trust myself to pull out without dropping her.

When I do, I keep us pressed tightly together and reach between Scarlett’s legs, careful not to bump her swollen, oversensitive clit.

“What are you doing?” she asks when I slip a finger through her swollen flesh and push the cum that’s leaked from her pussy back inside.

I keep my finger buried inside for a few seconds, almost in a trance, before I catch her lust-blown stare and grin.

“We need every drop if we’re going to get you pregnant, Scary Spice, not lose my swimmers in the drain.”

A smile cracks through her curiosity. “You’re ridiculous.”

The water is way past warm by now, but after being kept pressed to the shower wall, she’s shivering. I remove my hand and move her into the water, stepping behind her to start helping wash her hair.

The idea of having a baby with Scarlett isn’t a new one. We’ve discussed it a few times over the past few months and recently talked to Cooper about what he thought of the idea. I think he was more excited about the subject than either of us was. It was a proud moment for me.

“Wanting to see you carry my baby is not ridiculous. Some would say it’s hot for a guy to have a breeding kink. Oakley mentioned it to me once.”

Scarlett lets out a loud laugh. “You guys talk about kinks? What, do you have meetings like a book club, but instead of books, you talk about what kinks you have?”

I squirt her shampoo in my hand and start to rub it into her hair. “Maybe we do.”

“Funny, I haven’t noticed you sneaking out to meet with this club at all.”

“I’ve been meeting them in our kinky clubhouse after you pass out at eight thirty every night.”

“Right, right. Totally.” She moans softly as I massage the shampoo in her hair until it’s foaming. Stepping under the steady stream of water, she rinses it out while I grab her fancy conditioner. “Maybe I’ll have to ask the guys about it when they get here later, then.”

I laugh in response, but her mention of later has me wanting to hurry up and get a move on with our day. It’s been torture not telling everyone I know that I’m finally going to make Scarlett my wife, and now that I can, I don’t want to waste any more time.

By the time our house has transformed into a full-blown circus, both Scarlett and I are bursting to shout our news and get the secret off our chests. I’m not sure how we made it through dinner without spilling the beans, but with how crazy our dinners get with the size of our group now, there was no way we would have been able to get a word in, even if it was to announce something as exciting as an engagement.

Now, an hour later, Cooper and the older kids are in the yard, most likely terrorizing the younger ones with water guns or Nerf bullets, while the grown-ups sit on the back patio, chatting and getting wine drunk.

Scarlett adjusts herself on my lap until her back is flush to my chest, and her head falls back to my shoulder. I wrap my arms around her middle and pull her as close as possible, loving the way she feels pressed against me. All warm and content.

“We should just blurt it out, you know. They won’t stop gossiping until something more exciting comes along,” I whisper, brushing my nose over the tip of her ear.

She shivers. “True. The ring is in your pocket, right?”

I answer her by reaching into said pocket and pulling it out, carefully sliding it on her finger. “Maybe just stick your hand out and see who’s the first to notice.”

Ava’s laugh carries across the yard, and I look to see her flicking Oakley in the ear and pointing at the group of kids. Following her finger, I find Adalyn sitting on Maddox’s butt as Cooper shoves his face into the grass.

“Cooper!” I yell, trying to grab his attention. “Hands off!”

“No way! This asshole just nut punched me!”

Adalyn starts to giggle and pull at Cooper’s hair. “He did! He did!”

He reaches up to swat at her while keeping his other hand on Maddox’s head. “Don’t pull my hair, or I’ll pull yours,” he grunts.

She does it again anyway, pushing his boundaries like she always does.

Muffles come from the ground as Maddox tries to say something. Cooper eases off enough to let him speak.

“I nut punched you because you called me Doxxy Poxxy again. It’s not funny anymore.”

“So, what? Only your girlfriend is allowed to call you that? I invented that nickname.”

“For the last time, Braxton is not my girlfriend!” Maddox shouts.

Cooper grins smugly. “I never said anything about Braxton.”

“Cooper, you’re the oldest. You know better than to shove someone’s face into the dirt,” I scold, albeit half-heartedly.

He and Maddox have been like this since they were kids. They fight over everything but are also closer than any two people I think have ever been. They’re brothers in the strongest sense of the word. No amount of scolding will ever change their ways.

My son fully looks at me now, annoyed to the max. “You’re seriously pulling the oldest card right now?”

Scarlett intertwines our fingers and squeezes. I shut my mouth and look at her. There’s mischief in her eyes, and just like that, I know exactly what she’s thinking.

One second, we’re staring at each other, and the next, she’s turning to face the group, saying, “We’re getting married.”

Silence, and then a bomb goes off.

“Finally!” Ava shrieks, jumping out of her seat and hauling ass toward us. As soon as she gets close enough, she’s pulling Scarlett into her arms and squeezing her tight enough that I worry I’ll have to butt in before she pops her.

“What about me, O? I’m not feeling the love right now,” I tease her.

With a scoff, Ava peels herself off my fiancée and gathers me in a hug just as tight. “I love the shit out of you, A. And I’m so proud of you.”

I swallow a sudden lump of emotion and kiss the side of her head before she backs up. “Love you too, O baby.”

The rest of the group makes their way over to us next, showering us with love and congratulations.

Braden tells me he can’t wait to be my best man and then acts offended when I tell him I could never trust him with that much responsibility. Oakley, the only guy in the group who knew when I was planning on proposing, hugs me tight and tells me he couldn’t have hand-picked anyone better for me. And Tyler, well, he hugs me for the first time in our entire friendship and tells me not to bring it up again, or he’ll put my face in the grass.

Scarlett slides up next to me and grabs my hand, placing it on her stomach, and I stare at her with an outpouring amount of love, tempted to convince her to go with me to city hall right now.

It’s not until she shakes her head and grins that I grow confused. My jaw falls open when she leans up on her tiptoes and whispers two words in my ear, blindsiding me.

“I’m pregnant.”

THE END