Chapter 13

"Ow," I said, with a groan as Ian flattened my foot out. It had cramped while we'd been on stage. Since more and more, I sat while we performed, it hadn't been that hard to ignore the cramps in my legs and feet.

At least until we were getting ready to walk off stage and he'd taken my hand when I stood up. If he hadn't been holding onto me, I would have fallen.

"Easy," he murmured, adding a little more pressure that took me to the point of tears. It hurt so damn good. "You should have said something at the break."

There was the scold. Not that I didn't deserve it. "I would have," I said on a groan. "Oh ow… Ow. Ow. Ow."

He had magical hands, the agony was survivable only because relief was right there as he worked on my calf then back down to my foot. It was almost like he could tell just how much I could take before he needed to ease back and switch to the other set of muscles.

Maybe he could.

"Frankie." Aggravation punched up the syllables of my name. "Angel, we have two shows left. We can cancel them and make it up to the people in a few months…"

"No," I said, shaking my head as I blinked away the tears that kept trying to form. "Really, no, when we're done, I want to wrap and go home for at least a year or two."

His expression gentled, as he worked his way higher to my quads. "Then we need to do something about this. The swelling is getting intense and if you sit too still for long, you're having issues. If you stand you're having issues. Call Doctor Patterson first thing in the morning?"

He was offering a compromise and I appreciated it. When I tried to sit up, it wasn't the easiest, but he moved to grip my hands and tugged me upright. Not a single one ever teased me about the need for help. If anything, they were moving to assist before I even thought to ask.

"You're an amazing husband," I said. "Have I told you that?"

Ian's smile gentled and he squeezed my hands once before moving a pillow behind me and going back to work on my legs.

"You may have mentioned it once or twice." He lifted those stunning blue eyes to meet my gaze, then winked once. "Doesn't mean I won't keep a tally of swats for you letting yourself hurt through a whole set."

It was my turn to cradle his face. The action slowed his massage. As much as I loved him doing that, I needed to comfort him. "I promise, I wasn't hurting during the show. I didn't even notice at first. I mean I'm always uncomfortable now. It's just the lesser discomfort. When I stood up though…"

He frowned, then pressed his forehead to mine. It was comfort and affection. Love and passion. Need and desire. "I hate when you hurt. I hate it more that I can't make it better."

"You do make it better. All of you do." This was something he really needed to understand. Every single one of them made it better for me. "We should be experts at this pregnancy thing by now…"

"Yeah," Ian agreed with an almost wry note in his voice. "Save for the fact that you are carrying twins and as stubborn as ever."

"Hey now, being stubborn is one of the things about me you love." The chastisement pulled a real smile out of him.

"God help me, it definitely is, Angel." His smile made my heart flutter.

"I love you," I whispered. "I keep thinking we're going to hit that maximum amount somewhere—like you can only love someone so much. But every year, it just feels like I love you more."

"That's excellent for us," he teased. "Come on, walk some and then shower."

I groaned, but let him help me to my feet. Currently, I was wearing one of his old football jerseys. We'd discovered with Izzy that it hit me about the top of my thighs with the belly and I still had room in it.

Made it easier to get comfortable. Though right now, the twins might make us have to use alternatives.

One arm around my waist, he balanced me easily as we started to walk. The soreness was there and I had to fight the urge to be ginger about each step. The best way to handle the cramps was to do full stretches. Use each and every muscle so that they could warm up again.

The shower would be better still. I'd rather soak in a bath, but not allowed at the moment. Though I could put my legs in I supposed. Eh, it would probably be awkward.

"And I love you too, Angel," Ian said as we walked. "I get it when you say it's more every single year."

I grinned.

"You're an excellent mother. A phenomenal wife. An absolutely amazing partner. The best and only lover I ever want." The pride resonating in every word made it impossible not to believe him.

Despite the fact I flushed a deeper pink, I didn't shy away from the praise. It had taken me years really to accept not only how much they loved me, but also how much they demonstrated it.

I leaned into him, slowing our pace. When I turned toward him, he wrapped me into his arms. He cradled me there, rubbing my back slowly. I could have stayed there forever, but he nuzzled a kiss to my forehead.

"Shower time."

I groaned. "I hope there's enough room in there for both of us."

He chuckled. "Don't you worry, Angel. I've got this."

Fifteen minutes later I stood under the rainfall shower spray. I had my back to the water and as much as I wanted it to be super hot, that was another luxury that had to wait until after the babies were born.

The warmth though, penetrated the tight muscles as he worked his magical hands up and down my spine. When I began to sway, he put a hand on my hip.

"Am I losing you?"

"No, but you can keep doing that forever." I was half-floating from the combination of massage and shower.

He chuckled as he moved his hands up to my hair. "We're going to wash this now."

"Okay." My awareness of him grew as he worked the shampoo into my roots. If I'd thought the foot and leg massage had been agony and ecstasy, while his work on my back had left me floating—the scalp massage? It absolutely untethered me.

I moved where he put me, he rinsed out my hair then added conditioner. A few minutes later he was soaping me from head to toe. The gentle rub of his hand over my belly got the kids moving.

"Nope," he murmured, flattening his hand to the side of my belly. "Back to sleep, both of you. Mama is getting a break tonight."

Probably not, but I loved the way he was thinking. The simple fact was, my bladder was the size of a microdot at this point and the quieter it was around us, the more active they became.

Then again, maybe they would learn to listen to Dad too. A grin curved my lips.

"Hmm, I recognize that smile," Ian said as he knelt to finish rinsing my legs. Then he pressed a kiss to the bump. "What are you thinking about?"

"Just—you're a great dad. All of you are so amazing as fathers. Granted, I don't have as much experience—even if I think Hank is the best." My dad. I didn't meet him until I was eighteen and more than done with all the growing.

I wished I'd known him from childhood onward, but he was also a great dad. The guys more than measured up to him and beyond.

Granted, we were lucky to be together from the beginning with all of the kids, but Hank definitely set the bar high. Over the past fifteen years, so had Eddie.

I sighed.

"Thank you," he said, then nudged me over to the shower bench and helped me sit down. "If you don't mind giving me a moment, Angel."

"Hmm. Gonna give me a show?" I teased and his eyes lit up.

"Do you want one?" The dare was right there, omnipresent in his words and I grinned wider.

"I will never say no to you." I could drink in the sight of him all day long. While he wasn't as cut as he'd been in high school, there was no mistaking the comfortable muscle mass he maintained. His abdomen wasn't as ripped, but only in as much as his six pack was a slightly softer four pack.

He tilted his head back to let the water wash over him. The once golden tan had definitely faded. It showed more on his arms and face. Less on his chest and legs. Not that I cared. He was Ian, and he would always be my golden guy—and the first one to really kiss me.

I sighed.

As I let my gaze drift over him, I hummed.

"Feeling better, Angel?" The liquid heat inside of me unfurled, blanketing the aches and the tired in a coat of pure need.

"Feeling like I want to suck your cock," I told him before flicking a glance up at him. I could almost taste him on the back of my tongue and the idea of feeling him glide over my lips had my pussy clenching tight.

He rinsed off the soap, and handled his own rapidly stiffening dick with care before he moved forward. The angle wasn't perfect, but it would work. The shower bench was low. Probably meant more for bracing a foot to shave your leg than to sit on.

But it worked for me.

"Not going to tell you no…but no hurting yourself either." He locked his gaze on mine. "That's an order."

The order looped around me and sank into my bones. "I promise. May I suck your cock please, sir?"

If his desire hadn't been evident before, it seemed to blaze out of him now. He gripped his cock and teased the head against my lips.

"You may, Angel. You can control all of it…"

Oh, that was a gift. I parted my lips the moment I had permission and he eased inside. I didn't get to suck them off that often once past the second trimester. We were right there on the cusp and they were so careful with me.

The heavy weight on my tongue was heavenly. I teased my lips along his length. I slid my hands over his thighs and then up. It let me brace myself against him and I could almost feel his legs locking so I could lean if I wanted.

I worked my way slowly to the base then back again. Everything about playing with him was about craving the feel of him in my mouth. I loved the way the vein pulsed along the underside of his cock. More, I savored how he would blow out a harsh breath, then suck in another.

The tease of salt in his precum wasn't all that bitter. Someone had been having some sweets today. A laugh vibrated in my throat. If he indulged in too much soda, his cum always tasted just a bit sweeter.

We'd indulged in some experiments over the years—for science of course. I was so damn lucky these guys would let me discover what I wanted and didn't. I wasn't a huge fan of the soy, but the teriyaki? Oh yeah.

"You're killing me, Angel." The husky growl of his voice rushed over me and I opened my eyes to look up. He stared at me with so much love, my heart fisted. These men loved me. Me.

All of that love filled in a hunger I'd never realized I had and I would always crave. They didn't love me like boys in high school or with the desperation brought on by nearly losing each other or even the ferocity of discovering how much we wanted to be together—all of us.

No, they had loved me like that. But now they loved me with a kind of all-encompassing heat that promised safety, security, and sex. I bobbed my head faster, swallowing him toward my throat.

As much as I could indulge myself with edging him, I wanted to taste his cum. I wanted to give him the release he gave me so much. The love. The caring.

"Fuck…" He groaned and braced his hands on the wall above me. "Your mouth is heaven, Angel."

I wanted to smile, but it would alleviate the pressure. I was determined to ramp up his pleasure. With care, I kept one hand on his hip for balance and the other I used to caress his balls.

The vein along the underside of his cock seemed to pulse and I could have sworn he swelled a little harder. I added the barest of scrapes from my teeth to the suction. Then I swirled my tongue around his head at the end of each retreat before I swallowed him again.

I locked my gaze on his and when he slid a hand from the wall to my hair, I hollowed out my cheeks. The suction pulled a genuine gasp from him.

"I'm coming, Angel…"

I could hardly wait. The warning came a split second before the first spurt of him hit my tongue and I closed my eyes as I savored him. Another rush hit my throat as I kept swallowing. I wanted every single drop of him. My whole body hummed with the need ignited from his pleasure.

When he shuddered at the rub of my tongue along the side of his length, I eased up. He was so sensitive after he came. Almost too sensitive and I didn't want to disturb the pleasure I'd already given him.

Easing back, I let him go and then he went to his knees and his mouth fused to mine. The kiss had my toes curling. It was almost a battle for those last drops of cum, but I won. His chuckle triggered my own and then he stroked my cheek.

"We're getting out of the shower and then it's my turn…"

Oh, the delicious shiver that climbed my spine had me wanting to stand. It took no time to towel off the extra moisture. He paused long enough to squeeze out my hair, comb in the leave-in conditioner, then tossed the brush before he picked me up.

"Ian," I protested. I was getting too big for this.

"One word about your weight, Angel. And our first session after recovery will involve five swats right off the bat and no orgasm for you."

My mouth dropped open as he met my shock with an even stare.

"Understood?" He continued to eye me. "You don't have to say anything, just nod."

There was just the smallest element of humor to that last bit, but I didn't mistake his announcement for anything less than what it was—a promise he would keep.

Snapping my mouth closed, I nodded once.

"Good girl," he murmured, then carried me out of the bathroom and to our bed for this stop of the tour. He wasted no time settling me on the bed before he crawled right between my legs and sucked my clit to his teeth.

The demand of his mouth on me held no patience or ease. He wanted me to come and he wanted me to come now. Thank fuck, because that was exactly what I needed. I writhed under his expert tongue and when he glided his fingers in to fuck me, I came on a shout.

He lapped up my release then hummed as he eased me down before ramping me back up. "More orgasms," he said, his voice coiling around me like the most sensual of kisses. "You relax and then the babies will… so hold on, Angel. I'm going for the magical eleven."

Eleven?

I couldn't even find the words before he was pushing me up and over. By number six, I was sobbing from it. It hurt and felt so good at the same time. He gave me the barest of breaks, kissing me until I lapped the taste of myself from his lips. Then we had water. Then we started all over again.

Sometime around midnight, he eased into me and the first push of his cock detonated my system. To be perfectly fair, I wasn't sure what number we were on when I blacked out.

I surfaced to a cool damp cloth on my overused pussy. It eased the heat down and the soreness. I floated everywhere else. My cramps were barely a memory. He nuzzled kisses to my face and lips, then coaxed me right back to sleep.

I could figure out the number the next morning. A couple of hours later, I surfaced cause I had to pee. Ian's hand cradled the bump and I was lying on my side.

"Already?" he asked in a voice drenched in sleep.

"Yeah," I said. I didn't apologize for it anymore. They didn't need that.

"Okay." He rolled off the bed then came around to help me. The trip to the bathroom was efficient, but oh…I was swore. He gave me a smile that was all lazy satisfaction.

"You're very proud of yourself," I teased and he winked.

"No complaints?" Was he asking or telling?

When I finished peeing—not that there was that much stupid tinkle tinkle tinkle—I stood and washed my hands. Meeting his gaze in the mirror, I let out a little sigh. "None here."

"Good. I think you're sore enough, but if another orgasm will help…" He wiggled his fingers at me. "We can make that happen too."

A real laugh worked its way free. As tempting an offer as that was, tired still swamped me. Once we were back in bed with Ian wrapped around me, I tumbled right back to sleep.