34. Jessica

34

JESSICA

I stretched and watched Dylan. He had pulled his slacks back on and was pacing, his phone in his hand. I don't think he realized I was awake. That or he was very focused.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

He looked up and smiled. My breath caught when he smiled at me. He was so handsome, and there was just something about the way he looked at me that made my stomach do flips.

"I'm trying to order delivery. This place doesn't have room service," he said.

"Delivery? Breakfast?" I really had no sense of time. With the curtains closed, I had no idea whether it was day or night. All I knew was he had kept me in bed for hours, showing me exactly how much he loved me. And if his feelings came close to his actions, he loved me a lot.

He chuckled. "Dinner. We've been in bed all day, and asleep for quite a bit of it."

I lifted my arms over my head and stretched again. "I'm not complaining."

The sheet that had been pulled up slipped, and suddenly, my breasts were exposed.

Dylan stopped moving and stared at my chest. He let out a heavy sigh and hummed. "Neither am I." He tossed the phone onto the chair and slid back into the bed. His large, warm hand cupped one breast and he nuzzled the other one. "Who needs food when I have these to appreciate?" he mumbled against my skin. "You did this on purpose," he said between kisses against my skin.

I gasped in a breath. His touch made it hard to think. I was about to say something, but the thought was completely gone. I let my head fall back and enjoyed his attention. And then my stomach protested, loudly.

He sat back with a laugh. "I guess you want food?"

Right, that's what I had been about to say. "I haven't eaten all day."

"You should have said something. I would have ordered food earlier. We need to keep your stamina up."

"Stamina?" I asked.

"You don't think I'm done with you, do you?" he teased.

Sitting there all exposed to him, I would much rather have had his mouth on me than talking about food. But I was hungry, so out of self-preservation, I gathered the sheet up for protection.

"What were you looking at ordering?" I asked.

"I got stuck on the menu for a little bistro up the road. I couldn't decide what I should get you."

"Do you know what you're getting?" I asked.

He shrugged.

"If you haven't placed the order, I don't need anything fancy. I wouldn't say no to pizza," I admitted.

"Pizza? I can make that happen." The phone rang as he reached for it.

We exchanged questioning glances and laughed.

He grabbed it and looked at the screen. He stood with a groan. "I'll be back. I need to take this." He grabbed a few items from the top of the dresser and put them in his pocket as he stepped outside.

"This is Anderson."

The door closed behind him. I watched the door for a moment, and then I was leaning over the side of the bed trying to figure out where my clothes went.

I managed to reach my dress and pull it on so I wasn't so naked. I wasn't able to reach the padded walking boots. I glanced at the door and hoped that Dylan would come back in and help me. I realized my need was more pressing than my ability to wait for him to return.

Sucking in my breath and wincing with each step out of bed, I grabbed the boots, each one in opposite corners of the room. I managed to get them on and take myself to the bathroom. After taking care of my needs and wiping my face with cool water, I returned to bed.

I had to wait a while before Dylan returned.

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

He nodded. "That was Robertson letting me know the presentation looks good."

"The one Sarah took care of?" I asked.

"Yeah, and while I was taking calls, I ordered pizza, and then I made sure to make arrangements for Max's nanny to stay so we can spend the rest of the night without any worries."

"I like it when you take care of everything. So thoughtful," I purred.

"I do like to take care of you."

He slid alongside me in the bed. His lips against mine were wonderfully distracting. His kissing skills were exceptional. He knew when to press hard and when to ease back. I could have spent hours just kissing him. Eventually, we had to stop because there was a knock on the door.

He made a sexy grunt deep in his throat as a complaint before getting up. "Pizza," he announced.

I was sad to have to stop kissing him, but my stomach did a flip. I was so hungry. My stomach made another loud rumbling noise when he carried the boxes over to the table. The entire room filled with the delectable smells of garlic and oregano. If my feet would have let me, I would have been dancing in anticipation at Dylan's side. I was acutely aware of just how hungry I really was now that I smelled food and I no longer had Dylan's kisses distracting me. I watched in starving anticipation—a form of misery all its own—as he opened the top box.

"This one is mine," he announced. He had ordered an all meat special, while I liked onions and peppers along with pepperoni on my pizza.

"Then that box is mine," I said, reaching out for the entire box.

"Do you want the whole box, or a plate?"

I didn't care, I just needed food. "Either. I'm starving," I admitted.

He handed me the box and a handful of paper napkins. I tore into the box, pulling out a gooey cheese-covered piece. I closed my eyes and sank my teeth into it. It was the best piece of pizza I had ever eaten. I made happy moaning sounds as I ate.

"That good?" Dylan laughed. He was sitting in a chair and eating at the table, a slice of pizza on a paper plate in front of him. He was positively civilized compared to my feral attack of pizza while being propped up in the bed.

"It's wonderful. I told you I forgot to eat today."

He smiled at me. I loved it when he smiled at me.

"How do you like Mrs. Coleson?" he asked.

I shrugged, not expecting him to ask me about the nanny. "She's fine, I guess. She's very structured, and Clara hasn't tried to run her off. Why?"

"Clara hasn't managed to run you off."

I shook my head. "I told you, I'm stubborn. Besides, I think we have come to an understanding."

He lifted his brows.

"Yeah, she's been concerned about people trying to take over her job. It was a lot, but I think she'll behave now."

"That's good. Do you think she'll try to run Mrs. Coleson off if she's around more?"

My brow twisted as I looked at him with confusion. "What?" I asked. He looked extra happy in that moment, and I wanted to know what was making him smile at me that way. Why was talking about nannies making him smile?

He twitched his finger at the corner of his mouth. "You have a little sauce."

"Oh." I swiveled my tongue and licked the sauce from my cheek. "Better?"

He shook his head and stood. I must have been a mess if he was getting up to fix it for me. He leaned down and placed his lips on the corner of my mouth. "Much better." His voice was thick and gravelly, sexy.

I turned my head ever so slightly to kiss him. "I love you," I said against his lips.

"Marry me," he said, his mouth still teasing mine.

I pulled my head back so I could focus on his face. "What? Are you serious?"

He eased away and sat on the edge of the bed. "Yes, I'm serious. This moment feels perfect. You're beautiful and happy, and I don't want to wait."

I stared at him. My head swirled. I was overwhelmed with emotions. My jaw dropped and I forgot how to speak.

"Do you need a more formal proposal? If you need me to plan out something a bit more along the lines of your expectations, then I can make that happen."

"No!" Panicked that he was going to take back the proposal, I grabbed him and pulled him in for a kiss.

At first, his lips were stiff, but then he relaxed into the kiss and I forgot about how hungry I was for food. Dylan pressed me back into the mattress and covered my body with his. He broke the kiss and braced himself above me. "You said no?"

I nodded, but quickly changed that to shaking. "No, don't take back the proposal. Yes, I'll marry you. I don't need some over-thought, picture-perfect location. None of that matters. You really want to marry me?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't mean it. So, should we hire Mrs. Coleson full-time or not?"

I put my hand in the middle of his chest and pushed him off me. "Why would you hire Mrs. Coleson? My feet will get better. That's my job you're giving away."

Dylan kept smiling and shook his head. "Not your job anymore."

"Are you firing me?"

"Not at all, but you did just upgrade from nanny to fiancée, and soon, I hope, to Mommy."

I just stared at him. He was right. If I married him, I would be Max's mother. I guess I was leaving a job opening.

"Mommy?" I couldn't quite believe it. I would be Max's mother. I'd be Dylan's wife! There was so much to wrap my head around. Everything would change simply because I said yes to one little question.

"I guess you could go by ‘Mother' if you prefer," Dylan said.

"No, ‘Mommy' is perfect. But I think I'm going to like being called ‘Wife' a lot better."

Dylan moved in close. He was making that low rumble sound in his throat. It was almost a growl, but not quite. "I know I'm going to like calling you wife."

His lips pressed against mine. I threw my arms around him and held him close. The pizza was completely forgotten until the box moved. With a low grumble and a choice of curse words, Dylan got up and moved the box, placing it on the table with the other pizza.

"Where were we?" he asked as he slid back into bed.

I reached out for him. "Right here, with me, where you belong."

"I do love you, Jessica." His words made my heart take flight.

This had definitely been the right time and place to propose. I couldn't imagine a more perfect moment.

"I love you," I managed to say right before his lips claimed mine once again.