I nodded, heat wrapping around me, desire spiking. I dragged fingernails up his back, knowing that would drive him wild.
“You gonna come for me, Ella?”
“Yes,” I groaned, feeling the pressure mount. “Yes, Gu—” My voice broke off, a strangled scream ripping from my throat. He fisted my hair, pulling me to him, merging our mouths together. Our tongues tangled as I milked his cock, feeling his hot release paint my insides.
It took a long moment for us both to relax. Our bodies still hot with desire but the urgent need spent. We kissed; my hands gently roving over his back.
“You okay?” Gunnar asked, pressing a kiss to my shoulder.
“Mm,” I hummed. “I can’t feel my legs.”
He chuckled, stepping back and shifting to allow me to slide slowly down his body. I straightened my skirts, then reached up, fluffing my hair.
“How do I look?”
His smile was pure satisfaction. “Like you’ve just been fucked in the storeroom.”
I sighed, a flush decorating my chest, neck, and face. “No helping it I guess.”
He reached out, running his thumb against the curve of my neck. “I love seeing my mark on you.”
I groaned, covering my face with a hand as I pushed passed him. “Love bites aren’t sexy, Gunnar. How many times do I have to tell you that?”
He chuckled, slapping me playfully on the butt as he followed me out.
We returned to the kitchen, snatching desserts from the cold room. Gunnar pressed a kiss to my lips, giving me a wink, before he pushed through the kitchen doors. We both immediately pulled up, frozen in place by the scene before us.
Gunnar’s mother, Jemma, gesticulated wildly at Gunnar’s father, Sune, as he yelled at Erik. Erik stood in front of a pair of police officers, staring down at a piece of paper, ignoring his parents. He looked like he’d been struck by lightning, his hair standing on end, his body completely frozen.
Off to the side, Gunnar’s sisters, Astrid and Liv, and his youngest brother, Rune, were passing two screaming babies back and forth, each looking woefully out of their depths.
“What the fuck is going on here!?” Gunnar bellowed, cutting through the commotion. Even the two babies, who had definitely not been there before, quietened down.
“Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Gunnar.” Sheriff Tristan Rodriguez held up his hands in a helpless gesture. “We had these two kids dropped at the station today. No one saw the mother, she took off. Left one note though.” He nodded at Erik who was still staring at the slip of paper. “The mother signed over responsibility to your brother.”
I blinked, my gaze immediately shooting to Erik, then to Gunnar.
“Excuse me?” Gunnar asked, setting down the giant pie and bowl of cream he’d been carrying. He walked across the room, the babies beginning to resume their crying.
I handed my pie and ice cream off to Jemma, immediately plucking one of the babies from Rune and putting it to my shoulder, rubbing soft circles across its little back.
Erik cleared his throat, handing over the letter to Gunnar. “It… it seems like one of our former employees has bequeathed their children to me.”
I bounced, the baby settling into my shoulder, nuzzling in.
“Who?” Sune demanded, his accent thicker than I’d ever heard it. “Who did this?”
“It doesn’t say.” Gunnar answered, Erik appearing incapable of speech. “Just says she worked with us for a while and always remembered Erik’s kindness toward her. She’d gone to the other office but had been told he was here. She arrived today and left the babies, knowing Erik would be able to take care of them. She’s signed them over; said she won’t be back for her boys.”
“Dear lord,” I breathed, pressing the little body closer to me.
“I’m sorry to do this to you, Erik. Particularly on Christmas,” the Sheriff said, looking mighty uncomfortable. “I can take them home with me, or we can call Child Services. Will need to do that anyway. But I figured…what with you being named… are you the father?”
All eyes turned to Erik. His mouth flopped open, gasping like a fish.
“Oh, Erik….” Jemma sounded heartbroken. “How could you?”
“I….” He paused, frowning. “Actually, I can’t be. I haven’t been in a relationship since… she-who-must-not-be-named. And that was nearly two years ago.”
We all processed this information. The baby in my arms couldn’t have been older than a month. And so tiny I felt an immediate rush of protectiveness.
“So, what do we do now?” Astrid asked, the other baby cradled in her arms.
Erik blinked, looking from one baby to another. “I guess we try to find their mother.”
“And if that falls through?” Gunnar asked.
We all watched Erik consider his options. Finally, he rubbed a hand over his face. “I’ll organize the adoption.”
Pandemonium broke out once again, Sheriff Tristan trying to bring about calm as Jemma, Sune and Astrid yelled over each other. Rune and Liv went to the bar for another drink, while Gunnar plucked the other baby from his sister, then came to me.
“This is not how I expected tonight to go,” he told me, hand resting on the little baby’s back.
My ovaries exploded, even as I tried to remain serious. “I doubt anyone could have predicted this.”
He shook his head. “How he’s gonna cope with two babies by himself is beyond me.”
“We’ll help him.”
Gunnar looked down at me, his gaze warming. “Thanks, Valkyrie.” He watched me shift the baby, settling the small bundle into a slightly more comfortable position. “That looks good on you.”
‘What?” I asked, bouncing slightly as the baby fussed.
“A baby. Motherhood.”
I looked up at him, feeling that familiar glow light inside me. “Soon, I hope. After the wedding.”
He winked. “We’ll see.” He looked back over at the commotion, his face tightening.
“Hey,” I called, wanting to lessen his burden. He looked back at me. “I love you.”
He bent down, pressing a sweet kiss to my lips. “Love you too, baby.”
I tilted my head, offering him a cheeky grin. “Besides, I know you’re just jealous Erik’s now beat you to the mark.”
Gunnar frowned, raising an eyebrow in question.
“First grandkids.” I tapped a finger lightly against the baby’s back. “You can’t always be first at everything, Gunnar.”