The Bride's Christmas Pregnancy Wish Read online

  The Bride’s Christmas Pregnancy Wish

  Simone Rivers

  freebook.simonerivers.com

  Copyright © 2019 by Simone Rivers

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  1. Gabbie

  2. Nick

  3. Gabbie

  4. Nick

  5. Gabbie

  6. Nick

  7. Gabbie

  8. Nick

  9. Gabbie

  10. Nick

  11. Gabbie

  12. Nick

  13. Gabbie

  14. Nick

  Also by Simone Rivers

  1

  Gabbie

  Loud, booming, laughter filled the living room. As if that wasn't enough of an answer to my question, the incredulous look Aspen was giving me more than solidified his stance on the matter. I frowned at him until he got himself under control. Eventually, he gave me a sheepish smile, then shrugged. "Sorry, but I am most definitely not the person to be asking that to."

  I pouted at him, sticking out my bottom lip and batting my eyelashes. It was a look I'd perfected over the years, one that never failed to turn any of the brothers into putty in my hands. Except this time though. Aspen just sat there, eyebrow raised, until I threw up my hands in defeat. "Fine," I said with an exasperated sigh. "What good is having you for a friend if you can't help me out in my time of need?"

  "Time of need?" Aspen parroted, his eyebrow still raised. "He's your husband. Not mine." Aspen shuddered at the thought. "God, that's almost as gross as thinking about the two of you together. He's my brother. You're practically my sister! I am most definitely not going to help you woo him. Don't you have girlfriends you can talk about that with? Or hell, go online and watch a porno!"

  I snickered at the thought of trolling through porn websites until I found something that would help me win over Nicholas. He may have been my husband, but it was only in name. Heck, in some cultures, we wouldn't actually be married, since we'd never consummated the marriage. No matter how badly I'd wanted to, Nicholas had always kept me at arms length.

  Well, that needs to end. He'd had the chance to bail on the marriage if he'd wanted to. Instead, he'd chosen to renew his vows with me. But still, he hadn't gone through with the whole physical aspect of loving me. So when Aspen had come over to have drinks with me, I'd figured he'd be the perfect person to help me break through the barriers Nicholas had put up. Who knew him better than his own brother?

  But Aspen was not nearly as keen on the idea as I'd been. He was closer to repulsed than excited. Bastard.

  Aspen let out a sigh and shook his head. He ran a hand through his shaggy hair, giving me a sad smile. "Sorry, Gabbie. If I could help you, I would. But even if I wasn't completely turned off by my brother having sex, I'm definitely not the guy to help you woo someone. I mean, look how my marriage turned out!"

  Gabbie nodded and ceded the point. Aspen's marriage hadn't been much different than mine and Nicholas's. Except for him and his now ex-wife, there hadn't been the mutual love between them. At least Nicholas and I were close to each other from the beginning. Living together, being married to each other, had never seemed like a hardship.

  "Honestly, I have no idea how the two of you have made it work for so long. Being married to she-who-shall-not-be-named.... It was just so stifling, like we were smothering each other." There was a sadness in Aspen's eyes as he looked at me. I wanted to hug him, to reassure him, but I had no idea how to do that. How did you comfort a man whose marriage had just fallen apart? I hadn't been able to help him before, how could I help him now?

  Instead, I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "It's not like that between me and Nick. We do well together. I guess it helps that we'd always been close. It kinda was like moving in with my brother, in a way." I hated to admit that, but it was the truth. Nick and I had always been comfortable around each other. But, I guess it wasn't like he was my brother. I'd had an infatuation with him since I was a little girl. I'd just figured I'd grow out of it, that it was just a puppy love. Marrying him though, moving in with him....

  It just made everything worse.

  "But he's more than that to me. At least, I want him to be. I want our marriage to be real, want him to understand how I really feel." I let out a breath. Closing my eyes, I leaned back in my chair and clutched the glass of wine in my hands. For the last couple years I've been trying to show Nick how I feel about him. When he'd talked about getting a divorce, since we'd been married long enough to fulfil the obligations required for me to inherit my portion of Dad's company, I'd talked him out of it. Instead, I'd gotten him to renew our vows.

  You'd think that would be enough to convince the man I loved him, but the Frost men were known for their bullheadedness. Apparently, it would take me beating him over the head with a big purple dildo to get my point across. At least, that's how it felt.

  It wasn't even like Nick was interested in another woman either. At least, not that I'd seen. He hadn't shown even the slightest inkling he wanted to divorce me so he could be with someone else. There weren't any signs of him seeing a woman on the side. No sneaking around, no mysterious calls or texts, nothing. And yet, it was looking like the only thing that gave him a hardon was work.

  I let out another sigh, then opened my eyes and locked them on Aspen. I did my best to look pathetic. "Come on, Aspy," I pleaded, using the nickname I'd given him when I'd barely been old enough to walk. "You've gotta have some kind of advice for me. Don't you guys talk about shit like that? I mean, you're brothers for crying out loud. You've gotta know what makes the man tick!"

  "Well, as far as I know, it's the same things as every other straight man. Tits, ass, and pussy. Take your shirt off and shake your tits at him." Aspen took a long sip of his wine and smirked at his crass little joke. I just rolled my eyes at him, which made him snicker. He always did love being crude. "Come on, Gabbie. It seriously can't be that difficult to get a man to sleep with you. I mean, I wouldn't, no offense, but I'm sure someone like Nick would be all over you in a heartbeat."

  God how I wished that were true! At the rate I was going, I'd be dead and buried before Nick so much as got a semi from looking at me. If only it could be as simple as Aspen made it out to be. Fat chance.

  I hadn't tried anything as crude as literally shaking my tits at him though, to be fair. I wanted Nick to notice me, but not that way. Was I any different from a stripper on stage? Sure, he'd probably get boned, but would that really mean he was into me?

  No, I wanted something more discrete, a way to show him I was interested without just bending over the couch and waiting for him to come home. That was probably too much to ask for though with how obtuse Nick seemed to be.

  "Your brother is an idiot," I finally said, letting out a sigh and leaning back into my chair. He wasn't really an idiot, but I was getting annoyed and more than tipsy.

  Aspen, however, grinned and nodded like that was the smartest thing I'd said all day. "Trust me, I'm well aware of this fact. I had to live with him growing up, remember? I know just how big of an idiot all three of my brothers are."

  I snorted. No doubt all three of those brothers would say the exact same thing about Aspen, too. They were all good men, and they all looked out for each other, but they were merciless in their teasing. You'd think they'd eventually grow out of that, but apparently not. Even Nick, who prided himself on being Mister Mature frequently reverted to childish name calling with his
brothers.

  A loud creaking noise filled the living room, and I sat bolt upright. MY heart hammered as I turned and looked toward the source of the noise, knowing exactly what it was. Nick had been meaning to oil the front door for months now but he hadn't gotten around to it. I'd offered a couple times to take care of it for him, but each time I suggested it, you'd think I'd threatened to revoke his man card.

  "We're in here!" I yelled out even as my heart tried to leap from my chest. Time slowed to a crawl as I waited. Then, Nick appeared in the doorway, his bulky body taking up most of the frame. How he managed to fit a trip to the gym every day I could never figure out. The thought of Nick holding business meetings in the office workout room, still dressed in his expensive suit, never failed to make me giggle.

  Nick frowned as he walked in, his eyes locking onto his younger brother. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, practically glaring at the other man. "What are you doing here?" he asked. His voice wasn't angry though, more tired than anything. It didn't take a genius to realize he'd had a long, hard, day at work.

  Aspen, however, just grinned and held up his wine glass. "Well, I believe I'm sitting here enjoying your impeccable wine collection." As if to emphasize his point, he took a sip of the wine, then made sounds of approval. "You truly have amazing tastes." His eyes flickered over to me for a moment, then back to his brother.

  Nick caught the movement however and scowled. For a man who had shown little romantic interest in me, he sure seemed to get his hackles up at the thought of his younger brother moving in on his territory. God, men were confusing as Hell. I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to understand what it was that made them tick.

  Nor was I sure I wanted to.

  Men were stupid. Especially Frost men.

  Finally, Nick let out a breath and shook his head. His right hand went up to his neck, gently kneading the muscles there. The tailored suit stretched across his muscles, and I licked my lips at the sight. If he wanted a massage, I was more than willing to give him one. And I wouldn't stop until my hands had roamed over every inch of his body and he was moaning in pleasure.

  I had to fight back my own moan at the thought. It was one thing to fantasize about my husband. It was another to do it while his younger brother was sitting right in front of us.

  "I'm gonna go get a shower," Nick said at last, shaking his head at his brother. "You two enjoy your little powwow."

  Without another word, Nick turned and fled from the room. I wished I could read his mind, to know what he was thinking. But he always had this mask on, one I still couldn't read through even after all these years of being married.

  The two of us watched Nick go, then Aspen let out a sigh. I turned to see him down the rest of his wine and stand, setting the glass next to the bottle on the small table between us. "Looks like this might be your chance," he said with a smirk. "Time for your little Christmas wish to come true."

  I raised an eyebrow at him, trying to follow his line of thought. "It's not Christmas yet," I reminded him. We still had a couple weeks to go before then.

  "Tell that to the stores. They've had Christmas shit for sale since September!" Aspen said with a laugh. His grin broadened as he nodded toward the direction Nick had gone. "If I were you, I'd follow him. He looks like he could really use a wife right about now, in more ways than one. So while I head home to enjoy my newfound bachelor life, I suggest you get your ass upstairs and start shaking it for your man."

  Heart pounding again, I nodded. It was hard to catch my breath, but I knew Aspen was right. This was my chance. It was time to show Nick I wanted to be his wife not just in name. Maybe tonight I'd finally be able to pierce through his shell.

  2

  Nick

  I let out a sigh and braced myself against the bathroom counter as the room slowly filled with steam. Every inch of my body ached. I wanted to stand under the hot shower spray for the next week. I wanted to call out of work and make someone else pick up all the slack. It wasn't an actual option, but it was nice to dream about.

  I didn't even have the patience to sit and talk with Aspen. Normally, I loved when my youngest brother visited. Tonight though, I couldn't even stomach the thought of trying to maintain a conversation with him. Just the thought of it made my head pound. He was a great guy, but not someone I could deal with after the Hellish week I'd been through.

  When the bathroom door slide open, I glimpsed Gabbie in the mirror. Even though we'd been married for years now, it was still hard not to feel a rush of embarrassment any time she saw me undressed. Sure, we were married, but it wasn't like we were actually husband and wife. We didn't parade around naked in front of each other and we didn't have sex together. So any time she did see me naked, I had to fight the urge to cover myself up. Part of me still thought of her as that girl I'd grown up with, the girl I wasn't supposed to have feelings for.

  Especially not those feelings.

  "Long day at work?" Gabbie asked, coming to stand next to me. Her voice was low and gentle, soothing. When I nodded, she reached out and put a hand on my bare back. That bit of contact made me suck in a breath as I fought to keep my urges down. "Anything I can do to help?"

  God, she sounded so seductive. I knew she didn't mean to be though, and I tried my hardest not to think of her that way. We'd only gotten married so she could properly inherit her fair share of her father's company. It wasn't right for me to be having fantasies about her. She wasn't the little girl who used to trail after us boys all the time. She hadn't been for a long while. But it still felt like I was taking advantage of her if I made any move.

  Taking a deep breath, trying to steel my resolve, I shook my head. There were tons of things Gabbie could do to help me relieve the tension, but I didn't dare say any of them. It wouldn't have been appropriate to say those things to her. No, I would just have to settle for a hot shower and hope that was enough to loosen my muscles and give me the relief I so desperately needed.

  But Gabbie didn't disappear back into the bedroom like she normally would have. Instead, she stayed there, her hand sliding up and down my back. The soft, gentle, rubbing was amazing, in more than one way. It was helping to relax my muscles, but it was having another side effect. I had to grit my teeth and breathe deeply to avoid getting rock hard.

  What kind of pervert was I for getting a boner just from a gentle back rub? It wasn't even a full massage or anything either, just her hand rubbing up and down my bare torso. Worse, I didn't want her to stop there. I wanted her to touch me all over, wanted to feel those delicate fingers dancing across my body. I wanted to feel her hand wrap around my cock and stroke me until I shot my load all over the bathroom counter.

  God, I couldn't even remember the last time I'd had a woman touch me down there. I'd been with many women before marrying Gabbie, but I hadn't been with any since then. Even though our marriage was in name only, it still didn't feel right to sleep with any other women. Plus, there was the attraction I had for Gabbie. Even though I swore I'd never act on it, it had always been there. As horny as I'd gotten over the years, I couldn't imagine any woman could ever satisfy me. Only Gabbie could do that, and that would never happen.

  "Are you sure there's nothing I can do?" Gabbie practically purred in my ear. It sent a shiver through my body.

  I balled my hands into fists, my fingernails biting into my palms. Those little pinpricks of pain were all that kept me grounded. As time went on, it was getting harder and harder to keep my urges under control. If things kept up at this rate, I wouldn't be able to control myself for long. I needed to get in the shower, get away from Gabbie. Once she was in the bedroom and I was alone again, I could take my urges into my own hands and hopefully let off enough pressure to keep myself in control.

  "Why don't you go rest?" I suggested, smiling at her. At least she was dressed. If she'd been naked like I was, I wasn't sure I'd have been able to keep my hands off of her. It was already tough enough. I needed to get some space between us. "Unless Aspen is still here?"


  Gabbie shook her head. "He left. He wanted to go back to his place and enjoy being a bachelor for a while."

  I nodded. Aspen's marriage had been a clusterfuck and a half. His wife wasn't the spawn of Satan like he sometimes made her out to be, but she definitely wasn't the one for him. His marriage hadn't been much different than ours, but the two of them hadn't gotten along like Gabbie and I had. The two of us were friends. Those two were more like acquaintances.

  "Then why don't you go laid down with a book? You're always saying how you don't have nearly enough time to read." It was a lame excuse, but it was all I could think of. I dedicated the rest of my brain power to keeping my cock from coming to life.

  Instead of walking away, Gabbie moved to stand directly behind me. She brought both hands to my shoulders and kneaded the muscles there. If I hadn't already been focusing on keeping myself in control, I wouldn't have been able to keep the moans from slipping out. God, her hands were heavenly.

  "Are you sure there isn't anything I can do for you?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, just inches away from my ear. She had to be standing on her toes to reach, but I had my eyes squeezed shut, refusing to look at her. I couldn't bring myself to make eye contact. Otherwise, I wasn't sure I could keep myself from doing something stupid.

  I nodded, taking slow, deep breaths. The roam was filled with steam now. I could feel the moisture clinging to my skin. Could this situation get any more erotic? God, how could Gabbie be so oblivious to the tension in the air? But I was glad she was. Otherwise.... I shuddered thinking about where things might go. "I'm just gonna get a shower, then call it a night. Don't let me ruin your night though. You go relax. Have another glass of wine if you'd like. Just because I had a shitty day doesn't mean it should mess up your night."