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  Ramsey

  A St. Claire Novel

  Tina Martin

  Copyright @ 2018 Tina Martin

  RAMSEY

  Smashwords Edition

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  This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to real people, names, places, things or events are a product of the author’s imagination and strictly coincidental and are used fictitiously.

  This ebook is for you personal enjoyment only and protected by copyright laws. It may not be resold or given away to someone else. Please respect the hard work of this author. If you would like to share this book with another person, purchase an additional copy. If you are in possession of this book and didn’t purchase it, please return it and purchase your individual copy.

  *Cover image courtesy of Javier Reyes via Unsplash

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  Visit Tina Martin Publications at: www.tinamartin.net

  RAMSEY (A St. Claire Novel) – Synopsis

  Ramsey St. Claire juggles his new role as husband to Gianna while at the same time running a million-dollar empire – St. Claire Architects. While work is important, everyone who knows Ramsey knows that Gianna is his number one priority. She’s his second chance at happiness, a chance he wasn’t expecting but one he’s grateful for.

  He loves her.

  More than life.

  More than anything.

  That’s why he hangs on so tight. Analyzes her movements. Loves her hard. Watches her closely.

  Expecting their first child and still working at the bakery, Gianna is a woman who wears many hats. One thing she can always count on is the support of her loving husband. But does running the bakery, preparing for her little ‘cupcake’s arrival and an unforeseen request from her estranged mother bring more challenges than she can handle all at once?

  * * *

  -RAMSEY is a standalone novel that tells a more detailed story of the married life of Ramsey St. Claire and Gianna St. Claire.

  -The Boardwalk Bakery Romance Series, consisting of the books: Baked With Love, Baked With Love 2 and Baked With Love 3 tells the story of how Ramsey and Gianna initially met and fell in love.

  -ROYAL is a standalone novel that tells the story of Royal St. Claire and Gemma Jacobsen.

  ~ . ~

  He loves her.

  He shows her.

  Don’t talk about it.

  Be about it.

  ~ . ~

  Ramsey

  A St. Claire Novel

  Chapter 1

  Sweet.

  That’s the one, consistent word that always came to Ramsey’s mind whenever he thought of his wife, Gianna. Whenever somebody asked him how’s married life or on those frequent occasions when his single brothers, Romulus and Regal, swore up and down they’d never become permanently tied down to one woman almost like they were trying to convince themselves of it. In all of those instances, Ramsey thought of how sweet life was with Gianna.

  He cracked a smile. He loved the permanence of this union with her – embraced it with everything he had – because she was sweet in every sense of the word. He knew that better than anyone. He had free reign to make that discovery and what an expedition it was to navigate the plains and curves of her soul. Her body was oh, so sweet.

  Sweet to look at.

  Sweet to touch.

  Sweet to taste.

  Even the intangible things he couldn’t actually taste like her personality was sweet. She was a kind-hearted person – as sweet as those cupcakes she baked for a living.

  She was a little on the timid and quirky side but that’s what he found endearing about her. Even after they were married, she was still somewhat shy around him and would often blush whenever she caught him staring at her and he stared often.

  He couldn’t help it.

  He was in love with her – a love that teetered on madness and at times confusion as to how this kind of connection with another human being could be possible. But it was possible – the kind of love that made the hair on his arms raise whenever he gave lengthy thoughts to how they came to be. Love that made him reconsider everything in his life whenever there was a conflict involving her. Love that made him put her first because he wanted to, not because a bestseller or Steve Harvey said that’s the way a man was supposed to love his woman. His love for her ran deep into the depths of his body. Deeper than veins, down into the very marrow of his bones.

  He was fortunate.

  This was the kind of love some people never found, but he knew he discovered it the moment he laid eyes on Gianna at her place of business – The Boardwalk Bakery – and saw a speck of flour on the tip of her nose. He knew it when her translucent, cinnamon-toned eyes connected with his deep, dark ones. Seeking ones. He knew it when he tasted chocolate from her fingers. When he felt her lips quiver against his during their first kiss. The first time he held her nervous, quivering hand. Took her to dinner. Told her he loved her.

  Tired of standing in one spot beside the bed and feeling he wasn’t close enough to her, he eased down next to her. She was sleeping this time of the night – one in the morning – but he was up – in more ways than one, admiring her. Even while at rest she was radiant, her skin blanketed with a soft glow that made him think of a silk, chocolate soufflé. His mouth watered. She was making him hungry. Her brown hair, still tousled from the love they made just a couple of hours ago, was fanned out over her pillow. Typically a wild sleeper who’d change positions constantly throughout the night, lying on her back was more comfortable these days. Ramsey stared at the reason why – at her growing stomach. This was what all the love they’d made produced – his first child. Their first child.

  A daughter.

  Lately, he found himself wondering how he’d be as a father. How she’d be as a mother. How a baby would change their lives. How he had so much to live and work for. Marriage was as exciting as welcoming his first child and the two came with great responsibilities.

  Years ago when he started St. Claire Architects, he had no idea that his passion would grow into a million-dollar organization but it had, and with his brothers as managers and leaders in their various departments, it would grow even more, he knew. When the success came, he was proud that something he started from nothing had sprouted into a great way to make a living. There was nothing more freeing than doing what you love and making a living at the same time. Now, he would not only be taking care of himself, but his family as well. He was no longer working to satisfy his need to be successful or to be mentioned in fancy publications or touted as the top architectural firm in the Carolinas. He was working all for the joy and happiness of the sweetest woman in the world and his baby growing inside of her.

  Ramsey flicked on her bedside lamp to get a better view of Gianna’s resting face and her smooth, brown skin that he couldn’t help but touch. He didn’t want to touch her for fear he would wake her, but he just couldn’t help it when it came to his cupcake. He had to – even after they’d made love just a couple of hours ago – he still found an urgent need to touch her. With his fingertips, he traced the curve of her stomach that he found fascinating during her sixth month of pregnancy. He brushed a kiss across her stomach, then placed one on her lips. He watched her lips curve into a beautiful smile.

  She stretched and yawned. Her joints crackled as she moaned herself awake. “What are you doing, Ramsey?” she asked, twisting her body toward him so she was lying on her side now.

  “Admiring w
hat’s mine,” he responded in a quick, blunt answer that spoke volumes about the way he was feeling at this precise moment.

  “Admiring what’s yours,” she repeated, eyes batting softly, filled with sleep. Another yawn came and went. “And what might that be?”

  “You already know.”

  She fought fatigue to open her eyes wider and get a good look at her husband. She instantly bit down on her lip. How was it that he looked finer each time she laid eyes on him? His eyes projected threats of seduction. His lips were freshly licked and hungry, waiting for sustenance. His face told the story of desires he’d yet to speak. That all meant one thing – he wanted her again.

  She stroked a hand across his beard and watched him close his eyes. “Ramsey, come to bed,” she said softly. “You have to work in the morning.”

  “I’m the boss, baby. I don’t have to go to work in the morning.” He flicked off the lamp then walked around the bed to his side where he slid right up to her and spooned the shape of her so her round bottom was nestled in the cradle of his pelvis while his muscular chest fused with the feminine softness of her back. She smelled good – like the scented berry lotion she’d apply before bed.

  “You don’t have to, but you will, overachiever,” she teased.

  He could only smile. She was right, of course. It wouldn’t be the first time he went to work after only getting a couple hours of sleep and it wouldn’t be the last time, either. “Are you comfortable in this position?” he inquired.

  “Yes. I’m fine.”

  “Okay.” He kissed her neck – felt like his lips were gliding across velvet. He felt her body quiver in response. “You and my daughter mean the world to me. Do you know that, Gianna?”

  “Yes, Ramsey,” she said playing with his long fingers as his hand settled on her stomach. “You tell me that every night.”

  “And what else do you know about me where you are concerned?”

  Gianna smiled. They’d been through this before. “That you love me.”

  “And?”

  “You adore me.”

  “And?”

  Her smiled deepened. “That you’d do anything for me.”

  “That’s my girl,” he said, leaving more wet kisses on her neck. He couldn’t imagine what his life would be like without her. Years ago when his fiancée died, he never thought his life would rebound like this – never imagined he would be this happy again. But here he was – overjoyed and in love – with a baby on the way.

  “What are your plans for tomorrow?” Ramsey asked since the bakery was closed on Mondays.

  “I have to place a few orders for food supplies, then I’ll probably swing by Gemma’s to see how decorating is coming along for the new place. I’m so glad she and Royal moved to Lake Norman.”

  “I am, too. I know how close you are with whittle sister,” he said, teasing her.

  She tapped his hand. Came off like a love lick.

  “I wanted you two to remain close.”

  Gianna silently acknowledged his statement, then said, “I’m so proud they found each other. Gemma has been doing so well with Royal. They’re perfect together.”

  “Just like us.”

  Her cheeks dimpled. “Very much so.” She commenced stroking the length of his masculine fingers from the base to his well-manicured, trimmed fingernails. His hands were strong like he was one of the men laboring in construction instead of the guy working behind the scenes. Designing structures. Calling the shots. Closing deals.

  “Gianna,” he said.

  “Yes?”

  “Can you turn around and look at me for a minute?” he asked.

  “Really, Ramsey? You’re going to make me turn this big ol’ baby bump around? I weigh a ton, you know.”

  A smile curved his lips. “You don’t weigh a ton. You’ve barely gained any weight, baby. You’re all belly.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I know so, now look at me.”

  “Ugh,” she grunted. “You better be glad I love you,” she told him, rolling onto her back and then shifted her body in place, getting as comfortable as she could in this new position where the sheets and pillows felt cooler, looking at him now. Dang. It took a lot of energy just to make the turn, but it was well worth it because now, she could see him as clear as day in the semi-darkness of their bedroom. She instantly reached to stroke his beard, one of her favorite features of his face. She loved it – loved the way her fingertips felt across those charcoal black, bristly hairs. Everything about him was off the charts. For one, those deep, pit-black eyes of his could read her so well and it was so easy for her to get lost in them. And then there were those thick brows above those eyes. Lashes that stood out and made his eyes even more magnificent. The straight nose that paired well with his angular, hard jawline.

  Lord have mercy…

  “Gianna St. Claire?” Ramsey said to get her attention. Once he saw the moment she came out of her trance, he smiled.

  Gianna glanced at his teeth then back at his eyes. She smiled back, knowing she’d been caught staring. “How are you so perfect?”

  His forehead puckered. “What was that?”

  “I asked, how are you so perfect, Ramsey?”

  Ramsey’s smile deepened as he rested a hand on her waist. He heard her question the first time, but since his sweetheart had the habit of thinking out loud, he figured this was one of those occasions.

  It wasn’t.

  She was intentionally asking him this question.

  “I’m far from perfect, baby,” he said.

  “You’re not all that far from it. You’re—you’re everything,” she said, then pressed her lips to his. “So, freakin’ perfect,” she hummed softly against his lips.

  “I’m giving you fair warning, Gianna. Stop talking like that.”

  She giggled. Nibbled on her lip. “Why?”

  “You’re going to make me want you again.”

  “That’s nothing new. You always want me,” she said.

  “Yes, I do,” he admitted, unafraid of the truth and its freeing effects. He took a kiss of his own, latching onto her lips, taking a deep kiss, savoring her tongue like a delicacy. He delved deeper, using his tongue with skill, twirling it around in her mouth. Then he seized her tongue, pulling it with powerful suction and released it, only to consume her entire mouth in a way that would calm his craving for her, yet the consumption stirred fire-hot coals within him at the same time, causing the blood pumping through his heart to burn with fire, combusting like gasoline.

  He wanted her again. Wanted her in the worst way.

  “You did this,” he said the second he snatched his mouth away from hers and was right back to kissing her again while tugging at the silk fabric of her nightgown for the second time tonight. With an opened hand, he grabbed a handful of her softness while listening to her moan intermittently as they kissed.

  He loved it – loved to hear her moan in pleasure knowing he was the reason why she was doing so. Knowing she liked it when he loved her this way.

  “Come here,” he whispered against her moist lips, lying onto his back.

  She already knew what come here meant since being pregnant, so she straddled him – one of the few positions that would guarantee the baby’s safety. And then she stared down at him – the man – her everything as he reached to guide himself to her sweet spot, watching as she closed her eyes and threw her head back as her body took him in. All of him. He absorbed this feeling down to every nerve ending – felt like a new experience every time they made love.

  Though their positions had to change, he still required a level of control. He secured her backside in his hands and began controlling her movements, rocking her backward, then forward – carefully – at a steading rhythm he knew she could handle. He rowed the boat while she held on for the ride, trying not to fall over and drown – not yet anyway – while tossing his name in different tones up into the air, those sounds falling down to his lips.

  Her hair fell, hidi
ng her face. Calls to him grew louder. More frantic. Desperate. Her hands gripped him at the pecs. She was almost there. He knew by experience. He moved the hair away from her face, saw her, and that was enough to amplify his desire. He squeezed her hips tighter and when he felt her body lock tightly to his and clench him while at the same time hearing controlled screams emit from her throat, he knew it was okay for him to let go, to flood her with his love and release deep moans of his own.

  Gianna’s body spasmed. Fragmented. Broke apart. All of that, and all at once. Seemed like it would never stop especially when she felt warm nectar uniting them – stuff that made the baby growing inside of her.

  Hair fell into her face again and clung to sweat as she panted. Some pants and moans came out loud. Some soft. Whatever the case, she was loved. Thoroughly. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

  “Are you okay?” Ramsey asked when he could find his own breath.

  “Yes,” she said between rapid breaths. She eased off of him slowly, returning to her pre-lovemaking position – lying on her side, facing him.

  Ramsey placed a kiss on her forehead, and now sweat was on his lips. “I love you, Gianna.”

  “I love you, Ramsey,” she uttered, exhausted and completely spent after having made love twice in the span of four hours. Her eyes were fighting to stay open when she said, “Get some sleep. No more hokey-pokey.”

  He grinned. “Did you mean hanky-panky?”

  “You know what I’m talking about.”

  He laughed a little. Where she got her expressions from, he had no idea, but he always got a good laugh off of them. “Okay baby. No more hokey-pokey, at least not right now, anyway. I’ll poke you some other time.” He stroked hair from her face with soft touches, watching her fall asleep.