by Trent Evans
His eyes burned bright as he looked upon her, the thick column of his throat working.
“I will be. I promise.” His thumb stroked over her lips, and she kissed it fervently. “Every step of the way. I’ll be here, girl.”
She laid her cheek against his chest then, breathing deep, contentment, excitement, and love coursing through her with a power that almost made her gasp with it.
The rest, Kirsten. Tell him.
She couldn’t meet his eyes for it though, pressing her mouth to his firm flesh, unable to look upon him as she said the words.
“There’s more. A confession, I guess.” She hoped he couldn’t feel the trembling of her lips against him. “Now it’s my turn to ask you not to think I’m weird.”
“God. Never, sweetie.”
His fingers drew a strand of her hair away from her cheek, his touch sending electricity coursing over her skin.
“Since I… became pregnant.” She inhaled deeply. “I… I’ve felt differently about things, especially lately. About us, about… The Game. Everything.”
“I knew it—”
“Let me finish. Please.” She kissed his fingertips again, and he smiled at her, giving her a nod.
“You’ve made me feel… more desirable than I’ve ever felt in my life. Hard to say this, but it’s true. I never expected that — not in a million years. I’ve seen friends, heard their horror stories. I could almost feel their pain. And I was afraid it would be the same for me.”
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, Kirsten. That you’re carrying my baby, just makes you even more beautiful. Never doubt that. Ever.”
“I don’t — hard as it was for me to believe at the beginning. Now, I believe you. I think you’re crazy, but I believe you.”
“Good girl.”
Kirsten sighed, her clit throbbing anew at those two words that affected her more than almost any other.
“I don’t really understand why, but I’ve struggled with feeling protective — and yet wanting to be protected. How can that be? It’s all mixed up, contradictory. Makes zero sense. But being pregnant, I feel…”
She buried her head against his side.
“Tell me, gorgeous.” His rich, deep voice washed over her. “No shame between us.”
Kirsten looked up at him, meeting his dark gaze.
“Being pregnant. It’s made me feel more… submissive, I guess. I’ve felt more subject to you, more yours than I ever thought was possible.”
Grinning, Keihl leaned over her, holding her jaw firmly in his hand, drawing close, his dazzling eyes filling her vision.
“You are, my girl. You’ve never been anything less than mine.”
Chapter Thirty Eight
Kirsten woke up the next morning feeling like she’d been hit by a truck. Her head hurt, her nose wouldn’t stop running, and her voice had transformed from the tired, but sexy, huskiness into a sound that resembled a rusty door hinge.
Keihl hovered over her all day, making her soak her head, even after bathing her himself, and still it wasn’t an ounce better.
“You’d better call the OB.”
Keihl put his hands on his hips, the pleasing way the denim of his jeans hugged his genitals not lost on her, even as sick as she was.
“I doubt Brunhilda is going to do any better with taking care of you than I will.”
“Tom,” she said, her squeak of a voice barely audible. “I want, Tom.”
Keihl had his cell phone out and up to his ear in an instant. He turned away from her as the call connected, his voice hushed.
She was grateful for it, as worried as she was. The one thing she kept thinking about, couldn’t help but fear as she lay there, the word sounding in her head over and over.
Flu.
She’d had a shot, of course, but that was no guarantee. She was just barely eight months along, and even though babies born that early were routinely delivered and turned out just fine, the thought of a premature birth still terrified her.
Kirsten remembered being in the NICU with Joely’s first, her baby daughter having come down with bilateral pneumonia only two weeks after birth. The sound of the heart rate monitors from the preemies in the room next door to Joely’s was something Kirsten would never forget, the way those little hearts would jackhammer away, almost frantically, then finally calm down, slowing for seemingly no reason before their heart rates skyrocketed once more. The nurses assured her that the erratic heartbeats were pretty common for a lot of premature babies, especially those born very premature, but still, it was disconcerting to hear it cycle through the same pattern, over and over, knowing that no matter how scared she and Joely were — and there was plenty to be scared of with pneumonia — it paled in comparison to the terror she had no doubt those poor parents must have felt.
Now? She thought she knew a little bit more about how those parents must’ve felt.
Keihl made her sleep though, sitting with her and stroking her hair until she finally nodded off.
The sound of murmured male voices woke her from her haze, her head still pounding. Gray, hazy light poured through the window and she tried to tell them to close the curtains.
“It’s okay, girl. You’re fine. No fever.” Tom sat down next to her on the mattress. He stroked her forehead as he spoke. “We just need you to rest. Baby is fine. Just fine.”
“Is it flu?”
Keihl knelt down next to her, kissing her cheek. “No flu, sweetie. Just a bad cold, Tom says. You’re gonna be all right. Please don’t worry, okay?”
Kirsten tried to smile at her husband, but even her face ached. “Shoot me.”
Keihl chuckled. “After the baby comes.”
“Dammit.”
Tom stood, writing on a piece of paper and handing it to Keihl.
“I don’t think you’ll need to fill this, but keep it in case her symptoms get worse. There’s a nasty virus going around, but fortunately, it seems mostly confined to the head and upper respiratory tract. She should be turning the corner in a few days. Keep her hydrated, and don’t let her do anything. Rest is her best friend right now.” Tom clapped Keihl on the shoulder. “And you are too. Take good care of our girl, will ya?”
Our girl?
“Thanks for coming in, Tom. I know you’re busy as hell.”
“No problem, it’s nothing.”
“He’s probably… pissed you interrupted his golf game,” Kirsten croaked.
Keihl laughed, leaning against the wall next to her bed.
Tom leaned over her, shaking his head. “I was actually elbow deep in a delivery, girl. But for you? I rushed over as soon as I could.” He gave her an exaggerated frown. “Keep up that attitude and maybe next time I go golfing instead.”
Kirsten leaned back against her pillows, closing her eyes. “Puhlease. You love me.”
“Sense of humor’s back, at least.” Tom winked at Keihl. “She’s already on the mend.”
* * *
Keihl wasn’t so sure he agreed with Tom’s assessment.
For the next three days, he stayed with her, and she didn’t seem to be getting noticeably better. He’d managed to get some time off from work, and called Kirsten’s boss to fill him in on what was happening. Fortunately her boss had understood, and told Keihl she could take as much time as she needed.
Every day he’d sat at her side, stroking her hair, listening to her sleep, occasionally laying his hand against her forehead to feel for fever. He didn’t let her get out of bed, unless it was to use the bathroom, or to be bathed.
She’d protested the first time he’d gathered her in his arms.
“I can walk, Keihl. It’s just a cold. Let me…”
“Oh I know you can walk — but you’re going to let me do this anyway, aren’t you?”
Kirsten rolled her eyes, but smiled anyway. “Yes, Sir.”
He kissed the top of her head as he lifted her from the sheets, still amazed at how light she was despite her advanced pregnancy.
/> “Gonna get you nice and cleaned up, girl. A long soak in the tub’s going to feel soo good. It’ll help your sinuses.”
She murmured something he couldn’t make out, then looked up at him. “I think you just want to get me naked again.”
“That’s a bonus. A very nice bonus.”
He sat on the white wicker chair next to their tub as he let the water run, cradling her in his lap, pressing soft kisses to her forehead, over her eyes, murmuring to her as she whimpered. Her head still hurt, that much was obvious, but he couldn’t help but notice the slight tremble in her limbs too.
Kirsten moaned softly as he lowered her into the steaming water. He let her lay back against the end of the tub, resting her head on the sill, her dark hair, wild, falling all around her. He pulled a few locks away from her face, and caressed her cheek, color already rising there from the heat of the bath.
“Just relax, sweetie,” Keihl said, lowering his voice to just above a whisper, hoping it would soothe her. “I’m going to take care of you. Just relax, now.”
He’d washed her then, the sweet, simple, quiet pleasure of taking care of her filling him until he smiled. She’d moan when he eased his soapy hands under her bobbing breasts, listened to her shuddering sighs of contentment as he reverently stroked the prominent belly, grinning like a silly little boy when he felt the baby move beneath his hand.
He’d kissed the crown of her belly then, whispering to his child, saying how much he looked forward to them meeting for the first time. How they’d play, how they’d live — all three of them.
One.
Carefully he washed every inch of his beautiful wife’s body, taking the time to massage her scalp as he rubbed the fragrant shampoo into her dark hair. He thought he could spend an eternity playing with those wet, heavy locks. She moaned again as he did it, but he was quite sure he was getting more out of the act than she ever would.
He got hard — more than once — as he tended to her, not quite understanding why. But as he’d lifted her from the water, his cock at attention once more, he thought he’d begun to understand.
It wasn’t the sensation so much — though that was definitely enjoyable in its own right — but rather it was being needed. She’d said it herself. She needed him to watch over her, to protect her, to take care of her, to make those decisions that overwhelmed her. It was in that act, that practice of being needed, and the care he gave her in return, that filled him with joy, and pride, and yes, arousal. Perhaps it didn’t need to make sense.
As many true, pure, elemental things often were… it just was.
Most of all though, she needed him to be a man, to be her husband, to make her feel safe, loved, cherished. He’d protect her always, in the safety of his arms, and until his last breath — and beyond — he’d never let anything harm her. Never.
It was good to be needed.
He wanted to wrap her hair for her, but he knew he’d just screw it up.
Instead, he made her sit on the edge of the tub as he blow dried her hair. He had no real idea of how to do it, exactly, so he thought back to the many times he’d watched her do it in the morning. All the times he’d wished he could run his fingers through all that gorgeous hair.
Finally, it was dry, and he drew the wild, shiny weight of her hair back from her face. Keihl smiled down at her as he wrapped her in the huge, soft towel he knew she loved, her head lolling, her eyelids heavy, her limbs loose.
“You’re so… good at this.” Her eyes opened a little, and through her fatigue, he saw a spark of the impish woman she could still be. “I need to be sick more often, I guess.”
Keihl hugged her close, resting his chin atop her head. “Don’t say that. I hate seeing you sick.”
“But you sure know what to do about it.”
She snuggled her head up under his jaw as he carried her back to her room, her still warm hair pleasing against his skin.
Thinking she might already be asleep as he pulled the soft comforter over her, stroking the wild locks away from her eyes, laying her head gently down on her pillow.
He thought again about how he’d wanted to wrap her hair for her. Maybe someday he’d ask her to show him how she did it. Naked, of course
“What are you thinking about?” Her voice was a hoarse rasp from under the covers.
“Lessons.” He peered down at her. “Just something I wish I knew how to do.”
“I have an idea for something I know you know how to do.”
“What’s that?”
“Touch me. Please…”
He could almost feel the power of her exhaustion weighing her down, her limbs like lead.
“I don’t… you need to rest, Kirsten.”
His cock was a steel hard aching length between his thighs. He needed her more than he knew how to express — but it wasn’t time for that. Still, he wanted to give her what she needed.
God, how he wanted to.
“I can’t, girl. Maybe when you’re feeling better, I’ll think about it.” He stroked her cheek, smiling at the cute frown curling her lips. “Be a good girl, and sleep for me. Good girls get rewarded, you know.”
“Mmm, but bad girls have… more fun.” She reached for him, her hand moving up his thigh, her palm cupping the erection straining against his jeans. “Come on. He wants to.”
He took hold of her hand with a little growl, kissing her knuckles then tucking that hand back under her covers.
“If bad girls keep that up, they’re going to get their temperature taken somewhere other than their mouths.”
Kirsten snatched the covers down instantly, her eyes wide.
“You… you’d do that? You’re not serious, are you?”
“Keep pushing and you’ll find out, bad girl.”
“I’m…I’m sorry, Sir.” She frowned again, the little crease between her eyes so adorable he had to kiss it.
“I… please, just a little? Sir?”
He sighed, trying hard to keep his voice from shaking.
“Okay, just a little. But then you need to sleep, girlie.”
She beamed at him, her eyes closing as he eased the covers up, exposing a pale thigh. He pushed the covers further over, baring her belly, her naked sex. His hand coursed over the firm curve of her belly, loving the way she felt, the way she looked.
So beautiful.
He wanted to pull his cock out and stroke it as he touched her, but instead he concentrated on her, on her pleasure. He laid a palm over her burning sex, and she spread her thighs instantly, her breath catching. Cupping the heat of her, he gently eased the labia apart. She was soaking wet, and he smiled at the discovery.
Keihl wondered if the threat of the temperature taking was more appealing to her than she’d let on. Perhaps he’d explore that another time. The body never lied.
With two fingers he gently stroked up and down between the lips of her pussy, teasing the hard clit, gathering the hot juices and coating her soft, clean-shaven mound with it, leaving it glistening, the spicy, alluring scent of her filling his senses, making his mouth water.
Not now, Keihl. Time for that later. Take care of her.
And he did, stroking her gently, slowly, letting it build, backing off each time her hips began to buck. It wasn’t until her long, imploring moan of desire, her hand clasped around his wrist that he gave in and gave her what she wanted, what she needed. He plunged deep with two, then three fingers, all the while working the clit. Almost instantly, she went over, her keening high pitched, hoarse, her hips rocking over and over, that supernatural strength that took over an orgasmic woman clamping down upon his fingers, her hand squeezing his wrist past the point of pain.
Finally, with a long, exhausted groan she sank back into the soft clutch of her covers, her breathing labored, the scent of her sex strong in the quiet of the bedroom. He licked her juices from his fingers, looking down at her as her eyelids grew heavier, her breathing slowing, her mouth open, words of love, unspoken, upon her lips.
Keih
l kissed her then.
“Sleep, my love. Sleep now.”
Chapter Thirty Nine
Kirsten knew she’d never get used to it, the casual way Tom examined her. She could only think of one thing as she laid there, Tom’s head between her wide spread thighs.
Please don’t get wet.
“Well, you’re looking great, Kirsten.”
Tom pulled back, snapping off his purple latex gloves. He switched off the light at his forehead, unstrapping it and setting it down on the roll-around table with his instruments. Keihl sat at his usual spot, up by her head, his arm over her chest in a proprietary, restraining gesture. She knew he liked her knowing he was right there, watching all of it.
And though it mortified her still, she liked it too.
“Everything checks out?”
The question she knew Keihl wanted to ask hung in the air, but for some reason he hadn’t asked it. Yet.
Tom dropped his gloves into the trash, and moved to the sink, washing his hands.
“So far, so good. Her BP is a little elevated, but nothing out of normal ranges yet. We’ll keep an eye on it. Could easily just be the baby’s positioning during the exam. We’ll check it again in a few days to be sure.”
“Anything else?”
Tom leaned against the counter, drying his hands with a brown paper towel. “I think you should probably lay off with spanking her from here on out.”
“What?”
Keihl and Kirsten said it in tandem, and the men burst out laughing as Kirsten dropped her head back to the table, her face blushing furiously.
“Completely? I mean, what if we keep it light?” Keihl glanced down at her. “She needs something. Two months?”
Tom held up a hand. “I’m not saying totally — but absolutely nothing rough. I mean it.”