Their Pregnancy Gift

She wasn’t sure how much was theatrical teasing and how much he meant it, but the teasing note in his voice made her feel better. ‘It’s removable. And if you carry me to bed it’ll take the pressure off my foot.’ Pressure that wasn’t really there in the first place, but she was going along with his line of whimsy.

He slid the zip of her skirt downwards, got her to step out of it, and then folded it neatly and hung it on the chair with his trousers. ‘I’m a neat freak, too,’ he said.

Dani was grateful for that.

‘And you’re beautiful, but this overhead light is a little too harsh.’

‘I’ll switch the bedside light on if you deal with the main light,’ she said.

‘Deal.’

And funny how the softer light made the room feel so much more intimate.

She’d never shared this bed with anyone, and part of her felt apprehensive about sharing it now. Was she doing the right thing? Was she just setting herself up for heartbreak?

But then she stopped thinking as Alex dropped to his knees in front of her and peeled her tights downwards. He nuzzled her abdomen, and she couldn’t help the sharp intake of breath.

He undid her cast and removed it gently, then finished taking off her tights, letting her lean on him for support. ‘You mentioned something about carrying you to bed.’

‘Uh-huh.’ She stole a kiss. ‘Strictly speaking, I should’ve been wearing a Regency dress and you should be in a frock coat and a flowing shirt with a waistcoat, cravat and silk breeches.’

He raised an eyebrow. ‘Just call me Darcy, hmm?’

‘Something like that.’

‘It’s too late for the outfit,’ he said. ‘But I can still do the carrying. Though, before I forget myself completely, where do you keep your condoms?’

‘Top drawer of my bedside cabinet,’ she said.

‘Would you mind if I...?’

‘Sure,’ she said. Whatever she’d previously thought about Alex being rude and difficult, she’d changed her mind. He had perfect manners.

And then she stopped thinking as he scooped her up and carried her over to her bed. He pulled the duvet back and laid her back against the pillows. And she felt weirdly shy all of a sudden; he must’ve sensed it, because he climbed into bed next to her, pulled the duvet over both of them and drew her into his arms.

‘You can still change your mind,’ he said. ‘The Year of Saying Yes is about seizing opportunities, not making yourself do something you don’t want to do.’

‘I want to do this,’ she said. ‘But it’s been a while.’

‘Same here. And we agreed, no pressure. This is just for tonight. A moment out of time.’

‘Never to be spoken of again.’

‘Exactly. And now we stop speaking,’ he said, and kissed her.

And after that it was easy to stop thinking, stop speaking, and just lose herself in pleasure—to let herself enjoy touching him, exploring the hardness of his muscles and the softness of his skin.

* * *

Alex dipped his head and nuzzled the hollows of Dani’s collar bones. He loved the way her skin felt against his mouth, and the soft fruity scent of her shower gel. She arched back against the bed and he moved lower, taking one nipple into his mouth and sucking hard. She slid her hands into his hair, urging him on.

And he forgot all the nightmares that had plagued him over the last few months. All he could think of was Dani, and how much he wanted to be inside her. How much he wanted to give as much pleasure as he took.

He kissed his way down over her abdomen, then shifted to kneel between her legs.

‘Alex, yes,’ she whispered as his tongue stroked along her sex.

He teased her, flicking the tip of her clitoris with the tip of his tongue, until her hands clenched in his hair and her body tightened beneath his mouth. And then he ripped open the foil packet he’d taken from her bedside cabinet, slid the condom over his erection and pushed into her.

‘Alex,’ she whispered, and he held still, letting her body adjust to the feel of him inside her.

Her dark eyes were wide with pleasure, and he loved the knowledge that he’d been able to do that for her.

‘I wanted the first time to be for you,’ he said softly.

Her eyes filled with tears, as if she wasn’t used to her feelings being considered like that. Then again, given the little she’d told him about her past, consideration hadn’t been high on her ex’s agenda.

‘Hey. It’s the Year of Saying Yes,’ he said.

She smiled. ‘Yes.’

And then she took it to another level, wrapping her legs round him to draw him deeper and tensing her muscles round him.

‘Oh. Yes.’ The breath hissed out of him.

And then he stopped thinking, instead responding to the physicality between them and revelling in the way she made him feel.

By the time he climaxed, his head was spinning; and then he felt her body rippling round his as her own climax hit. He wrapped his arms round her and held her tightly until it had all ebbed away.

‘I’d better deal with the condom,’ he said finally.

‘There are fresh towels in the bathroom. Help yourself to anything you need.’ She paused. ‘Stay tonight.’

He ought to say no. Put distance between them. Go back to being sensible and isolated.

But every bit of him yearned to say yes. To spend the night with her wrapped in his arms, to let her take the loneliness away—and to make her feel less alone, too.

As if his dilemma showed on his face, she said softly, ‘It’s the Year of Saying Yes.’

So what else could he do?

‘Yes.’

* * *

The next morning, Alex woke, feeling slightly disorientated: this wasn’t his bed, and he was spooned against a warm female body, with his arm wrapped round her waist.

Dani.