He should be upset. If any other woman of his acquaintance had come to him and admitted she was pregnant, he would be livid. But Pepper was different. She’d been different from the moment he’d seen her outside of the building that first afternoon – and nothing had changed in all that time. She was still different, but with each new revelation, he found himself more enchanted with her.
Was this love? Dimitri scoffed at the possibility. He was too logical for anything as nonsensical as love to interfere with his life. But he was happy. Every time she opened the door and saw him, her face glowed with a smile and that smile warmed him from the inside out.
“Dimitri?” Pepper called, sitting up and looking around. Immediately, she pulled the sheet up to cover herself and Dimitri wondered how long it would take for him to work those inhibitions out of her. He wanted her to be free and open with him, and that included telling him that she was pregnant.
“I’m here,” he replied, stepping closer to the bed and sitting down. He’d pulled on his slacks but he wouldn’t mind stripping and making love to her all over again. Slower, this time. More thoroughly.
“Sorry,” she yawned, sitting up in the bed and holding the sheet to her chest. “I can’t believe I fell asleep like that.”
He moved closer, sitting on the side of the bed and resting one hand on the other side of her hip. “You were tired. I wore you out.”
She laughed, lifting her free hand to cradle his cheek. “You were very passionate, and I like that,” she told him, and he chuckled at the blush stealing up over her cheeks.
“I love it when you’re like that, too,” he told her sincerely.
Biting her lip, she shifted on the bed. “I…um…have to tell you something, Dimitri. But I need to get dressed first.”
He laughed, then leaned forward, pressing her back against the mattress. “What is it?” he demanded, hoping that she’d tell him about the baby.
She chuckled, shifting so that she was more comfortable. In doing so, she released her hold on the sheet and he took full advantage of her distraction, pulling it down so that her tight, pink nipples were visible. “I can’t talk to you if you’re doing that.”
“Yes, you can. Just talk to me,” he urged, nuzzling her neck, smiling when she shivered.
“Seriously, Dimitri, this is important.”
He felt her press against his shoulders, but there wasn’t a much power in the effort.
“I’m listening.” He bit her earlobe lightly, then licked it soothingly.
Her mouth opened to speak, but when his lips pulled her earlobe into his mouth, the words seemed to just…fizzle.
“Dimitri,” she sighed, shifting so that their bodies were better aligned.
He was already hard and aching for her, ready to fill her up once again, and when she shifted like that, her breasts pressing against his chest and her hips cradling his so perfectly, he couldn’t stop himself. Moving lower, he kissed his way to her breast, capturing one peak in his mouth. “I didn’t get to this part the last time.”
Pepper groaned, her fingers tangling in his hair, holding his mouth in place. “You’re not playing fair.”
He didn’t care about playing fair right now. He cared about feeling her body tighten around his. He cared about making up for the nights he hadn’t been in her bed like this over the past few days. And he cared about making love to her, showing her how much he loved being with her. Showing her that…he cared. It wasn’t love, he reminded himself firmly. This was the mother of his child, the woman who would become his wife. He’d felt this for her from the beginning, this possessiveness that didn’t seem to have an ending or a purpose other than this, to feel her writhing against him, moving and shifting until their bodies couldn’t stand the suspense any longer.
Moving lower on her body, he felt her muscles flex and tighten when he kissed her in certain spots along her stomach, then relax when he moved lower or to the side. Dimitri knew her body well enough to enjoy the soft sighs and gasps of pleasure, but not well enough yet to know all of her secrets.
Now that they would be married, there was a sense of rightness, of relaxing into the relationship. He’d have a lifetime of trying to learn Pepper’s secrets, he thought as he moved lower still. His mouth moved over her, feeling her tense as he teased her. Every time he moved to this secret place, she tried to pull away and he didn’t understand it. He knew that she loved climaxing like this and he slipped one finger into her heat, looking up at her face to see…yes! She closed her eyes, as if not seeing him like this could make it less naughty.
He laughed softly as he lowered his mouth, taking that nub into his mouth and teasing it until she screamed, arching into him while her body throbbed with release.
Only then did he move back up, teasing and tasting, arousing her all over again. When he entered her this time, he shuddered at the feel of her body slick against his shaft but he still pulled back. “Tell me, Pepper,” he urged, wanting to feel her, needing to hear the words.
“What?” she cried out, grinding against him in an effort to pull him into herself.
“Tell me your news.”
Pepper froze, her body tight and tense. “You know?”
He kissed her, his tongue delving into the soft, delicious recesses of her mouth. When he lifted his head, he saw the tears in her eyes. “I saw the test in the bathroom, honey.”
“You know!” Tears slid down the sides of her face and that was his undoing.
“Agape mou, don’t!” he urged,
