“Yes. Is that okay?”
Her smile released the tension that had coiled inside of him at the thought of missing even a moment of this child’s life.
“I’d love it,” she whispered. “I’ll let you know the time.” With that, she spun around and went up onto her toes to kiss him. He allowed her control for only a few moments before lifting her up and taking that control. And for the rest of the weekend, Pepper’s world was a whirlwind of sensuous pleasures and getting to know her enigmatic, dictatorial, wonderful, amazing husband.
Chapter 9
“I’m on my way,” Pepper told Nancy, smiling giddily as she walked down the busy street. “What did you find at the sales this weekend?”
Pepper listened distractedly as Nancy explained some of the used clothes that she’d found at the consignment shops. Nancy had a good eye and, from what she was explaining, Pepper knew she wouldn’t have any problems dreaming up new concepts. She was thinking this week’s designs were going to be a bit more boho than usual. That might be a reflection of her mood, which was free and just a bit rebellious. The sunshine glinted off of her diamond engagement ring and equally beautiful diamond encrusted wedding band, distracting her. She was married. Married! Dimitri was no longer the man she couldn’t really define to her friends and family. Before, she hadn’t really been able to talk about him as her ‘boyfriend’, as that term seemed too…tame for a man like Dimitri. Plus, she hadn’t thought that their relationship would last for very long.
And now she was married to Dimitri! She was married to the man of her dreams and she couldn’t remember ever being this happy!
Pepper had to restrain herself from doing a little dance as she remembered her weekend in Dimitri’s arms. They’d barely left the bed and he’d made love to her so many times, in so many ways, she had joked Sunday afternoon that she’d probably be walking funny for the next week.
After that, he’d only made love to her with his mouth and his hands and…oh boy, he was shockingly adept with both! Pepper blushed, thinking about how he’d taught her to reciprocate and, gazing through the window of her favorite bakery, she wondered when she could do that to him again. She’d really enjoyed that part of…okay, she’d loved every moment of their little mini-honeymoon.
Hanging up with Nancy, she stepped in line at the bakery, suddenly craving a scone. Blueberry? No, raspberry with white chocolate! Yes, that’s what she wanted. Was this a craving? Pepper didn’t think so. At this early stage of her pregnancy, wanting a scone was more likely due to self-indulgence. Her hand fluttered over her stomach and she considered simply walking on by instead of grabbing a decadent treat. She hadn’t started gaining weight yet, but soon, this baby was going to start expanding her waist. She’d have to be careful about gaining weight over the next several months. Her tendency was to be a bit more on the heavy side. Dimitri said she was soft and lush, but the reality was, she could definitely stand to lose about ten pounds.
Pulling out her phone, she texted Sloane. “Have some news. Call me when you have a break from meetings.” She sent the same message to Rayne, but substituted “wake up” versus “break from meetings” since Rayne now lived thousands of miles away with her husband, who ruled a powerful country in the Middle East. There was always a time zone issue to consider before Pepper could call her middle sister, but she didn’t mind because Rayne was so happy. Oh, Rayne might grumble about her husband’s authoritarian nature, but Pepper also knew that Rayne was madly in love.
Pepper moved forward a few feet in the line as customers put in their order and moved out onto the street. It was a beautiful day, she thought, looking up at the sky. Then she chuckled. “Dimitri is just like Josh and Kular!” Shaking her head, she pulled her phone out of her purse. “I get it now!” she texted her sisters. Pepper had always wondered why her older sisters put up with their husbands being so commanding. In the past, Pepper had only dated men who were a bit passive. After having been with Dimitri for almost seven weeks now, she completely understood the allure of a man who was more commanding, more…irritatingly, annoyingly confident. There was definitely something nice about a man who knew what he wanted and went after it!
“Hey! Get to the back of the line!” someone called out.
Pepper glanced up from her cell phone, wondering what was going on. Ahead of her in line, some guy had cut in between two other people a couple feet ahead of her. Rolling her eyes as one of the customers three people ahead of her dropped into a fighting stance, Pepper shifted away. It was so typical of life in New York City to see someone trying to cheat to get ahead. It wasn’t like the line was very long. Besides, it was moving fast! The vendors in this city knew that their customers wanted to get in, make their purchases, and be on their way. Not many people lingered, especially in the morning. Ensuring that their customers were served quickly was like a science to New York City bistros, coffee houses, and sandwich shops.
Watching the arrogant line cutter, Pepper sighed, shaking her head. “Not that kind of confidence,” she muttered to herself, and started typing notes for herself on her phone, brainstorming ideas for the clothes Nancy had described.
She was vaguely aware of the brewing confrontation, but ignored it since most of the time, these things sorted themselves out. “Yeah? Who’s gonna make me?”
“Oh, real mature!” Pepper grumbled, still focused on her phone.
“I’m gonna! Get to the back of the line, asshole!”
