I knew we had to discuss the baby, but I needed to know where things stood between us. That would tell me what to expect when we discussed his involvement. I promised myself that I’d accept whatever he wanted.

He was quiet for several seconds, each one stretching out until I was worried that I’d asked the wrong thing.

“What is it you want to happen, Sine?” His voice was soft.

My pulse hadn’t slowed from the moment I knocked on his door, but it seemed to beat double-time at the question. I’d given him my forgiveness, and he seemed to genuinely care about what happened, but I wouldn’t be fooled into mistaking wishful thinking for something more solid.

Coming here was a risk, not only because I hadn’t been certain of the welcome I’d receive, especially once I shared my news, but because I knew he had the power to break my heart.

But I also knew that if I didn’t take a chance now, I’d regret it. I’d never been a coward, and I’d never forgive myself if I turned into one now.

I had to lay it all out there.

“I want...” I laid my hand on my stomach. It was still flat, but I’d found myself standing that way from the moment I’d seen that plus sign. As if I could feel my son or daughter already there, growing inside me.

Alix’s gaze followed my hand, and I watched the expression on his face change, as if somehow my gesture made it real to him, the same way the test had made it for me.

“I want us to be together,” I said the words simply, forcing myself not to rush through them. “I want us to see if this works. You and me and...”

“Our baby,” he finished.

I nodded, then forced myself to add, “If that isn’t what you’ll be wanting, I’ll understand. And I won’t be asking you for anything, should you not wish to be a part–”

I lost the rest of what I intended to say when his mouth came down on mine. I felt the hunger in his kiss all the way down to my bones, and the desire I’d been keeping down came rushing forward. I grabbed the front of his shirt, holding him close, letting everything I felt pour into him. If I walked away with my heart in shreds, I would do it with everything left on the table.

He pulled back after a moment, then rested his forehead against mine.

“You asked me what I want,” he said as he cupped my face. “I want you.”

He dropped his hand between us and placed it on my stomach. The heat of his palm warmed me through the thin cotton of my t-shirt.

“I want us.”

A surge of hope went through me, strong enough that I couldn’t quite suppress it. “I want to be certain I understand you...”

He held my chin in one hand, keeping our eyes locked. “Then let me be clear. I want you in my life. I want our child in my life. I want it to be our life. Our family.”

If I was a different sort of woman, I might have melted into a puddle after hearing those words. But I didn’t melt. What I did was take a shaky breath, then let it out with all the tension I’d been holding.

“I love you, Sine.” He brushed his lips across mine. “And I want you to be mine.”

A lump formed in my throat, and I felt tears burning in my eyes.

Apparently, I was that sort of woman.

Damned hormones.

“I am yours,” I managed to whisper. “For as long as you’ll want me.”

“Forever,” he said earnestly. “I want you forever.”

He kissed me again, hands sliding around my waist, and then down to cup my behind through my jeans. He pulled me tight against him, and I wound my arms around his neck, needing to feel the hard press of his body to assure me that I wasn’t dreaming, wasn’t imagining his words. I hadn’t let myself hope for this, no matter how much I wanted it.

I dug my hands into his hair, pushed myself up on my toes as I nipped at his bottom lip. He groaned, his hands squeezing my ass, and a bolt of desire went through me, the sort of desire that only he could make me feel.

My memory hadn’t done reality any justice.

Emboldened, I tugged at his shirt, needing more. He took a step back, hands closing around my wrists. I frowned, confused.

“I thought – I mean–”

“I want to,” he said quickly. “I just...” He looked down for a moment, and when he looked up again, his expression was sheepish. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Now I was even more confused.

Until I suddenly realized what he meant. Then, I was amused.

“You won’t.” I stepped into him so that our combined hands were caught between us. I smiled up at him. “Not for real.”

I could see the struggle on his face, and I pulled one hand free from his grasp, reaching up to brush my fingers over his eyebrow. He made a sound in the back of his throat as I rested my palm against his cheek. He closed his eyes, leaning into my touch.

“When I say that I want you, I mean all of you,” I assured him. I reached down and ran my fingers over the erection straining against his zipper. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I would like to be picking things up where we left off.”

His response was to pull his shirt over his head, then reach for mine, yanking it up and tossing it to the floor. His eyes never left mine, not even as he went to his knees in front of me. Neither of us spoke as he helped me out of my jeans, or when he gently kissed my stomach. Everything else that’d happened between us faded away as he rested his cheek against my bare skin. I ran my fingers through his hair, the heat between us settling to a quiet simmer for a few peaceful moments.

Then he kissed his way across my stomach, just above the waistband of my panties. I made a soft noise as the sensations tickled, but I didn’t want him to stop. Especially not when he gripped my knee and draped my leg over his shoulder. I put a hand on his other shoulder, balancing myself as he pulled the panties to one side and put his mouth on me.

My eyes wanted to close as he moved his tongue over me, dipping down before coming back up to circle my clit, but I kept them open, not wanting to miss a moment of this man, on his knees, pleasuring me. Worshipping me.

He put a hand on the small of my back as his tongue flicked back and forth in rapid succession, each touch the perfect combination of friction and pressure.

“Ah...” I made a strangled sound as my muscles tensed. “Alix.” His name came out in a whimper as I climaxed.

“I’ve got you,” he murmured, the air ghosting across my skin.

The shiver sent another ripple of pleasure through me, a ripple that kept going as Alix placed my foot on the floor. He stood as he ran his hands over my ribcage, under my breasts, and moved his thumbs over my nipples. They hardened under my bra, and I moaned as he covered one with his mouth, teasing it through the fabric.

“Alix.” I tugged on his hair. “Please.”

He raised his head, a glint in his eyes. “Impatient, aren’t you?”

I glared at him, then laughed as he swept me up in his arms. He didn’t take me far, just over to the couch where he laid me down, stripping off my panties and bra before taking a step back to remove the last of his clothes.

I reached out my hands to him, and he took them as he moved to kneel between my legs. The couch was narrow, but it was enough for what we were going to do, and that was all that mattered at the moment.

He shifted his grasp so that he was holding both my wrists in one hand. As he stretched out on top of me, he put my arms over my head, holding them firm against the arm of the couch. His free hand clutched my hip, as he rocked against me. The tip of his cock slipped over my wet folds, then between them to nudge against my clit.

He hesitated, gaze searching my face for something.

“I love you,” I said. “Alix Wexler. All of you. Faults. Strengths.” I wiggled my hands. “Kinks.”

He smiled then, leaning down to take my mouth as he surged forward, locking us together in one smooth thrust. My body arched up to meet his, to find the completion that only he could bring. We moved together in perfect rhythm, each push and pull relentlessly driving us toward the same goal.

His tongue plundered my mouth, thoroughly owning it as much as his body owned mine. He owned everything. My heart. Mind. Soul. Everything. But as our release crashed into us, I saw the truth in his eyes. I owned him as well.

It wasn’t until several minutes had passed, and I was tucked back against him, his fingers tracing patterns on my stomach, that he broke the silence.

“Marry me.”

We’d known each other only two months and had been apart for half of them. Of course, there was only one answer I could give.