“You did this to me!” Quinn accused, stalking into Bryce’s home office, her whole body shaking.
Bryce looked up from his computer, not sure what his lovely wife was accusing him of. When he took in the tears that were slowly tracing down her pale cheeks, he immediately stood up, his stomach twisting in knots. “What’s wrong, love? Tell me and I’ll fix it.”
She shook her head, backing up when he tried to take her into his arms. “No! You can’t touch me. You can’t ever touch me again!”
Bryce ignored her dictate and pulled her into his arms, lifting her up, and carrying her over to a big leather chair. “Tell me what happened. You know I can fix it.”
Forgetting that she’d just told him never to touch her again, Quinn wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her nose against the warmth of his skin. “You did this! You did this to me and I’m scared!”
His arms tightened around her with that additional piece. “What are you scared about?” he asked gently.
Her sniff didn’t give him enough information, so he continued to hold her, waiting. After a few months of marriage to this woman, he knew that she would eventually tell him what was going on in her dazzling mind.
“I’m pregnant.”
He heard the words but…well, he wasn’t sure he heard them accurately. His heart stopped for a long moment, but then started up again, more rapid this time.
“And this is a bad thing?” he asked carefully.
She sniffed again, not answering for a long moment. “I think it’s a good thing….”
His arms tightened around her once more. “How about if you let me know when you decide,” he told her as he kissed the top of her head.
She thought about it for a long moment. Quinn had been so scared when she’d first realized that pregnancy was the reason for her period being late. But now, with Bryce’s arms around her like this, she felt better. She felt like she could handle the unexpected pregnancy. “I think it’s okay.” Lifting her head, she looked up into his green eyes. “Are you disappointed?”
He almost jerked in reaction. “Disappointed? Why in the world would you even ask something like that?”
She shrugged and put her head back on his shoulder. “Because we hadn’t really talked about having kids except for that one time.”
He hugged her again. “Quinn, I never thought I’d wanted to be married, but then you burst into my life. Now I can’t imagine my life without you.”
“Not the same as starting a family all of a sudden.”
He laughed, but the sound was reassuring. “With you, I never know what to expect, but it’s always wonderful.”
She snorted, shaking her head. “You’re the one that keeps bringing me all the little surprises.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Yeah, but this pretty much tops anything I could give you.”
They laughed together and she was reassured. “You want to be a father?” she asked when their laughter died down.
He shook his head. “Quinn, until five minutes ago, I hadn’t really considered it.” His hand moved, covering her stomach. “But now that you’ve told me you’re pregnant, I can’t believe how excited I am.”
Her smile was slow, but it brightened the room. “Really?” she asked, needing a bit more reassurance.
“Hell yes,” he said and moved closer, kissing her gently. “A baby,” he marveled even as he carried her up the stairs to their bedroom.
“We don’t need to do this anymore,” she teased, pretending to slip out of his arms. “Mission accomplished.”
He growled and pulled her right back in to his arms, placing her in the middle of their bed. Tugging off her clothes, he loomed over her naked form, his fingers sliding over her belly as if he could see through her skin to the baby growing inside her. “A baby,” he repeated.
Then his eyes moved upwards. “Damn, your breasts are bigger!”
Quinn laughed, pretending to shoo his hands from her breasts. But he was having none of that. “That was one of the first things I noticed.”
He bent lower, taking one of her nipples in his mouth. “What was that?”
“How sensitive they were,” she sighed, arching her back to encourage him. “The other night you…” she gasped when he bit one of the extra-sensitive peaks. “Yeah!” she told him with a sigh. “You did that. And it felt…different.”
He made love to her gently this time, almost bringing tears to her eyes when his hands and mouth brought her to the most incredible climax. When he entered her this time, there were no more of the powerful thrusts. None of the out of control mating that usually resulted when the two of them came together. This was just a gentle love, a slowly cresting of their bodies until both of them found fulfillment. And when it was all over, he moved lower, his mouth moving over her stomach as he kissed her there, savoring the pleasure of their union. “A baby,” he said reverently.
Quinn smiled, all of her fears gone now. Yes, this man continued to surprise her. Not just with his tiny gifts and thoughtful gestures, but also by the way he accepted her, all of her, her crazy moods and her passionate nature. And in turn, she accepted his arrogance and his sometimes overwhelming need to protect her from harm. He was the most generous, sweet, powerful man she’d ever met.
Goodness she loved him!