Christian

I scowled at Mia as I sat up to fully face her. I was infuriated that she wouldn’t admit to what we both knew to be true. The tempest of emotions she brought out in me were keeping me unsteady, and I didn’t like feeling out of control. Normally, I was a very laid back, easy-going guy. This possessive, domineering…Neanderthal—I didn’t know where he’d come from. And, it appeared as though he wasn’t going anywhere.

“Darling, I have no doubt that you are an amazing artist. Your gift is what makes you who you are, not the work you do for Nic.”

She opened her mouth—no doubt to argue—and I placed two fingers on her kiss-swollen lips. “I want you to do what makes you happy, Mia. But not at the expense of having your life constantly in danger.”

Mia rolled her eyes and leaned away from my hand. “Christian, you’re blowing what I do way out of proportion. I sit in my studio and create, the danger all stays far away from me.”

I narrowed my eyes and grasped her biceps, tugging her close until our faces were inches apart. “You will never be safe as long as you work with Nic, Mia. But, let’s say you’re right and there is no threat from that side of things.” I locked my gaze with hers, staring intently to make sure she was focused on my words. “What if you get caught, love? Beyond what it would do to me, think about the effect on our children if you are locked away.”

Mia reared back in surprise, but my hold was tight so she didn’t gain more than an inch of space. “Children?! What children? We just met today! Yeah, we had hot, sweaty, amazing sex...but I haven’t even agreed to marry you!”

Releasing my grip on her arms, I slid my hands around her back and pulled her onto my lap and flush against me.

“Are you forgetting that I just claimed you, love? There was nothing between us, Mia. Even now you could be full with our baby.”

Her jaw dropped and her breathing escalated rapidly. “It was o-one damn time, Christian!” she sputtered. “No way am I pregnant.”

A wicked smile spread across my face and in a heartbeat, I’d flipped us over so she was trapped beneath me. “Seems to me, the best solution is to increase our odds.”

I pressed my ready erection firmly against her pelvis and claimed her mouth in a deep kiss. Mia’s body responded so passionately when we’d made love before, I took advantage of it now. Any guilt I might have felt at overwhelming her senses so she wouldn’t protest was quickly eclipsed by desire and need.

After several orgasms and wringing out another admission that she was mine, I picked her up and carried her into the adjoining bathroom. Once the temperature was right, we stepped under the spray and my eyes dropped to the juncture between her legs. The water was pink as it traveled down them.

I had the sudden urge to beat my chest and roar because it was further proof that Mia belonged solely to me. I’d taken her cherry and no one else would ever experience the bliss of being inside her. A thicker substance began to leak out and I couldn’t help scooping it up with my fingers and pushing it back inside her.

“Christian,” she muttered in meek objection, attempting to close her legs. But the action only caused the area to tighten, sucking my fingers and come up into her womb.

“You are so lovely, Mia,” I whispered reverently as I lifted my gaze and stared into her eyes. “I can’t wait to see you rounded with our child.” Falling silent for a moment, I probed her hazel orbs, looking for confirmation of my gut feeling. “You want that too, don’t you? Despite your arguments, I can see that you feel this connection as strongly as I do and it makes you want a life together, a family together.”

Her cheeks turned a sweet shade of pink and she tried to look away, but I grasped her jaw and forced her to focus on me while she responded.

“I do,” she conceded. “But, there is a lot we haven’t worked out and I think it would be irresponsible of us to bring a child into a messy situation—”

“Life is messy, darling. Love is a disaster waiting to happen. But we do it anyway because it’s also the greatest thing we will ever have.”

Mia gasped and tried to step back, but I took her fully into my arms. “Love? Need I remind you, again, that we’ve known each other for less than a day, Christian?”

“It only took me a moment to know you were the love of my life, Mia.”

Her face smoothed into a mild expression, but I could see confusion in her eyes. She was struggling with how to handle everything that had happened today and everything that lay before us.

“It’s okay to be a little overwhelmed, love. I’m confident enough for the both of us.” I kissed her lips tenderly and then set about washing us both before shutting off the water. I grabbed a towel and quickly dried myself before taking my time to thoroughly do the same for her. Once I was done, I lifted her into my arms again and strode to the bed.

Gently, I laid her down, then climbed in behind her and pulled the covers up. I sighed contentedly as I pulled her into my embrace, reveling in the feel of our naked skin pressed together.

“Christian,” Mia murmured after a while. “We still haven’t resolved anything. I can’t simply accept a future with you and leave my life behind. I need you to understand that. To…l—um, love all of me.”

I kissed her head and squeezed her a little closer. “I know, love. But, let’s forget the rest of the world and enjoy tonight. We’ll talk more in the morning.”

She nodded but stayed silent. Still, she continued to remain restless until I made love to her once more and she fell into an exhausted sleep.

* * *

There was a knot of tension in the pit of my stomach when I woke. Most likely due to the emptiness of my arms and the cold sheets on the bed beside me.

I growled in frustration as I sat up and looked around. “Mia? Love?” I didn’t truly expect a response; her clothes and purse were gone.

Throwing off the covers, I huffed in frustration as I hopped out of the bed. With my hands planted on my hips, I observed the room once more. My eyes landed on a folded piece of paper on the nightstand on the opposite side of the bed. I stalked over to it and snatched it up.

Christian,

Last night was amazing, and I wish I could have stayed in bed with you another day. I would have loved to hide from the world and pretend we were the only two in existence. But, I’m under a deadline and needed to get back to my studio. And, I need time to think. I promise I’ll call soon.

Love,

Mia

I crumpled the note in my hand. If she thought for one second I wouldn’t go after her, that I would calmly let this go, she was out of her mind.

Grabbing up my scattered clothes, I tugged them on as I made a plan. I was going after my girl and when I found her, I was going to spank her ass until it was cherry fucking red.