Tally had already mixed the pancake batter when Cash finally joined her in the kitchen. She glanced up as he slid onto a stool at the breakfast bar. Then she returned her attention to beating the mixture, when what she really wanted to do was beat some sense into him. Every time she tried to get close, he’d give in for a moment before pulling away, and she couldn’t understand why. Their relationship had always been a physical one, and yet his reticence to become intimate was beginning to grate.

She added a ladleful to the pan, and the liquid sizzled. She turned down the heat a little and began chopping strawberries—well, pulverising them, but at least that helped with her irritation.

“Are you ignoring me?” Cash said with a wry grin.

“Yes.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Why, what have I done?”

“Nothing.”

He laughed. “Bit of a cliché.”

She dropped the knife on the chopping board and planted her hands on her hips. “No. An accurate response. You’ve done precisely nothing.”

“Ah,” he said, an annoying smirk on his face. “This is because I haven’t put out.”

“Put out? What are you, sixteen?”

“Sometimes,” he said, reaching for her.

She jerked away and turned her back on him. She dug two plates out of the cupboard, even though she thought about getting only one. She was being childish but couldn’t seem to stop. It had to be her hormones.

Cash didn’t speak as he watched her move about the kitchen, and they ate in silence, although his eyes rarely left her face. When she put her fork down, he stacked their plates and dumped them in the sink.

“Right, that’s enough,” he said. “I’ve let you have your little strop. Spit it out, Natalia.”

Tally met Cash’s gaze, her teeth grazing her bottom lip. She blew a deep breath out through her nose. “Are we only back together because of this baby?”

His eyes smouldered as he stared at her. “Well, I can’t answer for you, but from my perspective, no, we’re not.”

“Okay,” she said in a small voice as her shoulders drooped.

He moved around to her side of the table and pulled out the chair adjacent. He picked up her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. “Talk to me.”

“You haven’t touched me since we got back together. Is it because I’m fat?”

An expression of horror crossed his face. “You are not fat. You’re pregnant.”

“Same thing,” she said, gazing at the floor.

He put pressure under her chin until she had no alternative but to look at him. “I don’t want to ever hear you talking like that again. For fuck’s sake. I thought you’d got over the body issues you had when we first met. When will you learn, Natalia? The fact I’m physically attracted to you is only one part of the reason I love you so much.”

She chewed the inside of her cheek. “I’m sorry.”

He made an irritated noise. “I don’t want you to be sorry. I want you to believe me. You’re kind, funny, thoughtful, annoying, frustrating, and hot as hell.”

She shook her head. “So what’s wrong with me?”

He sighed and swept a hand over his beard. “Nothing.”

“Then what’s going on, Cash? We’ve been apart for five months. I expected to have to fight you off, and I was looking forward to doing just that.”

His eyes slid away from hers. “I’m scared to touch you.”

“Why?” When he didn’t reply, her stomach clenched with fear. “Tell me.”

He looked at her then. “What if I hurt you or the baby?”

She frowned. “How would you hurt us?”

The chair made a scraping sound on the tiled floor as Cash stood and crossed the kitchen. The muscles in his back were visible through his thin grey sweater, and they became taut when he placed his palms on the countertop.

Tally followed, her hand tentatively reaching out to rest on his shoulder. “Cash?” she said in a soft voice.

He turned around, a glimmer of fear flashing in his eyes. He cupped her face and pressed his lips to hers. Briefly—agonisingly briefly. But he didn’t completely pull away. His lips were so close that if she leaned in an inch or so, they would touch again.

He shuddered as he breathed out. “I don’t have the right words to explain how much I missed you these past months. Baby, I’m so scared that if I start something, I won’t be able to stop.”

“That’s the thing, ace. I don’t want you to stop.”

He shook his head. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”

She swept her thumb over his bottom lip. “Then show me.”

His fisted hands were trembling, and the look he gave her made her knees shake and her skin burn. He was wrong. She knew exactly what she was doing. He needed to prove he had control and could pull back, adjust course when necessary, and she had every intention of pushing him into testing himself. When he remained frozen, she cupped both hands around the back of his neck.

“You’re worth the risk,” she said, standing on tiptoes until their lips were almost touching.

His breathing was ragged, and a low, tortured groan tumbled from his throat. His kiss, when it came, was far from gentle—and it was exactly what she craved.

His hands moved to her hips, and he gripped hard, pushing her backwards until she hit the wall. His tongue surged inside her mouth, probing, demanding, owning. Her lungs burned as she dragged her mouth from his and gasped for air. He manoeuvred her slightly, pinning her in place with his hips, which left his hands free to roam. He cupped her breasts and trailed soft kisses over her neck. She moaned softly.

“These are definitely bigger,” he whispered in her ear. “I approve.” He bent his knees and swept her up into his arms. “Promise you’ll tell me if this gets to be too much.”

A surge of desire took her breath away. “I promise,” she said, the prospect of what was to come making her insides twist.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her upstairs. Even though she was heavier now that she was pregnant, Cash didn’t seem to notice. He placed her back on her feet at the side of their bed. The sheets were still rumpled from the night of sleeping.

His eyes locked onto hers, and he trailed the tip of his index finger across her cheek and down her neck and allowed it to linger between her breasts. He deftly unfastened her pyjama top and slid it down her arms, tossing it aside.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said, his voice hitching.

He lowered to his knees and tugged down her pyjama bottoms. She rested her hands on his shoulders for support as she stepped out of them. Her heartbeat thrummed in her ears, and her breath came in short pants. After all his concern, she’d expected him to rip her clothes off and take her quickly. Instead, he was seducing her, taking his time, savouring every moment.

His mouth was level with her belly, and he pressed a kiss to it. “Hold on tight, buddy,” he said, his eyes firmly on hers. “Your mum and I are about to have some fun.”

Her skin prickled with anticipation as Cash slowly got to his feet. Crossing his arms, he gripped the bottom of his sweatshirt and pulled it over his head. He’d always been in great shape, and he clearly hadn’t let his fitness slip over the last five months, despite not playing tennis professionally during that time. He shucked off his sweat pants and was already naked. Her gaze fell to his erection, and a swell of desire swept through her.

“Turn around,” he ordered, his voice soft and gentle.

She complied, apprehension making her heart race even faster. Her shoulders tensed as she waited for him to touch her. Seconds passed, and still she didn’t feel his hands on her skin.

“What are you doing?” she whispered.

His warm breath tickled her ear. “Admiring the view.” He touched her then, cool hands tracking over burning skin as he rediscovered every inch of her body. His mouth followed the path his hands traced, and Tally’s knees trembled as desire swept through her.

“Don’t move.” Cash gathered up their pillows and made a mountain out of them. “Lean on those,” he said, his lips brushing her ear.

She bent over the pillows, using them for support. Cash swept a hand down her leg, coming to rest behind her right knee. His thumb brushed back and forth, and when his lips replaced his thumb, a spike of need hit hard.

“Cash, please,” she said, her voice muffled in the pillows.

“Shush.” He rubbed a hand over her backside and nudged her legs apart. His fingers began exploring, and when he slipped one inside her, she groaned loudly.

“God, I’ve missed this. I’ve missed you.”

“Just the beginning, baby,” he murmured. He slipped a second finger inside her, and her hips flexed involuntarily. “More?”

“Stop teasing me.”

He chuckled. “Don’t spoil my fun, sweetness.”

He continued to torture her with his hands, his mouth, his tongue. She was close to climax, and it was coming fast. Five months without his touch, and yet her body remembered everything. Like a volcano about to erupt, a wave built inside her, and then she exploded. She squeezed her eyes closed. Stars flashed behind her lids.

“Shit,” she muttered as her climax went on and on. Her arms gave out, and she collapsed onto the pillows.

Cash crawled up her body, keeping his weight completely off her, and yet, she was still cocooned by him, could feel the warmth of his body along her back. He brushed her hair away from the nape of her neck, and she trembled as he ran the tip of his tongue over her damp skin.

“I love how you taste,” he murmured as he fastened his lips to the space between her neck and shoulder.

Her body cooled as he lifted himself away from her. He ran the palm of his hand from the top of her spine to her bottom, and she shuddered. His hands gripped her hips, and he eased her onto her knees, leaving her chest on top of the mountain of pillows and her backside in the air. She turned her face to the side, her breath coming in gasps.

Cash pushed himself inside, just an inch, gradually stretching, letting her body familiarise and adapt to him as he moved in deeper.

“Okay?”

The single word came out strangled, and she knew he was struggling to hold himself together.

“I won’t break, Cash,” she said, pushing herself backwards onto him, encouraging him to drive farther in.

He groaned, his fingers digging into her hips as he thrust once. “I don’t want to hurt you or the baby.”

“You won’t. Go for it, ace. Lose yourself, and take me with you.”

Her words broke the last of his resolve, and he let go, his thrusts coming faster and faster, their connected bodies slapping together.

He changed positions, leaning over her again, his palms flat on either side of her head, but he didn’t relent on pace. She pushed back as he thrust in, and when she clenched her inner muscles, he groaned.

“Shit, you’re killing me.” He lifted her so she was virtually sitting on his lap, her thighs spread at either side of his. With his hands firmly on her hips, he lifted and lowered her, his timing perfect, and when his fingers teased the tight bundle of nerves at her core, she knew a second climax was mere seconds away.

“Holy fuck,” he muttered, and as he came, he clasped a hand over her stomach. The protective move set her off once more, her body trembling with the physical effort of another momentous orgasm.

Neither moved as their breathing slowly returned to normal. Cash’s body was slick with sweat that mingled with the dampness of her skin. His hand remained on her belly, and he rubbed in a circular motion. After a minute or so, he pulled out of her and tossed the pillows back in place.

She took hold of his arm and nestled it around her waist as a soft sigh fell from her lips. “Cash?”

“Yeah?”

“I knew you’d never hurt us. Time to start trusting your recovery, babe.”