Mariska

It’s too warm for a fire in the little stove, but I asked for one anyway. Lying on my side in the cabin, I watch the flames dance through the small grate content and happy with the way this evening went.

Stuart’s reaction to the news was sweet and sexy and absolutely silly. He treats me like I’m made of glass—something I never would’ve expected. As if I’m the first pregnant woman in the history of mankind. As if pregnant women haven’t endured harsher conditions than I’m likely to ever face in the coming months.

Still, it’s sweet. We shared the delicious picnic dinner Winona made us of fried chicken and corn on the cob, and while I expected to have one sip of sparkling wine to celebrate, he wouldn’t even let me have a taste!

I don’t really care. I prefer the fresh lemonade Winona makes anyway. We only had a little firewood left from last winter, so the Indian blanket idea was moved indoors and we cuddled on the couch instead. Stuart insisted I didn’t need to be on the hard ground anyway, to which I couldn’t resist an eye-roll.

At least we’re going to our hot spring in the morning. I packed my leopard-print bikini and a new sheer cover-up to replace the one he ripped off me last time we visited. That blazing-hot memory gives me a little shiver. I plan to leave my top in the suitcase just like last time.

Turning in the bed, I face him, studying his straight nose and long dark lashes against his cheek. So handsome. Smiling, I close my eyes and drift to sleep imagining what our pretty little girl will look like and picturing her running through the tall grasses into her daddy’s arms…

Walking through the tall grasses on the way to the spring, Stuart is ahead of me breaking the trail and watching for snakes—a danger he’s never mentioned before. I’m not complaining as it gives me a nice view of his tight ass in front of me. That thought makes me giggle.

“What’s funny?” He looks back over his shoulder.

“I was thinking about your tight ass,” I say loudly, literally and figuratively.

He frowns and returns to pushing back the grasses. It’s my own fault, I suppose. I fell in love with this bossy, dominating, stubborn, and oh so sexy man.

“I was expecting a bonus this morning,” I call after him.

“You need your sleep now.”

That makes me frown, but I don’t have time to argue. We’ve arrived at our mineral spring. It’s still and pale beige and smells faintly of sulfur, which is one of the minerals still active. I’m reminded of getting to know each other, sharing our memories as our naked bodies entwined in the effervescent water.

Smooth, round stones line the far edge of the pool and the bottom, and a layer of pea gravel leads the way into its depths. Stuart loosens his shorts and wades into the water. I wait on the bank trailing my eyes down the lines of his back to the muscles in his butt. Two palm-sized indentions are on each side, and I think back to the first time I touched it. I was giving him a massage, and I almost couldn’t breathe for how sexy he was. Nothing has changed.

When he reaches the center he does a shallow dive to the other side, going under and getting his hair wet. I turn and unfasten the bandeau top of my bikini. I toss the sheer cover-up on the grass along with it and walk out into the warm pool. It’s as relaxing as a hot tub, and the tiny bubbles rising in the water make me buoyant. When Stuart’s head resurfaces, I push off the bottom and glide straight into his arms.

“Feels good,” he says, pressing his lips to my ear as I hug my breasts against his bare chest.

“It does,” I say softly, wrapping my legs around his waist. “Aren’t you glad we spent the night now?”

Warm hands slide under my bikini bottoms, over my ass. He kisses my neck again. “I would’ve driven you here if you’d asked.”

I’m heating up in the warm water, but I lean back to find his eyes. “Then we wouldn’t have had our picnic or sex on the couch.”

He grins and kisses my lips, trying to push them open. I kiss him briefly and look up at the bright blue sky overhead.

“Do you want a boy or a girl?”

He only growls against my neck, and I unhook my legs, swimming out a bit from him. “Tell me!” Moving to the side, I circle him in the water. “I bet I know. You want a boy to start. A big brother for all the other kids.”

“How many are we having?”

“I was thinking a half dozen?” That gets me a laugh, but I keep going. “Or an even dozen? How many do we need to work a farm?”

“We’re having a farm now, too?”

“Or the ranch, I should say.”

He cuts through the water to catch me, pulling my back against his chest and kissing the side of my head.

“We’re going back to Princeton in a few weeks. We don’t have to change our plans because of this.”

“I didn’t know we’d made definite plans. We’ve only talked about what we can do.”

His fingers thread in mine at my waist, holding me against his torso. “You’ve already enrolled at Princeton, and we have the condo and Walter…”

“I do like Walter.” Leaning my head back, I search for a cloud in the largely clear sky. “I thought you liked it here, though. This is where your heart is.”

“My heart is with you.”

We drift for a few moments in silence. My dream is to have Stuart and a family. I don’t care where I have them. Stuart loves this place, but now he doesn’t want to stay. We’ll have to talk about this more.

Pushing his arms out, I turn so they’re wrapped around my back. “Since you want a boy first, what will we name him? Junior?”

“Are there any boy names on your side of the family you like?”

My lips curl as I try to remember any male names Yaya might have mentioned. “I can only remember one… Manfred.”

“Whoa. That’s a tough one.”

“We could call him Fred for short.”

Our eyes lock, and we both burst into laughter. I push off from the bottom again, wrapping my arms around his neck, my insides humming with joy. “Maybe we should stick to your side of the family for boy names.”

“I have an uncle Hector.”

“Like the Trojan hero?”

He shrugs. “He lived in southern Illinois.”

I lean away, floating on my back. “I’m sure he was a die-hard military man.”

“Probably.” His voice changes as he moves through the water to me. “Nice view.”

With my head on his shoulder, my breasts float to the surface. His large palms rise out of the water to cover them, stirring the heat simmering in my pelvis.

“Mmm,” I sigh. “So we have Hector and… What’s your favorite girl name?”

“Mariska.” His lips are at my ear, and I feel my insides clench in response to how he says it, low and hungry. His hands slide down my breasts, thumbs circling my nipples.

My eyes flutter closed. “Besides that.”

“Renee.” His hands are on my hips, drawing them down through the water so I feel his erection at my lower back.

“Yes,” I whisper as his palm slides up my inner thigh just before two thick fingers plunge deep inside me.

“Then Renee it is.”

I’m riding his hand, eyes closed, when I reach around to grasp his cock. Names are forgotten as I position our hips to allow him to plunge deep inside me, stretching me.

“So big,” I whisper. We’re at the far side of the spring, where the rocks line the side and the depth is over my head. I hold onto them, wrapping my feet around his legs as he pumps into me hard and fast. One hand is on my breast gripping and squeezing while the other holds my waist steady, helping him ride out this moment.

“Oh! Oh, yes!” I’m moaning and meeting him at each push, reaching down with my hand to massage my clit faster and faster.

Ripples of pleasure tingle in my thighs, and my eyes roll closed as the orgasm erupts low in my pelvis. I gasp for breath gripping the rocks tighter as it grows, as Stuart rocks faster, his pelvis hitting my ass.

Leaning into me, he kisses me at the back of my neck, along my hairline, allowing his breath to fan over my shoulders. A wave of shimmering pleasure spills through my veins like warm liquid, and I come.

“Yes, oh, god yes!” My shoulders quiver with sensation.

“Fuck,” Stuart groans, strong arms tight around my waist, as he finishes, pulsing over and over inside me.

We hold on several moments, eyes still closed, as the soothing waters transport us back to earth. Our panting subsides, my heart rate slowly returns to normal, and soft lips touch my neck. I smile, tilting my head to meet his kiss.

“Let’s revisit those names a little later,” I say with a laugh. “I can’t be held to anything I said just then.”

“Okay.” Another kiss, and I turn in his arms to find those smoky hazel eyes glowing. “We should probably head back if we’re going to make the doctor’s appointment today.”

I trace my finger down his cheek. “It’s the only thing that could get me to leave.”

---

We’re out of the truck and walking up to the house when Sylvia meets us at the door smiling brightly.

“Congratulations, you two,” she laughs, catching us both in a hug. “I’ve been dying to say that.”

“You already said it to me,” I squeeze her arm.

“Yes, but we’re not sneaking around anymore, and I can be a proud grandmother to be. Again!”

“Congratulations.” Bill’s calm voice reaches us from the kitchen. “Winona’s cooking a special dinner to celebrate.”

Holding Sylvia’s arm, we walk to where he’s standing by the bar holding a dark soda I assume is a Pepsi. “We’d like to schedule that ultrasound as soon as possible,” I tell her. “Can I get the number for Dr. Brown?”

“It’s in my purse.” She gives my hand a pat and sets off down the hall to find it.

I continue into the living room and drop onto the sofa. Stuart goes to where his uncle is standing and says something I can’t hear. The two of them leave in the direction of Bill’s office, and I see my little horse trotting around the yard through the window.

“I’m outside,” I say to no one in particular and leave through the double doors behind the couch.

After our swim, I put on a long, floral skirt and tank top. I’m not quite big enough for maternity clothes, but my jeans and pants have gotten too snug to be comfortable. Still, I have on my cowboy boots, and when I get to the yard, I climb up on the fence and sit on the top rail to watch Jessie run.

She slows when she sees me, and I wonder if she might come to me the way I saw her walk up to Stuart yesterday. Climbing down into the yard, I try to remember how he did it. His hand was on his chest, and he made that clicking sound with his mouth.

Moving slowly toward her, I try it. “Here, Jessie,” I say in a soothing tone. “Come to me, girl.”

I’m holding my hand out, although I don’t have any of the treats he was giving her. I hope that doesn’t make her not trust me. Thinking the better of it, I pull my hand to my chest and just make the noise as I carefully walk to where she’s standing.

Freckles stands away to the side watching us. The other four horses have their heads in the hay, munching and disinterested.

“Come here, Jessie,” I say again softly and click my mouth.

Her large dark eyes are fixed on me, and I can almost see her thinking, trying to figure me out.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” I say in a sing-song voice. Her small, black head with the spattering of black freckles across the nose stills.

I’m almost to her. I feel like I can’t breathe as I reach out my hand again, slowly toward her black velvet nose. Her muscles quiver, and just as I’m about to make contact, Stuart’s voice cuts through the moment in a stern rebuke.

“Mariska!”

Jessie does a quick little two-step and jumps away, running to the fence and around the yard.

A frustrated exhale rushes out of my lungs in a huff. “I almost had her!”

“What are you doing?” I can tell he’s irritated. I’m irritated.

“You ruined it,” I grumble, stomping to where he’s standing outside the fence frowning. “I was so close to petting her, and you scared her away.”

“You were close to getting hurt. Now come out of there.”

I stand in place glaring at him defiantly, hands on my hips. “You said you were going to teach me how to train her.”

“I’m going to have to gentle her more first. Especially now.” The last part is muttered under his breath but his voice is louder when he commands me. “Come out of there now.”

“I’m pregnant. I’m not an invalid.”

“You still need to take it easy.” He says, climbing onto the fence. “Jessie is unbroken, and Freckles is flighty. She could kick you. Or worse.”

“I’m coming out,” I grumble, catching the top rail of the fence and waiting for him to jump down. “You don’t know the first thing about being pregnant,” I growl.

“Neither do you.”

My eyes flash to him, but he’s grinning, and I don’t feel like being angry. I cross the fence and drop down between his muscled arms holding the top rail on each side of my shoulder. “You’re infuriating.”

“You’re adorable.” Leaning forward he gives me a quick kiss. “Mom said the doc can see us this afternoon.”

“Just give me a few minutes to shower and change.”

I stomp back to the house, leaving him grinning by the fence.