He pressed me against the mattress, peppering kisses along the column of my throat. I tangled my hands in his hair, gasping desperately as he pressed the entirety of his length inside of me.

I felt more fulfilled than I’d ever felt before, desperately clinging to the man who was only becoming more important to me as the days passed. We’d been spending more and more time together since that first night, desperately trying to conceive the child we both longed for.

“Jensen,” I moaned as he hit the spot that made my eyes nearly roll back in my head.

He only groaned in response, grazing my neck with his teeth and sucking hard until I was sure a large purple mark would form. I knew the people at work would talk if they saw it, but they’d have no means of knowing who was responsible. We had decided to keep our arrangement to ourselves, for the sake of professionalism. While it seemed inevitable that the news would come out eventually, we wanted to cling to what little privacy we could.

His hands palmed my breasts, and I arched into his touch with a sigh of pleasure. While we had been spending our nights together, making passionate love whenever possible, I was sure I would never tire of the feeling. Sex with Jensen was the most mind-blowing experience I’d ever had, unlike anything else in the world. I wasn’t a virgin by any means, but he blew all my other partners out of the water.

“I’m close,” he whispered against my skin, his thrusts becoming swifter. I moaned in response, dragging my nails down the expanse of his shoulders. I bounced with the force of each pump into me, and within moments, I was seeing stars again. I whimpered as I came, pressing our lips together as he bottomed out inside of me. Jet after jet of his essence filled me up, and I threw my head back from the sheer force of our passion.

“Oh, God,” I said breathlessly, basking in the afterglow. Jensen smiled at me, brushing a lock of sweat-soaked hair away from my eyes. “What’s the damage this time?” I asked with faint amusement, gesturing to my neck. He looked me over for a moment, smiling cockily.

“I can do worse,” he replied cheekily.

I rolled my eyes, kissing him to quiet him down. In the time we’d been spending together, we’d become almost casually affectionate with each other. Kissing each other while in the privacy of his home had become a part of our routine, to the point that I had to repeatedly remind myself that the situation would not necessarily lead to a relationship between the two of us.

As much as I liked to entertain the idea that Jensen might have found himself falling for me, it was business as usual once I left his penthouse. We exchanged the occasional text message, mainly to arrange the best times to see each other. There hadn’t been a private exchange where we’d not had wild sex, and I knew that taking me out on a date or something similar was the last thing on his mind.

“Don’t you have another business trip tomorrow?” I asked quietly, allowing my eyes to flutter shut as I settled comfortably in his bed. He lay down beside me, drawing me into his arms in a way that made furious butterflies swarm in my gut.

“I’m afraid so. I’m supposed to be following a lead on the latest fertility treatment we’re developing,” he replied. I chuckled softly, finding the situation vaguely ironic. I could only hope we would never need the aid of something like fertility treatments, but it was too soon to determine whether our nonstop lovemaking had borne fruit.

“I’ll miss you,” I said without thought, cringing as soon as I allowed the words to slip past my lips. Jensen didn’t seem particularly bothered by the statement, however, resting his chin on top of my head and sighing contently.

“I know, Ashley. You know I’ll miss you dearly as well. Every moment we’re apart, I can think of little but coming home and having my way with you,” he said. I could only wonder how he remained so confident in spite of everything, if he was ever curious regarding a deeper nature to our relationship. I could never voice the question to him, too terrified that he would think me ridiculously emotional.

Then again, I felt as if I’d progressed beyond the point of keeping my cool. I was certain he was aware that I held some measure of feelings toward him, but he’d never mentioned it. We occasionally chatted about what our future may be like, but there was never any implication of a relationship beyond our cooperative parent status. I tried not to let it bother me, but I couldn’t deny that I wished something more would come from our time together.

I resolved that I would be satisfied with whatever happened, as long as we created the child we so desperately desired. As much as I found my feelings for Jensen deepening, I wouldn’t force him into anything he’d not agreed to.

I peeked an eye open to glance at the clock on his bedside table. It was nearing the time I usually woke and got ready for work, though since I’d been spending time at Jensen’s penthouse, we always woke up extra early for a bit of a morning treat. I extracted myself from his arms, languidly stretching my own over my head. My back arched in a pleasant stretch, and I breathed a sigh before shuffling toward his bathroom.

We avoided getting in the shower together, knowing we’d be unable to keep our hands off of each other enough to actually wash ourselves. Regardless of how nice it may have been to spend all our time fooling around, we both still had jobs to get to. I knew Jensen would have to tie up some loose ends at the office before departing on his next business trip, and I’d be left to run things while he was absent.

Trying to avoid moping as I stood in the stream of hot water, I grabbed a bottle of body wash. I still spent a good bit of time at my own apartment, but I tried to enjoy what time Jensen had available for me. That occasionally meant staying the night when I was too exhausted from our lovemaking to even attempt driving home. Jensen had been the one to suggest keeping a stock of supplies at his penthouse, though he had offered to buy them himself.

Reluctant to take advantage of his kindness and refusing to get caught up in the idea of him having secret feelings for me, I had insisted upon buying my own things. I’d reminded him that I would still have to provide for myself once the baby came, and though he had seemed troubled by the thought, he hadn’t corrected me.

Groaning, I lost myself in the sensation of water washing over me. I knew I was overthinking things, but that didn’t stop me. I liked to tell myself that there was a chance, however remote, that he felt some semblance of the way I felt for him. It wasn’t to say I didn’t think Jensen cared about me at all; I knew he carried some form of affection for me. It was just that I hoped the affection would mold into something more…intimate.

Granted, one couldn’t get much more intimate than we already were.

Shaking off the thoughts, I finished washing up and stepped out of the shower. As I toweled myself off, Jensen stepped into the bathroom to take his turn in the shower. We exchanged smiles, and my heart fluttered in my chest at the sight of him. It was all I could do not to ask him for round two, but I knew there were more pressing matters to attend to, at least for the time being.

Shuffling toward the vanity, I squeezed a glob of toothpaste onto the extra toothbrush I’d bought. I idly examined my reflection as I brushed, wondering what it would feel like to actually be carrying Jensen’s child. I hoped the seed had already been planted, but somehow I felt as if I would be more radiant or…something. Didn’t people say women had a glow about them when they were pregnant? While I doubtless looked much happier since I’d been spending more time with my boss, I wouldn’t say I was glowing.

After swilling with mouthwash, I carefully attended to my hair, not particularly fond of the bedhead look on myself. As Jensen stepped out of the shower, I shifted out of his way to go get dressed. The rest of our morning routine carried on as usual, though I was dreading the idea of going to work.

As soon as Jensen finished his few tasks for the day, he would be off on another trip, and while I was happy that he got to enjoy so much time abroad, I couldn’t help feeling somewhat empty without his presence.

Once we were ready to head out, he kissed me on the cheek a final time before leaving for work. Though we were going to the same place, we went in our own cars to avoid arousing suspicion. I waited five minutes before following in the same direction he’d gone. Once we arrived at work, it was back to our typical employer/employee relationship. That meant I had to contain myself as he announced that he was leaving for Japan.

I bid him goodbye with a polite smile and wave. Though I’d done it a number of times, it never seemed to get easier.

It felt as if he were taking a piece of my heart with him.