Page 121 of My Rose

The sniffle gave it away. “This looks…amazing.” I turned in his arms and twined my fingers behind his neck. “I thought you were studying all day?”

He smirked at me. “Princeton can wait.” His lips brushed mine teasingly. “But you can’t.” He reared back and arched a brow, guiding his thumb along my cheek where a single tear was shed. “I bet you’re tired.”

The sigh I gave wasn’t exaggerated. “I am.”

His fingers trailed up my back as he found the zipper of my dress and began pulling it down, his voice turning gruff. “Want some company?”

I bit down on my bottom lip and nodded, fighting the giddiness of having him in the tub with me. We’d bathed together almost daily,yet something about it being set up with candles, bubbles, and what looked to be a bottle of champagne beside it was making me flush.

“What’s the occasion?” I asked as he stripped me bare, taking his time around the straps of my bra. His hands smoothed over the front of my stomach as he worked his way down to where my dress had settled along my hips, being extra gentle as he guided the dress and my panties down to my feet.

His eyes met mine from where he knelt in front of me. “Do I need a reason to want to relax with my wife?”

Every time he said those last two words, my heart swelled. Our wedding had been in our backyard in a small ceremony only a few months ago, but the memories of that day made it feel like it had just happened yesterday. It had been the happiest day of my life, and Briggs loved reminding me of my new last name or the fact that I was his wife every chance he got.

Still, I eyed him suspiciously, the reflection of the tub behind me catching my attention past his shoulder. “Depends.”

“On?” His head tilted.

“Your reasoning behind this. It’s only Thursday,” I replied as I let him lift each leg, removing the fabric from my ankles.

His fingers applied gentle squeezes over my calves as he rose slowly. “Let’s get you off your feet.” Before I could answer, I was lifted and placed in the tub like I was too weak to walk myself backward the few steps into the tub myself.

I remained silent as he stripped off his sweatpants, his eyes unmoving from my body. He settled in behind me, my back arching over his front like two perfect puzzle pieces.

“I’ll never get over the way you feel against me.” Briggs swept his lips over my shoulder, working his way up the side of my neck. I gathered my hair and pushed it to the side, giving him more access. His teeth nipped along the top of my neck and onto my jaw, making me moan.

“We haven’t even had the champagne yet,” I whispered.

His nose nuzzled against my ear. “That’s not champagne, Rose baby.”

“What—” I reached over, turning it to read the label. I fought the laughter of surprise that tried to bubble to the surface. “Sparkling juice? My, you are getting wild. What has marriage done to you?”

His hands moved down my arms, splaying around my stomach as he moved them up to cup my breasts. I sucked in a sharp breath. “Sensitive here?” His squeeze released another moan, his thumbs flicking over my nipple, then the other.

I let my head fall back on his shoulder. “Mhm.” One of his hands slid down until his fingers swept over my clit. I let out another sharp breath.

“Rose,” he groaned, his fingers working me to the brink of an orgasm that surprisingly took little effort. Every part of my body felt like I was on fire, and it wasn’t from the lukewarm tub, or the way my body was so tired lately, or—

“Briggs.” I froze against him, and he stilled. His heartbeat kicked up behind me, and I moved quickly to straddle him on his lap. His face was a kind of calm I’d only started to see from him the day we said our vows, the smile along his lips subtle and completely relaxed. He looked like the happiest person on the planet.

His hands moved to my waist, his thumbs making circles along my front. “Rose,” he replied in a whisper, his jaded eyes falling to where his thumbs still stroked.

My brows furrowed as I did the mental math. “I…I’m…”

“Pregnant?” he asked, his smile growing. “Yes.”

“How’d you know?”

His brow lifted. “I know my wife’s body.” He glanced at the cabinet where I kept my birth control. Or, used to keep it. I’d stopped taking it the night of our wedding. Briggs talked about a family often, and honestly, I was surprised he hadn’t thrown my pills out himself with how often he came inside me, then pushed his cum back in. The plug and the not-so-subtle hints about watching me grow his children with my body were almost comical at first, but when I realized how serious he was about it, I couldn’t deny I wanted the same thing.

“I thought it would take longer,” I replied honestly, staring down at my stomach. My eyes fluttered up to meet his, the green in them seemingly brighter. More clear.

“Are you happy?” His question had a hint of concern.

I quickly pressed my hands flat to his jaw, holding his gaze with my own. “I love you. How could I not be happy about this?” A wave of nausea rolled over me, and I pressed the back of my hand to my mouth. “But I think I’m going to be sick.”

He reached back and pulled a wastebasket from behind the tub. “I wasn’t sure if that had started yet or not. My mom said she threw up for months.” I grabbed onto it and took deep breaths, urging it to go away as he rubbed circles along the small of my spine. “She saidto tell you that ginger helps.” I managed to fight past it, and when I pulled my head from the trash bin, he had a bag of ginger chews in his hand. “She also may have dropped some off for you.”

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