Page 15 of His Bride

“Careful,” she gasps. “We don’t want to break thoseagain.”

I wince as I look at the cracked wooden slat. Maybe crazy glue will fix it this time, and I won’t have to put in a work order. I shift her sideways and brace myself against the wall with one hand while I squeeze her ass with the other. “Worth it to beinsideyou.”

“Oh, most definitely.” She whimpers as I pinch her ass, so I do it again. Harder, this time. I’ll leave my mark on her in a way she’ll feel all the way to Chicago. Make a bruise she can look at in the mirror tonight in her hotel room and remember just how crazy her husband isforher.

“One of these months we’ll be in the right place at the right time,” I promise her, fucking harder and faster until she bites her lip and starts to whine. I shift my hold on her and cover her mouth at the same time as she reaches between us and presses against her hard little clit. “One of these months I’m going to come inside you and make a baby and it’s going to beperfect.”

She comes in a hard, crashing climax that milks my release right after it. I press her hard against the wall and bury my face inherneck.

“This is perfect already,” she whispers against my temple before sighing. “Kind of crazy, but definitelyperfect.”

I lower her to the ground, then tuck my junk away before I stride to the bathroom on the other side of my office. I wet a cotton handkerchief I have in my pocket for exactly this reason, and return to where she’s still leaning against the wall, legs pressed together, skirtheldhigh.

I drop to my knees in front of her and press a kiss to her thigh. She smells like sex, and I breathe her in before I gently part her legs and cleanherup.

I want her to hold every drop of my seed inside her, but that’s not practical orpossible.

Soon,though.

“I love you,” I tell her as I slide her underwear back up her legs. “Sodamnmuch.”

She beams at me. “The feeling is mutual, husbandofmine.”

I open the brown bag of food she brought, and laugh. Inside are two smaller bags, one labelled Gavin, the other Ellie. She snatches her bag and kisses me on the cheek. “I was pretty sure I wouldn’t have time to eat here, so I asked them to keep everything separate.Gottago.”

And with that, she’s off. Another plane ride, another important task keeping usapart.

6

Ellie

The nightI get home from Chicago, Gavin is already at the residence. He’s in the kitchen making me dinner, of allthings.

“Assembling more than actual cooking, but…I thought you might like a homecookedmeal.”

I kiss him with every ounce of my appreciativebeing.

He winds his hands into my hair, promising that he knows I’ve missed more than just a comforting meal. He tugs, and I close myeyes. “Mmm.”

“You want a glass of wine with dinner?” he asks as he brushes his lipsagainstmine.

“Maybe. Let me go and get changed quick, then I’ll help with thesalad.”

Upstairs, I grab one of the pregnancy tests from under the bathroom sink. I stocked up in May when I thought I’d have a parade of positive results and test a couple of days inarow.

Now I’ve been putting off this test because I have a sinking feeling that even though my period is late—by a day or two now—it’s going to benegative.

I’m notwrong.

“I’d love a glass of wine,” I tell Gavin when I re-join him in the kitchen. “Big. Extra. Allofit.”

He turns off the burner under the frying pan and pulls me close. “Tell me all aboutyourtrip.”

It’s better if he thinks I’m just fried from travel. “Ahh…” I sigh. “It was good, at first, but then it got a bit repetitive. Sometimes I worry I fall into the trap of being a well-meaning person who just can’t shut up, and shutting up and listening is really the most important thing Icando.”

“Wow, that’s kind of heavy.” He lifts my chin with a gentle press of his knuckles. “Are you talking about in academiccircles?”

I shake my head. “Not exactly, although yes, there, too. I—” I nervously scrape my teeth across my bottom lip as I hold his gaze. “I got a surprising amount of attention at this conference for being your wife. I’m just a doctoral candidate, Gavin. I should be presenting a poster and completely invisible the entire time,youknow?”

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