Page 137 of The Trouble with Tigers
“I’ve never had the normal, you know, cycle women are supposed to have. I never know if it will be one month or six between my…um—” She broke off, wringing her hands in the darkness.
He dropped his second boot onto the floor with a thud, and leaned back to rest on one elbow. Helpless to stop himself, he reached over to caress the small of her back. She owned another nightdress, it seemed.
“I learned from other girls it should come every month. Only, for me, it never did. I always intended to ask mother about it, but never had an opportunity. I couldn’t ask Collin or Grandfather.” Her shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. “When it does come, it can be godawful. Cramps, mostly.”
Zeke was fairly certain no woman had ever gone into this much detail with him about her menses. Still, he had the basic idea of how the whole process worked.
He imagined Kitty as a young woman. Needing someone to talk to. Someone to care for her. But she’d had no one, save her grandfather. He wished suddenly her mother hadn’t died, so he could read her the riot act.
“I doubt I can conceive, Zeke. I would have told you if we became engaged, but we never were. Now you’re waiting for proof I’m not carrying your baby. But what if proof never comes?”
“Sweetheart, there are other ways to know if you’re pregnant.”
Her head angled swiftly toward him. “Such as?”
He’d had as much of not touching her as he could take. He reached for her, encircling her waist, and slid her toward him. He lay his other hand on her flat belly.
“For one thing, you’ll start to grow, here.”
She flapped a hand at him. “I know that much.”
He kissed her shoulder through her nightdress. “You might start feeling ill, especially in the mornings. I believe some women get a bit tender here.” His palm slid up her rib cage to cup one plump breast.
Her breath hitched, but she didn’t move except to raise her face to his. He kneaded her gently, his palm grazing over the bud of her ripening nipple.
A shuddering breath escaped her.
“Does that hurt? Or does it feel good?” He asked, not hiding the sensual edge in his voice.
He wanted her. Wanted her like he hadn’t ridden all day, avoiding stops for meals or any form of sustenance save what was necessary for his horse.
“It feels…I feel…” She spoke in a breathy little whisper. “Like you’re not taking me seriously,” she finally croaked.
She twisted away, aiming her back at him.
“I’m sorry, love. I rather thought I’d addressed your concern. If you’re pregnant, we’ll soon know, one way or another.”
She snorted softly, and he wrapped both arms around her, resting his chin on the curve of her shoulder. “As for the other thing you neglected to mention…”
“What other thing?” she asked.
“That engagement thing your brother’s wrangled you into.”
Her head moved to the side just a touch and he could practically see her rolling her eyes. “Oh, that.”
“You’re not marrying him, Kitty. You can’t.”
“Zeke—”
“You can’t, and I can’t let you. No, hear me out,” he said when she opened her mouth to argue. “I understand about your brother. You want to make everything peachy for him. Sweetheart, give me some time to figure something out. Hell, I’m the future Earl of Claybourne. On my name alone I can make things happen.”
She twisted around to face him. “Do you really think you can help him, Zeke?”
“I know I can.”
“But, why? Why keep going through all the trouble, if you’re only going to turn tail and-”
He silenced her with a slow, lingering kiss. When he felt the rigidity go out of her, he dragged his mouth from hers. “Don’t move.”
