Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 19577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 98(@200wpm)___ 78(@250wpm)___ 65(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 19577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 98(@200wpm)___ 78(@250wpm)___ 65(@300wpm)
I get to my feet, but Payton grabs my arm before I can leave. "Wait."
I glance down at her. "Yes?"
"You could sleep in the house." Payton gazes up at me, her cheeks still flushed from our touching. "Seems wrong to have you in the barn. It can't be comfortable."
It's not, but it's what I agreed to. "I will sleep wherever you want me to sleep. It's fine."
"It's not fine." She shakes her head, and I notice she does not let go of my hand. I curl my fingers around her wrist, holding her tight as she continues. "You can sleep in the house."
"Are you sure you want that?"
Payton seems shy as she responds. "You could sleep on the couch...or you could sleep with me. Though there might be more room on the couch."
She waves the mug at her belly.
An invitation to her bed—even if it's just to sleep—fills me with joy. "I would love to bed with you."
Her smile of response is sweet and she quickly gulps down the rest of her hot tea, then holds the mug out to me. "Help me up?"
I do, and then we head to the lavatory. I'm eager to wash her but she insists she can do it herself, so I pace in the hallway. I don't know what to do with myself. This isn't my house, so it's not like I can just kick off my shoes and relax while she bathes. I need to get my cues from her, first. If she's uncomfortable, even in the slightest, I'll head back to the barn.
But Payton eventually emerges, and she smells like soap, and it makes my cock jerk in response, because that's her soap. I've used it a dozen times but this is the first time I've smelled it on her skin. Incredible. The purring in my chest starts and I quickly tamp it down again.
She wears a shorter dress, this one soft and flowing and tents out around her large belly. Her hand supports the underside of it as she gives a sleepy yawn, her cheeks flushed. "Do you mind taking the right side of the bed? I have to sleep on my left side."
"Whatever side you do not want."
"Great." She climbs into bed.
I tuck the blankets around her, then peel off my boots and clothing, folding them neatly and setting them on a nearby trunk. I hesitate before getting into bed. "Do you mind if I sleep naked?"
"Mmm. At this point the cat's out of the bag, right? So to speak." Her words are soft and drowsy.
Still I hesitate. "Is...that a yes?"
"I don't mind." She reaches behind her and pats the bed. "Come on. You can be the big spoon."
I know what a spoon is, as I've seen them in her kitchen. Pleased, I climb into bed with her and she immediately pulls me against her, nestling our bodies together, her back to my front. She adjusts my arm, setting it on the lower slope of her belly, and I could swear I feel a flutter inside.
All is quiet. I wait for her to say something. The quiet is strange for me. The barn has meat-stock, and they're never silent. There's always shuffling and snorting. The apartments I lived in before this were full of rowdy crew who loved to get noisy and gamble in their time off, so never quiet then, either. And on station? Quiet is a mere fantasy. The stillness in Payton's bedroom is nice, if unnerving. Should we talk about this day, perhaps? About our changing relationship?
"I marked your door," I whisper. "I hope that is all right."
She makes a soft, sleepy sound that seems positive.
Encouraged, I draw little circles on her belly as my thoughts race ahead. If she doesn't mind that I have declared my intent, perhaps we should move things forward. I wait for her to comment on this—or anything else—but the silence gets to me. Eventually, I speak up again. "Will you be able to sleep like this?" I ask. "Are you comfortable?"
A small, whuffing snore is my answer. Payton is already asleep.
I smile at that. Of course she is. She has been well-pleasured and is in the arms of her mate. Content, I relax and fall to sleep, too.
Chapter
Eight
One Week Later
PAYTON
"Do you have the blankets?" I call out, struggling to put my bloated foot into my slipper. I lean on the bed and wriggle my foot in the shoe, but my heel doesn't want to go in. I shove a little harder. "And the pillows?"
"All taken care of," Bodhrri calls back from the living room. "I will take them outside right now and then I'll come back and help you with your slippers."
How did he know...? I sit on the edge of the bed, panting, and lift my foot into the air until I can see it. It looks like a sausage with toes. I snort to myself. How did he know? He's got eyes. They're as puffy as the rest of me. I went to the doctor this week and Bodhrri accompanied me. I'm in perfect health and so are the babies, so it's likely just water retention. But shoes have been difficult.