Chapter Ten Lindy opened to door to see Bryn leaning against the doorframe, George hovering nervously behind her with a suitcase in his hand. Meeting Bryn's gaze, she was surprised to see how red and swollen her eyes were. "Can I use your phone, please?" "Yeah, come in." She held the door open for them, watching Bryn walk over to the couch and sit down. She quickly grabbed the phone and began dialing. As George entered, Lindy said, "What's going on?" "I think she better tell you," he said, uncomfortably. "It's not good." She started to get worried. Meeting Nathaniel's gaze as he stood silently in the kitchen, she tried not to listen in on Bryn's conversation, but it was close to impossible. "I need you to send me some money, John...no, that's not fast enough, I need it tonight." She started crying again, wiping impatiently at her face as she cradled the phone against her shoulder. "No, just wire it to me. I want to come home. Please." After a few minutes of silence, she looked up at Lindy. "Can I have him send the money to your bank? I don't have an account set up here yet." Lindy nodded, a bit dumbfounded. Digging in her purse, she pulled out her check book and read off the account number, which Sabryn repeated into the phone. "Bryn, what's going on?" she asked as soon as the crying woman hung up the phone. She blew her nose with the tissue George handed her. "I'm going home." "Why?" "Because Anton doesn't want me. He's too busy chasing after Natasha, the whore." Lindy glanced up at Nate, matching the sudden uneasy look on his face. "Wait a minute," she said, sitting down next to her. "Exactly what happened?" Leaking tears once again, she said, "I'm pregnant, and Anton refuses to believe it's his. He said...that I had to be having an affair, and he told me that he'd been with Natasha today." She shook her head. "I'm not the one having the affair, Lindy. I'm not the one who talks about that tramp while in our bed." "You're pregnant, and you think it's Anton's?" Nathaniel shook his head. "That's not possible." Sabryn bolted to her feet and rounded on him, eyes flashing. "You calling me a liar too, Nathaniel? What is it with you fucking vam-" "Bryn!" Lindy yelled sharply, cutting her off. She turned to George, shaking her head. "Thanks for bringing her here, George. Why don't you go back to work?" George looked relieved to have an out. "Let me know what happens, okay?" Lindy nodded and waited until George was out the door before speaking. "You be quiet," she snapped, pointing at Nathaniel. She helped Sabryn to the couch. "And you, tell me everything from the beginning." "What is there to tell? He told me he loved me, and he lied." "No, I mean what happened?" "I went to the doctor today, and I found out. I told him he was wrong, but he said I was. And then I went home and I told Anton, and he didn't believe me. He said he thought it was George's baby." She paused, looking at Nathaniel as he laughed out loud. Shaking her head, she looked back at Lindy. "Why would I have an affair with anyone? I love Anton, and I thought he loved me. We make love all the time, it's not as if I'm deprived or anything. And he was always good to me, I didn't need anyone else." Doubling over, she wrapped her hands over her head. "I can still see his eyes. He was so angry. He refused to listen to me." "Bryn, I'm trying to understand something," Lindy said, shaking her head. Reassuringly, she stroked Sabryn's back as Nathaniel said down on Sabryn's other side. "I'm not calling you a liar, but how? It's *unheard* of." "The only thing I can think of is that I was abducted by aliens when I was seven," Sabryn said softly. "Aliens?" Nathaniel mouthed over Sabryn so only Lindy could see. That earned him another glare and he put his hands up in a conciliatory gesture. "Some sort of genetic manipulation? That might just be possible..." Lindy tapped her finger thoughtfully. "Are you sure you want to go home now? This child will be one of a kind. You may need a vampire or two around to help. And Anton will come around, eventually." [I hope,] she added mentally. "I want to go home. He won't believe me, and even if he does, why would I want him back when he's still in love with her?" "Natasha?" "He was with her, Lindy. He's always obsessing about her. Just this morning he--" She stopped abruptly, glancing at Nathaniel. "He had a dream, except instead of her, it was me. Me and Nathaniel. And I told him I'd never do something like that to him, and he said he believed me. He's just..." Her lip quivered. "He lied to me, and he *hurt* me, so much." "Bryn, listen to me." Nathaniel waited until she looked at him. "Natasha is nothing more than a manipulative whore, and she's probably yanking on his chain. He's not still in love with her. Trust me on that." "But why doesn't he believe me?" "Because in all the research I've done, I have never found a case where a vampire's lover has become pregnant." He shrugged. "You're asking us to toss aside a belief we've held for at least 900 years. Not an easy thing to do. Just give me a little more time to get used to the idea." There was a knock on the door. "Think carefully before you decide to go home, okay?" Lindy said as she got up. Peering out the viewing hole, she froze. "Oh shit!" She looked back to Nathaniel and Sabryn. "It's him. Nate, you better hide." He sat back against the couch, spreading his arms over the back of it. "No. He's going to find out I'm here sooner or later. Might as well be sooner." Lindy sighed. She opened the door, stepping into it. "What is it, Anton?" "Is Bryn here?" Anton sounded truly miserable as he stepped inside. "I need to talk to her," he said looking to the couch. When he saw Nathaniel sitting there next to Sabryn, his whole demeanor changed. "You..." he hissed through clenched fangs. "What the hell are *you* doing here?" Bryn stood up. "Anton, stop it! Haven't you made a big enough ass of yourself tonight?" Nathaniel looked like he was about to laugh, but wisely kept his mouth shut. "Anton, Nate is my guest," Lindy said. "And I'm not going to have you two fighting in my house. I think we have enough to deal with already." Still glaring, Anton turned his head. "Nate? You mean this is who you've been 'dating'?" "Yes." "For God's sake, do you have any idea who this is?" Lindy watched Bryn walk around the couch and disappear into the bedroom. Finally meeting Anton's gaze, she said, "Yes, I know exactly who he is." He looked completely baffled. "But he's--" "I know, Anton. I know all of it." Chancing to voice his opinion, Nate quietly said, "I don't think I'm the one you need to worry about right now." "You stay out of this!" "No." Nathaniel stood up, crossing his arms. "You are making a big mistake, Anton. You've just been handed a miracle that many of our kind would sell our souls for, and you're throwing it away." Anton's eyes narrowed. "You actually *believe* her?" "I believe Lindy." Lindy took a place between the two vampires, slightly closer to Nathaniel. "She's not lying, Anton. She's telling the truth. I'm sure of it," she added, tapping her nose. "It's impossible," Anton growled. "And according to most humans, so are we," Lindy said softly. He shook his head, noticing how close she stood to Nathaniel. "Well, we've obviously found out where your loyalties lie." "You think I'm telling you this out of some sort of loyalty?" She shook her head, feeling a strange sort of weightlessness fill her chest. She reached down and took Nate's hand, making Anton's eyes flare. "I may love Nathaniel, but I'm saying this because I believe it's true." "You *what*?" Anton yelled. "You what?" Nate said, quieter, but no less shocked. She nodded, glancing between them. "Yeah. I realized something tonight. I don't really know you at all, Anton. And I surely don't love you, because if you did something like this to me, I'd never forgive you. You'll be very lucky if Bryn even considers it." She felt Nate squeeze her hand, and cast him a sideways glance, warning him with her eyes to keep quiet for now. "Why are you here, Anton?" Nathaniel asked, trying to shift the subject away from Lindy's declaration. "You want to talk to her, but I get the feeling it's not because you believe her." "I just want confirmation of who the father is." [So I can kill him.] Lindy raised her eyebrows. "You think you know who the father is? Who?" "George." Nathaniel looked at Lindy. "The same George who was here earlier, right?" As Lindy nodded, Nate began to chuckle. "And what do *you* find so funny?" Anton growled. "Nothing, other than the fact when he was here, with two gorgeous women in the room, I was the one that he couldn't take his eyes off of." "What?" Anton didn't sound too sure of himself now. "George is gay, Anton," Lindy said quietly. "You didn't know that?" The older vampire shook his head. "But what about all the flirting and innuendo?" Lindy shrugged. "Just his personality. If you ever call him on it, he backs down pretty quickly if you've got two x chromosomes." Anton stood there, stunned. He had been so convinced that George was the father because there were no other men he had seen around Sabryn. [If George isn't the father, could it possibly be true that I am?] He put his head in his hands. "Oh God! What have I done?" "I could give you a recount," Nathaniel said, "but I doubt you want to hear it from me." "You got that right," Anton growled. Sidestepping both of them, he headed for the bedroom. Opening the door, he noticed the top of Bryn's head over on the other side of the bed. As he walked closer, he could see that she was on the phone. "OK," she said, quietly, not having noticed him yet. "I'll call the airline in a minute and tell you what time the flight arrives." He felt suddenly sick to his stomach. [She's already leaving. She's never going to forgive me.] Stepping a bit closer, he saw her turn her head. She quickly said her goodbyes and hung up the phone. She placed her hand over her stomach, a move that was completely territorial, and yet he wasn't sure she was aware she'd done it. "What do you want? Did you come to yell at me some more?" "No," he said softly. "However, you have every right to yell at me." "Damn right I do." "Yes," he agreed. "You do." He sighed and sat down on Lindy's bed. "I don't know what to say, or if I can say anything to convince you of how sorry I am. "When I saw Natasha earlier, she implied that you were sleeping around. When you told me that you were pregnant, the first thing I thought was that she was right. I should have considered the source more closely." He slid from the bed onto his knees before her. "You have every right to hate me for what I said. I won't blame you if you decide that you don't ever want to come back to my bed." He hated the quaver in his voice, but damn it, he was going to get everything out before he lost her. "I just have one thing to beg of you." Her eyes were ice cold. "What's that Anton?" "Love me, hate me, whatever. Just please do not shut me out of my child's life." She closed her eyes. "It would serve you right if I did." "I know--" "Shut up, Anton!" She turned flashing eyes on him, hatred written all over her face. "How dare you? How can you walk in here and expect anything of me? You son-of-a-bitch. Go back to your whore. Maybe she'll give you some sympathy." "I don't want--" "I said shut up." She no longer yelled. It seemed she was too tired for that. She shook her head, staring at the wall across from her. "You told me today that you knew what she was. That you knew I would never hurt you like she did. Why did you lie to me? Why the hell did you believe her over me? And don't you dare tell me a bunch of bullshit, Anton, because I'm about five seconds away from walking out of this room and disappearing forever." "And I can't blame you if you did," he said softly. "I didn't mean to lie to you, Sabryn, this morning. At the time, I meant what I said, and was sure that I..." he stopped, choking up. "I didn't know it was her. I had placed an inquiry about finding certain types of jewelry. She was one of the people who responded, although if I knew it was her, I never would have gone." "What kind of jewelry?" He pulled the box out of his pocket. "This," he said handing it to her. She opened the box and her raised an eyebrow. "A ruby ring?" He shook his head. "No. A red diamond. And, if I'm not mistaken, the very ring that Father gave to Mother. The bitch had it the whole time." "A family heirloom." She started to hand the box back. "No," he said. "Whether you stay or go, it's yours." "It should stay in the family." He looked at her stomach significantly. "It will." She held the box between her hands. "You really hurt me, Anton." "I know." Leaning her head against the bed, she stared at him. "So you believe me now?" "Yes." He didn't try to justify what he'd done before, just stated the facts. "I understand why you didn't believe me, Anton. Nathaniel helped to make that clearer. But--" She wiped hastily at her eyes once more. "What still hurts is that you were with her. Can you swear to me that you didn't know it was her? I just need to hear you say it." "I swear to God I didn't know it was her." She nodded, sucking in a shuddering breath. "If I go home with you, things aren't going to be the same, Anton. If you can't trust me, this isn't going to work." "I know. If I do something as boneheaded as what happened tonight, I will personally pack your bags and book you a flight to Baltimore." She gave a wet little laugh, reaching out to touch his hand. "Maybe I'll keep a bag packed just in case." Struggling to control his breathing, he carefully wrapped his fingers around hers. She met his gaze, her eyes still glassy with unshed tears. Placing her other hand against her stomach, she said, "We made a baby, Anton." "My God, we did." His other arm went around her, pulling her in close. He couldn't remember feeling so exhilarated or so terrified at the same time ever. "How far along are you?" "About three weeks. My due date is January 7th." "So we have about 8 months left? It almost doesn't seem like enough time." "Enough time for what?" "Everything we have to get done. One of the upstairs rooms will have to be converted. We'll have to get furniture. And most importantly - the wedding. If you'll still have me, that is." She nodded, squeezing his hand. "We might have to have the wedding sooner than you thought, if I'm going to fit into the dress." "That's right...where is it? Will you let me see it?" Wiping her face once more, she stood up, with him following close behind. Pulling out the box she'd seen sitting in the open closet, she set it on the bed. The box itself was enormous, but when she lifted the lid he wasn't expecting all of the fabric that piled out. She unfolded the heavy mass, laying it across the bed for his inspection. Heavily embroidered with different shades of red, it looked the perfect match for the ring. He picked up the box from where she'd set it on the floor. Opening it up, he slipped the ring out. "Give me your hand." She glanced at him, looking a little surprised. As he took her hand and placed the ring on her finger, she swallowed heavily. She looked down at the diamond, frowning slightly. "You could've gotten me a ring out of a candy machine and I would've been just as happy." "I know. That's why you deserve this one." Unable to hold back any longer, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled herself tight against him. "I'm glad you didn't let me leave. I was afraid you would." "Never, my dear. " His arms went around her shoulders tight. "I wouldn't let that happen." He looked down at the dress, a bit stunned at all the fabric. "I can see why the dress cost so much. There's enough fabric here to make three others." He took a deep breath. "I guess we should head home now, although that means having to walk past *him*," he growled. "If it weren't for him, we wouldn't be standing here," she said, turning to bundle up the dress again. "He made me understand what you were going through, Anton. You just might owe him a thank you." He made a small sound of disgust, but was unable to hold his scowl. Placing the lid back on the box, she handed it to him, giggling at his expression once he felt the weight of the dress. She headed for the door, opening it and letting him pass. Once in the living room, she felt a little self-conscious as Nate and Lindy stared at them. No doubt they were wondering what the hell was going on. Lindy stepped forward. "Is everything okay?" "Between Bryn and myself, yes, everything is okay." As long as he kept his eyes off Nathaniel, Anton could stay in control, and not say or do anything he'd regret later. Reaching for her suitcase, Bryn hung the strap over Anton's shoulder. "Will you go take this stuff out to the car, please?" Nodding stiffly, he headed out the door. As the door closed behind him, Bryn gave them both a nervous smile. "I guess we're going home now." "To his home, or yours?" "Our home." Lindy shook her head. "Jeez, I guess you *must* love him." "I do." She walked over to where Lindy stood, hugging her. "Thank you. For everything, but especially for believing me. It means the world to me." "You're welcome. I just hope you know what you're doing." Bryn nodded, before walking over to hug Nate as well. "Thank you, too, Nathaniel. I think I'd be halfway to Baltimore now if not for you." A bit surprised at first, Nathaniel returned the hug. "No problem, Bryn." Breaking off the hug, he nodded to the door. "You'd better go out to him. I'm sure he's not happy that I'm here, and don't need another confrontation tonight." Sabryn nodded as Lindy put her arm around Nate's waist. "I'll try to talk to him about the two of you. See if I can get him to see reason." Both nodded and softly called 'good night' as she stepped out the door. Anton was waiting by his Jaguar, frowning at the Viper he was parked next to. His face immediately brightened when he saw Sabryn. "Are you ready to go home, my dear?" She smiled as he held open the car door for her. "Home," she repeated. "That has a lovely sound." The minute the door closed behind Bryn, Lindy glanced over to see the huge grin on Nathaniel's face. She was starting to get an uneasy feeling in her stomach when he abruptly started a touchdown-style victory dance. "You loooove me." He ducked at the pillow that came sailing towards his head. "Hey!" "You're such a smart ass." "Yeah, but that's what you loooove about me." Shaking her head, she sank back down on the couch. "I knew I should never have opened my mouth." "Aw, come on." He plopped down next to her, practically bouncing with enthusiasm. "I saw you when she mentioned how she and Anton 'make love all the time.' You didn't even flinch. I'm proud of you, by the way." "For what?" "You didn't take any crap from him." He leaned back, resting his arm on the couch behind her. "And you saved what could have been a disaster. He should be kissing your feet right now...I'll be happy to do it for him, if you'd like." She shook her head, laughing. "That's not necessary, Nate. And don't think that this means we'll be sharing the same bed anytime soon." "Why not? Don't you remember waking up on the couch with me? We've already slept together." He put his arms over his head, blocking her from hitting him with the pillow. "Okay, okay," he laughed. "I give." He waited for her to put the pillow down (still within her reach) before he put his arm around her. "Can I ask what inspired that little declaration of devotion?" She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, chin on her interlaced fingers. "I've been thinking. I wasn't in love with him, so much as the idea of being in love. Because I knew he couldn't return those feelings, it felt safe for me to do that. Then Bryn came along, and it seemed to me to be one of those tragic unrequited loves that you always read about in stories. You know, the one where the heroine carries a torch for the hero, but for his sake stands aside. Then you," she gave his shoulder a friendly poke, "showed up and forced me to reassess everything, and realize how stupid I was." "Yeah, that was pretty stupid." He bit off his grin as she glared at him. Casually rubbing her back, he said, "I know exactly what that feels like, though. I've lived my whole life like that. Lucky for me, you learn a lot quicker than I do." She sighed. "Yeah, so what now?" "Well...we could go back to the townhouse and do some work. Most of the upstairs rooms still need to be washed down and repainted. The floors polished. And when we get tired, it'll give us an excuse to try out the new kitchen appliances." "Do you even have any food there?" He made a face. "We might have to stop by the store on the way." She laughed, leaning back against him. "You're pretty sure of yourself, aren't you?" "Hey, I already got you to admit the hard part. Marrying me will be a breeze." He gently squeezed her neck, massaging tense muscles. "Will you be upset if I admit I'm jealous of him?" "Anton? Why?" "Because I'll never be able to give you that...children." She leaned back into his arms. "I understand, Nathaniel. But even if you were able to have children, I may not be." "Lindy, what do you mean?" He pushed her blond hair away from her face as she turned to face him. "My family and I were... monitored when I was younger. No, we aren't now," she said when he jumped slightly. "The people who did it are long gone. But we were part of an experiment of some sort. When I was ten, I disappeared for about three days. I was returned to my family, fully human and showing signs of having super ovulated. Whatever was done to me effectively left me sterile." She felt his arm tighten around her, but she kept on talking. She was going to get this all out at once, and then let him react. "I begged Jess to Change me back, and she did eventually. I watched the hell she went through when she got pregnant. She was taken as well, and returned without her baby. We didn't find Amanda until she was almost a year old. After watching all the suffering she went through, I told myself I didn't want children. Now I'm not so sure." He pulled her closer, pressing his lips against her temple. He was silent for a long time, content to just hold her. When he finally did speak, he sounded different...almost sad. An emotion she'd never experienced from Nathaniel. "I'm sorry, baby. None of that should've happened to you. Ever." He stroked her hair, keeping his mouth close to her. "And you don't need to make any decisions soon, anyway. We've got a long, long time to worry about that. I promise." "Thank you, Nathaniel." She leaned forward and kissed him lightly. "We do have one decision we need to make soon though." "Oh? What's that?" "Whether it would be easier for you to meet my parents next weekend, or the weekend after." He grinned. "I'm ready when you are." The ride home was a quiet one. Anton, when not needing both hands on the wheel, rested his right hand on her thigh. He needed to touch her, to reassure himself that this was all real and not some dream. Smoothly pulling in the parking lot, he shut off the car. "Ready to go back in, my dear?" She looked at the building with trepidation, but nodded. She waited patiently as he got her suitcase and the dress box out of the car, leading the way into the building. She followed him quietly, earning curious stares from the people still working in the building. [If they only knew.] She felt Anton's eyes on her in the elevator, but she stared ahead, watching the floors pass by. Once in the apartment, he started walking towards the bedroom...she stayed fixed in place, unable to move. He'd all but called her a whore in that room. Watching him disappear into the room beyond, she placed her hand on her stomach. This was all so surreal. It felt like a bad dream. It was hard enough to believe she had something growing inside her...but to realize that he'd doubted her...it was almost too painful to bear. She'd barely stopped crying once all night. She wasn't surprised to feel tears spring to her eyes once again. He realized she wasn't with him as soon as he had taken off his coat. Stepping back into the hall, he found her there, looking as if she was about to cry. "Bryn? What's wrong?" She shook her head, trying to rid herself of unshed tears. "I don't know if I can go in there yet." "Why?" "I can still see how angry you were...and hear what you said." She closed her eyes, unable to look at him. "You accused me of whoring, Anton. I've never let another man touch me...aside from my doctor, and I didn't even want him to." He gave a deep sigh and bowed his head, closing his eyes. "I am sorry, Sabryn. I should have known better than to even think that you would do something like that." She took a shaky breath, stepping past him into the bedroom. She took a look around, noticing that he'd put the painting back up on the wall. Sitting down lightly on the bed, she kicked off her shoes. "You don't still love her, do you?" "No, I don't," he said, leaning on the doorframe. "So we were both wrong." She chewed on her lower lip. "I know this is going to sound really stupid, considering...but I think it would make me feel better if you made love to me. Please, Anton?" Lazily he pushed off the doorframe and walked towards her. "Like you have to ask, my dear." He sat down on the bed beside her, placing his hand low on her belly. "Um, this won't hurt the baby, right?" She shook her head laughing at him. "No, Anton." He threaded his fingers through her hair. "Hey! I've never been in this situation before. I've got a lot to learn very quickly." He leaned forward and kissed her, nibbling on her lower lip. "Mmm...we've probably made love about thirty times since I got pregnant. Obviously, we're both just fine." "Uh huh..." he said, absently, capturing her lips again. She kissed him back hesitantly at first, but with growing confidence as the seconds passed by. She rested her hands on his shoulders, before sliding down to light rub against his nipples through his shirt. Grabbing her hands, he said, "Slow down. I want this to last a while." She nodded, swallowing heavily. "Will you put some music on?" "Of course, my dear." Reluctantly, he climbed off the bed and pushed the play button on the stereo. Soft strains of jazz filled the air. He held out his hand to Sabryn. "Dance with me, my dear?" She got off the bed and walked over to him. He folded her into his arms and slowly began to sway back and forth. He slipped one hand down to the curve of her ass as the other cradled her head. He kissed her, tracing his tongue around her lips before slipping it inside. She stood up on her tip-toes as he leaned over her, her arms around his neck, allowing him to kiss her fully. It felt good to be in his arms again. To be the center of his attention. She realized that she never could have walked away from him, no matter how angry he made her. She was too addicted to him. Too far in love with him. And maybe it was a good thing. With divorce so easily achieved, she didn't want an excuse to leave. Pulling back slightly, she met his gaze. "You're my best friend, Anton. I hope you know that." He chuckled slightly. "I was hoping for something a bit more intimate than 'best friend,' my dear." She leaned back to look at him. "You know what I mean." "Yes, I do." He stroked her hair, letting it slide through his fingers. "I love you so much, Sabryn Jaegar. And I can't wait for you to become Sabryn Rudenko." Slowly, he started inching her backwards towards the bed. She let herself fall as her thighs hit the bed, confident he would catch her on the way down. Bracing his arm next to her, he wrapped his other arm around her back and lowered them both to the comforter, settling on top of her. Then he took her mouth again, much more passionately than before, his hips shifting between her legs, rubbing against the denim of her jeans. She whimpered, lifting herself up against him, her hands sliding down to hold him in place. "I missed you," she said, her voice nearly breathless. "You were only gone an hour or so, Bryn." "I know. But it felt like years. I don't ever want to go through that again. I need you too much." "I need you too, Bryn." He gently caressed her cheek. "If you hadn't come back with me, I don't know what I would have done." He nuzzled her neck, trembling. "I'm not going to even pretend to understand how or why I've been blessed with you and our child, but I am going to fight like hell if anyone tries to take you away from me." "They would have to drag me, kicking and screaming." She kissed him again, reaching between them for the button on his jeans. She quickly lowered the zipper, caressing him briefly through the fabric before popping open every button on his shirt. He groaned as she leaned forward, pressing open-mouthed kisses to his neck and shoulders, dipping her tongue into the v-shaped hollow at the base of his throat. He shivered, his hips flexing against hers before he could stop them. He pushed the purple fabric of her t-shirt up, growling his appreciation when she lifted her arms to help, squeezing her breasts together. Nipping at her neck, he started toying with the clasp to her bra. She arched her back, helping him along. "I'm not going to fit into this bra much longer." "Hmm?" "My boobs are going to get huge...bigger than they already are." He gave her a wild-eyed look, peeling the lacy garment out of the way. As he buried his face between her breasts, kissing the fragrant valley of cleavage, she pushed herself against him. She whimpered, scraping her fingernails through his hair, as he took her nipple into his mouth. "They'll be full of milk one day. Are you still going to want me when I'm huge and I waddle?" He pulled away from her nipple long enough to answer her. "Oh yeah, I'm sure you'll have a very seductive waddle." He returned to lapping at her breast as his hands slid down to toy at the fly of her jeans. She rolled her hips, helping him peel her jeans and panties off. "What about stretch marks?" "They'll be beautiful, just because they're yours." She kicked free of her jeans, tossing them to the floor. Tangling her legs with his, she rubbed her pelvis against his thigh. "Mmm, Anton." She tugged at his shirt as he moved lower, his hand cupping her ass, his lips pressing against her stomach. Pulling his sleeves free, she tossed his shirt to the floor, working her way to his jeans, tugging those down as well. Her legs fell open weakly the further down he traveled, and she cried out just from the feel of his breath against her. He blew softly into her pubic hair. He reached out with his tongue. He lapped at the inside of her thighs until her hand tangled in his hair and guided him where she wanted him. Gently he parted her, moaning at the sight of her sex. His tongue flicked against her clit feather light before he stabbed it as deep inside of her as he could go. "Oh!" She sobbed, rocking her pelvis against his mouth. Shaking beneath him, she arched her back, lifting her legs and hooking her ankles together behind his shoulders. "Mmmmph..." He had the urge to laugh. In just a few seconds he'd reduced her to meaningless sounds. Holding her hips, he lapped at her, watching her writhe on the bed. She couldn't possibly keep still. She tightened her fingers in his hair, the opening of her sex squeezing his tongue, fluttering, before gushing with her orgasm. And even then he didn't relent. Still stroking her, his tongue flicking over her clit, he urged towards another peak. He felt like his cock was about to burst. He waited until she was thrashing a second time before scrambling up her body. He pushed into her, almost losing it when he felt her quiver around him. He groaned, trying to hold still even as her hips pushed against him. She wrapped herself tightly around him, burying her face against his neck. "Please, Anton, you feel so good. Please..." "Shh." He slowly kissed her mouth, relaxing against her, keeping her hips still with his weight. Pushing his fingers through her hair, he tilted her head back, tracing his tongue up her neck as he carefully started to move. With deep, timed strokes, he thrust himself inside her. Shuddering as she tightened around him. Whispering, he said, "Come with me." She arched against him, clenching around his cock tightly. He moaned her name, thrusting in one last time before giving in to his own orgasm. He melted against her, nuzzling behind her ear. "I love you so much, Bryn." When he felt moisture trickle down the side of his face, he pushed back to look at her, disturbed by the tears streaming down her cheeks. "Did I hurt you?" She shook her head, pulling him closer. "No, I'm fine." "Then why are you crying?" "Because I'm happy. And I love you so much." He pushed her hair away from her face, dragging her tears away with his thumbs as he kissed her mouth. She ran her hands over his shoulders, before tangling his fingers together behind his neck. With a shuddering breath, she met his gaze. "Can you believe this is real? I feel like I'm dreaming." "Then I'm sharing the same dream with you, Bryn." He smiled, placing his lips against her forehead. "And I don't ever want to wake up." She relaxed beneath him, relishing the feeling of him pressing against her. Part of the reason she liked the position so much was sensation of being covered and protected. Although it seemed it wouldn't be long before she'd have to pick another favorite position...one that didn't put any added weight on her growing belly. Lazily kissing the side of his neck, she once again thought of how close she'd come to getting on a plane. "Oh my God! I need to call John. He's probably wondering what the hell is going on." "What did you tell him already?" "Just that I wanted to come home. I figured I could tell him the rest later." She scooted out from beneath him, as he lifted his weight off of her, heading for the phone on the nightstand. Anton listened quietly as she spoke to her brother, arguing with him for a moment. She sighed heavily, placing her hand over the phone. "He wants to talk to you...most likely to yell at you. Want me to tell him you're not here?" "I think it's a little late for that, my dear." He took the phone and placed it next to his ear. "Yes, John? This is Anton." He immediately pulled it away, wincing at the volume of the voice coming out of it. "John, please. Yelling at the top of your lungs will accomplish nothing but waking your neighbors." "I don't care if I wake up *your* neighbors," John shot back. "What the hell is going on?" "Bryn and I have had a rougher time settling in together than I anticipated," Anton said, keeping his voice calm and even. "All of which is my fault, and I will be spending the next nine months making amends for." Listening in quietly, Bryn turned bright red at that last comment. Anton gave her a sheepish look and returned his attention to the phone. "Did you just say what I thought you just said?" John asked, lowering his voice. "Regretfully, yes." He sighed. "Although, I should have let her tell you." "My God...and that's why she called me crying her eyes out?" "Indirectly, yes." "You'd better be glad you're marrying her soon. I want to talk to my sister." "It was nice talking to you, too, John." Shaking his head, Anton handed the phone back to Bryn. Pulling back the covers on the bed, he slid under them and pulled them up over her as well. Sitting next to her, he rested his chin on her shoulder, listening absently as she finished up her conversation with her brother. When she finally hung up the phone, he said, "So, does he want to kill me now?" Grinning, she said, "No. But he said he'll personally fly out here and kick your butt if I ever call him in the middle of the night like that again." "Guess I better be on my best behavior then, huh?" "Guess so." Placing his hand on her stomach, she curled up next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Although, I don't think that'll be too much of a problem." "Of course it won't be a problem. He'll just call Lindy and contract the job out to her." Sabryn shook with quiet laughter. "Don't give either of them any ideas." End Chapter Ten <- Previous Chapter | Home | Next Chapter ->