“Oh, I’ll have it. You see, I realized something in those moments just before the tranquilizer took effect. I’ve been going about this all wrong. I’ve been thinking I needed to figure out how to be a proper father to the boy. I’ve been thinking I needed to change everything about myself so I can teach our son. But our son is going to live here. So the first lesson he’s going to need to learn is how to beat the shit out of Max Harper’s kid because that rat bastard is going to have a son one of these days and I’ll be damned if Logan doesn’t know how to handle him. They’ll be best friends. It’s very important they understand how to fight. Now, I am only going to ask one more time, why is my submissive wearing clothing in our playroom?”
She sniffled a little and stood her ground. “You made yourself plain, Stef. I said I was sorry.”
“And now you’ll accept your punishment.” He looked down. “Oh, thank god. I thought for a minute the damn drugs were going to make this difficult. That’s a plan. I’ll sneak some Viagra into Doc and Alexei’s coffee right after I’ve made sure Holly is totally unavailable to them.”
His cock was working again, thrusting up from his nest of perfectly trimmed dark hair. “Stef?”
“I’m going to be gentle because of our child, but you should understand that you’ll take the spanking I’m about to give you. And you’ll take the fucking that’s going to come afterward, and as soon as Doc clears you for sex after the baby is born, I’m going to strap you to the St. Andrew’s Cross and you won’t come off of it until I’m satisfied. You will never, never wrest control from your Dom again. Are we understood, Jennifer?”
She couldn’t help it. Tears were still right there, leaking from her eyes. “I don’t understand, Stef.”
He softened, making his way across the room toward her. He stopped in front of her, his hand coming up to cup her cheek. “You’ve been heard, love. I’m sorry, too.”
“I don’t want your pity.”
His eyes hardened. “No, but you obviously want the flat of my hand on your ass. We’re going to talk this out, but we’re going to do it my way.”
He could be deeply unfair. “I’ve tried to talk to you.”
“And it didn’t work. So we’ll do it my way. Off with the clothes. Find a comfortable position, but I want your ass in the air. You wanted your Dom back, you have him. But you know what happens when you wake sleeping bears, love.”
She shuddered a little. People who woke sleeping bears tended to get eaten.
And it had been so long since he’d made a meal of her.
She pushed the robe off her shoulders.
“Show me what you’re offering. Show me how beautiful you are.” He stared down at her, a hungry look in his eyes.
And for the first time in forever, she felt beautiful again.
* * * *
When his wife decided to get his attention, she went all out. It made a man puff up a little.
Thank god he was hard. He’d woken up, seen his wife sitting there in that gossamer gown that barely contained her breasts, and he’d gotten nothing, very likely because he was still processing whatever the fuck Caleb had dosed him with.
The minute he’d seen Jennifer’s face, he’d known what a coward he’d been and that he had to get his marriage back on the proper footing. And that included his dick.
Which was working just fine again. Not that he wouldn’t get his revenge on his asshole friends anyway. It was going to be a long-term labor of love.
Jennifer blushed slightly as she began to move the straps off her shoulders.
“I’m not getting any younger, love.” Now that he was here, he had to wonder why he’d been so stubborn. He craved her, and he’d been away for far too long.
“They’re just so big.”
“Because they’re getting ready to feed our child.” He’d been an ass. She’d needed him and he’d retreated because of fear. She’d needed to know how beautiful she was and all he’d told her was that she was fragile. “Let me see them. I love your breasts. I love them when they’re small and fit perfectly into my hands and I’m going to love them now that they’re ripe and overflowing.”
Her breath caught a little. “Will you like them when I take my bra off and milk shoots across the room? Because Rachel told me that can happen.”
Oh, she made him smile. “Yes, love. I will adore them.”
She pulled the gown down and those round and firm breasts were suddenly in his line of sight.
Yes, his cock was working just fine. It was twitching now. How much discipline did she need? Because all he could think about was the fact that he was letting himself off the leash and he couldn’t wait to get inside her.
He was impatient. God, it felt good to be impatient. It felt good to want something and know he could take it.
He reached out and let his fingers glide from her cheek to her neck to the round globes of her breasts. They were so much bigger, the ivory of her skin marked with blue veins. He traced them, reveling in the changes of her body.
“I was very scared, love. When you passed out and you were bleeding, I became very frightened and I haven’t quite come back from it yet.”
“Stef, babe, it happens to a lot of pregnant women.”
“All that matters is it happened to you.” He cupped her breast gently. “Are they sore?”
She shook her head, her eyes closing in pleasure. “No. It feels so good, Stef.”
It felt so good to be connected. He knew what she was saying because he felt it, too. He ran a thumb across her nipple, tweaking it lightly. This was different than rubbing her feet. He did that for her pleasure. This was mutual. This was connection. This was what they had both been missing for months.
And he’d missed talking to her. Jennifer knew him better than anyone. Jennifer had been the one to teach him it was all right to talk to her. “I had nightmares about you bleeding.”
Her hand came over his. “Babe, I didn’t know.”
“I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want you to know because in those dreams I wasn’t worried about our son. All I cared about was you. I don’t want you to think I don’t care about him. He just isn’t real to me yet.”
Her face softened, those innocent eyes catching his. “Of course not. It’s all right, Stef. He doesn’t kick you in the ribs twelve times a day. He’ll be real to you soon enough. I’m not worried about your fathering skills.”
“I am.” He didn’t feel like a Dom in that moment. He felt like a man who was about to have a baby, and he had no idea what would happen.
Jennifer wrapped her arms around him, drawing him close. He had no idea how she always managed it, but she made him feel safe. She made him feel loved. When he was wrapped in her arms, he was home. “You are going to be the best dad in the world, Stefan Talbot. You’re going to teach our boy everything you know, including how to take down the Harpers. You have everything you need to be a great dad.”
Yes. He did. Because he had her. He held on, doing what he’d needed to do every day since she’d fallen over in his arms and he’d carried her to Caleb. He held her, praying he never had to let go.
He wound his hands in her hair. It had thickened during her pregnancy. When he looked at his wife now, he could see how she’d bloomed. How could he have allowed one bad moment to ruin watching her glow and grow?
“God, you’re gorgeous.” He caught her mouth against his.
Stef ate along her lips, reveling in her touch and scent. He kissed her sweetly for a moment, but that was never enough for him. He plunged his tongue inside, dominating hers as he pulled her close.
Her belly was in the way, but he didn’t avoid it now. Now he kissed her and let his hand rest there. He felt the baby kick, a strong motion against his hand.
Stef stopped, looking down in wonder. “Take it off. I want to watch.”
Jen frowned at him, but her hands were already going to the stretchy waist of her gown. “Fine, but I’m serious about sex. This better not devolve into you spending hours watching my belly jump.”
Oh, she was asking for it. He twisted just slightly and was able to get a nice hard smack across her ass. Jennifer jumped a little, but the gasp that came out of her mouth was breathy and her nipples had perked up.
His little sub had missed her Master.
He laid a quick ten gentle smacks across her ass. No matter how hard she pushed him, she wasn’t going to get what she wanted. He would make her skin sting a little, but it would be nothing she would feel tomorrow. Despite Caleb’s permission, he was going to be gentle with her. Well, as gentle as a spanking could be.
“God, I missed that, Stef.”
“I missed smacking your ass, too.” He ran a hand across the globes of her ass. Like the rest of her, she’d gained a little weight there. Stef loved how she’d rounded out, how luscious she was. He’d fallen for her slender frame, but he had to admit, he also loved her like this.
He just loved her. She was the world to him.
“He’s kicking again.” Jennifer reached out and brought his hand to the swell of her stomach.
His son, the child he’d made with Jennifer, moved against his palm, something small and round. A foot or an elbow.