Trying not to fixate on the curve of Esme’s behind, Daniel followed her up the front walk of the house, his lips curving as she gently ran her fingertips over the tulips in their planters, before unlocking the door.
They were greeted by the huge foyer, which ran into the family room with its immense fireplace and sixty four inch plasma screen TV. Beyond was the full kitchen, to which Esme had requested full access, and on the other end of the dining room was the section of the house that was to be hers for the next nine months.
“Oh my God…this is amazing.” Her unabashed delight in his home warmed his heart, and he set the box of her things he carried on the polished floor of the foyer.
“I designed it myself. Took two years to build.” He usually never liked to brag, but Esme brought out something in him that made him want to impress her. It wasn’t a hard task, after all – not like trying to impress Alyssa. “Would you like to see your room?”
The young woman beamed up at him. “Lead the way.”
The rooms he’d elected to give Esme were a soft rose in color – the bedroom with a high vaulted ceiling and lush, king sized bed. There was a vanity – though the young woman didn’t seem to him the type to preen over herself, as well as walk-in closet, a bureau, and a wide bay window that overlooked the gardens in front of the house.
Before she could get too worked up over her room, he led her into the bathroom. It rivaled the size of the master bath with a massive whirlpool tub, an overhead shower, and marbled sinks.
“That tub…” Esme gushed, leaning over the immense porcelain hollow. “It’s going to be amazing to soak in when I’m too round to stand up!”
Almost immediately, Daniel was assaulted by images of exactly what a very pregnant Esme would look like, utterly naked, lounging in a bubble bath. He suppressed a groan, leaving her to delight in her new accommodations while he stepped from the room to catch his breath.
Perhaps this might be harder than he realized.
The first doctor’s appointment went off without a hitch.
Thankfully, Esme didn’t have to get undressed, and so Daniel, thirsty for any and all information on the development of his child, was allowed to stay by her side for the entire procedure. Esme’s blood work had been run before her pregnancy was confirmed and then reconfirmed. As one month was far too early for an ultrasound or any physical view of the baby, they mostly discussed nutrition plans, prenatal vitamins, and exercises she could do to keep her body limber as it began to change.
The young woman cited that her morning sickness, after only a few weeks, had begun to fade, though she had acquired a number of aches and pains that she found more than a bit uncomfortable. Daniel bit his lip against an offer to massage pain from her lithe form. If needed, he would call in a masseuse – and when he did, he would envy the man every stroke of his hands against Esme’s smooth flesh.
They returned to the estate in a comfortable silence, and when he asked the young woman what her plans were for the day, she seemed unsure. Before Daniel could change his mind – before he could talk himself out of interacting with the young woman for fear of his raging libido, he made his offer.
“Would you like to start learning to ride today?” As breeding season was over, he found himself somewhat idle. While he could go into any one of his offices in Enid, or really, anywhere he chose, he preferred outdoor work, and thanked the Lord that whatever success he’d had allowed him to stay out of offices except for the three or four times a year it was absolutely mandatory.
At his offer, Esme flushed slightly. “Today?”
It was obvious from the look on her face that she was nervous – perhaps she hadn’t been expecting him to offer so soon.
“Well, it would be prudent for you to get a basic knowledge in before it might be dangerous for the baby. But, if today is a bad time…”
“No!” She interjected sharply before covering her mouth and answering again, this time with less apprehension. “I mean, no. Today isn’t a bad time. Um…what should I be wearing? Is this ok?” She glanced down at her sweatshirt, jeans and tennis shoes in question and Daniel smiled.
“I think we can find something for you.”
Though Esme had seemed somewhat taken aback when he’d provided her with an old riding shirt and leggings of Alyssa’s, the clothing actually fit her well enough. While the garments had fit Alyssa distractingly tightly – though, perhaps, that had been her aim – the clothing clung to Esme’s lean body in a way that left just enough to the imagination.
There were no riding boots that fit the young woman’s size eight feet, and so she retained her sneakers, making Daniel grin at the sight of her as she crested the hill that separated the main house from his private stables. She made quite the picture – her long hair piled atop her head in a haphazard knot, clad in a loose chambray shirt and brown riding pants with her All-Star Converse.