“We did. I don’t think I can move.”
Lifting his head, he gives me a sweet smile and kisses my chest. “You don’t need to, sweetheart. That’s why you have me.”
He slowly slides out of me, his brow furrowing with worry when he sees me wince. Peeling my dress off me, he lets it fall to the deck and then gently grabs onto the backs of my thighs, pushing my knees to my chest so my ass arches up again.
Despite what we just did, embarrassment rushes over me. “What are you doing?”
“Easy, baby. I just want to make sure everything’s okay and that I wasn’t too rough.” My face feels like it’s flaming hot as he gently spreads my cheeks and examines my ass. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,lapochka.” He gently lowers me back down before scooping me into his arms, holding me against his bare chest. “You look okay, but I’m going to run a warm bath for you. You need to soak for a bit.”
“Only if you join me.”
He smiles and kisses my forehead. “I’m not about to leave you alone, baby. Don’t worry.”
He runs us a bubble bath and then slips in behind me, wrapping an arm around my chest and pulling me against him. He always makes me feel so loved and safe. I relax into him, smiling when he positions my arm so that my new tattoo stays out of the bathwater. At some point I must fall asleep, because the next thing I know the morning sun is waking me up, and I’m in bed with Valeri. I imagine a lot of things for our first morning together as a married couple, but I never once envisioned me making a mad dash for the toilet, kneeling down and losing every damn thing I ate the day before.
Chapter 16
Valeri
The feel of Evie bolting from the bed has me reaching for the gun I left on the nightstand last night, but instead of some unknown threat, I hear what the real problem is. Setting the gun down on the bathroom counter, I rush to her side and hold her hair back as her small body heaves and shakes.
“Baby,” I whisper against her head, giving her a kiss as she trembles against me.
“God this is embarrassing,” she groans when her poor body is finally empty.
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.” I give her another kiss and then hurry up and wet a washcloth for her. Pressing it against her forehead, she sighs and leans into me.
“I guess I might be seasick after all.” Her voice is shaky and soft, and I hold her tighter against me, rubbing her back in soothing circles. When she’s feeling well enough, I help her stand and lead her to the counter where she immediately grabs her toothbrush.
While she gets cleaned up, I walk back into the bedroom and then come back carrying a small box. “I’m not so sure it’s seasickness,lapochka.”
She eyes the pregnancy test I’m holding. Her hand stills mid-brush as her beautiful eyes get a little bigger.
I smile and set it on the counter. “It says it’s best to use it first thing in the morning. Want me to stay?”
She spits out her toothpaste and grabs the box. “Do I want you to stay and watch me pee on a stick? I think you getting up close and personal with my asshole last night and then seeing me vomit this morning was enough reality for one honeymoon. We need to keep some mystery in this marriage, don’t we?”
I laugh and kiss her, tasting the mint on my lips and tongue after I’ve pulled back. “I’ll be right outside. Don’t read it without me.”
“I won’t,” she promises.
I step out and pace the bedroom, barely noticing the breathtaking view out the windows that circle around the room. When I hear the door open, I rush over to her and wrap my arms around her.
“We have to wait three minutes,” she murmurs against my chest.
“It’s positive. I know it is.”
She hears the excitement in my voice and tilts her head to look up at me. “Are you really that happy about it? It’s not too much too fast?”
I cup her face, kissing the tension away from her scrunched-up brow. “I’m more than happy, baby, and it will never be too much with you. I can’t wait to start a family.” Planting my hand on her lower belly, I say, “I can’t wait to see you big and pregnant.”
She laughs and rests her hand on top of mine. “I’ll remind you that you said that when I’m nine months pregnant and can’t even see my own feet.”
“You won’t need to. I’ll be too busy fucking you and proving that it’s true.”
I smile at the red blush that spreads across her cheeks, but before I can kiss her again, I hear her phone’s timer go off in the bathroom. Picking her up, I carry her in, and we both stare at the two pink lines on the stick. I’ve already read the instructions, so I know exactly what those two lines mean. Laughing, I wrap my arms around her even tighter and press my forehead to hers.
“We’re having a baby, sweetheart,” I whisper.
