I turned to step past him, needing space, air—anything to clear the sudden, suffocating tension between us. But before I could, his hands caught my arms, firm but careful.
“Why didn’t you call me?” His voice was hoarse, but there was heat beneath it, frustration bubbling just under the surface. “Why did you go to him?”
He jerked his head toward Josh, who was still outside, lingering like a ghost.
I stared at him, disbelief burning through me. “Are you serious right now? Do you have amnesia or do you just like pissing me off?” My voice rose, sharp and furious. “You freaked the fuck out when you thought I was pregnant. Then you hinted that maybe I should just—” I cut myself off, the memory slicing too deep. “After everything I have told you. I’ve lost a baby before and I would be damned if I lost one again.”
Nick flinched, guilt darkening his green eyes. “I know. I know Imessed up.” His voice cracked, thick with regret. “I’m sorry. I want to make it up to you.”
“You think I'd just forgive you because you brought me baby clothes?”
He lifted his chin, searching my face. “We can try.”
The words slammed into me like a physical force.
Try?
“Try what?”
“To make a baby.”
My heart lurched in my chest. “You’re serious?” My voice wavered, somewhere between shock and disbelief. “You want to try… to have a baby?”
Nick inhaled deeply, his eyes flickering with something intense, unreadable. “I mean… if you want to.” His throat worked as he swallowed again. “I know it’s something you wanted to wait on. And I wasn’t sure if you were just putting on an act, if you didn’t know where this was going… or if it’s what you really wanted.”
I searched his face, every nerve ending in my body on high alert. “Is that what you want?”
His gaze locked onto mine, steady and unshakable. “If it’s with my wife? Yes.”
The world tilted.
We had started this whole thing as a marriage of convenience. And now we were talking about kids? My head spun, my chest tight.
I shook my head. “I don’t understand, Nick. We haven’t even been on a real date. We haven’t said the L-word. And now you’re talking about having a baby with me? This is fucking crazy.” I brushed a hand through my hair tugging at the ends.
“I know.” He exhaled a shaky breath. “I can’t explain it. And it’s crazy. But these past few months—being with you—it’s made me feel alive again. Like I have something worth waking up for.” His voice dropped, thick with something dangerously close to vulnerability. “Fourteen years in the military… I was so used to adrenaline, toalways being on edge. But you… you make me feel something real.”
I swallowed hard as he stepped closer, his presence overwhelming, intoxicating.
“You’re a pain in my ass,” he murmured, a small smirk tugging at his lips. “But I love waking up to your face every morning. I love the way you get all sassy with me when I ask about your blood sugar. I love how you care for your dog like he’s your damn child.” His eyes darkened, voice roughening. “I love how, when you read, you lean into the book like you’re living in it.” He stepped closer, his body heat licking at my skin. “And I love the way you look when you come on my cock.”
A sharp gasp slipped from my lips as arousal pulsed through me. My body betrayed me instantly, heat coiling low in my stomach. Nick’s hands slid around my waist, his grip firm and possessive. “I want to fuck my wife for the rest of my life.” His breath ghosted over my lips. “Nothing about this feels fake when I’m inside you.
His mouth slammed into mine, and the world dropped out from under me.
We tangled—frenzied, uncoordinated, aching. Heat surged between us, raw and frantic, all hunger and urgency. He drove me backward until the wall bit into my spine, his hands relentless—grasping, roaming, owning.
“Make me forget, Nick,” I whispered, breathless.
A low growl rumbled from his chest. In one swift motion, he yanked down my pajama pants and panties, his fingers digging into my skin. I barely had time to catch my breath before he unzipped his jeans, freeing his already hard cock.
“I’m going to make you forget,” he rasped, “by making you come right here, right now.”
He lifted me effortlessly, my legs wrapping around his waist like second nature.
“What about J?—”
Before I could finish, he thrust inside me, deep and hard, and I choked on a gasp.
