No matter how badly I want to, if only because of the toll it’s taking on her mind and body.
I help her undress and slide into the water. I rub her shoulders, and eventually, I feel the tension melt away. She closes her eyes and leans into my touch. I reach for her feet and massage them until she's relaxed. It’s only then that I break the silence.
"Are you going to tell me?"
She doesn't try to pretend that she doesn't know what I'm asking as she dips her head into the water and surfaces, combing her hair back from her face.
"I’m thinking of retiring."
The words are spoken in a rush, and it takes me a second to process them and even longer to accept that my ears didn't hear her wrong.
"What?"
Gia sighs and turns those pretty eyes on me, leaning against the tub. "I've been thinking of leaving the company and starting my own dance school."
"What? Why?" And then realization dawns. It's subtle, but I catch the way her fingers graze her stomach, and my heart threatens to pound its way out of my chest. "You're pregnant."
She nods, biting into her lip. "Yes."
"Fuck, baby," I cry, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her halfway out of the water, soaking the bathroom floor and my damn shirt, but I don't give a fuck. "How long have you known?"
"A few days, but I was waiting for the right time to tell you—"
"Now is perfect," I tell her, brushing my lips against her temple. "You've just made me the happiest man in the world, baby—you have no idea." I squeeze her tightly before pushing back to look at her. "Is that why you were worried? Did you think that I was going to make you quit dancing? I would never ask that of you, Gia. I will always support your dreams. You can take a short break for the baby, then go back and earn back your prima ballerina spot."
Gia shakes her head, pulling back completely. "I'm not quitting because I'm about to become a mom," she says before laughing. Actually, I’ve been thinking about this for months—maybe even longer. The pregnancy just made the decision clearer.”
She reaches for my hand and squeezes. "It's funny, isn't it. I was terrified that becoming a wife and mother would force me to give up dancing. But the truth is, I’m ready. I’ve lived my dream, Dante. I’ve danced Odette at the Met, toured Europe, and held the prima ballerina position for five years. I’ve proven everything I needed to prove—to myself, to my parents, to everyone who doubted me.”
Her eyes shine with unshed tears, but they’re happy tears. “Now I have a new dream. I want to teach ballet to little girls who feel invisible, the way I did. I want to be the person who shows up for them, who sees them. A I want to raise our baby. This isn;t giving up—it’s choosing what comes next."
"You should have told me all this instead of worrying alone."
"I know, but I needed to come to terms with it first."
"And have you?"
She flashes me a beautiful smile. "I have, yes."
I grin as I slide my hand into the water and down her slick skin. "So, no more dance partners?"
She rolls her eyes but moans when I run my hand down her body, massaging her breasts and teasing her nipples, yet another tradition that seems to help her relax after a show. "I thought you said you barely noticed him."
"I only had eyes for you, but even knowing he was there drove me nuts."
She laughs, but it quickly morphs into a moan when I slide a hand down her stomach and between her legs to rub against her clit. She cries out, and her back arches out of the water when I slide my finger between her slick folds and into her pussy.
“Oh God,” she cries out, grabbing the edge of the tub. My cock swells, aching to be released from behind my fly, but I can’t look away from my wife long enough to focus on my own needs. Fuck, what a stunning view she creates. Five years later, and I still can’t believe that she’s mine. All mine.
She throws her head back when I add another finger and start thrusting into her wetness, teasing her clit with my thumb as I fuck her tight little pussy. “Dante… oh!”
I lean forward and trail my nose up the side of her neck, “You like that, don’t you. Fingering your tight little pussy,” I rasp, capturing her earlobe between my teeth and tugging gently. Her hips rock forward, chasing the fingers sliding in and out of her, sobbing as I tease her closer to the edge.
I lean down and suck a nipple between my lips, and that sends her off the edge. She screams and the water sloshes around us as she thrashes about in the water. Violent tremorsrack her body, and she chants my name through them, rocking into me as pleasure licks through every inch of her body.
Dante.
I grab her waist and yank her out of the water, pulling her down with me to the floor and onto my lap. Our fingers battle together as we both try to unzip my pants, and I groan when those wet fingers close against my cock, stroking fast and nearly making me come.
