"And we stay here part of the time."
"Done."
She hesitated, the words gathering heat before she spoke. "Then... I want sex." He blinked, as if he hadn't heard her right. "You...what?"
She blushed but powered through, eyes lifting to meet his. "I want sex, Dorian. I have needs too."
For a heartbeat, he simply stared at her. Then the corner of his mouth lifted... half smile, half groan. "I can live with that. But does that mean you are giving me a chance?"
"I can keep dragging this on and on. But I don’t have the energy and somehow, despite how dysfunctional our relationship was, we still... fit. And if you can give me all of you instead of crumbs like before, we have a shot at making this work."
He closed the space between them in two strides, his large hands coming up to frame her face. The kiss that followed was hard and desperate, his lips parting hers to delve into her sweetness. The tension that had been building for months broke through his restraint, all the unspoken need tangled into something rough and hungry. His hands skimmed down her arms to rest on the slight curve of her belly.
She pushed him back against the wall and he let her, just long enough for her to catch her breath before pulling her close again. This time, it wasn't about dominance or power. It was about reclaiming something that had always been theirs without either of them noticing.
When his forehead rested against hers, his voice came out hoarse. "Tell me what you want, and I'll give it to you." The shape of his hard manhood pressed urgently against her belly.
Rune's lips curved faintly against his. "You already know."
Dorian's chest rose and fell like bellows as he drew back just enough to look at her. His thumb traced her jaw, the edge in his voice betraying his uncertainity.
"Rune," he said quietly, "If I ever... if anything I do makes you uncomfortable, you have to tell me. Don't just go quiet. Don't shut me out and pretend it's fine."
The change in his tone caught her off guard. For all his confidence and control, there was a flicker of vulnerability there-raw, unguarded and real. And in that moment, she realized something she hadn't before: she had played her part in the silence between them. By holding back her feelings and swallowing her thoughts to keep the peace, she had made it impossible for him to understand what she truly needed.
"I didn't help, either. I never told you when I was unhappy. I thought if I kept quiet, you'd... stay." she whispered against his neck and felt the shiver run through him.
His thumb stilled against her cheek. "Rune."
"I thought love meant being patient, or pretending it didn't hurt. But all that did was build a wall between us. You couldn't see what I felt, and I didn't give you the chance to."
He exhaled slowly, a breath that seemed to come from somewhere deep. "Maybe we both need to learn how to communicate."
She nodded, eyes glistening. "Not keep things in."
He leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, then another at the corner of her mouth. The kiss deepened—not out of hunger this time, but with something closer to trust. When they finally drew apart, Rune rested her head against his chest, listening to the steady beat beneath. It sounded like a new beginning.
Chapter thirty-six
Chapter 36
Dorian held her close, his breath warm against her hair. She could feel the tension in his body from the restraint of a man straining to be careful. Firm lips pressed a kiss into her forehead again before murmuring almost sheepishly against her temple, "This book I read said it's safe to have sex in the second trimester... as long as we take it easy."
Rune smiled against his cheek, a small secret curve of her mouth he couldn't see. She could bet her last penny that he could quote whole passages from the book with references. Dorian was nothing if not thorough. She shifted slightly in his arms to let her body slide deliberately against his hardness with just enough pressure to pull a sharp groan from him.
"Rune," he said in warning, but his body was already moving against hers in a familiar dance. His hands relearned her curves eagerly, and then he pulled her close, walking backwards until he sat down on the old sofa, pulling her to stand between his spread thighs. For a moment, neither of them moved. His gaze lifted to meet hers, examining her in detail for the changes, and then dropped, resting on the gentle curve of her belly. His hand moved carefully, reverently, as though afraid of hurting her.
She watched, utterly enthralled by his expression of intense fascination as he traced the fabric where it clung to her skin. He then lifted the hem just enough to reveal, first, her slender thighs, then the plain black thong beneath. A finger whispered beneath the strap toexplore the wetness soaking her curls and then unerringly find her opening to tease her opening with one thick finger. Rune almost went up to her toes but he held her in place as the finger moved shallowly, teasing her but not taking it any further. Then he withdrew it from her wetness and gently traced circles on her throbbing clit. A helpless sigh escaped her parted lips as he continued to tease her, and she leaned into his touch with her nails biting into his shoulders as her hips moved to the rhythm of his finger. The finger then moved to hook on the strap of her thong and slowly pull it down. His hand moved back to her dress, pulling it up to bare her gently rounded lower belly. For a moment, he just looked and then placed the softest kiss there.
" Can you feel them move?" he asked in a low whisper. She had to swallow as unexpected tears gathered behind her close lids and she replied, "Not yet. Sometimes I think I do, but then it feels like gas."
His fingers lingered there, warm against her skin, before he looked up again, his expression unguarded.
"Beautiful," he said quietly. "All of you. And all mine."
Rune's breath seemed to stop, her heartbeat speeding up from the rhythm of his touch on her belly. It was the first time she had allowed him to touch her like this, and she realized she needed this as much as he did.
When his forehead pressed to her stomach, she threaded trembling fingers through his curly hair.
