"You're beautiful." He murmured huskily as if reading her mind.
"I'm fat and my ankles are swollen. I'm no longer thin."
"You never were." His hands were fascinatingly shaping her bulge. She had gained weight rapidly, mostly in her belly and breasts. "I always loved your curves."
"Very soon I'll be shapeless." She moved restlessly when he continued to rub his fingers over her bulge. "And you'll start looking at some desirable blonde with smaller boobs." She shrugged when he lifted his head from his task to stare at her. "And then I'll have to kill you and leave these babies fatherless."
"We would not want that to happen." Easing up, he abandoned his exploration reluctantly, sensing she was serious. "You think I could be with anyone else after this? After what we're sharing now?"
She shrugged again. "I'm pregnant and hormonal and, and fat."
"Not fat."
"I'm not pleasant to be around. I get angry at the drop of a hat. I'm a bitch from bitchville, I crave odd things, I sweat and piss and fart and I smell. Don't you dare laugh!"
He swallowed the mirth quickly and tried to look sober.
"You're as sweet and precious as the dawning of a new day and you smell like the dew gathering on the grass." He said tongue in cheek. "And I would not exchange any of this for anything else."
"You're a bad liar." She stared at him with narrowed eyes. "I bet you're thinking you could do better."
He inclined his head and pretended to consider her remark. "Possibly. But then I've gotten so used to your waspish tongue that it's starting to grow on me. And being from 'bitchville' is not so bad." He ducked when she threw a pillow at him.
"You're an idiot."
"That too." He took her hand, lifting it to his lips. "If you'd just marry me--"
"Please don't start that again."
His eyes narrowed. "I'm only just beginning. I want to marry you Leanne and will not stop until you say yes. What the hell are you afraid of?"
She tried to tug her hand free, expelling a breath when he simply held on. "You know why I'm cautious." She corrected. "Marriage is a big step and we're already in something huge. I'm pregnant with triplets."
"I'm aware of that. It's just one more step."
"For you, maybe." She moved restlessly. "I'm a lousy bet. I'm pretty sure I will be a lousy mother, considering where I'm coming from. You're from a loving home and your family is normal. Mine was the opposite of normal."
"You're just pissing me off by selling yourself short." Temper darkened his eyes.
"I'm a product of my upbringing and environment." She insisted. "You can hide your head in the sand all you want, but it's true."
"That's just BS and you know it." He visibly tamped down the anger. "You're smart enough to know that a person can rise above all of that. You're telling me that an abused child cannot turn out to be an excellent parent? That person is doomed to follow that trend? Is that what you're saying?"
She held up her hands in supplication, realizing that this had the potential of turning into a full scale argument.
"You're right, it doesn't have to turn out that way, but I'm still not ready." She shook her head when he opened his mouth to rebut her statement. "Please let's just leave it like this for now." Deliberately playing on his weakness, she climbed on top of him. "I have something better in mind."
"If you think you're going to use--" He whispered, "Christ!" when she simply reached between them and found him already hard. "Damn you."
"Just shut up." Her eyes held his as she sank down and sheathed him.
Chapter 7
"All right folks, please tell me you're ready!" She held up her hands to stop the clamor of voices. "I can't hear you. Are you ready?"
"Yes!" The din reverberated around the packed room.
"That's better, but still. One more time. Are you ready for the show of a lifetime?"
