“Are you all right, dear?” he asked quietly. “Not too tired?”
“I’m perfect.” She covered his hand with hers. “Happy. Excited. A little terrified.”
“Me too,” Morgan admitted. “All of those things.”
“We’re going to be parents, Morgan.”
“We are. We’re going to have a family.”
“A real family.” Eliza’s hazel eyes shimmered with tears. “Not the cold, distant thing I grew up with. But a real family. Built on love.”
“Built on love,” Morgan agreed, pulling her close. “I promise you, Eliza. Our child will never doubt that they’re wanted. That they’re loved. That they’re?—”
“Everything,” Eliza finished.
They returned home that evening as the sun was setting, both pleasantly exhausted from the day’s excitement.
“The boys were adorable,” Eliza said as they climbed the stairs to their chambers. “Did you see Philip’s face when we told them about the baby?”
“He looked like we’d just given him the greatest gift imaginable. After he had a moment to consider it, thoughtful boy he is.”
“They’re going to be wonderful cousins.”
In their bedchamber, Morgan helped Eliza out of her gown, his fingers gentle on the laces, his lips pressing soft kisses to her shoulders as he worked. She leaned back into him.
“You were beautiful today,” he murmured against her skin. “Radiant.”
“I was sweating.”
“Radiantly sweating, then.”
Eliza laughed, turning in his arms to face him. “Take me to bed, Your Grace.”
“With pleasure, Your Grace.”
He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. They made love slowly, tenderly, Morgan’s hands reverent as they traced the curves of her body. When he reached her stomach, he paused, his palm splaying over where their child grew.
“Hello, little one,” he whispered. “I’m your father. And I already love you more than I knew was possible.”
Eliza’s breath hitched with emotion. “Morgan…”
“Shh.” He kissed her softly. “Let me love you. Both of you.”
What followed was worship. There was no other word for it. Morgan took his time, learning her body again, noting the subtle changes pregnancy had already brought. The increased sensitivity of her breasts. The way her skin seemed to glow in the candlelight. He reached for her favorite silk scarf, as green as his eyes, and brought it to her eyes.
“I need you to feel everything tonight,” he said. “This will allow you to focus, my girl.”
He tied it with a bow and placed her on her side, careful to avoid her stomach. He held her close to him, his hardness pressing against her behind. He reached around and stroked her, not rushing a single moment. He touched every part of her slick folds until he finally entered, pushing two fingers inside. He continued his work, not letting her move, pulling her tightagainst him, until he finally relented. When he finally entered her from behind, it was with such care, such tenderness, that Eliza felt tears slip down her temples from behind the scarf.
“I love you,” she whispered. “So much.”
“I love you too.” Morgan moved slowly, deeply, his forehead pressed against her shoulder as he gave a kiss. “You and our child. My whole world.”
He picked up the pace then, thrusting himself deep inside her as she savored the angle of his entrance. He pushed her, over and over again, until his reverence became an ecstatic prayer. He thrust hard and strong, his hands on her hips as he pushed so hard she felt his testicles slap her. It was overwhelming, only heightened by her closed eyes. There was nothing he did to her that she did not want, need, love.
They climaxed together as he slowed his pace once more, as if memorizing her. He came softly, sweetly as he kissed her neck from behind. Afterward, as they lay tangled in each other’s arms, their breathing slowed and he removed the blindfold. Perfect silence fell between them as he pulled the blanket tight underneath her chin.
“I never thought I’d have this,” Eliza said quietly into the darkness. “A husband who loves me. A child on the way. A real home.”
