Page 43 of Penn

She slips on a robe and walks out to the kitchen where she fills the dog dish with the kibble refill I picked up yesterday. The robe slips up a bit to show off her ass, and I can’t help but give her bare skin a little pat.

“Hey!” she exclaims.

Princess barks, moving to shield Dixie by standing between us. Her little protector.

“Princess, it’s okay,” Dixie says, crouching down to pet her. “He’s okay. He lives here.”

“No, let her be defensive of you. I want her to be,” I say.

Narrowing her eyes, she looks up at me. “Did you get her for protection for me?”

“When I’m not here, she’s going to be the first line of defense. If anyone thinks about breaking in, and they hear a dog, they’re more than likely going to be deterred. Dog bites hurt like a bitch.”

I expect her to get defiant. Argue with me that she doesn’t need protection. But she smiles instead and scratches Princess’s head. “And you’re not worried she’ll be too protective of me with you?”

“If she’s like this with me, imagine how she’ll be with a stranger.”

“I didn’t think about that.”

“Eat,” I order, and Princess begrudgingly moves to the dish. Not without giving me a side-eye I didn’t know dogs were capable of.

Dixie just laughs, and I move to the fridge wearing just my sweatpants. “She listens.”

“But isn’t happy about it. What do you want for breakfast?”

“I think we should talk,” she says.

I freeze, bent down, staring into the refrigerator. “About what?”

“Last night,” she says. “And this morning.”

Standing, I turn to face her. “Uh-oh.”

“No, don’t go there.” Taking my hand in hers, she stares at our fingers as she interlocks them. “I know you don’t fully believe it, but I have no plans of leaving, Penn.”

It’s like she can read my mind. “That’s good to hear.”

“You’re mine as much as I’m yours.”

Pulling her to me, I kiss her, but I can’t help but think about how that could easily change. It’s not like we have a normal situation here. She’s carrying another man’s child, and when that baby comes, things could be very, very different. What Dixie Knapp wants now while she’s in the most vulnerable position of her life may not be what she wants when she realizes she has other options.

All I can do is pray she chooses me when the time comes.

Chapter 17

Dixie

It’s been almost two months of bliss. Even though I’m getting bigger by the minute, I swear, it does nothing to curb Penn’s appetite for me. And we lie in his bed—the one that’s become mine now—after a rather acrobatic round of lovemaking. With my belly becoming more of an obstacle, we have to get a little creative.

Lying on my back for too long creates painful pressure, and Penn prefers to look at me unless we’re in a very intimately tight space. Even though he seems to love my changing body, it feels a bit foreign to me, and I’m not as secure as I was before, so I’m not always in love with being on top. It’s hard to stay focused on the pleasure when I can only see my belly as I look down.

“You’re gorgeous,” Penn says, sweat glistening on his skin in the afternoon light.

“You’re just saying that.”

He chuckles. “My cock also agrees.”

“Because you’re getting sex.”