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“Why not?”
She blanches. “Because I look hideous, okay? And I don’t want you to see me like that. And I know you helped me into the tub not long ago, but I was freshly rescued and experiencing some PTSD and I didn’t care as much then. But now… now, I’m gonna have to ask you to leave before I take off this robe.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Did you just say you think you look hideous?”
She clutches the rob tighter around her body. “Well?—”
I step forward and corner her against the edge of the bathtub, leaving her no room to flee. “You are fucking breathtaking, Wren. How can you not see that?”
She cringes and looks everywhere but at me. “The last thing I need is some false flattery, Dmitri. Don’t blow smoke up my ass. I’m not in the mood.”
I’m actually pissed off. So much so that I grab her by the hips and swing her around towards the mirror. I keep my hands on her shoulders and force her to face her reflection. “Look at yourself,” I command. “I don’t see ‘hideous’ at all. All I see is a strong, capable, beautiful woman who’s unnecessarily hard on herself.”
Wren’s eyes flicker from me to her own reflection. Then her gaze falls to her stomach. “My stomach?—”
“Is a testament to your strength. After everything you went through these past few months—” I wrap my arms around her and lace my hands on her stomach, just above hers. “—you kept this baby safe. I couldn’t have picked a better woman to carry my child.”
She stays quiet. Her breath is the only sound, the soft rise and fall of her chest the only motion. At last, she murmurs, “You don’t mean that.”
“I mean every fucking word.”
She peels herself away from me and turns around so that we’re face to face. “A better woman to carry your child would be a woman you’re actually in love with.”
Is she testing me? Is she expecting something from me? I have no idea. All I know is that she’s looking to me for answers I don’t have.
“I don’t think in hypotheticals. You are the mother of my child. And I’m happy that you are.”
She blinks and a tiny tear appears at the corner of her right eye. She brushes it away. “Fine. Maybe I do need some help to get in the tub.”
I reach forward before she changes her mind and pull delicately at the tie-up holding the robe together. It comes apart easily, revealing her perfect naked body underneath. Instinctively, she tries to fold in on herself, but I put my hands on her shoulders again and shake my head.
“Wear your pregnancy proudly, Wren. You’ve earned it.”
Her fingers keep fidgeting, but she keeps them by her sides and lets me pull the robe from her. Her body has changed a lot since the first time I saw her naked. Her flat stomach is a distant memory and her breasts are far bigger than I remember.
But I stand by my words: she is fucking perfect.
And the fact that she doesn’t seem to know that just pisses me off.
I force my eyes back up and take hold of her elbow as I coax her to the edge of the tub. It does a strange thing to my chest when she lets her weight lean on me, when she trusts me to support her.
Once she’s submerged in water and bubbles, she sighs. “This feels amazing.”
Her eyes flutter shut and I take the opportunity to admire her—her sharp collarbones, the graceful arch of her neck, the way her lips part as she relaxes into the water. I could sit here and stare at her all day. I could lose hours in admiration to her, if I’d only give myself that kind of freedom.
Except I’m not at liberty to give that kind of freedom in the first place. “I’ll leave you to your bath.”
Her eyes fly open. “You’re leaving?” She sounds almost disappointed.
“I figured you wanted some peace and quiet.”
She bites on her bottom lip. “Yeah, I did…” My eyebrows arch and she blushes. “But now, I want you to stay.”
What a miracle those little words are. Only a few weeks ago, I was certain she wanted me dead in retribution for her sister. Now, here she is, naked and vulnerable…
And she wants me to stay.
I start stripping off my clothes and her eyes go wide. Pretty sure she didn’t mean she wanted me to get in the tub with her, but I’m going to pretend that I’ve misunderstood. If she wants me to stay out of her bath, she’ll have to say so.
