Page 44

“Open it.”

I take the box from her. She is watching me so closely that my heart rate spikes. I lift the lid. At first, I don't understand what I'm looking at. Then my eyes focus. A pregnancy test. And it’s positive. Everything inside me stops.

Slowly, I lift my head. “Cora…”

Her eyes are already shining. “I found out this morning.”

I look back down at the test. Then at her stomach. Then back at her face.

“You're pregnant?”

She nods. A laugh breaks out of me. I don't know what else to do with the overwhelming happiness suddenly crashing through me. “We're having a baby?”

Her smile trembles. “Yes, Roman.”

I cross the room in two steps and pull her into my arms. Cora laughs as I lift her off the floor.

“Roman!”

“We're having a fucking baby.”

She laughs harder, wrapping her arms around my neck. I set her down carefully and cup her face.

“I love you.”

Her eyes fill with tears. “I love you too.”

I kiss her, slow and deep. I lift her easily, carrying her to the couch, and she wraps her legs around my waist, her dress riding up her thighs. I settle us onto the cushions with her straddling me, her weight perfect and familiar against my lap.

“I want to celebrate properly,” I murmur against her mouth.

Cora pulls back slightly, her eyes dark and knowing. “How do you want me?”

I grip her hips and flip her onto her back in one smooth motion. She gasps, her lush, dark hair spilling across the armrest, her chest heaving beneath the thin fabric of her dress. I push the hem higher, exposing her thighs, her hips, the lace underwear that's already damp with her arousal.

“Arms above your head,” I order. “Hold the cushion. Don't let go.”

She obeys, stretching her arms overhead. I pull down her lace underwear, running my palms up her legs all the way. I spread her open for me, and lower my head.

The first taste makes me groan. She's already wet, her flavor flooding my mouth like the sweetest drug. I lick and circle her clit slowly, tortuously, until she’s writhing with ecstasy beneath me.

“Roman…” Her voice is breathless, broken. “Oh God, Roman…”

I slide two fingers inside her, curling them, feeling her inner muscles clamp down on me. She's mine, and she’s just perfect for me. And knowing she's carrying my child sends a primitive possessiveness roaring through me.

I slide my fingers inside her faster, my tongue flicking against her clit. My fingers press deep, and she shatters within minutes.

The orgasm crashes through her like a tidal wave, her loud moans echoing through the apartment. When I finally pull back, I stand and strip off my clothes, watching her watch me with heavy-lidded eyes. When I free my cock, already hard and straining toward her, she bites her lip.

“Come here,” she whispers.

I kneel on the couch between her thighs and position myself at her entrance. She wraps her legs around my hips, pulling me closer, and I push inside her in one slow, deliberate thrust.

She moans, her head falling back, her inner muscles gripping me like a vise. I grit my teeth, fighting for control, and begin to move.

Slow at first, savoring every inch of her heat, every pulse of her around me. But when she arches beneath me, her nails digging into my shoulders, I lose myself. I grip her hips, holding her close as I move against her. She arches beneath me, her nails digging into my shoulders, and the sound she makes nearly destroys what little control I have left.

“Roman, p-please…I…”