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“Wait,” Elle said. “You’re going to tell your mom by e-mail?”
Nodding, Jim said, “I can’t remember the last time we spoke on the phone. Maybe when I called her for her birthday? We don’t have a very close relationship. We’re not at all like your family.”
Frowning, Elle said, “I’m sorry. I have to say, I’m a little jealous that you can e-mail the news though.”
“Handy side benefit of being the black sheep,” Jim said. “Just make the call, Elle. You’re going to be full of anxiety until you get it over with. I can give you some space to do that if you want.”
“No,” Elle said clutching his hand. “No space. You’re right. Let me just do it.”
Reaching forward, she picked her purse up off the table and pulled her phone out. Dialing, she placed the phone to her ear and waited. A few seconds later, her mother answered, “Hey, baby. How are you?”
“Well,” she said. “I’ve got some news.”
Forty minutes later, utterly exhausted, Elle hung up the phone and dryly said, “Mom’s already knitting baby booties and Dad wants your head on a spike. This weekend should be awesome.”
“Can’t wait,” Jim said brightly. “I’ve always wanted to die that way.”
Elle looked up to see his lips twitching slightly. Rolling her eyes, she said, “I’m starved.”
Jim inspected her face now and carefully said, “You realize you’re going to have to eat like a normal person now. You really can’t skip meals anymore.”
Knowing she was incredibly guilty of this she said, “Yeah. I know. Lots of stuff is going to change.” Elle paused a moment as something occurred to her, then grinned and added, “No more condoms.”
Jim grinned and said, “Dinner first. We’ll get to that, though.”
Elle said, “My refrigerator is bare. Wanna head to the grocery store with me really quick? I don’t want to do fast food. I was thinking I’d eat some stuff with vitamins in it.”
Laughing, Jim stood up, stretched, and then said, “Probably a good idea.”
Forty five minutes later, they were standing in Elle’s kitchen as Jim stuffed chicken breast with a mixture of spinach and feta cheese. As he slid them in the oven, she said, “I’m pregnant, Jim. Not disabled. I can still cook.”
“You’re so stubborn, woman. Just let me make you dinner. It’s been a long day, and cooking relaxes me.”
Grumbling, Elle sat in one of the stools at the counter and said, “Fine.”
Jim set the chicken down, washed his hands and walked over to her. Brushing his lips against hers, he said, “You’re adorable when you pout, Elle.”
Elle watched as he walked back over to the cutting board and started chopping vegetables for the salad. She was kind of impressed with his knife skills. It had taken her months to be able to do that. There was something so sexy about a man that was competent in the kitchen.
She watched him put the last of the salad in the bowl and put it in the refrigerator. Judging that they had at least forty-five minutes until the chicken was done, Elle decided that would be nearly enough time for what she had in mind. She stood up and feigned a stretch and a yawn.
“Do you think I have time for a quick nap?”
Jim looked up at her, like he was doing the math in his mind, and then said, “Yeah. Probably about forty-five minutes. A quick one, anyway.”
“Come lay with me?”
Nodding, Jim followed her to the bedroom. “Don’t let me fall asleep. The chicken will burn.”
“Just lay a couple minutes with me.”
They stretched out next to each other on the bed with Elle curling up against Jim’s side. She reached up, pressing soft kisses against the side of his neck. When she dragged her teeth against his flesh, she heard a light groan along with, “This doesn’t feel like napping.”
Tangling her leg with his and pressing her breasts against him slightly, she asked, “Did I say nap?”
“I thought you did,” Jim said on a groan as she stroked him intimately through the front of his dress slacks. “But clearly I was wrong.”
He rolled over to face her, his mouth crushing down on hers. As their tongues tangled together, she felt his hands begin to roam over her. She moaned against his lips as she felt him cup her breast and stroke his fingertips over her. She’d already noticed that her nipples were more sensitive now. Each time his fingers grazed her through her top and bra, she felt another sharp pang of arousal in he
