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“Put me down,” I said.
“Soon.”
He ran faster, forcing me to tuck my face against his chest so I could breathe. When the rush of wind stopped, I lifted my head and saw he was letting us into the “sex house.”
He put me down the moment the door closed behind us.
“You do not want children?” he asked, watching me closely.
“No. I don’t.” I crossed my arms and gave him that hard, angry stare he’d given me countless times.
“Is that the role the men before me have tried forcing you into?” he asked softly.
“It’s one of the roles, yes.”
He slowly pulled me into his arms and wrapped me in a hug.
“Will you tell me why you do not wish to have children?” he asked.
“Why? So you can tell me my reasons aren’t valid?”
“No. So I can understand them.”
I let out a long breath, unsure if it was smart to hope that Molev would be different.
“Life is filled with burdens,” I said finally. “We have bills to pay. Jobs to complete in order to pay those bills. Health needs we have to take care of. Friendships to maintain. Those are all burdens that we can choose to prioritize however we please.
“It doesn’t matter which way you want to spin it or how precious people think they are, kids are one of the biggest burdens life throws at us. But next level. For men, kids are typically a financial burden. For women, it’s another story entirely.
“Kids take over our lives. We forgo careers and all our previous freedom to ensure the kids are cared for. Moms do all the leg work. Making appointments. Scheduling playdates. Taking time off work when the kids are sick. Figuring out what to feed them. When to feed them. How to entertain them. It all defaults to the moms. They’re on duty twenty-four-seven because society says we’re the primary caregivers by default. Dads are tagged in when the mom asks for help.
“Asks. As if the child wasn’t co-created. I didn’t want the responsibility of supporting another life before the world was filled with undead and hounds and failing resources. It would be doubly irresponsible to consider it now. I simply don’t want the burden of having kids.”
Molev’s hand smoothed over my back.
“I have only seen one baby,” he said. “He was very small and fragile. He did not look like a burden to me. However, he was to the woman who kept him alive. He was starving because they ran out of food, and she understood that leaving with him would cause both their deaths. Having a baby with you would fill me with joy, but only if you are filled with joy as well, Andie.”
I pulled back to look at Molev and saw understanding reflected in his gaze. But there was also sadness.
“I know you want kids, Molev,” I said. “You’d be better off finding someone who is interested in the same.”
He frowned at me and shook his head as his hand covered the back of my neck. “Nothing has changed. You are mine, Andie. If you do not wish for the burden of a child, then you will not be burdened. But you will be mine.”
His hold on my neck tightened a moment before his mouth claimed mine in a searing kiss. When he finally released me, I was panting and more than ready to make up for the lost orgasms from the day before. However, Molev hadn’t forgotten about the people we’d left behind.
“Tonight, you will surrender to me, Andie,” he said, nipping the base of my throat. “Be ready.”
He picked me up and ran back with me before the message sank in.
Tonight? Be ready?
I looked around for Roni after Molev put me down and strode away. I caught her eye and motioned for her to join me. It took her a minute to break away from the conversation, which was fine. It gave me time to move farther away from the people who were finished with their meals.
On her way over to me, I scanned the area for Molev and saw him talking to the personnel by the water coolers. Hoping he was distracted, I waited for Roni.
“Did you two make up?” she asked.
“We didn’t fight,” I said. “How do I get my hands on condoms that will fit him?”
