When we reach the house and I open the door for her to get out, I can’t seem to force myself to step back. Instead, I stand there for a long moment. Right in front of her, my body inches from hers. And it yearns for her. Desperately.

This time, I can’t stop myself from pulling her into my arms, my mouth on hers for the first time in far too long. She tastes just as good as I remember. And she feels even better. Her lips under mine. Her body pressed against mine.

Those hips pressed against mine feel so good and I can’t wait to bury myself in her, my hips grinding against her of their own accord, even more so when she moans and clings tighter to me.

“Hell, Emma … Emma, we can’t be doing this.”

“Why?” she asks evenly, her gaze pure fire as she finally meets mine. “What is it about me being pregnant that you find so awful?”

“What are you talking about?” I ask, incredulous that she could even think that.

“Ever since I told you I was pregnant you’ve been distant. You haven’t wanted me ever since.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” My eyes widen in surprise. “Emma, I’ve wanted you the same every single damn day since I first saw you.”

“Then why haven’t you done anything?”

“Because you’re pregnant,” I reply, “and I haven’t wanted to hurt you or the baby.” She gives me a confused look.

“People have sex when they’re pregnant all the time, Chris.” Which of course makes sense but I’ve been so caught up in thinking about keeping her safe that I just assumed …

“Then get over here, Emma, and let me show you just how much I’ve wanted you, Baby Girl,” I reply, dragging her back into my arms, my cock practically throbbing against her. All I want is her. My hands grip into her hips to hold her as tightly as I can. My mouth is firm and hard on hers as I drink in everything I can get from her.

The little moans that spill out of her are making me wild and my hands are reaching to slide the dress off her shoulders before I even think about where we are. And even then, when the top of the dress is pooled around her waist and I drop my head to her breasts it doesn’t even occur to me that we’re barely off the street. That the thin line of trees does little to hide us from view.

Her head falls back with another moan, one hand reaching up to practically hold me to her body while the other seems to be bracing herself on my shoulder. “Chris …”

“That’s it, Baby Girl, let me know just how much you want it,” I practically growl out the words and her hands are scrambling for my shirt, sliding it up so she can run those fingers over my chest, which only makes me groan that much more. And finally I’m aware of just where we are. Mostly because of the beeping of my car letting me know that the door has been open for a while.

“Oh!” Emma glances around, startled, as if looking for someone that might have been watching, but I just grin, dragging her forward so I can slam the door and then practically dragging her again into the house, where I immediately latch my mouth back onto hers.

Now there’s no danger of anything. No fear of being seen. No concern for anything except the feel of her body and what I’m going to do with it.

I drag the dress down over her hips and rake my gaze over that delectable body.

“I’m a little bit more …” she trails off with an almost apologetic look, her hands gesturing down over her body and my eyes narrow.

“You’re fucking gorgeous, Emma,” I retort and she flushes as my mouth finds hers again. “Don’t you ever let me hear you say otherwise.” She shivers at my tone, her body practically melting into mine and I gather her up, carrying her to my bedroom where I can lay her down and really show her how much I adore every inch of that body.

My cock is hard, aching, as I remove the last of her clothing and get an even better look. And every bit of what I see is enough to make me want her even more, helping her jerk the shirt over my head and the pants down and off my body as quickly as I can because I need to be inside her.

Still, I try to slow down. Try to ease my way there and to fully enjoy every inch of her body first. Except I’m not the only one who’s desperate after all this time apart.

“Chris, please …” she moans, dragging my mouth to hers for another long, passionate kiss that makes me forget absolutely everything but the pleasure of this moment, my body pressed against hers. And then I’m inside her and the way she feels immediately breaks any level of control I could have had.

“That’s it, Baby Girl … you feel amazing,” I groan, my body acting of its own accord as I rock against her. But the fact that she’s pregnant, that she’s carrying my baby makes me cautious even still, so I drag her over me, lying back on the bed so she can be in control. And also getting the added perk of being able to see her better. To touch her even more as she moves above me.

“I’m so close,” she murmurs and my hands grip her hips even harder, determined to get her there before I lose it entirely, and somehow I manage it. Her body tenses and tightens over mine as she comes and I can’t hold back for another moment, a growl bursting from me at the amazing feelings crashing over my body.

And when I seem to come back to myself she’s there, in my arms, beside me on the bed. And there’s an entirely new feeling crashing through me. One that I can’t quite understand. Or maybe one that I do understand, but I don’t want to. Because if I let myself experience this, it would be even more terrifying than anything else that’s happened so far.

Chapter Eighteen ~ Emma

The next morning when I wake up it takes a minute to figure out where I am, because I’m used to the sky-blue walls of the room I've been staying in for the last few weeks. I’m definitely not used to the deep green here.

Or the heavy wood of the large bed.

Or the man sprawled out naked beside me.