To reward her, he bent to kiss her clit, sucking it into his mouth over and over until her fingers ripped at his hair. "That's too much!" she squealed, her knee on his chest. He let out a laugh.

"You know you love it."

"It's too sensitive," she hissed, grumpiness in her expression. He snorted, pulling her into a kiss.

"Am I too much, little bear?" he asked as she undid her bra and then turned her attention to him. Her fingers gripped at his shirt, and he left his arms hanging stubbornly until she turned her spitfire gaze on him.

"No," she answered begrudgingly. "Now take your clothes off."

He did, a wide grin on his face when she pushed him on the bed and pressed kisses to his skin. "I made you pregnant, Mishka," he said as he put his hands on her waist, lifting her until his cock teased her entrance. "You're going to have my baby."

"You did," she replied with a moan as she sank onto his cock. "And I am."

But those words settled between them heavily. Everything had changed. Excitement mixed with trepidation coursed through him, a potent concoction that left his heart racing. The responsibility made his hands shake on her hips. Beneath the waves of desire, worry rippled. His heart thudded in his chest as he lifted her slightly, positioning her perfectly while their breaths mingled and the air thickened with anticipation.

"Faster," he urged, his voice hoarse. Nerves strangled him as he tried to stay focused on the pleasure coursing through them. Amy whined deep in her throat as his hands rocked her ata quicker pace. Her body heat kept him on the precipice while each thrust drove him closer to madness. "Fuck, I need more."

Ivan grappled with the rush of sensations, his thoughts racing with what lay ahead—parenthood, commitment, and the promise of family. It was intoxicating, terrifying. But what the fuck did he know about any of that?

I can be better,he thought, his grip tightening on her. "Just like that," he coaxed, feeling her warmth envelop him, her walls tightening around him as she responded to his rhythm. He watched her face contort with pleasure, her breaths coming in ragged gasps.

"You're so beautiful like this," he murmured, his heart swelling with both love and an overwhelming sense of protectiveness.

Amy's eyes sparkled with desire, and he could see her own thoughts racing as the reality of their situation settled in.

"Ivan," she panted, her voice shaky yet fervent, "Don't stop. Please."

Fueled by her words and the heat of the moment, he rolled her onto the bed underneath him and lifted her leg. Each stroke went deep, and she let out a strangled cry as she dug her fingernails into his shoulder. Her pussy fluttered as he rocked above her and Ivan pushed a hand between them, his fingers jerking around until he found her clit.

Her whole body jolted. Amy's face flushed and her mouth opened with a gasp, her legs gripping his waist, narrowing his movements. He pushed past the resistance, rubbing her clit more until she shattered with a high-pitched scream.

He slowed his pace until her body stopped trembling, fingers pinching her chin until their lips met. "More," she mumbled drunkenly, her eyes hazy.

"I'm not finished yet," he answered before picking up his pace again. Desperation turned him into a savage, each thrust echoed with urgency as he lost himself in her. The world outside faded away as pleasure raced up his spine. He poured everything he had into each movement, desperate to show her just how much she meant to him. Gasped her name against her neck, and then came with a choke.

"Ivan?" she murmured as he slowed the rocking of their hips, his cock still pulsing inside her. "Talk to me."

"Just a second," he mumbled, careful not to squish her as he fell beside her. He'd thought he'd come to terms with everything but—shit. What if he wasn't cut out to be a dad? There was only one thing he was certain about, he had to get rid of whoever was threatening his wife and family.

Chapter 23 - Amy

After telling Ivan about the baby, Amy didn't know what she should have expected, but it wasn't the next two weeks of him barely being home to talk about it more. The anxious thrill of revealing her pregnancy had quickly faded, replaced by a gnawing sense of unease. The hours stretched long, filled with silence that felt heavier with each passing day.

She wasn't sure if it was just her own hang-ups pushing thoughts into her head, but she felt like there was a tension in Ivan that hadn't been there before. When he did come home, his expression looked grim, eyes shadowed with worry.

They hadn't made love again since the last time, and he treated her like glass. She'd asked him not to be controlling, and he wasn't. But all that progress between them felt like it was balancing on the edge of some unnamed precipice. He ran her baths, made her dinners, and asked about her day. Everything she could accept, and none of it really left her feeling more uncertain than ever before. No, what really did it was the carefulness.

It felt like he was trying to shield her from himself, keeping a distance that left her feeling more isolated than ever. She missed the ease he used to have around her—his soft touches and wrapping his arm around her waist. It was still there, but now those moments seemed like a distant memory, overshadowed by the weight of their new reality.

As the days rolled on without clarity, Amy found her thoughts spiraling.Is he regretting this?she thought, heart sinking with each passing day.Is he unhappy?The questions gnawed at her, and she felt a growing need to vocalize her concerns.

So on a busy weekday, while Mira and her mother were looking after the children, she grabbed Zia by the arm and tugged her toward one of the empty bedrooms.

"What's going on?" Zia asked, eyes wide as she set Alexander on the carpet.

Sipping her coffee, Amy climbed on the bed and grabbed a cushion. "I'm losing my mind," she admitted quietly, her voice laced with anxiety. "And considering we can't go to our usual place for girl talk—and alcohol's out of the question—I was hoping this would work instead."

"Oh my god," Zia muttered, rolling her eyes heavenward. "Hon, you know I love you—but don't you think you could've been a little more subtle about it? I actually thought you were losing it for a second."