Page 210 of Modern Romance Collection December 2024 Books 1-4

‘Take the bra off,’ he commanded shakily, and Alice was only too happy to oblige, reaching round to unhook it and then sighing as she was freed of the constraint. She’d always been generously endowed, and her breasts had gone up a size since the pregnancy.

‘God, you’re beautiful,’ Mateo said in a strangled voice and he moved to her, gently guiding her to the sofa as though actually reaching the bedroom hadn’t even been a consideration.

Alice subsided onto the sofa, which was huge and very comfortable. ‘The bed would be a whole lot more comfortable,’ she murmured.

‘Ah, but starters can be served here, my darling...’

Alice smiled. She knew his touches so well and yet every time they made love it felt new, wonderful and special.

He knelt at the side of the sofa and she twisted so that she was lying on her side, making it easy for him to nibble at her breast, and then separate them with his hand to suckle gently on her nipple, which had darkened and grown, and was so sensitive that the slightest lick was enough very nearly to take her over the edge.

He knew that and continued to torment her with his tongue, which flicked darts of exquisite sensation through her. His hand on her belly was tender and gentle, as were his lips, and then, moving between her legs, the idle flick of his tongue slipped into her wetness and drove her insane.

He knew how to make her forget everything but the moment, and Alice barely realised when they left the sofa and made it into the bedroom. She was so conscious of the weight she’d gained, maybe because she hadn’t been a slip of a thing in the first place, but Mateo was still strong enough to sweep her off her feet and carry her through to the bedroom as though she weighed nothing.

The love-making was slow and gentle. He touched her as though she were as delicate as a piece of porcelain, despite her constantly telling him that she was actually as strong as an ox. Deep down, she couldn’t deny the lovely feeling of feminine helplessness at his protectiveness. It was just one more thing to add to the list of reasons for loving him.

Would that all disappear once the baby was born and he was no longer bothered about her fragile status? The disturbing thought drifted through her head, but she pushed it away, and then it was easy to do what she always did and sink into his caresses, letting her body get carried away on a tide of love, passion and fulfilment.

Her body was tingling all over, über-sensitive and on fire, when she finally climaxed, arching up against him and wrapping her arms around his neck so that she could pull him towards her, losing herself in him.

‘Now I really am tired...’ She yawned, stretching out and then squinting as he slid off her and lay flat on his back with one arm flung over his eyes.

‘It was unfair of me to distract you when it was already so late.’

‘You didn’t do anything I didn’t want to do, trust me.’ Alice laughed and curved onto her side to look at him.

‘Get some sleep, Alice.’

‘You too.’ She peered at him, although her eyelids were already beginning to feel heavy as she reached for her underwear on the ground and then smiled as he brought her the baggy tee she was accustomed to sleeping in. ‘You wanted to talk?’ she said reluctantly.

‘It can wait. I’m going to try and get some work done. I’ll make sure I don’t wake you when I come to bed...’

Mateo nudged open the bedroom door at just after eight the following morning. She’d been sound asleep when he’d finally joined her in the early hours of the morning, snoring gently and curled on her side, wrapped around a pillow which supported her bump. They’d made love and, for a while, he’d forgotten the unsettling feelings he had had when he’d surprised her at the leaving party. Making love tended to do that. Unfortunately, uncomfortable notions could only be pushed to the side for so long before they popped back up, demanding to be acknowledged.

He had made her breakfast. It was something he had never done for a woman before, but he needed to clear the air, and getting her onside with some toast and coffee didn’t seem too big an ask.

‘Surprise,’ he announced, dropping the tray deftly on the table next to the bed and then straightening to look at her as she shifted into an awkward sitting position with the pillows propped behind her.

She was pink and ruffled, her long hair a chaotic tangle that somehow made her look a lot younger than she was, a mere girl instead of a woman on the brink of having a baby.

‘You should have woken me, Mateo. I know it’s the weekend but, now that I won’t have a job to wake up for on Monday, I don’t want to get into the habit of just lazing around in bed until mid-morning.’

Mateo smiled. ‘You happen to have a very good excuse.’ He poured her some coffee and handed her the cup, then he arranged the tray to the side of her and pulled up a chair next to the bed. ‘Besides, from tomorrow, you’re going to be busy with the house move.’

Mention of the house they would be moving to was a reminder of a conversation that needed to be had. But now he found that he was happy to put it off, happy not to hear her tell him that this wasn’t the life she had banked on.

He’d got his own way with the marriage but it seemed that there was more to life than getting his own way.

‘Delicious toast, Mateo.’

‘I’ll make sure to contact the bakery to congratulate them on the quality of the bread. I’m sorry I showed up last night, Alice. I...hadn’t meant to. It was something of a spur-of-the-moment decision.’

‘It’s okay.’ Alice reddened.

‘Want to knowwhyI decided to unexpectedly show up?’

‘Yes,’ Alice said cautiously. ‘Maybe.’

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