Page 92 of Prince of Tides
I stopped dead, staring.
“Everything okay?” he rumbled. “I thought you loved coffee?”
“Yes. I do. Cock—ahem,coffeeis good in the morning,” I muttered, stumbling from bed. “But not while pregnant. I have to fight the urge, to, um, drink it.
“You act like you’ve never seen me naked before,” he teased, picking up a mug from the table next to him.
“It’s just a rather lovely sight that I wasn’t expecting to see,” I said, slowly recovering my wits.
“I’m glad you think so,” he said with mirth, covering a smile by raising his own mug. “Maybe I can convince you to join me like this?”
I thought about it.
“Nope!” I yelped, running to the bathroom abruptly and slamming the door behind me.
“Laurie?” Rip asked, worry coloring his voice. “Are you okay?”
It was rather difficult to respond while hanging my head over the edge of the toilet and emptying up my guts.
“Don’t come in here!”I managed to shout out as he tried the door handle. Then I was busy heaving once more.
When it eventually settled, I sagged to the side of the toilet, managing to hit the handle before Rip disregarded my desires and came in anyway.
“Laurie …”
“Morning sickness,” I muttered. “Yuck.”
“Are you sure that’s all it is?” he asked, worried, handing me a glass of water, his cock dangling right next to my face. It would have been comical in any other situation.
I rinsed my mouth, pushing him back—careful of where I placed my hand to do so—as I used the toilet to dispose of that, too.
“I’m fine,” I assured him, feeling better already. “It’s … going to be that way for a while, most likely. It’s not the same as before. That feltwrong. This was just nausea. I don’t really know how else to describe it. This is normal. That wasn’t.”
“Okay,” he said, not quite convinced.
I got to my feet, patting him on his chest. “Can I take a rain check on that other activity?”
“Of course!” he said.
I quickly brushed my teeth while he waited, handing me a towel when I was done. Standing up tall after that, I took a nice deep breath and leaned against Rip, enjoying his support and warmth. He automatically wrapped his hands around me so that I couldn’t move. I didn’t fight it.
“I love you,” I whispered from what was quickly becoming one of my happy places—his arms.
“I love you, too,” he said. One of his hands slid down to my stomach. “Bothof you.”
There was no controlling the shiver of nervous delight that ran through me, so I didn’t bother.
“I’m going to be a mother,” I said, still slightly in awe.
“And you’re going to be the greatest mother. I cannot wait to see you in action.”
“Thank you,” I said with a smile. “I’m looking forward to seeing Papa Rip.”
“Papa Rip?” he chuckled, my head bouncing slightly with his chest. “I sound like a grandfather already, and our first child hasn’t even been born.”
“First? You’re already planning for more?”
“As many as you want,” he said. “Yes. The more, the merrier. Dragon women aren’t always that fertile. Most families have a single child. I would love to have many more than that.”
