Page 9 of Christmas Games
‘My darling girl, you might not feel anything for weeks, but you could get very tired and nauseous. You need to rest.’
‘But I don’t want to! I’ve got to get everything organised for Christmas.’
Oh god. Fucking Christmas. Rory’s heart rate spiked as he tried to work out when Zoe might give birth.December? January?
‘Zoe, love, it’s the beginning of April,’ said her mother.
‘Yes, but I’m due mid-January, so what if the baby comes early? I can’t leave anything to chance. Or to The Grinch.’
‘Rory, are you listening to this slander?’
He let his breath go. He had to keep it together.
‘Yes, Mary,’ he replied. ‘Although if you weren’t on the other end of the phone, I would have already tuned out.’
‘Oi!’ said Zoe, wiggling the fingers of her free hand. ‘I know how ticklish you are. These digits are deadly weapons and I’m not afraid to use them.’
Rory flinched. The thought of being tickled was almost enough to displace the fear that his wife was finally pregnant.
‘Apologies, Mary. What I meant to say is that I am tuned one hundred per cent to Radio Zoe and am hanging on her every word.’
‘Oh dear.’ Her mother laughed. ‘That’s your first mistake. If I paid attention to half of what Arnold said, I’d go mad or fall asleep.’
‘Mum! This is serious! Christmas is serious! I’ve got to be prepared.’
Breathe in, two, three, four, and hold, two, three, four. Breathe out, two, three, four, and hold, two, three, four. Rory’s brain stumbled forward through the year. Sod Christmas preparations. What about preparing the cabin for the baby?
In the army, he’d been trained to assess every environment for risks, and right now, thinking about splinters from the floor, burns from the Rayburn, slips in the bathroom and falls from the furniture, the cabin was looking more dangerous than a temple trap from anIndiana Jonesmovie.
‘Darling,’ Mary continued. ‘I had to be induced with you at forty-two weeks, and most first-time mums give birth ten days after they’re supposed to. You’ll be fine. This is going to beyour last quiet Christmas for quite a while, so you need to enjoy it.’
Breathe in, two, three, four, and hold, two, three, four. Breathe out…
‘When does Dad get home? Does he have his mobile on him? I want you to tell him the moment he gets in.’
‘He left it at home again. He’ll be back about seven, just as I’m heading out to choir practice. Will you still be at the castle?’
‘No, we’ll be home by then. Tell him to take his phone tomorrow and I’ll ring him in the morning.’
‘Okay, love, will do. Now rest up and let your wonderful husband take care of you.’
Yes. This was something Rory knew he could do. As Zoe said goodbye to her mother, she shifted in his lap.
‘Rory…’
‘Hmmm?’
‘I think I need to lie down.’
Panic flared. ‘Are you okay?’
She giggled at his response and guided his hands under her top to her breasts. ‘I need you to take care of me.’
Relief flooded through him. They were back on solid ground. He brushed his lips against her throat and she shivered.
‘Well, we’d better get you home then,’ he murmured.
There wasnothing more intoxicating to Rory than getting his wife off. Over and over again. His own orgasms were always spectacular and carried a risk of aneurysm, but the sensation was deeper and more complex with Zoe. The taste of her on his tongue, the feel of her fevered skin, the way herthighs clamped around his head, the sound of her screaming his name. It was a rush like no other. And now, making her come was the ultimate distraction from the baby elephant in his mental room.
