“What can I do for you, honey?” he said, smiling.
She was wearing a long, yellow flowing dress that doubled as a nighty. It was thin and generally perfect for Nova Aurora's temperature. She wore it without a bra, feeling comfortable enough in their bedroom to not feel the need to cover up what made her feel so much like herself.
Lexi uncurled her legs, stood, and walked over to her husband. He watched her the same way a lion watched its cubs explore … with curiosity and intrigue.
She sat on his strong thighs, loving the sensation of his strength. He wrapped an arm around her waist and rested his hand on her hips while the other pushed hair out of her face and rested on the back of her neck.
Rao gazed up at her with such admiration. How could she ever doubt that handsome face?
“It’s more of something I want to tell you,” she whispered.
Rao remained silent, his eyes sharpening in anticipation of a threat. She knew that his greatest fear was losing her. She didn’t let the moment linger too long before a slow smile grew on her lips like the budding of a rose.
“I think I’m pregnant,” she said plainly.
Rao’s look of fear melted away like ice on a hot day. The grin that captured his face was that of a little boy on Christmas Day, times a thousand.
“You think?” he said, his lips trembling with excitement.
She nodded frantically. “I went with Riley to the doctor yesterday, and they did some tests I didn’t recognize for Earth standards anyway. He said I’m about a week pregnant.”
Rao grabbed onto her hips on both sides, slowly moving his hands up to her belly. “Shifter doctors are more advanced than Earth ones,” he said, a smile about to crack his face like glass. “They are always more sure. Lexi, you are pregnant with our child.”
Lexi felt a rapture of happiness she had never experienced wash over her. It made her feel dizzy and excited and a bit faint, all at the same time.
“I’m pregnant!” she said, holding her hands up into the air.
“Yes, you are!” Rao bellowed. He rose from the chair and lifted Lexi into his arms. He spun her around as they laughed joyously, then Rao placed her on the edge of the stone balcony ledge with her legs wrapped around his waist. It wasn’t the first time she had sat there. They had once made love that way in the darkness of the night.
Rao grabbed her face and peppered her with quick, sweet kisses. He moved from her lips to her neck, to her chest, and her breasts then held his face over her belly. He stared for a long moment as Lexi ran her hands through his hair.
“Were you afraid to tell me?” he whispered.
Lexi pulled his head back up to hers, letting her lips part with desire over his. “Yes,” she said faintly. “But not because of anything you would have done differently. It was just my past creeping in again.”
Rao cupped her cheeks with both hands and then brought his lips close to hers. Lexi’s heart was in a flutter as she felt his breath for a few moments before they collided. Their kisses always floored her, sending an electric spark down from her mouth, all the way between her legs and the depths of her soul. She hoped that sensation would never vanish.
They held onto the kiss for a moment, then when Rao parted, he ran his hands through her hair. He was such a strong, capable man, but he was gentle and considerate when he touched her.
Lexi closed her eyes as he spoke sweetly and softly.
“You never have to worry about anything with me,” he assured her. “I’m never going to leave you. I want a family with you. I want you to want a family with me. I love you more than all of the stars that exist in this universe.”
Lexi opened her eyes, her tongue slipping from her lips with a playful expression. “In all the universes?” she quipped.
Rao nodded with a smile, then hitched his hands under her thighs, so her pelvis was pressed against him. She gasped, sensing that he was already hard against her core.
“In every single one,” he said slowly.
Lexi groaned, which made Rao growl. Their kiss became more feverish and wilder as their hunger for each other became unleashed. Rao slipped a hand under her dress, parting her underwear.
“Do you want to go inside?” he whispered.
“Here,” Lexi said, breath catching with desire. “I want you here.”
They made love on the terrace in one of the most intense and loving exchanges of carnal desire they had ever experienced.
They went on their pre-planned picnic the next day with the intention of informing everyone about the pregnancy. Lexi was glowing.