His naked body was deliciously warm and lean as he slid it between my thighs. I was already wet from just watching him, half-naked. His lids flickered as he pushed into me and sank to the hilt. A shudder of satisfaction seeped through my body and I closed my eyes and let my head fall back.
“Jesus, you are everything, angel,” he murmured.
I wound my fingers in his dark waves and kept my eyes closed as he fucked me in silence. Slowly, drawing out every stroke. Hitting every spot right where I needed to feel him. His mouth was hot and soft on my throat and little shivers spread out from each kiss he pressed to my skin.
He pushed those practiced fingers between our bodies and kept me on the edge until I felt his hips shudder. Then his touch increased until we gasped as one and pleasure burst where he touched the deepest parts of me. Our eyes locked and warmth swelled in my chest. He saw it in my face and he leaned down to kiss my mouth.
“Peregrine—”
“I know,” he whispered.
A few months after our return from Europe, I woke with a strange feeling in the back of my head. I was sluggish and my brain was foggy. When I stood, my breasts ached with a sudden jolt of pain. Wincing, I padded to the bathroom and sat down on the edge of the tub. The woman in the mirror stared back at me with purple circles beneath her eyes and puffy skin. I tugged down my slip and my nipples puckered, twinging. They looked different. A little darker than usual.
My heartbeat increased and I shot to my feet. There was a box of pregnancy tests under the sink and I grabbed one with shaking hands. My whole body tingled as I took the test and stood over it, my hands wringing. As soon as the wetness slid over the little window, it was obvious. There was a clear, bright plus sign.
“Oh my God,” I whispered, my mouth dry.
Then it hit me all at once as the realization sank in and I sank down to the floor. Completely overwhelmed. My hands shook as I found my phone and called Peregrine even though I knew he was probably in a meeting.
He picked up at once. “What’s wrong, angel?”
“I’m pregnant,” I whispered.
“You—are you sure?”
“Positive.”
I heard a chair scrape back and his footsteps clattered across the floor. Then a door opened and I heard the engine of the Cadillac purr to life. My chest warmed. He was already on his way back.
I’d pulled it together by the time he burst into the bedroom, his eyes wide. On the sink was a pile of tests that I’d taken while I waited for him and they all said the same thing. Very pregnant. As soon as I saw my husband, I took a deep breath and burst into tears.
He was beside me in a moment, taking me in his arms.
“What’s wrong, kitten?” he asked. “I thought we wanted this. We did it on purpose.”
“I know, I’m just so overwhelmed,” I gasped. “It’s probably a boy which means there’s going to be a little Peregrine running around doing God knows what. Probably carving tiny statues or something. I love you, Peregrine, but one of you is enough.”
He started laughing, a rich sound in his chest. “Maybe it’ll be a girl who looks just like you. Then you can both leave empty coffee cups in my car and play the piano at all hours of the day.”
I stepped back and he wiped my tears with the back of his hand. His eyes fixed on me and I found myself drawn in once again by the array of color in them. A kaleidoscope of every shade of the autumn leaves. All at once, the nerves tangled in my stomach eased. Our child would have his eyes and every time I looked into them I would remember that I was loved.
“I’m just happy and overwhelmed,” I whispered.
“It’s alright,” he said softly. “You can feel anything you want to. I’m so fucking happy, Lia. You have no idea how happy you make me.”
He picked me up and carried me to our bed. His hands were gentle as he placed me on my back and kissed down to my lower stomach. Then, gripping me gently, he laid his cheek between my hipbones. Holding both me and our baby in his protective embrace. My anxiety eased as I lay with him and a slow warmth crept into every corner of my being. Into my body and into the parts of my soul where no one had ever touched before him.
Somewhere between now and the beginning of our tumultuous relationship, he had melted my loneliness in the golden haze of his adoration. I would forever be lost in the kaleidoscope of Peregrines that filled every moment of my life like the sun. Just as I had since that warm, autumn day when he had walked up to my house in a halo of gold and shattered the barriers of isolation around me with his hot chaos.