And there it was. The reason for tonight’s dinner. Astrid was trying to get me to commit to something I just wasn’t willing to commit to yet. My priority was making sure my son arrived safely. After that, we would figure out how it all worked. But we would figure it out with Chastity.
I stood up. “It’s late. I should go.”
“Please, don’t.” She awkwardly rose to her feet. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to push the subject. But he’ll be here soon and I think we should have some kind of plan, don’t you?”
We had a plan.
“I should really go. I’m beat.”
I wanted to call Chastity. Hear her voice. Tell her I loved her.
Beg her not to give up on me.
“You’ve had a few glasses of wine. You can sleep here.”
“I’m fine. I’ve only had a couple of glasses.”
She stopped me when I went to pick up my keys from the kitchen counter. “I didn’t say anything earlier, but I’ve been feeling strange since this afternoon.”
I swung around. “Strange? How do you mean?”
She smiled broadly. “I think I might be in the early stages of labor.”
There’s nothing like those words to kick your ass into action.
“Are you kidding me? Then we need to get you to the hospital.”
“No, no. Not yet.” She laughed at my reaction. “It could be false labor. It’s really nothing yet. Just a few twinges. No pain.” But her laughter faded and she looked at me with big, pleading eyes. “Please, will you stay? I’d feel so much better if you were here.”
I looked at her swollen belly where my son was growing. If she was right and she was in the early stages of labor, it would be better for me to be here in case things escalated during the night.
“Sure. I’ll take the couch.”
“Thank you,” she said softly.
She got me a pillow and blankets, and I settled onto the couch for the night. I heard her moving about upstairs, heard the shower and then the soft hum of the hairdryer before my eyes grew heavy and I fell into a deep sleep.
It was the gentle caress of lips that woke me.
I was dreaming I was back in Destiny at the clubhouse. Chastity was there and she was kissing me and dear God, it was so good to see her. To touch her. To kiss her. I wrapped my hands around her jaw and kissed her hungrily, wanting her so badly my cock was almost punching through my jeans. She echoed my own thoughts.
“I want you so bad. Make love to me,” she breathed in my ear.
She pressed her hands against my cock sending a surge of desire tearing through me and ripping me out of my dream.
My eyes flicked open.
But it wasn’t a dream.
And it wasn’t Chastity who was kissing me.
It was Astrid.
She was leaning over me, her mouth moving against mine as her hand rubbed my cock.
Well, fuck.
“Stop!” I pushed her away, gently because she was pregnant, but hard enough to let her know I meant business. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?”
She rubbed me again, and the pleasure swirled through me. I pulled her hand off me.
“This isn’t going to happen,” I said. But she didn’t listen and I had to move away to stop her from grabbing my crotch again.
She frowned and rose to her feet.
“I love you, Ruger. We’re a good fit and we can make this work. Your son will be here soon and we can be a family. Let’s make the most of the time we have left and spend it reconnecting.”
She untied her robe and let it slip to the floor. She had nothing on underneath and stood before me naked, flawless, and very determined. In the dim light, her round belly glowed like a large shiny orb.
I stared at her like a dumbass.
“I want you and I know you want me. I want you to touch me, baby. I want you to make love to me.” She took my hand and started to guide it to the mound of hair between her legs, but I yanked it away and sat up.
“Okay, this stops now,” I said, swinging my legs over the side of the couch and standing up. “This isn’t going to happen, I thought you understood that.”
I was an ass for not seeing this coming. Astrid had always used sex as a way to reconnect after a fight. It was in her nature to think everything between us could be fixed by a night of fucking in her bed.
I picked up my keys and wallet off the coffee table, and shoved my cut over my hoodie.
But if I thought she was going to give up easily, then I was a stupid fool. Astrid wasn’t the quitting kind. She stepped toward me and fixed me with her big eyes, touching me on the arm and making sure her belly brushed against mine.