“I hide all the good ones back there.” He gave her a cocky grin and an eyebrow waggle, but she noticed his cheeks took on a reddish tint.
Wow. Merit Diamond b
lushing? That might be a first.
“Is good code for erotic?” she asked in a mock scandalized voice.
“You’ll have to wait and see.” He pulled out his phone. “What am I ordering?”
“Pizza,” she answered decisively. “I don’t feel like wrestling with chopsticks.”
“I have silverware here.”
She shook her head while she bent to pick up the pacifier painting. “Nope. Stick with the pizza.”
“As you wish m’lady,” he teased with an exaggerated bow.
She snorted and rolled her eyes, then continued perusing while he placed the order. He didn’t ask what she wanted on it, but it turned out he didn’t need to. Sausage, pepperoni, and black olives. He’d definitely been paying attention over the past couple of months.
The moment he hung up, she went to the closed door and waited. He took his time walking over. She couldn’t quite tell if he was teasing her or delaying. Like earlier, he silently turned the handle before pushing the door open while stepping aside for her to go first.
She reached to flip on the light switch, then stopped in astonishment when she saw her face staring back at her. Her gaze shifted to the left and there was another one of her, this time of her profile. Then another with the wind blowing her hair across her face and her reaching up to brush it back. And then—
Her breath caught. And then one of her from behind, laying on her side, naked.
At least she assumed it was her, because of the wavy, shoulder-length blond hair, and the one next to it was definitely of her. Laying on her side, but from the front. Naked. Pregnant. It was a beautiful piece of art, all graceful curves and amazing use of shadow and light within the muted color tones.
“I haven’t creeped you out, have I?” he asked from slightly behind her.
She silently shook her head, not sure how to put into words what she felt in that moment. Lately, she’d been a little nervous about how he saw the changes in her body. The sex hadn’t changed—if anything, it had gotten even better—and yet she hadn’t been able to stem the worry her expanding belly, weight gain, stretch marks, and the other non-sexy parts of pregnancy would become a turn-off for him.
It seemed stupid sometimes. He hadn’t given her any reason to worry, and yet having gone through her first pregnancy without a man by her side, she wasn’t entirely sure what to expect and couldn’t seem to quiet the insecurities.
But there was a reverence in the image before her. Reverence, appreciation, and love. Each elegant, sweeping brushstroke conveyed a depth of emotion that brought on a rush of hormonal tears.
Merit’s hands gripped her hips to pull her back against him, then he slid them around to her belly. He rested his chin on her shoulder, his cheek rough against her neck. “Do you mind? I will get rid of them if you do.”
She linked her fingers with his and squeezed. “Don’t you dare. They’re beautiful. And…tasteful. I never in my life would’ve imagined I’d say that about something like this of me, but…Merit…I…” She swallowed hard before managing a whispered, “Thank you.”
He pressed his lips to her neck, then turned her around to cup one cheek. “You are beautiful, Mae,” he whispered before dipping his head to cover her mouth with his.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and opened her mouth to his questing tongue. He kissed her good and breathless, hands roaming over every inch of her body he could reach, until she was hot, and needy, and ready to hike up her dress and strip off her panties right there.
“Any other secrets you haven’t told me about?” she panted.
“I’ve fantasized of having you here many times.”
“Of having me here, or having me here?”
He answered by hiking up her dress and hooking his fingers in the waistband of her underwear. She clenched her fingers in his hair and moaned her approval in his ear. Next thing she knew, he’d lowered her down onto a leather couch she hadn’t even been aware was in the room. He knelt in front of her, pulled her bottom to the edge of the cushion, and stripped her panties all the way off.
She lay back, chest heaving as he kissed his way up her inner thigh, his darkened gaze locked with hers.
A loud buzzing sound jolted her pulse and made her jump.
“Pizza.” He muttered the word like a curse as he pushed to his feet. Leaning over her, he ordered, “Don’t you dare move.”
The moment he was out the door, she ignored his order. But as she’d guessed, he didn’t complain one bit when he returned to find her waiting for him, stripped of not only her panties, but dress and bra, too.