Lover (Betrothed 3)

“It was personal. Just leave it alone.”

His anger died away, and his eyes slowly softened. He probably understood how much he was cornering me, how uncomfortable he was making me. “You can tell me anything. How many times do I have to say that?”

“I will tell you. I’m just not ready.”

Whenever we were home, the only space I got was in the bathroom. If I visited the rest of the house, I would run into my mother. She was nosier than he was, so she wouldn’t get off my case.

I stood in the shower under the warm water. My hair stuck to the back of my neck, and my hand grazed over my slightly extended stomach. Now I could really feel the person inside me. It wasn’t that obvious, but I was so thin that any weight gain was noticeable. But this wasn’t general weight gain. It was all concentrated in one spot. If someone saw me in just my underwear, they would assume I was in the early stages of pregnancy.

I closed my eyes and tried to relax. I could just pretend the baby belonged to Hades, and that would help me be happy. I could keep lying until I believed it. But if the baby came out with blue eyes and similar features to Maddox, I would have to lie every moment of every day to convince myself otherwise.

I was deep in thought when I noticed the slight click of the door behind me. My eyes snapped open, and my body turned rigid when I realized I wasn’t alone. I wasn’t afraid to be naked with my husband because he would never pressure me into something I wasn’t ready for. But now that I was buck naked, my belly would be impossible to hide. I could keep my back to him, but that wouldn’t work for long.

My heart started to race when I realized this was the moment. Hades would know the truth, and it would change everything…for better or worse.

Probably for worse.

He came up behind me and placed his hands on my hips. A moment later, his chest pressed into my back, and he rested his chin on my head.

I was so still.

His deep voice was audible over the shower. “Can I join you?”

I could feel his arousal against my back, feel the way his fingers dug into my skin. I could tell he wanted me, that he was growing tired of waiting. He gave me subtle openings to see if I was ready to change my mind, but if I didn’t take it, he let it go. “Yes.”

His arms wrapped around my chest and over my arms, and he held me close, his arms a protective cage that kept all the bad thoughts out. We hadn’t spoken much since he’d confronted me in my office a few days ago, and now he seemed apologetic about his behavior.

He bent his neck down and kissed me on the shoulder. Then his hands started to guide me in a circle, to turn me around so he could see my face.

I couldn’t control my breathing. It went haywire, deep and fast. My heart was beating at a frenzied rate. If I weren’t covered in water, I’d be sweating. When I made the full rotation, I looked him in the eye with fear written all over my face.

His eyes moved to mine, and he watched me for several seconds, taking in my features and reading them like words on a page. His hands went to my hips, and he probably thought my unease was because of this level of intimacy. “It’s okay. It’s me.”

There was no going back, so I grabbed both of his hands and placed them over my stomach.

Instantly, he noticed the expanded curves of my body. His fingers lightly pressed into me in reaction. His chin dropped, and his eyes moved to my swollen belly. He didn’t blink. He didn’t move. He needed at least five seconds to process what I had just revealed to him. His reaction was blank, and now he was impossible to read.

He gently pulled his hands apart so he could see my full stomach. When he truly understood what he was looking at, he lifted his gaze and looked me in the eye. It took a moment for his surprise to fade away, for him to understand exactly what this meant. He’d walked into the bathroom thinking he could bring us closer together. Discovering I was pregnant was the very last thing he’d anticipated.

I waited for the questions, waited for the fear and anger.

Instead, his eyes softened like wilted flowers. He became so tender, his face taking on a boyish charm. His shoulders relaxed, and a gentle smile spread onto his lips. When his hand understood what his brain had absorbed, he gently rubbed it over my stomach, trying to connect to the life inside me.