“How far along are you?” I asked.
“Ten weeks,” Julie answered.
“Ten weeks?” Dena asked. “And you haven’t breathed a word to anyone, not even Sasha?”
Julie shook her head. “I wanted to make sure. I was afraid something would happen, and I’d miscarry or something. It’s so common.”
Dena nodded and wiped the tear off her cheek.
“But,” Julie continued. “When we went to the doctor’s earlier this past week, we could hear the heartbeat. They said chance of miscarriage goes down a lot after that.”
My mind was somewhere else. “Did you say three?”
Julie giggled. “We’ll probably change our minds, but that’s the current plan.”
“Jeff and I thought about having a third, but decided we’d stop at two,” Dena said.
We spoke for a few minutes about pregnancy and babies. I’d loved being pregnant both times, but that alone wasn’t enough of a reason to have a third child. Nathaniel and I had always said we only wanted two children, and our lives felt complete with the four of us. We were all so busy now, I couldn’t imagine what adding a newborn would do to the mix.
Julie asked me a question about the obstetrics group I had gone to for both of my pregnancies, and I turned my attention back to the conversation at hand.
3
Abby
Two weeks later, we stepped out of an electronic taxi in front of our chalet in Zermatt, Switzerland. I called it ours, but technically it’s mine since Nathaniel gave it to me on our honeymoon here. I made my way to the stone pathway that led to the front door while he gathered our luggage and tipped the driver.
As property owners we had an electrical car, as those were the only type allowed in Zermatt, but it mostly stayed in the garage, even when we visited. Most people walked, but it was too far to walk to the village and by having our own vehicle, we didn’t have to rely on taxis.
I took the quiet minute to breathe in the crisp winter air. There was nothing like it anywhere else. Nor had I ever found another chalet like ours.
The three story home appeared to have been carved out of the side the mountain where it was located. Though we had neighbors, they weren’t close enough to be seen. Standing from the top level of the chalet, you could almost see the village in the distance during the day. It was easier to locate at night, the lights made it appear like a child’s toy set.
The floor to ceiling windows found on the second and third levels also allowed an incredible view of the Matterhorn.
Even though I’d made a fuss initially, I truly loved our chalet, and treasured any time we spent in Switzerland. The kids enjoyed it was well, and this was actually only the second time since they’d been born that we were here without them. The first happened years ago, following Cole and Sasha’s collaring ceremony in England. But that had only been for a weekend.
Our visit this time would be for a week.
My heart raced at the thought. An entire week with only the two of us. When we were still at home, the concept of having that much alone time together sounded wonderful, but in a vague, somewhat cloudy vision. Standing at the doorway to the chalet with the next few days a blank canvas stretching out before me, that vision became less cloudy.
I wasn’t aware of any change in my demeanor until Nathaniel stood at my side, took one look at me, and asked what was wrong.
“Nothing,” I answered. “Why?”
His lips pressed together. “You looked worried about something.”
“I’m not,” I said, taking my key and unlocking the door. “Must be my subconscious mom-self worrying about the kids.”
He nodded and waited for me to enter before following with our bags. I don’t think he believed my subconscious mom-self statement. But at least it sounded plausible. Unlike the actual thought running through my head which was so preposterous, I refused to acknowledge it.
I stepped inside and took a quick glance around. Nathaniel had arranged for the chalet to be prepared for us, including having the refrigerator and pantry stocked so we wouldn’t have to worry with grocery shopping.
I continued walking and made my way up the stairs to our bedroom. Nathaniel followed only a few steps behind, knowing from living with me for over ten years exactly where I was headed.
Travel always made me feel icky and dirty. International travel, even more so. Nine times out of ten, the first thing I did after reaching our destination was take a shower, and I always packed with that in mind. Placing my carry-on on the bed, I took out my travel toiletry bag and a set of clean clothes.
Nathaniel gave me a knowing grin as I passed by him on my way to the bathroom. But just as he knew me, I knew him. While I showered, he’d be double checking to ensure everything he’d requested had been taken care of.
Which was why I nearly shrieked when the shower door opened no longer than thirty seconds after I stepped in myself. I swallowed the sound before it made its way out of my mouth. Instead, I took a few seconds to admire his naked form, and then I slapped his chest.
“What the hell?” I asked. “You scared me half to death!”
“Why? Where you expecting someone else to pop up in your shower?” he teased.
He was naked, but wasn’t touching me, and he called me the tease? I’d show him a tease. I turned away, and said over my shoulder. “I wasn’t expecting anyone. I thought you’d be checking the place out.” I soaped up my hands, and ran them across my body, acting as if he wasn’t there.
“That was my plan,” he said. “But then I thought of you in here alone, all naked and hot and wet, and I realized I needed to fuck you before I did anything else. ”
His reply, talking dirty and managing to do so while keeping his voice calm and nonchalant, sent bolts of need and desire that heated me quicker than the warm water.
“Oh?” I squeaked.
All at once he was behind me. He reached out and turned off the shower heads above us, keeping only the side ones on us. The movement had his cock brush against me, and I couldn’t stop the moan from leaving my throat.
He chuckled and grabbed my upper arms, pulling my backside closer to his front. “Oh, yes. And with that sound, I can tell you want it just as bad.”
We had all week. I decided to keep playing. “I’m pretty sure that was my, wonder if we can find more of that cheese we liked so much the last time we were here, sound.”
“You’re lying.”
“No. I’m pretty sure it was the cheese.”
He remained silent as he walked us over to the bench built into the shower. “Bend over. Hands on the seat.”
Anticipation and need washed over me in equal measure as I bent over with my ass in the air. I sucked in a breath at the unexpected sensation when he brought his hand down for a sharp slap against my most sensitive skin.
Oh.
“Are you expecting me to believe cheese got you this wet?” he asked, with another slap.
My.
“Or was it the thought of something else?” Slap.
God.
“It might have been something else.” As much as his current actions were arousing me, they weren’t enough to get me off, and he knew it.
Slap. “Might have been?”