The Proposition (17 page)

Shaking her head at him, she unlocked the
front door and held it open for Aidan. When she turned to close and
lock it behind them, Aidan beat her to the punch. Grabbing her from
behind, he took her hands and placed them flush against the wooden
door. He buried his face into the side of her neck before wrapping
his arms around her waist and pressing his erection against her
backside. Grinding into her, he moaned, “God, Em, I want you so
much it hurts.”

The feel of his need against her caused
warmth to flood her core. She had missed him emotionally, but the
growing ache between her legs was her body’s way of showing her
just how much he had been missed physically.

One of his hands slid from her waist up her
torso to cup her breast. When he kneaded it roughly like she
usually enjoyed, she yelped in pain, rather than pleasure.

At her reaction, Aidan instantly tensed. He
spun her around to face him, his brows creased with worry. “I’m
sorry, Em. You used to get off when I did that.”

She cupped his face in her hands, rubbing her
thumbs along his jaw-line. “It’s not your fault. I should have
warned you that my breasts are…” She bit her lip and tried to
imagine how she was going to explain this. “Well, they’re really
tender right now because of being pregnant.” Even though she tried
fighting it, she felt her face flushing in embarrassment.

“Oh, I see.” When she forced herself to look
at Aidan, he was staring quizzically at her breasts. After he
scratched his chin, Emma asked, “What?”

“Is there, like, milk already in them or
something?”

She laughed. “No, no, it’s nothing like
that.”

Although he seemed relieved, he still wasn’t
touching her. Slowly, she grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled
it over her head. She held Aidan’s smoldering gaze as she reached
behind her back and unhooked her bra. After she let it drop to the
floor, she took his hands in hers and brought them to her chest.
“Just be gentle, okay?” She worked his hands over her breasts,
illustrating the pattern and pressure to use. “Mmm, that’s good,”
she said.

As his fingers rolled and teased her nipples
to hardened peaks, he arched his eyebrows questioningly at her.
“Very good,” she murmured.

While he kept up his ministrations, she
reached over to loosen his tie. Once she slipped it off, she
started at the buttons on his shirt. After whisking it away, she
started for his belt buckle. She must not have been moving fast
enough because Aidan’s hands left her breasts to unzip and kick off
his pants.

At the sight of his rumpled boxers—the very
ones he was wearing just for her to conceive— she grinned. Taking
his hand, she led him down the hall towards the bedroom. He used
his free hand to caress her backside. It was like he couldn’t stop
touching her even for a second. When they got into the bedroom, he
slid his hand from her buttocks to grip her waist, pulling her
towards him. She wrapped her arms around his chest, enjoying the
sensation of feeling his bare skin on her breasts.

Aidan’s mouth met Emma’s in a frenzied,
desperate kiss as she guided them over to the bed. She brought her
hands to his chest and shoved him, sending him sprawling onto the
bed. Instead of lying down, he raised himself up into a sitting
position. Grabbing Emma’s hips, Aidan tugged her closer.

After spending a few minutes delicately
licking and sucking her nipples, he kissed from the hollow of her
breasts down over her stomach. His nimble fingers whisked off her
panties, leaving her naked and feeling vulnerable in front of him.
When he didn’t begin kissing or stroking her, Emma glanced down at
him. Her breath hitched at the sight of him staring at her
belly.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing,” he murmured.

“You didn’t expect me to already be showing,
did you?”

“No, of course not. But your body is already
changing in little ways. I can tell.” Lightly, he grazed her
abdomen with the back of his fingers. He wore an almost mesmerized
expression. “So there’s a part of me in there, huh?”

“Yes,” she said softly.

He titled his head to the side, smiling up at
her. “Damn. That’s pretty amazing when you stop to think about
it.”

The tiny fluttering of her heart broke into a
full gallop at his words. “It is.”

When Aidan leaned in to feather tender kisses
across her belly, Emma came undone. The gesture brought tears to
her eyes. She bit down so hard on her bottom lip to keep from
sobbing that a metallic rush of blood filled her mouth. Just as she
thought she might go over the emotional abyss, he flicked his
tongue over her clit while his fingers sought out her core.
Gasping, she brought her hand to his hair and fisted the strands.
All thoughts escaped her mind except for the exquisite torment of
his tongue as it licked and sucked over her sex.

It didn’t take long for her to throw her head
back and cry out his name as she came. As her body was still
reeling, he gripped her waist and spun her around, pushing her
towards the bed. Emma fought the wave of dizziness that spiraled
over her that was unfortunately not the usual post orgasm kind, but
instead was another aspect of pregnancy plaguing her.

With a hungry smile, Aidan pressed her down
onto the mattress. But then when positioned himself over her body,
he froze. He then rocked back to sit on his knees between her legs.
“What’s wrong?” Emma asked.

He scratched his head. “Um, I don’t quite
know how to say this.”

Propping up on her elbows, Emma asked, “What
do you mean?”

“Here’s the thing. I’m kind of afraid.”

Emma felt like her eyebrows were going to
shoot right off her forehead. “Excuse me?”

“What I mean is, I’m afraid of doing
something that will hurt the baby. Like crushing it with my body on
yours or thrusting too deep or some shit like that.”

“Oh, I see,” she murmured. She fought the
urge to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Never in a million
years would she have imagined Aidan being afraid of sex.

“Well, my doctor didn’t say anything about
abstaining from sex, so I think we’ll be fine.”

Hope flashed in Aidan’s eyes. “You
think?”

She could no longer hold back her laugher.
“Yes, I’m positive.”

“Oh, so this is funny now?”

She nodded. “If you could see the look on
your face.”

Scowling, he crossed his arms over his chest.
“Well, excuse me, for wanting to protect our child.”

Emma rose up and took Aidan’s face in her
hands. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have laughed. It’s just that most
couples, married or unmarried, don’t stop having sex when pregnancy
happens.” When he started to argue, she put a finger over his lips
to silence him. “But I do appreciate your worry and concern. Each
and every time we’ve been together, you’ve always been considerate
not to do anything that would hurt me. I’m sure you’ll continue
doing the same thing now.”

He grimaced. “It’s just…I’m worried because
it’s been awhile for me. If I’m being totally honest, it’s one of
the longest periods of going without sex in my adult life, and I’m
worried about getting too carried away.”

“It’ll be fine. Trust me, I’ll let you know
if something is wrong.”

Aidan gave her a wary look before he
nodded.

“Now why don’t you make love to me? Nice and
slow,” she said.

Aidan blew out a puff of air. “I can
try.”

Emma couldn’t help giggling at the determined
expression on his face. “I can’t believe Mr. Aidan Fitzgerald—Sex
God Extraordinaire—is doubting his bedroom abilities.”

At her taunting, Aidan’s expressed flipped
over from anxious to smoldering in barely a second. “There goes
that mouth of yours again,” he replied, his voice low and
husky.

“Umm, hmm,” Emma murmured, bringing his face
to hers. She needed his warm lips on hers desperately. Sliding her
tongue into his mouth, she caressed his, causing him to groan deep
in the back of his throat.

Emma reached between them and took his
erection in her hand. She stroked him hard and fast, causing
Aidan’s jaw to clench. After working his glorious length a few more
moments, Aidan grunted, his hips bucking back and forth into her
hand.

“Em,” he murmured.

She then guided his erection to her folds. He
entered her slowly, tediously, inch by inch, until she was filled
with him. She realized then how much she had missed the feeling of
him being inside her. When he pulled out, Emma gasped at the empty
feeling. His frantic eyes met hers, and she smiled. “It’s okay.
Keep doing what you’re doing.”

“I’ll try,” he replied, plunging back inside
of her.

Emma gripped Aidan’s shoulders while widening
her legs. His pace became exquisitely languorous. With each stroke,
Emma raised her hips to meet him. They moved in perfect unison
together, panting and drawing breaths in the same measure.

Aidan took Emma’s hand and brought it between
them. “Touch yourself,” he instructed. Embarrassment filled her at
his request. When she started to jerk her hand away, Aidan shook
his head. “If you won’t touch yourself, then touch me…touch
us
.”

A shudder went through her at his words, and
she felt herself not only relenting but feeling wildly turned on.
Tentatively, she slid her hand down to where they were joined,
feeling him sliding in and out of her. She ran her fingers over his
cock, slick from their shared arousals. Aidan moaned in approval.
“Yeah, babe. Oh fuck, that feels good.” After working him over, she
finally brought her hand back to her clit and started to stroke and
rub it.

Closing her eyes, she let the feeling wash
over her. It was almost too much—the sensation from Aidan thrusting
in and out coupled with stimulating herself. It didn’t take long
for an orgasm to build and ripple through her. “Aidan! Oh Aidan!”
she screamed.

“Oh, fuck, Em, I don’t think I’m going to
last much longer,” Aidan said, through gritted teeth.

She brought her lips to his, kissing him hard
and passionately while he shuddered and came into her. He fell
against her like he usually did, covering her body with his.
“Dammit to hell!” he cursed. His expression was one of horror when
he met her gaze. “Christ, did I hurt you just then?”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Aidan, would you stop
worrying? I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

She grinned. “Maybe ready for dessert.”

He snorted. “I thought what we just did was
some fucking wild dessert!”

“Hmm, well, that was really, really hot, but
I’m more in the mood for something cold and sweet.” When he quirked
his eyebrows at her, she giggled. “But what we just did was pretty
sweet too!”

“Let me guess. Ben & Jerry’s are calling
your name, huh?”

Emma nodded.

“Then let me be a true gentleman and go get
it for you.”

“Ooh, post sex ice cream…how romantic!” she
mused.

“There goes that mouth of yours again,” Aidan
replied, as he climbed out of bed and started for the kitchen.

“Good thing I’m about to fill it with ice
cream, huh?”

Aidan winked at her over his shoulder. “I
could think of something better to cram in your mouth.”

She tossed a pillow at him for his audacity.
“Go get the ice cream, and I’ll think of letting you back in this
bed.”

“Oh, you’ll let me back. In fact, I’ll wager
you’ll be begging me.”

As he started out of the bedroom, Emma
couldn’t help shivering in anticipation of what the rest of the
night held in store.

Drifting between sleep and consciousness,
Emma felt something moist trailing up her bare back and over her
neck. When Aidan pressed his morning erection against her backside,
her eyes flew open. She turned to gaze at him over her shoulder.
“Good morning to you, too. Or should I say the both of you,” she
said, her voice laced with amusement.

Aidan’s chuckle hummed in her ear. “I’m sorry
I woke you. I couldn’t help getting so turned on when I woke up
next to a fiery, naked goddess.”

“Are you thinking by merely flattering me I’m
going to let you have your way with me again?”

“I sure as hell hope so.”

“Hmm, I thought I gave you your consolation
sex prize last night. I don’t recall this morning being a part of
the deal.”

“So you want to tease me and play hard to
get, huh?” Aidan snaked his hand across her belly and between her
legs. She sucked in a breath. “Was that a yes?” he asked, his
fingers speeding up their tempo.

“It’s definitely not a no,” she murmured,
tilting her head back against his shoulder.

Just as she felt herself building to an
orgasm, the familiar morning nausea seized her. “No, no, stop!” she
cried.

Aidan gazed down at her in surprise. “What’s
wrong?”

“I—” She clapped her hand over her mouth,
willing herself not to throw up on him. She clambered over his legs
and streaked into the bathroom. She barely made it before her
stomach clenched. She gripped the sides of toilet seat and retched
violently. Over and over, her stomach heaved. Exhausted, she sank
to her knees. When she glanced up, Aidan stood framed in the
doorway. He had managed to slide on his underwear, and she noticed
her episode had killed his libido.

“Morning sickness?”

“Umm, hmm,” she moaned.

“Can I get you anything?”

“No, I—” She heaved again. Dragging her arm
across her mouth, she didn’t dare look at Aidan. It was too
embarrassing having him see her this way. Staring at the tile, she
said, “I’m fine. Really. Go back to bed.”

Without a word, Aidan left the bathroom. Emma
couldn’t blame him. She could only imagine this unattractive aspect
to pregnancy would just be another reason to drive him away. What
would he want with someone like her when he could have any woman he
wanted?

Pressing her cheek against the toilet lid,
she felt the bile rising in her throat again. She silently willed
herself not to get sick again. Then Aidan appeared in the doorway.
Emma peered up to see a glass of water and a bag of saltine
crackers in his hands. When she stared at him in shock, he gave her
a sheepish grin. “I thought this might help.”