Their Pregnancy Gift. Kate Hardy

then she stopped thinking as Alex dropped to his knees in front of her and peeled her tights downwards. He nuzzled her abdomen, and she couldn’t help the sharp intake of breath.

      He undid her cast and removed it gently, then finished taking off her tights, letting her lean on him for support. ‘You mentioned something about carrying you to bed.’

      ‘Uh-huh.’ She stole a kiss. ‘Strictly speaking, I should’ve been wearing a Regency dress and you should be in a frock coat and a flowing shirt with a waistcoat, cravat and silk breeches.’

      He raised an eyebrow. ‘Just call me Darcy, hmm?’

      ‘Something like that.’

      ‘It’s too late for the outfit,’ he said. ‘But I can still do the carrying. Though, before I forget myself completely, where do you keep your condoms?’

      ‘Top drawer of my bedside cabinet,’ she said.

      ‘Would you mind if I...?’

      ‘Sure,’ she said. Whatever she’d previously thought about Alex being rude and difficult, she’d changed her mind. He had perfect manners.

      And then she stopped thinking as he scooped her up and carried her over to her bed. He pulled the duvet back and laid her back against the pillows. And she felt weirdly shy all of a sudden; he must’ve sensed it, because he climbed into bed next to her, pulled the duvet over both of them and drew her into his arms.

      ‘You can still change your mind,’ he said. ‘The Year of Saying Yes is about seizing opportunities, not making yourself do something you don’t want to do.’

      ‘I want to do this,’ she said. ‘But it’s been a while.’

      ‘Same here. And we agreed, no pressure. This is just for tonight. A moment out of time.’

      ‘Never to be spoken of again.’

      ‘Exactly. And now we stop speaking,’ he said, and kissed her.

      And after that it was easy to stop thinking, stop speaking, and just lose herself in pleasure—to let herself enjoy touching him, exploring the hardness of his muscles and the softness of his skin.

      * * *

      Alex dipped his head and nuzzled the hollows of Dani’s collar bones. He loved the way her skin felt against his mouth, and the soft fruity scent of her shower gel. She arched back against the bed and he moved lower, taking one nipple into his mouth and sucking hard. She slid her hands into his hair, urging him on.

      And he forgot all the nightmares that had plagued him over the last few months. All he could think of was Dani, and how much he wanted to be inside her. How much he wanted to give as much pleasure as he took.

      He kissed his way down over her abdomen, then shifted to kneel between her legs.

      ‘Alex, yes,’ she whispered as his tongue stroked along her sex.

      He teased her, flicking the tip of her clitoris with the tip of his tongue, until her hands clenched in his hair and her body tightened beneath his mouth. And then he ripped open the foil packet he’d taken from her bedside cabinet, slid the condom over his erection and pushed into her.

      ‘Alex,’ she whispered, and he held still, letting her body adjust to the feel of him inside her.

      Her dark eyes were wide with pleasure, and he loved the knowledge that he’d been able to do that for her.

      ‘I wanted the first time to be for you,’ he said softly.

      Her eyes filled with tears, as if she wasn’t used to her feelings being considered like that. Then again, given the little she’d told him about her past, consideration hadn’t been high on her ex’s agenda.

      ‘Hey. It’s the Year of Saying Yes,’ he said.

      She smiled. ‘Yes.’

      And then she took it to another level, wrapping her legs round him to draw him deeper and tensing her muscles round him.

      ‘Oh. Yes.’ The breath hissed out of him.

      And then he stopped thinking, instead responding to the physicality between them and revelling in the way she made him feel.

      By the time he climaxed, his head was spinning; and then he felt her body rippling round his as her own climax hit. He wrapped his arms round her and held her tightly until it had all ebbed away.

      ‘I’d better deal with the condom,’ he said finally.

      ‘There are fresh towels in the bathroom. Help yourself to anything you need.’ She paused. ‘Stay tonight.’

      He ought to say no. Put distance between them. Go back to being sensible and isolated.

      But every bit of him yearned to say yes. To spend the night with her wrapped in his arms, to let her take the loneliness away—and to make her feel less alone, too.

      As if his dilemma showed on his face, she said softly, ‘It’s the Year of Saying Yes.’

      So what else could he do?

      ‘Yes.’

      * * *

      The next morning, Alex woke, feeling slightly disorientated: this wasn’t his bed, and he was spooned against a warm female body, with his arm wrapped round her waist.

      Dani.

      Thanks to her, his heart felt lighter than it had for months. But it still didn’t change the stark reality of his situation. Even though he wished things could be different, last night had to be just that: last night. A one-off. Something that had healed some of the pain for both of them, but still a temporary solution.

      He was about to try and disentangle himself from her when there was a sharp shrill, a groan, and then she reached out to hit the top of the alarm clock and the noise stopped.

      And then she turned to face him. ‘Good morning.’

      ‘Good morning,’ he said warily.

      She pressed her palm briefly against his cheek. ‘Don’t look so worried. I usually hit the gym before work, so you’ve got plenty of time to have breakfast and then get back to your own place for clean clothes.’