Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
I peered up at his face, trying to determine the emotion behind the words, but Maximus had closed me off again. Our intimate moment turned awkward soon, and I began to wiggle. “I think we’re fine now.”
Maximus shoved up and got out of bed. “I’ll grab a shower. You probably can’t join me?” He looked at me over his shoulder, already on his way to the bathroom.
I shook my head. I lifted my hips off the mattress because I’d read somewhere that would help. Maximus regarded me for a couple more heartbeats before he left without another word.
I closed my eyes and touched my lower belly. I could still feel the aftershocks of my orgasm and the hot sensation of Maximus’s release inside me. With a glance at the closed bathroom door, I slid my hand lower to feel my pussy. It felt swollen in a way I had never thought possible, and my light touch ignited a new desire that surprised me. With a small smile, I closed my eyes and relished in the sensations.
Eventually, I lowered my hips back to the mattress. The bathroom door opened, and Maximus stepped out, a towel wrapped around his narrow hips. I allowed myself to take in his muscled chest and the tattoos adorning his skin before I realized what I was doing and met his gaze. His expression was wary, and the contentment I’d felt evaporated. In the light from the bathroom, I suddenly felt vulnerable and exposed. I grabbed the sheets and sat up, covering my body.
“I’m heading to bed now,” Maximus said, then paused.
I licked my lip, wondering if I should ask him to stay. I realized I would have liked that. His proximity that had been strange to me before now felt almost familiar. Our movie evenings and now our first enjoyable sex made me want to be even closer to him.
“I’ll leave on the light in case you want to use the bathroom. Sleep tight,” he said as he headed toward the bedroom door. I realized I’d missed the right moment to ask for him to stay. With a heavy heart, I watched him leave and close the door.
When I woke the following morning, I stared at the ceiling for a while, simply enjoying the moment. Today was Saturday, and Maximus had plans to help his parents in the shelter again. I decided to ask him if I could join him. I wanted to make more of an effort not just with Maximus but also with his parents. I had rarely seen them since our wedding, and I felt guilty for it. They probably thought I didn’t like them, which wasn’t true. They had been kind to me, and I wanted to get to know them better.
I glanced at the clock on my wall. It was only seven o’clock, but in the past, Maximus had always left around nine to visit them and dropped me off at my parents on the way there.
I got out of bed. Despite my nerves, I went in search of Maximus. Today was still the highest chance of conception. At the thought of repeating last night, my body warmed, and my core clenched. I was looking forward to Maximus’s touch.
For the first time, the reason I wanted Maximus’s closeness wasn’t centered around having a baby. My body was lusting for his touch, for his lips and tongue. Strangely enough, last night had felt like a liberation. It had cut through one of the shackles of the past that had bound me. I never thought enjoying Maximus’s touch would help me with the past, but it did. I hadn’t even been haunted by nightmares. The two previous times of us having sex to get me pregnant had triggered me into some of my worst nightmares as of yet, but last night, there was absolutely nothing. I hadn’t dreamed at all. A sense of accomplishment filled me. It felt like a small victory against the past and what my head made me want to believe about myself since the incident.
I knew there would still be bad nights and days. The past couldn’t just easily be shaken off, but I felt new hope that I could give my future a new, positive twist.
I went to Maximus’s bedroom. The door was open a gap. I knocked and stepped in, then froze when I spotted Maximus. He only had a towel wrapped around his hips and was naked otherwise. He was toweling his wet hair. I allowed myself to admire his body. He worked out almost every day, and it showed in every inch of his body, from his bulging biceps, over his broad chest to his six-pack and round ass. Even his tattoos hardly bothered me. They were artfully done, especially the forest scene on his right pec and shoulder: intricate firs and broad-leafed trees, a small meadow and a creek. It reminded me of the forest at his parents’ house.