Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 80121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
I’d never thought I would be so happy to be here.
His hand moved to my belly under the sheets, his large hand big enough to span across it entirely. His eyes were downcast as he concentrated on the life inside me, waiting for a kick or any sign of movement.
“It was so weird,” I whispered. “They were so calm until you arrived. It was like they knew you were there.”
“Or maybe they felt their mother’s soaring heartbeat,” he whispered back. “Felt her body get warm, felt her emotion in her blood.” His fingers gently rubbed against the smooth skin. “Felt the happiness in her soul.” His eyes flicked back to mine.
“Why didn’t you come after me sooner?” He’d waited two months before he did anything. Two months was a long time to sit idly by and do nothing.
“I was pissed when you left. My pride was wounded. I questioned everything you ever said to me. I do so much for you, and you seemed ungrateful. So my response was to let you have your way…in the hope you would regret it. I hoped you would miss me, miss the life I provided for you. I hoped you would question your decision and realize it’d been a mistake. That was my revenge. With little money and only your brother for company, I knew you would realize that a life with me was preferable to one you could have on your own. Our child is safer under my regime. You are safer under my regime. Despite your feelings about my situation, you would realize that I was the most powerful man you’d ever known….and being at my side was the safest place you would ever be. I hoped you would come back on your own, on your knees and begging. But then I remembered you were the stubbornest woman in the world, and you would never resort to that. After two months had come and gone, I couldn’t take it anymore. So I decided to come get you.”
“What if I’d said no? Did I have a choice?”
His fingers gently massaged my stomach. “When I saw the tears in your eyes, I knew I didn’t have to worry about that.”
He never answered my question, but I thought I knew the answer. “How did you know where I was?”
“When you first started living here, I put a tracker in your ankle. I figured you would try to run away eventually.”
I had no idea. “I don’t remember that…”
“I sedated you.”
“That was presumptuous.”
He shrugged. “Aren’t you glad I did it? I made sure nothing happened to either one of you while you were on your own. I knew exactly where you were so I could come get you.”
“Still a huge violation of human rights.”
“No such thing as human rights in this house. Don’t expect me to apologize for it. When our baby is here, I’ll do the same to them. Just in case something terrible ever happens, I’ll be able to find either one of you in a heartbeat. Told you I was a paranoid man.” His hand slid up my stomach until he felt my rib cage. He moved farther up until he pressed his palm underneath my left breast so he could feel my heartbeat. “Baby, don’t be mad.”
“If you think I won’t be mad, you don’t know me very well.”
He smiled slightly. “Then we’re at a stalemate.” He moved his hand to the center of my chest and rubbed his palm between my cleavage, soothing me with his affection. “Your tits are bigger.”
“So are my hips, thighs, and ass.”
“It’s sexy.”
“You are just saying that…” My body had already changed so much. By the end of my pregnancy, my body would look totally different.
“Do I ever just say things?” His blue eyes bored into mine. “No. I speak the truth—even when it makes me an asshole. You’re sexier now than you were before you started to show.”
“You think a belly is sexy?”
“Fuck yes.” His hand moved back to my stomach. “I’ve never been attracted to pregnant women. I only like women of a certain fitness level. But your pregnant belly…gets me going. I guess because I did this to you.”
“So, it’s all about pride, huh? You’re proud of your handiwork?”
He shrugged. “Maybe. I think it’s deeper than that. But don’t ever feel unsexy with me…because the last thing you have to worry about is being unsexy. The idea of picking up a few girls seemed anticlimactic, especially when I looked at those pictures of you walking around with that bump. It made me prefer my hand if I couldn’t have you.”
This dictator had turned into a soft and romantic man, the ideal man I never thought I would meet. He made me feel safe when the world was against me. He made me feel sexy when I was most insecure. “When I saw your shadow behind the towel, I was so happy. I’d been thinking about you so much, wondering if I’d made a mistake. When you didn’t come after me at first, I was actually disappointed.”