Bonus Chapter
It isn’t a rare thing to wake up with my husband’s lips pressed somewhere on my body, gently pulling me out of slumber.
Not only does the sensation still fill me with delight despite the years passing, but this time, his lips are between my legs, taunting and playful.
One of his hands is under my T-shirt, teasing the sensitive tip of a nipple.
My lips stretch into a languorous grin before I even open my eyes, and my knees spread further.
“Are you awake?” Lex whispers from below the covers.
“Hmm, yes …”
“Happy birthday, my love.”
Fuck, right!
“What are you doing?!” I protest, tugging the covers away and rising to my elbows to look down at him.
Even now, with more wrinkles and laugh lines and white dusting his hair and beard, he’s still the most handsome man I’ve ever encountered. It’s unfair that he’d be so gorgeous then and still age like fine wine. Where’s the justice for the rest of us?
He looks so proud of himself, offering me a shit-eating grin over my round stomach. “What does it look like I’m doing?”
“Lex, birthead works the other way around. I’m the one supposed to go down on you.”
“That never really made sense, did it?”
“It does to me. And it’s tradition.”
“Andrea, I can’t let my full-term pregnant wife give me head on her own birthday. What kind of husband would I be?”
My shoulders ache from the position, so I lie down again. I want to argue some more, but I also really want him to finish what he started. “Okay,” I give in. “Be fast, so I can suck your dick after.”
“I’ll be as slow or fast as I want, woman.”
“Stubborn asshole,” I mumble, unable to contain a smile.
He gives my nipple a quick pinch before lowering again, and I wriggle to be more comfortable, biting my lower lip with excitement.
His tongue runs up my slit, and even though the feeling is remarkably familiar, it still sends shivers up my spine.
Being pregnant has a few downsides, but it comes with its share of perks, including hypersensitivity.
“I fucking love how you taste when you’re pregnant …” he appreciatively groans.
“Enjoy it while it lasts. Only two more weeks to go.”
“Are we sure we want to stop at three?”
I rise to my elbows again. “I haven’t even delivered this one yet, and you’re already talking about putting another baby in me, Alexander?”
“Four is such a round number.”
“So is three. I assure you.”
His soft laugh makes something tingle in my core, and the kiss he lays on my inner thigh makes it clench.
“Can you go on with your mission, or should I flip this around and get to work?” I ask.
“You’re so bossy this morning. I love it.”
I don’t have to say more for him to return to it.
After eleven years together, this man knows me better than I could ever know myself.
He knows which patterns work best, which pressure, which pace …
He can make me orgasm from scratch in under two minutes.
Every. Single. Time. And he’s proved it.
But he also knows just how long he needs to delay my climax so it’s optimal.
Seventeen minutes of edging me to the brink of insanity.
And I’m so ready for it.
Alas, we’re interrupted barely six minutes in.
The door rattles as someone twists the knob, trying to get inside. Lex and I both freeze—or I try, my body still shivering from the pleasure roaming through it.
“Mommy! Daddy!” comes Gabriel’s enthusiastic voice. “Breakfast is ready!”
Lex moves up high enough so our gazes can lock over my round stomach. “Ask Abuela or Pops to turn the TV on. We’ll come down in a minute,” Lex tries.
“No! You have to come now!”
The sound of his footsteps running away follows, and Lex and I exchange an uncertain look. “Just to be clear, he gets his bossiness from you,” he asserts.
“Shut up. We don’t have long until he comes back, so we’re finishing this in sixty seconds,” I decide.
“See? So bossy.”
“Eat up, Alexander.”
He resumes his ministrations, determined not to leave me high and dry—or wet as hell, actually.
Adding to his skillful tongue and lips, he throws his fingers into the mix, curling them just right so they hit that sweet spot.
Within twenty seconds, I’m panting and writhing, my fingers clutching his hair as I beg him for more. Shit, he’s so fucking good at it.
My climax builds up so fast, I’m almost dizzy from it, my head spinning and my chest tightening. I’m so far gone that when Lex suddenly stops, it takes me a moment to understand why.
“Lex, what the—”
“Mommy!” This time, it’s Isaac, and he’s as impatient as his brother. “Mommy, we made breakfast!”
“We’ll be here in a minute! Go tell your grandparents that you and your brother can watch TV!” Lex shouts again.
“No! Now!”
“Give us five minutes, Newt,” I beg, desperate to get my release.
“No!” The door rattles again as our son knocks on it with insistence.
Yeah, I can kiss that orgasm goodbye. I let out a dramatic sob, already knowing how frustrated I’ll be for the next few hours. Lex gives up as well, kneeling on the bed. Ugh, he looks so good in nothing but black boxer briefs. Still fit, still handsome, and still mine.
“Are you sure you want a fourth one?” I ask with frustration.
He kisses the taut skin of my bump with a smile and shakes his head. “No, I changed my mind. We’re getting our baby girl and then, enough.”
“Let’s make this one a little less bossy, shall we?” I suggest.
“Actually, I was hoping she’d take after her bisabuela.”
“I’m sure she will,” I reply with a smile. “She’ll be a stubborn force of nature, and you’ll regret ever saying that. Especially when she starts dating.”
“I have no idea what you mean. I’ll groom her from infancy to become a nun. She’ll never date anyone.”
“She could be into women, in which case, a nunnery becomes an all-you-can-eat buffet.”
“I’m okay with that. As long as I’m the most important man in her life forever.”
I snort and push him off. “She’ll be such a daddy’s girl. You’ll be even worse at saying no to her than you are with the boys.”
“It’s the freckles. I can’t resist them.”
Speaking of freckles, the little boy covered in them outside knocks again, begging us to come out. We sigh with resignation and exchange one last kiss. Lex rises away from me, and his eyes travel across my face, which is probably still flushed. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he breathes.
“Huge is what I am, but thank you.”
“Don’t say that. You have an entire human being inside you. And since it’s mine, I adore seeing you like this.”
“Come on!” Isaac whimpers out there.
A minute later, we’re dressed and heading to the door. Lex put on jeans and a woolen sweater, while I have sweatpants and a velvety robe. It’s my birthday, and I’ll spend it comfortably.
When Lex opens the door, our four-year-old son sighs dramatically and says, “About damn time!” That boy is spending too much time with Uncle Mason, it seems.
Lex bends down to pick him up and bring him to eye level. “We talked about this, Newt. Mommy needs to rest more because there’s a baby inside her.”
“But Gabriel heard you talking. You weren’t sleeping. And we wanted to say happy birthday to Mommy.”
Well, how can we argue with that? When he motions to come into my arms instead, I take him from Lex. Oof, my little baby is getting big.
“Happy birthday, Mommy,” he says, wrapping his small arms around my neck. I melt, pouting at Lex next to me.
Maybe a fourth one isn’t such a bad idea.
When we arrive in the vast space downstairs, it smells divine. The large dining table is filled with all sorts of food, and our firstborn is setting down a plate of pancakes in the middle of it. Frodo, our two-year-old golden retriever, is with him, and he sees us first.
The dog rushes to greet us, wagging his tail and smiling with his tongue out. Still holding Isaac, I graze Frodo’s head while Lex lowers to give him a proper pat.
Gabriel is quick to rush to me, too. “Happy birthday, Mommy!” he cheerfully chants, hugging my hips.
“Thank you, sweetie. Did you cook all that?”
He smiles, which is always adorable with his two front teeth missing. “No, silly. Abuela did.”
“I helped,” my dad says, arriving with a plate of crispy bacon.
“Me too!” Isaac chimes in before his brother says, “He broke the eggs.”
“I was in charge of keeping you in bed so you’d be surprised,” Lex explains, resting a soft hand on my lower back.
“You all did amazing, my darlings. Except you,” I add, turning to Lex. “Bad timing.”
My dad’s near me now, so I let Isaac down and hug him. “Happy birthday, peanut.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
My mom arrives with a plate of waffles, and I’m officially starving. “Ah, there you are, you sleepyheads,” she greets us.
“It’s not even that late,” I complain.
“We tried holding back the boys for as long as we could, but they were determined to get you downstairs.”
“We noticed.” When she’s by me, I kiss her cheek and say, “Hola, mamá.”
“Feliz cumpleanos, carino.”
“Thank you.”
Both my parents have been staying with us for a few days, and they’ll stay until a couple of weeks after I’ve given birth to our little girl.
When Lex and I started our family, I was very clear that I didn’t want to have any full-time nannies living with us.
Our children are our responsibility, and I’m not letting someone else raise them.
With the term of my pregnancy coming up, though, we figured a bit of extra help around the house would do us good, which is why my parents offered to come.
“So, where do I sit?” I ask my sons.
“Here, look! That’s where we put the gifts!”
They each take a hand and lead me to the table’s end, where, sure enough, there are plenty of gifts waiting. The smaller ones are on the table next to my plate, and two large ones are on the ground by the chair.
“Lex, this is too much,” I protest.
“Half of it is for this one,” he explains, grazing my round stomach.
“Mommy, open this one first!” Isaac demands, extending a small package to me.