The early morning sunshine didn’t last for long, and the grey clouds soon took over the sky. You continued your walk back through the streets and spotted the chalk board being placed outside the local café, ready to take on breakfast orders. Having barely eaten yesterday you were starving. So much so that you didn’t even consider the smell of coffee making you nauseous as you stepped inside. It was like you paused mid-step as it hit you, the swirling scent hitting the back of your throat and making your eyes water as you willed yourself to hold back a gag.

“Morning!” The café owner greeted you cheerfully. “How are you today?”

It took everything in you to let out the breath you were holding and take in another deep one to try and steady your panic. There was no way you could form a reply, or offer a smile.

“Are you alright?” She asked again. “Do you need to sit down?”

You managed to lift your hand and gesture to her to give you a minute. Each new breath you took was better than the one before. This was like a drastic exposure therapy, except your feet weren’t telling you to run.

“Sorry.” You finally replied as you looked up and offered a weak smile. “I’m alright.”

“You sure?” She checked before accepting your nod and moving back behind the counter.

“It’s the coffee smell. Makes me nauseous. New pregnancy thing.” You shook your head as you regained your focus and started to feel a lot better. “Just caught me off-guard. I should have remembered!” You managed to laugh a little. “Clearly thinking with my stomach.”

“Oh bless you, but congratulations too!”

“Thanks.” You felt yourself blushing at her congratulating you. “Good job no one else is in here, I probably shouldn’t be saying it out loud yet.”

“First time?” She asked warmly.

“Yeah, it’s a bit terrifying.”

“Oh, you’ll be fine, let’s get some food in you anyway. That always helps!”

She was 100% right and her full English breakfast hit the spot. The smell of the bacon, toast and beans was enough to mask the coffee takeaway orders that flowed like a river as the morning commute to work kicked in. You were thankful to have a few days off work after phoning in sick yesterday but had no idea what Taron was planning for today. He’d be way too hungover to make it in for 9am. You smiled to yourself as you looked down to your empty plate and knew exactly what he’d need.

“I don’t suppose you could you do a takeaway full English, for my fiancé.” You added on to clarify that you weren’t literally eating for two as you made your second request at the counter.

“Of course I can, lovely. I’ll throw in some extra bacon in case you get peckish on your way back too.”

“Amazing, thank you! It was delicious.” You paid up and collected your takeaway bag, feeling a bit smug about the treat you were bringing back for Taron. It was only as you walked up to your front door that you started to feel nervous about how he’d still be reacting to everything. You did your best to unlock the door quietly and make your way inside, kicking off your shoes and hanging up your jacket before you peered your head around the door into the living room. Taron was awake and sat up, still beneath the throw you’d laid over him before you’d left. He had your note open in his left hand and you watched silently for a few seconds, barely breathing in case you disturbed him. It was as he lifted his right hand to wipe away a tear from his cheek that you couldn’t stand and watch any longer.

“Hey.” You said softly as you stepped inside the door. Taron looked up from the note to take you in and there was a small smile toying at the corner of his lips. “It’s ok, I won’t disturb you, but I have got you breakfast so I’ll plate it up and bring it through.”

“It’s alright, I’ll have it in there. I need to move.” His voice was hoarse and deep, his hair messy and stubble thick but you didn’t stay for too long to admire him, simply nodding in understanding and leaving him in peace.

As the kettle clicked off you grabbed the milk and brown sauce from the fridge, closing the door to see Taron sliding onto the bar stool and looking impressed at the size of the full English breakfast before him.

“This is exactly what I need.” He commented as he picked up his knife and fork. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, it’s good stuff.”

“Oh my word I’ve got like 7 pieces of bacon here.”

“Jesus, there’s extra and then there’s excess!” You replied as you filled two mugs with hot water.

“You asked for extra?”

“No, no. She offered it to me as a snack for the way home, but I saved it for you.” You slid a mug towards Taron and stayed on the opposite side of the breakfast bar, still trying to work out where he was on the scale of pissed off to understanding to forgiveness to whatever else might happen.

“You can have some, there’s plenty. You didn’t eat much yesterday either so you should make up for it, if you’re feeling less sick?”

“You sure?”

“Mmmhm.” He nodded with a mouthful and set his knife down so he could move the bar stool next to him out from the counter for you to take. It was his first gesture of warmth and you felt a weight lift from your stomach and allow you to relax a little.

“Thanks.” You replied as you took a piece from his plate and nibbled at the end. “I think she felt a bit sorry for me in the café as I nearly threw up on her clean floor, and then had to explain the coffee thing.”

“It’s still that bad?”

“I held it back, so maybe not? Plus, people were ordering plenty of coffee when I was eating my breakfast and the nausea didn’t come back, so maybe I’ve cured myself in the process.” You laughed a little in optimism.

“Just be careful with it. I do want you in one piece.” Taron stopped eating with that last comment and held your gaze for long enough for you to know that he was deadly serious. You tried to hold back your smile by taking another bite of bacon, finally feeling the full relief of knowing things weren’t totally fucked.

“I will.”

A few minutes of silence fell between you as Taron focused on eating and you removed the teabags from your mugs before pouring in the perfect amount of milk. It didn’t feel like it was your place to bring up the massive elephant in the room so instead you took the civil mood as a good sign and decided patience was the best plan.

Nothing else was said until Taron got up and slowly walked over to the kitchen door. Your eyes had followed him all the way and you watched as he paused, one hand resting gently against the door frame, but he didn’t turn back to you as he spoke.

“I’m gonna call in sick today. I thought about turning up late and making a lame excuse, but I think we need to… I don’t know, talk? Be together? Just figure this all out at least.”

“Okay.” You replied simply and quietly.

“I’m going to freshen up.”

“Take your time.” That comment had Taron turning back to face you with a frown on his face.

“You don’t want to talk?”

“I do. I just meant I’ll follow your lead, go at your pace. You don’t have to rush if you want longer to process things or…”

“Oh, ok.” His face softened slightly.

“I’ve left it plain but if you want jam or something let me know.” Taron placed the plate down in front of you and then held the back of his hand against your forehead to check your temperature. “You’re not roasting, but you’re not looking that good either. Maybe you should have a lie down once you’ve had this.”

“Taron, can you stop.” You swatted his hand away from you. “Less fuss, more space.” You were too blunt from your nerves and immediately cursed yourself for not helping matters.

“Sorry. Can I sit, or do you want me to go?” He lingered by the chair opposite you and waited for you to nod before pulling it out and sitting down. “Talk to me. You seem all over the place.”

“I just can’t do it.” You sighed. “I can’t see a way of anything working out… like, I don’t think it’s what I want anymore.”

“What’s not?” Taron was frowning in confusion.

“The wedding. We need to cancel the wedding.” The piece of toast you’d picked up and held to your lips was swiftly returned to your plate as you said the words out loud.

“What?” Taron asked quickly. “Completely?”

“I can’t do it, it’s too much.”

“Y/N, why? I thought-” You cut him off before he could finish.

“I know I was pushing for it, and I did want it, but now it’s just… it’s not going to be right. For us. Too much has changed.” You added on in the hope of him seeing that you’d tried to think of him too.

“What the fuck?!” He stood up from his chair and the sound it of it scraping against the wooden floor made you jump slightly. “Where has this come from?... You don’t want to marry me anymore?” He took two steps back and ran both hands over his hair. “Wow. How have we gone from everything that just happened in the living room to this, here, now? Or did it not go to plan back there? You’d been ignoring me all afternoon so you could plan what to say but you bottled it. Or I was too nice, so you told me you loved me but didn’t mean it?”

“No. No, that’s-” He cut you off this time.

“This is insane.”

“You’re not listening to me.” You said firmly but Taron was gone. Lost to a rage cooked up far too quickly.

“Oh, I am! What about the baby? I bet that’s next on your list. Start with the wedding as it’s minor in comparison and then say you want an abortion... Fucking hell!” He turned his back to you.

“Taron, no!” You shouted back, trying to get him to snap out of his thoughts and listen to you. “That’s not what I meant. You’ve got this all wrong.”

“But it’s what you said.” He turned back to face you with a stubborn fire in his eyes. “It’s not what you want, you can’t do it, you don’t see how it can work. You can’t get much clearer than that, Y/N. Cancel the wedding! I was listening.”

“Stop. This is so, so wrong.” You succumbed to tears too easily, feeling too weak to put up much of a fight. Your head was still a mess and however hard you tried you couldn’t think quickly enough to find the right words to pacify Taron before he’d jumped to the next conclusion.

“I honestly don’t know what I’ve done wrong here. I’ve gone out of my way so many times to make sure you’re happy, and for what? What is it? Do you suddenly feel trapped? The thought of being stuck with me for the next 50 years has made you want to run now before it’s too late?”

“No. No, no, no.” You sobbed, unable to find any other words.

“I’m fucking lost, Y/N… and I don’t think I can do this either. If you don’t want me anymore then… I’m out of here. I’m not sticking around to feel you put the knife in my heart again and again. You’ve fucking blindsided me today and it’s brutal.”

“Stop. Please, just stop.” You held your head in your hands, unable to look at Taron and see the pain you’d caused him. “Let me explain because this has gone way too far and it’s not where we should be. I didn’t mean any of it like that. I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“I don’t even know if I want to hear anymore right now. If you dare try and justify how you can go from making me the happiest I’ve ever felt to wanting out in the space of 48 hours… No. I can’t let you do that to me. I can’t.”

“Taron, please. That’s not what I want. Not at all.” You sighed, struggling to find the energy to fight him.

“No, I’m going out. You do whatever you need to do. Cancel the wedding, pack your bags and go to Gemma’s. I don’t care right now.” He picked up his phone from the table and his keys from the sideboard in the hall before stopping to look at you one final time.

“I love you.” You offered him weakly but only got a sarcastic shake of his head in reply.

***

It was still dark when you woke up. Your skin felt rough and brittle beneath the dried-up tracks of your tears that fell freely when you’d cried yourself to sleep. You’d not bothered trying to call or message Taron. He wouldn’t have picked up or replied even if you had. You knew he’d have gone to the pub and got the boys down to help drink him into oblivion. It was what happened last time when you’d fallen out over the house renovation. With no spare room to resort to you had packed a bag and gone to stay with Gemma. All of that seemed so trivial compared to now. That was months of living on top of each other on a ridiculously tight budget and constant bickering. You were pressing each other’s buttons for fun, and then revenge, and one night it all blew up in your face. It took a few days for things to calm, but you talked, you listened, you apologised, and you had the best make up sex of your life. Things didn’t feel remotely similar now.

Taron’s side of the bed was empty and cold, the bedding left untouched. You thew on your joggers and hoodie and made your way across the landing, pushing open the door to the spare room slowly only to find it empty too. It was horrible to feel your heart sinking down your chest at the thought of him deciding not to come home last night. It was even worse knowing you’d caused his pain.

You continued your path through the house, down the stairs which were softly lit from the early morning dawn and headed to the kitchen, stopping instantly to do a double take at the figure sprawled out on the sofa. Taron’s shoes were still on, his keys and phone dropped to the rug beneath where his arm was dangling over the edge. You hadn’t realised how deep the breath you’d been holding was until it released from you in relief. He was home. That might have meant nothing, or it could be everything. All you knew was that you had some serious apologising, explaining and making up to do, and it started here.

Warmth was provided from your favourite throw as you lifted it from the back of the sofa and placed it over Taron’s body, taking a moment to watch the gentle rise and fall of his chest and reminding yourself how lucky you were to have him in your life. You left a fresh glass of water and a packet of pain killers on the coffee table for when he woke up and then started on the more important part of your plan. A note, or perhaps a letter if it became too long, saying all the things you failed to say yesterday.

I’m so sorry.

I never intended to hurt you, but I know I really did. I’ll always be sorry for it.

I love you.

I want you. I need you.

For the rest of my life, I’ll be yours.

This family we’re building, growing, together means everything to me.

I want it more than anything, and I want it with you. Only you.

That’s a promise.

I want to marry you, I want to be your wife. That has never changed and never will.

But my priorities have.

I don’t know if I can call myself a mother just yet, but I feel protective of our future already. I have to put it first, even if it means cancelling the plans we’d just made to celebrate our love. I can’t do that when I’m 9 months pregnant. I can’t handle the stress of both. I know it’s selfish, and I’m being weak and vein, and probably a perfectionist too. But that’s just who I am.

It doesn’t mean I don’t want to marry you, ever. It just means maybe not right now.

Life threw us the most beautiful, precious curveball. I want to prioritise it and protect it. For us.

Because I love you. Eternally.

“What!? What’s happened?”

“I just chucked my guts up because the receptionist had a coffee. It’s so bad, T. I’m not going to be able to go anywhere! How am I meant to go into the office when 95% of people in there live on coffee?”

“Oh, love. I’m sorry. Are you okay now? Do you need me to come home?” Taron asked with genuine concern, and you could picture him packing up his bag and walking out immediately if you said yes.

“I’ll be ok. I’m sat in the car taking a breather.”

“Ok good. So, was everything else alright?”

“Yeah, it was more just paperwork stuff and getting future appointments in place. She did calculate the due date though, if you want to know it now?” You offered teasingly.

“Stupid question. Tell me!” He giggled in excitement.

“27th September.” You smiled as you pictured Taron’s own smile.

“27th? I like it, ‘s a good date… good job we didn’t book the wedding for that weekend too!” He laughed.

“Fuck!” There was a gentle thud as your forehead fell to the top of the steering wheel in despair.

“What?”

“I’d not even thought about the wedding in all of this!” It was true, all wedding plans had been swiftly evacuated from your mind as soon as the thought that you could be pregnant had entered. Giving birth one weekend and getting married the next was utterly insane, and that was if the baby arrived on time!

“It’s all happening at once again, isn’t it?” Taron’s tone was still light and jovial, not remotely matching yours and it was only stressing you out more. “It’ll be fine, Y/N. We’ll figure it out. Look I’ve got to go as I’ve got a meeting starting in, like, 30 seconds time, but let me know if you feel really rough and want me to come home.”

“I’ll be ok, I’ll see you later.” You replied quickly before letting him go, still resting your head down against the steering wheel and letting out a groan once you’d heard the call cut out. Everything inside you was aching for you to cry but no tears were falling. Instead, you took a deep breath and tried to focus on driving yourself back home.

It was inevitable. As soon as your bum touched the cushion of the sofa you knew you were stuck there for the rest of the day. Your mind couldn’t focus on anything else but the huge clash of getting married and giving birth in the same week. It was never going to work. Moving the due date wasn’t an option so it would have to be the wedding, your parents knew you’d been looking at venues and now you’d also told the girls it was October, and they were already making plans. They’d have questions and you couldn’t lie. If you pushed it back it would be by at least a year if not longer, and they’d think something bad had happened between you and Taron. They’d probably try and talk you out of it! But if you brought it forward it would be chaos too. You wouldn’t have the budget, or the venue, you wouldn’t be able to drink and party the night away, you’d still be pregnant and wouldn’t fit in a nice dress. Plus, they’d all still ask questions, and it was way too early to be telling anyone you were pregnant yet!

The spiral was huge. Your mind was flying in every direction and facing nothing but panic with each new corner it turned. There was no good way out of this. Nothing was going to go to plan or be what you wanted it to be, and it was crushing you. Hours had passed and you’d not moved an inch; Simply sat overthinking and freaking out.

Your thoughts were only broken when Taron opened the front door and called out your name in concern.

“Y/N, are you here?” He called again before letting out an audible sigh of relief as he saw you on the sofa and came straight to your side, kneeling on the floor beside you. “Are you alright? You’ve not replied to any of my messages or picked up my calls, so I left work early. I thought something might have happened.” He found your hand and held it firmly between both of his.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you. My phone must still be on silent.” You forced a soft smile back to his anxious eyes in the hope of soothing him.

“Are you okay?” He asked again.

“Yeah. Just tired.” You noticed him looking around the room and taking in the little details like your keys on the table and bag on the floor beside it.

“Have you eaten? Can I get you some water?”

“What time is it?” You asked back before giving him any answers.

“4pm.”

“Shit.” It suddenly hit you how long you’d been sat spiralling into the literal evening darkness, and you felt a huge wave of guilt wash over you and send a shiver down your spine. It opened the flood gate to your tears, and you couldn’t stop them for long enough to explain a single thing to Taron. He was looking at you in total confusion and fear, wondering where the hell his usually sane fiancé had gone and what the fuck he needed to do to get her back.

“Babe, it’s ok. I’m here. You’re alright.” He moved himself onto the sofa and pulled you into his chest, wrapping his strong arms around your frame and letting you feel the familiar safety and warmth he’d brought to your life. “Shhh, it’s going to be fine.” He left a few soft kisses to the top of your head as he held you and waited for you to calm down. “I’ve got you.”

“I can’t do this.” You sobbed.

“It’s ok. Take your time.” He continued to soothe you and not ask questions. A tactic he’d mentioned before when he’d seen his Mum comforting his younger sisters though many of life’s troubles. It struck you then just how brilliant he’d be as a father. Telling you how much he wanted it was one thing, but seeing him be caring, responsible, wise, level-headed… the list could go on. It made your heart ache with love. It made something in your body switch and feel instantly better and you found yourself starting to smile through your tears.

“I’m sorry.” You apologised again. “I’m a mess.”

“We can blame the hormones.” He laughed a little with you as he placed a kiss to your cheek. “Are you feeling a bit better now though?”

“Yes, thank you.” You found one of his hands and brought it across to lay flat against your stomach. Despite there being no bump yet or kicks to feel the moment still felt special. You both knew the significance. “You’re going to be the best Dad.”

“And you’ll be a brilliant Mum.”

“Once I’ve stopped freaking out.” You turned your head to look at Taron and he was smiling at your pout of self-pity.

“Hey, it’s allowed. Neither of us saw this coming. It’s thrown us right off track, but we’ll get there. We always do… Plus it’ll probably be me freaking out tomorrow so don’t you go thinking that I’m cool, calm and collected, because I promise you, I’m not.”

You turned in his arms so you could hug him fully, squeezing him tightly and holding on for that little bit longer than usual.

“I wouldn’t want to be doing this with anyone else. I love you so much.”

“I love you too… both of you.” Taron replied with the widest grin you’d ever seen, and you couldn’t resist placing your hands to his cheeks as you kissed him lovingly.

“You’re funny, but that would be so sexist. Don’t you want our child to have half of my genes? They might get my smile, or witty sense of humour.” He grinned smugly.

“They might inherit your weird love of mayo on everything.” You teased him back.

“Hey!”

“I’m kidding, it would be adorable to have a little version of you running around this place one day.” It was too easy to picture your future life in this house with your own family. A warm summers evening with the patio doors wide open, your favourite music drifting out into the garden as you sat with a glass of wine and watched Taron playing with your child, son or daughter, you could see both just as clearly. It was perfect. Life would be perfect, and you were well on your way to being there.

“I’m so glad you’re happy about this. When I came home earlier and found you crying my stomach sank a bit. I thought you might say… I wasn’t sure you’d be ready. Not yet anyway, and I didn’t know how to tell you how much I want this.” Taron reached his hand out and waited for you to follow his lead and take hold of it. “I’ve been dreaming of this, wishing for it, for a while now but I didn’t want to push you. I was happy to wait for you to be ready.”

“I’m not sure I’d ever feel totally ready.” You admitted. “It’s still terrifying, but it’s happening, and there’s no way on earth that I’d ever consider ending this. I want this baby, your baby-”

“Our baby.” Taron interrupted.

“Our baby.” You smiled back to him. “But I need you with me on this, more than ever, because I have no idea what’s around the corner.”  You pulled his hand towards you and encouraged him to move up the sofa between your legs so you could leave a soft kiss to his lips. “But with you, I feel safe.”

“I’m here, I’m so here for all of it, and I’ll do anything you need. I want you to feel safe and happy and relaxed.” He replied with another kiss. “I’m so lucky.” Your lips were barely parting as he continued to let his thoughts flow, unfiltered. “To have you.” Each sentence split by kisses. “So lucky.” Growing more teasing. “To have your love.” More needy. “and to get to love you every day.” You slid your fingers into the back of his hair as you held him close and took his kisses with ease. “God, I want you so badly.” He sighed.

“I’m yours.” You replied with a whisper into his ear which caused the short hairs at the nape of his neck to stand on end.

“All mine.” He sighed again before looking straight into your eyes. “Are you comfortable?”

“Mmhm.” You nodded.

“Good, because I’m dying to pleasure you. Right. Now.” He kept his voice deep and his words slow, each one hitting you deep in your core and making you throbbing in excitement. “And I’m going to take my time.” He pulled his bottom lip into his mouth as he let his words linger. He could see the arousal written all over your face and he loved it. “Are you already wet for me?” He asked simply and you could only nod again. “Good girl.”  

Despite knowing what was about to happen, you were thrown when Taron started to kiss you again and not lower himself down your body. He was leaving you hanging and being the ultimate tease and it made you want to kick your feet in protest. You were dying to be touched and pleasured between your thighs, and yet Taron’s hand remained at the side of your neck as his tongue played inside your mouth. It was killing you. Breaking the kiss off to look down between your bodies wasn’t the hint he needed, and his mouth moved to your neck instead, so you went for the less subtle approach. You traced your fingers down from his shoulder, over his chest and stomach and lightly rubbed around his crotch before cupping his solid bulge through his trousers. It drew a heavenly moan out of him.

“You like that?”

“Always.” He replied instantly, moving his eye contact back to yours and smiling. “But we’ll get to that soon. I want you to be dripping for me first.”

“Touch me.” You practically begged, making his eyes follow yours to your own crotch.

“Oh, you really want it, don’t you?”

“Mmmhm.” You whined.

“Let’s take these off first.” His fingers dipped under the waist band of your trousers and pulled the elastic out so he could tug the soft material down from your hips. He continued to take his sweet time and run his hands down your thighs and over your knees and shins as the material bundled up at your ankles. You wanted to kick your trousers off yourself but giggled as Taron stood up and pulled hard to free you from them. “That’s better.” He commented as he looked down at you, watching you move your hand between your thighs so you could start to touch yourself over the top of your underwear. “You tease.” He couldn’t take his eyes away from your fingertips. “Make them wet for me.” The dampness from your arousal seeped through the pink cotton as you dragged two fingers up your folds to your clit, darkening the material much to Taron’s delight. “Fucking beautiful.” He settled himself on his knees between your legs and rubbed his hands up and down your thighs as he simply watched you playing with yourself for a few seconds.

“Stop imagining it, and just do it.” You teased him. “Come and taste me.” As you lifted your hips and started to lower your damp underwear for him he took over, sliding them down your legs and off your feet before scrunching them up and inhaling the scent deeply.

“You’re not getting these back for a while.” He smirked as he bundled them into his back pocket. “They’re mine now.” Knowing he’d be wanking over them one day in the future was a hot thought.

it killed you when he moved back up your body to kiss you again instead. Just as you thought he was fully invested in going down on you his lips met yours in a searing kiss. His tongue worked it’s magic, teasing and playing as though you’d never kissed before. It had you melting down harder into the cushions, his weight, and heat, and passion suddenly taking your breath away.

“Taron.” You panted softly as he pulled back. “Fucking hell.” He could only smirk down at you, as if to say ‘Yeah, I know.” And you were gone. Lost entirely to lust and to love. Needing him to touch you, fill you, take you to the edge and push you so hard over it that you couldn’t see straight. You felt like your eyes were pleading enough with him already, but still he restrained himself. His fingertips danced over your hips, waist, stomach and thighs as his eyes stayed glued to your glistening core. Your saw the arousal jolt through his torso as you touched yourself again and moaned softly for him.

“I want you.” You purred as you sank two fingers deeply into yourself, watching on as he licked his lips slowly.

“You’re so hot, oh my god.”

“Taste me.” You instructed him before lifting your fingers to his mouth and pushing them between his lips, feeling his tongue dance against your skin as he sucked them clean and swallowed around you. He took hold of your wrist and pulled your fingers from his mouth before kissing them gently in appreciation.

“That’s what I want. Be loud for me. Tell me what you want, tell me how it feels.” He locked his eyes with yours for a moment longer, finding the palm of your hand with his and then linking your fingers as he held it.

“I’m not going to last.” You admitted and he giggled to himself.

“I don’t want you to. I’m just gonna keep going and you can have them all.”

“Oh my god, yes.” You replied as you dropped your head back to the cushion below and felt Taron finally lower his face between your thighs. “Start slow.”

“Slow.” He hummed against your inner thigh, keeping his voice deep and letting the vibrations start things off before leaving a trail of gentle, wet kisses as he moved in to lightly lick your dampness.

“Oh that’s it!” you cried out as your needs were finally being met. “You can go deeper.”

“Mmmm, ‘k.” He rumbled back before parting your folds with his tongue, working up each side of your clit and kissing you a few times.

“That feels so good, oh wow.” His tongue flattened out against you, working a little harder and faster, rippling over your sensitive spot and you let out a cry of delight. “Right there!... Fuck. Yes. Fuck, fuck.” You used your free hand to run your fingers through the top of your own hair as you arched your back with pleasure. “Just… suck, suck a little.”

“Yes, baby. Tell me what you want.” Taron growled against you as he heard your instructions, following them quickly and pressing his lips in against your clit to pleasure you.

“Oh god, yes! This is perfect. Don’t stop.” You sighed deeply. “Please, don’t stop.” The noises coming from both of you mixed into a wet, hot, panting soundtrack. Taron lapped you up, kissing, licking, sucking and submerging himself into his own frenzy as he heard every single moan, heavy breath, cry and curse that escaped your lips. “Faster.” You added as you moved your hand down and into Taron’s hair to keep him in place.

“Oh that’s it, fuck, yes. Yes, yes, yes. I’m there. Shit, I’m gonna- I’m- oh my god. I can’t. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” The unfiltered words that left your lips prepared Taron for your shaking thighs and pulsing core that accompanied your first orgasm. You swear you could feel him smiling to himself as he pulled back a little and licked you slowly through it.

“Gorgeous.” He commented as you lay spent, breathing heavily and looking up to the ceiling, your fingers still lightly playing in the top of his hair. “You taste so sweet.” He went back in to lick up the new pool of liquid you’d created for him and you flinched happily from the sensitivity he’d ignited.

“That was incredible.”

“That was just the start.” Another kiss was left to your inner thigh before he released your hand so he could kneel up and pull his t-shirt off over his head. “Knowing you’re pregnant is mad. You’re so attractive right now. I just wanna-” He cut his own sentence off.

“Wanna what?” It was your turn to tease him. Seeing him like this, for you, was the hottest thing. Sex with Taron had always been good, but if you’d have known he’d be down for you this badly once you were pregnant you might have thought about making it happen sooner.

“Fuck you in every possible way, all at the same time.” He laughed. “and, if for any reason that pregnancy test was a false positive, it sure as hell wont be once I’m done with you.”

“Fuck me, that’s hot.” You swooned just as hard over him as he was over you, watching in delight as he opened the top of his trousers and freed his rock-solid cock.

“Get down here.” He growled before grabbing your ankles and pulling you down the sofa so you aligned perfectly with his crotch. Your legs were lifted over his shoulders and a shared look fell naturally between you as he pushed his tip into you and started to take you for his own pleasure this time around. There was nothing slow or teasing about it. Skin met skin, loudly. Taron’s groans were short and sharp, laced with pants of ‘fuck’ and intakes of breath dragged between his teeth. Minutes passed with nothing but pleasure flowing between you as he fucked you hard. When he leant forward to get a better angle inside you, placing one hand down beside your head and forcing your leg back to your chest you let go for the second time. You held on tightly to his upper arm as you came apart around him, your eyes screwed shut and mouth open wide letting out the scream of pleasure.

“Fucking hell, Y/N.” Taron swore, stuttering his own rhythm at the feel of you losing it. “Jesus, I can’t. You’re so tight and wet.”

“Don’t stop, please.” You panted back, moving your hand to his chest and then up to his jaw to get him to look at your face and not the sight of him fucking you. “You’re so good. Not yet.”

“Slower.” He replied as he edged himself. “I can still feel you tensing.” He smiled as his movements in and out sparked small impulses inside you. “This is heaven.”

“I love you so much.” You reached up to leave a soft kiss to his lips.

“I love you more.”

“Do you wanna cum in me or on me?”

“Mmmm, choices.” Taron mused as he started to pick his speed back up. “In.”

“So you can watch it run out of me after?” You picked the dirty talk back up so he could get off with even more enjoyment.

“Oh fuck, yes.” He groaned as you teased your fingertips down his shoulders and back, lingering for a moment and then taking a firm hold of his arse.

“That’s it, Taron. Give it to me. You feel so good inside me.”

“Fuck, fuck fuck.” He hissed in pleasure, upping his pace again and working himself right up to the edge.

“Come for me, baby.” You encouraged softly but his focus was completely held by the sight of his cock thrusting into you.

“Oh god, yes.” He muttered to himself. “Fuck, fuck, oh yes.” He slowed his thrusts as he came, and you moved your hands back to his chest so you could feel his heart pounding.

“Good?” You asked him simply.

“Incredible.” He replied as he pulled out and flashed you his most charming of smiles whilst waiting for the inevitable cocktail of pleasure to flow from you. “God, that sight never gets old. You’re such a mess, let me clean you up.” He smirked before reaching for the tissue box. “Just kidding.” He threw the box across the living room carelessly and made you laugh.

“Taron!”

“What?” He cocked one eyebrow and left a quick kiss to your mouth. “This is all mine.”

“Oh my god, fuck.” You swore in pleasure again as his tongue dragged up and over your sensitive skin in a single long stroke. His repeated licks had you squirming beneath him and when he started to suck against your clit again you felt his arm move across your lower stomach to hold you down. “Taron, I can’t take it, fuck.”

“One more.” His deep voice vibrated into you, and you knew you could give in to it. Everything felt so tense and heightened but you knew if you relaxed, he’d get you there in seconds. You closed your eyes and focused on your breathing, slowing and deepening each one, relaxing your thighs, your glutes, your abs and finally your core. “Mmmm that’s it.” Taron breathed back against your skin as he lightened the pressure from his tongue and slowed right down to match your pace.

“That’s really nice.” You sighed as the tingling built up once more. Soft kisses, light breaths, gentle hums and swirls from his tongue pleasured you in exactly the right way. You were moaning for him, arching your back in delight and swearing under your breath as he continued.

“I’ve got you.” He encouraged. “Just one more.”

“Ermm, no?”

“Alright, it’ll be a surprise!” He called back from half-way down the stairs. “Periods are a bitch!”

You were thrown by his question, but with that last comment everything clicked into place. He’d presumed your period had started and gone into full-on care mode, but there was no need. You weren’t struggling with cramps, your head wasn’t pounding and there was definitely no blood pooling between your legs. You pulled up the tracking app on your phone, confident in knowing you had two or three more days to go, only to see that you were due-on 4 days ago.

“Shit.” You said out loud. “Shit shit shit!” The lightbulbs in your mind were flicking on like bright floodlights, illuminating all the signs you’d been completely oblivious to in the last week. The dizzy spells, the wine tasting off, Taron smelling off. The most obvious of all happening last night when you came home early because you could barely keep your eyes open past 10pm. You’d left Taron on the sofa watching his film and gone straight to bed, not stirring at all when he joined you half an hour later.  It was highly unlike you, but Taron had clearly presumed you were back as your period had started and you felt rough from it. You reached over and picked up the mug of coffee he’d left behind and smelt it again, gagging instantly and regretting your decision.

“No, fuck no.” You placed it down quickly, threw the covers down the bed and ran to the toilet in the bathroom, making it just in time. It was horrendous. There was probably a lot of panic in the mix, but as the smell of coffee hit you again when you returned to the bedroom you knew clearer than day what was causing this sudden nausea. You reached out for your phone, then ran back to the bathroom, slamming the door behind you to keep the smell at bay before clinging onto the toilet bowl as you threw up again.

It was going to take him by complete surprise, but you needed Taron, and you needed a pregnancy test. You debated whether to text him or call him, but you knew you didn’t have long to think this over, and you knew which you’d prefer when receiving this kind of news. It was going to be one of the strangest, most life-altering, phone calls for him to receive but, in that moment, you had no choice. You started the call and put your phone on speaker on the bathroom floor.

“Hey, I’m nearly done I’ll be home in a minute.” He answered quickly.

“Taron, wait.” You spoke weakly, suddenly unable to find the words you needed.

“What’s up?”

“Umm,” You sighed heavily. “Fuck.”

“Are you alright, Y/N?”

“No.” Your voice was so quiet. “I’m… I,”

“I’m coming straight back, hold on.” Taron was panicked.

“No.” You replied more firmly this time. “Please wait. I think I… I need you to buy me a pregnancy test.” You finally said it out loud and let the silence linger between you both. “I think I’m pregnant.”

“But I thought you- fuck! Oh my god, Y/N! Are you? Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” You were picturing the look of shock, surprise and also the joy you could hear on Taron’s face as he was now the one struggling to make any coherent noises. “I’m kinda trapped in the bathroom too, so if you could come home and move the coffee as soon as possible that would be lovely.”

“What?”

“The smell keeps making me throw up.”

“Fuck off, you’re definitely pregnant!” You could hear him beaming.

“I know.” You smiled back to yourself at his happiness.

“Wow. I can’t believe this. Ok, Taron, focus. Pregnancy test, milk, chocolate. Do you still want chocolate?”

“I have no idea!” You laughed for the first time that day. “I do want you here though, soon…”

“Yes, ok. I’m on it. I’ll be quick. I love you.” He hung up before you could say it back, so you locked your phone just to see the picture of him on the wallpaper, smiling happily back at you.

As the silence fell around you again those feelings of happiness dissipated quicker than you ever could have imagined and were suddenly replaced with ones of pure fear. You hadn’t planned on getting pregnant yet. You’d not thought anything through. You didn’t feel old enough, responsible enough, knowledgeable enough. But there was nothing you could do to stop it. It was already happening and had been for weeks. An actual child. Your child was growing inside you. Fucking hell.

Your earlier smile had faded, along with the colour in your face. Instead tears fell softly down your cheeks, highlighting the overwhelm which swirled around your whole body like a stormy sea. You’d never felt more unprepared for anything in your life, and this was it. The day when your life changed forever.

As you sat on the bathroom floor with your knees pulled up to your chest, your arms wrapped around them and your forehead lowered, eyes closed, you heard the front door open and swiftly close again. Taron’s footsteps grew louder as he bounded up the stairs with even more energy than normal and before you could look up to face him he had his arms around you and was holding you tight.

“I’m here, I’m here. It’s ok.” He comforted you instantly. “What do you need?”

“You.” You cried back, opening yourself up physically so you could get even closer to him. “I’m so scared.”

“I know, this is huge, and such a shock.” He peppered the top of your head with gentle kisses. “I’m scared too, but we can do this. I love you so much, Y/N.”

“I love you too.”

“I can’t believe it. I thought you were cramping and in pain earlier, not feeling rough because…”

“I should do the test to make sure.” You finally looked up into his eyes, feeling a sense of calm return to the room now that Taron was back with you. “I’m 99% certain but-”

“Do it. I completely trust you, but we need it in black and white.” He agreed as he reached up from the floor to the bathroom counter to get the test box and read the instructions. “I can’t even take this in, can you manage?” The bamboozlement on his face mirrored exactly how you felt earlier and you fully empathized, taking the box from his hand with a soft smile.

“I’ve got this. You can move the coffee before the smell gets back to me.” You nodded to the open bathroom door.

“On it. I’m going to light the sexy candle to mask the smell too so you can get out of here.”

“It’s multipurpose now!” You joked.

“Who knew!” Taron replied with a laugh as he left you to take the test.

The tension was clearly visible in his body as he sat on the end of the bed with his hands grasping one another, waiting for you to join him. You had a 3-minute wait and had put the test down on the top of the chest of drawers before sitting next to him and placing your hands over the top of his.

“I’m sorry I had to tell you like that.”

“Don’t be silly. It’s life. We can’t always have the picture-perfect moments.” He moved his hands beneath yours so he could hold them, his thumbs rubbing back and forth against your skin subconsciously. “When did you know? Have you been thinking it was a possibility for a few days?”

“Not at all. You confused me when you asked about the chocolate this morning, and I checked my app to see I was 4 days late. Then it all made sense.”

“What did?” He frowned softly.

“Feeling exhausted yesterday, things smelling different, tasting different, the light-headedness… then I smelt the coffee again and it was wild. I’ve never had anything do that to me before!”

“God, you’re really going through it already. I’m sorry.” You leaned in to rest your forehead against his and let him know that you were alright. “I still can’t understand it though; you’re on the pill. So how?”

“You didn’t pull out!” You giggled before kissing him softly.

“Not for the first time! We’ve been fine for years, is it just chance?” He kept looking at you like you had all the answers already, but in reality you were only 5 minutes ahead of him in thinking everything through.

“Chance, luck… oh shit, it was Christmas!” Your eyes widened with the realisation. “I, fuck, I missed two days over Christmas when we were at your mums. I totally forgot!”

“Babe!” Taron laughed. “You should have told me!”

“I didn’t think it would matter, half of them are placebos anyway!” You laughed with him. “God, you’re good though. I give you the smallest of windows and you’re straight in there.”

“Strong swimmers.” He announced proudly before leaning in to kiss you fully. “and lots of time for sex between Christmas and New Year.” You kissed him back and relived the memories for a moment before pulling away and firing him a warning look.

“That candle’s working too well.”

It was hard to tell if it had been 3 minutes yet, but you blew the candle out on your way to check the test. All the fear you’d felt earlier had been drowned by a new surge of excitement and happiness as you turned it over to see the results.

 “Pregnant.” You beamed as you turned the test around to face Taron, receiving his embrace and feeling your feet lift from the carpet as he held you tight. It was real. You were having a baby.

“Stop that, I believe you. But I need clothes to leave the house. Help?”

“Okay, let’s do this. The quicker I get you out, the sooner you’ll be back and then I can get my hands on you again.” He summarised his plan before placing his hands to your bum whilst he stood behind you and assessed the options before him. “I think black jeans, with that little top with the sleeves.”

“The off-shoulder lace one?”

“Mmmhm.”

“But it’s cropped, and I’m bloated.”

“No, you’re not.” His hands moved up to hug your stomach. “You’re perfect.”

“And due-on. Maybe something I can tuck in instead?” You could practically hear Taron filtering his thoughts carefully before he spoke another word. He’d fallen into the PMS shaped hole of pushing your buttons accidentally one too many times before and was doing his best to learn from past mistakes.

“The teal silky shirt. I like that one.”

“That goes better with my leather skirt.”

“Yeah? I like that too.” He kissed your shoulder softly.

“I suppose I could wear my knee-high boots with that too.” You thought aloud.

“Sounds good, do you want me to book you an uber?”

“Yes please, and grab my black coat from the cupboard downstairs?”

“On it.”

“Thank you, you’re the best, I love you!” You called out after Taron.

“I know!” He shouted back smugly.

***

As the car pulled up outside the bar you’d arranged to meet the girls at you thanked the driver and checked the time on your phone. You were only 15 minutes late. Taron had replied to your thank you text telling you to enjoy your evening and to let him know when you were on your way home, but knowing how evenings with the girls usually went it wasn’t going to be an early finish.

You clocked the three of them sat in a curved booth at the side of the bar, already deep in conversation with a drink in hand, and smiled to yourself when you noticed the spare glass waiting for you.

“Does that cosmo have my name on it?” You announced your arrival and slid into the end of the booth next to Charlotte.

“It’s all yours.” Gemma confirmed. “How are you?”

“Yeah, all good thanks. What about you lot? What have I missed?”

“Not much at all. We were just saying it’s been quiet since New Year’s Eve and that you getting us all here was a nice surprise actually.”

“Glad to be of use. Cheers!” You picked up your cocktail and initiated a toast across the table. “But there might just be a teeny tiny reason why I’ve got you all here too…” You teased and looked around everyone to see the confusion fall to their faces.

“Oh come on, don’t leave us hanging!” Rosie was the first to break the silence.

“So, we’ve got a date in mind for the wedding, and I wanted to ask you all to be my bridesmaids!” You couldn’t help but squeal along in delight as they celebrated your announcement with as many screams as Taron had predicted.

“Yes, Y/N, this is amazing news and about bloody time too!” Charlotte took hold of your hand before changing her mind and pulling you in for a hug.

“So I take it that was a yes to being bridesmaids?” You couldn’t stop smiling.

“As if we’d say no!” They somehow replied in unison.

“Good! Right, I’m going to get us a bottle of prosecco to celebrate.”

You looked back over your shoulder as you waited at the bar to be served and knew that you were on for a great night now the girls were as full of wedding excitement as you had been for the last week. Somehow you could also picture them stood at the end of the aisle in their burgundy dresses, bouquets in hand, looking back at you as you walked forward to marry Taron. It made you shake your head as you went on to picture them drunkenly tearing up the dancefloor and ordering shots for the bride and groom, exactly as you’d done for Charlotte’s wedding 2 years ago. Karma was going to hit bad!

“Oh my god, we need to organise the hen-do!” Rosie though aloud as you topped up her prosecco glass once the bubbles had subsided. “We should do a full-on girl’s holiday. A week away, sun, sea, se-”

“Sangria.” Charlotte interjected quickly whilst flashing her own wedding ring.

“Boring! It’s rubbish being newly single when your mates are all taken. Gemma, can’t you split up with Ryan so we can go out and have some fun? You can get back with him after.” She joked.

“Aw, I’d love to, but I think I might have actually found a keeper at last. I know it’s still early days, but I don’t want to fuck this one up.” Gemma looked over to you and Charlotte for advice.

“Are you at 6 months yet?” You asked.

“Almost. It feels like so much longer though, it’s scary. It feels so different to anything I’ve had before too.” She admitted coyly.

“No, that’s a good thing. Tell Ryan he’s got a wedding invite now so he can’t go anywhere until at least mid-October, but preferably he sticks around for good!”

“I’ll pass the message on.” Gemma grinned. “Thanks, Y/N.”

“October wedding? I love that, it’ll be so autumnal and colourful.” Charlotte chipped in, ready to discuss all the tiny details before Rosie interjected.

“Ibiza in September for the hen! Chill on the beach in the day, get dressed up and hit the clubs at night. Y/N’s always been our party girl so let’s give her a good send-off.”

“I’m not dying!” You laughed.

“I’d actually be up for that.” Charlotte surprised you with her answer. “I could do with a full-on break from responsibilities and go back to the nostalgia of our youth.”

“I’m in too.” Gemma added. “We’ve not had a girl’s holiday in forever.”

It suddenly felt like a week away in Ibiza had been agreed on before you could discuss any other options. You couldn’t lie and say it didn’t sound amazing. You’d come back with a perfect sun-kissed glow for the wedding and have stories to tell Taron for weeks, but you’d also come back in debt. You knew in your gut that Taron would be sensible about his stag and keep it low-key, and you knew you wouldn’t be able to handle the guilt of splashing the cash without him. This absolutely needed to be a compromise and if you didn’t say something now it would only spiral.

“It sounds great, but there’s one small problem.” You added cautiously, conscious of not killing the mood of the night. “I really don’t have the budget for that, and there’s no way I’m asking any of you to cover my costs or loan me money. I’m totally up for clubs, drinks, dancing and chilling out, but can we think more long-weekend city spa break please?”

“Oh, really? I bet we could get a good deal on the flights.” Gemma tried to persuade you. “Plus going when the kids all go back to school halves the cost!”

“Yeah, we should at least research it and find some options first.” Charlotte added.

“Argh, I’m sorry, but I honestly can’t. We’ve just spent a fortune on the house and the wedding is maxing everything out again. It’s so tight as it is. I probably shouldn’t have even bought that prosecco. I’m going to try and get some overtime at work to help, because living like this is so frustrating.” You let your head fall into your hands.

“It’s ok, Y/N. Don’t stress, we can scale back and organise it all and still make sure it’s great. Give us a figure and we’ll stick to it.” Charlotte reassured you and the girls nodded in agreement.

“You sure?”

“Y/N it’s fine. It’s your hen-do so we’ll go with whatever you want to do.” Rosie had calmed her excitement. “I just got carried away.”

“It’s very easy to dream up a hot Mediterranean man to have sex on the beach with in Ibiza.” Gemma lightened the tone by lowering it.  

“What’s the Spanish version of the name Ryan?” Rosie teased.

“Probably not as weird as the Spanish version of Taron” Gemma fired back in your direction.  

“I’ll still be here when you’re done.” You kissed his lips in reply.

“Urgh, do I really smell that bad?” He whined and you knew exactly why. The idea of joining him in the shower after your cosy, romantic night in was tempting. But when you leant in and smelt him more closely the scrunch on your nose said it all.

“Kinda. Sorry.” You moved your hand up to his chest and pulled his t-shirt away from his skin so you could smell it again. “It’s not terrible, but it’s not quite you either, and I really like the smell of you.”

“Alright.” Taron pouted in defeat, not stepping back until you’d kissed him again.

He picked his gym bag back up and headed up the stairs, taking them two at a time to speed things up, and calling out to you once he’d reached the top.

“I will get to fuck you again in the shower. I don’t know when, but it’s definitely happening.”

It made you laugh to yourself, and he was absolutely right too.

***

“It smells so good down here, is there anything I can do?” Taron announced his fresh arrival. He’d dressed up from the usual post-work relaxed attire and had put on his best fitting jeans with a crisp white t-shirt that clung to his biceps.

“It’s all good over here, but you can open the wine and pass me a glass.”

“Yes, Chef!” He teased before getting to work.

“Thanks for looking hot for me.” You admired him from across the room.

“It’s the least I could do.” Taron took your compliment smoothly as he joined you in the kitchen and clinked his glass against the top of yours. “To…”

“Surprises?” You offered.

“Surprises and making the effort for each other.” He added before leaning in for a quick kiss. “Love you.”

“Love you too.” You took a sip of your wine as you watched over the steaks frying in the pan and found yourself frowning at the taste. “Is this a bottle your Mum gave us for Christmas?”

“Yeah, I think so. Why?” Taron had moved back to the dining table and was now reading the label on the back of the bottle.

“Does it taste weird to you?”

“Weird? No. It’s a screw top too, so it can’t be corked.”

“Oh, ok. Maybe it’ll be better with the food.” You thought aloud, also remembering that you’d last tasted the garlic butter so it was probably that throwing off your senses. It was wine at the end of the day, something you’d never been particular about before but perhaps your age was finally catching up with you and maturing your tastes as well. “Do you think we’ll get to do a wine tasting for Worthingham Hall or do they just supply the best one to match the menu choices?”

“I think it was standard in the package, but it did say something about upgrades for the couple as an add-on. I’m not sure we’re gonna have the budget for many upgrades though, it’s already tight.” Taron had looked through the figures on Sunday afternoon and put together a best estimate. It all added up way too quickly for your liking, especially once the flowers and dress were factored in.

“I was thinking about that earlier…” You paused your sentence as you plated up your meals and took them over to the table.

“This looks amazing, thank you Y/N.” Taron smiled happily across to you before picking up a chip between his fingers and taking a bite off the end.

“I recon my Dad might offer to buy my dress for me. I know it’s not a given, but he’s a proper old romantic at heart and he was a big fan of you from day one.”

“Well I did ask him if I could marry you on day one…” He reminded you softly.

“Exactly.” You still blushed at the thought of it. “So, I was thinking that I’d take the girls with me to find the dress, and then invite my parents down for the fitting and alterations and maybe schmooze them a bit and hope for the best?”

“It’s a plan for sure, but don’t go in too hard. We can do this by ourselves too, and it’s not like we’ve not had to live to a strict budget before. It’s just a few less steaks and meals out for date nights, and a little more Netflix and chill. Then if anyone offers to chip in for things it’s a bonus!”

“Screw the Netflix, you’re always down to chill. I know your plan!” You pointed your knife at him.

“Screw it, or you.” He cocked his head with a smirk. “But later, I’m not letting this go cold.”

The wedding chat continued to flow freely whilst you ate. You were pleasantly surprised by how much you agreed on, and how little you had to flag up as things to come back to later. Maybe all the bickering during the house renovation had served you well and turned you into the dream planning team. You’d settled on the 4th of October for the date, decided Worthinham Hall really was for you after looking up other venues and feeling less than impressed, plus you even had a burgundy colour scheme agreed on. Everything was falling into place perfectly.

Taron had moved a couple of the candles from the dining room through into the living room and set up your favourite blanket ready for you to snuggle under with him. The last of the wine had been poured and a new episode of your favourite drama was waiting to be watched. You felt like the luckiest person in the world as you relaxed into Taron’s side and felt his arm wrap around your shoulders.

“Can we start telling people yet? I know nothing is booked, but it’s all feeling very real and exciting. I was thinking about asking the girls to be my bridesmaids soon.”

“Oh yeah, they absolutely need to know before an invite turns up in the post!” Taron laughed. “Tell them whenever you like. I should give a heads-up to the best man too.”

“Jack?” You weren’t sure why you needed to ask.

“Obviously. I’ll talk to him when we’re next in the pub.”

“Good. Do you mind if we tell them separately? I quite fancy a girly night out and they’ll be so excited.”

“Honestly, please do. I can imagine the screams already.” Taron teased. “Now are we going to watch this, or talk wedding all night?”

“No, I’m good, I’m ready, I’m watching.” You replied quickly as Taron had already started the episode.

It was hard not to get swept up in the wedding world. There was so much to think about and every time you pictured the venue full of your favourite people, Taron dressed up in a gorgeous suit, hearing his vows, holding his hands, kissing him for the first time as his wife and then dancing the night away together you felt a giddiness deep in your stomach like never before. You were sat watching a serious crime drama with a stupid grin on your face that wasn’t going to fade any time soon.

“Another one?” Taron asked as the credits faded up onto the screen.

“I thought you had other plans for the rest of the night?” you replied suggestively.

“Well… you’ve got to be a gentleman about these things sometimes.”

“I don’t.” You cast him a wink as you pulled the blanket off, got to your feet and reached your arm out so he could take your hand. “Woah. I stood up too fast.” You laughed to yourself as the blood rushed from your head and left you dizzy. Taron moved his hands to your hips to steady you.

“Or that wine went to your legs.” It didn’t take him long to lower his hands to your arse. “You good, or do I need to practice carrying you to bed?”

“It’s over the threshold, not to bed.” You laughed. “But if you’re offering?”

“Come on then.” He got to his feet and lifted you smoothly up into his chest so you could wrap your arms over his shoulders and let your feet dangle happily as he carried you up to the bedroom.

“I could get used to that.” You giggled to yourself as he dropped you down on the end of the bed and was quick to pull his white t-shirt off over his head. “You made it look so easy.”