Pregnancy Countdown

by Linda Wisdom

  Nora groaned as she tried to slide out from under the steering wheel. Right about then, she was looking forward to going inside her house and putting her feet up.

  She finally pushed the car seat back and slid out of the small car.

  “At this rate, I’ll need a can opener to get myself out,” she muttered, walking in the back door. The moment she stepped inside the kitchen, appetizing aromas surrounded her. She paused long enough to scratch an excited Brumby behind the ears. She was amused to see that Mark’s dark pink shirt was covered with yellow and green surfboards.

  “Hey.” Mark helped her off with her coat and tossed it to one side at the same time he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

  Nora felt a flash fire go off inside her. She was ready to just wallow in his kiss, when the baby kicked. Mark jumped backward.

  “It’s okay, I’m your father,” he told her tummy. He looked up at Nora. “Are you hungry? I brought Chinese.”

  Nora’s mouth was already watering.

  “I went to Ming’s for our dinner. We have shrimp in lobster sauce,” Mark murmured in a low sexy voice. “Orange chicken, egg flower soup, egg rolls, some broccoli beef.” He set out the distinctive takeout containers with Chinese writing on the sides. “And, of course, almond and fortune cookies. I also made a stop for a gourmet dog dinner for Brumby. I’m beginning to think dogs eat better than us,” he confided.

  Nora took the chair he offered. “And here I was trying to remember what I had in the refrigerator. What brought this on?”

  “One, I wanted to see you. Two, I wanted to see you. Three, I wanted to get away from Jeff.” He took the seat to her right. He used chopsticks to pluck a snow pea out of a container and rubbed it gently against her lower lip until she opened her mouth.

  She chewed slowly, savoring the tastes exploding in her mouth.

  “Ready for more?” His voice was seductive.

  “Oh yes,” she breathed.

  “Just keep your eyes closed,” Mark told her, still keeping his voice low.

  She nodded. This time, she bit into a piece of orange chicken.

  “Aren’t you eating?”

  Mark leaned over and brushed his lips across hers. “It tastes better on you,” he murmured.

  Nora enjoyed her meal bite by bite courtesy of Mark. She had no idea what he would feed her next and loved each surprise he gave her. In between she was given sips of hot tea.

  “This is incredible,” she said, still keeping her eyes closed.

  “And just the beginning,” he told her. “Now you can open your eyes for the finale.”

  She opened them to find him holding a fortune cookie.

  “Ready to take a chance?” He arched an eyebrow.

  Nora took the cookie out of his hand and broke it open. She unfolded the tiny piece of paper. She scanned the printed words and laughed.

  “Well?” Mark prompted.

  “‘New beginnings are around the corner’,” she said. “You rigged the cookie.”

  “I did not!” He laughed, holding up his hands. “I swear I had nothing to do with it. But it’s fitting.” He stood up, crossed his arms at the wrist and held out his hands. “Come on, little mama.” He pulled her to her feet. “Part two of your surprise.”

  “Part two? Mark, what are you doing?” Nora asked, now suspicious when he led her toward the rear of the house.

  “Don’t worry, you’re still safe,” he assured her, guiding her into her bathroom. He sat her down on the commode.

  Nora watched him turn on the tub faucets, keeping a hand under the water flow as he adjusted the temperature. He studied her collection of bath products and chose a bottle of bath oil. Pretty soon the exotic fragrance of tangerine and vanilla filled the air. He pulled out a box of matches and lit the candles she kept lined up around the tub.

  Nora shifted uneasily. “Uh, Mark.”

  He turned to her and laid his fingers across her lips. “I’m pampering you, gorgeous.”

  “I’m not so gorgeous right now,” she wanted him to know.

  “You’ll always be gorgeous to me.” He turned off the faucets. “Wait here a minute.” He disappeared but returned a few minutes later. He carried what looked like a wine bottle and a wineglass. “Nonalcoholic,” he announced, showing her the label. “It was a very good year.”

  A laugh escaped her lips.

  “Into the tub,” he told her briskly.

  Nora hesitated. “Mark, the last time…” She paused. “The last time I was, well, thinner.”

  “And now you’re carrying my baby,” he reminded her unnecessarily. He fiddled with the top button to her dress.

  She decided it was time to just go for it. She stood up and let him reach for the hem. The dress was loose enough to easily pull up over her head.

  “They’re easier than anything else,” she explained.

  “As if I’d complain about a piece of clothing that’s easy to take off,” he teased, setting the dress on the hamper. When she started to cross her arms in front of her chest, he stepped closer to stop her gesture. “You are gorgeous,” he told her, looking her straight in the eye. “Do not ever think anything different. Understand?”

  “It’s just that I’ve ballooned everywhere. I can barely see my feet.”

  “That’s why you need me around.” He kneeled down and helped her slip off her flats. “Sexy,” he commented, touching a toe polished a bright coral decorated with a flower painted in the middle.

  Nora had wondered how she’d feel with Mark seeing her look, well, pregnant. What she didn’t expect was to feel downright sexy and it had to do with the way he looked at her as if she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

  He helped her into the tub where she slid down into the warm water with a sigh of bliss.

  “Good thing you have a big tub.” Mark’s statement was her first warning.

  She looked up to find him shedding his clothes.

  “What are you doing?” she squeaked.

  “Easiest way to pamper you is to just dive right in.” She stared at his boxers that boasted dancing poodles as he pushed them down to the floor.

  Mark climbed into the bathtub, seating himself at the other end. He grinned. “Now, this is fun.” He picked up one of her feet and started rubbing the sole.

  “Mark!” Nora grabbed hold of the sides of the tub so she wouldn’t slide under the water.

  “I’m just rubbing your feet.” He wrapped a hand around her foot and rubbed the arch.

  She started howling.

  Then it hit him. “You’re ticklish!”

  “Yesssss!” Nora choked, trying to pull her foot back, but her balance wasn’t the same as it used to be. “Do you know how hard it is for me to have a pedicure without practically screaming?”

  Mark grinned. He gentled his touch on her foot and began kneading the sole instead of rubbing it. When he finished, he picked up her other foot.

  Nora groaned with appreciation as he kneaded the soreness out of her feet.

  “Keep making sounds like that and I’ll be rubbing more than your feet,” he warned her.

  “Promises, promises.” She was lost in the sheer sensation.

  Mark carefully put her foot down and leaned forward. He quickly realized Nora’s stomach wasn’t going to let him get too close. With a minimum of splashing he had her turned around and leaning back against his chest.

  “This is much better,” he murmured in her ear.

  She started to shift around in the water until she realized what her movements were doing to him.

  “Don’t worry about me,” Mark said softly, unconcerned he was aroused. “This is all for you.” He picked up her mesh sponge and dunked it in the water. He began rubbing it over her back.

  Nora closed her eyes, leaning back again when Mark stroked the sponge across her shoulders. She felt boneless under his touch. She could easily get used to all this pampering.

  “I should have put on some music,” he said.

  “Ju
st keep on doing what you’re doing.” She waved her hand in the air with all the aplomb of the Queen Mother.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he chuckled as he moved the sponge across the top of her breasts. He squeezed the sponge, sending rivulets of water down her skin.

  Nora realized that she wasn’t feeling so boneless anymore. If anything, she was feeling quite the opposite. For a prospective mother, she was feeling some very un-mom-like sensations. Considering what she felt against her hip, she knew Mark was on the same wavelength.

  Just a little lower. She shifted in the water so that his hand slid down to the full globe of her breast. Her breath caught in her throat. She could hear his breathing growing a little labored when his fingers grazed her nipple. She moaned as her now extremely aroused nipple sent shock waves all through her body.

  Nora started to turn around, but Mark’s hands tightened on her shoulders.

  “Stay the way you are.” His whisper had a ragged edge. His fingers found her nipple again.

  “Mark.” She didn’t sound much better. “Things could happen just from you touching me there.” She wasn’t sure if she was issuing a warning or a promise. Judging from the exhalation of air behind her, it could go either way.

  His hand froze for a bare second then flirted with her nipple again. He rolled it between his thumb and forefinger. She squirmed under his touch. She felt the tension beginning deep within her belly, and this time it had nothing to do with the baby.

  “Mark!” She grabbed hold of the sides of the tub just as the implosion seemed to go off inside her. Nora was powerless against the shock waves moving through her. A part of her sensed Mark’s whispered words in her ear as he reminded her she wasn’t alone. By the time she returned to earth, she felt as if she’d been turned inside out. She could also tell that he was still very much aroused. She licked her lips. “Wow.”

  “Wow is right. You were incredible.” He kissed the side of her neck.

  “Oh no, I want you with me this time.” Nora pushed herself away from him and would have gotten up but she realized there was no way she was getting out of the tub without help.

  Mark stood up behind her and stepped out of the tub. He snagged a towel and carefully wrapped it around her.

  “I’ll mop up the water later,” he promised, easily picking her up in his arms and walking out of the bathroom. “For now, it’s just us.”

  Nora’s body was still humming as Mark settled her onto the bed. He followed her downward.

  “Did the doctor say it’s all right?” Mark asked, resting his hand on the swell of her belly.

  She kept her eyes on his face. “Yes.”

  “Then I’m all yours.” He grinned just as he gathered her into his arms and kissed her.

  Nora felt a pang in her heart at his words. She opened her eyes and looked at his handsome face. She wondered if there was a chance he was speaking the truth.

  No matter. Tonight, she was going to pretend Mark was all hers.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Nora’s eyelids were at half mast as she blindly made her way down the hall toward the kitchen. She would have preferred being back in bed with Mark’s warm body curved around her. They hadn’t gotten much sleep. She also would have killed for a cup of coffee but knew she’d have to settle for a cup of decaf. She consoled herself that she could smell the coffee she’d set up in the coffeemaker for Mark before they finally fell asleep.

  Her first hint something wasn’t quite right was the strange sound coming from the counter by the stove. She forced her eyes open and tried to focus on the dark image that she knew was her coffeemaker. She sniffed. She couldn’t detect the rich scent of coffee brewing in the air that she’d hoped would help her drink her one allowed cup of decaf. The pot that should have been full was empty.

  “No,” she moaned just as her coffeemaker emitted a strange gurgling sound. An even more alarming death rattle sounded before falling completely silent.

  There would be no coffee for Mark to drink this morning. No coffee fragrance for her to savor as a very sad second.

  “Um.” A sleepy-eyed Mark stumbled into the kitchen. Bright orange boxers adorned with smiling yellow suns and a very masculine bare chest greeted Nora. He snagged a coffee mug from the cabinet then headed for the coffeemaker.

  “The coffeemaker died,” she announced.

  Mark frowned. He peered closely at the unit. “Did you forget to program it?” His voice was scratchy.

  “It’s dead,” she repeated in a louder voice.

  Still not understanding her, Mark first jiggled the unit then picked up the pot, holding it eye level. “Shouldn’t it have water in it?”

  “I said, it’s dead!”

  Mark winced at her strident voice. “Okay, okay, you don’t need to shout.” He looked dumbly at the coffeemaker. “So it’s not working?”

  Nora threw up her hands and walked out of the room.

  “I swear if the man had a brain he’d be dangerous,” she muttered.

  Mark looked around the kitchen. “Where’s breakfast?”

  “Two blocks away at IHOP!”

  “Boy, she’s cranky in the morning,” he muttered, blindly searching the kitchen for breakfast makings.

  “I heard that!”

  THE DEAD COFFEEMAKER was merely the first obstacle Nora had to deal with that day. She burst into tears when she slid into her car. At least, she tried to slide behind the wheel. It was as if overnight she’d grown so much that she couldn’t fit.

  “Hey, it’s okay.” Mark crouched down beside her. He was unshaven, his hair sticking out in all directions, and dammit, he’d come outside without pulling on clothing over his wild boxer shorts. “Sweetie, whatever it is, we can fix it.”

  “I can’t drive my car!” she wailed. “I can’t fit behind the wheel!”

  “What if you slide the seat back more?” he asked, adding, “although I’d feel better if you were driving, say, a Mack truck.”

  Her eyes shimmered a deep emerald with her tears. “Then I wouldn’t be able to reach the pedals.”

  “Where are you going?”

  Her lower lip trembled. “I’m going to work.”

  Mark shook his head. “Let me get dressed and we’ll go out to breakfast. I’ll drive you to the salon.” He straightened up. “Damn, it’s cold out here.” He easily pulled her out of the seat.

  Mark kept his promise. They went out to breakfast then he drove her to work.

  “Last night was only the beginning,” he told her once he stopped the truck in the parking lot near the salon’s rear door.

  “You just don’t like sharing your apartment with Jeff,” she teased.

  “You’re much better.” He leaned over and kissed her.

  Nora leaned into his kiss, savoring the heat of his mouth that promised so much more. She moaned softly when he pulled back a little.

  “I didn’t pamper you last night just to get you into bed,” he wanted her to know as he nibbled on her lower lip. “Damn, I am so addicted to that champagne-flavored lip gloss,” he murmured, nipping the corner of her lips.

  Nora made a mental note to pick up a couple extra tubes that day.

  “What time is your last appointment?” he asked.

  It took her a moment to think coherently. The man’s mouth alone was a lethal weapon. “I should be finished by seven.”

  “I’ll be here before seven then. We’ll go out to dinner.” He climbed out of the truck and walked around to the door, helping her down. He didn’t leave until she was safely inside the door.

  Nora had just finished fixing herself a cup of lemon herb tea when Ginna breezed in.

  “And how’s my little niece?” Ginna asked, patting Nora’s tummy. “My, my, we’re active this morning.”

  Nora curled her lip at her friend.

  “I hate people who don’t have a tummy,” she muttered, sipping her tea and hating every drop of it. She really missed her coffee!

  Ginna turned and gazed at her. She grabbed her friend’
s shoulders and moved her around to fully face her. She peered closely at her face then screamed.

  “Nora Summers, I am shocked! I want details,” she ordered, shaking her gently.

  “And I want caffeine, but since I can’t have it, I guess you don’t get whatever you’re looking for.”

  Ginna refused to release her. Nora looked into eyes the same blazing blue as the man’s she’d looked into not long ago.

  “If my brother can put that kind of color in your cheeks and a smile on your lips that I haven’t seen in a long time, I say terrific,” she said softly. “You and my niece deserve the best.”

  Nora hated her rock-and-roll emotions that struck her at any time. She could feel the tears threatening to fall at any second.

  “I don’t know,” she admitted in a whisper.

  Ginna cocked her head to one side. “Oh, honey, it hit you hard, didn’t it?”

  Nora’s head bobbed up and down. She was doing everything she could not to cry, but a lone tear still made its way down her cheek.

  “Tell me this crying is a good thing,” Ginna said, releasing Nora long enough to snag a tissue from the box on the counter. “That you’re not crying because he’s done something stupid.”

  Nora shook her head. “He hasn’t done anything stupid,” she replied. “But I could be doing something stupid.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “Falling in love with him.”

  MARK HAD NEVER FELT so out of place. He stood just inside the main door of a store that took up an entire block. Looking at the wide variety of merchandise, he could understand why. He swore the place must hold just about anything a baby would require.

  He looked from right to left, seeing an array of bassinets, cribs, strollers, chests of drawers, changing tables and car safety seats set along one wall. He walked past them and found racks of tiny clothing that he couldn’t imagine fitting any human, along with shelves holding pastel-colored blankets and just about any style of mobile imaginable to hang over the cribs and bassinets. He checked out a corner set up with paint and rolls of wallpaper fit for the newest arrival. Mark lingered by a lamp designed to re-create a castle straight out of a fairy tale. He touched a mobile of animated Disney stars that rotated to a selection of popular songs.