Page 30

The house was alive with energy from the moment we arrived.

As promised, Livia, Silvia, and Angel went out of their way to throw the baby shower together at Aria and Daniil’s place. They didn’t hold anything back, from the pastel balloons, the table full of food and treats, and more decorations than I could take in at once.

It was all so sweet that I could hardly fathom just how much work they put in to celebrate the baby.

I had been to a handful of baby showers before, but none felt quite as warm and vibrant as that one.

It wasn’t just because it was my baby at the center of it all, but from everything surrounding us, and all the things I had to heal from.

Over the last few months, I had more than my fair share of hurdles to get over, and I managed to do it with the help of Val and his family.

From learning how to truly connect with Val despite our shaky start, digesting everything that had to do with my dad, and coming to terms with the life I never saw for myself previously…it had been a lot, but thanks to them, the journey had been that much easier.

That vibrant laughter from his family throughout the baby shower while we played games, opened gifts, and ate everything the girls picked out helped warm me even further.

Everyone was there, along with their spouses and children of their own.

After everything, I felt lost for a while as I tried to understand what I had been through and what it meant for me moving forward. I was feeling so many things at once that it was easy to lose myself in those seemingly endless mental circles.

But through it all, I started leaning on his family for support, and for the first time, I felt like I truly belonged.

They were a constant source of reassurance and guidance, and they never let me feel unwanted.

I was too quick to judge them before for their empire and how they operated. Even if I had to experience the dangers of their world firsthand, I knew they were still good people.

They cared fiercely for one another, and while they could be brutal when a situation called for it, they were also immensely kind and loyal.

It was easy to let those preconceived notions of mine blind me, but I knew better then.

After the baby shower was over, Yuri and the girls volunteered to help bring the gifts over to the house despite not needing to.

Of course, Yuri spent the entire time talking about anything and everything while the girls clung to his every word, but I found myself smiling through his antics, finding it amusing despite how Val could only sigh. But even if he didn’t show it, I knew he thought it was funny, too.

Once they went home and it was just the two of us, I stood beneath the shower and let the warm water relax me after the busy day. Going through the motions of my routine, I got lost in thought, considering what was ahead of us.

In just a few short months, we were going to be parents. Before, it was a scary thought, but after everything and being able to see the support system behind us, I knew we had nothing to worry about.

Before long, I heard the quiet shuffle of clothes coming off, and a moment later, Val stepped in behind me, placing his hands on my waist.

A smile pulled at my lips while I made room for him, letting the water soak his hair completely.

“How are you feeling?” Val asked, wiping the water from his eyes before looking down at me with a warm expression.

I hummed. “Good. A bit tired, but good.”

“Today was nice,” he murmured, pressing a bit closer to me from behind while his hand gently rubbed over my stomach. His words fanned against my neck as he leaned in. “It feels even realer now.”

“It does…it feels like this pregnancy has gone by so quickly, yet not fast enough at the same time.”

Val chuckled, then pressed a few soft kisses against my shoulder. “The little one will be here soon enough…I’m excited to finally meet them.”

“Me too. It’ll feel so surreal.”

“And I know you’ll make the best mother,” he spoke against my skin, letting his hands roam. “As excited as we are, I think we should make the most of our limited free time and relative energy.”

I smiled at that, picking up on his suggestion while his palms glided along my stomach and waist with reverence. “I think you might be onto something.”

“Of course I am,” he chuckled, letting a hand move higher, skimming my ribs before reaching my breast. He gave it a gentle squeeze, pawing at it before slowly running a thumb over my nipple. “And I plan to make sure you’re well and truly satisfied.”

A shiver moved through me at the touch as it relaxed me further. Allowing the weight of everything to fade away, I leaned back against him and soaked in every kiss and gentle nip of his lips against my neck.

Val hummed, pleased by the subtle way I exposed more of my skin to him. His other hand drifted lower. “I’ll admit…it was difficult keeping my thoughts pure today.”

“Is that so?”

“Very much so,” he returned lightly while moving lower and lower until his fingers brushed against my sex. “Seeing you showing more in that dress you had on…it was doing something for me.”

A breathless sound slipped from my lips at the contact, making me falter for a moment as sparks of pleasure coursed through me.

I knew I’d never get tired of that feeling…of the way he could get me worked up with even the lightest touch.

He added more pressure, making my head tip back against his shoulder. With another low hum, Val concentrated on his ministrations, caressing me with the right movements.

It didn’t take long for my breath to become shallow, or for the dampness between my thighs to increase, but the longer it went on, the more into it we both became.

While he spurred on that pleasure inside me, Val’s kisses became more insistent, and I could feel the heat emanating from him.

At that moment, I could’ve sworn he was getting the same pleasure I was despite being the one offering it.

“God…I need you so badly,” he murmured, leaving a kiss just beneath my ear.

Swallowing hard after letting out another shaky breath, I arched against him to feel just how hard he already was. “Please…don’t make me wait.”

At that, a satisfied sound rumbled in his chest, and Val shifted his hand to my thighs to spread them before bringing one up to direct my chin so I could look back at him.

His lips were on mine immediately while he gripped my jaw, kissing me with increased fervor.

We both hummed into it, getting lost in the immediate heat.

It didn’t matter how many times we kissed, it was always full of fire and intensity.

When he couldn’t take it anymore, Val released my face and took my bottom lip between his teeth before murmuring, “Hands against the wall.”

The command nearly made me shudder as I did exactly that, placing my hands against the cool tiles while the warm water cascaded around us.

Another satisfied sound escaped Val while he positioned himself behind me and dragged his hands around my hips before finding the place he wanted.

“As much as I want to savor this, I don’t think I can hold off,” Val uttered, already lining himself up.

Bracing myself, a rush of excitement moved through me, and I knew I couldn’t wait either. He had a way of making me so impatient when it came to getting what I wanted. What we both wanted.

That first moment of connection made our breath catch at the same time, and my fingers gripped the tiles a bit tighter.

The sparks within me were immediate, and I took in another breath as he slowly pushed in, pulling a soft moan from my lips.

“Fuck…” Val mumbled, dropping his head forward as a groan slipped from him, pressing it against my shoulder.

Nothing made me feel more complete than having him buried completely inside me, and I knew nothing else would ever compare.

With a quiet whimper, I arched more for him, and my impatience immediately got the better of me. I needed all of him.

Picking up on my impatience, Val started to move, withdrawing his hips before easing back into me, sending a rush of mutual pleasure between both of us, filling the shower with our moans.

There was something so intense and visceral about the position that already had my thighs shaking.

He grunted and continued, moving at a steady rhythm that spoke of his eagerness and the restraint he had to exercise throughout the day.

The thought of needing me and having to hold himself back only turned me on more, filling my head with a pleasant fog.

A string of curses left my mouth as I was bombarded with nothing but pure bliss while he moved with such fluid precision that I hardly had the chance to think.

Every thrust of his hips pushed me closer and closer to the edge, and my pleasured sounds gave him all the encouragement he needed.

“That’s it,” he murmured, turning breathless while he moved faster, still being mindful of the slick shower. “I wanna hear you…”

My stomach flipped at the words that gave away how lost he already was in the moment, and even without the subtle demand, I knew I couldn’t hold it in, anyway.

With Val’s eager movements against me, stroking every perfect place, my moans pitched higher and my thighs became weaker. His strong grip on me and the wall in front of me were the only things keeping me standing.

Val’s breathless sounds surrounded me just like his body did, telling me just how close he was.

The moment his fingers returned to my heat, rubbing me in time with his thrusts, I was already long gone.

Clenching around him, a wave of heat crashed over me, and the coil inside me came undone.

Breath catching, I let go of a strangled sound before the tension released within me, and a fuzzy, satisfying haze took up the place of my previous need.

Val muttered incoherently before grunting, grip on my hips tightening while he followed soon after, holding me close to his body through the pulsing of his release.

“Shit…that’s a dangerous position,” he murmured into my neck while the water beat down on us and he propped himself up with a palm against the tiles. Panting, he swallowed hard and gently kissed my shoulder again. “I love you, Tia…always.”

Blissed out completely, I leaned into him and soaked up every second of it. My heart thrummed in my chest, and no part of me doubted his words.

“I love you too. Always.”

At that, Val hummed and pressed his nose against my neck with a light, teasing tone. “Glad to know we’re on the same page.”

We were—in every way.

And I had every reason to believe that would never change.

*****

THE END