Better late than never, right? I'll let you get right to it.

I own only the plot.

Six weeks pregnant

RPOV

"Is it tonight yet?" I grumbled into the phone. While we had had a very… intimate... week, none of the things we had done for and to each other over the last seven days could top the way it felt when I was inside her. And, given that there had been no more spotting I was way more than ready to experience that again.

She sighed too. "Almost. Are we going out with everyone after the game?"

"My vote is hell no, but it's up to you."

"Hmmmmm," I could hear it in her voice, she was going to mess with me. "We should go to McSorley's, I mean what else is there to do?"

"Is this your way of getting me to talk dirty to you, Babe? Because I can tell you what else there is to do, but you're going to be all flustered and wet at work…" I looked up to check my office door was closed. "I don't want you squirming and aching for me until I'm right there with you, ready to fuck you till you scream."

"Jeez, Carlos!" She breathed, "Too late."

If you'd have asked me two months ago if I'd be about to launch into full-on phone sex with my best friend, I'd have given you an appointment with me for therapy.

"Which one? Are you wet? Aching?"

"Oh my god, would you stop? I have to go, Tank needs to talk to me."

Cock-blocker, good thing he was a decent hockey player. "Fine. I'll be there to pick you up at 6:00."

"Oh, honey," she laughed, "don't pout."

"Who's pouting?"

She giggled again, "Bye."

I rolled my eyes, "Bye. Give the Bean a kiss for me."

I hung up before I started begging her to leave early. My last patient of the day had rescheduled, so all I had to do now was some case reviews and I could head home.

Home.

In the last week, we'd only spent one night in my house and I'd gone there to pick up clothes maybe twice. It seemed we'd just naturally migrated to her house. We had yet to figure out which house we were going to end up in when the baby came, but hers was bigger and had a better backyard. And, this could be pro or con, was closer to both of our parents. My house was only a mile further away, but our mothers could be a little intrusive. That mile might be the buffer we need when we're sleep-deprived zombies. Then again, having two sets of grandmas and grandpas close by might give us a little extra nap time here and there.

When the pragmatic direction of my thoughts had sufficiently deflated me, I pulled my iPad closer and got busy making notes. I had a busy night planned, and I wasn't talking about playing hockey.

I pulled up in her driveway at 5:55, smiling when I saw her already bounding down the front steps, looking as excited to see me as I was to see her. She was looking sexy as hell in tall boots and a skirt that swirled just above her knees and my kryptonite was glaringly obvious in the sweater she was wearing.

It was going to feel like forever to get through this game tonight.

I grabbed her door for her, kissing her (and me) stupid.

I probably shouldn't have my hands up her sweater right there in the driveway, right?

"Hi," she breathed.

"Hi." I couldn't stop the grin that broke out, so wide it was hurting my cheeks.

I stepped back and waited till she sat down to close the door.

"Did you leave early?" I asked as I backed out onto the street.

She nodded and grabbed my hand, weaving our fingers together. "I was home by 5. I was using ninhydrin on a case today and I couldn't get the smell out of my nose. It took thirty minutes in the shower to get rid of it!"

"Is it okay to use right now?" I know she was an expert in her field and was aware of the dangers of the various chemicals she used on a daily basis, but I wasn't and I just wanted to make sure.

"It's fine. It was in a vacuum sealed box and none of the particles can get out. It's probably all in my head. I nearly lost my lunch though, this nausea without puking thing needs to go."

"But the doctor said that would pass soon right?"

"She did, but according to all my research, it started early for me. Maybe I'll luck out and it'll end sooner."

I squeezed her hand. "We don't have to go to Shorty's if you don't want to. We can go somewhere else." I'd get her whatever she wanted. She'd had at least one bout of throwing up every day this last week and it seemed like she was almost constantly nauseous.

"No, it's fine. I've been having a weird craving all day though, so you might want to get your own."

I pulled into the cramped parking lot and looked over at her. "How weird can it be? This isn't exactly the place to be for exotic foods."

She chuckled and climbed out.

Heading straight for our table she pulled me down on the little sofa with her. "Here comes Kelly, last chance to back out and get your own pizza."

"Babe, I can handle it." Seriously, I'd been all over the world in the Army and eaten some crazy shit.

"Okay hot stuff, cover your ears when I order it. I need to see you eat this too."

I did as she asked, she upped the ante and covered my hands with hers too. I felt a flicker of doubt at our server's incredibly grossed out expression when Steph told her what she wanted. She hustled away and Steph sat back, a slightly evil smirk on her face.

I pulled her legs up into my lap and wrapped my hand around her knee. "So how was the rest of your day?

She snorted, "You're really not going to ask about what I ordered?"

"No." Given the face Kelly had made, I was a too scared.

We sat like that, just talking about things till the food came. It didn't smell good and looked worse, but Steph was practically drooling.

Holy shit.

"Tuna and pickles?"

She shrugged, "I told you it was weird." She took a huge bite and closed her eyes. "Oh my god, this is so damn good." She took another bite and shot me a challenging look.

I grabbed a plate and slid a slice onto it. I slowly raised it to my mouth and had to have a strong talking to with my lips just to get them to open. I finally took a small bite and cringed. It was fucking disgusting.

The things I do for this woman.

I managed to force down the whole slice before I put the plate down, already looking for Kelly so I could get something, anything, else. I caught Steph staring at me with glazed over, wide eyes. "What?" I asked her.

It took a beat for her eyes to focus and she shook her head in disbelief. "Nothing, I just can't believe that you actually ate that! Good thing I ordered the regular one as well."

I was so relieved that I leaned over and kissed her, getting a little carried away when I realized that the foul topping combo tasted pretty good when mixed with her.

"You know you're in public, right?" Kelly said, plonking down my food and laughing. We pulled apart, grinning. "So, when did this start?" She waved her hand between us.

Stephanie tipped her head back and laughed, she caught my eyes and said, "Thirty years ago."

"So, how do you think everyone's going to react?" I asked as we pulled into a spot at the rink.

She snorted, "Please, after all the innuendo and comments since you started this team, they'll be overjoyed to blast us with I-told-you-sos and I-knew-its!"

"Do you care?"

She snorted again, "Hell no. You want to know why?"

"Why?"

She leaned over and kissed me, slow and deep, and I had to think hard about whether they really needed me for this game. She made the decision for me when she pulled away and whispered, "Because I get to do that whenever I want to."

She jumped out and popped the back door and I had to hustle to grab my hockey bag before she did. "You're never going to give that up are you?" I hiked the bag over my shoulder and dragged her close.

She burrowed her hands under my jacket and around my waist, snuggling her face into my neck. "Mmmm, you're so warm." Her lips brushed against me as she spoke, sending shivers down my arm. "Do you know how fucking good you smell right here?" She planted an open-mouthed kiss at the base of my neck. I felt the tip of her tongue touch over my pulse and all of a sudden she was gone, my stick bag over her shoulder. A triumphant grin on her face, she turned and headed inside.

I adjusted myself and followed close behind, trying my hardest to stop staring at her ass swaying ten feet in front of me. Putting a cup on for the game would be problematic right now.

She turned to face me at the hallway dividing the bleachers from the changing room; that smile on her face. "You want this?" She slid the stick bag off her shoulder and held it out.

I looked behind me to see if anyone was paying attention to us. Finding us momentarily alone, I stepped forward until I was pressed against her. I fucking loved the way her eyes got dark when we were close like this. "No, I want you," I said, kissing her exactly the way she'd kissed me in the car, well, with a bit more inappropriate groping thrown in. "But I'll take this for now." I took the bag out of her still outstretched hand and stood back. She smiled up at me and her gaze drifted over my shoulder, her cheeks flushing, a slow clapping started up behind us. We exchanged a now or never look and I turned to face them. I was met by 13 sets of raised eyebrows and a grinning Tank.

"So, uh, yeah," I stuttered. "Steph and I are together."

"You're kidding!" Bobby said sarcastically.

Les snorted, "I wouldn't have guessed that this would end up happening eventually." He smiled and looked Steph over, his eyes pausing at her still flat belly.

She put her hand in mine and cleared her throat a little nervously. "And we're, um, we're having a baby."

It was chaos for a minute after that, everybody hugging and kissing Steph. It was a struggle to not wade in there and rescue her from the mass of bodies. They turned on me then, punching me in the shoulder enough that I was starting to get worried about being able to shoot the puck tonight.

"Alright," Tank boomed, taking mercy on me. "If you don't want to forfeit this game, get your asses changed." He turned and smiled at us and led the way down the hall.

I straggled behind for a second. "Meet you back here?" I asked her, kissing her quick.

"Yup."

I started to back down the hallway, but couldn't help saying, "I love you, Babe." It was funny how the panic I saw in her eyes the first time I had told her that, had quickly dissolved. Now when I said it, I could tell that she was feeling it too. But, I swore I wouldn't push her, that I would give her time to figure it out. So, that's what I was doing.

As I took one last look at her before going through the door, she had that same glazed over expression on her face as she did at Shorty's. That had always been her 'deep in thought' look since forever. I once watched her sit and stare at a blank wall for fifteen solid minutes like that while working on her dissertation. I don't know what it meant that she was doing it now, but I hoped it was good.

SPOV

Did it really take tuna and pickles for me to finally, truly get it? Seeing this amazing man, eating that weirdly delicious pizza, for me; was the final push for me to see it.

I was in love with him. Like big, consuming, need to touch him all the time kind of in love with him.

I mean, I had pretty much figured it out weeks ago, but seeing him force himself to eat that slice just because it was the only thing I wanted to eat was like a lightbulb moment for me. At any other time in my life that pizza would've churned my stomach, let alone anyone else's.

Now I just had to bite my tongue and wait for the best moment to tell him. I didn't want to blurt it out at Shorty's, or in the car. The hardest it has ever been to keep my mouth shut was in that hallway at the rink, but the smell of decades of sweat and funky hockey equipment was enough to make me want to wait till we were really alone. Seeing him back away from me, saying those words… I have no idea why it took me so long to get my shit together.

That game was without a doubt the longest game I had ever sat through. Judging by his distracted play and the way he shot off the ice when the game was over, I'd say he was feeling the same. At least he took a few minutes to shower after, even though I tapped my foot impatiently outside that locker room. Waiting had never been a problem for me, but something about today, knowing that I was finally ready to tell him and that we would be able to finally have sex again had me incredibly antsy.

When he finally emerged from that door, I had to stop myself from vaulting off my spot against the wall. His hair was still damp and falling across his forehead, he must've still been hot from playing because he was only in a long-sleeved t-shirt that made his shoulders look, unh, fucking biteable. His jeans were snug enough in the crotch that I had a hard time prying my eyes away from the button fly. But when I did, I expected to see his usual grin at catching me ogling, instead I got the I'm-going-to-rip-your-clothes-off-and-fuck-you-right-now look instead.

It was my favorite of all his expressions.

"Ready?" He asked, he grabbed my hand and practically ran out the door and to the car.

"In a hurry?" I huffed. My breathlessness wasn't from running across the parking lot. He threw open the back door and shoved his gear inside. Hustling me to the passenger side, he grabbed my face and kissed me hard.

"Yeah," he yanked the door open and waved me in. "We need to go." I would've laughed, but the urgency in his voice was making me wet, and I completely agreed with him.

His hand was on my knee as soon as he shifted into drive, his fingers just under hem of my skirt. I had worn this flouncy skirt just for him, noticing how much he seemed to look at my legs when I was wearing a dress for work. I had refrained from wearing tights despite the sub-freezing temperature and I was so glad I did. The tips of his fingers were very gently grazing circles on my thigh and it was making breathing difficult. Especially as he moved higher and higher up my leg.

"What are you doing?" I half whispered, half moaned.

"I really need you to be ready," his hand slid higher still, "I'm not going to get past your foyer without being inside you."

"I don't think it'll be a problem." I was panting now because his fingers were about two centimeters from where I'd been dying for him to touch me since that damn phone call at lunchtime. It wasn't just the ninhydrin smell that kept me in the shower earlier. If I hadn't gotten myself off right then, I probably would've jumped him in my driveway. I bit my lip and debated if I should tell him that. Yup, I was going to tell him. He loved watching me touch myself, I had a feeling he'd like hearing about it too. "What you were saying earlier? About me aching?"

"Yeah?" His finger slipped under the elastic of my thong and gently slipped over my lips. "Fuck," he moaned, "You're so wet!" He worked his finger just inside me and I clenched my hands on the door and console. "Where you like this all day?"

"Yes," I hissed, my suddenly heavy head lolling back against the seat. "Why do you think that shower took me so long?"

"Shit." Suddenly his hand was gone and he slid the SUV to a stop.

I looked around, but couldn't make out much outside the dark windows. "Why did you stop? Go home!"

"No fucking way!" He said, reaching for my waist and turning me to face him better and unbuckling my seatbelt. "Put your right foot up on the dash." When I didn't do it right away, he reached over and lifted my knee so I was spread open more, my skirt riding up. He sighed happily and pushed the hem up further till I was fully exposed. The heat hadn't yet kicked on totally and I shivered as the cool air hit the dampness on my upper thighs.

"Carlos, we're doing this here?" From what I could see from the slightly foggy windows, we were parked on a dark residential street about half a mile from home.

"No Steph, you're going to tell me about this shower and I'm going to," he nudged the crotch of my panties aside, "play with your tight pussy until you come all over my hand."

Holy shit!

His dirty mouth never failed to get me even hornier, a fact that was blatantly obvious as I felt a fresh trickle of fluid escape me. He smiled darkly and swiped it up, sucking his finger into his mouth, before leaning over the console and kissing me deeply. "I love you so fucking much, Steph," He murmured as he pulled away.

How he could be so sexy and so damn heart-meltingly sweet all in the same breath was amazing to me.

He sat back and fixed his eyes to where he was gently sliding his finger inside me. "Now, tell me about your shower." He was being careful about not going in too deeply, but it wasn't until he added a second finger and rotated them to rub against that magic spot that I started babbling.

"After what we did this, unh…" he pressed up more firmly, "morning, I didn't think I would have a problem getting through the… oh yeah, right there… day… faster, please!"

"Lift up your sweater, Babe. I need to see those tits." The glass was completely fogged by now. I knew that what we were doing would be obvious to anyone passing us, but at least they couldn't see. Also he was using that voice, the one that could get me to do anything he wanted. There was no point trying to resist.

I slowly lifted my sweater up over my breasts, loving how his fingers became that much more insistent and his breathing became more labored. "Keep talking," he nearly growled.

"Fuck, oh… I had to sit through a whole… unh… meeting squeezing my legs together, just for a little relief." He leaned over again, attacking my neck and cupping my breast, pulling the cup of my bra down, his thumb brushing over my nipple.

"Why, Babe? Why were you so horny?" He murmured against my neck.

The thumb of his other hand suddenly landed on my clit and I started shaking.

"Ahhhhhh… because of what you said, about… oh… about fucking me till I screamed. Because, you… unh… you turn me on!"

He kissed me again. "And the shower?"

Holy shit he was going to make me come so hard! "I used your soap… to get rid of the… oh god… the smell, and it made me think of last night and… the way you touched me. Fuck! I'm going to come, Carlos!" It was barreling down on me, that heat and the tingling and that limbo right before that explosion of sensation.

"Did you use the shower head, or your fingers?" He sped even more, the pressure just slightly greater.

"Ohhhhhh… my fingers!" The first wave crashed in and I have no idea what else I said. Something to the effect that I imagined they were his cock.

It took me a few to come down as he stroked me gently. His other arm holding me awkwardly in the tight space, the only reason why I didn't slide off the seat into a sleepy, contented puddle on the floor.

"Oh my god." I mumbled.

"You okay?" He asked, gently sliding his arms free and letting me slump against the seat. He cupped my face and grinned wide. "You're going to pass out, aren't you?"

"No!" I tried to inject some energy into the word, but it was still slightly slurred. I fought with my heavy eyelids and reached over and patted his thigh, sliding my hand upwards.

He stopped me by catching my wrist. "Hey, you're only allowed to grope me when you're fully conscious." He tugged my bra and sweater back into place and smoothed my skirt back down. "We can stay at my house tonight." He reached over and kissed my forehead pulling my seatbelt back over me.

He put the car back in drive and put his hand back on my knee. I leaned against his strong shoulder and was helpless against the drowsiness that was flooding over me like warm water. I sighed and kissed his arm, mumbling, "I love you, Carlos." Before sleep completely pulled me under.

AN: Whoopsie, that wasn't how she was supposed to tell him. Six weeks in and this baby is already kicking her ass. Who can blame her for passing out in post-orgasmic sleepiness after what he just did to her? We'll just have to see if he can get her to wake up enough to say those words again.

I wasn't going to beg for reviews, but who am I kidding? I'm going to beg. C'mon, let me know what you thought? Your feedback makes the countless hours I do this all worthwhile.

Thanks for reading,

Love,

EA xoxo