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Chapter 21 –Privacy…Not So Much – Claire's POV

Two weeks had gone by. Myrnin and I had settled into somewhat of a routine. We had gone out a few times. On the nights that we didn't go out, he came by in the evening after work. Tonight we planned to stay in and have a movie marathon night – angsty 80's teen romances…Molly Ringwald, here we come.

Myrnin had strictly forbidden me to go to the lab. He worried about how the chemicals would affect the baby, so until I gave birth, I would not see it again. Although, I suspected it might look a little different since Amelie was in the process of remodeling much of it after Myrnin had taken out his frustrations and pain on anything within reach. It still made me sad to picture him hurt and scared and not knowing what to do. From the few stories he had shared with me, I knew that he experienced just as much pain as I had, during the three weeks we were apart.

I fished my keys out of my bag and let myself into my house, thankful for the air conditioning. I had gone to classes earlier and sweat more than was socially allowed for good company, due to the overbearing Texas sun. Even though the nights were cool, the days could be stifling still. It did not help that I was twenty-five weeks pregnant. It seemed that even a short walk across campus caused me to be huffing and puffing, with sweat pouring off of me.

Myrnin would be here in another two hours so I had plenty of time to shower and get ready. I headed upstairs, grabbed a white fluffy towel from the closet and considered what I would wear. I was distracted from my preparations when my phone pinged, letting me know I had a text.

I frowned as I dug it out of my bag. If Myrnin was going to be late again tonight, I wasn't sure how nice my very unpredictable pregnancy hormones were going to be about it. It wasn't that I didn't understand the urgency and necessity of his work. I did. But I just didn't care right now. Damn these pregnancy hormones. They were making me into a raving bitch sometimes. Just the other day, he spent an hour calming me down after he surprised me with strawberry ice cream – but not candied jalapenos. I just didn't understand how he could possibly think I could eat one without the other. He should have known me better than that. And yes, that was a perfect example of my lack of reason.

I looked down at my phone in surprise. It wasn't Myrnin. It was Shane: I'm sorry. I was a complete dick. I never should have said those things to you.

I was stunned. On one hand, I felt relief to no longer have that conflict and tension in my life. But on the other, I didn't really know the best way to respond. In the end, I typed: You were hurt. If I could go back, I would do things differently to try to prevent the pain I inflicted.

I wandered into the bathroom, set my phone on the counter and turned on the shower. I got undressed and let the stream of hot water flow through my fingers to test the temperature. My phone pinged again. I glanced down to read his message.

Shane: If by 'do things differently', you mean 'broken up with me sooner', it wouldn't have reduced the pain of losing you. I think I'm going to feel that pain for quite a while. I miss you.

Shit. I hated that I had hurt him so much, and quickly replied: Thank you for apologizing. It means the world to me, and I'm sorry too.

I sighed heavily and stepped into the shower. When I was done, I checked my phone again but didn't see any new messages from Shane. I quickly towel dried my hair and realized in my earlier distraction, I never brought a change of clothes into the bathroom with me. I wrapped my towel around my body and tucked the corner in to keep it in place.

As I walked from the bathroom back into the bedroom, I decided rather than get fully dressed; I would just put on what I normally wore to sleep in. I would be more comfortable that way.

I pulled out a lower drawer in my dresser and bent over to rifle through the contents for a pair of sleep shorts. Before I could find what I was looking for, I heard a startled gasp behind me.

"Oh!"

I shrieked in surprise and spun around, my pulse racing.

Myrnin was standing there with a shocked look, and then I realized why. When he arrived, I had been bent over in nothing but a short towel and brilliantly flashing him my ass.

Blood rushed to my cheeks in embarrassment and I fussed, "What the hell are you doing here?! You're an hour early! And why didn't you make some noise when you came in? You know, banged the front door shut or something, to at least alert me to your presence!"

He was still speechless, which for him, was rather entertaining to watch. Finally, he remembered how to speak and rushed, "I'm sorry! I came early because I know how you don't like it when I'm late…And I wanted to surprise you with the new portal!"

New portal?! I stared at him in confusion. And then I understood. I breathed, "You created a portal from the lab to my bedroom?!"

"Well, yes…I thought…The convenience…It might be more convenient…That way," he stuttered uncomfortably, clearly worried about my unpredictable responses.

"Convenience'…Yes. Privacy…Not so much," I commented drily. But I was smiling now.

He exhaled in relief.

And then both of us realized how very close to naked I still was. He walked to me slowly. Searing heat flashed down my spine when he tangled his fingers into my wet hair and brought his lips to mine. I wound my arms around his neck and pressed my body against his as tightly as I could. Honestly, I was surprised the towel stayed in place.

His hand left my hair to wrap around my waist instead, while is other hand found my hip. I gasped when he pushed the towel higher, and moved his hand to my bare ass.

White hot fire wound through my belly and I whimpered loudly against his lips. There was an urgency to his touch, a forcefulness and a need similar to mine. I could sense he was struggling for control. And I desperately hoped he would give in to what we both clearly wanted.

Unfortunately, he seemed to come to his senses and I felt him remove his hand, smooth the towel back down and gradually slow down our motion. When he finally pulled away, I sulked.

He grinned at my expression, kissed me lightly on the cheek and said, "Get dressed. I'll start the popcorn."

….

Two movies later, we had turned off the TV and I was sleepy. I yawned as Myrnin and I sat quietly together on the couch.

He looked at my belly and asked, "May I?"

"You never have to ask," I assured him softly.

"Face me," he murmured.

I turned my body toward him. He reached around to tuck a few pillows under my back, so that I was more comfortable as I leaned against the side, and then grasped my hips to pull me closer to him, in a more reclined position.

I couldn't stop the loud gasp that slipped past my lips at his forceful positioning of my body. Not to mention the fact that he was now nestled quite comfortably in between my legs. My left leg was bent at the knee behind him. And my right leg was draped over his lap. I tried not to pant but heat was quickly pooling in my core.

He raised an eyebrow at me pointedly.

Shit, he knew! Of course he knew.

He raised my shirt to reveal my belly, and leaned down so that his face hovered right above my belly, supporting himself with his elbows on either side of my hips.

It took everything in me to resist the urge to wriggle my body just a little bit farther away, which would put his face much closer to where I desperately wanted him to be.

Obviously not unaware of my struggle, his eyes danced mischievously as he asked huskily, "What are you thinking?"

I let my head fall back on the side of the couch, closed my eyes tightly and groaned, "You don't want to know."

"Just try to relax. Focus on breathing," he encouraged.

"That is so damned easy for you to say," I huffed. If imagining him licking me hard until I screamed his name was akin to' breathing', I was clearly already doing it. Otherwise, it wasn't happening.

"Soon, my love, soon," he promised in a low growl, which did absolutely nothing to slow down my unruly libido.

I reached blindly for the closest pillow and smacked him in the head with it. "Stop using that tone of voice!"

He chuckled and set the pillow aside.

When I felt him gently cup both of his large hands on either side of my belly, my attention was diverted away from my hormones and I looked down at him curiously.

He began singing a sweet melody in Welsh. I was reminded of the day I visited him in the lab. He hadn't sung then, but he had whispered intently to my belly for several minutes.

I listened to his song. I couldn't understand the words but I enjoyed the cadence of it. It was soothing. I was certain it was a lullaby, but couldn't help teasing him lightly, "Myrnin, if you are teaching this child raucous sailor songs, I will kill you!"

He chuckled and continued his melody.

After a few moments, I suddenly felt the baby kick. I held my breath, wondering if he felt it as well. It had just been a gentle nudge. Myrnin didn't stop his lullaby, so I assumed he hadn't. But quite abruptly, the baby kicked again, this time much more firmly and right beneath his hand!

He froze, completely silent as he stared intently at my belly. I knew he had felt it that time! I held perfectly still, hoping it would happen again. The little one didn't keep us waiting for long as he or she kicked repeatedly, surprising me with the force of it. What the hell was that child doing in there? I wondered.

Myrnin inhaled sharply, his gaze flickering up quickly to find mine, seeking confirmation. I felt like my heart would burst at the look of complete adoration, wonder and love in his expression. Unable to speak, my throat was suddenly thick and tears sprang to my eyes as I nodded silently.

He looked back down at my belly and began a different song, softer and hauntingly beautiful. This time, he inter-mingled words and phrases into the melody, some in English but most in Welsh. I was struck by the realization my child would most likely speak fluent Welsh, growing up with Myrnin. I loved that idea. It felt like having the Welsh culture firmly instilled into him or her, would establish a solid and tangible connection to Myrnin.

I leaned my head back again and closed my eyes, enjoying his music. I had almost fallen asleep, when I felt a few drops of liquid splash on my belly. My heart surged again. There were not enough words to describe how much I loved this man, who was undoubtedly the most lethal creature I knew, and yet the thought of my child brought him to tears.

I didn't open my eyes or say anything. Instead, I just brought my hand up and ran my fingers through his hair soothingly. After another ten minutes, his beautiful music went silent because sleep had finally overtaken me.

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Hello Peaches, The next chapter edges us closer to some tumultuous revelations. You definitely do not want to miss it. It's ready to go, so I'll make the same offer again. If there happened to be TEN reviews, I will post it right away.