Just on the threshold to a new year I present you with another chapter. It has been a tumultuous year during which my health had once again caused much trouble and (literally) heartache. Especially these past two months had been horrendous to the point that I just couldn't even think about my stories.
But imagine my surprise and Delight when I suddenly began writing again two days ago, overwhelmed by the astonising fact that over 4,000 people have already read my four stories. I promise that I will continue my other story, one way or the other. Until then, I would like to wish you all a terrific New Year's Eve. Let's give 2016 a warm welcome and count our blessings that 2015 still managed to give us. Much love, and see you all in 2016! xoxoxox

There came a soft knock on the door.
"What?" I snapped angrily without taking my eyes off the large screen in front of me.
The door opened and my eyes darted briefly into its direction to see who had the audacity to disturb me during work.
A pleased smirk slowly formed around my lips when she calmly entered my office, unfazed by my vicious bark.
Untied combat boots, her perfectly shaped legs beneath a loose tunic that swirled around her lithe body like mist, her tousled glossy hair brushing against the back of her toned shoulders.
She held a tray in one hand, and surprisingly enough, a bottle in the other.
My smirk grew when I saw that it was our favourite brand bourbon.

I leaned against the plush back of my office chair and watched her calmly with just a dash of excitement as she kicked the door shut behind her and sauntered towards me.
"It's ten thirty, Christina," I drawled. "A bit too early for bourbon, even for me."
She shrugged nonchalantly as she approached me, her face calm and almost angelic in its innocence.
But her eyes were bright with mischief, and the dash of excitement blossomed into eager anticipation.
"Don't worry, Eric," she said as she placed the tray and bottle on my desk, "I brought you an early lunch as well."
I quickly saved the report I was working on and closed it.
Just this once work could wait till after lunch.

"And to what do I owe this pleasure?"
She shrugged. "Nothing really."
I raised my pierced eyebrow and licked my bottom lip as I hummed, not hiding the fact that I didn't believe her for one minute.
I folded my arms across my chest, and my eyebrow rose a bit higher when my eyes darted towards the cellophane wrapped subs, and the few slices of vanilla Dauntless Cake with strawberry frosting.
She had never brought me lunch before.
And she knew that I didn't like cake.

She locked eyes with me, flashing me a wicked smile, and eager anticipation transformed itself into full-fledged arousal.
"Shouldn't you be training at the moment?" I asked her.
Another nonchalant shrug. "Not today, but I'll tell you about it later."
I narrowed my eyes at her. "Why wait till later?"
"Because I said so," she shot back in an even tone that left no room for discussion.

I decided to refrain from asking further.
I could be stubborn at times, but this little vixen had turned stubbornness into an exquisite form of warfare.
I wasn't in the mood for yet another heated argument that would end in a yelling contest or, heavens forbid, in those godawful tears that made me hate myself.
Though I had to confess that the thought of the making up sex afterwards was extremely tempting.

My eyes didn't leave hers as I leaned forward and pulled the tray towards me.
She watched me closely as I tore off the plastic from a random sub, and then her eyes narrowed when I brought it to my mouth for a bite.
I paused, and glared suspiciously from her to the sub and back again.
"Go on," she smiled ever so sweetly, "take a bite."
My teeth sank slowly into the crusty bread and through the thick layers of ham, bacon, green stuff, grilled chicken and tomatoes, while I watched her slightly opening her own mouth.
"Good boy," she said mockingly, her voice soft and breezy.

I glared murderously at her while I chewed slowly and waited for whatever laxative or poison there had to be to start working.
She walked around the desk and I spun in the chair towards her when she stopped beside me, slowly lifting the hem of her tunic over her upper thighs.
I swallowed hard, then cursed beneath my breath when a lace garter became visible.
Stuck between the black fabric and her honey-coloured thigh was a long small plastic device that I recognised immediately.
I licked my lips and returned the sub to the plate, suddenly losing any interest in possible poisoned food that might give me the runs or the black plague.
She gracefully placed her knee on my thigh, presenting me the device with a tentative smile on her beautiful face.

But my hands seized the opportunity of touching her again, and travelled beneath her tunic and grabbed her delicious body on their own account, gently stroking her curves and caressing the smooth skin of her perfect ass.
I pulled her closer and managed to capture one of her nipples between my lips through the thin fabric of her tunic.
It hardened between my grazing teeth and her hands flew to the back of my head when I began sucking it in earnest.
"Eric, no," she breathed while she squirmed and tried to free herself, but I simply tightened my grip on her, pulled her against me and turned my attention to her other breast.

I reached behind her, pulling her tunic up, and growled with disappointment when I found that a tiny piece of lace was obscuring the passage to my favourite part of her delicious body.
To make matters even worse, she pushed my hand away with a firm 'No' as I tried to wriggle my fingers between the damp lace and her already wet folds.
I frowned at her, unpleasantly surprised by her refusal.
She had never refused me before, not even two weeks ago when she had been lying in my bed with the flu.
Okay, I might have taken advantage of her weakened state during that week, but that didn't give her the right to-
"Eric, no grumpy face. Not today, okay?" she chastised me gently as she cupped my face and stroked my cheekbones with her thumbs.
I glared at her. "Why the fuck not?"

She didn't answer me.
Instead, she kneeled down in front of me, her hands slowly sliding down until they reached the buttons of my pants.
I held my breath as she pushed the buttons one by one through the buttonholes, her eyes never leaving mine.
The air exploded out of my lungs in a long ragged breath when she took my cock firmly in her hands.
Her tongue darted out between her lips and the next moment I groaned when she licked the full length languidly only to hold my breath again when her open mouth hovered above the tip of my cock.
Her warm breath tickled the sensitive skin and made me shudder.
I tangled my fingers in her hair and tried to push her down, but she just smirked and dragged her tongue around the head.
"Fuck, Chris," I growled. "Don't fucking tease me."
The look she gave me was formidable. "You want me to stop?"

Fuck…

I clenched my jaw and gritted my teeth.
I loved her – I really did.
I would never ever regret letting her in and turning my world upside down.
She was the best thing that has ever happened to me, but goddamnit, sometimes I just fucking hated her.
"Bitch," I growled.
She laughed and couldn't have looked more beautiful as her entire face lit up. "Yeah, I love you too, grumpy."
The corners of my mouth twitched upwards and my anger disappeared as quickly as it had surfaced.
I cupped her cheek, and she turned her head and briefly pressed her lips against the palm of my hand before she took me into her mouth as far as she could.

I hissed and shuddered violently when she hummed, the feeling it provoked inside of me made me thrust my hips upwards.
Her tongue massaged me as she swallowed around me while her skilful hands took care of the rest that didn't fit in her mouth.
A string of profanities left my mouth when she began sucking my cock, harder and faster until it became almost too painful – just the way I liked it.
I moaned loudly when I felt my balls tightening, but suddenly she stopped and released me.

She rose quickly, stepped out of her boots and slid off her panties while I tugged my pants down before she straddled me.
Our lips collided in a savage kiss when she slowly lowered herself onto me, inch by inch until I was completely buried inside her.
She spread her knees and then folded her legs until her feet were tugged between her ass and my thighs.
She stayed still for a moment, steadying her breath and relishing the intense feeling of me buried deep inside her.
My mouth found hers again, hungrily, demanding, and I groaned when her muscles clenched around me.
My fingers slid over her thighs and I broke off the kiss when I felt the small device still tucked between the garter and her warm skin.

I removed it and read the digital number seven on the tiny screen, and smirked.
Seven weeks.
I counted back and my smirk turned into a lopsided grin when a fierce pride rushed through my veins.
That night at the Chasm.
Fucking bullseye.

I never wanted to have children, never ever pictured myself as a father, despite the fact that our society needed them and my position demanded it from me.
Children were a nuisance.
Loud, annoying, obnoxious, smelly little creatures.
It was therefore almost poetic justice that not once I had thought about using protection during the two months we've been together.
I should've known better, but I didn't feel any regret whatsoever.
Not with her – never with her.

And now we were going to have a little monster of our own.
Or two, if the gods were still in possession of their morbid sense of humour.
But there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to have this child with her – and only her.
Fuck, what a beast it was going to be, with me as its father and this little feisty spitfire as its mother.
And fucking beautiful to a fault if it even remotely resembled her.

I placed the device on my desk and returned my attention to Christina only to find that she was studying me closely.
There was no trace of panic or doubt in her eyes, only a deep-rooted trust in me – in us – that would never seize to amaze me, now more than ever.
"You okay?" I asked her carefully.
"Are you?" she asked me quietly, her eyes searching mine for something I prayed she could see.
"Fuck, yeah," I answered hoarsely without any hesitation.
How could I not be, especially now?
She was my weakness, but also my strength.
I would give her the world if it was mine.

Mesmerised I watched her gasp and closing her eyes when I thrust my hips upwards.
I could've come just by watching her beautiful face contorting in pained pleasure.
She wrapped her arms around my neck and whimpered when she began to ride me slowly.
I grabbed her hips tightly and helped her to maintain the right rhythm while she slid up and down my throbbing cock with circling hips.
The pressure in my lower abdomen was vastly becoming unbearable when I felt her tightening around me, milking me erratically.
I gritted my teeth when she dug her nails into my neck and let out a whimpering moan when she shuddered and came.

I held her tight as I rose and laid her on top of the desk while she wrapped her legs around my waist.
Somewhere in the back of my mind I realised that I had to be careful from now on; that I couldn't lose myself and let the animalistic side of me take over and wreck everything.
But the moment she cupped my ass and pulled me against her with her hands and legs, impatiently urging me on while looking at me through heavy-lidded eyes with such an intense love that laid my soul bare and scorched me, I just completely lost it.
I pressed my forehead against hers and set a pace that soon left both of us breathless.
The only sounds were our laboured breathing, our bodies slapping together, and the desk screeching on the marble floor as it moved with every hard thrust.
"Eric," she whimpered before she bit my shoulder and came undone beneath me while she frantically held onto me, literally dragging me with her with her sharp teeth and nails digging into my skin.
I jerked my hips forward and groaned loudly while I filled her with hot spurts.
I kissed and nibbled her jawline softly until I reached her mouth where our breaths mingled in between gentle kisses.
"Love me?" I panted against her luscious lips while her hands glided over my back and shoulders.
She laughed breathlessly. "Always."

About an hour later we made our way to my apartment with all of her belongings stuffed in three duffel bags.
She entered her code into the security pad beside the front door and took a deep breath when the door opened with a soft click.
She looked at me and I couldn't hide the smug smirk that tugged at the corners of my mouth.
She took one step and passed the threshold, and just like that my bachelor days were officially over.