In answer he dragged me to the very back of the house to what used to be the servant’s staircase. When he started to go up them I tugged on his hand. “That’s totally cheating,” I hissed. “First and second floor are off limits.”

“I said they were off limits to them.” He winked.

I grinned. “You sneaky bastard.” I pushed him playfully and tried to swallow my giggles as I hurried quietly up the back staircase after him.

His large hand curled around my wrist and he gently tugged me along the hallway of the first floor, into the dark of our main guestroom and inside the bathroom. He locked the door behind us and lowered himself to the floor, positioning me on the floor between his legs, my back to his chest.

“Are we just going to sit here in the dark?” I whispered.

“Yeah,” his voice rumbled with amusement.

“For how long? We’re supposed to be parenting.”

“And we will. I just wanted a minute alone with you.” He caressed my bump and put his chin on my shoulder. “How’s our wee one doing?”

“She’s quiet today. Only a few kicks. And I think those were to tell me to turn off The Killers. I fear our youngest will have shit taste in music.”

Braden chuckled and kissed my neck. “There are worse things in the world.” He slid a hand up my bump to cup my right breast, his thumb circling my nipple.

My body immediately responded, my breasts particularly sensitive right now, and my nipples tightened against my bra. “Like my husband tormenting me,” I gasped, trying to shimmy away from his touch. “Stop.”

In answer he kissed my neck again and his other hand cupped my left breast. He kneaded them and pleasure pain shot through me. I arched my back into his touch, leaning my head against his shoulder.

“It’s not right,” I breathed as he massaged them. “You’re getting me all hot and bothered when we don’t have time to do anything about it.”

His teeth grazed my ear and I became aware of his erection digging into my lower back. “How hot and bothered?” he asked, his voice gruff.

I turned my head to look up at his shadowed face. I was frustrated. Beyond frustrated. “’You’d slide right into me with ease’ hot and bothered.”

Braden groaned at the blatantly sexual imagery I created to make him as frustrated as I felt. “This was a bad idea.”

“You started it.” I grumbled, grabbing his hands to remove them from my breasts. “We better check on the kids.”

“I need a minute.”

I reached behind me and pressed my hand against his hard on. “Hmm, so you do.”

“Jocelyn,” he warned, removing my hand.

“Not so funny is it when the shoe is on the other foot?” I pulled away from him and he immediately jerked me back into him, nuzzling my neck.

“I’ll make it up to you tonight,” he promised.

***

“You’re seriously not going to kiss me goodnight?” I frowned at Beth as I sat on her bed.

It was a few hours later, Ellie and Adam and Marco and Hannah had picked up their kids, and Braden and I had put Luke to bed. Beth finally followed an hour later.

It was nine o’ clock at night and as much as I adored the heck out of her, I was ready for my kid to go to sleep.

I did, however, want a kiss first.

But apparently Beth didn’t take too kindly to Braden’s little trick.

“Will you give me a kiss if I tell you that you don’t need to give me foot rubs after all?”

Finally she turned her head on the pillow to look at me. “It would only be fair since you cheated.”

“Technically your dad cheated.”

“Hey,” he said coming into the room. “I didn’t cheat.”

Beth pouted. “It was almost like cheating.”

I tickled her belly. “You’re just mad because you didn’t come up with it first.”

She giggled despite herself and I knew we were forgiven.

I leaned down for a kiss and a hug, holding her for a minute longer than usual as she wrapped her little arms around my neck. “Night, baby,” I whispered.

“Night, Momma,” she said.

I got up and let Braden kiss her goodnight. The two of us stood in her doorway for a second, watching her pull her duvet right up to her ear as she turned onto her side, getting comfy. I switched off her light and we closed the door behind us.

I looked up at Braden and shivered at the heat in his eyes.

“I’ll lock up,” he said, his voice low. “You go upstairs and wait for me.”

My skin flushed with excitement. I grinned in anticipation. “We’re having an early night?”

“A long night,” he corrected, leaning down to kiss me softly. “You’re going to be fucking exhausted by the time I’m done with you.”

“Yay.” I grinned back and he chuckled.

While Braden went downstairs to lock up the house, I went upstairs to get changed into a nighty that my husband bought me after I told him I was pregnant. It was a silk nighty in ice blue and it covered my bump but was really low cut and snug around my boobs. My boobs were usually a very decent handful and were now more so and very tender.

I shouldn’t complain too much about my pregnancy figure. I was lucky enough just to have my boobs and belly swell. Every other part of me stayed the same. In fact, Ellie Senior told me rather enviously that from the back you couldn’t even tell I was pregnant.

Ellie would be envious of that since she swelled up everywhere—face, fingers, feet and all.

Ellie Jnr wasn’t too big of a bump, I thought, smoothing the silk over my stomach. Luke had definitely been bigger.

“Sexy lingerie, check,” Braden said, smiling at me as he stepped into our bedroom and closed the door.

One of the best things about our Georgian townhouse? Being a whole floor away from our kids so we could have adult husband and wife time without them overhearing us.

I pointed to my bare feet. “No heels, though, sorry.”

He whipped off his sweater and threw it across the room as he walked toward me. “We didn’t even need the nighty, believe me.”

My eyes locked with his as he tugged me toward him. “You have good taste in lingerie though,” I murmured, my breathing quickening.

He slid his hands down my back and I felt my nipples pebble. “I’ve been looking forward to this all day.”