"It's not bad," she said.

She'd come over to see his apartment. Being it was a studio apartment the tour consisted of walking in the door and her looking around the room. Other than a small closet and a bathroom he only had the one room. He had a very small sink area with an ancient refrigerator that had a freezer inside of it big enough to keep two TV dinners in. And only if he made sure to defrost it so ice didn't collect around it. The stove was newer than the refrigerator, but it wasn't in much better shape. The grand tour resulted in them ending up on his bed naked and very sweaty after about two hours. Not that he was complaining, but his apartment did not come with air conditioning or a fan. He would invest in one if she was going to keep coming around, but until today he'd never had anyone here and he was so seldom home during the day when it was hot that it didn't matter to him.

He scoffed.

"I think marathon sex clouds your ability to see things, Princess."

"What? Considering you were in high school like a month ago with no money to your name. What do you think I was expecting you to have a house already?"

"No, but come on."

"Come on, nothing, John. You should be proud of yourself, not ashamed," she said, running a hand along his ribs and his hip. "You got out. That's huge."

"I didn't want to bring you here."

"I got that, but I still think you should be proud not ashamed. It's an apartment, the next one will be better and the next one after that will be better. That's how it works, right? God, I don't think I could make it on my own. I mean, I'm relying on my mom for the next four years to help me raise a child."

"Well, at least you can rely on yours. I wouldn't be able to say the same."

"I know," she said. Her hand a few minutes ago was gentle in its touch and not overly suggestive. That was changing, though, as they talked. She clearly had a very one track mind this afternoon.

"I think I unhinged something in you, Princess," he said with a chuckle as he shifted a little so her hand had better access. His body wasn't acting as if he minded her neediness at all.

"Are you complaining?"

"Not in the least. A guy at work tells me I'm in for a wild six months."

"Huh?"

He chuckled. "Well, your handiwork was on display on Thursday."

"My what?" she asked.

He begrudgingly slid her hand up a little from stroking him to his lower abdomen and the first of the hickeys she'd left there. There were a couple on his neck and shoulder, too.

"They saw those?"

"Well, yeah, it gets hot."

"I didn't think you took off your shirt!"

"Well, of course I do, I don't feel like getting heat exhaustion or something ridiculous so I can't work."

"Why would you do that?"

"It's just a bunch of guys who haven't said one word about the other marks on my body."

"Who saw them!"

"You think I care? I guess I'd rather them pay attention to some hickeys than the rest of what's there."

"It's still embarrassing. I didn't know. You didn't tell me!"

She looked a little uncertain for a moment.

"I don't care. Leave me as many as you want. I know where I can and can't leave them on you."

"Oh God. My mom would absolutely freak out."

"Right? Funny, she would freak out probably more over a hickey than the fact I got you pregnant."

"I don’t see what's so offensive about them. I mean I wasn't really trying to leave the first one, but you seemed to like what I was doing."

"I did. I do. I think people just don't like seeing evidence that other people might be having good sex."

"Are we?"

"Uh yeah," he said with a scoff. "I'm sorry, is there a doubt?"

"Well, I don't know," she shrugged. "I certainly have no one to compare you to."

He slid on top of her, pinning her arms up above her head. He nipped her neck, lowering his mouth to her collarbone and the dip there. "You think that's what I do? Compare you to someone else?" He glanced at her then.

"No," she said, but she averted her gaze just enough for him to know she was lying.

"Trust me, Princess. Since May I've thought of no one else. I wasn't thinking about you in this way until the other night before you get mad thinking I was expecting this to happen, but I certainly wasn't thinking about others. I wasn't comparing you to anyone else; it came up in the joking about how I spent my Fourth that you are pregnant. There's this guy, Brad, a little older than us. I think he's working his way through college doing this during the summer. He asked me who you were."

"Why?"

"Well, Princess, we're out in the sun, looking tan and fit, the single guys don't want physical evidence they'd been busy getting it on with someone the night before because that might deter the next woman from hitting on him. To say some take advantage of being objectified is an understatement."

"Oh my God. You are such a pig. I can't believe I had sex with you again! You…" She struggled under him a bit, but while she was not a tiny thing he was bulkier so she wasn't successful. As if he'd look at someone else.

"Relax, Claire. Come on. Do you really think I'd bring this up if I was having sex every night? Does my apartment look like I'm bringing girls here? I handed you a lot of cash last week. If I was entertaining girls I would want that money for myself. You can search every drawer and the shelves in my closet; I don't even have a box of rubbers. I didn't say me. I said some, there are a few exceptions. Brad and I are two. I've kept it in my pants since the day you told me."

"Get off of me, John. Now I know you're lying. You have not!"

"I have, too. I'm not even sure I could have gotten it up for a while after that. Scared the crap out of me that I might do it again."

"Oh," she said.

"He's got a wife, though."

"A wife? And he's in college?" She wasn't struggling under him anymore.

He shrugged. "Sounds like us actually, kind of. They were boyfriend and girlfriend, though. Pregnant right out of high school."

"Oh," she said and he saw her look away again.

"Anyway, he made mention that his wife's sex drive was out of control right up until she gave birth."

"I'm not like that!"

"Princess," he said. "We just spent the last two hours getting very friendly and already you're rubbing your thigh against my dick as if you can't wait to get more of me. Now, maybe this is normal for you. I guess we'll have to wait until after the baby comes to find out, but for now I'll just sit back and enjoy the ride. Just be gentle with me sometimes okay?"

She scoffed. "I still can't believe you're talking about our sex life."

"Then stop leaving evidence on my body for them to give me shit about. You think I wanted to tell them that you're some random chick I knocked up without even buying her dinner first? Christ, talk about fucking embarrassing. I hadn't said anything about you or the baby so when I showed up on Thursday looking like that it led to some teasing."

"Fine, I won't leave them anymore."

He shook his head, kissing her. She didn't kiss him back so he pulled away. Was she really mad?

"Claire, Princess, I told you that you can leave me as many as you want. I don't care. I don't, really. I can take their ribbing. Believe me after today I can say it's more than worth any amount of comments I might have to endure."

"But they might stop the hot chicks from picking you up."

"I think I have all that I can handle right here with you. They can try and I won't deny it's happened, but they haven't and won't succeed."

"Why?"

"Why she asks."

"Well, yeah, why? Because I'm pregnant? You can have sex with me all you want because the damage is already done."

"No! Why would you say that? It got us here, but I'm not going to what do you call it, look a gift horse in the mouth."

She smirked a little at that.

"Yeah, I may have not paid so much attention when they were talking about myths."

"You really haven't been with anyone since I told you?"

"Well, I wasn't having sex every day of the week to begin with, but no I haven't. I wasn't sure if your parents were going to show up at my house with a judge to marry us off right away or what."

"Hmm. So that'd stop you?"

"Well, yeah, I wouldn't have been happy about it, but I would've owned up to our situation somehow."

"Being married doesn't mean you won't have sex."

"With anyone else?" he frowned. "I suppose not."

"I mean a marriage like you're talking about."

"And again, I repeat, I was too scared I'd do it again. I wasn't willing to take the chance."

"Oh."

"And I don't compare you to anyone else besides it'd be useless to do that anyway."

"Useless?"

"Yeah," he said unable to resist the need – the real base urge – to slide inside of her again. She took him, arching her hips a little to let him slide in deeper. "The best is pretty hard to top so when you find it you stop looking."

"Now I know you're lying," she said.

"Lying about what?"

"The best. I barely know what I'm doing!"

"You do just fine, trust me. Even thinking you don't, though, you're here with me afterward, talking to me. Actually talking. You don't expect a blunt from me out of the deal or anything else."

She ran a fingertip along his chin and his lower lip.

"I got high with you that day."

"Yeah, you did, but you didn't have sex with me or imply you would in exchange for the product."

"Oh," she said, letting the word hang a little bit.

"So, yeah, I'll take you and your sincerity any day of the week."

"Speaking of being hard to top."

"Yeah?"

"It's my turn!"

He chuckled softly. "No hardship letting you ride me, Princess," he said, rolling onto his back so she could get on top of him.

She took a bit of a detour, though, sliding her mouth over his length.

"God, I love when you do that," he murmured.

She gave a muffled laugh.

"Not that. I mean, obviously I love that, but doing it after I've been in you."

She didn't answer him; he wasn't really expecting an answer. She'd done it the other night, too, and he'd been kind of surprised at how quickly he reacted to her. Apparently it was one of those things that turned him on. She nipped at his inner thigh before sliding herself up his body. She kissed his chest, circling a nipple with her tongue before taking it into her mouth and he groaned softly.

"Why?" she asked.

"Why what?"

"Do you like that?"

He shrugged as she took him inside of her again. Hands at his sides she moved along his length a few times before settling herself completely over him.

"Because it turns me on. I don't know why, it just does. That you're not afraid to do that, taste yourself."

She shrugged. "I guess I hadn't thought of it."

"And that's why I love it! It's sexy because you don't even think about what you're doing, you just do it. You don't seem to have any reservations or hang ups, and that's good."

"Oh," she said. He slid his hands to her breasts, touching and stroking her there as she worked him in and out of her slowly.

A hand fell to her stomach, running his thumb along her skin there. He still found it kind of hard to believe he was going to be a father. With her. He slid his hand lower after a couple of minutes of touching her there. His fingertips found her sensitive nub and touched her there. She gasped softly when he did that, taking him deeper again on a downward thrust.

He dropped his other hand to her hip, his fingertips caressing an ass cheek as he watched her move herself over his length. He was kind of surprised she asked to do it this way, but he wasn't going to complain. He got to touch her a lot easier this way, and being able to watch was a turn on by itself.

He stopped touching her for a second, placed his hands over hers and shifted hers behind her against his thighs. He ran a hand along her then, stretched out like this he really enjoyed the view. He started with her breasts, focusing on them for a few minutes, lower along her stomach and between her legs again. She slid off of him almost all the way and he even slid his fingertips along his shaft. He brought his fingertips to his mouth then and she watched him rather intently as he licked each of his fingers.

"You like the view, Princess?" he asked.

"Do you?"

"Yes," he said.

"Me, too."

"Figure if you can taste yourself I can do the same."

He slid his hand between her legs again, sneaking his fingers near her thigh while he brought his palm against her nub. Her thrusts over him became more urgent, deeper and faster as he moved over her spot with his palm faster. Her nails dug into his thighs almost a little too hard, but he wasn't about to complain because she was clearly enjoying herself this way and that meant he was enjoying himself.

One thing he loved about her, she wasn't shy about letting him know what he was doing felt good or that she was about to finish. Sometimes, like right now, it was just a hitch in her breathing, a soft gasp, but it was change enough he knew and he slid his fingers to her nub to bring her to that point.

The drawback to sex with her was that because she was pregnant he couldn't smoke afterward. Well, he could but only if he wanted to get out of bed and leave his apartment, which he wasn't at all in the mood to do.

His hands were presently sliding along her ass since she was currently settled against his chest still straddling him.

"I thought of something for when you're not pregnant anymore."

"I think we have a while for that."

"Well, yeah, but you're going on the pill."

She laughed softly against his chest, kissing him there. "Why?"

"Because six months of doing it this way I'm not going to want to go back to using those things. And besides, if this is how you are pregnant or not, they are not every day, three or four times a day reliable."

"I think you're overestimating my energy level if you think I'll be able to go to college, take care of a baby, and have sex with you three or four times a day."

"Well, just saying. You know. Safer. I'll pay for it."

She laughed again.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. I think I can handle doing that on my own."

"Well, I'm asking it seems only fair I offer."

"I heard you offer."

"Okay," he said, kissing the top of her head.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?"

"Offering. Thinking of it at all, I admit I'm not sure I would have."

"Oh, I won't deny it's pretty selfish reasons behind me suggesting it."

"Only one for you then?"

"I wasn't planning on even having one!"

She leaned up then, glancing at him. "Why?"

He shrugged, sliding a hand to her face to touch her. "You grow up the way I did I think it's a pretty knee jerk reaction to not want to risk it."

"You're not like your father."

"You don't know my father."

"I don't have to know your father. Even that day I told you. You could have done any number of violent or abusive things. You've never once suggested I did this intentionally, and it had to have occurred to you."

"Nope. I don't think I'd be here with you like this if that thought ever once entered my mind."

"No?"

"Not you, no. Some chicks, sure, but not you. No way."

She slid off of him then, but she didn't stray far. She kept a hand on his chest.

"Are you worried?"

"I don't think I'd be human if I didn't admit I was. That's why I went to talk to Brian."

"Why?"

"I needed someone smart to talk to. I've always heard those abused grow up to be abusers."

"He said no?"

"He wasn't really sure, but he seemed to think the fact I know it's the wrong way to raise a child might influence me."

"I think he's right."

He slid a finger under her chin, tipping her head so their eyes met.

"You promise me you'll get a restraining order, move to Alaska, or whatever you need to do to keep you and the baby safe if you ever think I'm like that."

"I will, but I don't think I'll ever need to."

"I'm serious, Claire."

"I know you are, John, and I have seen the evidence of your childhood enough now to at least have an idea what you went through."

"You don't."

"I said at least have an idea. I'll never understand or grasp it, I know. I agree with Brian, though. I think you might go to the other extreme and be too nice for fear of turning into him."

"Well, I never had any version of nice so I might be guilty of that yeah."

She kissed his shoulder, there were a few scars there and she rubbed her cheek against them.

"Is that why you didn't talk to me?"

"I was scared! Christ, Claire, I never wanted them. There's a reason I avoided relationships. They lead to complicating things."

"And I'm a complication?"

He huffed with a shake of his head.

"You're not what I was expecting. I'm taking some time off tomorrow to register for classes."

"Really?"

"Yes. Turns out they have a lot of the classes I need to take available at night."

"I told you!"

"So, English, Algebra, Biology, and I have to pick something else."

"Any ideas?"

"Well, I was thinking Intro. to Business."

"What's stopping you?"

"What kind of business am I ever going to run?"

"What kind of business do you want to run?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe you could be more involved with the construction company, or another one entirely, after a few years."

"You'd be all right with that?"

"What?"

He shrugged. "Me keeping this job?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"It's as manual labor as you can get, Princess. I mean, sure there are heavy equipment operators and stuff, but it's still blue-collar, come home from your day dirty, sweaty, hungry and thirsty work."

"If you like it you should do it. What I think shouldn't matter."

"Well, I have to think about things like examples and stuff. So do you."

"You're working, working hard, that's all the example you should be worrying about setting. Take the Business class, John. Maybe you won't like it, but at least you'll know. And it can't hurt. I mean, what if you got hurt and couldn't do construction anymore?"

"I thought of that, too. There's also temporary agencies I could work at during the winter when I'm off so I'm not broke. I don't want your parents to think I'm a bum four months out of the year."

"You're worrying too much."

"I can't help it. He's not even here yet and I wonder what kind of example I can possibly set. And what if he sees me without a shirt on one day. What do I tell him?"

"We don't know it's a him, but when he's old enough you could tell him the truth. He or she is going to wonder why they only see one set of grandparents. Until then give answers that settle his curiosity without making him scared or sad."

"Aren't you?"

"What?"

"Scared?"

"I'm terrified."

"You don't show it."

"I can't! I'm afraid if I do I'll break down or something."

"Not good for him, huh?"

"It'll serve you right if it's a girl for presuming."

"It's better than saying it. It'd probably be better if it's a girl anyway."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "Then she can be pretty like her mother and you can teach her all those etiquette things your mother taught you from the time you learned to walk."

"Boys learn those things, too."

"Not real boys," he said.

"My brother would argue with you."

"Yeah, well, no boys I knew."

"That may be, but they still do."

"Maybe so. What time do you need to get home?"

"No hurry. I work in the morning, but that's all."

"Want to go out for pizza?"

"Now?"

"Yeah. Shower and get dressed and go out in public together. You know like a couple."

"I like the shower part."

"Not the couple part?"

"Showering as a couple sounds heavenly."

"Christ. It's been all afternoon. You've got to be hungry, and if you're not," he said, sliding a hand to her belly. "You need to think of him in there, he's got to be famished after all that exertion."

She chuckled. "All right, pizza does sound good."

"Lou Malnati's?"

"Oh, God, Lou's pizza sounds delicious. Want company in the shower?"

"It's not that big, but I think we can make do, sure."

"For another couple of months anyway."

"I'd still be willing to try, Princess, just make the offer."

Story ©Susan Falk/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com