Chapter 10

Christmas was fast approaching. Jason and I were preparing ourselves for our first Christmas ever without our parents, without really voicing our sadness over that fact. At the same time, we were invited to the Woodsmoke Café’s staff Christmas party, despite my already taking leave for the last two-ish months of my pregnancy and beyond.

‘Do you want to go?’ I asked Jason, eyeing the colourful, festive invitation we’d set on the vanity while I brushed out my wet hair, covered only in my bathrobe, and only because I was still damp and it was cold. ‘It could be fun. It’d be nice for me to see everyone again.’

‘Well, why not,’ Jason responded agreeably. ‘I can’t think of any reason why we wouldn’t go.’ He was sitting up slightly against the headboard, waiting for me to finish so I could read out loud to him. We were currently partway through the second novel of Ally Condie’s, ‘Matched,’ series, a type of book I wouldn’t have voluntarily considered reading on my own, but had been roped into it by the librarian I was friends with at our local library. I took her advice, got a very pleasant surprise, and was now hooked.

‘Is it black tie?’ Jason asked, stretching out on our bed and folding his arms behind his head. I watched him in the mirror for a moment before glancing down.

‘Sort of, I think,’ I related. ‘I don’t think we’ll have to do the works, but it IS formal clothing.’

‘Right,’ he said. ‘Fine with me. I love seeing you all glamorous. You’ll be drop dead gorgeous, Bryna, and I’ll be itching for the party to be over so we can come home and I can get you out of your dress.’

I gave him a wry smile. ‘I look forward to it, but let’s enjoy the party ourselves too, okay? Before we come back here and lose ourselves in each other.’

‘Well, okay,’ he assented, pretending to pout. ‘I guess we could do that too.’

We were quiet for a moment. I set my hairbrush down and walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge facing away from Jason, staring off contemplatively into the shadows the soft light from the bedside lamp cast.

‘Do you miss being a kid? Do you miss them?’

‘I do miss them,’ Jason said, knowing I was referring to our parents, ‘but I don’t miss being a kid. I was ready for adulthood. This sort of life is exactly what I need.’

‘I don’t regret it,’ I said. ‘I don’t regret what we decided.’ My hand rested softly on my tummy. ‘I wish they could ... understand. And still love us.’ ‘Me, too,’ Jason agreed, moving over and pulling me into his arms, stroking my hair gently. ‘Me too.’

‘I know we’ll do fine,’ I told him.

When the Woodsmoke party rolled around, Jason and I didn’t take too long to get ready. Miraculously, I’d found one of those vintage-looking Pin-up-girl style dresses at our local thrift store, and made a few alterations so it would fit me. It was a dark green, a dark blue-green almost the colour of a Christmas tree. It hugged my swelling breasts beautifully, accentuating subtly my hips, and definitely showcasing my baby bump. If I hadn’t been pregnant, I would’ve worn heels with the whole outfit, but as it was I found some nice black wedges, put in some chandelier earrings, and pinned up a strand of my hair on either side of my face.

Jason whistled when he saw me properly, sitting on the bed in his blue suit waiting for me to be ready so we could go.

‘Whoo-whee,’ he said in an admiring voice. ‘What a stunning little piece you are tonight, sis.’ His eyes had darkened at seeing me, but his smile was huge. ‘Come here,’ he beckoned, and as I moved to him I glanced down surreptitiously to see if there was a growing bulge in the front of his trousers. There was.

Jason pulled me up onto the bed so I was sitting on his lap facing him, with my legs on either side of his. The skirt on my dress was hiked up nearly past my knees so I could sit in exactly such a way.

‘We’ll ruin my dress,’ I scolded him playfully, not actually believing the dress would even get wrinkled.

‘No, we won’t,’ Jason murmured with a confident smile, cupping the back of my head and bringing his warm mouth to mine. ‘Mmm.’

I couldn’t help melting into him at the slow, passion-inflaming kiss. My arms came around his neck and his remaining arm encircled my waist, drawing me closer to his body.

‘The party,’ I protested half-heartedly when we came up for air. ‘We have to go. It’ll start soon.’

‘Do we really have to go?’ Jason asked teasingly. ‘Really? We can make our own party right here.’ He was just about to kiss me again when he telephone rang.

I jumped up, disentangling myself from him, and ran out into the hallway, grateful for the excuse. I loved our intimacy, but we’d promised to go to the party! Making love could wait until afterwards. I wondered if it was Shelly calling to see what was keeping us, even though we technically weren’t late yet.

Jason rose behind me when I jumped up, following at a languorous, amused pace.

‘Hello?’ I chirped into the telephone

Sure enough, the voice on the other end of the line belonged to Shelly.

‘Hey, Bryna,’ she said warmly. ‘How are you doing? Are you and Jason nearly on your way?’

‘Yes,’ I said, but was confused. Was she checking up on us? And if so, why?

Shelly let out a huge sigh of relief. ‘Thank goodness. I need your help ASAP.’

‘What’s going on?’ I said, concerned now. ‘What happened?’

‘The cinnamon rolls,’ Shelly admitted in a worried tone. ‘I wanted to make another two dozen for everyone, but something just isn’t going right. They’re your specialty ... will you help me? Please?’

I glanced down at my watch quickly. ‘Yes, of course I’ll help you. J and I will just be a bit early, then. More than enough time to get the rolls in the oven. Hopefully you’ve let the dough ferment the proper number of hours. I’ll grab my apron and we’ll hop into the car toot-suite,’ I said cheerfully. Shelly thanked me profusely, and we ended the call. Jason had heard the whole thing and knew what we were supposed to do.

‘You’re in high demand,’ he joked, tossing my pair of dungarees from the chair by the front door. ‘You’ll need these if you don’t want to spoil your dress.’

I kissed him affectionately. ‘You’re the best. We’ll continue our fun after, darling, not to worry.’

It felt like something out of a film when Jason and I started kissing as soon as we started up the walk back to our house after the party. We couldn’t keep our hands off each other.

It had been a very good night, with the cinnamon rolls Shelly had worried over turning out perfectly after all, and much dancing and laughing. (Jason and I had especial fun with ‘Rocking Around the Christmas Tree’--he stood behind me and rested his chin on my shoulder, his arms encircling my protruding middle, both of us thinking privately we hoped the baby was having a good time as well.) It was very good to see some of my friends from work ... it had been a while.

We went up the walk with our mouths locked and stumbled in the house, laughing at each other, playful and happy. Locking the door behind us, Jason smoothed a stray lock of hair behind my ear.

‘Perhaps now would be a good time to take you to bed, Miss Matheson,’ he said jokingly, bowing formally. I laughed at him, my eyes twinkling with mischief.

‘Why don’t we talk dirty, hm?’ I whispered into his ear. ‘I know you’ve got a filthy mind in there somewhere.’

When I pulled back his eyes met mine, full of brewing intent. ‘Okay,’ he said evenly, trying not to smile. ‘Let’s play your game, then.’ Dropping his coat to the floor, Jason took a step closer to me, so my baby belly pressed into his lower stomach. He traced a finger over my mouth.

‘Your gorgeous lips,’ he murmured, unable to take his eyes from them. ‘So luscious and plump. They never fail to look inviting ... but I think they look best wrapped around my aching cock.’

A thrill shot through my insides at the arousing image his words created.

‘Perhaps someone needs a spanking,’ I suggested, lifting an eyebrow suggestively and taking a careful step backwards in he direction of our bedroom.

His own eyebrows lifted and Jason’s grin widened as he followed me, his entire body language showing his anticipation. ‘Me?’ He laughed. ‘Oh, no. I don’t think so. It’s you who’d need one ... and a little torture, I think. One of these times I’m going to have to tie to up and open your legs to my mouth, licking away at your delicious pussy ... and there would be nothing you could do to get my tongue where you wanted it.’