[fast forward] It was the morning after and I woke up to the sound of soft snoring. I turned to find my husband lying on his back and snuggled up to his bare chest. In contrast to him I wasn't naked anymore underneath the covers. Some time during the night I had fumbled in the dark for my top and shorts to put them back on as I didn't feel comfortable in the nude. I pressed a kiss near his left collarbone. Unfortunately, it was coming back, the oversensitivity to smell. Annoyed, I lay on my back as well. That's when Hunter squirmed next to me, clearing his throat. A raspy and totally sexy morning voice greeted me: "Morning, babe." "Morning." I wanted to cuddle up again but couldn't. Instead, I sat up, ran my hand through my hair and took the orange pillbox from my nightstand. I accumulated some saliva in my mouth and swallowed one of the oval capsules that were supposed to help me keep my food down but matter of factly didn't. Hunter's arm lazily sneaked around my waist. I ignored it and said: "I'll go take a shower." He was stroking my lower back now: "D'you need help?" "No!," this came out too harsh. I shouldn't've let my anger out on him. Sometimes his constant babying me was infuriating. I peeled myself from the sheets and slowly made my way to the door, supporting myself against the closet the most casual way possible. The reason I dreaded the bathroom was that the disgustingly sweet smell of soap and hundreds of my hair products lingered there. My stomach turned again. For a split second I was sure I had to throw up again but then I remembered that I had nothing in me to get rid of. I dragged my body into the shower cabin and turned the water on in desperate need for a wash. "Damn Pantene," I mumbled as the penetrating scent of my favourite shampoo made me gag. The cold water hitting my skin felt good though. One and a half minutes later I was done. With some difficulty, I managed to change into a new combo of shorts and top, I tied my hair up in a bun and then shuffled into the open kitchen. Hunter was there, leaning against the counter in nothing but shorts, a bowl of cereal next to him, a peeled banana in his hand. He loved nothing more than fried bacon and scrambled eggs but had changed to cereal since I couldn't stand the smell of food anymore. "Hey, sunshine," his crooked smile appeared, "What's on today?," I sat down on one of the stools. "Recording studio later," he took the first bite of the banana, "If you're well enough that is," he added with slight concern. "You can't miss recording time, Hunter. They need you there," I replied. "YOU need me. They can cut my parts in later or something. Feel like breakfast?," he added quickly to change the subject. I knew damn well how much of a big deal recording time was. Every minute cost a fortune and it made me feel horribly guilty that I was holding Hunter and the boys back. So I put on a brave face and smiled. "Mh-huh." I closed the space between us and led his hand with the banana to my mouth, then took a small bite from it. Hunter smiled. "What would you like then, more fruit?" "Um..." "You know, I think we should probably go see Dr. Heartley before I have to go to the studio so she can give you these new meds she was talking about. D'you think you can go?," he asked munching his cornflakes. "Yeah," but already I felt sick again. The piece of banana had given my stomach reason enough to rebel again but Hunter didn't seem to notice the colour fading from my face, yet: "Good, because I think that little home visit last night might've ensured Doc Heartley that new jacuzzi she's always wanted," he went on with a crooked smile, being half serious, half ironic about it. Then he noticed something was off again. I hadn't been able to follow his last words: "I'll...be right back...," I press out as I made my way to the bathroom. I just about managed to lock the door behind me then rushed to the toilet to puke my heart out once again. The first wave had just subsided when Hunter knocked on the door. "[y/n]? You alright? Open up, please." It took me two seconds to pull myself together and answer: "'S ok. Just give me a minute, ya?" "Please open the door," he pressed more urgent. God, I really didn't want him to see me in this state.

Had I been sleeping? I didn't really know. Lying there in the dark, motionless, with Hunter cuddled up to me I had lost sense of time. I listened to his steady breathing for some time. Then, what felt like out of the blue, he moved and his hair brushed the side of my face. The light had been switched on, having me blink a few times. Hunter's face hovered over mine, he waited for two seconds before he pressed his lips to mine for a sweet loving kiss. It felt so good, it made me realize that my head wasn't pounding anymore and overall I had more energy. "time to get rid of that thing," he stated looking over to the empty drip. Oh no, I had almost forgotten. I was dreading having the needle removed and scrunched my face up. "You just sounded like a nurse," I teased. "MALE nurse, please, and that's an honourable profession" Hunter's caramelly voice insisted. "Plus, I AM your private nurse for now. You're in the best hands," he spoke against my lips before rolling out of bed. I sat up a bit, watching as he kneeled down before me, bringing my hand closer. His look seemed so determined, he actually looked a bit like a doctor. "Ready? I'll try my best." And he started to fumble with the end of the tape, slowly peeling it off. Again, I turned my head to look away to prevent myself from passing out. This had nothing to do with my condition but I just couldn't see blood or cuts or anything like that. That way, I didn't notice the bruise that had formed around the puncture. I sucked air into my mouth through clenched teeth. "Good thing you're not squeamish like me." Hunter quickly grabbed the plaster from the nightstand before pulling the needle out in one swift motion. What can I say? It wasn't pleasant. But without my husband it sure would've stayed in there forever because I wouldn't've touched it in a million years. The plaster was on in no time and apart from the bruise showing, everything was as good as new. Procedure done. Hunter gently placed my hand back on the sheets. "Thanks." "Are you feeling any better?," he wanted to know. "Actually, yeah, it's better. Less dizzy and tired." That made him smile and I couldn't help smiling back because this was the effect he had on me. My unharmed hand patted the sheets next to me: "Come back in." And he climbed over my legs back to his side of the bed. I turned towards him in the process, we both closed the little space between us. "I'm glad this helped," he breathed. "I love you." "love you," I mirrored him, pecking his lips. When I felt them warm, soft and luscious against mine, I couldn't possibly draw back. Instead, we engulfed in a slow French kiss. Both our lips opened and our tongues met in my mouth, massaging each other tenderly. Soon things became even more heated. Rolling over on my back I brought Hunter with me. As he settled between my legs, propped up on his arms on either side of my shoulders, I ran my hand through his thick curls, the left one resting lightly on his cheek. His breath escaped onto my skin and I could feel his heart beating faster. He broke the kiss only for his hungry lips to move to my neck, sucking on the sensitive skin there, leaving wet traces behind. I tilted my head back, totally getting lost in this feeling, the feeling of my husband wanting me, tasting me, caressing me. [Flashback] It had been over 2 weeks since we last had sex, before the toxemia started making me feel miserable 24/7 and indifferent to anything. I was hardly showing then. So our sex life hadn't diminished at all either. I heard some men would get weird about it, holding back because of the baby. But so far Hunter hadn't been cautious with me; when passion got a hold of us, we could get pretty rough ;). I remember the first time I noticed my body changing. I was standing in front of the large mirror in the bedroom after having taken a shower. I was in a bra and pj bottoms, hair still wet. I'd turn to the side, running my palms over the slight curve of my lower belly. I tried to suck it in but realized unlike fat, it wouldn't go away, it'd stay curved. Not that I wanted it to go away but I was struggling to accept the fact that soon I'd be growing a big belly. "What are you doing over there?," Hunter asked in an amused tone as he walked over to me. I turned my head to meet his gaze but didn't return his smile. He hugged me from behind, putting his big hands over mine. His chin rested on my shoulder. "My body's changing," I stated, trying to sound neutral rather than disappointed. "Yeah, beautiful," he cooed, kissing my neck with quick pecks. When he looked ahead into the mirror he noticed the negative expression on my face. "[addresses you with all of your 2-3 forenames], don't you dare thinking you're fat. You're pregnant! With our baby. You're going to get bigger." "I know," I answered sheepishly, "It's just...I don't...I'm not sure I like it." That made him exhale sharply in defeat. After a short break he continued, whispering close to my ear: "You will. A few more weeks and it's going to start kicking. Just imagine -" He swayed me slowly. I smiled at that thought. "Plus, you get to eat for two - three if you like - no more dieting bullshit. Which reminds me - " He broke the hug and turned to walk towards the door, not letting go of my hand, "What d'you want for dinner? I'm taking you out big time tonight." He stopped and smiled his big dimply smile down at me. "Um...I feel like curry." "Curry it is then." Hunter pulled me to his chest. "- and sushi..and a large McDonald's choc shake," I went on which made him raise his eyebrows in disbelieve. "I guess it's true what they say about pregnant women and their weird cravings then. Anything for you." And he bent down to plant a kiss on the tip of my nose. [end of flashback]

Unconsciously, I licked my bottom lip as my hand slid over his biceps. Hunter knew just how to drive me crazy doing this. However, he stopped to kiss a line along my jaw and back to my mouth. When he reached it he nudged my nose with his. I could feel his hot breath against the moist of my lips. "You sure you want this?," he asked for my approval in a whisper. His deep green eyes were staring into my blue ones, desperate not to misread me. "Yeah," I answered without the hint of a doubt. He adjusted himself on top of me. "You comfy?," he asked and I nodded my head ever so slightly. "You sure I'm not squishing you?" Having his plump lips so close above me and not feeling them on my body was frustrating me now. "Hunter, I'm fine," I was hoping to assure him once and for all. Finally, he crushed his lips back on mine hungrily and as I felt his arm muscles relax a bit, putting some of his body weight on me. He started to kiss his way down my chin, neck, and cleavage, before he grabbed the hem of my top and brushed it up, all the way over my b- o- o- b- s. I avoided wearing bras since they had grown half a cup-size and all my bras - every single one of them padded - felt uncomfortable. If anything, I was sure he was going to like that. Eagerly, Hunter sucked one of my n-i- p- p- l- e-s into his mouth, the other one being toyed at with his left hand. It didn't feel as small against it as it had before my pregnancy. I arched my back in pleasure. It wasn't long before he went further down, his palms gently caressing my skin on the way. His touch turned me on beyond believe; I had missed that. When Hunter reached the hem of my black booty shorts, he immediately pulled them down and off, kneeling up between my legs now. With a boyish grin on his face he leaned back down to grab me by the hips and pull me towards him a bit, which made a high squeal escape my mouth in surprise. Now his head dived between my legs, he went right for my core, giving my c- l - i -t a sweet lingering kiss. For a second I held my breath. Then he moved back up towards my face, brushing his briefs off in the process, revealing a s- e- m- i. By this time I was panting with excitement, finally in a good way, and a thousand irrelevant thoughts shot through my mind. My long hair must've looked a mess from lying in bed all day. I even worried about being late for my birth control shot before I realized once again I was already pregnant. It made me close my eyes and shake my head in disbelieve - still gently because the dizziness hadn't completely vanished. "What is it?," Hunter asked, worried once again. "Nothing," I said, "Come here." He lay on top of me again: "Just say the word and I'll stop." "Mh-huh." I wouldn't say stop. Since I didn't want to reach my head up to catch his lips again, I simply pushed him back down towards me with my hand. Playfully, I bit down on his bottom lip, knowing this would turn him on even more. I felt him grind his hips against me, his abs tensed each time, his skin hot against my own. My knees were touching the cool sheets now. I wanted to meet his movements like I usually did but decided against it as I wasn't on top of my health and still a bit scared it could take a turn for the worse any minute. Soft moans escaped my mouth that I tried to keep in but couldn't. Hunter's h - a- r -d on pressed firmly against my centre now and I was dying in anticipation. Then one of his hands travelled down between our bodies, stroking me up and down my p-*-s-s-y before he directed his d*-c-k towards my e-n-t-ra-nc-e. Ever so slowly he pushed it in, deeply, all along eyeing me intently for any sign of discomfort. He thr*u-s-t into me, making sure not to rock me too much. I was a bit overwhelmed by the intensity of what I was feeling- after all it had been a while - but I sure wasn't uncomfortable. Hunter kept his eyes open; his lips agape now, some curly strands of hair falling into his face. Ignoring the danger of getting the left one hurt, I decided to use both my hands and run them down his muscular sides to his b-u-t-t-c-h-e-e-k-s, giving them a firm squeeze as he moved in and out of me, still delicately slow. "Faster," I mouthed the words more than spoke them. When he saw I was alright he picked up the pace and I held on to his firm bu*m as he worked up a steady rhythm...