Titus shifted around in the bed, watching with lazy eyes as Anna came back from the bathroom yet again and crawled into the bed beside him. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face into his neck. He did the same, looping his own around her shoulders so that her growing stomach was touching his.
“Feeling any better?” he asked.
They hadn't even eaten breakfast yet, and she was already feeling sick. It had been like this for the past two weeks or so – Anna always having to use the bathroom, sleeping more than usual, and getting sick after every meal. He felt terribly sorry for his poor wife but was reassured in the fact that Dr. Cliveston would hopefully know how to clear it all up.
She nodded, lips barely brushing against his neck. “Yeah.”
“Here,” he said, placing a lingering kiss on her mouth. “You just stay in bed, and I'll come back with breakfast. Any special requests?”
“Surprise me.” Anna kissed him back, but Titus pulled away first, knowing that they couldn't do anything of that matter right before her obstetrician gynecologist appointment today.
“Sure thing, darlin',” he drawled before placing another peck on her lips and heading downstairs to where Anna's surprise breakfast awaited him.
Still thinking of something that would actually be surprising and not typical breakfast food, Titus grabbed the first food item he saw: a sack of apples. It didn't take long before he cored and cut them into perfect rings, an idea already formulated.
He took out the tub of flower, milk gallon, carton of eggs, baking powder, and butter, all going into the large mixing bowl until he had the perfect consistency for pancake batter. After heating up the pan and placing some butter on top the metal surface, he dipped the apple rings into the batter and threw them in one at a time.
A few minutes later, and he had nearly twenty pancake battered apple rings. He didn't know how hungry he or Anna would be, so Titus just sprinkled powdered sugar and syrup over all of them. With two heavy plates in hand, he made his way back up the stairs, careful not to allow the syrup to slosh over the sides and stick to the floors.
“Here ya go,” he said, sitting down and handing her the plate.
She held the apple pancake ring up for inspection with bare hands, squinting at it before taking a cautious nibble. Her eyes widened, and then more went into her mouth, powdered sugar getting stuck on her lips.
“This is so good,” she half said, half moaned, eating another quarter.
He looked down at his plate. The rings looked sweet, something a little too sweet for breakfast, but they had a long day ahead of them, so he was going to let himself indulge a little bit. Having forgotten about the forks earlier, Titus picked one up between his fingers. It was still hot to the touch, the syrup and powdered sugar already making a mess on his fingertips.
“They are?” he asked, already doubting his cooking.
She nodded. “Fantastic.”
Titus looked at the thing with uncertainty before taking a small bite. The flavors of cooked apple, sugar, and pancake danced on his tongue, the stickiness of powdered sugar and syrup doing magical things to his taste buds.
“You're right,” he said and ate the rest of his apple ring pancake. “I'm a fantastic cook.”
“You are. Tomorrow, I'll make you breakfast in bed, okay?”
He turned his head towards her, just wanting to look at his wife. He would never get tired of seeing her. Wild curls cast in a bright red glow from the sun and face devoid of all makeup, she looked more adorable than beautiful. Her naked body was covered by the brown quilt as she leaned up against the headboard, lifting a slim arm to nibble on another piece.
Just as he was about to reply, something warm and sticky landed on in the middle of his torso, dripping down into the indents of his stomach. Titus tried to wipe the goop away, only spreading what he now knew was the syrup from his plate all over.
“Ugh,” he said, looking down at the powdered sugar and syrup mess now covering his upper half.
Anna laughed from beside him, a high-pitched sound that set his blood on fire and had desire make him begin to harden. They weren't allowed to have intercourse for an entire twenty-four hours before the ob gyn appointment. After a whole three weeks of non-stop making love, he and Anna had barely been able to keep their hands off each other.
She had – multiple times – gotten down on her knees and been about to pull down his pants in order to go down on him, but he hadn't let her. Without a doubt, he had wanted her to, but something inside had him stopping her, knowing that this was delicate, almost innocent Anna. Her lips on that part of him would be better than anything, but yet, the dirtiest thing imaginable.
Even now, Titus was hardening with the prospect of having her do so, a sheet tent now put up and within her line of sight. She chuckled next to him once again, a hand landing right on his chest that was slick and sticky with syrup. That hand traveled lower, toying with his navel, and lower still, until it was at the boundary between white sheet and skin.
“Anna,” he barely managed to speak. “Don't-”
“How do you know what I'm going to do?”
“You're not going to do anything,” he said, putting his own syrupy hand on top of hers, “because we have to leave in a little bit.”
She giggled that high-pitched sound once more, her hand sliding out of his death grip only to travel back up his chest again. It took her about five seconds to spread the syrup all over the upper half of his body. Her nails scored his nipples just the tiniest bit, sending a jolt up his spine and making his hips arch up of their own accord.
“A little bit's enough time,” she said, mouth right next to his ear and making him shudder.
Knowing that she wouldn't stop until Anna did exactly what she wanted to him, he took the plate that was still in her hand and tipped it up. A good amount of powdered sugar and syrup landed on her in the next instant, dousing her breasts and glazing them with transparent gold.
Titus spread the substance around some more, tweaking with her nipples this time. “I'm never gonna look at pancake syrup the same again.”
“God, Titus,” she groaned into his touch. “Let's just go take a shower.”
“What if I don't wanna take a shower?”
Anna shrugged before getting out of bed, naked body calling out to him. “That's fine with me. Feel free to join anytime.”
Titus gulped. Hips swinging seductively and bare, delicious rear end bared to him, she just walked out the door as if nothing had happened. She kept the bathroom door open, letting him see almost everything until she stepped into the shower spray that he knew would clean them off just fine.
But unlike all the other times before she had accepted her feelings, Titus didn't just stay there with his aching hard-on. Instead, he got out of bed and entered the bathroom in under a second. The warm water sluiced over his back just as his hands connected with the silky, wet skin of her body.
He touched her breasts first, soaping up his hands and cleaning off the syrup. She cleaned off his stomach, staying north mostly the entire time but circling his tip every now and then. He lost his breath every time she made another trip down south and had to clasp her hands behind her slim back to regain his sanity and self control.
“C'mon, Titus,” Anna whined with a saucy smile. “I like touching you.”
“And I love you touching me, but we can't do this now. Maybe after the ob gyn's, but not now.”
She ignored him. He didn't know how she got free – maybe it was because he knew this was going to happen whether he wanted her to do it or not, or maybe it was because he was dying for her mouth to be on him. Either way, Titus's stance was already widened, and Anna was already on her knees.
He stood, with his shoulders blocking the water from falling onto her. It trailed down his back and down legs that were already wobbly, for this was something that he had only been able to dream about – something that was too dirty for Anna.
But here she was anyway, kneeling right in front of him with her gentle fingernails tracing patterns up an down the insides of his thighs. Her hair was wet and draped down her back, pushed out of her face to let him see her wide, curious blue eyes that held what he knew were in his – love and desire.
“Anna,” he began, wanting her to relieve him but also not, “you don't have to-”
“I want to,” she said. “If it's for you, then I most definitely want to, Titus. Trust me, I've never actually wanted to, but-”
He held his hand up to cut her off, not at all needing to know. She must've read the look in his eyes, for all he could think about in the next moment were her lips on him and just how good it felt. Keeping his hands to his sides and balled into fists to just let her grow accustomed to him, Titus could only watch as she sucked on the very tip, swirling her tongue around and pumping him with a tight fist.
“Is this alright?” she asked.
“You honestly think I'm going to be able to answer with you doing that?” he ground out, surprised that he had managed to string along that many words.
She grinned and stroked him, long and slow. “This or...” Anna sucked him into her mouth, making his toes curl. “This?”
“That's terrible,” he used the same word she had only a few weeks ago.
“It is, isn't it?”
“Stop talking.”
Anna just fondled his balls with an evil smirk on that pretty face of hers. “Why?”
“Fine,” Titus told her. “Next time I go down on you, I'll-”
“Go down is such a vulgar phrase,” she said, voice getting heavy and letting him know that she liked the words.
He somehow managed a smirk before looking her straight in the eye. “Go down on me, Anna.”
Although he knew he was just going to end up embarrassing himself by climaxing too soon, Titus let her anyway. Her tongue trailed up and down his shaft, her hands cupping his balls and rubbing that spot that made him see stars. Anna was looking up at him with those large, blue eyes, and they held so much love and adoration for him that he allowed himself to knot his hands within the tangles of her wild, wet hair.
She moaned her appreciation, the movement sending vibrations all along his aching arousal. Titus could only squeeze his eyes shut before a guttural cry escaped from his mouth. With his hands in her hair, he pushed her deeper, until she was taking almost half of him, and he forgot to think.
He forgot about how this was his Anna, the girl whom he had known all his life – the girl whom he had loved for nearly a third of it. And just as she hummed once more and pulled back to lick the head in long, languid strokes, Titus forgot everything except her, letting himself go and emptying within the heat of her mouth.
“So bossy,” she said a moment later, getting back up on her feet before hopping out of the shower.
He didn't know what to say to that, only letting a smile appear on his face as he watched her come back into the warm shower with a toothbrush in hand. She just went about brushing her teeth in the shower, acting as if she hadn't just done what she had – as if it was the most normal, everyday thing to do. He certainly wouldn't mind if it was.
“What?” Anna asked a few moments later, toothbrush still in her mouth.
“You're brushing your teeth in the shower, that's what.”
She rolled her eyes. “Well, yeah. It's common courtesy.”
“How so?” he asked, soaping up his hands before rubbing them up and down her body, effectively getting most of the syrup off.
“I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure most men don't like tasting themselves – even if they did kinda taste like syrup.” Anna put a hand on her hip and spit out the toothpaste down the shower drain. “Unless, of course, you're into that kind of thing.”
He put his hands on either side of her head, backing her up into the corner. “No, I am not into that kind of thing. Not gay, remember?”
“Because it's so hard to forget.”
“God.” Titus leaned closer until their mouths were barely brushing against one another's. “You sure got one helluva mouth on you.”
“Is that a good thing or-”
He kissed her, letting her know just how good of a thing her mouth was. Her soapy hands cleared the sticky syrup away, getting it out of his chest hair and everywhere else. He did the same to her, until both their bodies were sticky free. After that came the shampoo and body wash, and by the time they were done washing each other, Titus was pretty sure Anna had put some of her product into his hair.
“I smell like grapefruit,” he told her, while at the same time drying off her body.
She pulled down a wet lock to sniff her own hair. “And I smell like man.”
He, in turn, pressed his nose into her hair, inhaling what was most definitely his shampoo. “Damn, do I always smell this good?”
“Most times,” Anna said. “Except whenever you just get done working. That's when you have all this horse crap stuck in your chest hair and-”
Titus kissed her, effectively shutting her up before telling her that he got it. She just teased him and touched his body as they cleaned up their left over breakfast from the bed. Some syrup and apple ring pancakes were caught in the sheets and part of his quilt, forcing them to waste a good fifteen minutes on shoving the items into the washing machine.
They went into the kitchen after, drinking orange juice and looking at the clock every now and then to make sure they weren't late for their appointment like they had been last time. Throughout that time, Titus checked on her, making sure that her stomach was feeling alright after breakfast.
When it was about that time to leave, they hopped into the truck. He talked to Luther on the way out, telling the man that they wouldn't need Gerald today, for Titus had stayed up later last night getting a head start on all the chores. The older man nodded, kindly waved to Anna, and then rode out on his horse to the barn.
The thirty-minute drive there was filled with talking, loud chatter, and laughing so hard that tears formed in his eyes. She joked about how they had never gone on an official, real date yet but were already making love at least once a day whenever she was feeling well. It was just as the words left her mouth that Titus saw a sign for the drive-in movie theater at Spring Klein, only ten minutes away from Broxton.
“Consider tonight our first, official date then,” he told her.
“Really?” she asked, eyes lighting up. “Where are we gonna go? Is it more of a formal, dressy place or like a 'Hey, let's just wear jeans and a-”
“It's the go-to for every, single first date,” he interrupted her rambling before she got carried away.
“So, dinner at a cool, little diner.”
He didn't answer her, only searching for some form of a restaurant that would be special. There was a pizza parlor called Alby's within the throng of Broxton's other eateries that caught his eye, but pizza was a high school type of thing, not something a grown man took his wife out to dinner for.
“What would you be in the mood for?” he asked, seeing a barbeque, cheesecake, and then Mexican place that all looked pretty good.
“Surprise me,” she answered with the same words from this morning before holding onto his hand the entire way there, not letting go even as it began to sweat once they arrived at the ob gyn's.
Although somewhat small, the obstetrician gynecologist's building of Broxton never ceased to intimidate him. The glass doors shown with evil intent, the plush cushioning of the chairs striking pins and needles at his nerve endings.
Dr. Cliveston, despite all the man had done for them both, was as scary as always. His white hair shown in the warm lighting from above, his glasses and thick mustache making him appear to be deviously smart.
Titus shook the man's hand anyway, helping Anna get the gown on before sitting down in his customary chair right next to his wife. He took her hand in his as soon as Dr. Cliveston came into their room. Her hand tightened on his every time the doctor took another vaginal swab or took yet another vaginal test that set Titus's teeth on edge.
It only took roughly ten minutes for the doctor to tell them the risks of certain things; such as, infections if he had recently developed an STD, which he most certainly had not, the risks of pre-term labor since Anna's mother had given birth prematurely, and the certain birthing classes they could sign up for at the hospital.
Dr. Cliveston didn't even ask whether or not they wanted to listen to the heartbeat, for he most likely already knew the answer and had it going loud and steady within the room. He and Anna both looked at the picture on the screen, looking at the body of Ella who moved every now and then.
“Your little girl is doing very well. Her heartbeat has no abnormalities, and everything is developing very well. Other than that, do you have any more questions?”
Titus shook his head and so did Anna. They discussed that the nausea should go away as long as she ate small but frequent meals for a short while before the doctor both bid them a good day and went to go check up on his next patient.
“So...” Anna began as soon as they were back in his truck. “Where are we going tonight?”
“You told me to surprise you,” he said. “I can't surprise you if I tell you.”
“Touché,” was all she said before bringing her hand to land on his knee.
For the rest of the ride back home, she massaged his leg in long strokes that would never fail to arouse, even going so far as to tease him through the coarse fabric of his jeans. She did it the entire way back home, only stopping when they got back home and he came around the side of the truck. Hard with anticipation and desire for this naughty woman, Titus picked her in one swing and carried her into the house.
Most of their clothes were already off by the time they reached the stairs, her stretchy shirt still on and his jeans halfway down his thighs. Sitting on the hardwood stairs, Titus sunk into her just like that. It only took a few minutes for him to lose control and climax inside her. Anna was breathing heavily by the time he found her wet and aroused clit with his fingers, pressing on it firmly, his softening length inside of her. It took awhile, but he got her there. He knew it wasn't neck biting worthy, but she did anyway, just to humor him.
“I'm going to have a permanent bite mark on my neck if you keep that up,” he breathed out before leaning back against the hard wood of the stairs.
“It's better than Titus fingernail marks digging into your sides,” she whispered into his ear.
He pulled his hands back. “I'm sorry.”
“I like them, though. They'll cover up the stretch marks.”
Titus pulled up the sides of her shirt to look at her, seeing nothing but pale, smooth skin. “You don't have any stretch marks.”
“Yet,” she said and pulled her shirt down. “After Ella comes along, they'll be there. But my mom doesn't really have 'em too bad, so they won't be like, too awful.”
“I'll kiss 'em better.” He kissed her forehead.
She lifted her head up to look at him with those wide, curious eyes. “Really?”
“Really.”
She climbed off of him a few moments later, beckoning him with her finger for him to take a shower with her. He didn't need anymore coaxing, already discarding his pants and boxer briefs. The shower was relaxing. Just like this morning, it was warm and loosened up his muscles.
Anna's hair was smoothed back from her face, and her pregnant body almost glowed, the roundness of her belly pronouncing life. He rubbed soap, body wash, and this time, her own shampoo and conditioner, closing his eyes as she did the same to him.
Once out of the shower, she stood up on her tiptoes and inhaled. “Manly.”
He kissed her then, bringing her wet body to his and experimenting with her mouth just because they could. Anna pulled away first, and they walked down to the kitchen, completely naked, where they ate another batch of apple ring pancakes, no syrup or anything else getting on their bodies this time.
After their light, afternoon lunch, they went into the living room to watch whatever was on the television. However, he didn't process any of the shows that were on, for the naked body next to him was too amazing to just ignore.
“At this rate,” she began from where she was laying comfortably in his arms, “we're going to have Tobias and Jane blown out of the water.”
Titus felt himself stiffen from beside her, the subject of their own children something they hadn't brought up before, although he thought about it almost every day. Just the thought of having little boys and girls who were a combination of him and Anna was almost too much to bear. He had always wanted a gaggle of kids that would require almost all of his patience, talk his and Anna's ears off, and be annoying to the point of him seeing red.
“I'm sorry,” she said a few moments later. “That probably came on a little too uhm...fast.”
He brought her closer back against him. “Anna, we're going to have a daughter soon. I'm just surprised that we haven't talked about it before.”
After that, Titus didn't know how long they discussed the sports their little boys and little girls would play, what their names would be, and who would get which room. They weren't even finished talking about their future kids when the next television show came on, signaling that he better get a move on if they were going to have dinner and get to the drive-in on time.
“Wait,” Anna said, searching through their dresser for something appropriate to wear, “what should I wear?”
He pulled a plain t-shirt over his head, saying through the fabric, “Whatever you want.”
“Is it like a fancy place or a sort of-”
“Anna,” he interrupted her before looking her straight in the eye. “Whatever. You. Want.”
“Not a five star restaurant, then?”
Titus smiled. “Four star. I hope that's good enough for my wife.”
Sticking her tongue out, Anna got dressed into jeans that clung to her legs just right and a loose shirt that accentuated her her breasts and covered her pregnant belly. He patted her firm butt on the way back out to the truck. She did the same to him, only slapping it firmly this time, but he silenced her with a bite on her lip to keep her from mentioning the word 'bubble'.
They reached the Burger Bob's Basement Barbeque in record time, Anna's hands continuously touching him the cause of his speed. She patted his butt as they got into the large restaurant that smelt of barbeque, ketchup, and of something sweet – no cigarette smoke to be found.
The hostess smiled warmly at them from her position at the aged, wooden stand that was much like the rest of the restaurant. Dressed with framed, signed pictures of past football players of Broxton's high schools, wooden everything, and green accents that were the cushioning of some seats, the restaurant was welcoming.
With a bar on the other side and the classic place filled almost to the brim with people, it was a loud chatter that actually settled him. It must've settled Anna, too, for the minute the sat down in on the hard seats at their table, she leaned against the table and just smiled.
The waitress took their drink orders, coming back with their waters a few moments later. He and Anna were silent as their eyes scanned through menus that advertised everything from fatty double cheeseburgers to barbeque ribs that could be ordered by the pound.
“What can I get y'all, tonight?” the older waitress asked.
She left a minute later, leaving them in their own comfortable silence. Anna reached for his hand with her cold fingers. He warmed the appendages up and leaned across the table, her lips all too inviting as she told him some silly, corny joke that one of her kindergarteners had told her yesterday.
Remembering some old one he had told her so many times before, Titus said, “Somebody said you sound like an owl.”
Her brows furrowed, and she frowned. “Who?”
It took only a second for her eyes to light up, and then she laughed. A high-pitched sound that sounded so happy that he couldn't help but join in. Tears formed in his eyes, but he calmed down once the waitress came back with their shared plate of steaming hot food.
“I don't know, Titus,” Anna said, a peace of meat from the honeyed rib disappearing within her mouth. “This is some five star quality stuff.”
“Let me see.” He picked up his own rib from the pile, sucking all the meat into his mouth as the flavors melted his tongue. “Is there something higher than five star? Six star, maybe?”
“If I were a restaurant critique, I'd give them at least that.”
They ate their ribs in relative silence after that. Every once in awhile, their legs would bump together, or feet would come in contact with one another. She smiled and joked with him, and he teased and laughed with her. As Anna opened up her mouth to say something else, she stopped short and burst out into a fit of giggles, squinted eyes glued to something on his mouth.
“What's so funny?” he asked.
Her only answer was to kiss him fully on the mouth, her tongue and lips removing all of what he now tasted was barbecue on his mouth. Wiping the barbeque off on his pants leg, Titus brought his hand to her head and pulled her in closer, leaning over the table to kiss her deeper.
“Best first date ever,” she said against his mouth.
“And we haven't even see the movie yet.”
“We haven't even made love in the truck yet.”
He kissed her again. “Yet.”