Twelve Months

“Michael…” Sara giggled beneath him in the dim lighting of their bedroom. Sara was pressed into the soft, latte sheets, her hair spilling onto the pillowcase like a deep red sunset illuminating a coffee cream sky. Her soft, warm fingertips rested lazily upon Michael’s arm as he hovered above her, his harshly coloured skin silky smooth to her touch.

Michael grunted with frustration as he twisted his hips sideways and guided himself towards Sara’s core without success. “Dammit!” he growled with gritted teeth, his already aroused skin aching to be nearer to Sara as the December snow fell outside, covering their balcony and plunging the city into silence. Michael shook his head with frustration, which soon faded away when Sara laid an open palm to his bristly cheek.

“Michael, this isn’t working,” Sara soothed with a gentle caress of his face. Her hand snaked behind his head and rubbed at the soft hair that grew there, reaching out into the room for her attention. Michael’s ocean blue gaze met hers in the low wattage lighting, Sara’s hazel-green orbs as clear as day to his sight.

“All I want is to make love to you on Christmas Eve and see your beautiful face,” he told her as he reached up and held her face in one large hand. Michael was elated at the idea of becoming a father but he would sooner not have sex than have to do it facing away from Sara. Her expression of passion, the way her hair stuck to her face as she perspired under him, the way she called his name when she climaxed, it escaping from her moist mouth on a breath; Michael never wanted to miss that.

“You’re a traditionalist Michael, you know that?” Sara teased in a seductive voice with a quirk of her brow. Michael grinned in response, a chuckle escaping his half open mouth and the sound vibrating through Sara.

“And still horny as hell,” Michael whispered in a low voice against her ear, his hand trailing down the side of Sara’s lightly haired body and between them to her soft, dark mound. Sara’s back arched in response to his hand so close to her boiling centre and her five month old bump pressed against Michael’s inky stomach. Sara bit her bottom lip as Michael brushed his talented hands over her labia, teasing her already submissive body back into arousal.

Sara’s eyes opened briefly when she felt Michael shift his position and her heavy lidded stare met his dark fiery eyes. His mouth was crooked on his face, the corner turning upwards into a menacing grin as he slid down her body and disappeared under the covers. His hands left hot fingerprints all over her torso as he dragged them over it, his mouth planting wet kisses to every inch of the scorching surface.

Sara’s hands gripping at the feather covers when Michael’s lips locked over her clitoris, his tongue flicking out to tickle the sensitive nub playfully. She inhaled heard and her heart raced in her ribcage, the echoing sound easily heard over the silent storm outside. Her head rolled sideways and the bedside lamp shone into her face, turning it orange before Sara darted out a hand and batted the shade so it angled away from her.

Michael took long methodical drags on her nerves, savouring the throbbing sensation it left upon his tongue. His stubble scratched at the entrance to her core, the change in sensation coaxing Sara’s juices from her centre. Michael’s tongue dived into her, dragging a morsel of her nectar into his mouth with every thrust. Sara wiggled as a pressure built up inside of her and Michael held her hips still, pulling them closer to him mouth as he drank her hungrily.

Sara reached a hand under the covers and gripped at Michael’s shaved head, the contact exciting him even further. She gasped when he inserted two long fingers into her dripping abyss, the muscles immediately contracting and pulling them in further. Michael listened to Sara’s breathing and each time she inhaled hard, he pushed a little deeper, dragging his fingertips over the sensitively ridged g-spot.

“Michael…” Sara choked out, her mouth full of saliva where she has forgot to swallow. It was like swallowing a bulk of nothing, her throat pulling the offending obstruction down with an effort and leaving her gasping harder. Her nails dug into the sheets as she gripping them, her eyes pressed together and never wanting to open. Michael sucked harder at her as his fingers moved in and out, the sounds of her high pitched ecstasy muffled by the blanket that covered him.

As her orgasm approached Michael released her hips from his hand and took his member in a powerful grip. He withdrew his fingers and crawled up the bed beside her, leaning himself on his back next to Sara. One of his hot hands found her bundle of nerves between her legs and stroked at it furiously, never letting her drop from heaven for a second. His other moved up and down his length, quivering with each twist as Michael watched Sara’s euphoria envelope her.

Her head bashed into the luxurious pillow and her vision flashed white behind her eyelids. Her hand darted out and electrified Michael’s chest, the skin tingling when she dragged her blunt nails over his flesh. Michael leered down at her, his race to his own orgasm coming to an end as his let out a breathy cry and spilled his seed onto Sara’s heaving body.

Michael left Sara to bring herself down from her pleasure, taking her hand in his and guiding her to his still hard member. Sara took him in her hand with a content hum and grinned to herself as she stroked him down from his own climax. Michael hissed with the contact, her hand feeling like five tiny hot pokers sizzling into his already searching flesh while he rubbed his hands through the white liquid that spotted over Sara.

Sara lolled her head sideways where Michael was waiting for their eyes to meet. They were both heavy lidded and filled with arousal when Sara seized Michael’s lips in a kiss. It was slow and loving, Michael’s tongue lapping at the roof of Sara’s mouth and leaving her begging for more. Sara’s body pressed into Michael and he complied with her silent request, pulling her closer with a large flat palm to her back.

“Better now?” Sara taunted with a grin as they lay together, heated by passion in the cold winter night. “Even though I didn’t do anything,” Sara added with a wink. Their faces were millimetres apart in the low light, sharing a single pillow in the centre of the bed.

“Oh you did plenty,” Michael chuckled with a hoarse tone to his voice. Sara blushed lightly under his gaze and dropped her head into the space between them, her forehead sticking to Michael’s clammy chest. Michael wrapped an arm around her and held her close to him as they laughed and then his azure orbs picked up the time blinking at him from Sara’s alarm clock. “Hey,” he said, hooking a bent finger under her chin and bringing her face back up to meet his. “Merry Christmas,” he beamed and pressed his lips to hers once more.

Lincoln and LJ we already awake when Sara and Michael emerged from their bedroom having showered and dressed in some loose fitting clothes that were comfortable and acceptable attire for when guests were staying over. Michael was wearing a pair of dark blue sweat pants and a marl grey t-shirt. He was barefooted and walked on his toes with surprising ease down the hall to the kitchen counter.

LJ looked up from a bowl of cereal he had helped himself too and milk dribbled from his mouth when he smiled. “Nice, LJ,” Michael commented, motioning to his nephew’s face with a waggling finger. Sara brushed past Michael with a smile, trailing her hand lightly across his back in a concealed intimacy that only they shared the meaning off.

“Good morning guys,” Sara sang towards Lincoln and LJ as she pulled the fridge door open with a dull click of the silver handle and reached in for some milk. Michael poured two mugs of steaming hot coffee on the counter top, observing Lincoln’s grin behind the newspaper he wasn’t reading. Sara handed Michael the milk and followed his gaze to Lincoln who bit his lip to try and hide his wide smile.

“Are you ok Lincoln?” Michael asked with a frown, pouring a drop of milk into each mug before him and adding a sugar into each of them. The spoon clinked against the side of the ceramic as he stirred them, his face darting between his actions and his brother on the kitchen stool opposite him.

“Fine,” Lincoln coughed and cleared his throat, straightening his demeanour. “Just…” he paused, pushing himself from the stool and slapping the paper to the tiled worktop. He puffed out his chest and tugged at his waistband, pulling it further up his body as he inhaled. “Let my bed down gently. You wouldn’t want to hurt it’s feeling now you’ve found another,” he winked and slapped Michael on the shoulder as he walked past them into the lounge.

Sara blushed and pressed her face into Michael’s upper arm, trying to hide her rosy cheeks in the cotton material of his shirt. Lincoln has obviously heard their expedition last night and as she was doing most of the shouting, she figured he had heard from the next room. Also, he knew they had copulated on his bed at his Halloween party. LJ, having drawn the tiny bedroom at the end of the apartment and having heard none of last night’s escapade, looked between them confused.

“I don’t get it,” he said with a shake of his head and a mouth full of Cheerio’s. He glanced between his uncle’s grin and his father who sat in the exposed lounge taking in the lavishly decorated Christmas tree. He dropped his spoon into the bowl and waved his hand through the air beside him. “I don’t get it,” he repeated after swallowing his mouthful.

“Never mind LJ,” Michael smiled and lifted his coffee to his lips and took a sip. He turned and pressed a warm paw to the small of Sara’s back and led her to the couch. “Let’s open some gifts, shall we?” he beckoned him over to join them. LJ’s frown disappeared and his scrawny teenage body joined them by the tree, the snow still falling outside.

Michael and Sara had decorated the live tree with glistening gold and red balls, golden tinsel and a string of tiny red light bulbs shone from the pine needles. It was potted in a big square box and even though it had no roots, the impression made it seem alive. Underneath it were an array of boxes and elongated parcels, each were tied with a bow and had a message of goodwill and a name on it scrawled onto novelty stickers.

Lincoln knelt down beside the tree and plucked one of the gifts from the pile. “Here,” he stretched forward and handed the flattened box to Sara as she sat next to Michael on the couch. “This is for both of you guys from both of us,” he said, gesturing between LJ and himself with a half closed fist. LJ perked up when he remembered what was in the package and shuffled to the edge of his seat.

“Open it,” he jeered, wide eyed with excitement. He rubbed his hands together and shifted on his seat in nervousness. “I hope you like it,” he added with a weak smile. Sara returned his smile and studied the parcel in her hands carefully. It was light, having almost no weight to it, and it covered her entire lap when she rested the box there. Michael pulled at the ribbon and it uncurled itself, falling to the sides of the box and allowed the lid to be opened.

Inside was some white tissue paper but underneath of that was a tiny baby grow suit. Sara pulled it out of the rustling paper and held it up in the air. A smiles spread across her features and Michael let out a hearty laugh that caused an infectious rally to Lincoln and LJ. The baby suit was white with dark blue stripes running vertically down it and a blue belt design printed across the middle. On the left side of the front was a large blue circle with red lettering inside of it, clearly spelling out the word “Cubs”.

“You like it?” Lincoln asked them with a wide, open-mouthed grin. Sara moved the empty box out of the way and laid it flat over her rounded abdomen as if she was laying it over the top of their baby. Michael laid his hand over the top of the suit, smoothing out the wrinkled fabric and suddenly felt a dull impact on his palm.

“Whoa!” he exclaimed pulling his hand back in terror that was soon replaced with joy. Sara’s head snapped towards his and she giggled nervously. Michael sat frozen beside her, his hand hovering in the air above her stomach.

“Did you feel that?” Sara asked him breathlessly, pressing his hand to her stomach again. She rested her hands over the top of his as they waited for the tiny feet inside to kick out at the walls of its protective home once more. Michael nodded with a held breath as his hand splayed anxiously across the tiny Cubs uniform.

The baby kicked out again, the skin beneath Michael’s palm being pressed to his skin forcefully. Michael nodded quickly at Sara before turning to Lincoln with a pale face but a wide toothy grin. “I think he likes it,” he said to him and the baby kicked out again.

Sara felt a wave of emotion flood through her, and the tiny life growing inside of her felt even more special now that it was interacting with his father. Until now Sara had questioned her ability as a mother, having never had hers to grow up around she felt distant and lacked a maternal presence. The second she felt her baby move inside of her she knew she had nothing to worry about.