When the Night Falls: At The Foot of the King
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Nureyluna
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38
Chapter 1
Family: a traditional social unit typically made up of a couple raising their child or children.
JASMINE
From the moment my pregnancy began, Theodore’s attraction to me was undeniable. His touch was a constant reminder of the life growing within me. His craving for me was as potent as my pregnancy cravings themselves.
I’d often daydreamed about being pregnant, but nothing could have prepared me for carrying Theodore Jefferson’s child. He was a man obsessed.
From the moment I woke up in the morning, his gaze held me as if I were the world’s most valuable treasure, a necessity for his survival.
With every pound I put on, every pair of maternity pants I bought, every weird meal request I made, he seemed to fall further and further in love with me.
Each passing day solidified my belief that I was the luckiest woman alive. Theodore cherished me like royalty.
I often teased him about it, since he was royalty himself.
“Look at you, the French king’s grandson, doting on this fat pregnant lady,” I’d chuckle, sticking out my tongue at him.
Then he’d pounce on me, wrapping me in his strong arms, and bring our lips together.
“Don’t you dare call yourself fat. You’re the most beautiful creature on the planet,” he’d growl. As sappy as it was, it still made me swoon.
“Plus, I’m not the heir of anything. My uncle’s the one who’s going to be king. Not me.”
Honestly, the whole royal thing took some getting used to. Though I wasn't of royal blood, I was royalty by association. And that felt weird.
Theodore took it in stride, though. Throughout my pregnancy, he ensured I never had to lift a finger.
The advantage of being married to one of Britain’s wealthiest men was that no craving went unsatisfied. Theodore made certain of it. Regardless of the hour or the peculiarity of my request, he was always ready to cater to my whims.
“It’s practice for when we visit Versailles,” he would say with a wink.
Today, I craved chocolate-covered strawberries, the most seductive of desserts. Theodore had our bodyguard, Sherry, go out to get them from this delicious patisserie in London.
And then, ever the gentleman, he insisted on feeding them to me as I reclined.
“You’ve got chocolate all over your face,” he laughed, sticking out his tongue to lick the gooey substance from my cheek.
“And who’s to blame for that?” I teased. “Hey! That’s mine.”
I brought him in for a deep kiss, sucking the chocolate back into my mouth.
“That’s not playing fair, Mrs. Jefferson,” he replied, a devilish grin crossing his face.
He gently licked the chocolate from my lips, mindful of my protruding belly as he pressed into me. His kisses trailed over my body, lingering on my collarbone, sending shivers down my spine. I’d thought pregnancy would make me averse to touch.
I couldn’t have been more wrong. I desired Theodore more than ever. It was like having a baby inside of me made me desperate to be an object of desire again.
With a slow, deliberate motion, Theodore untied my silk robe, revealing my naked form. As pregnancy advanced, I favored loose clothing for comfort. Often, I wore little to nothing, especially underwear, a fact Theodore seemed to appreciate.
His gaze roved over me hungrily, running his tongue across his lips.
For a moment, I instinctively covered myself. Despite everything Theodore said to me, I felt far from attractive. My swollen body was alien to me, and I often looked in the mirror only to be shocked by the creature staring back at me.
When all those momfluencers on Instagram talk about the magic of childbirth, they never mention how insecure you can get.
“You’re incredibly sexy,” Theodore whispered like he was reading my mind. He nibbled at my earlobe.
“I don’t feel it,” I responded. “I feel enormous and unattractive. I’m sorry you have to see me like this.”
Suddenly, Theodore paused, a serious look in his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, concerned.
“Never speak about yourself that way,” he admonished. “You’re the most beautiful, alluring woman on earth. I would love you in any form. But you're carrying our child, and that makes you more sexy than I can possibly describe.”
“Any form?” I asked, raising a challenging eyebrow. “What if I turned into a worm?”
“Oooh! You’d be the cutest worm,” he replied, rolling his eyes up into his head in mock-ecstasy.
“Sure!” I shrugged, elbowing him in the side. “You’re just saying that to cheer me up.”
“I’m absolutely serious,” he insisted. “Well, not about the worm part, but I don’t foresee that happening anytime soon.
“Jasmine Jefferson, you are breathtaking. Each time I see you, I marvel at my luck to have you as my wife, the mother of my children.”
My heart fluttered. The love we had for each other was undeniable.
Sometimes, I felt the need to pinch myself. It was hard to believe this was my reality.
Mrs. Jefferson.
The title would never lose its charm. I often expected to awaken from this dream. But then Theodore’s touch would remind me this wasn’t a dream.
This was my life, and I was living it, every single day. Forever.
Theodore trailed kisses down my side, moving lower until his head was nestled between my legs. My belly obstructed my view of him.
All I could do was lean back and savor the sensation of his lips on my inner thighs. The inability to see him seemed to heighten my senses.
Every touch was amplified. It was as if every nerve ending was ignited with each caress.
I inhaled suddenly as I felt his hot breath against my folds.
“Ohhh, Theodore,” I groaned. The need for him was rising in my body.
His tongue explored my folds, initially gently, then with increasing fervor. I gripped the edges of my seat, closing my eyes tight and letting a low moan escape my lips.
He pulled away, and I whimpered softly, missing the feeling of his mouth on my core.
But he wasn’t done yet. His calloused hands ran along my thigh, leaving goosebumps in their wake as they trailed to my entrance. They plunged inside of me, making me moan with want.
He came in for a kiss, silencing my moan. I could taste myself on his lips, and the combination of our flavors drove me insane with desire.
Then he broke away, a smirk crossing his face. Before I could ask what he was up to, he dove down, and I felt his tongue flick back across my clit. I yelled out in ecstasy.
As he sucked on my clit, his fingers slipped in and out of me. I was quickly becoming drenched.
His tongue stroked back and forth, stoking a heat building within me.
It felt as if I was about to explode, a million fireworks igniting inside me at once. My entire body was humming with growing passion.
I writhed on the chaise lounge, unable to control my reactions, feeling as if I was floating in my own private euphoria. I still couldn’t fathom how he could elicit such pleasure in me every time. How I never got tired of his touch, his godlike body.
The ecstasy he induced was nothing short of magical.
“Theodore,” I cried out, my voice ragged with need.
My eyes rolled back as my orgasm hit me and a wave of bliss surged through my body.
Theodore’s smirk at my folds told me I wasn’t getting out of this any time soon.
“Can you come for me one more time?” he asked, his lips still nestled between my legs.
I nodded weakly, aware he couldn’t see my response. He always made me come more than once. That was just Theodore’s style.
He dove back in, and I arched my back as his tongue circled my clit.
He was intimately familiar with my body now. I never had to guide him or instruct him where to touch. He seemed to read my mind, knowing exactly what I needed. Right now, that was him.
“I need you…” I moaned hoarsely, unable to finish the sentence in one breath.
His tongue quickened at my words, matching the rhythm of my racing heart.
“...Inside me,” I managed to finish.
But sadly, I felt him frown at that. I already knew what his answer was.
“Please,” I groaned before he could tell me once again that I was too far along to take him.
Theodore slid up my body, his hands trailing along my sides, leaving a path of goosebumps in their wake. Was it normal to feel this way? To be so sensitive to someone’s touch that a brush made you want to explode?
“The baby will be here soon,” he gestured to my swollen belly, rubbing it affectionately. “But trust me: As soon as the doctors tell me it’s safe, you won’t be able to stand up for a week.”
I groaned. The doctor had advised caution in the last trimester, and Theodore refused to fuck me ever since. It had been agonizing, especially as my libido only grew as I approached my due date.
Finally, Theodore and I had been forced to find creative ways to satisfy each other. In fact, our bedroom escapades had become so inventive that I knew our next sexual encounter would be mind-blowing, unlike anything we’d experienced together.
But I still missed the feeling of him pressing into my body with the force he used to. I eagerly anticipated that day.
But there was much to do before then. We had a baby to prepare for.
Which reminded me…
“The nursery,” I exclaimed, looking around the empty room we were laying in.
We were supposed to finish decorating the baby’s nursery today. We had entered the room, currently a work in progress, for that very reason. But then my cravings got the better of me and… well, you know what happened next.
But now the room desperately needed our attention.
I stood up, stretching, and reached for a paintbrush. The walls were painted a soft yellow. We had chosen not to learn the baby’s gender. Theodore was especially keen on the surprise. Just like the olden days, he’d joked.
All that remained was to hang the baby mobile over the crib.
Choosing the perfect one had taken us a while. Theodore had wanted it to fit our family, and we hadn’t been able to find one that really fit both of us perfectly.
I was pleasantly surprised by his involvement in the preparations. I’d half expected him to be at work while I readied the house for the baby. That couldn’t have been further from the truth.
We were both nesting.
Theodore was present for every minute detail, every single moment.
From crib and clothes shopping to the birthing classes, he’d been glued to my side like an imaginary friend. Except he was blissfully so real.
Despite being one of the richest and most influential men in the United Kingdom, possibly the world, he made time.
For me.
And for our baby.
As Theodore rolled off the chaise and picked up a paintbrush too, there was a knock at the door.
“Can I come in?” Thea’s sweet voice asked from the other side.
I quickly donned my robe before answering.
“Yes, darling,” I called. “Come on in.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, the door swung open and Thea rushed in, a wide grin on her face.
The only person more excited for the baby than Theodore and me was their future big sister. I’d never seen a child more excited to have a baby sibling to play with. She was constantly making lists of things she wanted to teach them. I knew she’d be the best big sister ever.
“Did you hang it yet?” she asked, her gaze darting between Theodore and me.
“No,” Theodore knelt to her level, looking directly into her eyes. “We were waiting for you.”
My heart swelled with pride. I could hardly believe this was the man who had barely spoken to Thea when I first met him. I was over the moon to witness them evolve to this point. They were as close as any father/daughter pair ever. I was overjoyed to have been a part of their journey.
I shook myself out of my reverie with a chuckle. Constant crying was another side effect of my pregnancy. Theodore and Thea were used to it by this point.
Mostly, they were tears of joy, of course.
Theodore pulled the mobile out of a box. We’d gone with The Milky Way galaxy because of the infinity that it held in that mobile. Thea had rightfully said that it was like the infinite love we held between the three, soon to be four of us.
Watching Thea and Theodore hang the colorful mobile, I felt the tears start to come in earnest. Oh gosh. But seriously. Watching them giggle together as Theodore stood on tippy-toes to hook it into the ceiling, how could I not break down sobbing?
Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed my abdomen, and I groaned. Theodore turned around in an instant. Within a second, he was at my side, supporting me.
“Is it time?” he asked, his face halfway between excitement and fear.
As a wave of pain rolled through me, I could only manage a nod.
His eyes sparkled with excitement. This was the moment we’d been preparing for. If only it didn’t hurt so damn bad.
I glanced at the empty crib which would soon cradle our baby every night. Our family of three was about to become a family of four. Everything was about to change.
“The baby is coming!” Thea squealed with joy.
“You’re going to be a big sister,” I told her.
With Thea and Theodore supporting me, we descended the stairs slowly, pausing intermittently. Once we reached the bottom, Theodore grabbed my overnight bag, which had been waiting by the door for this very moment.
“Are you ready?” Theodore asked.
I breathed out against the onslaught of pain. Even though it hurt terribly, I knew it was worth it. I nodded, attempting to project confidence.
Okay, Jasmine, I told myself. You can do this.
This was really happening.
I was about to give birth to our baby.
