“No way!” Chuntao turned her face away from him, her voice urgent. “I’m carrying the baby!”
“I’ll go slow!” Zhou Zhijun’s hot breath hit her ear, his tone impatient.
“Tao, I already asked the doctor. He said four months is fine!”
Chuntao finally came to her senses. When he’d asked how many months along she was earlier, this was the devious thought he’d been hiding!
She said no out loud, but a little deer was crashing around in her chest, the desire rising like a flame, higher and higher.
“I know you want me too,” Zhou Zhijun said, already starting to get handsy.
Chuntao quickly grabbed his hands, her voice trembling. “It’s almost noon. Mom and Second Aunt will be back any minute!”
“Don’t worry. Mom knows. She went out so we could have some time alone.”
“I’m pregnant. Mom wouldn’t indulge you in this.”
“Really! Mom told me herself. She said it was all arranged, no problem.”
If Aunt Zhou had actually said that, Chuntao felt she wouldn’t be able to face her anymore.
“You’re so annoying.”
She tried to say more, but Zhou Zhijun had already pressed his lips to hers.
“Tao, I dream about you every night… your voice is so beautiful… I can never get enough of kissing you…”
“Zhijun…” Her voice was soft and sweet.
…
Zhou Zhijun’s movements were gentler than ever, careful, as if handling a rare treasure, terrified that even a little force might break her.
Afterward, Chuntao lay limp in the curve of his arm, her small face buried in his broad, solid chest, listening to the thumping of his heart. She felt an immense sense of peace.
But for some reason, warmth welled up in her eyes and soaked into his chest.
Zhou Zhijun’s heart tightened. He reached out and lifted her flushed little face, his voice hoarse, as if scraped by a peppercorn tree. “Tao, what’s wrong? Does something hurt?”
Chuntao’s face was red to the roots of her ears. She closed her eyes and gently shook her head.
“Then why are you crying?” He wiped the tears from her face with his thumb and kissed her forehead. “There, there, don’t cry.”
Chuntao wrapped her arms around his waist like a little cat, pressing tightly against him.
She rubbed her cheek lightly against his chest, sending a shiver through his very bones.
He held the little woman in his arms tightly and kissed the top of her soft hair.
“Tao, if only I could hold you like this every day.”
Chuntao wanted him to hold her every day too. It made her feel safe.
Her soft little hand drew circles on his waist as she whispered, barely audible, “I want that too.”
“Tao, you’re finally mine. Body and soul, you belong to Zhou Zhijun now.”
A sharp ray of light slipped through a gap in the curtain. Chuntao jolted and lifted her face to look at him.
“It’s already noon. Second Aunt and the others will be back soon!” She reached for her clothes, but her hands found nothing.
“Where are my clothes?” Her eyes turned red with panic.
Zhou Zhijun stretched out his arm, grabbed her clothes from the chair nearby, and said, “I’ll dress you.”
Chuntao was mortified. She quickly pulled the blanket over herself. “I can do it myself!”
Zhou Zhijun wouldn’t listen.
Chuntao closed her eyes in embarrassment and covered them tightly with her hands, not daring to look.
Her skin was fair and flawless, like a porcelain doll.
Her once slender waist had softened and filled out a little.
Chuntao could feel his palm was hot, his fingertips trembling, and his breathing growing heavier.
She knew all too well—this was the sign of him about to lose control. Her heart tightened, and she couldn’t help peeking at him through her fingers.
The man had broad shoulders and a thick back, a narrow, hard waist, and a body that was nothing but solid strength.
His bronze skin was taut, the veins bulging on his arms from years of farm work—all hard muscle, not an ounce of fat.
Chuntao’s heartbeat raced again. Blood rushed to her face, and her breathing went haywire.
“Peeking again,” Zhou Zhijun said, his voice deep and shaky, with a hint of mischief.
“You’re hungry for me too, aren’t you? Once the baby’s here, I’ll make it up to you. I’ll make you feel like a bride every night.”
“So improper!” Chuntao scolded softly, her face growing even redder.
Just as she’d put on her undershirt and shorts, Zhou Zhijun suddenly remembered something. “Wait,” he said.
He let her go, pulled on his own shorts, bent down to grab the enamel basin from under the bed, slipped on his sandals, and ran out.
In no time, he was back with half a basin of warm water. “I forgot to clean you up.”
He gently took off the clothes he’d just put on her and wiped her down carefully.
Zhou Zhijun’s movements were unusually tender, completely different from the roughness of his daily farm work.
The warm steam rose into the air. Chuntao’s body slowly relaxed, and she moved her hands away from her eyes, though she still didn’t dare open them.
“Hurry up. Mom and the others will be back any second.”
“Relax. Both old ladies have been through it. They understand.”
Zhou Zhijun finished wiping her carefully and then helped her get dressed again, gently.
“Tao, you’re so beautiful. I can’t get enough of looking at you. Not a single mole anywhere on your body,” he said, genuinely admiring her.
Chuntao stayed quiet, breathing as softly as possible, obediently going along with his moves, just wanting to get dressed quickly.
As he fastened the last cloth button, the sound of light footsteps came from the courtyard.
Chuntao shot up from the bed in panic. Zhou Zhijun hadn’t even gotten dressed yet. Blushing, she urgently signaled him to hurry.
“It’s okay. It’s just Mom and the others,” Zhou Zhijun said quietly, leisurely pulling on his clothes.
The footsteps drew closer. Chuntao quickly got out of bed, slipped on her sandals, and headed for the doorway.
Just as she reached the door and was about to open it, it swung open from the outside. A man’s head poked in first, startling Chuntao into stepping back.
“Sister-in-law, your face is so red. Are you feeling unwell?”
“No… no!” Her tongue tied in knots as she fumbled over the words.
“Sister-in-law, if Brother Zhijun isn’t here and you need any help, just tell me.”
The man’s gaze slithered over Chuntao like a snake’s tongue, his tongue flicking across his lips. He edged closer to her.
“Sister-in-law, how did you get so beautiful? Brother Zhijun is so lucky!
Too bad he can’t be by your side every day. What a waste… Let me keep you company today and cheer you up.”
