“Hands here okay?”

I stepped in closer as she got into position for her last set.

“Hands here okay?” I asked, hovering my palms near her hips and lower back without touching yet.

Mia nodded. “Yeah. That’s fine.”

I placed my hands lightly on her — one on her hip, the other near the small of her back. Her skin was warm through the thin tank top. From this angle I could see the full curve of her belly from the side, heavy and round, rising and falling with her breathing. She smelled faintly of sweat and something sweet.

She started her reps.

I kept my voice low and even while I spotted her.

“So… what’s been keeping you up at night?” I asked. “Besides your husband being away.”

She did two reps before answering, voice slightly strained from the effort.

“He’s not as… forward as I’d like when he is home,” she said honestly. “Ever since I started showing properly, he’s been careful. Gentle. Sweet.” She let out a small breath that might’ve been a laugh. “But sometimes I don’t want sweet. I want him to look at me like he still wants to fuck me stupid, bump and all.”

She finished another rep. I stayed close, hands steady.

“Instead he treats me like I’m made of glass,” she continued. “Like the belly makes me fragile instead of just… bigger. Hornier.”

She paused at the top of the movement, breathing harder now.

“So yeah. I’ve been sleeping like shit.”

I didn’t say anything right away. My hands were still on her — one on her hip, the other brushing the curve just above her ass. The position felt intimate. Charged.

Mia finished her final rep, exhaled, and straightened up. She turned slightly so she was facing me more, one hand resting on the top of her belly.

“Your turn,” she said, eyes meeting mine. “Tell me about the dream.”

I let my hands drop, but I didn’t step back.

“It was… intense,” I said. “Two women. Both pregnant. One of them was massively pregnant — like you. The other one was a bit smaller but still very obviously carrying.” I kept my voice low. “They were together. Touching each other. And I was with both of them.”

Mia’s eyebrows lifted slightly, but she didn’t look shocked. If anything, she looked more interested.

“Both of them?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

She studied me for a second, still lightly rubbing the side of her belly with her thumb.

“And you woke up from that and came straight here,” she said. It wasn’t a question.

“Couldn’t go back to sleep,” I admitted. “Figured lifting was safer than staying in bed with that running on a loop.”

Mia let out a soft, breathy laugh. She didn’t move away. If anything, she shifted a little closer, her belly now only a few inches from my stomach.

“Sounds like a hell of a dream,” she said quietly. Her eyes flicked down to my mouth for half a second before coming back up. “You always dream about pregnant women? Or was tonight special?”

I held her gaze.

“Tonight was special,” I said. “But it’s not the first time I’ve thought about it.”

Mia’s hand was still on her belly. She didn’t look away.

The gym felt even quieter than before.

She tilted her head slightly.

“So,” she said, voice lower now. “Are we actually going to get that protein shake… or are we going to stand here pretending we’re not both thinking about your dream?”