The rules

I kept holding her.

My chest was pressed to her back, one arm tucked under her head while the other stayed wrapped around her body, my hand resting on the heavy curve of her belly. We were quiet for a while, the only sounds in the room our breathing and the occasional soft shift from the baby beneath my palm.

Eventually, I spoke.

“When your husband comes home,” I said quietly, “we need to figure out how this is actually going to work.”

Mia didn’t tense up. She just listened, her fingers lightly tracing over the back of my hand on her stomach.

“I’m not going to pretend this can stay casual,” I continued. “Not after tonight. If we’re doing this, then I need to know what you’re actually willing to do. And what the rules are going to be.”

She was quiet for a long moment. I could feel her breathing against me.

Then she spoke, her voice soft but clear.

“I don’t want to lie to myself about what this is,” she said. “I’m not looking for another boyfriend. I’m not trying to replace him. But I also can’t go back to the way things were before.”

Her hand pressed mine more firmly against her belly.

“I’m willing to sneak around,” she admitted. “I’m willing to lie to him about where I am sometimes. I’m willing to meet you when he’s at work, or late at night when he’s asleep. I’m even willing to let you fuck me in our bed if that’s what you want.”

She paused, then added quieter:

“But I’m not willing to risk everything. Not yet. I still have a baby coming. I can’t blow up my entire life right before I give birth.”

I nodded against her shoulder, even though she couldn’t see it.

“That’s fair,” I said. “So what are you willing to do?”

Mia was quiet again for a few seconds.

“I’ll send you pictures when you ask,” she said. “Belly. Tits. Pussy. Whatever you want. I’ll let you tell me what to wear when we meet. I’ll let you fuck me however you want — rough, slow, in the car, in the shower, wherever. And I won’t let him touch me the way he used to. Not properly. I’ll make excuses.”

She turned her head slightly toward me.

“But I need you to understand something,” she said. “I’m not doing this because I hate him. I’m doing it because I’ve been starving for months and you’re the first person who’s actually fed me.” Her voice dropped. “So don’t make me regret trusting you with this.”

I pressed a slow kiss to her shoulder.

“I won’t,” I said.

Mia let out a long breath and relaxed fully against me again. Within a few minutes, her breathing deepened and evened out. She’d fallen asleep in my arms, one hand still loosely resting over mine on her belly.

I stayed awake.

The room was dark and quiet. Her body was warm against mine, her pregnant belly rising and falling steadily under my palm. I could still taste her on my tongue. I could still feel how tight she’d been when I came inside her. And now she was asleep in my arms after agreeing to let me keep using her — even after her husband came home.

This had gone so much further than I expected when I walked into that gym a few hours ago.

I thought about Lisa. About the promise she’d made that morning — that she’d call me in a few months when she was ready for another one. About how I’d already been planning to keep seeing her too.

And now there was Mia.

Two pregnant women. Both married. Both neglected in different ways. Both offering themselves to me in ways that made my head spin.

I was in deep.

And I didn’t want to stop.

Carefully, I reached over to the nightstand with my free hand and grabbed my phone. The screen lit up in the dark. I opened my messages with Sue and started typing.

Me:

I’m still at her place. We fucked again after the shower. She let me claim her. Told me her pussy belongs to me now.

Me:

She fell asleep in my arms. We talked about what happens when her husband comes home. She’s willing to sneak around. Willing to send pictures. Willing to let me keep using her. But she’s scared of blowing up her life.

Me:

I’m still hard just thinking about it. This is getting out of control fast.

I stared at the messages for a second, then hit send.

Then I put the phone face-down on the nightstand and went back to holding Mia, my hand still resting on her belly while she slept.