Apprehended Ch. 25

I swear, I nearly vomited in terror.

It was a locker room.

A locker room filled with rows of showers, benches, sinks, fitting rooms and...and...

"Bathing suits?" I squeaked, my eyes widening. "We're uh...we're ummm..."

Ethan stopped and turned to face me, looking at my clothing. "Well you can't go swimming in that, sweetheart." He pointed behind him. "We have a lot to choose from. Pick whatever you want."

Oh yeah. Sure. Whatever I wanted. He made it sound so easy and nonchalant. He had no idea how self-conscious I was.

He went ahead and proceeded to strip, tossing his clothes in a large laundry basket in the corner. Then he moved to the rows of swimming trunks, choosing a sleek black pair. He slipped it over his legs and hips, firmly snapping them at his waist.

I think I drooled.

For fucks sake.

Mother fucker.

He was so beautiful.

Heavily muscled, golden and gleaming like some sort of deity. He released the band from his hair and it spilled free, the thick tendrils framing his chiseled, charming face.

I simply stood there, trembling and frozen.

He smiled, his dimples making a reappearance. "Well?" he urged, slipping his hair tie around his wrist. "What are you waiting for? Pick one."

My eyes shifted to the array of...

Oh Jesus.

"Bikinis?" I winced, taking an involuntary step back. I turned and glanced at the door, on the verge of fleeing entirely.

"Ohhh, no you don't," said Ethan, moving so fast, he was nothing but a blur as he settled his bulky body directly in front of the exit. "I don't think so." He made a motion with his hand, twirling a finger in the air. "Turn around and go choose."

I hesitated.

"Go on now," he pressed.

I sagged, my shoulders drooping as I sulked and wallowed in self-pity. He chuckled behind me.

The bastard.

I stopped in front of the bathing suits, looking for anything that revealed little to no skin.

I was shit out of luck.

They were all bikinis.

I grabbed a rather skimpy bra and examined it, lifting it high and turning to face him. "Who the hell wears this?" I asked incredulously.

He laughed, leaning casually against the door. Watching me.

"You can if you want." He smiled. "You're going to treat me?"

I frowned. "Treat you?"

He nodded once. "Yes. It would give me insurmountable pleasure to see you in that."

My eyes widened again and I quickly turned around to place the indecent garment back on the hook. Surely, he was jesting.

Inadvertently, my eyes settled on pink, sparkling fabric inlaid with glimmering gems on the bra. It was pretty. I felt Ethan's eyes on me and took a step towards it before stopping short. There was no way I could fit into something like that.

"Is that the one you want?"

I yelped in fright and nearly jumped out of my skin.

Ethan was directly behind me, his breath tickling the curve of my neck. He grabbed the bikini I was eyeing and held it in front of me. "Try it on."

I gaped.

And firmly shook my head. "No, no, no, no." I took a step away, colliding into his chest-my back to his front.

Crap.

I was trapped.

"Try. It. On," he said into my ear.

I shivered.

He grabbed my hand, opened my palm and pressed it into my palm. He closed my hand over it and nudged me towards a fitting room.

Well...at least he was offering some privacy.

Right?

That had to mean something...right?

I swallowed the lump in my throat and took a tentative step forward, resembling the likes of a victim walking towards the plank on a fucking pirate ship.

And this entire situation was mutiny.

I scowled as I made my way inside, tossing him my most evil glare before closing the door to the fitting room.

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit.

He was doing this on purpose!

I fumbled with my clothes, completely avoiding my reflection in the mirror as I made quick work of putting on the blasted bikini. I had a little difficulty with the top. My breasts were larger than the smaller cup and it took some ingenuity, shifting and tucking to get it to stay without spillage. The bottoms slipped on easier, settling uncomfortably below my belly.

I hitched in a trembling breath...

And turned to stare at myself in the floor to ceiling mirror.

Awe man.

Shit balls!

This was not okay.

My boobs were extra right now, moving and bouncing around in the most unladylike fashion possible. Then there were my thick thighs, which basically closed so closely together, there was no space in between.

And my middle.

Sweet baby Jesus...

My bump looked larger in the fucking slutty bikini, rendering me some sort of BBW with a secret agenda of the sexual variety-nay on the Beauty scale. I also made the horrible mistake of turning, catching sight of my love rolls in the back. I gasped lowly, my ass making an appearance.

This was a bad, bad, bad idea!

"You okay?" Ethan rapped his knuckles on the door, no doubt hearing my small gasp of embarrassment, dislike and absolute fear.

I took a deep breath and exhaled quickly, gathering myself before speaking. "Is there something else?" I asked, nearly losing my shit. I was shaking so bad, my teeth were chattering.

"What?"

I took another deep breath. "Is there another bathing suit? I don't want this one."

"Well, what's wrong with it?" he asked.

What's wrong with it? The question should have been: what isn't wrong with it? "It's just..." I glanced down at myself again and nearly vomited once more. Words failed me at this point. So did breathing.

He rapped his knuckles against the door again. "Come out."

No. No, no, no! "Can't you just bring me another one?" I asked, my voice unsteady and cracking. I closed my eyes, realizing that that small exposure of fear of was my ultimate undoing. Ethan wasn't going to simply grab another bathing suit. He wasn't wired to ignore my obvious fear. Which was pouring out of my skin in waves.

He knocked one more time, his voice short and clipped. "I'm not asking you again. Come out."

Shaking like a leaf, I reached out and grabbed the knob...

Opening the door and making it a point to look at my feet as I stepped out.

His eyes were on me...and the room was blanketed in stone cold silence.

For the love of...

This was beyond embarrassing. It was validation of my blatant inability to move passed my self-worth issues. I thought about all the countless times Ethan and I took a shower together, lay naked in bed together and made love. All of which were done during moments filled with the desperate desire to kiss, touch and have sex.

Now seemed different. As if I were on display in a foreign, unknown place.

"Annie," he said, his voice impossibly soft. He took a step forward, invading my space and grabbing my chin to lift my head just as a traitorous tear slipped free and spilled onto my cheek. He cupped my face tenderly, brushing the stray moisture away with his thumb. He smiled warmly...affectionately... "do you still think so little of yourself with me?" he asked.

I didn't know how to respond to that so I kept quiet.

He continued. "After everything we've been through? After all the kisses I've placed on your beautiful body?" He lowered his head further, holding my eyes captive. "I love every inch of you. You are perfect to me. You are prefect for me. Don't you dare think otherwise. Especially when you're carrying my young." He slipped a gentle hand across my belly, rubbing in slow circles. "You're giving all of yourself to hold our babies. My babies. You're changing, growing more and more each day. It's the most beautiful change to ever witness as a male; watching your most precious female alter in a glorious way right before your eyes." He smiled. "You're glowing. You're so fucking beautiful."

He eyes suddenly dipped low and his face darkened with need. "And I can't wait to peel this off of your body and bury myself deep inside of you."

I hitched in a breath, believing every word. Then I shivered when he lowered his head further to press an open-mouthed kiss across my jugular.

He chuckled at my reaction, shifting to grab my ass and give it a light squeeze before pulling back to guide us to the pool. "Now come on. I want you in the water with your legs around my hips and your arms around my neck."

I swallowed hard, all thoughts of bodily issues gone. It was replaced with a gnawing anticipation of future fulfillment. I moved along, following him through the door and towards the pool. He walked to the end, stopping at a set of stairs that disappeared into the aqua blue water.

He moved fluidity and confidently, halting on the last step and turning to face me. He offered me his other hand. "Come on."

I hesitated, staring in trepidation at the water. It was pretty deep.

Ethan shook his head lightly. "I will never let you drown. I will never let you go."

I trusted him.

I took a sharp breath and moved forward, grabbing both of his hands as he guided me into the pool.

It was cold.

"Oh, it's freezing."

He laughed. "We'll be warm soon enough." He walked backwards into the water, facing me the entire time. "You're doing great, my female. Come to me...yes, more...good..."

We stopped with my toes grazing the pool's tiled floor. I grew nervous, nearly losing control of my legs as I began to sink. "Ethan," I said in fear, reaching out.

He pressed against me, pulling me into his body and wrapping my arms around his neck. "I'm right here, baby. I'm right here." I tightened my hold on him, yelping when he moved further into the deep end, his feet still firmly planted on the surface of the pool due to his height. "You okay?"

I nodded through chattering teeth. "I'm cold."

"I'll warm you." He shifted to the edge of the pool, grabbing a small, black remote and pressing a few buttons.

"What is that?" I asked.

"The water temperature can be controlled." Sure enough, the pool began shooting out warm water, the jets dispersing the warmth around our bodies.

It felt amazing.

"Better?" he asked.

"Yes. Thank you."

He winked and gave me a kiss. "I like you like this."

I frowned in confusion. "Like what?"

"Wrapped around me...in my arms."

I laughed quietly. "Well, you're kind of trapped right now."

His eyes danced in amusement. "Trapped?"

"Oh yes," I said with a grin. "I'm not letting you go. Which means that you're out of options. Your freedom has been revoked."

He barked out a laugh. "That's fine," he said. "I'm more than willing to give up my freedom to swim in exchange for this." He slipped his hands underneath my butt, holding me. Then he moved effortlessly around the pool with me wrapped around him like a vise. "You know, swimming is good for pregnant females."

I stared at him, feeling a little better now that I was in his arms. "I think I read about that somewhere."

"That's because it's true. That's why we're going to do this weekly until you learn how to swim alone."

My eyes widened. "I'm sorry. What?"

He chuckled. "I'm going to teach you how to swim, my petal."

I shook my head vigorously, water cascading from my wet hair. "No, Ethan. I don't want to."

"It's good for you. All three of you. I promise you'll like it, baby girl."

That was an interesting term of endearment. I cocked a brow. "Changing it up, I see."

He laughed again, the rich, deep sound echoing in the vast pool space. "I'll use everything at my disposal to win you over."

This time, I laughed. "You already won me over."

He clicked his tongue. "Not with swimming. At least not yet."

I tightened my hold around his neck, threading my fingers through the wet hair at his nape. "You're never going to sway me, Ethan. Not on that."

"Oh, I believe I can." He lightly patted my bottom. "I got you in the water, didn't I?"

"I'm holding you like a life raft. I hardly think that's progression."

"Yes, but you're physically in the pool. It's all about perspective," he said, releasing one hand to rid his face of water. I gasped when I sank a little and he shifted, lifting me higher. "I've got you, sweetheart. I'm not letting you go."

Without thinking, I asked, "you promise?"

He froze, staring intently. "On my life. I'll never let you go." I broke out into a grin, hitching my body up. He laughed. "What are you doing?"

"I want a kiss," I replied, looking at his lips.

"Is that all you want, sweet flower?" He moved to the lip of the pool, effectively sandwiching me between his large body and the pool wall. He pressed a warm, wet kiss against my mouth. "Because I can give you more."

I laughed, definitely wanting more. I tightened my legs around his hips. "What are you willing to give me?" I teased.

He kissed me again, lingering a little longer against my lips. "Anything you want." Another kiss. "Everything you want." He spread his thighs apart, shifting so I could sit on them as he slipped his now free hands underneath the strings of the bottom of my bikini. He pulled and released the knots to take them off completely. He tossed the piece behind him. It floated on the surface of the water.

I inhaled sharply. Warm water brushed against my nakedness, my body open to him.

He smiled wickedly. "Oh you like that, don't you, baby?" He kissed me, not giving me a chance to reply. He shoved himself into me, his lower body colliding into mine. His hands cupped my ass and he pressed me so close, we nearly became one.

The kiss was raw and unhinged. A joining of lips, teeth and tongue. I wrapped my arms impossibly tighter around his neck, straining for a closeness that never seemed like enough. He moved to my neck, placing wet kisses along my sensitive flesh and moved a hand to my breast, yanking down one of the bikini's cups with such force and desperation, it ripped in half and my breasts spilled free.

He pulled away and lowered his head, his eyes finding my hard peaks as the water lapped over my flesh. "Fuckkkk," he said, shoving a hand underneath my right breast to lift it.

I groaned, unable to stop the wave of pleasure when he engulfed my entire nipple into his mouth. It was hot and wet. He suckled, flicking his tongue over the tense bud over and over again. He kneaded the other and I twitched, dropping my head back against the lip of the pool, his mouth tasting and tormenting in the best of ways. He popped the nipple. In and out of his warmth. He flicked and sucked. He squeezed and caressed.

And I wanted more.

He released my nipple once again, a trail of his spit spilling free as I turned ever so slightly. "Ethan, please," I pleaded in desire. "The other one."

He didn't need to be told twice.

He repeated the process, lifting my left breast to his mouth and sucking it completely into his hot, wet depths. He groaned and closed his eyes in relief, as if he couldn't possibly get enough. A man starved and finally given food. A man unable to stop himself from ravishing and sampling.

It was enough to nearly make me orgasm.

And I couldn't take it anymore.

I rubbed against his lower body, gasping when I felt his thick long length press and rub against my bare core. I grew bold, utterly out of my mind with need and blind to the desire that took hold. "God, Ethan, please," I begged. "Please slip inside of me."

He growled deeply, his lips breaking free of my breast and his head lifting to find my eyes. He stared, never breaking eye contact, never straying away. He slipped a hand in between our bodies, freeing himself with a deep, guttural curse before hitching me higher on his hips, holding all of my weight in the water. "Tighten your legs around me," he commanded, angling himself perfectly so he could...

He joined our bodies in a swift and forceful stroke that bordered on the violent. We both screamed, his voice hoarse and guttural. Mine, loud and high-pitched. The sudden invasion filled me to capacity, stretching my walls and pressing against every nerve ending inside of me.

It was more than I could take.

Ethan was frozen, unmoving as waves rippled across the pool. Some spilled over, soaking the floor. He breathed heavily, groaning and finding my eyes the minute he felt the tightening of my core as I gave in to the sudden, intense orgasm.

He laughed, gripping my hips fiercely. "Already, baby?"

I couldn't answer. I was too lost to the tide. Too lost in the sensation of warm water lapping at my skin, brushing inside of me as Ethan entered.

He simply rode out the waves with me, taking as much as I was willing to give. Which was everything.

Then he began to move.

The ripples in the water were nothing compared to the violent tsunami of our love making. Ethan's hip moved in fluid surety; a barrage of pressure and penetration. He pounded wildly, losing all control and dropping his head back as he bared his fangs, just as far gone as I was.

An ache took over after my orgasm. One that demanded Ethan's release. One that wanted to quell the raging fire that desperately cleaved onto Ethan's impending orgasm.

And I cried out, the fire burning uncontrollably. The pain escalating until I could no longer hold back the need. "Ethan...oh, god, please..." I dug into his shoulders, my nails raking along his golden skin, drawing blood that drizzled down the length of his arms and into the pool. Rich crimson wafted into the water, altering the original color of the blue to a deep, dark purple.

He scented the blood in the air, dropping his head and catching sight of it. Blood drawn by my need. Blood drawn by my nails. Blood drawn for his orgasm. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he visibly shuddered, another orgasm rippling through my body and ravaging my hold on reality. I contracted around him in a grip so fierce, he froze...

And came with force as he shouted his release and squeezed my hips in a bruising clutch.

The relief was instant, cooling my raging desperation with the first explosion of his hot jets. I whimpered, unable to stop the trembling as my hormonal body sucked up as much as it could. As it took all he was willing to give. Which was also everything.

And when the water stilled and our bodies sagged, we simply stood there trying to catch our breaths. I blinked rapidly, trying to control my eyes which refused to focus. I was getting tired. The scent of sex was in the humid air and the pool room had no doubt flooded.

Ethan broke the silence first. "We need to do that more often."

I glanced up, my lids lazy and heavy...and broke out into a sleepy laugh. "Again?" I whispered, my legs giving up and floating around his hips. He was still inside of me. He was still holding onto my hips. "I think we created our own ocean."

He laughed. "I'll have Garrett clean the mess." He looked around for the first time, his brows nearly colliding into his hairline. "Jesus," he muttered. "I fucked this place up good."

I looked around, gasping at the sight. The floor was soaked with so much water, the chairs either toppled over or shifted to another area entirely. "Ethan...this is bad."

He shrugged, seemingly unperturbed. "I'll worry about it later."

I smiled and attempted to move, unable to so much as hold onto his neck. My muscles were weak and the sleepiness was consuming me. "Ethan," I said, lowly. "I can't move."

He smiled and shifted, slipping out of my body with a whispered curse before picking me up and carrying me out of the pool. "I got you."

It felt nice to be carried.

He walked towards the door, snatching a towel off a rack to cover me before heading out, his bare feet making wet noises across the tiled hallway. Luckily, we didn't encounter any clan or staff members. We were blessedly alone. Ethan took his time and entered our bedroom steadily despite feeling just as drained. It had been a long day.

"Sleep," he said, pressing me into the mattress and pulling the towel off my wet body. The thick comforter was soft and warm against my skin and I snuggled deeply, drifting off the minute my head hit the pillow. I didn't even care that I was still naked.