Scenes from a Marriage by Chiaztolite

Teem

He never needed to set an alarm. His natural inner clock did a good job waking him up when he needed to: at that precise moment when darkness left and the slightest hint of light began to emerge in the eastern horizon.

But this morning, he did not quite want to wake up.

He rolled over. The soft Egyptian cotton of their bedding slid off his nude shoulders and back as his arms searched for the one he missed even when he slept.

The deep, even rhythm of her breathing told him she was still asleep, even if she was not pressed tight against him as she usually did. Sometime during the night, she had rolled away from him. Now, she lay close to the edge of their bed — entirely too far.

He wrapped his forearm around her midsection, careful to not press too hard on her rounded belly, and gently brought her to him until her back was pressed tightly against his chest.

A little chuckle emanated from deep within her throat, the sound roughened by sleep. A gentle hand came to rest upon his cheek as he bent down and pressed a kiss on the crook of her neck.

“Good morning,” he murmured against the softness of her skin.

Kagome groaned. “Is it, already?”

She made a move to rise, but he gently pushed her back down and kept her in his arms. His hand rubbed gentle circles upon her belly, content to feel his mate and child safe in his embrace. He knew their pup was generally restless, especially now that Kagome had reached her last trimester. The little scamp was teeming with life throughout the night and all hours into the morning, and had been causing his mother some sleepless nights as of late.

As if he could not wait to be born.

As a result, Kagome was often exhausted. And even though she was never too weary to give him a bright smile, he knew she needed more and more rest as her due date approached.

“Sleep in and get some rest this morning,” Sesshōmaru told her, kissing the apple of her shoulder. “I will inform your secretary that the wives of those foreign dignitaries will simply have to survive without your company today.”

One of her eyes cracked open. “Will that not jeopardize foreign relations?”

“Do not worry about such matters. Let me handle the diplomacy for today,” he said.

Kagome grinned widely, her face lighting up as a beam of the morning sunlight shone upon her skin. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

“You’re the best husband and mate. Have I told you before?”

He chuckled and kissed her. “Many times, but I wouldn’t mind hearing it again and again.”

“Come back after your first meeting,” she told him. Her velvety brown eyes suddenly took on a sultry gleam as her palm slid teasingly down the planes of his hard chest. “And I’ll be sure to show you my appreciation. Again and again.”

— The Way to Elysium —