A New York Secret

Chapter Eighty-One

Steve had been lying in bed, beneath a blanket for about twenty minutes. He scanned through channels on the TV, hoping for something to catch his eye.

Mary cracked the door open and peeked inside. "Babe? Could you step into the bathroom for a few minutes?" She asked, wanting to set up his surprise, now that the shield had been dropped off.

He eyed Mary from his spot on the bed. "But I'm comfortable," he countered, a smirk on his face.

"Do you want to see your surprise?" Mary asked, flashing a grin of her own.

Steve smirked and sat up. "I would love to."

"Then off to the bathroom so I can set it up." Mary encouraged.

"Fine," he laughed. Steve bent down and picked up a pair of sweats before stepping into them. "It'll give me a chance to pee."

"I would have preferred to watch your bare ass walk away." Mary teasingly called after Steve. She waited until he closed the bathroom door behind him, then she fully opened the door and carried the shield into the room. She felt a bit foolish now, but tried to push those thoughts aside as she stripped her clothes off. She grabbed the shield as she climbed onto the bed. She quickly posed herself, then positioned the shield to hide her more delicate parts from view. "Alright, you can come out now." She called out, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice.

Steve has just dried his face with a towel, having splashed water on his face. He turned and opened the door only to stare at the woman before him.

"Wow... Mar..." He stepped closer, able to tell that she hid nothing behind his shield. "You're so beautiful."

Mary blushed a deep shade of red, feeling overly embarrassed now. She tried to find any words to say, but just looked down at the bed instead.

"Honey, don't hide from me, please." He stepped forward and sat beside her.

Mary looked up at Steve. "Sorry. It felt a lot sexier in my head."

"You are sexy," he assured. "Every single inch of you is all that I want right now."

"You know I'm all yours." Mary promised, hoping she hadn't ruined the mood too much.

Steve leaned over and slowly ran one hand down her bare back before leaning to kiss her softly. "Thank you for this. The shield is a nice touch," he smiled.

Mary blushed again but finally smiled. "I wish it would have been more like I imagined, but I'm glad you like it well enough." She said truthfully.

"How did you imagine it?" He asked softly.

"I don't know, more like a sexy pin up model." Mary shrugged.

"Honey, it doesn't have to be perfect," he said softly. Steve reached out and ran his hand slowly over her round belly. "You're growing a life too, and it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

Mary gently placed her hand over his. "I've also never done a lot of stuff like this before." She reminded him.

"It's perfect," he murmured before leaning in and kissing her gently. "You're perfect."

Mary moved her hand so she could wrap her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. "You're the one who's perfect."

Using one hand, Steve took the shield and sat it on the floor against the bed. Then he easily lifted Mary into his lap, feeling her wrap around him. "To think... you wouldn't even speak to me last year."

"I was nervous, and I guess a little intimidated. Em tried to encourage me, but I also just couldn't imagine you would ever be interested in someone like me." Mary admitted, keeping her arms around his neck.