Mommy Mouse (sequel to City Mouse)

Chapter 11: Home, Sweet Home

Mouse and Henry returned to an empty apartment. It turned out that Leo had an outing planned for the next day that Mouse's mother didn't think he'd want to miss, which involved the pony Blaze and a few of his cousins, so Mouse and Henry agreed that he should just come back to New York City two days early. There was no need to deprive the child of his fun, just because his parents missed him.

"Hey, do you realize that, depending on when conception actually occurs for us, I could actually be pregnant right about now?" Mouse asked her husband as they walked home from the market in the evening of their second day home. "We've been getting busy for about two weeks with no protection, so implantation could be happening right now." She stopped and stared at Henry, looking absolutely adorable in her sundress. "Oh my god, can you imagine? Henry, can you?" She prodded him, eyes wide.

He switched all of the grocery bags to one hand so he could place the other, fingers spread, on her abdomen. He smiled and rubbed noses with her. "That would be a really marvelous thing, Mouse," he murmured. He blinked, his face so close she could almost feel his long eyelashes brushing against her face. "Why don't we get home as fast as we can and see if we can hurry things along? Encourage conception?" He kissed her softly, bags hanging from two fingers.

"Okay," she replied breathlessly. "And maybe we can even try some of those funky positions that are supposed to help?"

"Honey, you know that's complete and total bullshit," Henry responded, bopping her nose with his fingertip, making her blink her beautiful eyes in the warm, New York evening. "I might as well tie you to the bed and pour oil on you or whatever."

Mouse shrugged her shoulders, a gesture which had only become more sexy to Henry with the addition of her new, Tahitian tan. "Fine by me," she said with a sultry smile as she turned away and began walking up Greenwich Street, knowing her husband was watching her go.

Henry just stared at her for a few beats before giving himself a brisk shake, like a wet dog, and following quickly after her.

Mouse turned around and laughed at him, shaking her head. Her laughter died in her throat when Henry tripped and nearly fell.

"Be careful," she chided, stopping and waiting until he caught up with her. "You're important to me, I don't want you getting hurt, okay?"

"You need to stop trying to seduce me on the street, then," Henry retorted, nudging her shoulder with his own. "Save that stuff for when we're safely indoors, please."

Mouse snorted at his words. Even though she knew he found her attractive, the idea that she could seduce anyone still sounded absolutely ridiculous to her.

So they made it home, got their groceries put away, and took themselves off to bed, where they had a lot of fun, though no one actually tied anyone up, or poured anything on anyone.

"You can if you want," Mouse assured Henry. "And I assume I can if I want as well?" She looked up at him interrogatively.

"What? Oh, yeah," Henry answered, laughing. "I'm not against it or anything, but I feel weird combining those kinds of activities with baby-making," he admitted. "Call me old-fashioned if you want," he finished sheepishly.

"I'll call you really really cute and sweet," Mouse responded, reaching up to kiss him.

"Cute? Couldn't I at least be handsome? And manly?" Henry requested.

Mouse looked up at him, lips parted. Henry had a few days' dark stubble on his face, accentuating the line of his jaw, and his chest and shoulders had a deep red flush from his sexual excitement, visible even under his tan. He was breathing deeply from his exertion, and he had tiny drops of perspiration dotting his upper lip and temples.