Note: Five more episodes to go in editing this serial, then it'll be available for sale. I think this one will sell like hotcakes. I thought I'd be done by Christmas but don't want to push my luck. So this will probably be the first of my books available in 2005.
See through serial 13 in the serial section,

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They had dinner at a Japanese restaurant The Blue Moon before returning to their room at The Lexington.

Although it was early in the evening -- around 8 p.m. -- they started getting ready for bed.

As he slowly undressed, she approached him behind. She wrapped her arms around his waist. She caressed his bare chest. Then her hands slipped seductively below his belt. Her fingers unbuttoned and then slowly unzipped his jeans.

Excitement, pleasure, desire and passion rise up within him. He wanted to kiss and caress her. He wanted to show her how much he loved her. He needed her.

Her breath warmed his skin as she softly kissed the nape of his neck. She lovingly fondled his erection.

His heart raced. His pulse quickened. He breathed heavily. Closing his eyes, he murmured huskily, "Lathal."

"Yes, Malan," she said sexily.

His fingers intertwined around her hands. He twisted his body, turning himself toward her. Raising his mouth to hers, he tenderly kissed her lips. "I love you."

Her lacy bra brushed against his arm as she moved in front of him. He laid his hands on her, caressing her taunt breasts. She inhaled sharply with pleasure. "I love you."

He unhooked her bra and cupped her naked breasts in his hands. She wrapped her arms around his neck kissing him hungrily. He kissed her harder as she slid her tongue inside his mouth and his tongue tangled with hers.

"I need you," he rasped. "Make love to me, Lathal."

"I need you too," she murmured meaningfully. "Make love to me, Malan."

She removed his jeans and then stripped him of his briefs. He took off her pants and then her panties. She gently pulled him down on the bed beside her.

Her hands pressed against his, their fingers intertwined, kissing passionately. They gazed deeply into each other's eyes as they lay side by side, exploring each other's bodies.

As he gently slid himself inside her, she whispered into his ears. "I need to talk to you, Malan."

"Mmm," he said appreciatively as she moved expertly beneath him. "Talk to me. I'm listening."

She ran her fingers through his light sweat dampened brown hair. "Malan, were you serious last night when you said you wanted to get me pregnant?"

He saw the concern and fear swirling in her bluish green pools. Pulling away from her, he said quietly. "Lathal, I..."

"Don't stop," she begged passionately fondling his erection.

His longing was apparent in his voice, and how much he loved her was apparent in his brown eyes. "I don't want to."

"Then don't," she said gyrating temptingly on top of him.

In response he gently slid himself inside her again. He was inexorably gentle with her. She spread her legs wide, willingly letting him probe his throbbing, pulsating manhood within her. He felt how warm, wet and loving she was, and so was he.

He whispered tenderly, "You did this on purpose."

"What did I do on purpose?" She purred smokily kissing his neck.

He gently lifted her chin until her mouth meet his, and then he pressed his lips against hers. "Wait until we were intimate to talk about whether or not I want to get you pregnant."

"Maybe," she said innocently continuing to move with him. "So do you?"

"Lathal, I..." he said, his voice faded away into a moan filled with longing and deep love.

She rocked sensuously on top of him; he writhed excitedly. He said softly, "Yes."

This wasn't what she wanted to hear. She slowed her rhythm considerably.

He begged her gently, "Lathal, don't stop."

Pulling away from him, she gently reminded him, "Malan, you promised me that wouldn't get me pregnant right away."

"I know," he said quietly. "It's just that I ..."

Her eyes narrowed, she said, "I thought you'd said you wanted to get me pregnant in the throws of passion. But now I suppose you're going to tell me you changed your mind."

"I don't know, Lathal," he admitted honestly. "I don't even know for sure if I can get you pregnant."

"Oh, I think you're very capable. I've felt you," she assured him although she too had wondered if she was able to get pregnant. "Maybe you're not the one who has a problem with getting me pregnant, maybe I can't get pregnant."

"I doubt that," he said knowingly considering her family's child bearing history as he kissed her.

"That may be," she said noncommittally. "But to be sure I think we should visit a doctor at St. Francis Hospital before we travel to Carlsbad tomorrow."

He nodded in agreement. "That's a good idea."

She looked up at him. "Would you mind if I ask the doctor to put me on birth control pills?"

"Are you serious?" He said shocked, thinking about the bad experience she'd told him she'd had with birth control pills when she was a teen.

"Yes," she said slowly. "Malan, I don't want to get pregnant right now. I don't know if I ever want to get pregnant."

He looked hurt; she instantly felt bad.

"Malan, you know I love you, and I'd love to have your child," she said, tracing her finger down his chest. "It's just that I'm scared."

He softly confessed. "I'm scared too."

She pounced on him. "Then why did you change your mind about getting me pregnant?"

"I didn't say I'd changed my mind about keeping my promise about not getting you pregnant right away," he reminded her. "It's just that I -- our love is so powerful, strong and deep that it seemed like a shame that the two us -- both as artists and lovers -- couldn't create something with our love. I know we can."

He meant what he'd said, but she felt the same way about it. Tears misted in her eyes. "Oh, Malan."

He kissed her, "Lathal, I won't hurt you."

"I know," she said snuggling closer to him. "It's just that being a parent is a lot of responsibility. I'm not sure if either one of us is ready for that."

He silently agreed with her assessment. She gazed at him with a troubled look in her eyes. "I hate to say this but if we were trying to get pregnant then we didn't pick the right time."

"What do you mean?" He said quietly.

"I'm supposed to have my period in a couple days from now. I know that I can get pregnant any time," she told him. "But if you'd gotten my pregnant we might not know it because my period might come any way..."

"...Or I might not have gotten you pregnant at all because there's less of you becoming pregnant at this time of the month," he finished for her.

"Exactly. That's one of the questions what we need to ask the doctor," she said.

He nodded, and then regarded her. "Would you be angry with me if I tried to get you pregnant?"

Her brows knitted together tightly as she demanded. "Why would you? I thought we decided not to be like everyone else by having me knocked up by the end of our honeymoon."

"I don't want to be like everyone else," he admitted with a sigh. "Maybe I feel like that's what everyone expects. Maybe it's peer pressure. Maybe it's a stage I'm going through. Maybe it's because I can't get enough of you and I can't help myself. Maybe it's something I really want. I don't know, Lathal."

"Well, it's not entirely your fault. I'm responsible too, and I'm not exactly telling you no," she pointed out. "It's just that -- what would you do if I become pregnant by the end of the honeymoon, Malan?"

"I'd stay in LA with you," he said tightly wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

She looked at him shocked. "You'd give up going to Hollywood?"

"Yes," he said meaningfully. "I can find work with a professional theater company in LA."

"And what about me?" She demanded.

"Being pregnant wouldn't keep you from writing," he said knowingly. "You can work at the paper until you had the baby."

"I see," she said slowly. "I don't think I like the idea of you giving up going to Hollywood, or any aspect of your career or dreams, Malan, just because I'm pregnant."

Hearing her say, "I'm pregnant," frightened him. Like her, he was afraid of parenthood. He worried that'd he'd be a bad father, especially since his father had been such a bad father. Like her, he wasn't sure he was ready for the responsibilities of parenthood. He swallowed hard regaining his composure.

"Malan, I don't want to give having my career or dreams. I don't want to have to compete for your attention or affection. I want enjoy being married to you for a while. I want us to enjoy just having each other before we have children. And if we don't have children at all, that's OK. All that matters is that I love you and that I'll be with you for the rest of my life," she said honestly. "I suppose that's selfish of me."

He understood. Like he her, he was selfish -- he wanted to have his career, a dream he'd had since 14 years old, which was when she also started dreaming of becoming a writer and a journalist, and spend some time -- just the two of them before having children.

"No, it isn't selfish," he kissed her.

The tenderness in their kiss quickly evolved into passions that ignited their desires and needs.

She quietly told him, "It's OK if you want to get me pregnant."

"Are you sure?" He whispered.

Guiding him on top of her, she gently slid him inside of her. She murmured, "Let it ride, Malan."

And that's exactly what he did.

**

He watched her sleeping in his arms.

She's so beautiful, he thought with a soft smile crossing his lips. He didn't know what he'd done but he wasn't sure he deserved to be this happy. He was very lucky to have her in his life, to be married to her and to be this happy.

He lightly kissed her hair. She snuggled next to him and he held her close, softly kissing her forehead.

She stirred, slowly opening her eyes. She affectionately gazed up at him. "Have you been watching me sleep?"

He shyly adverted your eyes. "Don't tease me. I know you've watched me sleep."

"Yeah," she smiled wryly. "How long have you been up?"

He teased, "That's a loaded question."

Laughing, she teased, "What am I going to do with you?"

"Keep me I hope," he joked, kissing her. "Otherwise I'm in big trouble."

"Why's that?" She looked amused.

"My friends think I'm sick for loving you. They think I'm crazy for getting married," he grinned sloppily.

Playfully poking him, she reminded him, "Billy is the only one who thinks that."

He nodded, "But he's also one of the few friends I have."

She wore an amused look. "And?"

"I know," he laughed. "And he can sue me, right?"

"Right," She agreed, rewarding him with a kiss. "What am I going to do when you're surrounded by beautiful Hollywood starlites a month from now?"

He regarded her with interest. He knew she wasn't jealous. Kissing her, he said meaningfully. "Don't worry about it. They have nothing compared to you."

"I hate it when you do that," she teased.

His eyes twinkled with delight, he said innocently. "What?"

"You know what," she tenderly kissed him.

"Mmm," he murmured huskily, pulling her on top of him. "I love you, Lathal."

"I love you, Malan," she said lovingly stroking his erection. "Still, you're a good looking guy and when you go to Hollywood all these starlites are going to be throwing themselves at you, asking you to fuck them."

"They could never make me feel like you do. They could never do the things you do to me. They could never excite, satisfy, please or complete me like you do. No one else is taking me to bed. No one else will fuck me but you," he said passionately sliding himself inside her.

During their coupling, she said seductively, "It's appropriate you'd pick today to continue your quest to get me pregnant."

He hadn't forgotten that they were going to visit a doctor about this particular issue that day. He groaned appreciatively as they made love.

He whispered with deep love, "I suppose that's why they call it irony."

She laughed appreciatively, feeling herself melt into the moment, and so did he, before they exploded together as one.