The Cherished Wife

Charles grinned. "Oh? Are you worried about Becky?"

Noelle made a face. "Becky works for you. If you're not concerned about her, why should I be?" She was not the one with time to kill. Noelle had not met Janet, but she could not shake the memory of the chaos from three months back. Janet seemed like a disaster waiting to happen. "Don't worry about it. Becky's used to this kind of thing, she's got it covered." Noticing Noelle's discomfort, Charles gently touched her stomach. "Feeling okay?"

Noelle nodded. "I overdid it with the food!"

Charles chuckled and playfully tapped Noelle's nose. "You!" He set aside his glass and gently massaged her belly. "Does it hurt here?"

need to rest a bit. A short walk will sort me out." Noelle brushed Charles's hand away,

Charles exclaimed, reaching to snatch the digestive tablets from Noelle's grasp, but she was not having it. "They're not meds, don't believe me? Try one!" she teased, actually grabbing another tablet and aiming it at Charles's

out of

hand snatching his chin, the other ready

at his intense gaze and backed off, swallowing nervously. "Okay, okay, if you're not

off balance, she ended up flailing onto him as they both crashed onto the couch, with Charles on the bottom. With her hands planted on his chest, Noelle could not miss the

get up, but Charles was not letting go. He held her wrists firmly. "Noelle!" he said, his voice low and husky, a melody that struck right at