Chapter 1

The house is quiet except for the hum of the fridge and heater. It's very cold outside on a Maine's winter day. The weather man said it wasn't supposed to storm to hard, but turns out there's a nor'easter knocking on their front door. Winters in Maine are like none other. Their brutal, cold, and hard. Keeping warm is especially hard when working outside or even snow blowing the driveway. The temperatures can hit twenty below zero. The winter is long and hard and it can snow like there's no tomorrow.

Penny rolled over from her side of the bed and wrapped her arm around his midsection. He's a big guy so that's pretty much the only place that she can reach without having to struggle. She rubbed his soft underbelly and breathed in his scent from the back of his neck. She had just woken from a night of deep sleep and an early bed time. It was five-thirty in the morning and still dark outside. It would be for the next four months. It was cold outside and she could hear the wind howl against the windows and door. Not wanting to disturb the sleeping bear next to her she continued to lay down next to him and wait till he woke.

His stomach had usually woke him on the weekends by growling and making him feel nauseous. Unlike the last few times he'd been woken up by this, this time was different. It was the cold and the sore throat he had. His belly growled but it didn't register with him yet. He was more concerned with the mucus running down the back of his throat making it feel like it was raw and bleeding. It wasn't though. It felt like he had been swallowing sandpaper all night and now this was the aftermath.

He felt a hand run across his stomach and down to the part where it curved and fell over his belt. For being twenty-seven he had a good sized belly. He's not fat, he just has a beer gut. Maybe it's because he was almost in his thirties and his metabolism was starting to slow down. It felt nice, relaxing, soothing. He wanted it to continue so acting like he was asleep, he waited for a belly rub. But when you know someone for several years and you live with them for awhile and share a bed, you know when their awake or asleep. You can guess that she knew he was awake.

It was now six o'clock and the snow had really started coming down and the wind was howling like a hungry wolf at the door. They had been laying in bed and relaxing. More along the lines of Penny rubbing his belly and him rolling over so she could reach him better. By then they had been laying in bed enjoying each others company.

"Why'd you stop? Did I say stop? No, I don't think so." He said playfully. She just rolled her eye's and put a hand back on his belly and hugged him.

"Good mornin'." She said

"Mornin'." He embraced her in a hug and rolled on top of her. His body pressing against hers.

"Umpf." She said as she took his weight and ran her hand through his hair.

"I don't weigh THAT much...I'm only-"

"A hundred and eighty-five pounds." She said with an eyebrow raised.

"No...maybe, yes." He said as he looked like a dog that had been beaten.

"I like it. You have nice curves." She said the last part with sarcasm. But she was true. She liked his weight, if anything she wanted him to gain more. She likes her guys beefy.

"Ha! Nice curves?! What am I, a woman? I don't think so."

"I hope not." She said laughing. A few minuets passed before he spoke.

"Yeah well just to let you know I plan on taking off a few pounds. I'm getting kinda fat if you hadn't noticed."

"No! Don't do that! You look fine, I was just teasing you. You look great babe."

"Wow." He said with surprise.

"It's more of you to love."

"Yeah but it's more of me to have a heart attack." He said as he put hand to his chest.

"Your still good looking. I'd like to see you with more weight on any way."

He looked at her surprised. He'd never thought that she'd want him to gain more weight. She always teased him about his beer gut, but it was all in good fun. She loved his cute little potbelly and thought he looked great with one. He was one of the few guys that could pull it off and not look like a fat guy. He was dumbfound at what she had said.

"Rex? You still here?" She said and tapped him on the temple.

"Yeah...I'm here. Just a little confused."

"Why are you confused?"

"You always tease me about my gut and now you want it bigger. You make no sense."

"I'm a woman...I don't have to make sense." And kissed him and pulled him down on her. She ran her hand up his muscular back and took his shirt off at the same time. He sat up on her; his pelvis on hers.

"what?" She looked at him with a worried face that he'd seen before and didn't like seeing.

"Nothing. I was just thinking about what I have to do today."

"Oh. And what do you have to do today?" She said with slight sarcasm.

"Nothing." And he resumed kissing her.