22. Brooks
CHAPTER 22
brOOKS
A s happy as I’d been to see Harlowe in the stands, I was now pissed because we’d lost. Our slot for the playoffs was pretty much a mathematical fact right now, but fuck. I hated losing and this close to the end especially.
That dark mood lifted when I pulled into my driveway to find Harlowe’s car pulled off to the side. As I slowly moved past it into the garage, I saw that she was in the car looking down at her phone, but she got out at the same time I did.
“Why didn’t you use the key I gave you?” I asked as she walked toward me with a bag over her shoulder. Once she was inside, I pressed the button to shut the garage door.
“I don’t need to use your key. I can wait in the car. The key is for emergencies.”
Harlowe’s copper hair was down past her shoulders but wavy. I wasn’t sure if that was its natural state or if she did something to cause it to look like that, but it had a very nonchalant feel to it. Like she hadn’t bothered to dress up because she’d been coming here, which was the level of comfort I wanted her to feel about it.
“I don’t want you waiting in the fucking car. It’s getting cold.”
She sighed as she looked up at me with her big, hazel eyes. “All right. I’ll use the key next time. But just so you know…” She leaned in closer like she was about to tell me a secret. “Cars have heat now.”
I snickered but her agreeing to use the key about knocked me off my feet. I’d been preparing for an argument over it and here she’d just… given in.
Once we were in the kitchen, I asked, “Everything all right?”
“Yeah, why?” She furrowed her brows. “I got us dinner. From Carmi’s, which you seem to like.”
I fucking loved Carmi’s. Some of the best chicken out there and he didn’t slather it with salt to hide the fact that it was overcooked. It was perfect.
“You didn’t put up a fight about the key,” I explained, taking the bag from her. She’d been waiting a little bit and the food was cold, which wasn’t a problem. I was a master at warming things up.
She snickered. “Do you want me to argue with you about the key?”
“No.” I shook my head as I set the bag on the counter and turned to her. She’s taken a seat at the island and had a small, playful grin on her face. “I’d rather you use the key.”
She held a hand up. “I said I would next time. I’m not going to fight you on this. But I am pretty hungry, so I’d like to eat. We need to warm it up.”
“I got it.”
“I just ordered us the same thing because I’m not picky and you eat healthy. I should be eating healthy for the baby, anyway.” Though she would still get milkshakes whenever she wanted to. That wasn’t something she’d give up.
“I got this.” Then I went to work heating things up. It was the chicken breasts I usually ordered, a baked potato, and roast vegetables. The thing I loved about Carmi’s was that the owner liked food to be enhanced, not covered up, so it was someplace you could get a healthy meal. “Tell me about the appointment.”
“Everything was good,” she said, but there was something she wasn’t saying yet. I decided I’d wait to prod her as I popped my plate into the microwave. I’d do hers second so it’d be warmer for her. “But we did get to hear the heartbeat today.” She bit her lips together as she smiled. It was good to see her excited about it.
But my heart fucking sunk. She’d heard our baby’s heartbeat, but I hadn’t been there with her. “Fuck,” I muttered. “I’m so disappointed that I missed it.”
I pulled my food out of the microwave and put hers in.
“You’re in luck,” she told me. “I recorded it.”
That was what she’d been hiding. I hurried over to her side and she brought it up on the phone. In the picture, I could just see her stomach and what I assumed was the doctor’s hand holding the wand against Harlowe’s skin. Then the whoosh , whoosh , whoosh sound came through loud and clear.
“That’s the heartbeat?” I asked.
She nodded. “Remember it’s in a bunch of fluid, so it’s not going to sound like ours.”
“Play it again,” I told her. She gave me a toothy grin and restarted the video as the microwave dinged that the food was done. I didn’t care about food right now. I was listening to my baby’s heartbeat. “Fuck,” I said under my breath again when it ended.
“It’s kind of surreal, huh?”
“Yeah. I wish I could’ve been there.” I moved away from her just so I could get both of our plates and silverware then led her out to the living room. We’d both pushed our shoes off near the back door when we’d come in, so we were able to get comfortable to eat.
“You’ll be at the next one,” she said. “It’s the off-season and that’s when they do the anatomy scan.”
“‘Anatomy scan’?”
She took a bite of her chicken as she explained. “That’s when they look at everything that’s developing. Make sure everything’s all right. It’s also when they tell you if it’s a boy or girl. If they can tell.”
“You want to find out?”
“Of course I do.” Her voice raised like anything else would have been ridiculous. “I have planning to do and that’ll be easier if I know. I mean there’s gender neutral everything and I don’t buy into the pink is for girls, blue is for boys thing, but I just feel like I’ll be more prepared.”
“Then we’ll find out.”
She finished the bit of chicken on her fork, then said, “I do have another video to show you.”
I set my plate on the table and scooched toward her.
“The doctor wanted to make sure everything was all right, so she did a quick ultrasound. The baby’s small and it’s hard to see, but here.” She thrust her phone into my hands.
I watched that one four times and only sort of saw what the doctor was pointing out. I’d have to watch it more, so I said, “Could you send both of those to me?”
She smiled and nodded.
A lot of women dealt with men who weren’t there for them, didn’t want to be tied down, didn’t really want a kid, other than how they could use the kid against the woman, but that wasn’t me. If Harlowe wanted to tie me down right this minute, I’d get tied up happily. Fuck. She could tie me up any way she wanted to.
We were so close to one another and all the emotions those videos had brought up had me not thinking clearly. When Harlowe’s breath caught the moment I pushed my hand into her hair, my dick hardened. Then she sunk her teeth into her bottom lip and I had no control.
I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers. Her small hand came up to my cheek. where it stayed the entire time, my mouth was on hers.
This was wrong. I shouldn’t have been doing this, but she didn’t stop me. Sure, we were having sex, but that was about her. I loved every fucking minute of it, obviously, but it was about releasing her hormones , as she’d called it. Not about me getting off.
Her lips were wet when I pulled back and she ran her tongue over them. As much as I wanted to pull her down onto the couch and get her naked that second, instead, I moved back to my side. She needed to eat.
She glanced from her food to me several times, like she was thinking the same thing that I was. If she wanted it, I’d give it to her, but I needed her to eat first.
“We have to tell your family,” she said. “Assuming Camden hasn’t already.”
“She hasn’t,” I told her like I hadn’t just kissed her. This was all a perfectly normal thing between us. I just wanted it to be so much more. How to do that without scaring her off was the problem. “She told me she hasn’t and I believe her. But you’re right. I have to tell them. We’re having lunch together here on Monday because it’s the last off day before the end of the season. Once playoffs hit… we’re going to be prepping most of the time.”
She shifted uncomfortably. “Your parents too?”
“No. And don’t worry about them. I’ll take care of telling them and anything else that I have to.” Hopefully, that would be enough to calm her nerves over my parents. “You should be here Monday when I tell my brothers.”
“Uh…”
“Harlowe,” I said gently. “It’ll be fine. All of my brothers like you. You’re like another sister to them and you know it.”
“OK,” she finally agreed. “I’ll be here on Monday.”
At least then we had a plan and were able to finish our dinner in peace. Once we’d finished, I took everything to the kitchen and loaded it into the dishwasher. Normally, I would’ve done it all by hand because it was just me here, but tonight, I didn’t want to take the time.
I wanted to spend it with Harlowe, even if I had to get to bed soon like a fucking grandpa. It was only seconds after I’d sat back down that Harlowe climbed over onto my lap, a leg on each side of mine. Looked like her hormones needed a little releasing.
Her thumbs stroked the sides of my face before she pressed her mouth to mine. This was the first time she’d initiated a kiss and I didn’t want her to end it. I grabbed her hips and pulled her into me. Then she pulled back, as if she were hesitant.
I brushed some hair out of her face and said, “You’re so fucking beautiful.”
Her cheeks pinked up instantly. “I’ve been the same since I was a teenager.”
No, she fucking hadn’t. She’d been beautiful then, but she’d been a kid, so I’d never let myself acknowledge it other than yeah, Harlowe had been pretty. But fuck… she was beautiful.
“Or is it because I’m carrying your baby?” She raised an eyebrow at me.
I shook my head before threading my hands into her hair. “I do love that, but no. That doesn’t change this.” I pulled her into my erection. Goosebumps sprung up over her arms like a racing river.
Ever since the All-Star break, there hadn’t been a time that I hadn’t closed my eyes at night and thought about her. Thought about how I couldn’t have her. Yet here she was in my lap.
“Come on,” I said, lifting her off the couch as I stood up. I would’ve carried her up the stairs, but she squealed and wiggled herself down.
We’d had sex on the couch the first time, but I wanted her in my bed. After leading her there, I pulled her shirt over her head, leaving her there in her bra. Her eyes were hungry and her nipples pebbled against the fabric covering them.
We didn’t need to talk anymore. Not while I kissed her slowly as I stripped her down. One piece of clothing after another. I traced the curves down her body until I could reach back and cup her ass, making a breath catch in her throat. This was my chance to show her that being with her was about more than just sex for me. Maybe it wasn’t for her and I’d live with that, but this was what I wanted.
She was who I wanted.
Harlowe’s hand slid down my chest then pushed underneath, her small hands against my smooth skin. She was about to make me come undone right there. Maybe there’d be a time that I was with her that I didn’t feel on the verge of cumming, but today wasn’t that day.
Then her fingers ran over the edge of my waistband, dipping inside, brushing the head of my cock. My muscles tightened.
By the time I’d gotten her onto the bed, legs spread where I couldn’t take my eyes off her, I’d rid myself of my own clothes. My heart was pounding and breathing was coming so fast that it felt like I’d just played another full game yet was ready to play another.
We kissed and explored, taking more time than we had before. The air in the room shifted. This was more than me scratching her itch.
By the time I’d slid a condom on and pushed into her, she’d been on the verge of begging me to get inside her. Maybe I should’ve waited until she did, but I couldn’t. A small gasp came from her as her head fell back against the pillow.
We’d sort of agreed to no condom at her house but I didn’t know if that was a blanket decision and didn’t want to take the time to ask.
I moved inside her slowly, bringing her to the edge with my fingers on her clit, only to back off right before she slipped over. I used my mouth to kiss down her neck, worshipping those nipples, which had her calling out. They must’ve really been sensitive because when I scraped my teeth over them gently, she shivered and groaned.
“You’re mean.” Her words came out strained, causing me to pause.
“What?”
“You’re mean. You won’t let me cum.”
“I’ll let you…” I slammed into her a little harder and slipped my fingers between us so that I could circle her clit again.
This time, I didn’t stop until her pussy clenched around me and she came with a whimper. After, her whole body relaxed as she hung on to my shoulders, her short nails digging into the skin.
I kissed her long and slowly as I continued to push myself to release.
And once I found it, I wished I would’ve had longer with her. Now that we were done, I worried that she’d leave my bed.
Which she did as she walked off to the bathroom, though not in a hurry. Then she came back while I went.
When I got back into the bedroom, Harlowe was sitting on the bed, dressed in her T-shirt and leggings. I grabbed my boxer briefs off the floor and pulled them on before dropping back on the bed hard enough to bounce her.
“You put a condom on,” she said, which I knew, but I didn’t see her point.
“Right.”
“Is there a reason you did?” She looked up at me with those eyes that were mostly golden again. Or at least that was what I saw first.
“It’s pretty standard.”
She sighed. “Right. But we didn’t last time and I thought we’d talked about it. I’m already pregnant. Unlikely to get pregnant again, though I know freaky things happen. So I’m curious as to whether there was another reason.”
I furrowed my brows. “What’re you asking?” I asked. She swallowed, like she wasn’t going to say it out loud. “Harlowe.” I pulled her hand into mine then kissed it. “We’re entangled in a lot of ways. Just ask what you’re asking.”
“Are you sleeping with someone else? Is that why you needed a condom this time?” She blew out a breath. “I don’t want to do this if you’re with someone. That’s messy.”
“Hey.” I put my hands on both of her hips to turn her in the bed so that she’d be facing me. “I told you I wasn’t with anyone else before. Nothing has changed. I used a condom because I didn’t know if not using one was a one-time thing and didn’t want to make that decision for you. Also didn’t want to take the time to ask. Now I know. Wearing a condom with you right now makes you think I’m fucking someone else. Won’t do it again.”
She rolled her eyes and fell back onto the bed, slapping a pillow over her face. “Hormones suck,” she said, but it was muffled.
I pulled the pillow away. “It sounds like they do, but just ask next time.”
She shook her head and her hair was messy around her face. “Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Right now would’ve been a good time to tell her that she was the only woman I wanted to be with, but her mood made me think she wasn’t ready for that. Instead, I’d take the next step.
“Sleep in here tonight,” I told her.
Harlowe looked over at me with wide eyes and a no perched on the tip of her tongue.