Chapter Sixty-Two
Emily
The Next Morning
“Hello, little one.” I rub my index finger along Grace’s cheek. “How’re you this morning?”
Her brown eyes pop open as she’s roused from sleep. She studies me before her eyelids sweep back down followed by her body scrunching up as she stretches her arms and legs.
Under the soft light of the giraffe lamp, her dark curls fall in soft waves along her skull. My chest aches as I rub my hand over my heart. It tears me into pieces that someone didn’t want her but I’m the lucky one who does.
“Good morning, princess. Did you have a good night sleep?” I lift her out of the crib, being careful to support her head and neck before resting her against my chest.
It’s dark outside the window with only streetlight illuminating the view. “Are you ready for a bottle?” Her attentiveness grows with each day. “You’re already so chipper, aren’t you? I could eat you up.”
“That sounds like a good idea. I think I could eat you up.” Jake stands in the doorway in a low-slung pair of shorts and nothing else, making my knees weak.
His hair is messed up from where I ran my fingers through it.
More like fisted it. “What would it take to convince you to come back to bed so I could feast on you?”
I squirm as thoughts of last night and this morning flash before my eyes. With an arched eyebrow, I say, “Didn’t you do that already?”
“Are you complaining?” He strides through the door, with each step closer, my will to resist him disappears. Not that there’s any will remaining at this point. I’m a lost cause when it comes to him.
“No, I’m not complaining.”
He places my chin between his thumb and index finger, lifting it up until I meet his gaze and can’t look away. “Good. I’d hate it if you were disappointed in my skills.”
“You know your skills are good.” Ugh. I don’t want to think about how he learned those skills. It shouldn’t matter because he warmed my bed last night. And this morning. But it’d be lying if I said it doesn’t.
I hate the thought of all those leggy blondes with perfectly made-up faces. I’m nothing like them. What does he even see in me?
He frowns while dropping his arm down to his side. “What’s wrong? Is the baby sick?”
“What?”
He retrieves Grace from my arms and settles her against his chest. “You seem upset.” His gaze flies over the baby. “Is she sick? She looks fine. She doesn’t feel warm or show signs of distress.”
“She’s fine.”
“Then, what’s wrong?” He cradles her to his bare chest, managing to look even more perfect than he did standing in the doorway.
“It’s nothing.” I march to the changing table and grab one of Grace’s bottles.
“Em, what’s going on?” He follows behind me while patting her back.
I spin around, giving him a pointed look. “You know what’s wrong. You’re doing it again. All you have to do is stand there, and I’m losing my sanity. It’s unfair.”
“Somehow, I’m not taking that as a compliment.”
“It is.” I shrug and step over to Grace, placing the pre-made bottle into her mouth. Her hands jerk upward and shake as she fastens her lips around the nipple and sucks. The heat of his skin radiates toward me. “You’re an amazing lover.”
“And?”
“You got that way by playing the field and thinking about the women that you’ve been with doesn’t do much for my ego. They were all gorgeous.” I avert my gaze from his. “They’re nothing like me.”
There is no point in ignoring what set my mood to sour. He’ll keep digging until I tell him. It’s pathetic. He makes me pathetic. Ugh.
“Wait a second.” His eyes narrow into slits as he readjusts the baby between his arm and side, grabs the bottle from my hand, and pats Grace’s thigh.
“I’ve told you there’s been no one else in years.
I didn’t lie about that. Yes, I did mess around in high school and after we fought, but that doesn’t mean I made it from A to Z, or that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with any of them, and all of that ended after I realized that’s not what I wanted. ”
The central heat kicks on sending a wave of warm air up my bare legs. Maybe I should’ve put on more than a thread bare T-shirt and panties after climbing out of bed.
“But all those girls were cheerleader types. I was the athlete not the pompom girl. I’m not like those other girls.
” After placing a burp rag on my shoulder, I take Grace from Jake’s arms, remove the bottle from her mouth, and pat her back.
“And now, I’m a mom with a burp rag and spit up on my shirt. ”
“You’re right. You aren’t like those other girls.
” He cups my cheek with one hand and grasps my hip with the other.
“You’re real. You’re perfect. You aren’t focused on what hair extensions to put in, or what color to try next.
You rescue babies. You go with your friends to the house of a guy you can’t stand and offer to feed him and his friends.
You take care of your mom.” He smiles as his mouth comes closer to mine. “You call me on my shit.”
“Language.” My heart skips a beat from his closeness and the words he’s saying.
“Yes, Ma’am.” He grins and kisses my lips.
The instant we touch my insecurities ease. It’s when he’s not touching me that I doubt him. Myself. Us. Whatever it is that has my head swirling with anxiety.
When we’re touching…. There’s no room to question or to think.
He kisses my lips again and pulls back. “Em, don’t ever forget that when I see you all I see is perfection.” He leans down and kisses the tip of my nose. “Unfortunately, you need to get in the shower and get ready for work, so we don’t have time for me to remind you of those facts. I’ve got Grace.”
“Thank you.”
He threads his hand through my hair and grips the back of my head.
“Stop comparing yourself to any other girls. They don’t hold a candle to you.
You’re all I see.” The intense heat in his eyes makes my toes curl.
“All I think about…. All I fantasize about…. Is you.” He snatches the baby from me.
“Now, be a good girl and go to work before you’re fired. ”
Good girl? It sounds so much better coming off his lips than from Chad’s. My steps are slow as I struggle to lift my feet. I’ve never wanted to curl back into bed so badly in my life. After two steps, I spin around. Grace. I forgot to kiss her before I left the room. “You made me forget the baby.”
“You’re welcome.” He winks and gives a slight bow while still tending to Grace’s needs. “Now, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Of course you will.” I rush over to them and kiss her on the forehead. “Be a good girl today for….” Daddy is on the tip of my tongue, but I stop and clear my throat. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“Em?”
“Yes?” I gnaw on my bottom lip as I stare at the strand of cream carpet that’s longer than the ones around it.
“Look at me.” I blink and tip my chin back. “Be a good girl today….” A slow smile curves up his cheeks. “For daddy, so he doesn’t have to pull you onto his lap and paddle that sweet ass of yours.”
I spin on my heel as heat floods every inch of my skin. I’ve got to get away before I call in sick to work. I’ve never called in sick for ambulance duty. People need me. I’ve never even been tempted to call in before. What is this man doing to me?
The weight of his gaze on my backside sends a shiver along my spine.
“Better yet. Be a bad girl. Daddy will be waiting.”
“Asshole.” I flip him off without looking back and rush to the shower. It’d serve him right if I took care of myself after teasing me like that.