Chapter 15 #2
My laugh fills the room this time, and while Arianna squeals in joy, Jay looks at me as if I grew another head. I wink at him, and his smile brightens the room.
He’s my shining angel.
“I’ll see you later, Angel.”
I open the door with caution, as I don’t want to be discovered with the bag and ruin the surprise. I’m planning to give it to him while we’re relaxing on the sofa, in one of those rare moments where it’s just me and him.
I hide the bag under my jacket and take off my shoes, then I call out, “I’m back.”
“Hey, I’m changing Arianna.”
I join them, and watch in awe how with just a few movements, Arianna is ready to go.
“Play with her,” he says while putting the baby in my arms, but before he can pass by I use my body to cut his path.
He raises his head and I take the chance to land a kiss on his lips. “Hi,” I say when I pull back.
“Hi.”
We lock eyes, but it doesn’t last long because Arianna pulls on my beard, distracting me and giving Jay the chance to move past me.
I put Arianna on the rug and play with her while Jay cooks, and when he calls us, I pick her up.
Her bottle is ready, so while dinner simmers away I feed her and let her play with my T-shirt, and then she’s back to my beard.
When she’s done I place her against my chest until she burps, making me laugh.
“Dinner is nearly ready,” Jay says from the kitchen. He always gives me the time to spend time with her after work, just me and her. I love these moments where she’s only mine, when I know I can make her happy, when I know I’m doing things right.
“I’ll put her in bed,” I say to Jay when I catch Arianna’s eyes quickly closing but taking a long time to open again.
She’s gone the moment I put her to bed, and after a few minutes spent caressing her back, I go back to Jay.
He’s stretched out along the sofa, his body angled just enough to face the light coming from the lamp.
One elbow sinks into the cushion, propping up his head with his hand.
I wish I were one of those fingers resting against his cheek, so I could caress him without disturbing him.
A book is open in front of him, and his free hand lies softly across the pages, keeping them from fluttering closed and moving only to turn the page.
He must have thought it’d take me a long time, like usually happens, to put her to sleep. Neither of us would have believed it could take only a few minutes.
I love how my pyjama top looks on him. I love him dressed in my clothes. There’s something intimate in seeing him wearing my clothes, as if we’re sharing a secret space… or maybe it pleases my caveman instincts, and triggers my need to claim him as mine.
My top hangs loosely, that one shoulder exposed to my eyes, calling for me to kiss his bare skin that I know will be soft and warm under my lips.
Seeing him like this, all soft, sweet, and vulnerable, brings the need to be tender, to protect, and to draw him close, until he’s secure inside my arms. But it also brings the memories of him sitting on the counter, dishevelled, and so gorgeous in his need for me.
In a few steps I’m at the sofa, Jay’s head snapping around, and for a second fear fills those blue eyes, making them darker, but it’s gone quickly.
I don’t give him time to move, but instead I sweep him up in a princess carry, and then sit my arse on the sofa while I pull him closer into my embrace.
“Hi,” I whisper, liking very much this intimate way we have of greeting each other.
His grin lights up the room more than the lamp, but before he can reply, I claim his lips and steal away his words and breath. As I do with mine.
The way he moans, as if asking for more, has my dick ready to rip the zipper, but I want to enjoy his lips before I make Jay lose his mind and make his body mine.
I pull back after exploring his mouth, making sure not to leave any part of it untouched, and enjoy the way he surrenders to me.
His eyes are big pools of desire with a request for more, and I’m more than willing to give him everything he wants.
I lean in again, going for the exposed skin of his shoulder that was calling to me a few moments ago, while at the same time I sneak at hand under his—my top that he wears so nicely.
The silence is broken by Arianna’s cry. Before I can even think about moving, Jay’s already on his feet. With a regretful smile and wink, which I interpret as we’ll continue later, he’s gone.
I’m already walking toward my room when Jay appears with Arianna in his arms.
“I think she’s sick. Do you have a thermometer?”
“Yeah, I have one somewhere.” While I search for it in the unused-stuff cabinet, I glance at Jay as he makes a bottle for Arianna while gently rocking her to calm her down.
“Here,” I announce, and then walk towards them.
“This is perfect.”
I get it ready and then we swap. While I hold Arianna, Jay takes her temperature. I watch his face, and see it transform with worry when the thing beeps.
“Thirty-nine.” It’s not full panic that I hear in his voice, but the worry is enough to make me sweat.
It seems like a huge number to me. “Shall I call a doctor? She doesn’t have a doctor. Why didn’t I think of adding her to my surgery?”
“Babe,” Jay says, taking my hand to stop me from rushing around and forcing me to listen. “She just needs some fever medicine to control it. We can have Kai check her tomorrow.”
“Okay, okay. That makes sense.” I run my hands through my hair to get rid of the excessive rush of adrenaline. What he said hit me hard. “Did you call me babe?”
“Maybe…”
“Jay…” I say in the same tone.
“I did if it’s a good thing, otherwise forget it.” He bites his lips, those lips I devoured just ten minutes ago, and I want to do it again now. Because I didn’t like it, I loved it.
“Say it again.”
“Babe,” he says, voice shy and cheeks red.
“I more than like it. I love it.”
His smile brightens the room, and for a second it’s just me and him. But then Arianna’s necessities slam into me, and whatever was happening between us takes a back seat.
“We’ll resume this conversation at a better time. Now, tell me what she needs.”
“Give me your phone.”
I hand it to him, unlocked, and I watch him click and scroll until he finds what he needs.
“This,” he says, turning the phone to me.
He takes Arianna, and I’m out of the door as soon as I have my shoes on, my car keys, and my wallet.
“I’ll be back soon,” I say before closing the door behind me.
I drive, cursing the speed limit, sighing in relief when I get to the shop and it’s still open.
I rush through the aisles like I’m followed by hellhounds.
A muffled scream of joy escapes my lips when I find what I’m looking for, scaring the man next to me, but I don’t give him a second look.
Instead, I jog to the only available checkout, impatiently waiting in line.
My card is at hand. It takes me thirty seconds to pay and then to jog to the car.
When I check my phone as I’m opening the door, I’m pleased that I was only gone for fifteen minutes.
Jay doesn’t waste any time getting the syringe ready while I rock her. She cries even more when Jay gently pushes the medicine into her mouth, but we relax when it’s gone and she doesn’t spit it out.
After an hour of rocking her between Jay and me, she falls asleep, and I place her in her crib. Jay sits on the bed while I occupy the chair next to the cot.
I send Jay to bed when his eyes close repeatedly.
“I want to stay,” he protests.
“I’ll call you if I need you, but you should sleep a little, so we’re not both bone tired when she wakes up.”
“Okay.” But it’s easy to see that he’s not.
“Thank you, Angel,” I say before landing a kiss on his lips, then pulling back and turning him around. Before he can walk away, I land a pat on his delectable behind. “Sleep well.”
Once he’s gone I resume my position on the chair. It’ll be a long night.