Page 64 of I Wanna Be Your Lager

If she didn’t say anything, I would have never known she was pregnant. She’s going to be an amazing mom. Her patience at the bar far exceeds mine. There isn’t anywhere else, besides by her side, that I’d rather be.

She slides her hand down my arm, drawing my attention. “We still have a few hours alone.” She jerks her head toward her room.

“You don’t need to tell me twice.”

I lean against the headboard, the blanket draped over my waist, and I have Eve tucked against my side, her head resting againstmy stomach. I’m still half comatose from the orgasm. Sex with Eve is like a fine wine. It gets better the longer we’re together. Is what we’re doing reckless? Absofuckinglutely. Right now, I have no desire to leave her bed. She has a door. The basement doesn’t. I’ll sneak out in the morning, but in the meantime, I’m going to enjoy having her warm body snuggled against mine. It’s something we rarely get, but hopefully, that will change. First, I need to get a few things in order. As Eve softly snores, I grab my phone and pull up the web browser. With one hand, since Eve currently holds my other captive, I type on my phone and scroll through several pages before blonde hair tickles my side.

Eve groans before peering up at me. “What are you doing? And why are you still awake?” Her warm breath skates across my bare skin.

“Looking for jobs.”

Her brows pinch together. “Why?”

“I’m preparing for the aftermath of when we tell Jake about us.”

Eve sits up, stifling a yawn. She leans against the headboard next to me, linking her arm with mine and resting her head against my shoulder. “You think he’s going to fire you?”

I want this all the time. Snuggled in bed with Eve next to me. Not this sneaking-around, teenager bullshit. I only have myself to blame when I’ve had many opportunities to tell Jake but failed. Miserably. “It’s a possibility. I’ll definitely have to search for a new place to live sooner rather than later. That’s next on my agenda.”

“You’re his best friend. He’s not going to fire you.”

I set my phone down on the bed next to me. “Yeah, I’m not confident he won’t.”

“Look, I know he’s going to be a little angry.” I raise an eyebrow. She huffs. “Maybe a lot angry. But there’s no way he’s going to fire you. I’ll make sure of that.”

“I appreciate you looking out for me.” I press a kiss to the top of her head. The coconut scent of her shampoo is the only thing comforting to me. “I should have told Jake about us weeks ago.”

“I could have easily told him too. He means a lot to both of us, and neither of us wants to hurt him.”

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how it plays out.”

“What kind of apartment are you looking for?”

“I don’t know. Dessa once mentioned there are some nice two-bedroom townhomes in her neighborhood that even include a yard.”

Eve’s body tenses next to me. “Why do you need two bedrooms and a yard?”

I glance down at her, and she meets my gaze. Curiosity swirls in her irises. “Because if we’re doing this, I want to do it right.”

All the color drains from her face. “You want me to move in with you?”

Never in my life have I lived with a woman. I’ve always liked my space, but deep in my gut, this feels right. Not only would I get to spend all my nights falling asleep next to her, but I can be there and take care of her and the baby. And that feels right. I know what it’s like to grow up without parents. To not have a stable home. If I can help it, I want to make sure Eve’s baby doesn’t have to endure half of that. “Only if you want to. Unless you have your heart set on living with Jake, but I want to give you options.”

She taps her chin. Cold air rushes under the blanket as she lifts the corner to straddle my lap. Her fingers run up my chest and over my shoulders. “Live with my ultra-grumpy brother or with his amazing, smart, incredibly sexy best friend? How will I ever decide?”

I slide my hands around her back, holding her in place. “I have a way for you to decide.” Her fingers comb through myhair. I love her hands on me. It doesn’t matter where. Her touch sparks hope inside me.

“What’s that?”

“One orgasm for no and two orgasms for yes.”

She throws her head back in laughter. “How can I argue with that decision-making?”

“Exactly.” I slide my hand up to the back of her head. I lift my chin and press my lips to hers.

I woke up at 6 a.m. and sneaked out of Eve’s room. I hated leaving her and her warm, naked body pressed against mine. But Jake would have surely caught us if I didn’t leave. Of course, I couldn’t fall back asleep, so I sat in bed and sketched. The pencil gliding across the paper always soothes me and drowns out all the other noise in my head. I could always escape to drawing. I can spend hours sketching anything and everything, finding inspiration in whatever’s in front of me. Currently, I’m sketching a sunflower breaking through concrete. As of late, most of my sketches have been of sunflowers.

Next to me, on the bed, my phone buzzes with an incoming message. I pick it up, and Eve’s name flashes on the screen.

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