Page 31 of Deception
His hand reaches over to take hers, and he brings it up to his lips to kiss. “I’m not in any hurry. You’re my best friend, Gracie. Believe it or not, I have nerves kicking up when it comes to the idea that things could possibly go further, too.”
“You do?”
“I’m terrified that things could go south because Nolan’s in the picture, too. I love that little dude, and I would be devastated if I lost my best friend and my best bud. But I’m not sure I can pretend I don’t want you as just my friend unless you don’t have any interest in me as more.”
The way he cares about her son makes Gracie want Kent in a way she’s never wanted anyone before, and she kisses him. Their lips tangle, and she doesn’t care about the movie or the snacks.
She wants to forget, for a little while at least, that she’s a mom. Right now, she wants to focus on the man who makes her feel alive in a way she never thought possible.
Kent keeps his hands in the safe zones, and she appreciates his respectful boundaries, but he tests the waters by slipping a hand up her stomach, his fingers skirting the bottom of her bra over her shirt. In truth, she wants him to touch her. She wants to experience how good he can make her feel, and she doesn’t push his hand away.
His hand moves away from her chest and slowly moves underneath her shirt to feel her bare stomach. Her tongue slides into his mouth, and she moves to straddle his lap. The height difference makes her neck ache at the angle of being side by side, and he takes the opportunity to slide his hand up and free her left breast from the cup of her bra.
A sly smile appears on his face when her breath hitches as he toys with her nipple, and he moves to kiss along her neck. It feels amazing and better than she expected.
Kissing him makes her lightheaded, and she wants more. He tastes like popcorn, and she wants another hit of the butteryflavor. Guiding his head back upright, she claims his lips and feels like a normal woman for the first time in two years. Since she saw that positive pregnancy test.
“Oops,” Kent whispers, and she feels the wetness.
Gracie stopped breastfeeding a couple of weeks ago, but she forgot about the periodic leakage she still has. And just like that, she’s a mom again. Not normal. Not normal and humiliated as she pulls away to sit back in her seat.
“I should have expected that.”
Great, I just ruined the whole night. Damn it!
Small wet stains on her shirt bring tears to her eyes, and she wants to run away crying. There’s no way to hide this, and it’s just one more reminder that she isn’t living out a movie. Unless it’s a teen comedy based around embarrassment.
“Hey,” Kent says and gently cups her chin, forcing her to look at him. “No tears.”
They slide down her cheeks involuntarily when she blinks, and she closes her eyes. “This is humiliating.”
“Why?”
“Are you serious?”
“You’re a mom, kid. Shit happens.”
Licking her lips, she nods, pulling her chin from his hand and opens her eyes to look at the screen. “I suppose so.”
“Do you want to go home?”
She sniffles and nods again, unable to look at him. “Kind of.”
“We can go home.”
“I ruined our date.”
Forcing her to look at him again, Kent smirks. “How’d you ruin it? I got to make out with you for… what? Half the movie? And I got to play with your fun bags and give you those little moans I don’t think you realized you were making. In my book, this was a great date.”
She laughs and shakes her head. “How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Stay so chill all the time. I’m a frenzy in my own head pretty much all the time, and you’re just… present.”
They stand and walk out of the theater. Blowing on his nails, he rubs them on his shirt with a cocky smirk. “It’s a skill. There’s not always a lot going on up here,” he says and taps his temple. “It’s the benefit of being dumb muscle.”
“I think that’s what I like about being around you,” she says as she attempts to cover the wet marks over her nipples.
