Page 90 of The Baby Bargain
I nod. "Really." I'm out of my mind. I am. My head is still screamingwhat the fuck are you doing?But my heart?
For the first time, my heart is full. Warm. Easy.
This is right.
As long as I manage to keep from fucking shit up, this is right.
I can do that. I just have to look at the past. See the patterns. Avoid them.
Mom, Hunter, Grace—I tried to fix something.
There's nothing to fix here. And even if there is, if I find something—
I'm not doing that again.
Maybe I'm not capable of loving someone in a way that makes them happy.
Maybe I'm not capable of loving someone in a way that makes me happy.
But I can do this.
Fuck, I really want to do this.
Ariel throws her arms around me. "Thank you." She squeezes tightly. "I… oh my God, Chase. I…" Her fingers dig into my bare arms. "I don't know what to say."
"Thank you is good."
"Right. Um…" She looks up at me. "You're not wearing a shirt."
"Yeah." I can't help but chuckle. "You keep showing up right after my shower."
"I try to be early, but if I'm too early—"
"It's good." I release her. "I like the way you stare."
She takes a small step backward. It's nothing. It only puts six inches between us. Her eyes move over me slowly. Shoulders, chest, stomach, hips.
"That."
"Oh." Her tongue slides over her lips. "This… well… we're doing this."
"Yeah." We're doing this. I'm doing this. I'm helping her without fucking shit up. Giving her exactly what she wants and nothing else.
"So I should look at you like that."
"You always look at me like that, princess." My voice drops to something low and demanding. It's easy shifting to sex with her. Easier than it should be.
But, then again, I've been fucking myself to thoughts of her for two weeks straight.
This is already a replay.
Ariel's teeth sink into her bottom lip. She takes another step backward. Smooths her tight black jeans. "I… Uh… You're eating dinner?"
"Yeah." I motion to the plate on the table. "You eat?"
She shakes her head. "No, but maybe… maybe we could eat after?"
"After?"
