Page 54 of The Rebound
“Holy cow.” I laugh a little breathlessly. “I’ll take him.”
Saint slips Caleb into my arms with a smile I feel all the way in my toes, murmuring, “He needs his mama.”
I catch myself blushing at his word choice. Turns out I really like it when Saint calls me that.
“He needssomething.” I pull at my maternity top without thinking, undoing the clasp to free one of my breasts. Before I completely expose myself, I look up at Saint. “Um, is this okay?”
His eyes widen and a blush crawls up his neck. He blinks between my eyes and my cleavage, clearlyverydistracted. Maybe this is a bad idea, but I need to feed my kid. Besides, it’s kind of fun catching him off guard like this.
“Go ahead. Don’t stop on my account. Unless you’d like me to ...” He gestures toward the door, offering to give me some privacy.
“I’m good if you are.”
We settle onto the couch again, sitting in the exact same spots we did in the beginning moments of our first hookup. Caleb is still learning how to latch, so it takes him a while to find my nipple. Saint fusses with the remote control, scrolling through the TV channels and looking at just about anything but me. Maybe this is too much for him after all.
“Am I grossing you out?” I ask through a cringe.
“Not at all,” he says, meeting my eyes earnestly. “It’s the exact opposite. I’m trying not to stare. You’re beautiful, Kinley.”
My heart thumps so loudly that I wonder if Caleb can feel it. “Charmer.” I giggle, because if I don’t laugh, what am I supposed to do? Kiss him?
“I mean it, Kin. Motherhood suits you.”
“Thanks, Saint,” I murmur. Just hearing that I’m doing a good job makes me feel all warm and gooey inside. “You’re not too shabby at the whole caretaker thing either, you know.” I shoot him a smile.
“Well ...” Saint chuckles, leaning back against one of the couch arms. “It’s all an act. I’m just trying to impress this girl I like.”
My breath catches in my throat. This is it. We’re finally havingthe conversation.
“And ... that’s me?” I ask slowly. I need to be crystal clear on every word if we’re going to really talk about it. I don’t want to misunderstand or assume.
Saint looks around. “Are there any other beautiful women here?”
“Maybe not, but there are plenty of beautiful women who aren’t single mothers.”
“And the moment you’re ready to not be single anymore, I’ll be here.”
My heart gives an excited thump. Who knew a professional hockey player could be so frigging adorable?
“Saint ... thank you. But I don’t want a pity partner. You can literally have any woman you want.”
“I know. And I’m looking right at her.”
All arguments die on my lips, replaced with an irresistible smile. God, he really is a charmer. Hearing him say this is not only flattering, it’s affirming. I finally know for a fact that I’m not alone in wanting more. I’ve tried to push him away, but he never really went far, did he?
Saint runs his hand across the cushion between us to squeeze my knee. It’s so natural, so very normal, and somehow exciting at the same time. I can feel the energy between us shifting.
“When I’m ready, you’ll be the first to know.”
“You know where to find me.”
Caleb chooses this precise moment to release my breast with a loud sucking noise and then a wet burp.
Saint smiles at us. “That good, buddy?”
He chuckles, watching me shift Caleb. I laugh as I latch up my nursing bra.
“He’s a lucky guy,” Saint murmurs, watching us both with a look of admiration that I feel way down in my soul.
