Page 132 of Fighting For Light
“I know that look, gem,” Kai rasps.
I drag my eyes from my plate and back to him.
“Good,” I rasp.
He grins and takes another bite. “I’m thinking you don’t have to actually make any dessert. I’m pretty sure it’s already ready,” he says, dragging his eyes down my body.
A shudder runs up my spine, and I smile at him. “I’m pretty sure I haven’t baked the cookies.”
He takes a drink of water and clears his throat. “I don’t want cookies now. I want something else.”
I lift a shoulder, taking my last bite. “I think I can help with that,” I tell him.
His eyes flare again, and he drops his fork on the plate and carefully gets Theo out of his carrier.
“Come on, little man. Bath time for both of us. Daddy has a date tonight.” I laugh as he practically runs up the steps.
60
Cordelia
I get the dishesin the dishwasher and quickly rinse the pots and pans before heading upstairs to Theo’s bathroom. But the light is off, and they aren’t in there. I wander into our room and hear Kai’s voice coming from the bathroom. When I push the door open, I find him with Theo in the shower with him held up against his chest. The spray hits Kai’s back as he rubs baby soap over Theo. He’s somehow kept him asleep all this time, which means he will probably wake me up sooner rather than later.
Kai glances at me and smiles, returning his attention to Theo as he sings some kind of iteration ofRub a Dub DubandPony. I wish I had my camera to take a picture. I don’t even know where my phone is right now. I grab a towel for Theo, and once Kai’s done washing him, he passes our sweet-smelling baby to me. Theo startles awake, screaming in my ear.
“I’m going to go put him down,” I tell Kai and start our bedtime routine. Tonight, Theo’s sleeping in his crib. I’ve been going back and forth between his crib and bassinet next to the bed for a good month. For the first month, that was primarily where he slept or on one of our chests. But the moment Kai gotup to use the bathroom, or if I needed water, it would wake him up. We learned that lesson the hard way, so he’s going in his crib tonight. Plus, we won’t have this luxury much longer since we will be on the road in less than a month. That’s going to create a whole new set of challenges.
After Theo is dressed and fed, he finally calms down and falls asleep in my arms. He was just hangry. I sit there for a moment, taking in his little face. I’m glad Rafe, Kai, and I all have brown hair because Theo looks a lot like me. I can see a bit of Rafe in him, but if you didn’t know, you would think it was Kai. I’ve thought about what I will tell Theo one day about his birth father. I imagine it will be quite difficult, and though I’m so thankful for my little boy, I do wish he was biologically Kai’s. The thought makes me feel so guilty, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter, as Kai tells me all the time, though I know he wishes the same. Regardless, there is no question in my mind we are both so in love with him, and the circumstances do not change the facts. Kai is Theodore’s father, legally, mentally, physically, and emotionally. He’s everything I could have hoped for in a father for our son and more. So when the day does come, and we sit down to tell him, maybe it won’t be so bad because Kai has always been there.And hopefully always will be.
“Everything okay?” Kai whispers.
I look up from Theo’s sleeping face and see my husband standing in the doorway with a pair of low-slung shorts and no shirt. I smile and nod, slowly lifting out of the chair. Kai’s presence grows as he comes up behind me, watching me lay Theo in his crib. We wait a minute longer to make sure he won’t wake up, then tiptoe out of the room.
Hot and fastneedrises like a flood in my body the instant we close the door to Theo’s room. Kai grabs my throat and pushes me up against the wall. He swallows my gasp, consuming me, ravishing my mouth like he’ll brand my body. His hips press upagainst me, and I hold on to him as my knees go weak. It feels so good having his body pressed completely against mine without a baby bump in between us.
He pulls away, dragging his lips roughly down my neck as his hand skims up my ribs to my breasts.
“Kai,” I gasp.
He growls, and I grip his hair as he lifts me up and carries us to our room.
“Close the door. I don’t want to wake him up,” I say breathlessly.
Kai tosses me on the bed, then takes two long strides back to the door, closing it quietly. Then he prowls back over to me, and the ache between my legs increases tenfold. He crawls over me, resting his hands on either side of my head, and sweeps his lips against mine. My knees meet his hips, and they jerk against my center, dragging a moan from my chest.
He grips my thigh, and I lift my hips, urging him to continue. My eyes almost roll to the back of my head as his cool fingers slip past my leggings. He sweeps his thumb across me, and a shrill cry leaps from my lips.
Kai leans in, moving his hand and kissing my face and lips like a man on a mission. “Do you remember what you told me when you were pregnant after our date night?” His hand stops, and I frown, opening my eyes. “Do you?” he asks again.
I nod, sliding my hands from his back to his hair, drawing him into a soft, sensual kiss. He pulls away and moves his fingers. “Answer me,” he commands.
“I told you I wanted you to break my back,” I bite my lip, trying to smother my laugh because it sounds ridiculous now. He grins and smashes his lips to mine.
“Your wish is my command, wife,” he says gruffly with a tinge of laughter.
I whimper behind my pinned lips because I have never seen Kai like this. It’s savage, primitive, and thoroughly overwhelming. He leans back, taking the waistband of my leggings and ripping them off my body. I lean up to remove his shorts, but they are already gone.
He slides his hand under my lower back, helping me scoot up the bed, but then he stops. I take deep breaths, trying to keep up with the rattle of my heart. He’s staring at my stomach, and I almost move my hand, trying to cover myself. There are new stretch marks, and the skin is a little looser than before.
