Page 124 of Babies for the Big Shot
And then, somehow, we’re side by side on the couch.
Close.
Close enough that I can feel the warmth of his thigh next to mine.
Close enough that I can smell the faint trace of his cologne, clean, masculine, way too effective for my current emotional state.
Nick leans back, one arm stretched along the back of the couch, fingers just brushing my shoulder.
I don’t move.
Neither does he.
“You know,” he says after a beat, his voice softer now, “I used to picture this.”
My heart skips. “This?”
“You. Here. Not just for a night. Not just for sex. I used to imagine what it would be like to have you in my space. Part of my life.”
My breath catches.
“And now you’re here,” he adds, looking at me. “Carryingourbabies. Three of them.”
“Technically,” I murmur, “they’re the size of gummy bears right now.”
“Then I guess I’m crazy about gummy bears.”
I laugh, and the sound is foreign in my throat. Light. Unburdened. Something I haven’t let myself feel in weeks.
He turns toward me, and the moment shifts.
“Can I kiss you?” he asks.
It’s not a line. It’s not a move. It’s careful. Considerate. After all we’ve been through.
And I nod.
Because I want it. Because Ineedit.
Nick shifts closer.
One hand comes up, fingers brushing along my jaw. He’s giving me time to pull away. To change my mind.
I don’t.
I lean in instead.
And when our mouths meet, it’s soft at first. Sweet. Careful. A promise unspoken. A question.
A thousand apologies wrapped into one warm, lingering press of lips.
But then I exhale against him, just the barest sigh, and something in him breaks open.
The kiss turns.
Deeper. Hotter.
His hand slides into my hair, cradling the back of my head as he angles his mouth over mine and takes more.
