Page 76 of Zero
I knelt to pass lotion covered palms up her arms to her shoulders, then down between her breasts to her stomach.
“Then you really do love me enough to have my child?” I whispered, caressing up to her neck then over her shoulders to her back. “You’re really here.”
“Yes.” She kissed my chin. “And yes. So, get it together, Zero. Your baby is going to be here in seven months.”
I grinned proudly. “My baby.”
“Don’t look so proud of yourself.”
Bracing my palms against the arms of the chair, I eased up to kiss her. “How can I not be?”
Walking away from her, I dug into my bag and came back with a long velvet box. I set it on her thigh and sat on the floor again.
“What’s this?” She wanted to know.
“I wanted to give you something—a gift—you can carry with you.”
“And the baby in me right now is what exactly?”
“Hoshi…”
“All I’m saying is, you don’t need to buy me gifts.” She tapped my nose with a finger. “You give me things all the time without even realizing.”
My cheeks flushed. “But what if sometimes I see something that reminds me of you?”
Bailey smiled and picked up the box. I watched as she lifted the lid to expose the white gold necklace with a small silver pendant in the shape of Jamaica. The island itself was a beautiful piece of jade.
“It’s gorgeous.” Her voice cracked.
“Do you like it?”
She nodded as tears toppled down her cheeks. “Jade?”
I picked up the dainty piece of jewelry and moved to the side to drape it around her neck. My large fingers made it a little hard to latch it. “In Japan, the jade is a symbol of wealth and power. I want you to feel strong every day.”
“Baby.”
Once I finally got the latch clasped, I knelt in front of her. She fell against my chest, tangling her arms around my neck.
“You make me so happy, Rei Hakama.”
I held onto her, wanting to explain to her just how important she’d become to me since the first moment I laid eyes on her. My heart beat differently because of her. I saw the colours of the world outside of the darkness of my job.
She was definitely my Hoshi—my very own star.
“Can I ask you something?” I leaned back to see her eyes.
“Mhmm.”
“Can you really make your booty clap?”
Bailey laughed out loud. “You’re never going to make me live that down, are you?”
“Never.” I admitted. “So, can you?”
“I tell you what—how about tomorrow night when I’m not exhausted, I put on a thong and show you?”
“Oh—hell yeah.”
