“Huh?”
She smiles. “Have you ever used a clit stimulator on a girl before?”
“N-no,” I answer. But fuck would I like to use one on her.
“Oh darn. I was hoping you could have given me some pointers.” She reaches over to her nightstand, turns off the light, pitching us into the dark, and then rests her head on her pillow, facing me.
I guess it’s time for bed. Don’t mind me with the half-hard cock over here.
I lie down as well and turn toward her but keep my distance for more than obvious reasons.
“Hey, Penny?”
“Hmm?” she asks as her feet find my shins.
I gulp. “Are you, uh, are you sure we’re okay?”
Her eyes open, and she smiles at me before placing her hand on my cheek. Her thumb caresses it before slowly lowering down my neck and across my chest, just above my nipples. So much for trying to get my cock to calm down.
“We’re good. I promise. It was a lapse in judgment, and I respect your choice to keep things platonic between us. I actually appreciate it.”
“You do?” I ask, confused. If roles were reversed, I’d have a tough time being as understanding as she is at this moment.
“Yes.” Her hand moves over my abs right before she pulls it away, but I can still feel the imprint of her dragging fingers. “I do. But, can I please ask you something?”
“Anything,” I say, shifting.
“Can we still cuddle at night? I know I said that one time and, I understand things are strictly platonic between us, but it just felt nice to be held. That’s one thing I’m missing through this pregnancy. Some human contact.”
Jesus.
It will take the strength of a thousand men to get me through nights of holding her without actually touching her, but I also know what it means to desire human touch. Growing up in the attic of the barn, I’d wished for hugs goodnight and never got them, so I can understand her need.
“Of course, but—”
Before I can even get my sentence out, she’s turning and backing up into me. The minute her ass hits my crotch, she makes a surprised sound.
“But give me a second,” I say on a shallow breath.
“Oh my . . . hello, Eli.”
Fuck, how embarrassing.
“Uh, sorry just . . . you know, calming down from the breast exam.”
She chuckles, and instead of moving away, she just plants her ass against my lap and then pulls my arm over her stomach and lays my palm right over her belly.
And despite what’s happening down south, there’s a connection in the way I’m holding her, a feeling that beats through me that makes me feel possessive.
This woman, this baby, I’m not just living with them, going through the stages of the pregnancy. They feel like mine. Like they belong with me, in my life.
Whispering softly, I say, “You have the smallest of bumps.”
Her hand falls on top of mine. “I know. I took a picture today. I could see a big difference. My window of being able to wear my regular clothes is closing, but oddly, I don’t think I’ve ever felt sexier.”
You look fucking sexy.
If I had it my way, we wouldn’t be cuddling with clothes on. We’d be fucking with clothes off.
“If you weren’t here, I’d probably be sleeping naked, feeling the silk of the sheets against my skin. Makes me want to take boudoir pictures or something.”
Hell . . .
“Maybe I will, for me. I want to remember the way I feel now so when I’m thirty-nine weeks pregnant and uncomfortable, I can look back and say I am beautiful.”
“You don’t need pictures to prove that,” I say, keeping my hand on her stomach. “You’re always beautiful, Penny.”
She halfway rolls to her back so she can look at me. She cups my face, and it feels like her lips are only a few inches away when she says, “Thank you, Eli.” And then she presses the lightest of kisses to my cheek before turning around.
My pulse hammers in my throat as my stomach twists with desire. Those lips are going to be the death of me . . . if not her gorgeous tits. Or the way she makes me feel like a whole man, a man who isn’t just desirable but also wanted. Needed. Part of a family unit. Hers.
“Mmm, what’s that smell?” Penny asks as she walks down the hallway in nothing but a goddamn robe that’s barely secured at her waist. “Are you making French toast?”
This morning, I walked in on her in the bathroom, shaving her legs in the tub. Her robe was hanging loosely on her sexy frame as she had one leg up against the tub wall, shaving. I saw a great deal of skin, and it made me go fucking crazy with need . . . once again.