Marco (The Men of Indecent Exposure #1) (32 page)

Of course, I was overthinking it and she made that obvious when she spoke casually the next second. “You can just drape your clothes across the chair over there. That way they won’t get wrinkled on the floor.”

That was a hell of a lot simpler than I thought it would be.

Taking her advice, I unbuttoned my shirt, revealing the ribbed tank underneath. Slipping it down my arms, I felt her watching. Pretty brown eyes followed my every move. When I locked onto them, they shied away as a smile curved the corners of her full lips.

Observing her expression, I thought back to my earlier slipup and added her smile to the list. It was one more thing I loved about her.

My jeans came off next and then I grabbed the jar of petroleum before taking a seat beside her, wearing nothing but the tank and gray boxer-briefs. She eyed the jar and then reached for it, thinking she’d apply it herself, but that wasn’t quite what I had in mind. When I didn’t loosen the grip I had on its sides, I think she realized that.

“I got you,” was my way of telling her that I wanted to take care of her.

For a fraction of a second, it looked like she might object to that, but then she relaxed. The brown of her fingers peeked above the edge of the blanket covering her as she pushed it down to her hips. Her gown came up after that and the first hint of skin was revealed. She tucked it just below her breasts and they swayed a little in the absence of a bra. I noticed their movement and tried not to stare, but I wanted to.

With the blanket and her gown shielding the rest, the only thing exposed to me was her midsection. A dark line ran from her slightly protruding navel down below her waistline where I couldn’t see. I noticed it darkening slowly, more and more with each visit to the doctor and knew it had something to do with the pregnancy, although I wasn’t sure why it appeared. My eyes stayed trained there as I coated her skin in the thick substance, hoping it brought her some measure of relief.

Her abdomen was hardening, too. I touched it often to feel our daughter move, so I noticed all the subtle changes, including how much stronger the baby was getting. What once felt like gentle pokes and nudges were now powerful jabs that made Brynn smile every time. I smoothed my hand down her side and, sure enough, the touch was returned from the inside.

“That never gets old,” I said with a smile, catching Brynn’s from the corner of my eye.

Russet-toned skin with a deep, red hue glistened as I caressed it.

“Never,” she concurred. “She moves around so much at night. Makes me think I’m gonna be in for a treat once she gets here.” The comment was dripping with sarcasm. “I’m thinking she’ll keep me up most of the night and then sleep all day. Kind of like I do now,” she added with a laugh.

I wished there was something I could do to make her more comfortable, but I had a feeling things would get worse before they got better. She still had a couple months to go, which meant whatever she was feeling right now would most likely hit her tenfold by the end.

“I was talking to your mom about it the other day. She said Marcela was like that—a night owl.”

I smiled, but not at the memory her words induced; I smiled at the mention of one of her and my mother’s casual phone conversations. They’d been doing that a lot lately, getting to know one another outside of our Sunday dinners, and I loved watching them become closer. My sisters had even started calling and texting her sometimes just to check in. It meant the world to me that they all cared enough on their own to make those steps with Brynn. She didn’t have many people she was close to here in Houston, so I hoped my family could step in and become that for her. They were good people to have in your corner.

I made another big circle around the circumference of her stomach with my hand and she let out a breath. My thoughts were still on her statement and it got my wheels turning.

“How would you feel about either me staying here or you staying at my place when you first deliver?” I asked the question and then waited in silence. So many thoughts passed through my head when she didn’t answer right away.

Feeling the need to clarify, I explained further. “I don’t mean anything permanent. I’m just talking a few weeks. That way I can help out, ‘cause I’m sure she’s gonna be a handful when she first gets here. I can get up with her sometimes at night, take care of her during the day when you need to chill or get a nap.” I paused and decided to reveal the rest of what was on my heart. “And besides… I really don’t want to miss anything.”

Brynn was quiet. So quiet I had to look up to make sure she was paying attention. When I did, I found emotion deepening in those eyes I loved and I knew I was right to share the rest. It would’ve been easy to make it seem like I only wanted to be around during those weeks for
her
, but the truth of the matter is, part of why I made the suggestion was definitely for me. I wanted to get to know my little girl. I didn’t just want to be some guy who came around every now and then. I wanted her to know she had a father who loved her and would be there for her no matter what. And, to me, that started from day one.

A gentle nod from Brynn relaxed me a bit.

“I don’t see a problem with that,” she answered, her voice soft when she did.

“It doesn’t matter to me if it’s here or at my place. Whatever you’re more comfortable with,” I reiterated. “I’d just like to be around.”

She nodded again. “Your place is fine.”

I couldn’t fight the smile that surfaced when she agreed. It was settled then.

I coated my hand with more grease and went back to rubbing, finding that the continuous motion relaxed me as much as it seemed to be relaxing Brynn. Her head settled against the pillows she rested on and her eyes fluttered closed as I watched.

This woman… a short while ago she didn’t even exist in my world, now she basically
was
my world. Inside her, grew the single most important being on this planet to me. That’s what she was giving me. No, none of it was planned, but perhaps I was wrong about that. Maybe this just wasn’t in
our
plans.

The creation of a life was never a mistake. That’s the way I saw it. My little
princessa
would never be made to feel like she wasn’t wanted. She had a mom and a dad who were damn-near on pins and needles waiting to meet her. That doesn’t sound like a mistake to me.

And then there’s the evolution of Brynn and I
outside
this pregnancy. If I ever thought enough to make a list of what I wanted in a woman, she’d hit every point with unimaginable precision. I was convinced there wasn’t another like her. From the physical, to the emotional, to the sexual—although I hadn’t indulged in that area nearly as often as I wanted to—she was everything and
then
some. It was this realization that first made me admit I more than liked her…

I
loved
her.

The sound of a dainty yawn stole my attention and I glanced up at Brynn. The skin beneath her eyes was half a shade darker than the rest of her face—evidence of how sleep deprived she’d been lately.

“I feel bad you’re so miserable. I wish there was more I could do.”

My words made her smile, but she didn’t open her eyes when replying. “I know I had a minor freak out in the car earlier, but, contrary to popular belief, miserable isn’t quite the right word. I’m just always… I don’t know… on edge. I can never quite get settled enough to fall asleep naturally. It’s like I have to force it, you know? Sucks,” she concluded. “But I will say… what you’re doing right now is kind of working. I’m gonna have to have you come over every night and rub me and baby to sleep.” A broad grin revealed white teeth behind soft lips and I smiled, too.

“And I’d be downstairs at that door every time,” I said back, laughing when she did.

Her breaths lengthened, became deeper as sleep taunted her. My eyes followed the back of my hand as I continued to massage her gently.

“I’m guessing it feels good then?”

Through closed lips and with eyes that only fluttered apart for a second, Brynn mumbled a subdued, “Mmmhmm.”

I smiled again and kept going, gradually smoothing my hand across the base of her stomach, feeling the elastic of her panties graze the side of my hand when I pushed it lower than I meant to, beneath the comforter a little.

I started to apologize for that, for touching her in that way when I honestly didn’t mean to, but something stopped me. It was Brynn’s facial expression—a tense brow, the slightest flare of her nostrils, and teeth sinking into a plump bottom lip. Her breasts swelled when a deep intake of air filled her lungs and I stared, watching her nipples harden beneath the fabric of her gown.

From the looks of it, with one slip of the hand, I’d unintentionally turned her on.

I moved higher again and decided to conduct a little experiment. My hand lightly stroked across the top of her abdomen just beneath her breasts, inciting another deep breath, but nothing like the one before. I don’t even think she realized how intently I watched her, observing her body’s response to my touch, but I was taking it all in. Caressing the side of her torso with a slow drag of my fingers down her skin, I made my way lower, back to where I’d gotten the strong reaction before.

She did it again, that look.

Now that I knew she didn’t mind the contact, I ran my hand from one side of her pelvis to the other, hip to hip, again just barely brushing the top of her panties when I did. This time she squirmed some, but still kept her eyes closed.

I moved lower still, to her thighs, feeling their fullness against my palm, finding skin so soft it felt like butter. I pressed my fingertips against the firm flesh just below her hipline, and then eased in toward the softer innermost part between her legs where so much warmth greeted me. I watched the movement of me touching her beneath the comforter, only imagining how good the parts of her I was unable to see probably looked right now. Her legs were one of my favorite parts of her body. Hell, I liked it all, but I could remember the feel of being confined between them on both occasions, including that night at the bar, and the memory had me hard as a rock now. When that happened, I pulled away some so she wouldn’t feel it pressing against her.

I’m not sure if it was intentional or subconscious, but as I worked her thighs, she parted them. It could’ve been that she was beginning to drift a little and the movement was natural, but judging by the intense expression, I was pretty sure it was something else. I was pretty sure I’d just figured out at least
one
of the reasons she wasn’t getting much sleep.

Taking a chance, I let my hand glide over her sex as I traveled upward to her stomach. When I did, those legs came apart even more and I had my answer. She hadn’t come right out and said it, but she wanted me to touch her.

…so I did.

Her lower lips were pillow-soft when I felt them again through her panties, trailing my finger down her slit and back up again. I pressed into the valley between the two folds and teased her clit, feeling it swell a bit at my touch.  Her wetness could be felt even through the material. She was so hot there and I imagined I’d find even more heat inside.

Craving skin-on-skin contact, I eased the comforter down that shielded her from me and slipped my hand beneath the pink cotton I’d fondled the moment before, finally dipping my fingers inside her without obstruction, but only to get them wet. I went back to her clit, this time getting the full effect with no barriers. Her tight, slippery bud swelled even more as I caressed it between my index and middle fingers, fantasizing about sucking it until she exploded against my tongue.

Brynn was panting in my ear, each breath breezing across my face, and I enjoyed the sound and feel of it. Hiding my erection no longer made sense, seeing as how I was pretty sure she knew I wanted her, so I moved close again, letting her feel what touching her had done to me.

“Can I have you?” I whispered, lifting my lips to her ear when asking.

With my fingers still working her middle, it took a moment to get a response. And even then all I got was a nod and a distracted, “Mmmhmm.”

I didn’t waste any time. As soon as she gave me permission, I was up on my knees and between her legs, working her panties down her hips. She rose a couple inches so I could slide them off more easily, but once she was free from them, she stopped me.

“He’ll hear us,” she breathed. Honestly? I’d completely forgotten Naseem was even here.

Running a hand down my buzzed hair, I rested with my shins pressed into her mattress, thinking. At this point, we’d kind of reached the point of no return.

“Downstairs,” was her suggestion. “The half-bath off from the kitchen. The sound won’t travel up from there.”

Seeing as how I didn’t give a damn whether he heard us or
not,
I took Brynn’s word for it and hopped off the bed. She got up just fine on her own, pulling her gown down into place, but leaving the panties where they lie on the floor.

We were stealthy on the stairs, not making a sound. On the way down, I listened for Naseem’s snoring again and he was still out cold. Passing through the living room, we made it to the kitchen, and finally to the bathroom.

Brynn closed the door behind us and kept the light off. The space was still well-lit by the streetlamp just outside the window. In the cramped space, I could feel her everywhere, the heat she gave off.