My stomach did something embarrassing.
"Okay," I said, trying to sound like this was a reasonable logistical conversation and not like my entire body had just lit back up at the wordsat least a few.
"Okay," he said.
He lay back down. Pulled me against him, my back to his chest, his arm over my waist. His hand found my stomach again—that flat warm palm—and I covered it with mine again without thinking about it.
Outside, the Hill Country was full dark now, just crickets and the occasional sound from the pasture. The lamp in the corner threw a low warm light. The ceiling fan turned.
"Are you hungry?" he said. "I still owe you a burger."
"I'm hungry," I said. "But I don't want to move yet."
His arm tightened slightly. Just once.
"Okay," he said.
SEVEN
Gage
I didn’t just want to knock her up.
I wanted her mine. I wanted to fuck her all night. I wanted to watch her belly grow with my baby, wanted her moving around the house in nothing but my shirt, one hand on her belly, the other on her lower back.
I wanted her.
Not what she offered.
Not just the solution to my family’s problem.
I hadn’t even told her all the details of what I was dealing with…hadn’t explained that my Uncle Arlo was a convicted felon, that he’d been hanging around the property, that his son was a hunter who lived in the backwoods around Briar Hill. She could be in danger—that was on me for not explaining—and I needed to tell her.
But for now…for now…
We’d fucked one more time before we actually got out of bed, my hand pressed to her stomach, holding her against me as I’d rocked into her from behind. Her brow had furrowed as she turned around to kiss me, my tongue invading her mouth, letting her know how badly I wanted to claim her.
We made it to the kitchen eventually.
She'd pulled on the yellow sundress again—no bra, I noticed, and couldn’tstopnoticing—and I'd pulled my jeans back on and nothing else. The cold burgers were sitting on the kitchen table where I'd left them and the Hill Country was fully dark outside the window, Dolly visible on the porch swing through the glass.
"She's still out there," Millie said as she popped the burgers in the microwave.
"She lives here," I said.
Millie looked at the swing. Looked at me. "Do I need to negotiate with her for the porch?"
"Probably."
The microwave chimed and it was only then that we sat down at the table. I grabbed the bag to put it in front of her, and she reached in to grab her burger and then mine.
"I'm genuinely starving," she said, unwrapping it. "I haven't eaten since this morning, and honestly…this smells delicious."
"It is delicious,” I said, guilt gnawing at me. "I should have made sure you ate first."
"I was distracted."
My voice was hoarse when I responded. "Me too."
