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She tutted at me, her gaze trained on the glass display counter. “You’ll never know, sir. That’s confidential.”
“Fair enough. Do you want to walk? Or sit?”
“Walk please,” Cici said.
A few minutes later, we were out walking, the early summer air warm on our skin.
We walked along quietly for a few minutes before I broke the silence. “Have Liam and Ashlyn set a date yet?”
Cici shook her head. “Not yet. Probably this fall though. Ashlyn loves the idea of being a fall or winter bride.”
“I like that idea. What about you?”
“Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I wanted all the pomp and circumstance. It would depend on the man. And now…” Cici cast a furtive glance down her body. “It would depend on the baby.”
“Very true.” Before I chickened out, I had to ask. “Do you think it’s a girl or a boy?”
Cici laughed softly. “I have no idea. I feel like later on there’s supposed to be some kind of mother’s intuition, but so far it’s all indigestion and anxiety. I’ll let you know when that changes”
I nodded. “And how do you feel?”
Cici’s hands twisted in front of her. “Most days I feel great. I’ve never been more aware of my eating habits though. There are lists a mile long about all the things I shouldn’t be doing. Or should be. Really, there’s just lists for everything.” Noticing her hands, I reached across to grip the hand closest to me. Entrapping it in my own palm, I brought it up for a kiss.
“You are doing great.” Like I hoped it would, Cici’s shoulders dropped as she watched me. The worry in her eyes was quickly being replaced by the same sparking passion I’d seen weeks ago. There hadn’t been a moment for our relationship to escalate like that again. And based on what I was seeing now, I wasn’t the only one feeling it.
“And how’s the gelato, then?”
“Oh, it’s perfection. This baby is going to be born with a massive sweet tooth. Let me tell you.”
“I can handle that. Speaking of a sweet tooth… My niece called today to discuss her birthday cake…”
Cici twisted to look at me, her feet faltering on the sidewalk below us. “Oh yeah?”
“I always bring her one from a bakery here in town.”
Cici laughed, the bright sound alone making me smile. Encouraged, I pressed on. “She wanted to know if you were coming.”
“Your family knows about me?”
“Not about, you know, everything, but they know I met a total smokeshow last month.” I wrinkled my nose. “I left out the part about knocking her up on our first night together. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.”
“So what do you think? Want to drive to Oakland with me on Saturday? It’s a small get-together, just my mom, my sisters, and Lyla, my niece.”
“Are you sure they’d want me there?”
“They would love that. Especially with everything going on.”
Cici looked up at me, blue eyes thoughtful. “I’ll think about it okay? I know we’re trying to act like we are just two normal people dating, getting to know each other, but there’s so much more at play. I don’t want to mess something up by moving forward too quickly. Not when there’s so much at stake.”
“I agree completely. Just let me know by Friday?” I tucked my arm around her as she finished the last bite of her gelato.
“Deal,” she murmured before slipping her arms around my neck. Without a second thought, I dropped my mouth to hers, stealing away her breath. My tongue slid over hers, feeling the hot, slick warmth of her mouth as she arched into me.
Gathering my control, I let my hands drop only a few inches lower, urging her forward so that she could feel the immediate hard-on she gave me.
We hadn’t had sex since that first night over a month ago. And I wanted to wait until she was ready. But I wanted to be abundantly clear. There wasn’t a part of Cici I’d seen and not wanted. And I was intent on making her know that.
