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I give myself a few seconds to enjoy it, because who’s gonna know? Is he still asleep? Remembering what he said last night, I slowly count to ten, careful to keep my breath even despite the furious thumping of my heart. Would he notice if I shift even closer to him? Fuck, what am I thinking? What I need to do is figure out a way to extricate myself from his arms without waking him up.
He shifts behind me, which drags his hard-on against my ass. I inhale sharply as electricity lances through my flesh. I mumble some nonsense under my breath shifting in his arms, pretending to still be asleep in case he’s awake. Shit! Can he feel my heartbeat? I’m working so hard to keep my breathing even, but there’s nothing I can do to reduce the fast and loud pounding of my heart.
The bed dips a little as he shifts again behind me, his elbow grazing my back as I imagine him resting his weight on it. Oh God, heisawake. What is he doing? Then the pads of his fingers graze the flesh of my temple light as a feather.
Keep breathing! Keep it even!
He pushes a few strands of hair away from the side of my face, and I can almost feel his gaze caressing my face. “What am I going to do with you, Charlotte?” he murmurs with a soft sigh.
He must be bending his head toward me because now his breath is fanning my face and, oh my God, are those his lips? Yes! He places a gentle, lingering kiss on my cheek. I almost bite my tongue in a bid to swallow the small sound of pleasure in my throat.
At this point, I’m almost sure he knows I’m awake and is just indulging me. Should I open my eyes? A loud ringtone suddenly fills the air–not mine–and he curses softly, the bed dipping and shifting as he gets up. A sigh of disappointment escapes me before I can stop it, immediately missing his warmth.
“What? You know it’s risky to call my direct line like this. Whatever, what do you want Massimo? Now? I’m afraid I can’t right now I’m out of town, not that it’s any of your business–I’m not sure if I can make it tonight, either–uh-huh–” His voice fades off as he walks into the bathroom.
I blink my eyes open and stare at the closed door with longing. Fuck, how am I going to make it through this pregnancywithout doing something stupid like falling in love with him? Especially when he’s so determined for us to be together.
“Stupid.” I whisper, rubbing a hand over my thumping chest. “Stupid heart.”
CHAPTER 23
EZRA
“And that’s Andrea’s bar,” I point as I drive past Liquid Elixir. I’ve been driving around town, taking a right onto Heron Drive instead of Main street when we got to town, but now we’ve circled back. I am showing Charlie a bit of the town’s tourist attractions. During the fall and winter season, the town really comes alive.
We’re just sort of between winter and spring right now, with ice capping the mountains and mud streaking the unpaved areas of town. But Brattleboro’s charm still shines through; and with the way Charlie’s been chipping in throughout her tour, I think she likes it.
“It’s a beautiful town.” She smiles at me, and I nod with pride. I make the next turn, taking us to my house now that the tour is over. What am I doing? Trying to show Charlie that life in Brattleboro can be a beautiful experience for her…and it’s a great place to raise kids if you ask me. But instead of telling her that, I’m trying to prove it. Part of my “convince Charlie to marry me plan” is gentle nudging.
Asking bluntly didn’t work; so this time, I’m changing tactics. Nudging her gently with facts until she has no choice but to accept we’d be better together. She sits up as we go through thegate to my house, her lips parting as she glances around at the beautiful burst of colors from the flowers on both sides of the lane, leading up to the house.
“Is it just me or is there something different about your place?” she asks, gazing at the newly-refurbished front yard.
“Remember that landscaping company I told you about at dinner last night? It’s my sister-in-law’s.” She’s technically not my sister-in-law yet, but Alex is crazy about her, and I know he’s going to end up putting a ring on it.
“I had her revamp this place. Can’t exactly bring the babies to their home looking like it’s been abandoned.” Gentle nudging. Being raised in a city isn’t all that. She glances at me with a slight furrow in her brow as we pull up in front of the house, which now boasts a cushioned porch swing with vines growing up over it.
“Imagine one of the kids crying, and you’re busy with work or something, I can just sit right there and rock him or her as I feed them.” I smile as the image becomes clear in my head.
Her frown deepens but she doesn’t say a word, so I clear my throat. We both get out of the car, and I open the front door for her. The lights come on as we make our way to the living room, where she slowly comes to a stop.
“You had the interior re-done as well?”
“It was too ‘masculine’, according to Andrea. She did the inside of the house.”
“Wow, this is…Ezra. I’m shocked. You’re really,reallyserious about this baby thing, aren’t you?”
“Of course I am.” To be honest, I’m even a bit excited to become a dad and really sink into the role. Shocker, I know. Maybe I’ll even let my physique go and embrace thedad-bod. “We started with the babies’ room, want to see it?”
She nods mutely, and I lead her up the stairs to the designated baby room, which is adjacent to the master. Shegasps softly. I smile as she spins around the room, head stretched back to take in the ceiling.
“Cross my heart, I had no idea about your mural, I just thought it would be a cool way to introduce our kids to their mom’s obsession.” I explain, taking in the stars that glow in the dark.
“I wouldn’t say I’m obsessed…” she murmurs.
“You went all the way to Australia for an astronomy conference last year,bébé. That’s a whole other continent. You’reobsessed.”
She chuckles softly, lowering her head to stare at me. “How did you know about that?”
