“You’re right. You could’ve done a lot worse,” he agreed. “We could have a home together. The three of us.”
“Slash,” I whispered, tears coating my lashes.
“Woman, you might not be ready for all this. I get it. I do. But what do you feel? When you’re with me?” he asked.
“Safe. Protected.” I paused. “Wanted.”
He shifted his stance ever so slightly, but it was enough to make me sigh.
“Then what’s the hang up, Brooklyn? The fact that we’re still getting to know each other? We can do that a lot quicker if we’re sharing the same space. Sleeping in the same bed. You falling asleep in my arms every night.”
“Jesus,” I moaned, my eyes rolling into the back of my head. “You know what to say.”
“It’s not a line. I swear it.”
I bit my lip and forced my eyes open to stare at him. “I want you to want to be with me because ofme. Not because of…”
“The baby.” He nodded, his gaze darkening. “Can’t I want both of you in different ways? Can’t I want to slide into you every night, have your nail marks down my back, have you screaming my name, but also want to see you grow our baby. To see your body change, knowing we did that together. Knowing we’re bringing something into this world that’s innocent and good?”
The hand that wasn’t resting on my belly grabbed the back of my neck gently. “I gotta remind you of something…”
“What’s that?” I asked as his head dipped slowly toward mine.
“I came back into town because one night with you wasn’t enough. And I have a feeling that even if you hadn’t been pregnant, I would’ve kept finding reasons to come back for you. I would’ve found a reason to stay. You’re enough, Brooklyn.”
I drowned in his eyes, his voice, his touch.
“This is crazy,” I whispered.
“And you’re going to say yes, aren’t you?” he said, his smile slow.
“Yeah. I’m going to say yes.”
“Good,” he growled. His lips covered mine.
My arms slid up and wrapped around his neck.
I was insane.
But when Slash’s fingers unbuttoned my jeans and glided down, I didn’t care much about keeping my sanity.
Because,what a way to go.
* * *
Slash and I were propped against the wall of the living room. Our breathing had returned to normal, but the afterglow of our encounter permeated the space around us.
“How’d you find this place?” I asked. “It’s charming and…”
“Perfect?”
“Yeah. It’s got a lot of potential,” I admitted. “Kitchen’s small, though.”
“You want a big kitchen?” He took my hand and threaded his fingers through mine.
I shrugged. “I always thought…”
“Yeah?” he prodded.