Skila

Kiptyn tucks the sheet up around my shoulders and kisses me lightly on the forehead. He keeps telling me to get some rest, but there is no chance in hell I’ll be able to sleep. My mind won’t shut off. It’s racing in a million different directions with one hundred thousand unanswered questions. My hand snakes out from under the lush black comforter, and I grab hold of Kip’s wrist before he turns to leave.

“Stay with me, please?”

I hate the way my voice breaks when I ask him to stay. I hate having to ask him at all. His shoulders drop forward, and he hangs his head for just a second before kicking off his shoes and pulling back the covers. His long, lean body sprawls on the bed next to me, and I take advantage of it, wrapping my leg around his and laying my head against his chest in the crease of his uninjured arm.

“Talk to me,” I say.

“What do you want me to say?” he asks, looking down at me.

His hand is running up and down the length of my spine, and with each pass, my heartbeat accelerates even more. I’m trying to control the way his touch makes my body react, but it’s not working. Every time I’m around this man, I want him more than the last. If it wasn’t for the fact that the doctor said no sex, PERIOD, then I’d already be half-naked, and talking wouldn’t be on the agenda.

“I don’t know. Tell me something. Tell me everything. What’s your favorite food, color, band?” I ask in a moment of desperation when his hand dips lower down my back and his finger trails across my hips. My aching core can’t take much more of this. I need to get his attention on something else, and now that I think about it, I don’t really know anything about him other than his love of basketball. I want to know more. I want to know everything.

“Hmmm, let me see. My favorite food would probably be Granny’s fried pork chops, homemade mashed potatoes, fried okra, corn on the cob, and peach cobbler,” he says after thinking for a minute.

“Oh my God, Kiptyn, that’s not a food. That’s a whole meal. Good Lord. Mmm, peach cobbler sounds so good right now, though.”

“It's the best. I'll have to call her and see if she’ll make you one. I know you and my little man will love it.” His body goes rigid for a moment, and I wonder what he’s thinking, but then the moment passes and he’s back to rubbing circles along my back like nothing happened, so I let it go.

“Does your Granny live around here?” I ask, because this is the first time he has mentioned any family other than Camryn to me. I’m curious to know who all he has. Will I ever get the chance to meet them?

“You can meet them anytime you want, baby. Mostly, I just keep in contact with my Granny and Cousin Bo. My mom and dad were both killed in a car accident when I was nine, so I lived with my Granny after that. I didn’t think you would want to with the situation, but I’d be honored to introduce you to them. I have no doubt that they will all love you.”

It takes me longer than I’d like to admit to realize that I spoke my earlier thoughts out loud and he was answering them, and then I feel my face blush with embarrassment. I can’t believe I just invited myself to meet his family. Who does that?

“Thank you, Kip. I’d love that.” I crane my neck back and kiss him on the jaw. The coarse grain of his five o’clock shadow tickles my lips. I love it.

“Your turn. What’s your favorite food?” he asks.

“See food,” I say, straight faced.

“Sea food?” he asks.

“Yep, I see food, and I eat it.” My stomach growls at that moment, and we both burst out laughing.

“Looks like someone is hungry right now,” he says when he’s able to contain his laughter. I just nod my head, unable to speak yet.

“Do you want something quick and easy like a hot pocket, or are you ready for dinner?”

“Dinner?” I don’t know why I say it as a question, but that’s how it comes out. He just shakes his head at me and climbs from the bed.

“Do you want a snack to hold you over until it’s ready? I can grab you some strawberries or grapes.”

I shake my head no. “I can wait. Thank you though.”

I roll onto his side of the bed and curl around the pillow he was just using. He was only lying on it for twenty minutes at the most, but I can still smell his scent all over it. I inhale deeply and hold it in, savoring it. He leans down with one leg still on the bed and tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear before laying his lips against mine. I don’t think he planned on giving me more than a simple peck, but the moment his lips touch mine, sparks erupt between us.

Instinctively, I run my fingers through his hair, pulling him in closer. I open my mouth beneath his, and my tongue darts inside his warm mouth, playing tag with his own. My free hand traces the muscles along his biceps up to his shoulder, and then down his chest to his abdomen. When I reach his hips, his body becomes rigid and I freeze.

"I know what you're thinking, and I promise I'm not trying to seduce you. It just feels nice to have you close to me."

"You are such a terrible liar," he replies with a laugh. "I know you. I know how your breath hitches when I get close. I know how your cheeks flush as you undress me with your eyes, and I know without a doubt the way your heart races when I kiss you. You want me, Skila Parker, as much as I want you, but we’re both out of luck."

I can only imagine the look on my face in this moment. I can't think of anything to say. Not even sarcasm can save me. Hell must have frozen over. I open my mouth to speak several times, only to close it again. He smiles a stupid smile and bites his top lip. His breath is just as ragged as my own right now, and judging by the erection in his tight pants, I think he wants this just as much as I do, but we both know it can’t happen. Not right now.

"Stop that shit. Don’t be an asshole,” I say, and he laughs loudly, pressing his forehead to mine.

"You, my dear, are turning red. Did I hit the nail on the head or what? Don't be hatin’."

"Oh, there's no hating going on. Maybe resisting the urge to throat punch you, but no hate," I whisper, trying to keep my tone serious.

His laughter is contagious, and before I even realize it, I'm laughing too. "Asshole."

"Nah, if I were an asshole, I wouldn't be here right now, would I?"

"No, I guess you wouldn't." A smile slowly creeps across his face as he leans down and rests his head on my swollen belly.

"Damn, woman. You really are hungry." About that time, he sits up in a flash.

"Holy shit. Little man just tried to go all ninja on me. Seriously, he just kicked me in the head."

I smile and shake my head. The laughter building in my chest is almost painful.

"Ninja baby? You know what? I think I like that." Kip smiles and traces circles over my now exposed belly.

I close my eyes, enjoying the sensation. "Don't stop that . . . ever."

Kip pauses for a moment, laying his hand flat on my belly, feeling the baby kick against his palm. He’s very active this afternoon, and I can tell Kip loves every minute of it.

"We've definitely got to get this one into sports."

"Of course. He’s gonna play basketball, just like his daddy," I say without thinking.

In my heart, Kiptyn is the baby’s daddy—unless he’s changed his mind. He lifts his head and searches my eyes with his bright blue ones, searching the depths of my soul, it seems, and then he leans down and kisses me again.

This time, my breath is hitching and my toes are curling. If he would just reach down and touch me, I'm sure I’d melt on the spot. All it would take is one touch, just one. I will him to touch me, wiggling beneath him while his mouth devours mine, but his hands never leave the side of my face. I squeeze my thighs together, trying to alleviate some of the pressure building there, but nothing helps, and then, without warning, Kip pulls away, kisses my forehead, and walks out of the room, leaving me in a complete state of helpless arousal.