I busied myself with gathering up diapers, bottles, formula, O’s, a change of clothes, and every little thing we might need. Luckily, it was pretty close to what I packed up every day for her when I took her to daycare.
Thane arrived soon after, his eyes wide as he stared down at the stroller. “That is elaborate.”
“This is the arsenal you need for a day out with a baby,” I explained.
When he said he bought zoo tickets, I’d assumed the Central Park Zoo since it was just a few blocks away. But no, Thane went all out and got tickets to the Bronx Zoo. At least a decade had passed since I’d visited and I was more excited than Kinsey, if Kinsey understood what was going on.
“Tell me again why we didn’t just drive?” Thane asked when we got off the train and continued walking.
“Because I don’t have a car seat.”
He shook his head. “That just sounds weird.”
“Why? I don’t have a car, so why would I need one?”
“Just in case.”
“And where would I store it? The stroller takes up enough room as it is.”
He nodded. “Fair point.”
The sun was high in the sky when we made it through the entrance, and we’d only walked a few steps before I veered us off to the right.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“I almost forgot the sunscreen,” I said, stopping the stroller before digging into one of the bags I had with me.
Once I had the bottle, I crouched in front of Kinsey, whose eyes were wide as she looked around. Her brow scrunched and she grunted in annoyance when I applied the sunscreen to her face.
When she was covered, I squeezed more into my palm and spread it on my arms and face.
I glanced to Thane, who’d been watching me the whole time, and stepped to him. His eyes widened as I began to smooth the sunscreen around his face. I’d barely covered his forehead and cheeks when he yanked me to him and pressed his lips to mine.
A squeak left me, allowing him to slip his tongue against mine. With hands still covered in lotion and getting caught up in his touch, I cupped his neck and wiped the remaining on the back of his neck.
He pulled back, a brow raised as he looked down at me. “Did you just lotion up my neck?”
I gave him a small smile and nodded. “Yes.”
“Oh, wow.”
“What?”
“I didn’t realize I was such a terrible kisser. I mean, I thought I was pretty good, but that… I couldn’t distract you.”
“Was that your goal?”
“No. I simply wanted to kiss you because you are amazing.”
“It was a good kiss.” I stood up on my toes, and he leaned down to meet me. When I cupped his neck, it wasn’t to wipe my hands. It was to pull him closer.
When we parted, we were both breathing hard and the space between my thighs tingled. “Very good.”
He dipped his face into the crook of my neck, his strong arms wrapping around me and holding me tight to him. A shudder rolled through me, and I drew in a sharp breath at the feel of his tongue lapping at my skin. Little nips from his teeth had my thighs clenching.
His breath was hot against my ear, a low moan rumbling in his chest as he placed open-mouthed kisses on my neck. “I could just eat you up.”
My heart hammered in my chest, and I had to force myself to pull away. “Okay, big bad wolf, settle down. There are children around.”
He chuckled and pulled back before we merged in with the people entering.
Walking around with Thane drew more attention than I ever would have expected. More than once I heard someone say what a cute family we were. I knew Thane heard it as well, because he wrapped his arm around my waist and smirked down at me.
Kinsey practically bounced in her seat, squealing at all the animals and reaching out for them. She would look to me and it was a readable expression of, “See it, Mama?”
“That’s a big giraffe, isn’t it?”
After walking around for an hour or two, we decided to get some lunch. Thane grabbed our trays while I parked us at a table.
Kinsey fussed, not liking that we had stopped. It was close to nap time and tired baby was taking over, but there was just so much stimuli.
Before I could reach down and pick her up, Thane was unbuckling the seatbelt and pulling her up into his arms. I was stunned, unable to speak as he smiled at her, tucking her against him.
“Is this better?” he asked her with a smile.
She stared up at him with wide eyes for a moment, trying to figure out just who he was. The expression was adorable, and I couldn’t help pulling out my phone and snapping a quick picture.
Kinsey started kicking her legs like she wanted to bounce, and Thane picked up on that. He placed her on his thighs and I watched as he held her steady, helping to propel her. A sweet giggle left her.
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the sight in front of me. My chest clenched and so did my thighs. The man was delicious looking on most days, but with a baby in his arms?
I was ready to jump him right then.
Just as I was about to say something Thane cursed, his eyes widened as big as saucers. He pulled Kinsey back to him and closed his eyes as his hand moved to his crotch.
Did she…
I brought my fingers up to hide my amusement. I knew exactly what had just happened because it happened to me a lot, but little feet slipping off my leg between my thighs didn’t affect me much. However, a man was a different story.
“Did she just kick you in a sensitive area?”
He blew out a breath. “I think you have a soccer player on your hands.”
I tried to feel bad, but I couldn’t stop my shoulders from shaking.
“Not funny.” His gaze narrowed on me.
“I’ll make them feel better later. Give them a nice massage.”
“They would appreciate that. Maybe a kiss or two.”
“I think I told you last night.”
He snatched a fry from the tray. “I know what you told me last night, but I’m hoping you’ll finally say yes to me, and not when I have you pinned to a wall.”
“You want to date me that badly? To become my boyfriend? For a blow job?”
He shook his head. “Not for a blow job. I’m playing for something much more valuable than that.”
“What would that be?” I asked
“You. All of you.”
I blinked at him, unsure of how to respond.
“What about her?”
His brow scrunched. “She’s part of you, isn’t she? So that includes her.”
I swallowed hard, my chest clenching as I watched him make silly faces at her. Maybe I was wrong about him after all.
After lunch we walked around again, and after about an hour Kinsey gave up the fight and fell asleep.
Thane chuckled as he looked at her passed out. “She’s adorable.”
“Wish I could say I had something to do with it.”
“She’s happy because of you. Anyone can see that.”
“You’re being awfully nice, and I’m having a hard time processing it.”
Another chuckle. “I am a nice guy once you get to know me, when I’m not being a total prick.”
“And I’m a nice girl as long as you’re not a prick.”
He grinned at me before leaning down and pressing his lips to mine.