I sighed. "It wasn't your fault," I answered. "It's part hormones and part sentiment. This was my grandmother's house. She left it to me when she died and I hate to leave it."
"Ah. I understand."
I huffed a little laugh. "I'm glad you do because I don't. Not completely anyway. I've never been much of a crier and now I'm tearing up at the drop of the hat."
"Well, you did say it was partly hormones," he said, making me laugh again.
"Yeah, they're a pain." I kept my head down and rested my cheek on his chest.
"Wanna lay down for a few minutes?" he asked.
I nodded.
He turned and I crawled off his lap onto the bed. When he started to get up, I reached out and took his hand.
"Will you stay with me for a few minutes?" I asked.
"Sure." J.J. stretched out on the bed next to me, his head resting on my pillow.
"I know you're right about the house," I said. "And I know we'll have to move somewhere bigger soon, but it just hit me sideways, you know? I wasn't even planning on dating anyone and here I am married, pregnant, and now I'm going to have to move out of my house. It's a lot." I stared at him. "I know it's a lot of change for you, too."
J.J. reached over and took my hand in his, our elbows bent so that our fingers rested on the mattress between us. "It is, but I'm not the one whose body is going through enormous physical changes or who's going to give birth. It's a huge stress on your mind and body and I only want to minimize it as much as possible for you, which is ridiculous because it's literally impossible."
I smiled at him. "That's actually pretty sweet. Does that mean you'd carry and birth the baby for me if you were able?"
"Um, let's not go too far," he answered. He smiled when I laughed. "I would if I could, though I'd probably be a huge wimp about it. I'd probably beg for drugs once the first contraction hit."
"I probably will, too," I answered.
"Then, I'll make sure you get them."
I squeezed his hand, still smiling. My firestorm of tears had worn me out and my eyelids were suddenly heavy.
"Will you lay here with me for a while?" I asked.
"I can do that."
"Good, 'cause I need you," I muttered.
"You have me."
"For now," I whispered already more than half asleep.
17
There was someone in my bed.
That was my first thought as I woke up.
My second thought was that I didn't mind in the least because it wasn't just anyone. It was J.J.
I knew because I slit my eyes open and I could see his chest and legs stretched out in front of me. My cheek rested on his chest and I had one leg thrown over his.
His body was warm and firm against mine and it reminded me of the night we'd spent together.
I shifted against him as heat bloomed in my belly and spread through my limbs. His arm pulled me closer to his body and he turned toward me. As his body shifted, my thigh ended up resting on his hips. One of his arms was beneath my body at waist level. The other wrapped around me from above and slid down to cup my butt, pulling my body completely against his.
I looked at him through the screen of my eyelashes and saw that his eyes were closed. He was still asleep.
His hand kneaded my butt and I arched into him. I couldn't help it. His touch set me on fire our first night together, but now that I was in love with him...it was so much more.
My fingers flexed, digging into the muscles of his shoulder. "Jay," I whispered.
His eyes opened at the sound of my voice. "Hey," he murmured, his voice rough with sleep.
The hand on my butt slid down to my thigh, lifting my leg higher against his hip. I could feel his erection pressing between my thighs, exactly where a low throb began to build.
"Jay." My hand moved from his shoulder to cup the back of his head. "Kiss me."
His lips touched mine—soft, gentle, yet earth-shattering.
When the kiss ended, I opened my eyes and found him watching me. "Lee—"
I kissed him again, harder and deeper this time. "I know what I'm doing," I said when I pulled back, panting. "And I want this. All I need to know is if you want it, too."
His answer was to kiss me again and roll over so that he hovered over me. I twined my legs around his hips and rocked against him.
My fingers slipped beneath the back of his t-shirt, running up the hot skin of his back.
Just as I was getting ready to yank it over his head, I heard the Klaxon on my phone blowing up in the kitchen.
"Oh, no!" I gasped. "That's my alarm."
J.J. lifted his head and stared down at me. "Alarm for what?"
"It's my fifteen-minute warning before I have to leave for work."
He dropped his forehead on the pillow next to my head. After a moment, he lifted it again. "I could do a passable job in fifteen minutes."
I seriously considered it until he laughed down at me.
"I'm kidding, Lee." He kissed me soundly. "Although it makes me happy that you'd be satisfied with a passable job."
"It wouldn't take much," I muttered.
"Do not say things like that when you have to get up and get ready for work," he demanded.
It was my turn to laugh.
He stared down at me, brushing a hank of hair away from my cheek. "Can we pick this up when you get home?" he asked.
"Definitely," I answered.
"Are you taking your dinner tonight?" he asked.
I huffed and shook my head. "No, your sister is ordering pizza. She said that I deserve a treat for putting up with you for nearly a month."
"Ouch, that hurts," he joked, smiling back at me.
"I'm only working a five-hour shift tonight," I said. "So I'm not technically required a dinner break. According to the law."
"Maybe not, but Cam is too excited about her niece or nephew to let you skip a meal."
"Probably because you called her and told her I was skipping meals," I grumbled.
J.J. laughed, kissed the tip of my nose, and rolled off me. "You were."
"Only because your child was making me sick," I argued.
He'd just gotten to his feet next to the bed when I said it, but he stopped and stared down at me.
"What?" I asked, pushing myself up on my elbows. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm good," he answered. "Get up and get ready for work. I'll get you a drink for the road."
I sat up the rest of the way on the bed and watched him leave the room. I bit back a smile when he stopped just in the doorway to reach down and adjust himself.
When he was gone, I got off the bed and hurried into the bathroom to get ready. I needed to leave in ten minutes or I'd be late.
Five minutes later, I walked into the kitchen to find J.J. leaning over the sink, his hands resting on the edge. His eyes were focused on the backyard through the window over the sink.
He turned toward me when he heard my footsteps on the floor. I hesitated at the look on his face but he lifted a hand and said, "Come here."
I came closer until he took my hand and tugged me into him so my body rested against his.