“You’re aching for me too, aren’t you?” He teases my other nipple with a pinch, his devilish snicker rumbling when I groan his name. His hands slide to my thighs, cracking them open so quickly I gasp in surprise. “Tell me.” He knowsexactlywhat he’sdoing to me. I’d have something to say about the teasing if it didn’t feel so damn good. Biting my lip, I nod against his chest instead. “I need your words, Willa…”
“You’re driving me fucking crazy,” I whine.
“Fuck, I miss these.” His hands caress my inner thighs, then slowly brush against the wetness seeping into my leggings. “This.” Softly, they slide over my belly until his thumbs brush my nipples. “Definitely these.”
I’m squirming all over him, trying to get something,anything, to give me relief. Gripping my hips, he angles just a fraction so I can reallyfeelhim, and a string of indulgent obscenities falls from my lips. “Please.”
“Wecan’t,”he whispers, nipping my ear. “Not yet. I just wanted to remind you what you do to me.” He chuckles when I struggle against his hold on my waist. “Now we can suffer together.”
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
TREVOR
Tossing another pink giraffe in the cart, I smile at the eye roll Willa sends my way.
“Yeah, because five isn’t an excessive number of pink giraffes for a newborn to have…” Her sarcasm is clear, but the fake scowl gives way to a cute little smirk.
“You’re right. Let’s balance it out with some pink elephants.” I wink, and she pushes the cart past me.
Last night, I suggested we spend our Saturday morning looking at baby clothes and nursery items now that we know we’re having a girl. Willa’s transitioning her home studio to make room for the baby, and we’ve cleared enough space to decorate. After being stuck in the house for the last few weeks, she eagerly jumped at the opportunity to run errands. I haven’t seen her wince at the steadily growing crowd once. Reaching for the shelf, I snag an elephant.
“Tre, you’re going to spoil her.”
“Good. Then she’ll grow up knowing she deserves to be spoiled.” I dodge another eye roll by dropping a kiss on her forehead. “A lesson her mama still needs to learn.”
“Oh, and you think you’re the one who’s going to teach me?”
“All part of my master plan.” I cover Willa’s hand on theshopping cart, and she spreads her fingers, letting mine fill the space in between. We round the corner and face a wall full of diapers. “Do you think it’s too early to start stocking up?”
A puff of air wheezes past her lips as she settles into a pout. “I don’t even know. I’ve read every single baby book in the house and still have no idea what I’m doing.”
“I mean, you’re not supposed to know everything, Gem,” I tease.
“Sounds fake.” She laughs, but the smile falls from her face. “I don’t know the first thing about babies. Hell, I don’t even know how to be a good mom.”
“Whoa. Hey. Nope.” I angle the cart to the side and turn her to face me. “We’re not doing that.”
“It’s true! You’ve seen what I grew up with. What if I’m just like her?”
“You won’t be.”
“I might…”
I tug her toward me. “You won’t, and the fact that you’re worried about it now shows you won’t. You know what it was like to grow up in that environment. You overcame it. I have nodoubts you’ll do everything in your power to give our daughter all the love and support in the world.”
“I don’t even know how to change a diaper, Tre.” Tears well in Willa’s eyes, and I wrap my arms around her shoulders, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“Good thing they have classes for that. We can sign up for one when we get home.”
“I should probably call my therapist…”
“That’s a good idea.” I nod. She looks up at me and sniffles, smiling a little when I wipe the wetness from her cheeks. “Just to help you feel a little more confident in yourself. You’ve got this, sweetheart.We’vegot this, and you don’t have to figure everything out on your own anymore.”
Willa snuggles into me and sighs. “It still feels like I do.”
“Well, you don’t.” I stroke her back, hoping to ease her mind. “You have me now. And Ash and Hunter, and your therapist. Sam. Even the girls at the studio have your back. We’re all here for you, and we’re all cheering you on.”
She props her chin on my chest to look up at me, and despite the red-rimmed eyes, she smiles. “I have you.”
