Jerry squeezed my foot once before he got up to get the pump for me. “You’re already such a great daddy, August.”
I wanted so very much to believe that was true.
13
Lazlo
Weputthebasinetin August’s room so he could keep Mia next to the bed. He’d objected, but only because he thought he should. There was no disguising the longing he felt to take care of his daughter. It was written all over his face every time he looked at her, but he even tried not to do too much of that. It was like he thought he had no right to even gaze at her for too long. He had all the signs of being an attentive, loving parent, which made me think he was probably going to run. He was trying to keep his distance to keep his heart safe—or hers. But I was determined to find a way that he could stay.
Jerry hadn’t listened to a single objection, just turned on the baby monitor and set it on the dresser. “Call if you need help, and we’ll be here straight away. You’re not alone in this, August.”
That was all it took to melt August’s objections, and he’d sunk down into the pillows. “Okay, if you’re sure.”
“We’re sure,” I’d told him, pulling the blanket over him and tucking him in. I couldn’t resist brushing the hair back from his forehead, and he sighed, his eyes drifting closed.
Now, back downstairs, with my ear to the monitor, I could hear their soft breathing. They were both asleep. It wasn’t even dark out yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were down for the night—or at least until Mia’s first feeding in a couple hours.
Jerry was helping Sam with something upstairs, and I could hear Sam’s giggles through the floor. Smiling, I snuck into the kitchen to wash up the dinner dishes. It was surprising how quickly I’d grown comfortable here, in Jerry’s space. I couldn’t fathom how someone so amazing was still single. He really was a catch, and I couldn’t believe my luck that he saw something in me worth getting to know.
Whatever was growing between us was new, but it was also potent, the way it made me feel like I was leaping headfirst into a new phase of my life. I was probably getting ahead of myself, but taking care of August, we had both stepped into this role as easily as breathing. But what if our fragile new relationship became entirely about that? What if, after August got better and moved on, we simply no longer knew how to exist together… without him? Because honestly, the thought of August leaving caused physical discomfort. Was this normal?
I rubbed at the ache behind my sternum with soapy fingers. It was way too early to be trying to figure this out, and it wasn’t something I could do alone, either.
Even if the old farmhouse hadn’t alerted me to Jer’s approach as he came down the groaning stairs, I still would’ve known. His presence made itself known well before he ever walked into a room, and the whiff of his cologne I caught was enough to have my heart racing.
I glanced over to find him leaning against the doorframe, watching me with a little irritation and a lot of heat. “What are you doing?” he scolded lightly.
“Knitting a sweater,” I sassed. “Obviously.”
He huffed a laugh and pushed off the wall to come closer. “You’re a guest. You know you don’t have to…”
“I want to,” I insisted, cutting him off. I glanced up, feeling a little shy before admitting, “I don’t feel like a guest.”
There was a pause, before he nodded. “No, you don’t. You feel like a fixture. In the house, in my life.”
I flicked some soap suds at him in mock outrage. “A fixture? What, like a sink? Or a chandelier?”
Jerry was close enough at my back that I could feel the heat coming off him, and I fought not to turn around and face him. “Hmm, maybe a light switch that turns me on, or a bathtub I could sink into…”
He left a bare inch between our bodies, without ever touching, but I wanted to be touched.Neededit. To be so close to him all day without contact had been torture. I tipped back on my heels until his chest brushed my back, and it snapped the tether he had on his control. He melted into me with a low growl, his hands coming around my waist and pulling me back into him. His fingers splayed over my abdomen, and I dropped the pan I was holding back into the sink with a soapy splash.
“Jerry…” I should tell him to stop, that this was the wrong time, the wrong place.
“Yes, Lazlo?” he murmured against my neck, the slip of his tongue over my carotid enough to make my brain short circuit.
“Mmm, I forget. Do that again.” For this brief moment, we were alone, and I would cling to this stolen moment with both hands.
As requested, he grabbed a fistful of my hair and angled my head to the side so he could lick the column of my throat again,the scratch of his whiskers making me see stars. I blew out a breathy moan, forgetting the suds on my hands as I reached back to hold him to me. Water sloshed over the floor and soaked into our clothes, but neither of us cared. His fingers tucked into my waistband, and I arched my hips, but no matter how I urged him to go further south, he kept his touch frustratingly PG-13. I ground back, relishing the feel of his erection pressing into my ass.
I tried to slide my hand behind me, reaching for his cock, but he grabbed my wrist, holding my hand away from his body, while his other hand came up to my throat, pinning me in place. He huffed a laugh, full of heady frustration. “If you touch me right now, it will be that much harder to stop myself from claiming you properly, so I need you to be good for me. For now… But I promise you can be bad later, and I will take great pleasure in punishing you.”
He released me, and I balled my fists to keep myself in check. I wanted to behave, to earn his praise, but on the flip side, Ireallywanted to see how his body responded to me—to my hands, my mouth, my ass. Whatever he needed, I wanted to be the one to give it to him.
Panting, I angled myself to kiss him over my shoulder, and as his tongue invaded my mouth, he gripped my length through my jeans, squeezing hard. Precum dampened my boxers as he ran his thumb across the outline of my crown. He swallowed down my whimper.
“Can you be quiet, Doc?” he asked, and I nodded frantically, even as his hand slid up my chest under my shirt. His fingers found my nipple and gave it a gentle twist, and between that and stroking my cock, I suddenly wasn’t sure if that was true.
“Hey, Jerry?” Sam called down the stairs, and just like that, the decision was taken from me. It was like a bucket of ice water being dumped over us. Jerry stepped back, cold air rushing in,and I dunked my hands back into the sudsy water, pretending like I’d been washing dishes this whole time. Nope, nothing going on here. I absolutely wasn’t hiding my hard-on against the counter.
