My eyes flashed open and bounced around the foreign room, trying to piece together how I ended up here. I didn’t recognize the blank white walls, tall ceilings, or hallway that led into an impressive looking bathroom. Anxiety spiked in my heart, but then my eyes landed on a tattooed hand.
Breathing deeply, I felt my body slowly calm down. I just wondered if there’d ever be a time when that reaction would disappear. If I’d ever feel comfort before the panic, because the panic wasn’t very pleasant.
A light kiss landed on my shoulder. “I’ll erase it completely one of these days, I promise,” JP whispered in a groggy morning voice behind me, making me wonder if I voiced that concern aloud, or if he could just read me that well. Reaching for my hips, he wrapped me tighter in his arms and planted a scratchy kiss against my head. I settled back into his arms, loving the feeling of his warm skin, but—
“Woah, nope.” I immediately pushed away and turned to face him.
“What? Why?” He gave a lazy smile and stretched his muscular arms above his head. I hated the magnetic pull I felt towards him.Why did he have to be so attractive with his neck tattoo and scratchy scruff covered jawline?
“Friends,” I said sternly. I grabbed a pillow and wedged it between us in the bed.
A laugh broke out of him. “A tiny pillow decides that?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yesterday was the exception. We shouldn’t have slept in here together. It’ll confuse things.”
“Okay, you’re right. We’re friends. I don’t want to ruin anything either,” he said sleepily. “But you’re also pregnant and had a stressful day yesterday. What do you need? Food? Water? Cuddles? Massage?”
I bit my lip, feeling caught in indecision. I totally knew I should say no to every offer, but the memory of his large hands smoothing down my body was too tempting to decline. “Yes.”
He raised a curious eyebrow. “Yes to…?”
“Massage,” I said, hating the way my face heated up.
He did a crap job of covering his grin, making me roll my eyes. But as soon as his large hands smoothed up my t-shirt and grabbed my waist, any bit of regret I had disappeared. When he rolled up to straddle me with his muscular thighs, I closed my eyes to fully enjoy the experience—and to stop myself from ogling him. His hands slowly traveled down my body, loosening my muscles. He dug into a knot in my back, making me sigh in relief.
“Thatta girl.” His rough chuckle skated down my spine.
I popped one eye open. “How are you so good at this?” I asked skeptically. He wasn’t giving a regular old joe-schmo massage; he moved his hands skillfully and methodically.
His lips tilted up in a smirk. “I’ve messed up my back and shoulders so many times through the years. I get massages almost every week at the rink.”
He was now sitting on his knees in his boxer briefs at the foot of the bed, massaging my calves. As much as I enjoyed the way his large hands rubbed me, I couldn’t help but notice our size difference.
Feeling my tension, his brows knit together. He hit my foot against his chest, as if he could knock the tension out of me.
“JP,” I said worriedly.
“Hmm?” he answered distractedly.
“You’re really big,” I said, my eyes taking in every inch of his muscular chest.
“Yeah?” He chuckled.
My mouth went dry. “I’m really not.”
“Yeah, that’s not news.” The corner of his eyes crinkled with a smile.
“This baby is going to eat me alive.” My heart pounded in my chest. “It’s going to be so big. It’s going to have nowhere to go.” I propped up on my elbows to study my abdomen. “It’s going to stretch into my brain.”
“No, it’s not,” he said, laughing. His palm landed on my stomach, and it quite literally took up my whole stomach. His thumb grazed my boob, and his pinky touched the top of my undies. “I promise it’s not. I was a small baby.”
My eyes went to his grey ones. “You were?”
“I mean.” His muscular shoulders shrugged. “All babies are small, right?”
“No, they’re really not!” I flung myself back against the pillows and covered my face.
“Hey, it’ll be okay,” he said, struggling to keep laughter out of his voice. “Take it easy. It’s not an alien, it’s a baby. Half of me and half of you.”
