He might make a move tonight. He’s going crazy without her, and sleeping side by side isn’t enough to stifle the ache. Addison runs hot and cold these days, either ready to pin him to the bed and make the whole thing shake or telling him in no uncertain terms that if he touches her, he will lose a finger.
Wyatt can be patient. He’s the one who put her in this situation, after all. Sure, they discussed it. One might say they discussed it for far longer than anyone has considered such a thing after the world ended. They had to be sure, though, especially after what happened the last time.
He was against it, unwilling to risk her safety or both their hearts. In the end, they chose not to get pregnant because doing such a thing willingly, in their situation, was just about the dumbest decision a couple could make.
And then the condom broke. Turns out, they tend to do that after multiple years have passed since the manufactured date.
The morning after pill they looted from a pharmacy two counties over had the same, useless effect.
Now here they are, almost nine months into this journey, and he’s wanted few things more than he wants to meet their daughter soon.
Well, currently, his main wish is to coast past the current mood swing that has Addison crawling out of her skin every time he looks at her wrong.
It’s not until they’re out in the barn that he realizes he’ll have to jerk off for a second time today.
All he can see is the sight of her ass as she bends to rake up excess hay. He could swear she’s doing it on purpose, so he gets a full view but quickly dismisses the idea.
Then she does it again, bending to rake a certain section that has her backside facing him, and…is she glancing his way out of the corner of her eye?
No.
Of course not.
She’s doing barn chores after he told her to take it easy, and that’s all there is to it. He’s only hallucinating because his balls have never been bluer. He’d see sex in one of those crackers given the chance, like some people see Jesus in slices of toast.
He licks his lips and imagines the two of them moving into one of the empty stalls where he’d take her in a pile of freshly raked hay, but he’s only torturing himself.
Emma is with them. Without privacy, they’re out of luck. More than that, she hasn’t attempted to flirt with him once today. Not a look, comment, or a sassy smile. Nothing. It’s left him bereft if he’s being honest, but he reminds himself this isn’t about him.
Addison’s back is sore, and her feet are still swollen. He’s selfish to assume that she should sex him up because he’s vibrating with need.
That doesn’t mean he can stop looking. His gaze soon travels from that tight ass up to the dip in her collarbones. How badly he wants to trace them with his tongue and lick the salt off her skin.
Her hair is growing longer, too, he notices. Curling at the tips, wispy and soft. She’s ethereal in shimmering sunlight streaming through cracks in the barn wood. Then she catches him staring, and her look of concentration transforms into a frown.
He thinks she might say something, but the moment she takes a step, she trips on thin air. Too far away to break her descent already in progress, he’s forced to watch it play out like a train wreck, but her fall turns into a somersault landing her upright on her ass.
With a tilt of his head, unsure if she meant to complete a gymnastics routine or if it was an accident, he huffs. “What the—”
“I fell on that stupid salt block and had to protect the baby,” she tells him, as if it’s the most logical thing.
They stare at each other for a beat before breaking out into mutual laughter, which triggers Emma’s giggle from a stall.
“That was impressive.” He smirks. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. I’ve got moves you’ve never seen,” she laughs, but it becomes clear that once she’s begun, she can’t stop.
Her laughter turns into tears until she has to rest on a hay bale to try to gather herself.
What does he do? What does he say? He’s out of his depth here.
“I’m so confused.” She throws her hands up with a shrug as he sits beside her.
He reaches over to wipe the tears off her face with a gentle thumb. “My girl is so damn pretty, and she’s an acrobat, too. I fucking scored.”
She nudges him with her elbow. “Stop it, or I’ll drown in my own snot.”
“That was some Cirque du Soleil shit right there.”
