She nodded. “The baby moved.” Livvy took his hand, placing it over the spot. “Wait for it,” she instructed.
Ethan did, but he didn’t have to wait for his body to tell him that this felt amazing. And intimate. The kind of touching couples did, and Livvy and he weren’t together like that.
That thought flew out of his head when he felt the little thump beneath his hand. Yeah, definitely amazing, and he laughed before he could stop himself.
“When did that start?” he asked.
“A few weeks ago. The doctor says that’s right on time and that the baby’s movements and kicks will get harder.”
Definitely amazing to think of all that going on inside her, and this was just the beginning. Five months into something that would change both of their lives forever. Heck, it already had.
“You saw the ultrasound,” Livvy reminded him. “So, you know whether this is a boy kick or a girl kick.”
Ethan nodded and eased back his hand. “I do. Do you want to know?”
She stayed quiet, obviously considering it, and shook her head. “Now doesn’t seem the right time. Not with a murder investigation hanging over us. It should be celebrated. Not one of those gender reveals,” Livvy quickly added. “Just…uh…well, something we can savor.”
Savor. A certain part of his body thought that was a great word. An accurate one that didn’t only apply to learning such a vital detail about their baby.
Yeah, being around Livvy wasn’t easy.
The images of her flashed through his head. Images of that night when she’d been naked and on the sofa with him. He’dkissed her then. Held her. But mainly it’d been a frantic rush to try to sate the fire that had ignited inside them.
The fire that was still there.
Ethan tried to force himself to turn away from her. It didn’t work. Nothing did. He just felt that damn heat consuming him again. Felt that need for her clawing away at him.
“Uh, I could go back inside,” she offered, clearly aware of what was going on. Of course she was. Because he could see that same fire in her eyes.
She actually managed to move and was in mid-turn when Ethan slid his arm around her and pulled her to him. He did exactly what he knew he shouldn’t do.
He kissed her.
Their lips touched. Barely. Breath to breath. But even that slight touch alerted him that this was about to turn into something much more. Something hot and filled with need that could quickly get out of control.
Did that stop him?
Nope. Ethan just skimmed his hand down her back, and he inched her closer. Then, closer. Until their mouths were no longer just touching. Until this wasn’t just some peck of comfort either. This was a full-on kiss that kicked up those flames big time.
He deepened the kiss, angling his mouth to hers. Livvy did her own share of maneuvering and angling as well. She had given into the fire and need as quickly as he had. And that wasn’t a good thing. One of them needed to stay in control here, or they’d land in bed again.
But Ethan couldn’t stop himself. Couldn’t stop this out-of-control need he had for her.
She smelled so good, her scent curling around him. He wanted to start a long, slow kiss so he could taste every inch ofher. Then he’d make love to her. For hours. A lofty goal since he was already primed and ready to go.
The need just kept on building, rushing through him along with her taste and the feel of her body against him. In that moment, he’d never wanted anyone as much as he did Livvy.
And that came through in the kiss.
He slid his tongue over her bottom lip, tasting her. Taking in even more of her. His pulse was thundering now, his breath was stalled in his lungs, and every part of him was on fire. Still, somehow he managed to hear something.
The geese.
They were squawking, and Ethan instantly knew they were alerting to a visitor. He cursed himself for having Livvy out in the open like this. For letting his guard down. Then, Ethan did more cursing when he saw the familiar car slam to a stop in front of his house.
Hell, it was Vernice.
His former mother-in-law bolted from her vehicle, and Ethan didn’t have to guess if she’d witnessed that kiss. She had. No doubts about that. She looked enraged, and she stormed toward them.
