Absentminded Angel(Divine Creek Ranch 20)(11)

Whit made a snorting sound and began rooting and Presley Ann smiled as Kendry shifted the baby in his arms. “Can’t help you there, buddy.” He didn’t seem at all embarrassed.

Grabbing the receiving blanket from Kendry’s shoulder, she flipped it over her shoulder and hissed softly at the pain the simple movement sent through her wrist. Kendry handed Whit to her and she turned away and parted the overlapping neckline on her top, got Whit latched on, and then draped the blanket so she had a little privacy before going to her rocker.

Frowning, Kendry knelt down and lifted the hand she was using to stroke Whit as he began suckling in earnest. She smiled, because this part she could deal with. At least until Kendry manipulated her wrist and her thumb. She hissed at the sharp pain that had been nagging her for two weeks.

“That hurts?” He glanced at her and moved it in a different direction and she flinched when pain shot up her forearm to her elbow. “I’m sorry, kitten. Looks like tendonitis, and tennis elbow, too. A brace will help. You’ve been holding Whit a lot, haven’t you?”

A lot. A whole lot. A looot.

She nodded. “He hasn’t been sleeping or napping well since the end of the first week.”

She’d loaded him up when he was four days old, to take a little ride and go visiting. Get a little fresh air. How smug she’d been, thinking she had this mommy stuff down. Whit was so good and nursed so well that she’d disregarded when Emma had cautioned her to take her time getting back up to speed.

That night, Whit had introduced her to colic. She’d thought he was dying and almost called 911. She’d called Emma instead and the doctor had assured her it was just colic. Just colic. She hadn’t left the apartment since then. Nights were a misery and days weren’t much better. And the baby blues had struck, along with exhaustion.

She wanted to be strong but she’d never felt more weak.

Kendry stroked her knee and she could feel the comforting heat of his hand through the gauze of her skirt. Embarrassment heated her cheeks when the sensation set off another letdown reflex. Whit sounded like he was having difficulty keeping up as he glug-glug-glugged. She tipped his head up a little bit to keep him from choking but didn’t move for fear of breaking the moment as Kendry looked into her eyes. His cheeks took on a slightly ruddy hue and she blushed even harder, thinking he might’ve caught on to what he’d done with his simple touch.

She inhaled a stuttering breath and licked her lower lip, slowly leaning toward him as if drawn by a magnet. Their breaths mingled as he moved closer and their lips brushed against each other, their warm skin meshing together like silk on silk, barely making contact. Suddenly Whit popped loose and thrashed out an arm, interrupting the moment. Kendry looked down and his expression went blank as a cool draft wafted over the upper curve of her breast and the cool air tightened her damp, exposed, nipple.

Oh. My. God.

But like the eager little piglet that he was, Whit rooted around until he found the source of his nourishment. He patted her breast and squirmed closer, now perfectly content, as though he hadn’t been screaming at the top of his lungs for the last five hours solid. And half the night. And most of the previous day. And all of the previous night. And…

Her head bobbed and then she blinked as she looked into Kendry’s concerned blue-gray eyes.

“Whoa. You just zoned out on me for a few seconds there. I don’t think you’re going anywhere until after you’ve had a nap.”

As a testament to her sleep-deprived state, she gasped as she realized they’d just kissed and she’d flashed him—and then she’d done the Jell-O-neck-head-bob while he watched. But hey, at least she was distracted from her headache. It struck her as funny for some odd reason and she started to giggle. Kendry smiled at her, she got tickled all over again, and before long her laughter involved her entire body. Whit stopped nursing and when she peeked behind the drape he was staring up at her as if she’d grown another head. That struck her as hysterically funny and she laughed some more until tears were streaming down her cheeks and then held a hand to her head as the pounding increased. “Oh. Ow.”

She tried to dial it back and took some deep breaths as Kendry grinned and asked, “What’s so funny?”

“I’m seriously loopy, that’s all. I just fell asleep sitting up, after sharing a very sweet kiss with you and then flashing my mommy boobs at you.”

Kendry chuckled. “Actually, it was only one mommy boob, and it was very nice, if you want my opinion. Kitten, you need a little break. Finish nursing him, we’ll change him, and then I want you to lay down for a while.”