“Maybe we should get Whit settled before you enact your plan of distraction.”
Jared chuckled as he caressed her cheek. “I’ll start the bathtub filling.”
“I’ll get him undressed.”
She lifted Whit from the sling and removed his fuzzy one-piece outfit, sighing with relief when his first reaction wasn’t to the cold. The small house was plenty warm compared to her apartment. The tub was filling when Jared came into the bedroom and gestured to the small fireplace. “I’ll get a little fire started in here while you bathe him.”
She’d imagined him or Kendry doing that as she’d worked earlier, imagining how romantic the lit fireplace would make that room. “I’d love that.”
Kneeling in front of the tub as she bathed Whit, she wondered what else the night held in store. She was surprised she wasn’t more tired, after all the activity. When she’d moved into the apartment above Marvin’s shop, she’d felt like dying afterward because she’d done it all by herself. This time was different. The whole experience was different. There was still a voice whispering in the back of her mind that she didn’t deserve better. Shaking her head, she dispelled those thoughts and giggled when Whit accidentally splashed water into his face and grimaced.
By the time she was done bathing and dressing Whit, he was already half asleep. She settled in the rocker in the living room to nurse him one last time. Jared came in from the bedroom, and her heart thudded when she saw his bare chest and feet. Her body went liquid at the sight of the muscled expanse of his torso, enticing her eyes downward to the lean cut of his hips and the happy trail descending into the waistband of his jeans.
Looking up, she caught him watching her reaction, and the slight smile that crooked his lips made a blush steal over her whole body.
A strong tingle swept through her and she was distracted by the sound of Whit coughing. Jared frowned and drew closer as she lifted Whit’s head a little higher on her arm and murmured apologetically to him. “I think I overwhelmed him.” She bit her lip and looked up at Jared. “Because someone overwhelmed me.”
Jared lowered to one knee and she lost herself in his pale blue-gray gaze as he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. He looked down at the nursing baby, discreetly draped in her arms. With a glance up at her, he lifted the corner of the blanket, and her heart began beating so loudly he had to be able to hear it as he uncovered her completely.
Whit’s eyes were already closed, but his sucking was strong as he took his nightly meal, and she smiled when he patted her with his pudgy hand. Few things felt as good as knowing she was doing a good job as a mother, evidenced by the way he’d filled out. Jared smiled and stroked his chubby little cheek. Snared in Jared’s gaze, she felt precious…and powerful, as he watched her feed Whit.
When the baby was ready to be turned, she made the switch without looking away from Jared. She’d done it so many times she could practically do it in her sleep. She was about to do up the snap that closed the open cup of her underwire bra but he stayed her hand as Whit latched on, on the other side.
Still holding her gaze captive, he stroked her exposed breast, making her gasp and tremble. Her damp nipple tightened to a stinging point as he strummed it with the back of his fingers. Slowly bending forward, he finally broke eye contact with her as he kissed the side swell.
She drew in a sharp breath as her pussy ached with pleasure.
His rough fingers raised gooseflesh on her skin as he stroked her for a few more seconds, and then he whispered, “You’re very sexy when you’re like this.” He went a step further and secured the snap for her, making her miss the heat of his callused hand.
The sincerity in his voice made her body quiver. He said that because he meant it and not because she needed the reassurance, although it was nice to know her more rounded curves turned him on. He stood to his full height, and with his erection at eye level she had no doubts where the night was headed. A few seconds later, Whit popped loose, slack jawed and nearly asleep.
Jared helped her rise from the rocker and murmured, “I’ll be in the bedroom.” After burping Whit, she placed him in his crib and said a prayer of thanks when he curled up and went to sleep without a fuss.
“Good baby,” she whispered as she stroked his hair and covered his bottom half with a warm blanket and placed his teddy bear beside him.
Jared lit the pillar candles on the bedside tables, adding to the golden light cast by the little fireplace. She stood before it, hands outstretched, although not because she was cold. She closed her eyes and listened to the rain pounding on the roof and the windows, and the distant roll of thunder. Amidst the sounds of the storm, she heard the rustle of fabric and the hiss of a zipper being lowered. Imagining him as the golden light shone on his nudity made her melt, and her pussy quivered and ached for his touch.