“Hi Tina!”
Smiling, I reply, “Hi Ceecee. How are you, angel?”
She looks up in thought, “I’m okay.”
Okay? Just okay?
I don’t like that. Children should be happy. They should at least be good.
I walk toward her, stroke her cheek and ask, “Everything okay?”
She sighs, “Yeah, I guess.”
I can see she doesn’t really want to talk about it. There is hesitance written all over her sweet face.
“Well, if you ever want to talk to me about anything,” I say as I walk back to my purse, pull out paper and a pen and start writing, “here is my phone number.”
She looks at the paper in wonder, eyes wide and whispers, “I can call you anytime?”
Without hesitating I answer, “Anytime at all. If you ever feel like you want to talk or need some advice, I’ll be available on that number, sweetie.”
Her face transitions from shock to happiness and she beams at me, “Thanks Tina.” She folds the paper and puts it in her pocket.#p#分页标题#e#
We both move out of the kitchen to find the pizza has arrived. I make a plate for Ceecee, bring it over to her and kiss her forehead.
Mia would be five if she were alive.
I can’t stop the pain from clutching my heart. I think about her every day and I wonder what my life would be like if she were still here. It’s a moot point. She’s not here. I miss her, though.
Max tells Ceecee to get ready for bed and she makes her way to a hallway on the top right corner of the room. I want to see the rest of the house and am already scheming to sneak off later on and explore.
I feel someone behind me. An arm moves across the top of my chest and I’m pulled back into a hard body. I look up and Nik is looking at me apprehensively.
My eyes widen and I ask, “What?”
He shakes his head and rests his cheek on my temple. “I dunno. You just looked sad for a minute. I thought maybe you were thinkin’ about Ceecee. You looked like you needed a hug.”
I turn in to face him and hug his waist tight. I respond, “I always need a hug. Thanks.”
He doesn’t say anything for a long time and then, “Peaches.”
Peaches, what?
I don’t say anything. He leans down closer to my neck, he puts his nose under my ear and I feel his lips at my neck. “You smell like peaches.”
Oh.
My stomach has the butterflies and I squeeze him tighter. And I feel something hard on my upper hip. Warmth spreads through my belly.
Oh my lord. Is that a…? Does he have a…?
The thought of Nik getting a hard on from my scent makes my legs shake and my core moistens.
His lips are still at my neck and he breathes me in, “Goddamn, you smell good, Tina. Good enough to eat.”
He nips my neck with his teeth, I shudder and almost moan. I loosen my hold on him and turn my half-lidded eyes up to his. My voice hoarse, I respond, “Maybe you should try a cupcake instead. I’m sure they’d taste better than me.”
Nik closes his eyes, looking pained and says, “I don’t think anything would taste as good as you.”
He turns and walks away. I’m left thinking in my own thoughts.
What just happened?
***
Max puts Ceecee to bed and turns on the baby monitor we keep on the mantel. Her bedroom is the last at the end of the hallway and a bit far away so if she calls out we can’t hear her unless the monitor is on. It works out well, this way we don’t have to be quiet for her to sleep.
I’m still painfully hard.
I want Tina in my bed. Not just for sex. I want to do all the stuff you do with people you care about. I want to kiss her and taste every inch of her gorgeous body. I want to hold her while she sleeps. I want to protect her from everything that’s bad in the world. I want her to need me. But we’re friends. And friends don’t do shit like that.
You need to snap out of it.
Yeah, I do. Tina asked for my friendship and that’s what I’m going to give her. If I can’t have her in my bed, I’ll take her any way I can get her.
I don’t know how to explain it without sounding like a pussy. I’ve never felt this way about a woman before. She makes my day brighter. I’m happier when I’m with her. I’ve never been good with it but I want to give her my affections. She’s my little goofball. I love that she wears her heart on her sleeve. She gives everyone she meets a small piece of her big heart.
I feel my body become lax.
Thank god.
It would suck if I spent the entire evening hard.
We all sit at the poker table, eating and drinking, then it’s time to play.#p#分页标题#e#
Tina looks around the table and smiles big, “So, how do you play?”