"And if I'm not with you?" Sage asked, feeling the heat from his body, his fresh, citrus-masculine-Tyce smell drifting up her nose. Her sensitive nipples tightened and her blood slowly heated.
"The kid will have to hold it," Tyce replied before flashing her one of his sexy, oh-so-rare grins. "I'm kidding. I'll do my share but, fair warning, I'll try and charm you into doing it if I can. If I can't charm you, I might resort to begging."
He'd probably succeed too, Sage thought as drops of water from the frozen packet of peas ran down her butt and she twisted her arm, wanting to pull the bag away.
Tyce placed his hand on hers and shook his head. "Five more minutes. Please?"
Sage pulled her hand out from under his and gave him a reluctant nod. Tyce's hand moved up to her shoulder so she partially spun around so that the back of her head rested on his chest. She looked down at her sheet of paper.
"The two most important qualities I want my child to possess? Mmm, that's hard."
Tyce didn't hesitate. "Resilience and determination."
Sage nodded, immediately understanding that his childhood would've been even more difficult if he hadn't been blessed with enormous doses of those traits.
"You?" Tyce asked.
Sage bit the inside of her lip. "I'd like our child to be bold and courageous. To have confidence."
"Just like her, or his, mama."
Sage tipped her head back, saw the warmth in his eyes and wanted to explain that she wasn't bold, or brave. She was scared to live life to the fullest, scared of what life had in store for her, scared to love, to open herself up and feel. She wanted to tell Tyce that her default habit was to run from people and situations that made her feel uncomfortable, that every day she spent with him was a curious combination of terror and exhilaration. He made her feel alive, like she was plugged into an unseen source of energy that replenished and renewed. She also had a knot in her stomach because she knew that this couldn't last, her bruises would fade and Tyce would move back to the periphery of her life, leaving her feeling empty and alone.
Sage saw Tyce swallow, noticed that he clutched the paper a little tighter, felt the tension radiating off him. He cleared his throat and when he spoke his voice was a low growl. "Next question... I know my partner is going to be a wonderful parent because...hell."
Sage faced him and she caught the fear in his eyes, the flicker of insecurity that crossed his face. She frowned. "Wait... Do you not think that you will be a good parent?"
Tyce's expression changed to inscrutability and, because she did it herself, Sage knew that it was his way of retreating, silently telling her that he didn't want to continue this discussion. She took the piece of paper from his hand, dropped it, and the bag of peas, to the floor. She turned to face him and placed her hand on his heart and felt the thud-thud-thud of his heart beneath her palm. "Why on earth would you think that?"
Tyce took a long time to answer. "Because I had a crappy upbringing? Because I never had chance to be a child so I have no idea how to relate to one? How am I going to deal with a child when I can barely tolerate people?"
"You seem to be able to tolerate me," Sage pointed out.
Tyce raked his hand through his hair. "Yeah, well, you...you're the exception to the rule."
It would be easy to make a joke in order to lighten the mood, to push away the cloud of emotion hanging over their heads. But Sage didn't want to, not this time, this one time. Sage lifted her hand to run her fingers along his jaw. "Tyce, you're a man who steps up to the plate, who accepts his responsibilities, who does the right thing. Sure, you're not the most voluble person in the world but, when you speak, you always have something valuable to say. You're intelligent and talented-" her fingers drifted over his mouth and she handed him a small smile "-and you're hot. Our baby will be just fine and you will be too."
Tyce felt her words wash over him, as restorative as soft, soaking summer rain. Funny how, with a few words, Sage could make him miss something he'd never had. He'd read so many positive reviews, was the recipient of numerous awards, a million kudos about his art, but he'd never been complimented for the man he was. It made his stomach flip, his heart pound, his soul sigh.
It definitely lowered his resistance to her, made him want to throw caution to the wind and take what he constantly craved. Tyce allowed his thumb to drift across her chin and slide across her full bottom lip but if he kissed her now he wouldn't be able to stop. He'd pull her clothes off her spectacular body and he'd kiss every patch of her skin, starting with her mouth and ending with her toes. He'd wait until she was writhing with need, unable to remember her own name, wait until she was screaming his before sliding into her and pitching them into oblivion.
He wanted her with an intensity that rocked him to his core.
Sage leaned forward, curled her fingers around his neck and rested her forehead on his cheekbone. Sparks skittered through him. "Make love to me, Tyce. Just once more."
She'd echoed his thoughts, subconsciously picking up on his burning desire. Tyce groaned and shook his head. "It's not a good idea, Sage. You're still bruised and it'll make the situation, us, so much more complicated."
"I need not to think, I need to step out of my head," Sage murmured. "You can do that for me because you're the only one who can."
"You're hurt-"
"I'm fine and I want you. I want to remember how good we were together and I want to forget all the complications, just for a little while. You're the best medicine for what ails me, Tyce."
He shouldn't; this wasn't a good idea. They had a child to raise together, a life to navigate as co-parents and friends, hearts to protect.
"Making love to you always made me feel centered, stronger, better. Make me feel like that again, Tyce."
He was just a man and not half as strong as he thought he was. Hell, around Sage, he wasn't strong at all. She made him feel, made him ache, made him step out from behind his walls. He shouldn't do this; it wasn't smart but, like her, he was throbbing with need, desperate to have her and taste her, to lose himself in her.
Just once.
Tyce watched caution fly away on the wind as his mouth touched hers. Her lips immediately opened and he swept his tongue inside, and then he was riding the storm. Yeah, this, Sage, her hand against his chest, the fingers of her other hand raking through his hair, was what he couldn't resist. Her mouth was pure sugar-spice and he could kiss her until time fizzled away.
He needed to take this slow, Tyce reminded himself as he unzipped the front of her hoodie. He eased the sides apart and left her lips long enough to pull his head back so that he could look at her. Her nipples were pushing through the fabric of her sports top and he had to taste one bud. He pulled the stretchy fabric down and sucked her nipple into his mouth, laving her with his tongue before taking her in even deeper. She felt so amazing, familiar yet different.
Sage was making those little breathy moans that turned him steel hard. Tyce pushed her hoodie off and lifted her top up and over her head. He tossed both to the floor, gently pushing her back so that she lay flat on the couch.
Putting his hands on either side of her head, he looked down into her lovely face. "Are you okay? Sure you want to do this?"
"Yes and I'm fine."
She wasn't; he could see a little pain under her passion. "Tell me if you want to stop."
Sage's low laugh danced over his skin. "Not a chance." She tapped his chest. "You have too many clothes on, Latimore."
Tyce sat back, pulled his T-shirt over his head and sucked in his breath when Sage's hand ran over a pec, across a nipple and over his stomach. She tugged at the band of his jeans. "Off."
"You first." Tyce slid his hands along her back, across her hips, his thumbs hooking the band of her yoga pants and pulling them down. He looked at the tiny triangle of fabric covering her secret, feminine places and couldn't help his eyes moving up, to her stomach. He hauled in a breath and placed a hot, openmouthed kiss on her tiny baby bump, before placing his ear on her stomach.
Sage's hand touched his hair and he knew that she was also thinking of their baby, the fact that they'd made another person doing what they did best, and that was loving each other... Giving each other pleasure.
Talking about pleasure, Tyce pulled up and back. He'd heard Sage's hiss of pain when she lifted her butt to take off her pants and he had no intention of hurting her again. He'd have to be creative making love to her and that was okay; creativity was one of his strongest traits.
Tyce slipped his fingers under the thin bands of her thong and twisted, snapping first one side of her panties and then the other. His heart beating a million miles per minute, he pulled the fabric from between her legs and then Sage was naked, looking as beautiful as he'd ever seen her.