Breathe Again (13 page)

“Good. So how do you feel about going and looking at some houses later on this week?”

“I think I do need to sit down. I hit my head harder than I thought.”

He was at her side. “Any pain? Blurred vision. Nausea. Vomiting.”

Was he serious?

“Nick, I said I was fine. I just meant—” She let out a sigh. “Let's start from the beginning. Daniel, your friend, needs a place to stay, and you think he should stay at our apartment and we should move out. Why?”

“The apartment does not meet the needs for a baby.”

Spoken like a true man. She wanted to laugh. She really did, but he wouldn't get it. Somehow, she was beginning to think this was all she was going to get from this man and maybe it was going to have to be enough.

“Okay, then. We start looking for a house.”
Not because it's what we want and what's right to do as a family. But because an apartment does not meet the needs for a baby
.

*****

“Well, that's the last of it,” Skylar said as she put the box in the kitchen.

“I told you not to lift any boxes.”

Skylar sighed as she placed her hands on her lower back and gazed up at Nick. “This was a light one, and I am pregnant, not afflicted with a disease that renders me incapable of living a normal life.”

She looked around the kitchen and dusted off her hands. They were lucky. At least she was lucky. Nick had said yes to the fifth house they had looked at, after looking at it umpteen times and getting every report available.

This house felt like a home. She stood at the kitchen window and looked out. It took a lot of pleading to convince Nick that a property close to the Bay would be safe. She could smell the salt in the air, taste the freshness. It was a cozy house, but more importantly for Nick, it was a safe neighborhood. Nick wouldn’t understand this was a dream fulfilled.

All he cared about was this was a safe area, close to good schools and the house was already baby proof. All the electrical sockets were safety checked, the fence had a gate with a lock and the porch had a small gate with a baby lock. All the cupboards were safety checked.

She saw him inspect the store cupboard door one last time. “Why are you always so obsessed with checking things and making sure everything is safe? The house is fine. The baby will be fine.”

He took in their surroundings. “I'll check the windows and make sure there are safety catches on them.”

She let him go. She wouldn't be able to stop him.

She started unpacking the boxes in the kitchen.

When he came down, she was on the last box, and she could swear there was a smile of satisfaction on his face. “All good. It's all safe.”

“Great, makes me feel heaps better.”

He stepped into the kitchen and took the kettle, filled it with water and then put it on to boil. “Tomorrow we’ll go out and buy an electric stove.”

Obsessive-compulsive much?
“Why?'

“I will feel more comfortable with an electric stove. Less chance of an accident.”

This conversation might be long overdue or maybe he’d told her, she was unsure. She waited for the kettle to boil and then she accepted the cup of tea he made for her and waited for him to mix two sugars into his coffee.

“You going to tell me why we’re really getting an electric stove?”

He removed the spoon from his cup and took his time putting it into the dishwasher.

His wistful gaze left an empty feeling in her chest.

“I'll take this out into the garage and start unpacking.” He pointed to the boxes in the living area.

There had to be a starting point. “When Dad died, it was after a very long battle with cancer.”

He stood at the entrance to the kitchen. She held her breath, because he could have left. Maybe he knew this was an important step, so he stayed.

“Mum just disappeared. She couldn't take it. Dad was the love of her life. Dad was the love of both of our lives. When I was growing up, he always told me that I could do anything I wanted. I always believed him. I was twelve when he died. I ended up losing both of my parents that day. It was never the same.”

Nick’s gaze never left those damn boots. “I'm sorry.”

“I am too. It was the loneliest time of my life. Since then I’ve been trying to get that feeling of family and happiness back. I never came close. Until you.”

You could hear a pin drop.

Nick lifted his chin.

“You try so hard to keep yourself at arm’s length so that nothing can get in or out. At least I tried. I made mistakes, but I tried.”

He tensed. Maybe she was getting through to him. Maybe she should push a little harder.

“Our parents screwed up. We both ended up alone.” She took a step closer to him and put her hand on her tummy. “This is what's important. You don’t want a part of this, and I am okay with that. It doesn’t mean I don’t want you in my life.”

She went closer until she was next to him. He took her into his arms. Pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. His body was still tense. Hard. Unyielding.

“I'm scared.” She wrapped her arms around him.

This time when he pulled her harder against him, his head came down and he kissed the side of her neck. She could feel the warmth in his kiss, and she wanted more.

She lifted her gaze. Her breath caught. What was it about this man that could make her go all marshmallow-on-fire gooey? “Nick, I want you so much that I burn inside.”

This wasn’t raging hormones making her feel frisky. It was primal need for the man in front of her.

Skylar waited. Stayed still.

His fingers twisted a strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear. Soft lips grazed hers, causing her to dart her tongue and lick the tip. It was too much of a temptation to have those lips so close and not to taste. He bit her lip lightly then sucked gently before letting his tongue into her mouth.

Skylar sighed in anticipation. He was teasing her with his tongue and his mouth, but it wasn’t long before she was enjoying having the kiss deepened.

He always tasted so much like Nick. There were times she could say exactly what that was, and then there were times like this when he tasted like what she needed him to be.

His hands felt warm as his fingers threaded through her hair. His mouth left hers and travelled down her neck.

He stopped nuzzling the side of her neck for a moment, and she moaned. She didn't want this to stop. Her fingers went through his hair and she pulled his head down, hungry for his taste. He was in a playful mood and it wasn’t long before he was teasing her again with his tongue and his teeth.

When his lips reached her neck, she squirmed as he sucked her flesh. Her pelvis pressed against him. His arousal was no surprise. She slowly moved her hip clockwise until she heard him groan.

His fingers flicked against her nipple, and she gasped as pleasure and pain both sliced through her. She let her head fall back and let her tongue roll out slowly to wet her parched lips. Skylar knew he’d stopped to watch her.

She didn’t know how or when her top came off but his mouth replaced his fingers and this time she groaned as he sucked hard causing her to bite down on her lower lip.

Blood was racing so fast through her veins that she could hear her heart thudding in her ears. His tongue flicked against her nipple, more heat flooded and filled her panties. She threaded her fingers into his hair, enjoying the silkiness of the dark softness as she pulled his head closer. She couldn’t get enough of his sweet torture.

His gaze lifted. His pupils were wide and dark. “This is crazy,” he whispered.

Damn straight it was. “Maybe what’s crazy is waiting so long to do what’s right.”

His hand went from her breast to her bellybutton. She took a deep breath in as heat built inside her. She swayed and shifted. His hand travelled even lower, and she moaned. His mouth was still at her breast. His tongue still teasing her nipple.

He stopped and sucked a trail from one nipple to the next and then started his torture once again. Her head turned from side to side in restless need. Insatiable want.

Her hand clutched at the strong muscles of his shoulder, and then she let her hand move lower. She pressed her body closer, feeling the heat, and wanting more.

She lifted his t-shirt and touched those abs she had been dreaming about.

Those rock-hard abs she needed to feel. Touch. Lick.

She wasn’t sure how or when his tongue got to her ear, but a swirl across the shell of her ear, and she had to squeeze her thighs shut.

His mouth found hers. She deepened the kiss, letting her tongue drive deep into his mouth, capturing him in a dance that made her heart stop and start. When she gently swayed her hips against his, he moaned into her mouth.

She kissed her way down his torso. He took in a deep breath the closer she got to his bulging erection. She tugged at his fly. She wanted to touch him, feel his velvet smoothness harden in her hands. This time he gasped.

She found his dark gaze watching her every move. Power surged through her, and she licked her dry lips. His eyes were on her. Slowly she unbuttoned his jeans and then she pulled the zip down.

Her body was going wild. She was hot. Wet. Liquid. He watched her and then as if he knew exactly what she needed, he moved his hand to her jeans. Impatiently she helped him to unbutton them, and in seconds his fingers were on her hot center.

She bit down as the first wave of heat ripped through her. Damn, he felt good. He hitched her up so her could get better access, and then his fingers were going deeper. She wasn't sure if she could concentrate on what she was doing, but the feel of him in her hands was too good. His hardness. Velvety hardness in her hands. She started moving her hands, and he said her name. She squeezed and released and when he groaned, she looked up into his eyes, fascinated by the desire she found there.
Was this for her?

His fingers were moving faster, deeper. Her breathing was coming in faster spurts. She felt restless. She could stop touching him, he felt so soft and hard. It wasn’t enough. He was making her feel like she was losing all control. She tugged at the corner of his lip and sucked hard.

Damn, why was it always like this with them?

She glanced up, and his gaze told her that
this
time was different. She shifted, coming apart with that one look. Slowly she bent down.

The guttural sound from him surprised her. She hesitated, but her body was becoming pliant, ready to fall apart. She wanted all of him.

She closed her mouth over his long, hard shaft. He moaned, letting his fingers run through her hair.

She took the length of him deep into her mouth and swirled her tongue around him. His fingers tightened the grip on her hair, and he drew her head closer. Slowly she withdrew her mouth, running her tongue run along the tip. She met his dark gaze, feeling the heat spreading, as she spilled hot liquid from her center. She licked the tip of his shaft. His eyes melted into pools of green need.

He moved his hands from her head, and moments later, he was touching her, forcing her to come apart at the seams, like stepping off a high rise. She took him deeper into her mouth, held his length at the base as she pushed up and down, while he plunged deeper into her mouth. He pushed his fingers deeper into her, while he flicked her clit. Moments later, she was gasping for air.

“Skye.”

He slowly took his shaft out of her mouth. She looked at him with lust–filled, disappointment.

“I need to be inside you.”

That was the first time he’d said anything. He carried her to the floor.

He pulled a blanket from one of the boxes, placed it down and then rolled her onto it. “Are you okay?” he asked.

She wanted him too much to care, but she was glad he cared enough to ask so she nodded.

Then he entered her. Slowly at first. He tested her with his length and his strength and as she stretched to fit him, he slowly lifted her hips so she was against him, and then they were moving together.

When the next wave came, she clutched at him thinking she was going to pass out from sheer pleasure. The flashes behind her eyes were like a rainbow. She screamed into his shoulder. A stifled scream holding all the pleasure her body had to give.