Let It Snow (19 page)

The dream must have changed. Her short nails dug into his wrist and she held tight, muttering, “Eat,” over and over again.

Keith brushed damp hair from her face. Upset drew her eyebrows together and pinched her mouth even in sleep. Whatever she was dreaming couldn’t be better for her than no sleep at all. Hoping to rouse her gently, he kissed her shoulder. “Tel, wake up.”

She loosened her hold on his wrist. Keith brushed his lips against hers and straightened the sheet, draping it over her hip, pulling it high to cover her belly. She sighed, finally calmer, but still whispered the plea to “Eat”. She dislodged the sheet. Her fingertips skimmed his shoulder, the back of his neck. He bowed his head to duck away but she once more surprised him with her strength as she spread her fingers at the base of his skull and yanked his face down to her chest.

Off balance, he dropped to one knee. Telly mumbled something unintelligible and shoved his head aside but didn’t loosen her hold. Her nipple prodded the corner of his mouth and, hell. He tried to force himself away. Caught in wild dreams, she wasn’t aware of what she offered, of how badly he wanted. He knew she wasn’t aware. Knew it down to his marrow. Something even deeper drove him past the knowledge and he opened his mouth, drew her nipple inside. Froze, startled by the sweet, creamy slide of liquid on his tongue.

Her sigh warmed his temple. She relaxed instantly, a nonsense sound of approval humming in her throat. Wary of hurting her, so eager to tongue the tight peak against the roof of his mouth and suck, he forced himself to keep his jaw loose. The rest of his body…the rest coiled tight as a tripwire, so taut he was vaguely surprised not to hear his bones vibrating. This was too soon—she couldn’t have begun lactating.

Telly’s breathing slowed and evened, a steady in, out. She cuddled him closer, firmly holding him to her breast. Forcing himself to exhale, he licked the underside of her nipple. Her flavor lingered but she didn’t release a second sip. One had been enough. Exultation heated his blood. She might shy away in wakefulness, but her body wanted his claim.

The deeper she slept, the stronger his craving for touch. The warm perfume of her skin, lightly spiced with the saltier scent of his sweat, drugged him. Only a short time earlier, she’d cradled his cock where she now cradled his hand. He swept the pad of his thumb beneath her breast, relishing her warmth. Telly’s hand fell away from his neck. She squirreled her fingers beneath her pillow and a hiccup jerked her small frame. Reluctantly, he released her nipple and raised his head. Her brow furrowed and breathing stuttered. Her body jerked a second time and she pulled on the sheet, free hand coasting over her belly. Low, just above her pelvic bone, the round swell rippled.

“Jesus,” he breathed, rocking back on his heels. Light in the room was scarce—a glow from the hall—but her stomach gleamed pale above her dark triangle of hair.

“You can touch if you want,” she murmured.

Heat suffused his face. Keith looked to find her eyes half-open, heavy and still blinking as she resisted the pull of sleep. “You caught me staring.”

Her lips quirked. “It’s not the first time.”

“People stare at you often?”

“No, but I’ve caught
you
staring before. I think you’ve always been obsessed with my bellybutton.” She stretched carefully, straightening her legs and pointing her toes, hiding her yawn in the pillow.

Keith propped his forearms on the edge of the bed and watched her. The sheet slid away again. He wasn’t inclined to block his view by covering her and she didn’t reach for the blankets when she opened her eyes. She did touch her breasts, repositioning that would’ve been subtle if he weren’t on eye level but was obvious given his nearness.

“Are you uncomfortable?”

“Yes, but there’s not much to be done about it until the kicking stops and hormones relax a little.”

He grimaced. “No sleep for another four months?”

Telly laughed. “Maybe just another couple of hours. The middle of the night is the worst. I’m not sure whether the baby kicks because I’m waking up or whether I’m waking up because the baby kicks.”

“Maybe it’s hungry.” He gently fingered the nipple he’d licked. “You already have milk.”

Silence greeted his comment, followed a few breaths later by her cautious, “Sorry if I got messy on you.”

Curling his index finger around the taut stem, he asked, “Did I sound like I was complaining?”

“You sounded…neutral.”

“Really? It’s totally fake. I’m feeling anything except neutral right now. And you do not apologize for creating life.”

She fussed with her pillow, half hiding her face. “What are you going to do if I apologize again?”

“Something very disciplinary.” He wagged his eyebrows. “Involving my rod.”

She laughed and swatted at his shoulder. “You’re all talk.”

“Yeah? Go ahead, Telly. Test me.”

“All right. I’m sorry I crowded you off the bed. Don’t,” she said when he opened his mouth to protest, “tell me I didn’t. I know I’m a bed hog and you’re not kneeling on the floor because you like it there.”

“I think that qualifies as inappropriate apology. Now you’re in trouble.”

Telly bit her lip, a sly tilt to her eyes. She studied him and he watched her, waiting for cues and signs. He didn’t expect her mischievous, “Is this where I get to say, ‘Daddy, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do it’?”

Half-hard before, his cock thickened and filled. Keith narrowed his eyes and rose to a crouch. “You’re trying to distract me, but it’s not going to work. Besides, I don’t believe you. You meant every word.”

“What are you going to do?” She rose to sit cross-legged facing him and tucked the sheet beneath her arms.

“Something I’ve been wanting to do since September.” The sheet didn’t cover her knees. Keith cupped both in his hands, slid his palms around her calves and pulled until she unfolded her legs. He arranged her feet side by side, slim ankles aligned, knees together. Telly leaned back and bent her elbows to the bed. She watched him but didn’t say anything about his manipulations. Even breathing told him she remained calm. Good. He wanted to mark her, not scare her. Standing, he admired the picture she presented, tousled hair an inky shadow over her pale shoulders, his—
his
—bed sheet clinging to her breasts and belly. Love for her tightened his chest.

“Are you going to look me into obedience?” She tilted her head, meeting his eyes.

“No. I’m going to rub my dick all over you and come on your belly. Any problems with that?”

Her lips parted, the catch of her breath loud in the quiet room. Keith waited for her response, heart pounding, praying for assent. She studied his eyes a second longer before her gaze wandered, lowering to skim his chest and settle on the thick proof of his intentions.

Slowly, she shook her head. “No problems.”

The husky note in her voice wrapped around his balls. Keith exhaled. “You said you have massage oil. Where is it?”

“Yellow gym bag under the futon.”

Anticipation worked him as thoroughly as her mouth had earlier. By the time he crossed the hall to the smaller bedroom, pre-cum glistened on the tip of his cock. He grabbed the gym bag and returned to her, tossing it on the bed. She reached for the bag but he stopped her and retrieved the bottle himself. Telly watched him silently as he straddled her feet. His cock slid up the crease between her shins, her warmth good but not what he wanted. He nudged her knees apart and flipped the cap on the bottle of oil. Rich fragrance wafted between them, almond and sweet fruit, drugging his senses and loosening his tongue.

“This makes me want to lick you.” He stared at her stomach, full and round behind her upraised thighs. Her navel hid in the shadow between their bodies. Keith tipped the bottle and dribbled oil between her breasts, following its progress toward her bellybutton. “Licking you is how I discovered your milk. You pushed your nipple at me, but I’m the one who opened my mouth. I wanted to taste you. I wanted to keep tasting you, sucking hard until the taste turned into a mouthful.”

Her nipples peaked, from half erect to hard in the space of a breath. “Why didn’t you?”

He dribbled oil higher, slippery lines around her breasts. “Because you didn’t know it was my mouth on you. You were asleep. I want you to know who’s touching you.”

“Did I say anything?” Her voice was small.

“Nothing important.” Keith capped the bottle and tossed it aside. He brushed the hair from her face and bent down to kiss her, sucking at her lips and urging her back until she reclined limp on the bed. Once her eyes had gone glassy with want, he palmed his cock and guided the tip to her stomach. Her skin slid silkily beneath his head, warmed by the oil. He caught briefly on her navel before riding higher, the underside of his shaft rubbing the full curve.

Telly watched his cock’s progress, darkly flushed against her lighter complexion. When he slid into the valley between her breasts, she lifted the twin globes and wrapped them around him. Her nipples peeked from between her fingers,

“You could’ve sucked harder,” she whispered, rubbing her fingertips along his length with each slick pump between her breasts.

“Next time,” he muttered, slipping back, his sac pulling tight as he spread the scented oil down to her pubic bone. Her belly glistened in his wake. She followed his retreat, spreading her fingers over the high curve, chasing him down until she caught his cock between her palms. “This time…”

“This time?” she prompted. Her thumbs came together at the base of his shaft and circled lower, behind his testicles.

“This time I need to mark you.” Holding her gaze, he positioned the head against her stomach and took himself in hand. Telly rolled his balls gently but he needed something rougher. Hard, short jerks of his fist soon brought his climax. When the first jet of fluid splashed her skin, he broke their connection and lowered his eyes to watch. As if she understood, Telly released him and scooped his seed between her fingers, smearing it over her belly, painting her nipples with shiny wetness. Keith groaned and stroked himself harder despite his emptied sac. Again. He needed to mark her again. Once wasn’t enough.

Telly woke once to a text message notifying her that morning class was canceled due to weather. The second time she woke was to the ringing of the house phone beside her head. Disoriented, she stared at the unfamiliar nightstand and the bright red 8:23 on the face of the alarm clock. The phone kept ringing.

Keith’s bed. Abruptly wide awake, she snatched the phone from the cradle. “Hello?”

A pause, followed by, “Matilda, we need to talk.”

Trevor. Her skin chilled even as the furnace hummed in the background. “How did you get this number?”

“That’s not important. Listen—”

“No, it is important. Did Jamie give it to you?”

Outside, the piercing rise and fade of sirens passed by. Telly closed her eyes and clutched thick blankets to her chest.

“Will you please see me? That’s my kid too.”

Sirens again, wailing in her ear as emergency vehicles sped down the street. Sirens from the phone.

Oh God. Was Keith’s landline listed? Trying to think, she slid from the bed, grateful for the nightgown she’d pulled on after a pre-dawn trip to the bathroom.

“You blocked my calls to your cell phone,” he said.

“Because I wanted you to stop calling me.” Keith wasn’t in the living room. Telly checked the lock on the front door. Lowering her voice, she said, “Trevor, you…we haven’t been together for more than a year.”

“That’s not true. I want a paternity test.”

“Do you also want me to tell the police you forced me?” Cold and frightened, she edged close to the window, trying to see outside.

Trevor swore, the curse muffled as if he’d taken the phone away from his ear. He came back on the line a second later. “I didn’t rape you. We were arguing and we got naked.”

“I said no,” she hissed. “Multiple times. You held me down. I’m saying no again right now. No, I won’t see you, and no, you can’t have any contact with my baby.”

“You’re not being fair. Just let me come in and we’ll talk—”

“Come in?” Rising hysteria sharpened her voice. “Where are you? You’re supposed to be in New Mexico.”

“I had vacation time. I needed to see you. Matilda—who the fuck is that?” A car door slammed outside.

Telly spun around from heading toward the kitchen, catching her thigh on the corner of an end table as she hurried across the living room to the front door.

“You’re fucking someone else?” Another car door slammed. She heard it on the phone and outside. Heart racing, she fumbled for the lock.

“Hey, asshole!” Trevor shouted outside and in her ear.

The aluminum screen door creaked as Keith opened it and the latch clicked as he closed it again. “Are you talking to me?”

Telly dropped the phone and wrenched the front door open. “Keith—”

“Yeah, I’m talking to you.” Trevor stalked across the front yard, his boots leaving tracks in the crust of snow. “She tell you that’s your kid?”

“You’re trespassing.” Keith stepped off the porch.

“That makes us fucking even, doesn’t it?” Trevor wasn’t a small man. He had a few inches on Keith, but he was wiry instead of broad. He stopped toe-to-toe with Keith and threw a punch. His fist didn’t make contact. Keith blocked with his forearm and dropped Trevor to the ground, his knee planted on the other man’s chest before Telly opened the screen door.

Without looking at her, Keith said, “If you step one foot outside, I’ll put you over my knee.”

“You’ll let him hit you, but I’m a rapist?” Trevor sneered. “Fucking whore.”

Keith’s shoulders bunched beneath his coat, deadly stillness settling into his frame.
Oh no.
Covering her mouth to smother a sob, Telly backed into the house. She closed herself in the master bath, the only room in the house without windows, and sank onto the closed toilet lid.

Kittens. Eyes closed, she concentrated on deep, slow breathing and fuzzy kittens, not on whatever Keith was doing to Trevor. She’d kept the circumstances of their last encounter a secret for a reason. For two reasons named Keith and Jamie. She didn’t want Trevor beaten half to death. She just wanted him to leave her alone.