She leaned forward and kissed my lips. Just a soft, little kiss that any woman would have given any man in such a vulnerable position. But, for some reason, that soft, little kiss unlocked something deep within the darkened pit of my gut. And when the words rolled off my tongue like raindrops off blades of grass, they seemed to fit everything I was feeling for Leslie.
“You’re perfect for me,” I murmured.
My words made her blush. “Does that mean ourbusinessdinner trips aren’t business-related at all?”
I chuckled. “I’m just shocked you didn’t notice I was running my personal debit card for those dinners instead of the business credit card.”
Her jaw fell open. “So, wewereon dates!”
I smiled brightly. “Hey, you were enjoying yourself, at least.”
She swatted at me playfully, and I quickly rolled her over, pinning her beneath my pining body. Her eyes sparkled with mischievous delight and happiness, and all I wanted for the rest of my days was to make sure she smiled just like that. But all too soon, the smile fell from her face, and she sighed.
“We should get back to the hospital and relieve Suri. I don’t know if she’s working today or not.”
I eased myself off her. “You up for a shower before we head out?”
She held up her hand, and I helped her off the floor. “Only if it’s a shower we can take together. That’s my only stipulation.”
I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her against my naked body. “I didn’t realize we were talking about any other kind of shower.”
And as my hand slipped down to her ass cheek, patting it softly as she smiled up at me, my heartfelt fuller than it had ever felt.
Which made me wonder if things could ever stay like this between us.
18
Leslie
Iwoke up with a start on the couch in Rori’s hospital room and found that Trey was already at her side. The sun streamed heavily through the windows, and I sat up, feeling a little queasy in my gut. I held my head in my hands and felt my stomach ebbing and flowing as if it were waiting for me to stand up so it could project all of the contents of last night’s dinner onto the floor at my feet.
“Damn stress,” I murmured to myself.
Rori’s voice sounded on the far side of the room. “Wanna see if there are any cartoons on?”
Trey chuckled. “Only if I can snag a spot in bed. Cartoons are always better when in bed.”
“Yeah!”
I smiled at their interaction as I slowly stood up. I felt a little off on my feet, but I blamed that on my aching back. Between Trey blowing it out yesterday and that couch being completely unforgiving in its firm cushions, it was a wonder I could even move. And as I made my way for the bathroom, I heard both my daughter and Trey giggling at something on the television.
“Since when do you watch cartoons?” I asked.
I peered over my shoulder, but Trey didn’t pull his eyes away from the television hanging down from the ceiling. “Hey, a man’s gotta have his outlet somewhere.”
Rori giggled. “Yeah, Mom. Let him have his outlet.”
I snickered. “All right, you two. No ganging up on me today. Momma’s a bit tired.”
And when Trey winked at me, a flood of warmth wrapped around my heart before heating up the rest of my body.
A nurse came around and took Rori’s and Trey’s breakfast order, but I wasn’t very hungry. The queasy feeling in my stomach still hadn’t gone away, so I ordered myself ice water with some hot coffee to go with it. The past few days had been a whirlwind, especially with Rori being back in the hospital.
Once I got us home and settled in, I knew my appetite would come back. “You guys mind if I take a hot shower real quick?” I asked.
Trey shook his head but still didn’t look away from the television. “Enjoy yourself.”
Rori leaned against him. “Take your time, Mom.”
