“You mean like a sleepover?” I asked, shock at what he was asking sideswiping me. Shock and a good dose of hormone-inducedhappiness.
“Definitely like asleepover.”
We returned to his room, stripped, and climbed under the covers. Josh pulled me against him, my back against his chest and abs. His thumb stroked just below my belly button—as if saying goodnight to hisson.
I should have let his sweet actions lull me to sleep, but there was one thing I needed to knowfirst.
“What will happen once you’re back on the road?” I askedsoftly.
“What do you mean?” He kissed myshoulder.
“I know you haven’t been sleeping with anyone else since I got pregnant. It’s not like you’ve had a chance based on my demanding hormones, and we agreed to be exclusive. But what about when you’re on the road and you don’t have me around to wear you out in bed? Does the exclusivity clause stillapply?”
I turned my head in time to see hisfrown.
“I don’t know about you, Holly, but I’m trying to make a go at what we havehere.”
I twisted around fully in his arms to face him. “But I thought you don’t docommitments.”
“I don’t.” His hand shifted back to my belly. “But I am committed to making what you and I have here work. You’re my baby’s mama, which puts you light years ahead of any other woman. Like I said before, I’m not going to sleep around on you—here or on the road. What aboutyou?”
“I’m not going to either,” I whispered. “Not that I’d be able to even if I wanted to. I’m not exactly considered desirable now that I have a babyonboard.”
Josh ran his lips against my jaw, his day-old stubble delicious against my skin. If I wasn’t so tired, I’d jump his bones. As it was, I barely had enough energy for thisconversation.
“I can’t speak on behalf of other men—and I’d prefer not to think about them—but I find you extremely desirable like this. You can’t even imagine how much of a turn-on this is.” He caressed mybelly.
“So you find pregnant women a turnon?”
He shook his head. “No, onlyyou.”
Somehow, I found the energy to kiss him—kiss him long and hard and with all myheart.
20
Holly
“You ready for this?”Josh asked as we walked along the sidewalk to his head coach’s house. His sports car was parked on the street of the upscale neighborhood. In his arms was the container of baby quiches he and I had made lastnight.
In case you’re wondering…ever since last Sunday when I spent the night at his place, he had made sleeping over at my apartment his new regularthing.
With the exception of last night—when I spent the night at hisapartment.
What did I learn thisweek?
I loved spending the night with Josh. I loved falling asleep with him singing to Noah and waking up with his hand on my belly…and his morning wood pressed against myback.
I could spend the rest of my life sleeping with Josh and I would die a happywoman.
“I might be a little nervous,” I said, trying to decide if the sensation in my belly was butterflies or Noah kicking, “but I’m looking forward to meeting yourteammates.”
Was I nervous about meeting a group of men who liked to slam their bodies into their opponents while on ice? No—although that was kind of intimidatingtoo.
I wasn’t Josh’s girlfriend or wife…yet I was having his baby. That was what was responsible for the butterflies playing Twister in mystomach.
But even though we hadn’t given this thing between us a label, everything in the past week had shifted. There was now a perceptible change between us—the intimacy, the way we were around each other. It didn’t feel like we were justfriends.
It felt like somethingmore.
