Page 76 of Wild Devotion
“I know.” I pressed one last kiss to her collarbone and pulled back just enough to see her face. Flushed, pupils blown, lips parted. “But I wanted you to know what you do to me. In case you had any doubts.”
“Trust me.” She was breathless. “No doubts here.”
I rolled off her and settled on the floor beside the couch, resting my head against the cushion near her shoulder. She stayed on her back, staring at the ceiling, her chest rising and falling like she’d just sprinted a mile.
“How long were you in the hospital?” she asked once her breathing had steadied.
“Which time?” I ran my hand lightly down her arm and over her stomach. The way she was lying made her dress cling to every curve, the swell of her lower abdomen just visible beneath the fabric. I couldn’t help tracing my fingers over it.
“How many times were you there?”
“A few. The longest stay was the one where I met Jamie. It was six weeks. That’s the time I died.”
She covered my hand with hers, linking our fingers and pressing them gently against her stomach. “How can you be okay with me? With this?”
“If you’re about to list all the reasons I shouldn’t be, save your breath. I’ve heard them all. And none of them change a thing.”
“I wasn’t.” But her voice was quiet and the look on her face told me she still didn’t believe it.
I leaned down and kissed her cheek, my thumb stroking over her growing bump. “I’m more than okay with this, Zadie. All of it.”
“You really are, and that’s what throws me. Because I’m still not sure if I’m okay with it.” She searched my face. “You could have anyone. Someone your own age, without the baggage and the lifetime of bad decisions and an ex who won’t return her calls. Why this? Why me?”
“Because you’re fucking stunning. Inside and out.” I held her gaze. “The rest of it—the baby, the baggage, the ex—I don’t see obstacles. I see you. And everything that comes with you is just part of the deal.”
“You’re not who I expected, Cal Alexander.” She reached up, threaded her fingers through my hair, and pulled me to her.
I didn’t resist. Why would I? Her grip was insistent, her expression hungry, and I’d been hers since the first night I’d laid eyes on her.
Our mouths met in a kiss that felt inevitable. Her lips, my tongue, her teeth catching my lower lip, my breath tangling with hers. Not frantic. Not desperate. Just deep and sure and right.
I pulled away before things could get heated, and she let out a long, satisfied breath that turned into a yawn.
“Did I wear you out?”
“Maybe.” Her smile was soft, her eyelids heavy. “It’s been a long day.”
“Rest. I’ll go make sure Chantel hasn’t drowned in dirty dishes.” I left her curled on the couch, even though every step away from her felt like leaving something precious behind.
Something I didn’t ever want to be without.
But we weren’t there yet. Physically, we’d jumped from zero to sixty, with my body pushing for one hundred. But the rest needed time to catch up. Fuck, we hadn’t even been on a proper date.
The kitchen was quiet. Chantel wasn’t scrubbing dishes like I’d expected. The counter was a haphazard array of organized chaos, and she sat at the breakfast nook, staring at her phone with a frown.
“You know, you’re not doing yourself any favors.” I slid into the seat across from her. “You can’t act the way you did at dinner and then half-ass the cleanup.”
She looked up with an irritated sigh. “Whatever, Prince Charming. Not all of us are as socially gifted as you.”
“Don’t be jealous. I had years with nothing better to do than sharpen my people skills. Although, your patients might benefit if you worked on your bedside manner.”
Her frown didn’t lift. Only her eyes moved, rolling to the ceiling.
“The secret you’re keeping is making you cruel.” I held her gaze. “If you’re not careful, you’ll end up like Celeste. And they’ll figure it out eventually. I’m not sure why you’re still hiding it.”
Her jaw tightened. “You don’t know as much as you think.”
“I know you’re in love with Dylan. That much has been obvious for a long, long time. You could explain the rest.”
