Page 73 of Second Chance Baby
I really hoped Carrington didn’t know what some of them were doing.
I tipped my head to the side. Might try that reverse cowgirl position one that had been tucked into the tree.
Some even seemed to crawl across the roof, legs kicked into the air. One was doing a handstand on the edge of the garage, tacked to a gutter. Orange and purple lights, Penn’s handiwork, were slowly glowing on and off in an eerie way that made me shiver.
“Oh, we still gotta set up our skeleton beach scene,” I reminded him, “but I gotta say the yard does seem rather full.”
“That’s the whole point. I can’t wait to make a little graveyard so those cool skeletonized hands can crawl out of the dirt. Also, Christian can suck it. I’m adding more.”
I faked a gasp. “How could you defile an officer of the law so rudely?”
“Eh, my right as his brother. Now let’s go watch the fucking movie. Or fuck during the fucking movie. Whichever. Just let’s get a move on before Carrington comes back before I’ve even seen a single subtitle.”
I tried not to shiver. This time, not from desire as much as nerves. How was he going to react once he realized the direction of the movie? It truly could go any possible way.
But I’d agreed to let him see it, come what may.
Showtime.
We went inside and changed into comfy clothes, which for me meant an old pair of Travis’s flannel pajamas. Big on me and super broken in, laced with his delicious ocean scent and shampoo and just a clean soapy smell that made me want to bury my nose in the fabric.
Then we curled up in bed and he turned on the TV, tuning into the streaming channel I’d told him to go to.
Twenty minutes later, he was swearing a streak that was even making my ears hot.
“Didn’t you say it was on this streaming platform?”
“It was yesterday. Maybe they took it off. Or maybe you misspelled the title?”
“I know freaking French.”
When he was about to throw the remote, I calmly plucked it out of his hand and typed the name in the search bar. And voila, there it was.
I just clicked play and did my best not to hide my face as the credits ran.
“No way. What did you do?”
“Just put in the name. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to go soak my head until I can face you again.”
He just held out his arm and motioned for me to come closer. Which I did. Because I might’ve been a coward, but no way would I give up the best seat in the house.
Not anymore.
He was utterly silent through the whole thing. From the opening scene where my character Blair met the other main character in the café, through our sitting and talking and getting to know each other over expensive cups of coffee. Then adjourning to her home and then to her bedroom, and everything that came after that. I tried to keep my gaze on the movie, but it was hard. I knew what happened, after all, and I was constantly trying to see it like he would. Eventually, I just gave up and curled up with my head on his chest, placing my cheek right in the spot where his nightshirt was open so I could breathe in the scent of his skin with every inhale.
My eyes closed and I didn’t fight to keep them open any longer, just let myself drift.
Dimly, the slam of a door made me startle before I heard the plaintive call of my daughter. He just brushed a kiss over my forehead and paused the movie, saying he’d be right back.
The loss of his warmth beneath me made me shift under the covers and then I was out again, the last image in my mind the still he’d paused the movie on. I wasn’t naked, but damn close.
And I just went back to sleep.
I tried to drum up nerves, but they just couldn’t be summoned at the moment. I was too warm and fuzzy with sleep and happiness.
Sap.
The next time I opened my eyes, the room was dark, the movie off, Travis breathing softly beside me. I headed to the bathroom, taking the time to brush my teeth since I’d neglected to before the movie a few hours ago. Then I crawled back in bed with Travis and gave into the need to open his flannel nightshirt and kiss my way up from his navel to the top of his chest, rubbing my cheek against the soft hair between his pecs just because it felt so good. He said something unintelligible in his sleep, slipping his hand into my hair to cup the base of my skull.