Page 34 of The Sacrifice
“I don’t know. It might have been a fluke. I don’t want to plan out every possible scenario and have nothing happen. That’s a lot of wasted energy.” Did I say I didn’t want to plot out every scenario? Hold the phone. That’s crazy talk. Who am I turning into?
“Keep me posted.” She pauses a second. “But I think you should go for it. He’s interested. It might be the best thing that has ever happened to you.”
“Thanks,” I mumble, hang up, and toss my cellphone onto the counter. Did he want to let off steam? Or something more?
Chapter Twenty
Jackson
After I dry off from my shower, I wipe the steam off the mirror. I’m not big-headed, but I’m attractive. I spend hours in the weight room every week, so the muscle definition on my arms, chest, and thighs are worthy of a magazine cover. Women have been throwing themselves at me since college.
Yet, Mia froze up when I invited her to my room. Fine, we have a shaky history, but damn, does she find me that repulsive?
I shake my head to get her out of my brain, drop the towel to the ground, and yank on a pair of black shorts. Whatever. I’ve got more important things to think about than a woman with an expiration date. Her contract is temporary. Remember that. And Hadley deserves stability after Roxanne’s disappearing act. It’s time to stop thinking with my dick.
As I walk through my bedroom, I avert my eyes from the bed but not before visions of Mia’s hair splayed across the pillow punch me in the gut. No matter what I do. There it is in high definition.
The dresser drawer is gapped open from when I grabbed my shorts.Dude, your slob days are over.I shove the leg of a pair of shorts down into the drawer and close it with a snap.
I never picked up after myself when I was a kid living with my parents. My room was a giant trashcan of dirty clothes, empty food wrappers, and cords. All kinds of cords. Everything from laptops to cellphones to video games.
A low whimper breaks through the silence. The sounds continue, growing with intensity. It’s not like Hadley’s usual cry. My stomach clenches, and I rush from my room to hers. The sound grows in frustration the nearer I get to her crib.
Her face is scrunched, red, and wet streaks cover her cheeks. “Baby, what’s wrong with you?”
When she sees me, her fists lash out as if she’s grabbing for me. I snatch her out of her crib and hold her to my chest. Her cheeks burn against my bare skin. She’s hot. What’s wrong with her? Panic swells in my chest as I place my lips against her forehead. Her skin is clammy and warm as the tears rain down her cheeks.
She arches against me as if she’s in pain. What do I do? I stand motionless in the middle of her room as the mobile flashes sheep and clouds on the ceiling, and a lullaby fills the space around us.
Get Mia. She’ll know what to do.
I jog to her room and bang on the door. “Mia?”
When she doesn’t answer in one second, I bang on the door again. “Mia!” As my knocks get louder, so do Hadley’s whimpers.
The door swings open, and she stares with wide eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. I heard her crying through the wall when I got out of the shower. It sounded different, so I knew something was wrong with her. She’s burning up and arching as if she’s in pain.”
“Let me see her.” Her demeanor shifts from confusion to soothing in the blink of her sultry blue eyes. She lifts Hadley from my arms and holds her to her chest. The tears smear against her white T-shirt. “Hello, pretty girl. What’s wrong with you?”
“I wish I knew.” I shift from foot to foot in the hallway, feeling useless.
She lays the back of her hand against Hadley’s forehead. “She’s a little warm, but the temperature is not high enough to warrant a doctor’s call. Can you get a bath ready?” Hadley continues to cry, but it’s not as desperate as it was when I was freaking out. Mia’s right. When I lose control, Hadley loses control.
“Sure.” Give me a task I can complete, and I’m on it. Give me a baby that can’t tell me what she needs, and I’m a hot mess.
Moments later, I have her baby tub situated and filled with lukewarm water on my bathroom sink’s countertop.
“There you are.” Mia waltzes through the door of my bedroom and into the bathroom. The light shines on the two of them, and my heart skips a beat. Mia’s hair flows around her shoulders. Her face is devoid of make-up, and she’s never looked better. And bonus points–Hadley is no longer crying. “I checked the other bathroom first.”
The room sizzles with tension as her gaze darts away from mine as if she’s thinking the same thing I am. Me. Her. And a bed. Or the shower. Or the bathtub. Or the wall. That’s good enough for me. I should have picked anywhere but here. She’s already turned me down.
I clear my throat and straighten my back. “Sorry. This bathroom was the closest one and getting her to feel better as quickly as possible was my only thought.” But now that she’s calmed down, I can think of a lot of other thoughts.
My eyes travel over her body and to her legs. The memory of how good she felt in my arms invades every part of my being. I want her. There’s no use denying it. I want her body wrapped around me. I want all her moans of pleasure. But more than that, I want to see her happy.
When she bared her soul to me, an uncontrollable desire to make all her dreams come true flooded me. A family of her own. A baby. Me. Hadley. All of it. But we only signed a two-month contract, and she’ll be gone. If I fall in love with her and she leaves, what will that do to Hadley and me?