Page 99 of Ruthless Salvation
Torin’s eyes grew hooded as he rounded the island toward me. “That arm gets a little better, and I’ll show you respect all night long, baby.”
My lips quirked up in the corners. “You’re trying to distract me.”
He came up behind me and pulled my hair around to one side, then began to kiss the nape of my neck. “Is it working?”
“Mmm … maybe a little.” A lot. It was working a lot. “I suppose … shared custody could work.” I wasn’t even sure what I was saying, so long as he continued what he was doing.
“It’s good to have you home,” he said softly, his breath warm on my skin.
I looked around the large apartment with a new perspective, pleased at what I saw. “I guess this is my home now, huh.”
“Home is wherever we’re together. This is just an apartment. You get me?” He coaxed me around to face him, looking at me expectantly.
I smiled and nodded. “Yeah.”
“You want a new place that’s just ours, all you have to do is say so.”
“I’m good here,” I assured him quickly.
He carried me away in his ocean eyes as his thumb stroked my cheek. “Love you, my sweet Stormy.”
“Love you, too, baby.”
Present
I’d been homefrom the hospital for a week. One week of blessed normalcy. Torin had unboxed my things and found a home for all of my stuff among his own. He let me provide input on placement, but that was about it, insisting I was not to overwork myself. My strength was returning with each day, and my discomfort diminishing. Now, my biggest problem was a growing case of cabin fever.
“Maybe tomorrow we can venture out? Do dinner or something,” I suggested. “I could use a change of scenery.”
Torin sat across the table from me, shoveling dinner into his mouth. “I suppose that’s allowable.” He studied me while he chewed. “You think this place is big enough? I’ve been thinking maybe with a baby on the way, we would be better off finding someplace new.”
I did a quick sweep of the open great room and found myself yet again reluctant to consider moving, but this time, it wasn’t the moving itself that bothered me. I liked being in Torin’s space.
“Something about knowing I’m the only woman you’ve had over here makes me feel strangely attached to this place.”
He raised a brow. “You like that, did you?”
“What girl wouldn’t?”
“Well, you’d probably enjoy knowing you’ve been more than one first for me.”
“Oh yeah?”
“You are the only woman I’ve ever kissed, aside from a couple of girls back when I was sixteen, but that hardly counts,” he added dismissively.
I could hardly believe my ears. Though, it wasn’t so shocking once I thought it through. The vulnerability of a kiss would have been unappealing for someone as closed off as Torin had been. I adored knowing that was something he’d only shared with me.
When I thought back to that first kiss we’d shared, warmth blossomed across my cheeks. “You must be a natural, then. I never would have suspected you weren’t well-practiced.” Flustered, I raised my fork to take a bite only to be hit by a wave of nausea. I set the utensil down and took a slow, deep breath.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, but I think I’m done with dinner.”
Tor immediately got up and took both our plates away. I’d been struggling with morning sickness, mostly at night, and he knew that the smell of food made it worse.
“You can finish your dinner,” I urged. “I don’t want you to stop eating just because I can’t.”
“I’ll finish later.” His brows furrowed as he returned to the table. “I wish we had a balcony. I’d say fresh air might help. You sure you don’t want a different place? The spare bedrooms are awfully far from ours. We could find something with a balcony and nursery close to the primary bedroom.”