turns toward his room. “I should put some clothes on,” he says, his voice gruff.
“Not a bad idea,” I whisper.
He closes his bedroom door behind him, and comes back out a minute later. He’s wearing a t-shirt and some pajama pants. His feet are bare. “Do you want me to take him?” he asks. He reaches like he’s going to take Benji out of my arms. I block him by turning slightly away.
“He’s almost asleep.” I look down into his perfect little face. His mouth is slack around the bottle and I jiggle it between his lips to get him to suck. He grabs hold again and starts to drink.
“You’re pretty good at that,” he says quietly.
“Necessity is the mother of intention,” I quip.
He grins. “Isn’t it invention?”
“I know.” I smile back at him. “It’s something my dad used to do with me. He’d toss out these mis-worded quotes and sayings. He got us all doing it.”
“Your real dad?”
I nod my head. “Emilio.”
Tag looks at me quizzically.
I shrug. “He’s the only dad I’ve ever had.”
Tag nods.
“I’m going to go and visit my mom tomorrow,” I say quietly.
He rubs his hands together quickly. “Oh, a date! What time?”
“Whenever I get up.”
The bottle falls out of Benji’s mouth and I set it to the side. He’s sound asleep.
“Is he supposed to burp or something?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Sometimes he does. Sometimes he doesn’t.” He holds out his arms and I settle Benji in them. I run my hand across his hair, and I feel a sudden and overwhelming urge to bend and kiss his fat little cheek. So I do.
I lean over and hover over his baby-scented hair, breathing him in, with my eyes closed. Then I press my lips to his forehead and hold them there.
When I look up, I find Tag staring at me. Suddenly he grabs my shirt and jerks me toward him. His lips hover over mine. “Tell me not to kiss you,” he whispers, his eyes skittering across my face.
“Don’t kiss me,” I say.
His lips land on mine, hard. There’s nothing soft or sweet about his kiss. It’s hard and hot and I kiss him back. He sucks on my lower lip, and I nibble at his. I kiss him until some of the passion fades and I’m left with warmth and want.
“I shouldn’t have done that,” Tag whispers, his face close to mine.
I nod. “Bad idea.” I swallow so loudly I can hear it.
He tips my chin up so I have to look at him. My eyes refuse to rise and I look everywhere else. “It has been hell having you around for two weeks and not being able to touch you,” he tells me.
Finally I look at him. “What’s stopping you from touching me?”
“I want to wait. Until it’s right.”
He leans and presses his lips to my forehead, lingering there just like I did with Benji. I feel the warm rush of air from his nose as he drinks me in, just like I did with his son. Only it’s not fondness or kindness I’m feeling from him. It’s heat.
“I should go to bed,” I say.
“Yeah, you should.”
“Good night,” I whisper.
“Night,” he replies.
Instead of going to my room, I go to Lark’s. I open her door and slip inside. She’s lying in her bed listening to music with her headphones on. I fall onto the bed next to her and finally let out a breath.
She tugs her headphones from her ears and stares at me. “Have you been drinking?”
“No.” But I feel like I have.
She lifts her hand to my forehead. “No fever,” she says.
“Nope.” I look at her, and a grin breaks across my face.
“Oh, my god,” she exclaims as she sits up. “Did you meet someone?”
I’ve met so many someones that I can’t keep up with them all. “Sort of.” I wince.
Her eyes narrow. “What do you mean, sort of?”
“Tag sorta kinda just kissed me a little bit,” I blurt out. It rushes out of my mouth like wind through a tunnel.
“What!” she screeches. I cover her mouth with my hand.
“Shh!” I hiss. “He’ll hear you.”
She grins and starts to whisper. “So, how was it?”
“Perfect,”
“Not a bad idea,” I whisper.
He closes his bedroom door behind him, and comes back out a minute later. He’s wearing a t-shirt and some pajama pants. His feet are bare. “Do you want me to take him?” he asks. He reaches like he’s going to take Benji out of my arms. I block him by turning slightly away.
“He’s almost asleep.” I look down into his perfect little face. His mouth is slack around the bottle and I jiggle it between his lips to get him to suck. He grabs hold again and starts to drink.
“You’re pretty good at that,” he says quietly.
“Necessity is the mother of intention,” I quip.
He grins. “Isn’t it invention?”
“I know.” I smile back at him. “It’s something my dad used to do with me. He’d toss out these mis-worded quotes and sayings. He got us all doing it.”
“Your real dad?”
I nod my head. “Emilio.”
Tag looks at me quizzically.
I shrug. “He’s the only dad I’ve ever had.”
Tag nods.
“I’m going to go and visit my mom tomorrow,” I say quietly.
He rubs his hands together quickly. “Oh, a date! What time?”
“Whenever I get up.”
The bottle falls out of Benji’s mouth and I set it to the side. He’s sound asleep.
“Is he supposed to burp or something?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Sometimes he does. Sometimes he doesn’t.” He holds out his arms and I settle Benji in them. I run my hand across his hair, and I feel a sudden and overwhelming urge to bend and kiss his fat little cheek. So I do.
I lean over and hover over his baby-scented hair, breathing him in, with my eyes closed. Then I press my lips to his forehead and hold them there.
When I look up, I find Tag staring at me. Suddenly he grabs my shirt and jerks me toward him. His lips hover over mine. “Tell me not to kiss you,” he whispers, his eyes skittering across my face.
“Don’t kiss me,” I say.
His lips land on mine, hard. There’s nothing soft or sweet about his kiss. It’s hard and hot and I kiss him back. He sucks on my lower lip, and I nibble at his. I kiss him until some of the passion fades and I’m left with warmth and want.
“I shouldn’t have done that,” Tag whispers, his face close to mine.
I nod. “Bad idea.” I swallow so loudly I can hear it.
He tips my chin up so I have to look at him. My eyes refuse to rise and I look everywhere else. “It has been hell having you around for two weeks and not being able to touch you,” he tells me.
Finally I look at him. “What’s stopping you from touching me?”
“I want to wait. Until it’s right.”
He leans and presses his lips to my forehead, lingering there just like I did with Benji. I feel the warm rush of air from his nose as he drinks me in, just like I did with his son. Only it’s not fondness or kindness I’m feeling from him. It’s heat.
“I should go to bed,” I say.
“Yeah, you should.”
“Good night,” I whisper.
“Night,” he replies.
Instead of going to my room, I go to Lark’s. I open her door and slip inside. She’s lying in her bed listening to music with her headphones on. I fall onto the bed next to her and finally let out a breath.
She tugs her headphones from her ears and stares at me. “Have you been drinking?”
“No.” But I feel like I have.
She lifts her hand to my forehead. “No fever,” she says.
“Nope.” I look at her, and a grin breaks across my face.
“Oh, my god,” she exclaims as she sits up. “Did you meet someone?”
I’ve met so many someones that I can’t keep up with them all. “Sort of.” I wince.
Her eyes narrow. “What do you mean, sort of?”
“Tag sorta kinda just kissed me a little bit,” I blurt out. It rushes out of my mouth like wind through a tunnel.
“What!” she screeches. I cover her mouth with my hand.
“Shh!” I hiss. “He’ll hear you.”
She grins and starts to whisper. “So, how was it?”
“Perfect,”