Page 75 of Take My Kiss
“You act as if you’ve never had a hookup bail on you before.”
“Not one that I cared so deeply for.” I dip down, gently kissing her. “And when it comes to you, I more than care for you.”
If my touch doesn’t give me away on how hard I’m falling for her, I’m sure my words will. And although I don’t want to scare her, it’s impossible to keep my feelings bottled up when they’re busting at the seams to come out.
We finish showering, scrubbing soap over each other, and then rinse off. She looks utterly sated and exhausted, so once we’re toweled off, I carry her to the bed.
“I’ll grab you some clothes.”
“Just underwear and a T-shirt is fine,” she says, brushing through her wet hair before putting it into a braid.
I pull on some sweats, then grab her one of my ranch logo shirts, and panties.
“Did you want more tea since we never drank ours?” I smirk, watching her get dressed.
“I’m ready to pass out, but you can if you want.” She gets under the covers, and I follow suit.
“The only thing I want is to hold you in my bed.” I wink, pulling her closer so her back fits snug against my chest.
“You should set an alarm so you can go back to yours before Sam wakes up. I don’t want him to see us and get confused or ask questions I can’t answer.”
“You’re gonna kick me out of my own bed?” I tighten my hold on her, sliding my palm under the shirt so I can feel closer to her.
She looks over her shoulder, smirking. “You only said I couldn’t bail, nothin’ ’bout pushin’ you out.”
“Wow…way to find a loophole.”
She shrugs playfully. “Don’t underestimate a Leo.”
“That means your birthday’s comin’ up. Shouldn’t your fake husband know that?”
“Probably,” she murmurs, sinking deeper into the mattress. “It’s July twenty-eighth.”
That’s only five weeks away, but it gives me enough time to plan something or, at the very least, get her something she can cherish for life, even if I’m not in it long-term.
My fingers brush a small scar near her belly button that I don’t remember noticing before. It doesn’t feel like a stretch mark since the texture isn’t the same.
“What’s this?” I ask, rubbing over it again. “Surgery?”
“Mm-hmm. When I was eighteen.” She moves my hand to the other side of her stomach. “I have another one here and down here.” She lowers my hand again. “They faded nicely, but the skin ain’t as smooth over ’em.”
“What happened?”
“Laparoscopic kidney removal.”
“You donated a kidney?” I push up on my elbow so I can see her face. “For who?”
She sighs, then finally opens her eyes and looks at me warily. “My mother.”
My brows shoot to my hairline as a mix of emotions swirls through me. All this time we’ve talked about her family and past, and she never mentioned it.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“’Cause I didn’t wanna see the look of disappointment on your face that you’re givin’ me right now.”
I gently stroke a finger over her cheek. “I’m just surprised, that’s all. Not judgin’ you.”
“She was on the donor list after being diagnosed with kidney failure, and when Samuel died, my father guilt-tripped me into checkin’ if I was a match. He said I owed it to her for killin’ their only son. And as my luck would have it, I was. He offered to buy me a brand new car if I did it, but I stupidly agreed ’cause I thought it’d make ’em love me again and stop treatin’ me like a villain. Two years later, when they pushed me out, they onlylet me take what I could fit in my car. And since I never had the money to buy a different one, it’s the same one I drive now.”
