Page 75 of Something Like Shelter

“I wouldn’t expect you to.”

“I’d wipe the floor with you,” she said, sliding down on the pillows.

“I have a feeling I would enjoy every second of that.” I moved down on the pillows to stay eye-to-eye with her as we both rolled onto our sides.

“With you on your stomach with my knee in your neck?”

“Well, from that position, all I would need to do is turn over, and my face would be right where we both want it to be.”

Up so close, there was no way to mistake the way heat warmed her eyes and a flush moved across her skin as both our minds wandered.

“I have really crummy timing for getting sick,” she said, exhaling hard.

“Not like it was something you could control. Besides, I’m not going anywhere. We can make up for lost time once you’re feeling like yourself again.”

“You should start loading up on electrolytes now,” she warned.

“Oh, yeah?” I asked, trying to ignore the way my body responded to the promise in her eyes, in her words.

“By my estimate, by the time I get well again, we will have missed out on at least four days and at least five or six times of very adult playtime.”

“Think I’m up for the job.” I’d been in a long dry spell before being with her. I imagined she hadn’t been with anyone since finding out she was pregnant. We both had more than five or six adult playtime sessions to make up for.

“I have no doubt,” she said, her gaze slipping away. A little shy, maybe. She’d get past that. We just didn’t have enough time together to show her that she had nothing to feel shy or embarrassed about.

Someone cleared their throat, making us both turn to find her mother standing in the doorway with Adelaide.

“Someone is getting hungry. I just wanted to see if you wanted to nurse or skip this feeding.”

“No,” Willa said, pulling herself up. “I’m starting to get uncomfortable anyway.

Her mother handed over Adelaide and a cloth. “Just give me a call when you want me to take her back,” she said before making her way out of the room, mostly closing the door as she went.

“You can stay if you want. But no pressure. Some of my family gets a little uncomfortable.”

“Yeah, but that’s family,” I said as she undid a button up by one shoulder, making the front of her shirt spill open. “I’ve been between your thighs,” I reminded her. “And inside you.”

Her eyes flicked up, her lips parting as her gaze went momentarily blank.

“Sorry,” I said, not sorry at all. “Not fair to do that to you when you’re indisposed.”

Willa drew in a snuffling breath as she pulled Adelaide closer then reached to undo her nursing bra.

“She sounds snuffly,” I said as Adelaide kept latching and unlatching so she could breathe through her mouth.

“Yeah. I think another booger sucking session is in her future. Poor thing,” she said, running her finger down her daughter’s pudgy cheek.

“Couple more days and it’ll be all over.” I paused. “Then maybe we can have a day out. The aquarium, maybe. I think Adelaide might get a kick out of that. What?” I asked when she shot me a look I couldn’t parse.

“I like how you think about Adelaide.”

“Of course I think about Adelaide. If we’re doing this, she’s going to be the biggest part of our lives. Well, her and whatever breaks in this house next.”

“God, don’t even say that.”

“I should be done with this current job in two more days. Then I can get back to this bathroom.”

“There’s no rush. I think if the choice was getting my bathroom finished or spending some time with you, I’d choose the latter.”