| Chapter Twenty-Three The following afternoon, I was standing in the room I had chosen for the nursery. Kevin was kneeling on the floor, crib rails, tools, and nuts and bolts surrounding him. He was muttering to himself as he read over the page of instructions. The rest of the baby's furniture had been put together and set in place earlier and I knew he had to be tired. The most he had allowed me to do was to hand him the screwdriver or a nut. I watched a few moments more as he reached for one end of the crib and a side rail and tried to fit all the hardware into place. I giggled softly as the pieces fell from his hands onto the floor. He raised his head from the crib pieces and glared at me. I tried to stifle my giggles, but I found the sight of the normally capable, always-in-control, confident man suddenly turning into an inept, almost-out-of-control, frustrated version of that man hit my funny bone. I giggled again, despite the glare he continued to send my way. "You think this is funny?" he demanded as he stood up. "No, just you," I said through my fit of laughter. "Oh! So I'm the funny one," he said as he took a step towards me. I noticed that his eyes gleamed mischievously and I began to back up. "No, no. That came out all wrong," I insisted as I raised my hands to ward him off as I took another step backwards. "I didn't mean you were funny, just the way you looked." "So now I look funny?" He bellowed in mock outrage as he advanced closer towards me. "No!" I said again, trying to be serious, but the laughter that was still escaping and the merriment in my eyes belied my words. I took another step back to counter his still advancing form and found my back pressed to the wall. My eyes widened as he gave a mock evil laugh and sprang forward. "I think you need to be taught a lesson," he stated as his fingers rose towards my sides. "Kevin, no!" I yelled as I tried to squirm away from his approaching hands. My squirming did me no good. His long fingers danced down my sides and I howled with laughter as I squirmed. Every move I made he was right there moving with me. Finally realizing that I wasn't going to get away, I changed tactics and reached for his sides, connecting on the first try. He shrieked in surprise as he tried to jerk away. I grabbed his shirt and held on with one hand, while with the other I attacked his ribs. We were laughing so much that we collapsed against one another. My back was still to the wall and Kevin was pressed as close as my body would allow. Suddenly, without warning, the sensual awareness that simmered below the surface sprang to life and our laughter died away. Our eyes met and my breath caught in my throat. Without thought, my tongue darted out and moistened my lips. I watched as his eyes followed that involuntary movement, before lifting to meet mine. "Cassie." My name was spoken on a low harsh whisper and a shiver of anticipation raced down my spine. I tilted my chin up a fraction of an inch and his lips closed over mine without preamble. Since my declaration of love the day before, nothing more physical than a hug or holding hands had passed between us. It was as if we both knew we wouldn't be to able stop at just a kiss, and in my condition anything more was out of the question. But the moment his lips closed over mine all thoughts of should or shouldn't flew out the window. Months of longing for this, for him swelled up and overwhelmed me. Of their own volition, my arms slid up his chest and around his neck, holding him closer. I needed the closeness, craved it. And as he pulled me in tighter to his body, I realized he needed it too. His tongue trailed lazily over the rim of my mouth and a deep moan sounded from my throat as my lower jaw dropped open. The first contact of his tongue against mine sent my senses whirling and my knees buckling. His hands tightened on my waist, holding me steady as his tongue explored every inch of my mouth. I reveled in the taste and smell of him. It had been so long. Much too long. My fingers speared into his long silky hair and I shuddered as I remembered the feeling of his hair brushing against me as we had made love. I was so caught up in what I was feeling and remembering I didn't realize his hands were moving until they cupped my swollen breast. His mouth swallowed the sharp cry that escaped, as he renewed the kiss with a fervent vigor. His nimble fingers teased my already hard nipples as our tongues dueled. I needed to feel him, to touch him the way he was touching me. I lowered my hands and tugged the tails of his t-shirt out of his jeans and then ran them up along his naked flesh until my fingertips reached his nipples. I rolled them between my thumbs and forefingers, delighting in the deep groan that came from his chest. So lost in what we we're feeling, in what we were doing to one another that neither of us heard the door to the nursery open or the shocked gasp that followed. "Sorry. I'll... um... I'll just come back later." I jerked away from Kevin's embrace and spun my head to the door just in time to see it close. I laid my head against Kevin's chest and tried to calm my frantic breathing. "Your sister has impeccable timing," he whispered against my hair. I groaned in frustration, as the feelings of desire continued to pulse throughout my body. "I'm going to have to kill her," I said after a moment. His dry chuckle rumbled through his chest and I couldn't help the answering giggle the came from me. "I guess it's just as well," he said. "Otherwise we probably would've gotten carried away. Not that I would have minded, but we both know you're not supposed to..." He paused a moment, his meaning clear, before continuing. "But, it's clear enough that neither of us were thinking clearly enough to have stopped." I nodded slowly, knowing he was right on all accounts, but it didn't help the sudden feeling of loss that swamped me. I knew at this point in my pregnancy that intercourse wasn't allowed, but it didn't stop me from wanting it. From wanting the closeness, the feel of his body pressed against mine without any barriers. He must have read the need in my eyes, because he took my hand and led me across the hall to my room and firmly closed and locked the door behind him. CCC Index **Chapter Twenty-Four** Main Page |