I swallow thickly and nod.
“How close Benjamin was standing to you. I wanted to break his arms for holding Elijah, but I wanted to saw them off and beat him into a bloody pulp with them for being so close to you. It’s not just Elijah who’s mine, but his mother as well.”
My breath stutters in my throat and it takes me a couple of tries to pull in air. Warmth gathers in my belly and works its way to my limbs. I’m surprised at how much I like his words. Not the beating Benjamin with his own arms part—that was pretty gruesome—but the part of claiming me too.
“I’ll ask again, Remi,” he says and dips his head closer. “Does that bother you?”
Incapable of speech, all I can do is shake my head. It doesn’t bother me at all. Actually, I like it so much, it makes me lightheaded and electrifies my whole body. I’m still unsure of how I feel about the stuff he told me several days ago, but for the moment, I’m deliriously happy.
“Good,” he whispers against my lips before he crushes his against mine.
His arm locks around my waist and he plasters my chest against his. My hands find his hair, and I tug him closer, meshing our mouths together as close as they can get.
The kiss is all-consuming and the best one we’ve shared so far. Don’t get me wrong, all the others were fantastic, but knowing he wants Elijah and me as his own, makes this one so much better, more meaningful.
I feel his hardness against my stomach, and I wish we weren’t at his work right now. Or at least, we were the only ones here. We haven’t had sex yet, but we’ve done almost everything else. It’s driving me crazy because I want to go that last step with him so bad. I’ve been sleeping like crap lately because my body’s been so restless with want.
All too soon, he pulls away. I almost snatch him back to me, but I stop myself. Our breaths fan against each other’s face as we pant. His eyes now carry a softness as he tucks a piece of loose hair behind my ear. I sag against him because my legs are weak, and I need a moment to compose myself.
“This won’t take long, then we’ll get out of here,” he rumbles gravelly.
“Okay,” I acknowledge breathlessly.
I get a sexy twist of his lips before he ki
sses me and then walks away. My eyes linger on his butt as he disappears behind a door. I blow out a breath and run my hands through my hair, pulling the long strands over one shoulder to get some air on my heated neck.
“Okay then.” I retake my seat and look down at Elijah. “That was interesting, wasn’t it? What do you think, Elijah? Would you like Trouble as your dad?”
He slings his arms out and gives me a big smile. I’m definitely taking that smile as he likes the idea just as much as I do.
“WHERE ARE WE GOING?” I ask Trouble as he leads me down the street away from the direction of his house. Before leaving the office, he asked Susan if she could watch Elijah for a little while, so we’re baby-free.
He glances over at me. “The library.”
“Oh, okay. Umm.… Why?”
Smiling, he lifts my hand and kisses the back of it. “You’ll see.”
A few minutes later, we’re walking through the doors of the library. Trouble greets the lady behind the desk who checked out my book a few weeks ago.
“Hey, Quinn. How’s it going?”
Her eyes flicker to me, giving us both a smile. “Good, Dr. Trayce. You?”
“Can’t complain.” He juts his chin toward the kid’s area where I see a bunch of children all sitting on the floor in a circle around an older woman. “They started?”
“Just a few minutes ago.”
“We’ll make sure to stand back so we don’t disturb them.”
Trouble’s hand tightens in mine and he leads me away. We stop at the edge of the carpet, a good fifteen feet away from the kids. They range from toddler to preteen, but they’re all quietly listening to the woman read a book. They stare up at her with their mouths slightly open and eyes alert.
Trouble leans against the end of one of the bookshelves and pulls me to his side. With his arm around my waist and my head resting on his shoulder, we watch as the woman fascinates the children with her words. It’s amazing how well-behaved they’re being, especially the smaller children. They laugh at something the character in the book does and it brings a smile to my face.
I don’t understand why he brought me here, but I enjoy watching the kids in any case.
When the woman closes the book, she smiles down at the children and encourages them to ask any questions they may have. Most don’t, but a few do. It’s not until she stands that the kids start moving around, pulling out toys to play with and books to read at the small tables.