Sloane rested her hand on one of mine.
I stayed where I was but looked up at her. “I want to be a part of both your lives. A big, permanent part. I understand, though, why you’d question my level of commitment or even why you think I’m only here because of this little one.” I splayed the fingers of my hand. “But it’s more than that, Sloane.”
She nodded, but her look remained skeptical. “There’s something I need to ask you.”
“Anything.”
Sloane smirked. “I can ask, right? That doesn’t mean you can answer.”
“Your security clearance is probably higher than mine.”
“About that. I’ve requested to be moved to a different division.”
I felt my shoulders tense. “Where?”
“Still here. And by here, I mean working from home.”
“Doing what?”
“Cyber. Data analysis primarily. It isn’t much different than what I do now, except I won’t have any fieldwork.”
“I like the sound of that.” I kissed her belly again. “She’s already such a good mom to you.”
“What about you, Tackle?”
“I have a job with my dad. Eventually, the business will be mine.” She didn’t look happy. “What?”
“And be miserable.” She rolled away and sat up. “I’m pregnant, so you not only give up your bachelor lifestyle, but you work a job you never intended to be a career. Don’t do this, Tackle.” Sloane grabbed a robe and walked out of the room. I followed—without a robe.
“You can switch careers, but I can’t?”
“I’m not switching careers; I’m changing divisions.” Her eyes trailed down my naked body, immediately bringing my cock back to full attention. I had to focus on our conversation, though, not on how much I desperately wanted her.
“And yet, if I said I was going to take a permanent job with K19, you’d kick me to the curb even faster.” I sounded irritated because I was.
“Is that what you want to do?”
“Does any of this really need to be decided tonight?”
“You’re the one who wanted to talk.”
My eyes scrunched. “I did?”
“You didn’t want to do anything else.”
“There’s a difference between not wanting to and trying to do the right thing.”
“Stop trying to do the right thing, Tackle.”
“What about the baby?”
Sloane walked over to the sofa’s end table and opened the drawer. She pulled out a book and flipped to a page that had been dog-eared. “According to this, it’s perfectly okay to have sex while pregnant.” She thrust it at me, but I didn’t take it.
“I trust your word,” I said with a wink.
“Is it because you don’t find me attractive anymore?”
“I’m not sure what would make you say that, but”—I made a sweeping motion across the lower half of my body—“clearly, that is not the case.” Her brow was furrowed, and I swear her lower lip was protruding. I held out my hand and, when she took it, led her back to the bedroom.