Maid for Him.

Chapter Eight

The kiss was all he could stand. Every moment with her sent his heart racing. The pounding against his chest as she pressed herself against him, blocked out all other sounds. Her lips, sweet and addictive. He could have kissed her for eternity.

The hurt that flashed across her face when he pulled away cut him. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. He should hate her or at least resent her for running off when she did, but he couldn't. Every fibre of his being wanted her.

He stood in the middle of her bedroom, unsure if he should stay or go. Without question, staying was what he wanted, but what was the right thing to do? He took a few steps towards the door before he stopped and turned back to face her.

"Well?" She asked. "What are you waiting for? You know where the door is." Her shoulders were pushed back, her cute little upturned nose, stuck in the air.

He sighed and leaned back against the hinges. "Okay, I'll stay."

Pausing from her task of packing away her dirty laundry, she death stared him. There was no other way to put it, her eyes dark and sheltered by half-closed lids. "Don't do me any favors." She drawled and threw her sports bag into the corner of the room.

"I'm not. I don't want you here by yourself tonight. It's obvious you've had a bit of a scare."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, obviously I must still be in shock. There is no way I would have asked you to stay otherwise." She pulled at the corner of the blanket, straightening it back up.

His lips turned up at the corners as he made his way around to the other side of the bed and helped her smooth it out. "There, all nice and neat." He said.

She promptly threw back the blanket, let her robe drop to the floor and got into the bed, yanking the blanket up to her ears. "Make sure you turn off the light," she ordered.

He stood still for a moment and let out a heavy sigh. "You're a real pain in my ass you know that?"

"I sincerely hope so." She rolled over and shut her eyes.

Cole stalked over and switched on the small bedside, tiffany lamp. The leadlight splashed colors across the beige walls and he couldn't help but draw comparisons to the way Tess had turned up here in her bathrobe and pink hair and lit up, the beige that was him and his family. He turned flicked off the main light switch before crawling into bed next to Tess. Laying in the soft light, listening to her breath in and out, in and out. Her shoulder rising and falling with each breath causing the thin strap of her negligee to fall from her shoulder. His fingertips buzzed with the need to reach out and slide it all the way down, to kiss a trail along her shoulder, up her neck, and to her ear.

She turned over suddenly and caught him looking at her, she glared back at him. "Why are you staring at me?"

Caught off guard, he blinked at her, trying to work out what to say. Why was he staring at her? It's not like he hadn't had lovers in the past. What was it about her that had him so captivated? "Because you're beautiful." He settled for the cookie-cutter compliment. Although burning in his heart, it was so much more than her good looks that drew him to her like the missing piece of his puzzle.

"You're so full of shit Cole Washington. Look at this belly." She snapped and shocked him out of his reverie. She rolled onto her back and yanked her pink satin nightgown up to reveal her stomach. "I'm huge. I'm surprised I haven't split down the middle, I always feel queasy and I'm paler than Casper. So, quit looking at me, it pisses me off."

She continued to hurl abuse in his direction but he'd blocked her out. He was mesmerized by her swollen belly. It had grown since he'd seen it a short time ago, in her New York apartment. He couldn't help himself, he reached out a trembling hand and placed it lightly on her bare stomach. Heat seemed to filter through her body and into his palm. He rubbed his hand back and forth. If this was the only child he would ever have, he needed to make the most of it. He wanted to be a part of everything.