Page 111 of A Little Naughty

She pinches her lips before looking up at me, almost like she’s afraid to ask.

“It’s okay.” I smile. “What’s on your mind?”

“Is the man who shot you going to come back?”

Whoa—not what I expected. I stop, putting my hand on her shoulder gently. “No, he’s gone. You don’t ever have to worry about him again.”

“Gone like… dead gone?”

“Yeah,” I answer quietly. “Dead gone.”

“Why did he shoot you?”

We decided not to tell her it was Bill, because we didn’t want to scare her. Now I’m starting to wonder if that was a good idea. Still, I don’t want to change it without talking to Jemima.

“I made a bad decision. Then I tried to make it right. It was almost too late, but I got lucky. I had people who care about me throw me a safety net.”

She reaches up and holds my hand. “Like Jemima?”

“Yep.” I nod. “And Aiden and other people. I think you were there, reading to me in the hospital.”

“They said we were supposed to talk to you, but I didn’t know what to talk about.” She shrugs. “Monay said reading out loud would work.”

I give her a little side-hug. “How’d you do on that geography test?”

“A-plus.” She smiles, and I hold up my hand for a high-five.

“That’s my girl.”

* * *

Later that night,I’m sitting on the floor again, watching as Jemima traces her fingernails over Nikki’s back and sings their bedtime song. I wait at the door as she hugs her goodnight, and we walk together downstairs.

The moon is on the rise, and she stops in the kitchen, turning and wrapping her arms around my neck as she hums the song she was just singing. For a few minutes, we dance in the kitchen with the moonlight on the floor.

My arms are around her waist, and my face is at her ear. “I hope she’s never too big for that. It’s my favorite part of the day.”

Her head leans back, and a dreamy light is in her eyes. “You’re my favorite part of every day.”

My stomach tightens, and I lean down to slide my lips over hers. She exhales a hum, and we’re still swaying as our mouths part and our kiss turns deeper. Heat blooms through my stomach, and I’m frustrated I can’t lift her off her feet right now.

“The first thing I’m going to do when I’m well is fuck you against that wall.” She shivers in my arms, turning her back to my chest.

“That wall?” She points in front of us, and I lean down to kiss the side of her neck.

“That wall, and then that table.”

My hands slide over the front of her dress, covering her hardened nipples, and she exhales a little moan. “We’ll need to arrange a sitter.”

Hesitating, I glance at the stairs, then I catch her hand, leading her to the bedroom and closing the door. My back is to the wooden barrier, and she wraps her arms around my neck, smiling up at me.

“I’m so happy you’re here, I don’t even mind having to wait.” Rising onto her toes, she kisses my lips. “It heightens the anticipation.”

Our fingers twine, and I follow her to the bathroom. “We don’t have to wait for everything.”

“Shower, and I’ll change your bandage.”

I cup her cheeks, kissing her again before removing my clothes. Her tongue slides over her bottom lip as I remove my shirt followed by my pants. Her eyes flicker to mine, and she fans her face, going into the bedroom.

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