Page 36 of Vegas Baby

I fold my hand over his and look up into his eyes earnestly. “Can you ever forgive me?”

Sebastian closes his eyes and blows out a breath. When he reopens them, they’re shining. “I already have, Kira.”

He leans in, his lips hovering over mine. But he doesn’t move. And I realize he’s asking for permission. I give it by pushing my mouth into his, and he lets go, his lips covering mine, his tongue pushing into my mouth, claiming and consuming me.

His hand strokes my cheek and neck as his tongue plunders my mouth, my own scraping along his in submission and want. When he finally pulls back, we’re both breathless, forehead to forehead.

“Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I’m going to need to dance with you properly. Now.” Sebastian’s hard-edged tone belies his soft lips as they graze mine.

I nod, and he leads me back out for a dance that makes the one before look like nothing. With my back to his chest, his hands roam my sides, my thighs, and my stomach, as his hips guide mine in an erotic rhythm. His breath in my ear, his fingers grazing down my bare arms, his hardness against my backside … it all heightens the effect of the sultry beat and sweaty crowd.

I surrender to it. To him. To the night. Hoping the light of day doesn’t betray the promise of tonight.

24

SEBASTIAN

As soon as I wake up on Friday, I knew I came on too strong with Kira. Went too fast. The woman just had a baby, for fuck’s sake. And she’s going back to work way too soon. Once again, she has too much on her plate.

In an attempt to slow my roll, I go over and hang out with her every night since Michael is working shows through the weekend. Just hang out. Nothing more. Thankfully the insane heat between us has cooled, and we spend time watching movies, eating take-out, and I even help a bit with getting Nadia to bed after dinner. Growing up in a Mexican American family, dealing with babies comes easily for me, though for some reason that surprises Kira.

Our whole dynamic becomes alarmingly domestic, and perfectly chaste, as I head back to my own apartment every night after we finish whatever latest rom com we picked. I may be determined to take this slowly for her sake, but I’m just a man, and I’m not going to tempt myself like that until I know it’s the right time.

But I don’t have too much time to dwell on it, as I’m working an extended week of ten days on before I’ll get four days off, and by the end of Kira’s first week back at work, I’m exhausted. So, when Maria calls and asks me to stop by after my shift and after all her kids have gone home, I’m none too excited about it. But she insists.

“This better be good, hermana,” I grumble as she lets me in. “I’m supposed to be picking up dinner and going over to Kira’s.”

Maria raises an eyebrow and clears some toys off the couch. “I’ll just bet,” she teases. “I’ll make it quick, I promise.” She goes to the kitchen and comes back with a box. “I’m going to hire some help for the daycare, but I want to drug test people who apply.” She tosses the box at me. “The instructions are confusing, so as my favorite medical person, I thought you might be able to show me how to use it properly.”

I roll my eyes and look down at the kit. “It’s a simple oral swab,” I respond. “It’s not self-explanatory? And besides, couldn’t you like, pay a company to do that for you?”

She rolls her eyes. “That’s expensive, hermanito. This was like twenty bucks at Walmart.”

“You just rub it on the inside of your cheek,” I say, laughing at her. Maria always has been a little helpless with anything she deems “technical.”

“Show me,” she insists.

I roll my eyes and pop open the box, fishing out a swab. “Give me a bottle of water,” I instruct. She hands me one. “First, you have them rinse out their mouth.” I take a big drink, exaggeratedly swish it around, then swallow. “Then, you rub one side of the swab on one cheek for a minute, then you rub the other side of the swab on the other cheek for a minute.” I open my mouth and demonstrate, letting her watch even though it’s kind of weird. Then I hold out the slimy swab. “Then you stick it in the solution. It’ll have a guide that tells you what you’re dealing with based on what color the solution turns.”

She snatches it from me and grins. “So, if I stick this in the solution, will it get you in trouble, hermanito?” she teases.

I scoff and stand up. “Is that it, Maria? Can I go now?”

“Almost,” she stands up and grabs a plastic grocery bag from the shelf next to the window. “Give this to Kira. She forgot Nadia’s empty bottles.”

“So, I’m a teacher and a delivery boy. Great.” I head toward the door.

“Thanks, little bro,” she calls after me.

I wave my hand dismissively as I leave. “Stay out of trouble, gordita.”

I hear Maria laugh behind me as the door closes. And then I head to Kira’s. As I climb into the car, I realize I don’t miss going to my own place straight after work. Because going to Kira’s feels like going home.

25

KIRA

Life is good. I’m back at work, though under strict orders to take it easy for another week and a half. Nadia has been doing beautifully with Maria these last two weeks, and it’s more of a joy than ever to see her at the end of the day. And Sebastian has been amazing, bringing food and taking care of us both. It was shocking seeing how well he changes diapers, feeds, and plays with Nadia. But that shock soon shifted to something else. And seeing him with her every night makes my heart ache in more ways than one.

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