Page 52 of First Comes Forever

“You said it was medical. He’s a plastic surgeon and you had breast implants. It’s not that far-fetched.”

Smirking, she says, “I didn’t ask if it was far-fetched. I asked if it bothered you.”

She’s baiting me. Here’s my next chance to bend my rules. Logic tells me this is a terrible idea, but the tightening in my chest and the way I’m having to control my breathing tells me I’m already a goner. The game is over. Grabbing her knee, I uncross Amani’s legs and wedge myself between her thighs. She squeezes me with her legs playfully, making what could be an awkward moment feel familiar and comfortable.

Am I really about to cross this line?

“It drove me fucking crazy,” I admit. “Please don’t do that again. Use a doctor I don’t know and never have to see.”

“Are you bossing me around now?” Her smile grows.

“You seem to like it. Does a jealous man turn you on?”

Wrapping her legs around my hips, she pulls me in a little closer as she scoots to the very edge of the counter, pressing herself against me. “How about you don’t ask what turns me on unless you plan on doing something about it?”

Hunching down to lean in close, I whisper right against her ear, “Next man besides me who sees you naked is a dead man walking. I’ll make sure of it.”

Securing her hand around my neck, she whispers back, “You don’t really seem like the fighting type.”

I laugh. “I’m not. I’m the hire-a-hitman type. And I’d pay top dollar to bury your next lover in the ground.”

Leaning back, she finds my eyes again and gives me a cute shrug. “I like you, Adam. I’m right here.”

I rub the sides of her thighs, buying time as I weigh my options. Honesty seems like a good choice for once. “But you want to get pregnant.”

Dropping her hand from my neck, her expression goes flat. “Oh. I see.”

“No, wait.” I immediately regret my words. “There’s nothing wrong with that. I saw you with Carson, and I’m more convinced than ever being a mom is a great choice for you. But where does that leave me? You want to be a mom, but I don’t want to be a dad. If we start something, isn’t that kind of saying…” I have no idea how to finish my sentence without sounding like an ass.

“Saying what?”

“Amani, if I wanted a baby, I would find a woman, settle down, get married, and start a family myself. But I don’t want any of that.” At least not anymore.

I’m relieved when her sassy smirk returns. “Awfully cocky of you to think that any woman would have you. Plus, you put the moves down like a sloth. Who has that kind of time?”

“Funny,” I huff out.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. I’m not looking for a father for my nonexistent baby.”

I’m not convinced. Who wants to embark on the journey of parenthood alone? “You’re not?”

“IVF isn’t for another six weeks, at least. I’m trying to share a moment with youright now.One summer. No strings attached and no loose ends.”

“So just your guy for the summer?”

“Exactly. Just my summer guy,” she echoes, her eyes now on my lips. I’m too slow for her liking because right before I decide to cross all the lines I promised I wouldn’t, Amani’s soft, full lips are on mine. I mean to deepen our kiss, to run my tongue against hers, but she’s too quick, her lips finding my ear as she cups my growing hard-on. “But I’m warning you now. Once you’ve had me, good luck letting me go,” she says with a little breathy chuckle.

I find her green eyes and cock my head to the side.

“I’m kidding,” she says. “Just a joke.”

She doesn’t understand my hesitance. It wasn’t her warning. It’s the letting her go part that has my stomach twisting in knots. That’s the problem with summer. It ends.

I tug up the hem of her white shirt and she lifts her arms so I can pull it over her head. I toss it to the ground before unclasping her bra. “Six weeks. All mine. No one sees these but me.”

“I may actually need a doctor, though,” she says as I pull each of her straps down. When her bra falls in her lap, she pulls up one of her perfect, full perky breasts to show me her slightly pink scar. “See?” she asks.

It doesn’t look all that bad. “I’ll be your doctor.” I bend over and kiss her scar. “There. All better.”

---