Page 20 of The Christmas Gift

He looked at his watch, reminding her of their mid-morning meeting with the designer. “Or we can stay here.”

Scowling, she handed him the now cold beverage and pulled out her tablet from her purse. Creating a new folder with the label ‘baby’s father’ she snapped a few pictures. “Satisfied?” She arched a brow.

“Not by miles.” He pointed to the stairs leading to the second floor. “The bedrooms are next.”

Walking up the stairs, she regretted not selecting a few pieces of furniture to be replaced like he’d asked days ago. It would be impossible to visit him now without picturing herself living in the apartment. She suspected that was his intention.

Ivy entered the bedroom and halted. The scent of his fragrance enveloped her senses. If she thought his kiss was hypnotizing earlier, she was wrong. Taking a greedy gulp, she let his scent burrow into her lungs. A second later, his hands wormed around her waist, his chest flush against her back. She didn’t have time to pull away as her stomach shuddered from the connection.

“Order a king bed,” he whispered against her neck. “I’m tired of sleeping on that thing.”

An air mattress was tucked against the wall, it looked expensive, but couldn’t be as comfortable as the bed he’d given up.

“If that’s what you want…”Drat. He was making it hard to breathe.

“Silk sheets, too.”

“You should hire a decorator.”

“Seeing as how you’ll be testing the bed with me, I’ll defer to your judgment.”

It wasn’t difficult picturing themselves on the bed, wrapped up in each other.

“Come on,” he said, taking her hand and guiding her to another door. “I thought this would be perfect for the nursery. But if you think it’s too small, you can choose the room down the hall.”

Her breath hitched. The room was half the size of his, but it made the perfect nursery. Similar to Cor’s bedroom, large windows brightened the space, giving it a light airy atmosphere. Beneath the window were boxes to build a crib.

Her eyes stung. “You went baby shopping?” She spun around, facing him.

“Hey, hey.” His thumb dabbed the tear from the corner of her eyes. “If you don’t like it, we’ll donate it with the other stuff to that nonprofit and purchase a new set.”

“You donated your furniture?”

His brows wrinkled. “Yeah. And the organizer, Alayna, does charity drives for the community all the time.” His finger caressed her cheek almost absentmindedly. “It’s a good nonprofit.”

She turned into Cor’s palm, her heart swelling further by his generosity. He had the luxury of having his furniture removed and not caring where it went. Yet, he did care.

“I promised a contribution to her gift drive this year.”

“We’ll wrap ours together.” He frowned as her eyes continued to tear up. For the first time, he looked uncomfortable, which made Ivy smile. “Is this part of the pregnancy…the tears?”

Gripping the front of his jacket, Ivy pulled him down for a searing kiss. Maybe she was a tad hormonal, but at the moment, she didn’t care. She was too busy discovering parts of Cor she could easily fall in love with. Not that she planned on giving him any more ammunition. “Yeah, it’s hormones,” she whispered against his lips.

His fingers sank into the hairs at the base of her neck, curling around her Afro. “Then it’s a good time to mention I bought an outfit for the baby too.”

“You’re fishing for another kiss, aren’t you?”

“Is it working?”

“Yes,” she whispered. “It’s working.”

His mouth slammed against hers with breathtaking hunger. Cor was greedy in his taking, but he gave so much more too, lashing dewy kisses with the same intensity he used during sex.

When he lifted his head, their panting breaths whistled between them. “I’m of a mind to call in sick.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“Didn’t you say you were emotional…” He bit down on the soft curve of her neck, eliciting goosebumps. “Because that’s a damn good reason to stay home.”

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