Page 36 of Misery In Me

I roll my eyes, pulling my thong up and yanking my shirt over my head, forgoing my bra.He’s still calling me baby.My heart flutters in my chest and I head towards the door, leaving it open. Zoe’s nursery is dim, and going right to her crib tugs at my heartstrings. I’m too attached. I’ve never been this way with any other child I’ve cared for.

Why is she different?

“Buenos días, niña.Did you sleep good?” Lifting her and making the side step to the changing table, I get her changed and in a clean outfit. Once I have her situated, I cradle her, nuzzling her to my chest and kissing her perfect head of hair. “Let’s go see your daddy, huh?”

“Will you take her so I can grab some pants from my room and then go make her a bottle?” Turning into Gage’s room, I notice he hasn’t moved at all. He’s still in bed under the covers, probably naked.

I stand there and ponder the last bit and clench my thighs together. It’s been a long time since I’ve had sex and last night with Gage awakened my libido for sure.

“Bring her here.” He sits up, positioning himself with pillows and then holds out his arms for her. “But… no pants.”

I make my way over to him and hand him his daughter, giving him a look. “Seriously?”

“Oh, I’m so serious. You have a gorgeous body, Ale. I could stare at it all day.” Gage grabs my hand and tugs me toward him. When my mouth hovers over his, he says something I don’t expect. “Can I kiss you?”

God, could I fall for him any more than I already am?

A man that asks instead of takes.

What did I do to deserve him?

“Yes,” and he pulls my arm around the back of his neck and presses his lips to mine.

“Eres tan hermosa, cariño.”

I swear if this man keeps whispering things to me in Spanish, I’m going to wind up pregnant. Gage speaking my native language is such a turn-on, and it’s messing with my head. As if his being ridiculously attractive wasn’t bad enough, he has to speak decent Spanish too. There is this stupid part of my brain that’s telling me a baby wouldn’t be horrible, I’m twenty-five, so it’s not like I’m too young. But as I break away from his kiss and hurry out of the room, I want to slap myself for even thinking it.

He is your boss, Alejandra.

But his lips feel so good on mine. His touch makes me feel alive and his words caress a part of my soul that I never knew needed them. Needed him.

I rush out of the room and I can feel Gage’s eyes on me, I know he’s watching me leave. I try to shake off the feeling of his gaze, but it only seems to intensify the butterflies in my stomach. I make my way to the kitchen, trying to focus on making Zoe’s bottle.

I’m still trying to process everything that happened last night. The way he touched me, the way he made me feel. It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. And now, this morning, he’s being so sweet and gentle with me. At the counter, preparing Zoe’s bottle, I hear Gage come into the kitchen behind me, Zoe fussing in his arms. He’s still shirtless, his bandaged side needs changing, and his hair is mussed from sleep. He looks adorable, and I feel my heart skip a beat as he approaches me.

“Hey,” he says softly, wrapping his arms around me from behind. “I think she wants you.”

I nod. “Of course,” I reply, trying to sound casual despite the fact that my heart is racing, she needs me as much as I need her.

Gage nuzzles his face into my neck, sending shivers down my spine. “Do you want to feed her in bed?” He whispers in my ear. “I can make breakfast for us while you do.”

“Yeah, I can do that.” With her bottle ready, I turn and take her from him, and almost instantly she calms against my chest. Gage just smiles at the two of us, then leans to kiss the top of her head. When he comes up, he stops just inches from my lips and waits.

I roll my eyes at him. “You have my permission to kiss me whenever you want, Gage.”

His soft lips hover and before he presses them to mine, he lets out a little chuckle. “You better remember you said that. Because there's no going back now, Ale. I’m gonna kiss the shit out of you. Whenever. I. Want.”

With Zoe nestled on my chest between us, he looks at me with such adoration in his eyes that I feel my heart melt. And then he leans in and presses his lips to mine. It’s a soft, gentle kiss at first, but as our lips touch, it deepens into something more passionate.

Zoe starts to fuss a little, but he doesn’t break the kiss. Instead, I adjust her slightly and continue to kiss him. I feel like I’m melting into him, like our lips are meant to be together.

The world around us fades away until all that’s left is the two of us and Zoe, lost in this perfect moment. The kiss is so intense that it leaves me breathless when we finally break apart for air.

Gage smiles down at me, looking smugly satisfied with himself. “I’ve wanted to do that all morning,” he says, moving back and heading towards the fridge to start pulling out things for breakfast.

Heading toward the staircase, I peek back over my shoulder to catch him watching me with a big-ass grin on his face. My face flushes and as I hit the first step, he calls over to me. “When I said feed her in bed, I meant mine.Our bed.”

Our bed.

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