Page 18 of The Rebound
“So, feet?”
She shakes her head.
All right then. I think back on everything she’s said over the past few weeks, from her aching back to her fatigue.
“Difficulty sleeping?”
She taps her finger against her chin again before nodding slowly. “Warmer.”
“All right,” I say, adjusting my hand on her ankle so that it sits higher on her calf, rubbing the muscle there.
She sighs, leaning into the touch. “Even warmer,” she murmurs. Then her eyes go wide and a blush crawls over her cheekbones, almost like she didn’t mean to say that out loud.
Interesting.
I trail my fingers up and down her leg, enjoying how silky smooth her skin feels against my fingertips. “Something to do with your legs?”
She shrugs.
“Your ... skin?”
She shrugs again.
“You gotta help me out here.”
“Fine.” She sighs dramatically, adjusting her position so that she’s sitting closer to me on the couch. “But you have to promise not to make fun of me. Because it’sbad.”
“I promise.”
Kinley and I enjoy poking fun at each other, but I would never intentionally tease her about something she’s sensitive about. Still, I doubt it’s actually somethingbad. I’m convinced she’s overreacting.
She stares at me with skeptical eyes, offering her pinky. “Pinky swear.”
Solemnly, I accept her pinky, locking our fingers together. Neither of us lets go. She bites her lip, her eyes hooded with whatever secret she’s too embarrassed to share with me.
“I swear. Now tell me.”
Kinley meets my eyes, and the stormy expression on her face sends a rolling wave of desire down my body, gathering in the stiffness beneath my jeans. My hand stills on her leg, my nerves building.
“I’m pregnant, but I’m still human, right? And all these hormones raging through me are impossible to ignore. So that means I have certain ... wants. Needs, even.” The tip of her tongue darts out to wet her lower lip.
I don’t need emojis to know exactly what she’s talking about. This message couldn’t be clearer.
Kinley has been horny.
Which is pretty much the least helpful information ever. Because it’s not like I can help her out of this jam.
“What’s so bad about that?” I stare at her lips, my imagination running at breakneck speed.
They must be so soft. I want to feel them against my lips. Hell, I want to feel them on my—
“Because it’s pointless.” She focuses on her lap, the sparkle dulling in her eyes.
“Why?”
Looking up, she levels me with a stare. “Because who would want me like this?”
The question stuns me. I blink a few times, waiting for the punch line. But for once, Kinley isn’t kidding.
