Page 48 of Better Daddy
I don’t even acknowledge the question. He knows why. Because we were getting divorced. And yes, the settlement Brian drew up for us includes medical insurance unless I remarry, but I didn’t want to be reliant on Sully anymore, so I made sure to opt into the benefit when I started my new job.
I didn’t want any of my decisions, including whether I remarry in the future, to be dictated by this man.
I shake my head. Right now, I can’t focus on any of that. The idea of being with someone else, let alone marrying someone else, is ludicrous. It’s hard to remember how I ever thought I could move on from Sully. Obviously even then I was lying to myself. That was proven by my recklessness the night I had unprotected sex with my husband back in September.
A flash of that night hits me, and my core clenches in response. I clamp my thighs together, mentally berating myself, hoping like hell Sully can’t sense that little spike in desire.
“Sloane Murphy.” The nurse’s call couldn’t have come at a better time.
I stand and shuffle across the room with Sully on my heels. Once she’s left us in the exam room with instructions for me to change, awkwardness creeps in. For a moment, Sully and I stare at one another. It’s nothing like the way we interacted during myfirst pregnancy. Back then, I wouldn’t have thought twice about undressing in front of him. Hell, more than once, I tried to convince him to get me off before the doctor appeared. Back then, we were fearless. Head-over-heels in love. Disasters for one another.
For most of our time together, there wasn’t a moment when I wondered if my husband was attracted to me. I liked undressing in front of him. Even after T.J. was born and my body had changed. Because Sully always made it clear how much he loved every inch of me.
He thumbs over his shoulder and clears his throat. “I could give you privacy if you’d like.”
We’re so painfully considerate of one another’s feelings now. So aware and careful. It’s like a punch to the stomach. I can’t imagine keeping up the act for the rest of the pregnancy. We’re sharing a damn bedroom, for fuck’s sake.
I shrug. “Or you could sit and relax.” I hold back theand enjoy the show, though I think my lifted brows say the words for me.
Throat bobbing, he nods. “Yeah, okay.” He settles in the chair beside the exam table, but when he looks up again, I swear to God the fire in his eyes is hot enough to incinerate my clothes and do the work for me. If there was ever a question about whether my husband is still attracted to me, I have my answer now.
I shimmy my dress up my thighs and remove my stockings first. When I straighten, Sully is holding out a hand to take them. I drape them over his palm, and when our hands brush, his touch echoes through my body. I have to force myself to breathe evenly as he folds them and then sets them on his thigh.
I’m frozen in place, watching him, until he looks up, and when his eyes meet mine, they simmer with heat and expectation. Like he knew I was waiting for his attention before I continued to undress.
I turn away from him, my voice raspy as I ask, “Can you unzip me?”
“Come here.” His command makes my knees go weak.
I shuffle backward until I think I’m close enough.Sully must disagree, because he pushes his chair forward, causing it to scrape loudly in the small room. He drapes my hair over one shoulder, then slides the zipper down slowly.
Once he’s stopped, I swear I feel the ghost of a kiss against my lower back. Not a physical touch. More like he breathes me in. His lips so close I can almost feel their dampness.
I push the sleeve off one shoulder and then the other, but before the dress can fall to the floor, he catches it and holds out a hand, a silent offer to steady me while I step out of it. I shuffle around to face him so I can take the garment, inadvertently lining my breasts up with his face.
His tongue slips out, moistening his lips. “Are you cold?” he murmurs, his focus fixed on the pointed nipples beneath the lace of my bra.
Did I intentionally pick out a matching set? Maybe. Did I go with black and sexy on purpose? I’ll never admit it.
“I think we both know I’m not,” I breathe out.
Then, because I like the way he’s looking at me, because I’m feeling bold under his lust-filled gaze, I thumb the waistband of my lace panties and push them down. Sully’s thighs are spread wide, and he makes no effort to hide his erection. “Christ,” he mutters, rubbing a palm over his mouth as he drinks me in, lingering on the spot between my legs. He digs his fingers into the fabric of his trousers, as if it takes effort to keep them there.
I can’t help but push him just a little more.
“I need help with the bra,” I tell him as I turn.
He stops me, his hands firm on my bare hips now. I swear to God, we moan in unison at the contact. “I can get it from here.”
My heart lodges itself in my throat.
Shit. Shit, shit, shit. I’m such an idiot. Until now, I hadn’t considered how it would feel to be naked in his arms again. I’ve been so focused on teasing him, on putting on a damn show, that I forgot howheaffectsme.
And he’s running with it. As if reminding me thatI’m his wife, ensuring I understand just how comfortable he is in this situation, he runs both hands up my waist and slides them around my back so he can unclip my bra. As he does so, he tips his chin up, giving me a front-row seat to his reaction when my bra falls, exposing my heavy breasts. My nipples practically bow to meet his lips, and the way his blue eyes darken with longing has a needy cry creeping up my throat.
Not a single inch of him is actually touching me now. Not his lips, not his hands, and certainly not his tongue. And yet I feel him all over.
The rap of knuckles against the door startles me. With shaky hands, I reach for the gown the nurse left out for me. Then I hustle to the examination table.
