Page 21 of Moving to Love
“His birth date.”
Joci traced the tattoo on his right bicep, RMS. “Ryder.”
Jeremiah whispered, “Yes.”
Joci slid her hands to his right wrist and traced the numbers.
“And this would be his date of birth as well. Twins.”
* * *
Jeremiah framed Joci’s face in his hands. He stared into her eyes for the longest time. The stormy gray irises framed by a deeper gray. Her long, thick lashes were now wet from the water of the shower, creating the shape of stars around her eyes. Slowly, he leaned down and kissed her lips. He turned his head so they fit together perfectly, and dipped his tongue into her mouth. He explored, wanting to touch every surface of her body. He wanted to crawl inside her and leave an imprint on her that would never disappear. He slid his hand into her hair and cupped the back of her head, holding her in place while he continued to taste her.
She wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling them closer. When Jeremiah needed to breathe, he lifted his head and lay it on top of Joci’s. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her to him. He already needed her again; he would take his time and enjoy this.
Chapter 11
“You’re mine, Joci. No one else’s.”
She wrapped her arms around him and held him close.
“I don’t want any other man, Jeremiah. I need you to want only me. Promise me.”
Jeremiah lifted his head to look at her.
“I only want you, Joci. I’m a one-woman man.”
They tucked themselves into bed, and both of them fell blissfully asleep in each other’s arms.
Jeremiah woke Joci around six a.m. He brought her a cup of coffee and set it on the bedside table. He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the mouth, surprised that she responded so quickly to his kiss. She rolled to her back, pulling him over with her, causing him to groan.
“God, you’re an insatiable little woman. How in the hell am I going to keep you satisfied?”
Joci laughed, “I was just thinking the same thing about you. You’re the one who started kissing me.”
Jeremiah chuckled, “I just brought you some coffee. It’s six o’clock. We need to get to the shop in about an hour and a half.”
Joci sat up, took the coffee cup in her hand, and breathed in the scent. She took a sip. “Mmm, very good. Thank you.”
Jeremiah lay on his side, still nude, watching her.
She raked her eyes over his body. “How is it you look great all the time? Geez, you’re going to give me a complex,” Joci smiled.
He returned her smile. “How is it you look great all the time?”
She shook her head. “I exercise because I have to. I still have a squishy belly from having a very big boy, and if I don’t work at it, it doesn’t take long to look flabby.”
Jeremiah pushed the covers down and looked at her belly.
“I don’t think it looks squishy.”
He leaned over and kissed her stomach. She had a few stretch marks he hadn’t noticed last night. He traced his finger along one of them, and she moved to push his hand away and grab the covers. He stopped her and kissed where he had just traced.
“These don’t make you look bad, Joci. They came from having your amazing son. It’s part of life.”
Joci looked at him. “Men don’t get these marks from having kids. They look for women who don’t have them.”
Jeremiah looked at Joci. “I don’t. I don’t give a shit about a few little marks on your belly. I care about you, the whole package.”
