Page 53 of Unsure in Love

I sat back and regarded her with disbelief.

21

CASS

The silence became uncomfortable. I squirmed watching Damian with mounting embarrassment. Suddenly, I felt foolish. Why on earth would I bring up his sexual attraction—or lack thereof—to me? If there was ever a time that I wanted to vanish from existence, it was now.

But the question was out there so I might as well embrace the humiliation. “Well?” I prompted.

Damian’s eyebrows furrowed. “Am I still interested in sex?”

I slid down in my chair a little—an unconscious reaction from wanting to disappear. “Yeah… with me.”

He rubbed his jaw and then moved his index finger over his bottom lip in the way he always did when he was thinking. “Cass, how is that even a question?”

“It’s a valid one,” I defended.

He’d been going hot and cold since I settled into his apartment. He flirted and said the most seductive things that got me hot and bothered one minute, only to treat me as if we were just friends who never slept together the next. It was confusing, and I had every right to wonder if he’d lost sexual interest.

Damian continued to stare at me, and I self-consciously tugged at my tank top. I felt so stupid. Wasn’t this supposed to be a concern further on in my pregnancy—when I was the size of a whale? I’m not sure exactly when my confidence flew the coop.

When he didn’t speak, I sighed. “I feel like you’re not attracted to me anymore,” I explained. “On a physical level.”

Finally, he snapped out of whatever stupor he was in. “Why the hell would you think that?”

“You’ve been… staying away. Far away.”

Yesterday, he practically sprinted out of his master bathroom when he came home from work and walked in on me lounging in his jacuzzi tub. I’d apologized profusely for using it without permission. He’d insisted it was fine, then he hightailed it out of there. He looked terrified at the sight of me naked.

“Sometimes, you give off a flirtatious vibe, but then you sort of…” It was hard to explain it to him without sounding like a fool. A needy fool. I huffed my disgust at my sudden onset of cowardice. Expressing exactly what was on my mind had never been a problem before.

Taking a deep breath, I continued. “Then you withdraw and treat me like your pal, who just happens to be having your baby. I can’t help wondering where we stand because I’m still interested in you.” My face burned. “Sexually.” What woman wouldn’t be?

Damian rubbed his jaw and regarded me with open amusement. “Cass, querida.”

Heat blossomed in my chest at the endearment.

“Of course, I’ve been staying away and with difficulty. Do you know how hard it is having you here and resisting you? I want you in my bed so badly, but I’d never have you think that’s why I asked you to stay.”

Relief swamped me. It was scary how much influence one man had over my emotions. “That would never have crossed my mind.” Sure, we didn’t know each other inside and out, but I knew he wasn’t like that. Damian was one of the most genuine men I’d met.

“Good, because I’m working hard to build trust here. You’ve finally stopped looking at me with suspicion. I didn’t want to risk ruining our progress.” He took my hand in his. “I’m glad you expressed your concern. We should make it a habit of communicating since we’ll be…”

“Co-parenting?” I finished.

He nodded. “Cass, I’m still attracted to you in every way. Having you here and keeping my hands off you has been torture. I’m certain I’ve surpassed the healthy amount of time any man is supposed to jack off.”

My giggles erupted, and Damian grinned. He leaned closer and cupped my nape. My laughter instantly ceased and my breath caught in my throat. Anticipation curled in my stomach, waiting for him to make contact. His lips only grazed mine and I wanted more.

“I can’t have you thinking you’re not incredibly attractive,” he murmured. “I have to fix this.”

I watched him with half-mast eyes, waiting for his next move. The kiss he laid on me was hot enough to make me combust and make me feel like the most desirable woman in the world. It was slow, thorough, domineering, yet gentle. It was so intense, I shivered.

When he pulled away, I was panting and dazed. My dwindling confidence was back on the rise. “It definitely feels like you’re still attracted,” I whispered with a smile. His breath caressed my skin when he chuckled. “I was worried when you ran away after seeing me naked the other day,” I joked.

“I didn’t…” He sighed heavily. “Jesus, Cass, you were naked in my tub. I had to get away from temptation.”

Our lips still hovered close. I ached for him to kiss me again. “But now that you know I’d never think you have ulterior motives for inviting me here, we’ll go back to normal…

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