Page 17 of Confined Space

"Hey, buddy, we are going to have to have a talk about your timing." I chuckle and look at Coral. "We are going to kiss some more, but little man needs you first." She nods. Her lips are swollen from mine. She pulls her bottom lip between her little teeth. Archer cries again, and her head falls back against the wall. I can’t help myself. I kiss her neck and drag my tongue along it as I groan.

I set her down, and she rushes over to him. She takes him out of the seat he's in. He quiets but not completely.

"He's hungry. I need to feed him," she stammers. "Can we talk about this at a later time?"

"Okay, feed him. But we are going to talk now." I walk over to the sofa and sit down, waiting for her to realize I'm not leaving.

"Um, I nurse him," she says, and the image of him at her breast flashes in my mind. I was hard before, but now I'm steel thinking of that.

"Okay." I try for calm, but I can hear the grit in my voice.

She picks up a thin blanket from the coffee table, sits at the other end of the sofa, and covers Archer's head and her shoulder. She works under the blanket, using her good arm, and then Archer is making eating sounds like he's starved. Shit, little man, I get that, because I'm starved for your momma too.

"Why are you here? How did you know where I lived?"

"My mom told me. I wanted to bring those by for you." I flip my hand over my shoulder toward the kitchen, indicating the groceries.

"I don't need your help. I'm so embarrassed that happened. I was expecting a deposit that must be delayed." She won't look at me.

I slide across the sofa, my arm going across the back, and I pull her into me. I lift her chin and look down at her so she's looking me in the eye.

"Coral, Melissa isn't my girlfriend. She's a woman I fucked once, several months ago, and she hasn't gotten the hint." I explain.

"What hint?" she asks, her eyes focusing on anything but me. Her innocence calls to something deep in my soul. How she can be so innocent and still be a mother blows my mind.

"That I'm not interested in anything more with her."

"I don't do that, Rowdy. If that's the kind of relationship you want, you're going to have to find someone else. I don't normally kiss strangers."

"I'm not a stranger, Mouse. We've talked more in one sitting than I ever have with Melissa or any woman I've been with before." I try to reassure her.

"Don't call me mouse. I might be small and look like a kid, but I'm strong and I've got my own voice. I've done a lot on my own. I'm not timid, and I'm most definitely not a rodent." Her eyes spark, and I throw my head back and laugh. Archer moves around under the blanket and it starts to slip. She pulls him off, trying to keep herself covered. She’s shy around me. He turns his head to look at me. Milk drools from a corner of his mouth, and my heart thumps harder in my chest.

"I call you Mouse not because of those reasons. In my favorite book series, Mouse is a large temple dog. He is fierce, and that reminds me of you. A small package with a side of fierceness."

"You said a large temple dog?”

"When Mouse started out, he was a little fluff ball."

"Okay." She turns her head, not convinced.

"Coral, I want to date you." I'm not going to give her the choice.

"Dating me isn't like Melissa—"

"I told you I didn't date Melissa, we just fucked."

"See, right there. I don't just sleep with guys. I don't even just kiss random guys. That was the first time I've made out like that." She points toward the wall where I had her pressed a short time ago. Whatever jerk knocked her up and left didn't do his job if that's what she calls making out. Her blush shows how awkward she is with this conversation, but I don’t stop it. I want to know everything, and I want to be honest with her.

"Listen, that wasn't making out. That was just kissing. When I make out with you, you'll know. I'm not asking you for sex. Don’t get me wrong, I want to, but I know you need more time. First, can I ask if I'm going to have to deal with Archer's father?" I need to know what I'm facing here.

"Rowdy, I can't date. I've never really dated anyone before. And as for Archer's father, we aren't a couple and never were. Before him, I was raised by devout Christians who didn't believe in kissing before marriage. So…” She pauses for a moment, biting her plump lip, and I want it back on my lips. I focus on her though because what she just said is extremely important. She and Archer’s father weren’t a couple. "So, I don't see how this is going to work. I need to schedule babysitters before I can go out. I work a lot, and I have to deal with a lot of other things before I can consider getting involved with anyone."

"I'm not taking no for an answer. I was raised by a single mom; I know what you deal with. Granted, my mother never dated after my father died, but I know your focus is Archer. My mother also had my father’s family to lean on. I know you don’t have many people to do that with. I want to be someone you lean on. You need to have time for you too. I have a crazy work schedule also. But you didn't answer my question completely about Archer's father. What is his status?”

“His status? His. Status.” She pulls away and stands, holding Archer close. “His status is he doesn’t have anything to do with Archer. He doesn’t even know we moved here or anything about him. He’s living his life and doing whatever he wants.” She’s fired up. Her body trembles from her anger, but her words make me pause.

"He doesn't know about Archer?" I'm angry now too. I'm not sure if I'm upset at him for being a jerk who has no idea about his kid, or if I'm mad at her for possibly keeping the secret of a child from a man.

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