Bedded Bliss (Found in Oblivion #1) - Cari Quinn Page 0,105
and sleep the day away.
She’d gotten to do that in Vegas, of course, but drunk sleep was not the good kind of sleep. Not the kind that followed an orgasm and a day of pampering.
Actually, she was pretty sure she’d never had that kind of a day.
“We have to go get Axl.”
Michael opened up her towel and kissed her inner thigh, then her belly. “We sure do.”
“Do you mind?”
He peered up at her. “Of course not.”
She pushed his hair off his forehead. “I know it’s an imposition.”
He caught her hand and brought it to his cheek. “It’s not. I want to do things for you guys. It’s my job now.”
“It’s not your job to take care of me—of us.”
“I want to.”
She sighed. “I’ll find a job as soon as I can, then we’ll be—”
“No.”
“What do you mean no?” She struggled to sit up, and tugged the towel closed again. Being naked with this man often put a halt to conversation. And she needed to be clear-headed just now.
“Look at this place. It’s huge. I have another bedroom that we can turn into a nursery, or big boy room or whatever. You know, for Axl.”
“Michael, we’re moving so fast.”
“I know, and I don’t want to scare you. Really, I don’t, but I like being needed.”
“That is not the basis of a relationship.” She slid off the bed and hauled her suitcase onto the chair in the corner. She pulled out underwear and dragged them up over her damp skin.
He moved to his wardrobe and started tugging out clothes. “I said we could go slow last night. I meant it.” He hopped into jeans, tugging them up over purple boxers. He left them unzipped as he walked to her. “But why not just chill out for a little while? You’ve been working your ass off since before the little man was born, right?”
She snapped her bra, and pulled her shirt over her head before turning to him. “I’ve been working since I hit double digits, Michael.”
He closed his eyes for a second then crossed to her. “You’re more than due for some Mom and Axl time, don’t you think?”
“Of course I’d love to stay home with him.” She’d missed so much. Lucky for her Lori had FaceTimed Axl’s first steps, but there’s been a hundred other milestones she’d failed to be a part of. She tried like hell not to think of them as failures, but there’d been so many she’d lost count.
“Then do it. I can afford to do this.”
“I’d be taking adv—”
He grasped her upper arms. “Don’t even say that word. The mere fact that you are so worried about it negates the whole aspect of taking advantage of anyone.”
“Were you a lawyer in a past life or something?”
“Mathlete actually.” He hauled her into his arms, holding her close until she curled her arms around his back. “Caltech if you want the down and dirty details. Though I prefer our kind of dirty details.”
She dropped her forehead against his chest. “I knew that. I Googled you remember?”
He laughed. “I only lasted two semesters. The guitar was way more interesting.”
She peered up at him. “You still had to have the grades to get in.”
“Somehow I doubt your grades sucked.”
“Advanced placement for everything. Even got a scholarship, but then the funding got cut and I couldn’t get enough loans to cover.”
“Then go back to school.”
“Michael…”
He cupped her face. “We’ll take it a day at a time for now, okay?”
She blew out a breath. “Okay.”
“Now let’s go get him.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Because she’d need the rest of the day to figure out how she was going to get everything out of her house by the end of tomorrow.
She was texting Lori and her father as they left the apartment and went down the elevator. Michael stopped at the front desk and set her up with access to the building.
“What’s your license plate?”
She blinked at him while mid-text with her dad. “What?”
He laughed. “Your license plate. You have a car right?”
“No. It was pay for an apartment, or car and car insurance. Apartment won.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Well, we’ll be fixing that.”
“No. We’ll be fine.” No way she was going to allow him to buy her a car.
“Chloe, I live in Malibu. There’s no busses. At least none that come up here.”
“Oh.” The busses went everywhere, dammit. She’d never had to worry about it. Sure, she had to carry mace and learn a bit of self-defense, but she hadn’t been hassled overmuch when