Once Upon A Half-Time: A Sports Romance - Sosie Frost Page 0,151

wicked, he seemed so gentle and passionate and so easy to…

I sucked in a breath.

Well, that was a trap I set for myself, and I nearly fell in head first.

If I wasn’t careful, I’d keep tumbling around Nate, perpetually off-balance and trembling and aching to touch him.

I tugged a pillow back and clutched it to my chest. It wasn’t the best defense against him, but I wanted to be cautious. If Nate hadn’t noticed a difference in my body at the cabin, I doubted he’d randomly guess about the baby now.

His baby.

I liked the sound of it.

“So what do we do?” I asked.

Nate smirked. “About what? Dangerous question, baby. You might want to be more specific.”

True. I had too many questions and not enough courage to ask them.

What do you want to do about the baby? How do we handle having a child? Would you like to be involved? Do you think it’s okay that we aren’t together?

...Should we get together?

Like that wouldn’t create a mess of complications. I’d stick to the stickiest issue at the moment.

“What do we do about my mom and Bryce’s dad?”

Nate answered immediately with a decisive wave of his hand. “Absolutely nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Not our problem.”

“But he’s married—”

“You can’t save everyone’s relationship,” Nate said. “Hell, most people can’t save their own. He knew what he did, and so did your mom.”

I squeezed the pillow. “Just feels…crummy.”

“It shouldn’t. You’re too fixated on everyone else’s relationships.”

He stretched out against the couch, arms on the back as if baiting me to scooch close and snuggle against his chest. That was the type of thinking that got me in trouble in the beginning.

“Hell, you’re too obsessed with relationships in general,” he said.

“At least I’m giving them some thought, unlike you who runs at the first sign of commitment.”

“I’m not afraid of commitment.”

“Then why haven’t you found someone yet?”

“Who says I haven’t?”

My throat closed. “Have you?”

“There you go again.” Nate teased. “Always thinking of other people’s love lives instead of your own.”

“Believe me, I’m focused on mine.”

“Are you?”

I answered honestly. “Why do you think I keep pushing you away?”

“I’d love to know.”

He curled a finger for me to come closer, but there was only one way that game would end. I shook my head and dug into my side of the couch.

That only baited him.

I should have stopped him.

I should have pushed him away.

Nate crawled over me, pinning me in the corner with a hand on the couch’s arm and back. The pillow was a good choice. It kept a solid four inches between us, enough room that I’d have to lean forward to take a kiss.

And that was a dangerous and foolish thing to do.

“You were saying, baby?” Nate shifted, knocking my legs open so he could get even closer. “Why do you keep pushing me away?”

I was doing a really lousy job of it now. “Because you’re bad for me.”

“Am I?” He leaned a little closer, and his hoppy, masculine scent dizzied my head. “Be honest.”

“You’re the only man I’ve ever let this close.”

“That doesn’t make me bad for you.”

“It doesn’t make you good.”

“I think you’re scared.”

I smirked. “I’ve already had sex with you, Nate. A couple times. I can’t be scared of that anymore.”

“Maybe you’re scared because you like it.”

“I think you know I do.”

“Sure, I’ve figured it out.” He dropped closer to me. Was he always this warm? I stared at his lips as he whispered. “But you’re worried about admitting it.”

“Okay. I admit it. I like having sex with you.” I shook my head. “Now what?”

“We do it again. And again. And again.” His lips touched mine, the tiniest graze. “And you’ll like it more and more each time.”

“This is why you’re dangerous to me. You make sex sound so…easy.”

He smiled. “It is.”

“And good.”

His voice rumbled. “It’s very good.”

“And simple.”

“I’m a simple man, baby. I gotta have air to breathe, food to eat, and you for everything else.”

His kiss was as sweet as his words.

“You shouldn’t say things like that,” I said.

“Why not?”

“I might start believing you.”

His hand caressed my cheek. “You should. I’m telling you the truth. When I say I want you…” He kissed me again, his tongue flicking mine. “I want you. When I say you’re beautiful.” He brushed the hair from my face. “I mean you’re the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen. And when I say I can’t stop thinking about you…”

His hand drifted along my hip. I imagined him touching low on my belly, where the baby rested.

I wished he might