Jordan remembered her telling him about the happy memory from her childhood.
The thoughtfulness of his gift touched her as firmly as his hands ever had. This side of Jordan she simply couldn’t resist. Not tonight with the dream still teasing at the corners of her mind, not with an ache of loneliness and yearning for more stirring inside her.
Resting the painting carefully along the sofa, Brooke stood, her eyes and intentions firmly planted on the connecting door leading to Jordan ’s bedroom.
Chapter 9
Jordan woke the moment he heard his door hinges creak.
He held still, watching through narrowly open eyes as Brooke made her way across the room toward him. Even in the near pitch-dark he could see she was not in any distress, so he kept his silence, biding his time to discover what she had in mind. He never knew anymore around her, and that bothered him.
She stopped by his bed, seemingly unaware that he continued to study her through the veil of his eyelashes. She plucked at the edge of the covers.
Holy crap. She couldn’t be about to…
Brooke slid in beside him. He couldn’t stop the rush of air gusting from his lungs any more than he could contain himself from reaching to wrap an arm around her.
The flowery scent of her hair teased his nose as she snuggled against him.
“Trouble sleeping?” he asked. His hand slid to her stomach and began rubbing soothing circles. “Is the future soccer star kicking you awake?”
Bad idea, touching her. Especially when this could lead nowhere.
She settled alongside him, her head resting on his shoulder. “Something woke me up. Not the baby though.”
“Can I get you anything?” He smoothed his hand from her belly to her back. He’d noticed she’d begun pressing a hand to her lower spine over the past week.
“I needed to be with you.” She flattened her palm to his chest.
His body tightened in response to her cool fingers on his overheated flesh. The rasp from the ring on her thumb seared along his skin, and what a time to think of how he could envision the vine pattern etched on the ring. He’d come to know her that well.
He clenched his jaw and started counting backward from one hundred. By seventy-eight, he gave up and accepted that he would simply have to live with the pain.
“Okay, if you want to sleep in here, no way am I going to object.”
He continued the back massage, a mix of heaven and hell to have her in his arms, feel her soft curves against him, under his hands. He reminded himself that if he kept himself in check and won her over, he could be with her again. The opportunity to have his child raised by the two of them together was worth any wait.
And the idea of a life with Brooke grew more appealing the longer they spent together.
She stroked along his ear. “I don’t feel much like sleeping.”
Neither did he, but for a different reason. He focused on the click of the ceiling fan overhead, the white noise helping keep him grounded. “Then we’ll talk.” She’d said something earlier about resenting feeling controlled, so he opted for a more neutral question. “What would you like to do tomorrow after I get home from work?”
“I wish we could go to all the parties for Brittany and Emilio this week.”
No wonder she was restless. “I’m so damn sorry. Being stuck in the house must be boring. What do you say we check with the doctor about going for a drive along the shore? As long as we don’t travel far and you’re not walking around, I’ll bet it’s all right. We can take a limo so you can prop your feet.”
“That would be nice,” she answered with zilch in the way of enthusiasm.
Ah, damn. He remembered she wanted to make decisions, too…”Any other ideas?”
She sighed. “I don’t mean to sound cranky. That really is thoughtful, like the beautiful present you bought.”
So she’d finally opened it. He had to admit he’d been disappointed when their argument had forestalled him giving it to her. At least he had the satisfaction of knowing she appreciated the gift. After purchasing it, he’d wondered if perhaps she might prefer a chunky diamond bracelet instead—as the other women he’d dated would have. Without question, his last ex would have preferred diamonds over any painting.
He needed to remember Brooke wasn’t even similar to any other woman.
“I’m glad you liked it. When I saw it in the gallery window, I had a feeling you might.” And how strange that he found himself seeing Brooke in any number of things he came across in the course of a day.
“I unwrapped it after I woke up.” She cuddled nearer, her knee nestling too damn close between his legs. “I was dreaming of you.”
“I’m glad.” He dreamed about her every night, a notion that sent him throbbing against the gentle pressure of her thigh.
Hey, wait. She couldn’t mean her dream in the same way as his…?
Her hand skimmed over his hip.
Damn.
He grasped her wrist. “Brooke, honey, as much as I enjoy touching you and you touching me, we can’t have sex. Not until your doctor clears you.”
“I know. I just needed…” She shrugged, her body grazing against his and sending the satiny fabric of her nightshirt slithering over his chest in a tempting whisper.
“I wanted to thank you for the painting you bought for the nursery.”
Jordan allowed himself the satisfaction of toying with her hair. “You’re welcome.”
“And I’m sorry I was crabby earlier. It really is tough for me, sitting around all the time.”
She settled her head against his shoulder with a sigh that pressed her br**sts against his hot flesh. He welcomed her ease with their closeness, even as her sweet curves tempted him.
He would definitely have to call the doctor about a limo ride for Brooke. The doctor had said Brooke was doing well. She might soon be moving back to her condo…away from him.
Jordan brushed aside thoughts of time ticking down for them and focused on her current frustration. “I’ll talk to your family about visiting more.”
“They’re visiting plenty.” She scrunched her nose. “I’ve talked to people until I’m blue in the face. I’m restless. I need…you. This.”
So did he. He stroked her back again, tried to calm her to sleep before they both lost their freaking minds. “Shh. Relax.”
He could feel all the tensed muscles knotting along her shoulders. She truly did need to relax. Being this edgy couldn’t be good for her. If only he could take care of her sensual needs without having sex—