Page 31 of The Sweetest Mistake

Setting the empty candy bar wrapper on the table, she placed her hand on his thigh. She’d meant it to be comforting, but he was anything but, his pants becoming tighter by the second.

“You’ll get there,” she said sweetly, giving his thigh a squeeze.

Connor winced, which made her look down at his lap.

“Oh!” she said, noticing the reason for his discomfort.

“Yeah. Serious discussion or not, he’s got a mind of his own.”

And then she gave him that full-on smile that he loved, gums showing and everything, which didn’t help the situation with his pants.

“We might have some time before Ava wakes up,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows at him.

“Let’s hope so,” he said, pulling her onto his lap.

What was it about this woman that made him want to touch her constantly? And it didn’t just have to be sexually, although that was part of it. He just wanted her near him, wanted to be able to twist a lock of her hair around his finger, wanted to feel her thigh brush against his when they sat together, or having her straddle him on the couch worked too.

Threading his hands in her silky hair, he brought her face down to his and kissed her, gently at first, testing to see how far she was willing to go. When her lips parted for him, he groaned and plundered her mouth with his tongue, tasting the chocolate that still lingered there.

Adjusting herself on his lap to get closer, her breasts brushed against his chest, and he felt the hard peaks of her nipples poke into him.

If it weren’t for the baby sleeping across the room, he would have already stripped her naked, but he was aware they might be interrupted at any minute. Still, he sank into the kiss, cupping her bottom in his hands and rocking into her hips.

He wasn’t great at telling her how he felt, but he was damn good at showing her, and that’s exactly what he intended to do. He had to prove to her that Cam meant nothing to him aside from being the mother of his child and that Julia, well…

“Connor?” Julia whispered against his lips.

“Yeah?”

“I really want this, but I think we should stop.”

Not what he’d wanted to hear. Peeking around her, he saw that Ava was still resting soundly, her little mouth making a sucking motion in her sleep.

“Are you sure?” he asked, slipping his hands underneath her T-shirt and cupping her breasts.

She shook her head, and he chuckled at her indecision. From the way she’d been responding, he knew it wouldn’t take long, and he hated to stop now. Pulling her bra cups down, he rasped his thumbs across her nipples and then tugged on the tight buds.

Arching her chest into his hands, she rubbed against his erection, making it almost painful for him. He loved seeing her like this, lost in ecstasy, void of inhibitions, and knowing that it was all because of him.

“It’s okay, Julia. Just let go,” he mumbled against her lips.

And she did. Right there on the couch, fully dressed, using the friction generated from their clothed bodies to come undone. Connor thought it might be one of the most erotic moments they’d shared yet, and there had been quite a few.

Wrapping his arms around her waist, he held her tight as she came back to herself, her head resting on his shoulder. When they were together like this, he felt like there wasn’t anything they couldn’t overcome. Not her family’s disapproval, not her doctor ex-boyfriend who was still lurking in the background, and not Cam, who had come back into his life unexpectedly.

Stroking her back, he felt extremely lucky that she was still there. Some other woman might have cut and run at the first sign of trouble, but not her. She was tougher than she looked, stronger than she believed, and more important to him than she knew.

He vowed to change that, but he wouldn’t rush it because, right now, they still had a lot to deal with, and the situation with Ava was still new.

“What about you?” Julia whispered, her breath skimming over his neck and making him squirm.

“What about me?”

“You know,” she said, motioning to his lap.

But just then, Ava let out a peep, and they both stilled.

“Maybe she’ll go back to sleep,” he said, but he doubted it. He was already learning how unpredictable babies could be. As if to prove it, Ava let out a squeal, letting them know she was truly awake.