Why did saying the word bed cause her insides to quiver? She was two weeks postpartum, bloated, bleeding and barely keeping it together. She should not be thinking about sex.
And yet, she was.
A lot.
But those thoughts were probably just leftovers from when she was pregnant and hornier than a bitch in heat. She would have jumped anything and ridden it until her thighs chafed by the end of her pregnancy. And since she hadn’t gotten laid since shortly before she found out she was pregnant, told the father and he ran, she’d been itching for some D for a long while. And something about the way Isaac’s jeans hugged his thick thighs told her the man had an impressive D between his legs.
Was she drunk? Or was the way he was looking at her not just all in her head? His expression changed, his eyes darkened, and his nostrils flared.
She hadn’t even had an entire glass of wine, so she definitely wasn’t drunk.
Tired? Of course.
Hungry? All the damn time.
But drunk? Not for the last ten months, she hadn’t been.
Horny? Despite how exhausted she was, yes. Lauren had always had a high sex drive, so to take a break for the last nine months had been pure torture.
She knew she was an oddity. Celeste and Bianca had told her so. Most new mothers were too tired, sore and emotional to even think about sex. But not her.
Maybe it had to do with how much time she spent alone, thinking about all the things she missed in her old life. One of those things being a decent man with a good tongue and a nice, long, thick lead pipe between his legs.
She hadn’t had a man like that in a long time. Ike’s father wasn’t even a man like that. He was a filler. Somebody to scratch an itch with until somebody better, somebody with more substance came along.
But it wasn’t simply that Isaac was a walking, talking, good-looking guy. There was definitely something else about him that struck a chord inside her and had her temperature rising.
“What are you up to tomorrow?” he asked, turning his attention back to the television.
She cleared her throat and sipped her wine to abolish the cobwebs from her mind. “Same as tonight, probably. I bought a turkey breast that I’ll cook up. I’ll make a small batch of stuffing and mashed potatoes, but I can’t really go crazy. It’s just me eating it. If the weather holds up and is pleasant like it was today, I’ll pop him in the stroller and go for a walk. But other than that, no plans. Video chat with my family. Bianca and Celeste will come by with the kids, and we’ll exchange gifts. Low-key. Just like I like. You?” She studied his profile, and damn if it wasn’t almost better than his face straight on. His jaw was strong, his features pronounced, but not in a weird way. Just masculine and perfectly sculpted.
He’d removed his knit hat several hours ago, causing her to wonder if he always had that messy look to his red locks or if it was just from a long day at work and the hat. Either way, she liked it, and it suited him.
“I work tomorrow morning at five,” he said, pivoting his gaze back to her. “Until five. But then I’m free.”
Was that a hint at an invitation?
He lifted a shoulder. “You know, if you need someone to help you eat all the food and hold Ike while you cook.” The sparkle in his eyes liquefied her insides and made her smile until her cheeks ached.
“That sounds great.”
He nodded, stood up, and made a manly noise as he stretched his arms above his head, causing his shirt to ride up enough for her to see he had that delectable V line at his hips, disappearing into his jeans. A line she wanted to run her tongue across like it was a Popsicle.
She had to keep herself from purring, so she drank more wine.
“Not that I want to, but …” He glanced at his watch and whistled. “Almost eleven. I’m normally in bed by now when I start at five. I should get going.”
Was it almost eleven? Where on Earth had the time gone?
She waited for him to move out of the way and stood as well, following him to the door.
He slouched into his coat and pulled his knit cap back on his head.
Mesmerized by the way he managed to ooze sexiness no matter what he did, she leaned against the wall in her entryway and rolled her bottom lip in behind her top teeth.
Once his jacket was zipped, he lifted his head and chuckled. “You okay?”
Lauren blinked a bunch of times and shook her head. Once again, like a horny moth, she was caught in the cobwebs of depravity that seemed to fill her mind. “Yeah, just … tired.” That last word was said on a sigh.
“You should go to bed too.” His big hand landed on the door handle, but he still faced her. “Thanks for inviting me to stay. I had a really nice time.”
Swallowing, she pushed off from the wall and crossed her arms in front of her suddenly aching breasts. She could feel herself beginning to leak as well. Ike would be up any minute. “Thanks for staying. It was nice for some company.”
He lifted his brows. “See you tomorrow after Santa’s been by?” He opened the door, and a gust of frigid winter air whooshed inside. He stepped over the threshold and onto her front stoop.
She followed him and clung to the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
With a wink that made her entire body clench, he took off into the dark toward his truck. The deep, throaty rumble of the V8 filled the silent night moments later.
She thought about waiting for him to pull away and do a final wave, but her nose was beginning to tingle from the cold, and the grunts of a famished infant down the hallway had her breasts gushing.
She closed the door and beelined it down the hallway to her child, the whole time, despite the pain of her hard breasts, smiling. She didn’t even know Isaac’s last name, and yet she already felt this connection to him. He helped her when she had no one, and even though she’d never admit it, he’d helped her today too.
She’d started to feel some fleeting moments of sadness over the last week—which she knew were probably just her hormones going bonkers—but either way, they were there. She’d put on a brave face for her friends with her conviction to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day alone, but to be honest, she was lonely.
She knew being a single mom would be tough—she wasn’t in denial about that—but she was lonely nonetheless. Isaac staying tonight and coming back tomorrow filled her with more hope and happiness than she’d felt in a long time.
Shushing Ike, she sat down in the recliner in the living room and put him to her breast.
Could she have feelings for a man she hardly knew but who had already saved her in so many ways? Was this why Snow White and Sleeping Beauty married their princes after only knowing them for a few minutes? Because they saved them?
She was so used to being independent and strong, not relying on anyone—let alone a man—for anything. For as long as she could remember, she’d provided for herself, comforted herself, looked out for just herself. So much so, that it was almost impossible to admit, even to her friends, that she was lonely and sad. Celeste and Bianca came by when they could—which was a lot. But they had jobs and lives and children. Lauren would have liked to bring someone with her to her prenatal class, but the thought of inconveniencing anybody made knots form in her stomach. So she braved the class alone.
But Isaac seemed to know exactly what she needed without even asking. He showed up that night in the rain and gridlock to help her, and he showed up again tonight.