LATCH (17 page)

“There’s your baby.” He points to the screen and I watch in amazement as our child is shown to us for the first time.

“It’s okay?” Abby asks.

“So far, looks good. See this flutter right here?” And he shows us on the screen, then pushes something on the key board and the room is filled with a whooshing. “That’s your baby’s heartbeat.”

Tears fill my eyes as I listen to the new life that we have created. Abby looks at me and a stray tear falls off of my cheek landing on our hands. “Oh God, that’s our baby, Latch.” She has the same tears in her eyes and I squeeze her hand. Then look back at the screen.

Going forward, my life will never be the same. Seeing the baby makes everything a true reality. Yeah, I might not have the first clue how to raise a child, but I am going to do my damnedest to protect it with everything I have.

“February 14
^th
, could you imagine delivering the baby on Valentine’s Day?” I ask.

“I can’t even believe that this little thing is gonna grow into something big enough for us to hold.”

Latch is looking at the picture with me, and I pass it to him as we lie on the bed. “Do you want a boy or girl?” I ask.

“Doesn’t matter to me. You?”

“Me neither, just healthy.”

He sets the photo down and I’m so thankful that my stomach has settled. Dr. Rosland refilled my prescription and since getting back to Maris’s, Latch has made sure that I haven’t had to lift a finger. Scooting closer to him, I lay my head on his chest and rest my free hand on his face. He leans into my touch, closing his eyes and then says, “I don’t want you to think I’m putting off calling my clients, ’cause I’m not. I’ve just been worried about you and that has my mind preoccupied.”

“I know you will. Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“Why did you become an escort to begin with?”

He looks at me a little perplexed. “You sure you wanna talk about this right now?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t want to stress you.”

“It won’t,” I tell him honestly.

“Some girl from the gym I work out at hired me for a bachelorette party probably five years ago. I was broke and needed the money. I guess the bride was into tattooed guys.” He blinks a few times going back to that time and asks me again, “Are you sure you wanna talk about this?”

“Yes, I wanna know everything about you! I feel fine, so please stop worrying.”

“Okay, well, one thing led to another and the party got out of control. The girls wanted more than just dancing and stripping. I’d never done anything like that before, and they offered to pay me for sex, so I took their money.” A ping of jealousy ripples through my soul, imagining Latch with other women.

“Did you feel guilty?”

He looks up at the ceiling before responding, “No, I was raised in a different way. My dad taught me to always take advantage of any situation that benefited me. I never felt bad taking money from any woman, except for you.”

“So since it was easy money that fell into your lap, you just rolled with it?”

“Yeah. I’d recently lost my mom and hadn’t a clue what I was going to do with my life. I was so lost. Maris had me working in her office cleaning, and I hated it. I realized very quickly that sex could mask any pain I was dealing with; it was the best drug in the world. So I built a client list, word of mouth spread, and women kept contacting me.”

I don’t want to say that I can sympathize with him, but we’ve talked about the pain of losing a parent, and I know the feeling better than anyone. I was put up for adoption when I was a baby by my biological parents, just because they were young, and then I lost my mom and dad around the same time Latch lost his mom. So I understand how Latch found relief in something that numbed the pain. For me it had been marrying Darrell that had given me my sense of security back.

“How many women do you think you’ve been with?”

“Don’t ask me that. It doesn’t matter. I was always safe, and I never had a condom break until you. I got tested every three months. I’ve never had an STD. And I’m never going to have another partner, ever again. Only you, baby.” I close my eyes, wondering why I stuck out to Latch, my heart warming as I imagine us spending the rest of our lives together. Out of all the women in the world, billions, why me? I yawn, trying to answer the question myself, but exhaustion takes over. As drowsiness blankets me, I wonder what made me so different, when clearly he could have had anyone?

I wake up what feels like hours later. Being pregnant is definitely exhausting. I must’ve fallen asleep while Latch and I were talking and I feel terrible. Latch probably thinks that I got bored of him. However, he must’ve needed the rest ’cause he is sleeping too. Resting my head on his chest, I look down at his tattooed body; each one paints a picture of who he is.

Tracing my finger over the compass on his stomach, I wonder why he got it. Latch mumbles a little; he must be dreaming. Sitting up, I watch him and then see that his cock is rock hard, straining the fabric of his shorts. Taking it in my hand, he pushes it against me. His face is so contorted, almost like he is in pain, but the movements in his hips tell me otherwise.

Watching him like this turns me on, so I get up and lock the door. I need him right now. Stripping naked, I wait for him to wake, wondering if he is really sleeping or not.

Getting back on the bed, he mumbles, “Yes, Abby.” Clearly he’s asleep. A devilish grin takes over as I kneel next to him. He needs me, just as much as I need him.

Running my fingers down the middle of his chest, his nipples harden. I urge him to remove his shorts and he lifts his hips, helping me. He’s still asleep and I can’t help but laugh a little. Scanning his perfect body, my eyes are drawn to his cock and reaching down, I grip it. “Fuck,” he gasps, and I kind of feel bad for taking advantage of him. For like a second.

Slowly, I stroke him, keeping my movements firm while I wait for him to wake up. His head is turned to the left and is tucked into his arm that is stretched above and around his head, resting on his pillow.

He mumbles something else and I can’t take him sleeping any longer. Leaning down, I connect our lips. Invading his mouth with my tongue. He kisses me back as I get lost in this moment, his cock in my hand and our mouths so consumed. He grips the back of my hair as he pours everything into the kiss. I look into his tired eyes and scoot on top of him, sliding his cock inside of me. He nudges himself upwards and I sit up, looking down at him as his hands rest tenderly on the sides of my thighs.

“Hi,” I say and start to move a little, grinding our bodies together.

“Are you taking advantage of me?”

I nod my head and respond, “Is that a problem?”

With a half smirk, he pulls me down to him with one hand, weaving his fingers into the back of my hair. He keeps a good grip on one of my thighs as I bob my ass up and down, stroking his cock high inside of me. He grunts, the noise so sexy that it spins my entire world upside down. I look into his eyes as long as I can, loving the connection we share. The way that we can get so consumed in just a simple look.

He rubs his dick in just the right spot and I fight my orgasm, keeping quiet, not wanting this moment to end. But suddenly, Latch lets go, tilting his head back as he slams our bodies together and grunts a low, fierce noise. I cover his mouth to keep him quiet, but his shaft is working me so good, that I lose all control, coming myself, and shake forcefully. Everything inside of me is on a sex-painted cloud as my body explodes in the most remarkable bliss.

My hand is still over his mouth as I do my best to stay quiet, but tiny moans creep out of me as he rocks his hips, deeper and deeper. When my body finally stops and I come back to reality, he has the biggest smirk on his face. I shake my head, embarrassed that Maris might have heard us and fall forward in his arms. “God, you’re so hot,” he whispers into my ear as he holds my body against his.

“Me?” I question. “No, that’d be you. You’re the one that turned me on dreaming.”

“Oh, I remember it. You were fucking so good.” He moves his dick inside of me and I laugh out loud. “Sorry,” I respond and he stops, looking confused.

“Why?” He asks, nudging his cock inside of me again.

“Uhhh, I don’t want to wake your grandma.”

“She doesn’t care.”

“Well, I do!” I look at him, and he stops moving. He can see that my expression is serious. “She might not care, but it’s rude to wake someone up in the middle of the night.”

“I’m sure she’s asleep.” Then the toilet from her room flushes and I give him that look. “See? She’s awake! She probably heard us.”

“Relax,” he responds, lightly tickling my lower back, sending a shiver through my spine.

I lay my head on his pillow, his dick is still inside of me and I like it. “Well, we can’t stay forever.”

“I agree.”

“If you’d call your clients, then we can go to your place. At least Darrell doesn’t know where that is.”

“It doesn’t matter where we go, he’s still a worry, and I can’t guarantee that any of my ex clients aren’t going to show up, and that’ll stress you out even more.”

“It’s not like you’re going to sleep with them, right?”

He pinches my ass and I yelp. “Don’t say shit like that, Abby.”

“Sorry. I just want us to have our own space and really start to think about the future. I want to bring our baby home from the hospital to a place of our own, not imposing on Maris.” He doesn’t respond. He just keeps running his fingers up and down my back, and I know that I need to push him to do this.

Not waking up to the smell of coffee and bacon is going to be something that I’ll miss, but if Abby wants us to leave my grandmother’s, then I support it. I can’t say that it’ll be an easy road for us. But for Abby, I’ll give her anything that she wants.

Rolling over, she is fast asleep, so gorgeous in her perfect state of peacefulness. Her hair is covering her face and I just stare at her: from her lips, to her soft skin, to everything that is inside of her, she’s amazing. Her breathing pushes her hair off of her lips and then back on them. Brushing it aside, I gently kiss her, then quietly, I slide out of bed. Searching the floor for my shorts that Abby stripped off me last night reminds me of how good she fucked me in the middle of the night.

Walking downstairs, I don’t want to tell my grandmother that we are leaving. As independent as she is, I can tell she loves having us here. “Morning.” I kiss her on the cheek passing her to pour a fresh cup of coffee.

“How’d you sleep?” she asks.

“Good, fell asleep early.”

“Abby still sleeping?”

“Uh-huh.” I take a sip of coffee, the hot liquid burning my tongue, but it’s such a refreshing feeling. “How about you?” I ask.

“Good. I wanted to take Abby shopping for some baby essentials. Do you think she’s up for it?”

“Probably. I think she’s been feeling better, with the medicine and all.”

“Good, we can go today!”

I smile and look out the window, not saying anything else as I nervously rub my neck. I can’t break her heart right now.

“What’s the matter?” she asks, knowing me so fuckin’ well.

“Nothing,” I lie.