BEST FRIEND’S BROTHER

Kaleb’s face didn’t flex. He ignored her question. “What did she say to you?” he quizzed.

Sasha took a deep breath, “It’s not even important, Kaleb. Whatever she said doesn’t seem to cure my illness, my stupidity, and you’re the reason for everything,” she muttered in a low, defeated voice.

She shut her eyes as she felt him place a soft kiss on top of her head. Was she ever going to stop melting in his arms? Wanting him to hold her tight? Desiring more of him each time? She couldn’t tell as she loved all of him. She suddenly realized how crazy her feelings were growing for this crazy man beside her. She didn’t want to go away from him. How could she when all she needed was feeling him deep inside her?

“Alright, Sasha. You should go to bed and rest,” Kaleb said calmly.

For once Sasha wished for Kaleb to beg her to stay. She hoped that he’d at least force her, as he usually did, but he did not do as such. Staring at each other, they remained silent. No one spoke for almost a minute.

“If it weren’t for Claire,” Kaleb uttered out of the blue, “would things be different between us?”

Would they? Sasha wondered. “I don’t know, but I’m certainly sure that you’re not the type of man I dreamed of,” she answered.

Kaleb frowned. “And who is your type? Samson?” His tone was accusing.

“What’s with you and Samson? Are you jealous of him?” Sasha chuckled.

“Ugh!” Kaleb groaned dismissively.

Sasha chuckled again. “But then again, why not? He may not be that handsome, but he still looks good enough. He’s charming, he does make me smile most of the time, and he’s single.”

“I swear if you continue talking that way about him, I’m going to ask him to stay away from you!” Kaleb snapped quietly, his voice menacing.

“What? Are you crazy?” Sasha laughed aloud. “Why would you do that just because you don’t like how I talk about him?” she blurted.

“Because I can,” Kaleb replied blankly. “And I thought by now you’ve already confirmed that I’m crazy and capable of doing just that.”

“No, you can’t do that,” Sasha argued.

Could he?

“Oh yes I can, Sasha. Try me,” Kaleb replied.

“Oh no, you’re just bluffing, Kaleb Luthor!” She bit her bottom lip.

“Don’t try me, Sasha . I’m not as good as you want to believe.”

“I know you’re bad-so very bad. But I also know you’re good,” Sasha said softly, and her words seemed to deepen into Kaleb’s heart. His eyes shone amorously.

“You really love trouble,” he muttered, smiling indulgently while stroking her hair.

She smiled ditto, then she said, “Look Kaleb, it doesn’t matter if things would be different if Claire was in the picture. What matters right now is that she is, and we should… I mean… I should face that reality. So I think we shouldn’t focus on anything else but our child, and when the baby comes, things will go back to normal while we try to co-parent as well and as peacefully as we can. Good night, Kaleb,” she added, then slipped into her room before he could think of a reply.

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“So what do you want to do tonight, sugar?”

Sasha looked up from her tapestry as Kaleb breezed into the sitting room. She was embroidering a snow-white goose with a big blue ribbon around its neck. For the baby. She’d never thought she would be the kind of person to enjoy precision sewing, but to her surprise she not only loved it, but was good at it, too. It was the perfect Occupation for someone who wanted to be doing something but wasn’t allowed to move much! And as the pregnancy progressed, she found out that it wasn’t getting easier to move around. She gave a dreamy sort of smile as she gazed up at him. “Shall we play cards?”

Kaleb pulled a face, and moved around the room restlessly. “I’m bored with cards.”

“You’re just fed up with losing!”

“I only let you win because of your delicate condition!”

“Of course you do!” Sasha bit back a smile. “Anyway, I don’t feel in the least bit delicate at the moment.”

“No.” He ran his eyes over her. “You don’t look it, either. You look as healthy as an-”

“Ox?” she supplied drily.

“That wouldn’t have been my first word of choice, no.”

“How about-like a barrage balloon?”

He considered this, relishing the invitation for him to look at her properly. Normally he had to do it when she wasn’t aware he was watching her. Like when she was asleep. And at almost six months into her pregnancy she was sleeping a lot. Then he would feast his eyes on her burgeoning figure with a mixture of pride and lust. Especially lust.

He’d always found Sasha sexually attractive, but it had come as a revelation for him to discover that he found her just as desirable when she was almost full-term with the baby.

Almost as big a revelation as discovering that he could reign in his sexual desire for her when he needed to. It hadn’t been easy, but over the past few weeks-somehow-he’d kept the pleasurable, persistent ache of longing well hidden from her.

“Er, no.” He swallowed. “You don’t look like a barrage balloon, either.”

“What then do I look like?” It was that slumberous little side glance that played such havoc with his composure!

“Just stop playing the tease, will you, Sasha?” he growled. “Or you might find you get more than you bargained for!”

Sasha looked up at him thoughtfully as she leaned back against the bank of cushions, thinking how disgustingly healthy and vibrant and sexy he looked in a charcoal sweater and dark cords. But he looked distinctly grumpy, too-and just when she had thought that things between them were ticking along so beautifully.

It was the month of December, and In one corner of the room over by the window stood the Christmas tree which Kaleb had dressed the day before-although she had masterminded all decorations from her almost permanent position on the sofa!

It was hard to believe that he had been sharing her apartment for months-yet he had slotted into her life as though he had been born for just that purpose.