Jarod savoured the time alone with Michael while Parker slept. He cradled him now to his bare chest as the child suckled contentedly on the bottle. The initial reluctance to accept anything other than the soft warmth of Parker dissipated when he realised hey this time with Dad can be fun too. He locked eyes with Jarod who was smiling softly as the boy gulped heartily.
"Not too fast buddy or that wind is gonna cripple you" he whispered and the boy stopped sucking to emit a deep chuckle that caused milk to dribble down his chin into the crease of his neck, soaking his romper. The sound of his child laughing was a revelation to Jarod and he never missed an opportunity to coax his giggles often to Parkers frustration. Feeding time often lapsed into fun time and Michael had now developed a habit of waking at 4am not only to snack but to engage in some predawn rough housing/
"No no, no laughing, this is only milk time…we are not debating the mystery of the universe tonight" Jarod whispered, leaning close to the boy's ear, nuzzling his soft skin. The baby vibrated with laughter in response.
"She's gonna kill us…stop….I'm feeding you…changing you and that's it…got it?"
The baby hurled the four ounces he had just drank back at Jarod who groaned as milk dripped down his body onto the floorboards.
He held the baby upright and looked him in the eye "I told you you were drinking too fast. You never listen. You're just like Mommy that way. Stubborn as a mule".
Michael grabbed his nose and pulled and Jarod sighed as he made his way towards the bathroom to run the shower. Michael loved the water and squealed with delight as Jarod turned the water on. He kicked his legs in delight as Jarod peeled his wet clothes and diaper off. He was wide awake now, there was no way he'd go back down before six and Parker would be pissed.
He saw flashes of the old Parker when she was tired or not getting her way. The woman was so damn used to pleasing herself and arguing with Jarod she often forgot he was no longer her nemesis. He in turn enjoyed the consternation in her eyes when he challenged her right back, often backing her into a space, toe to toe, eye to eye. Provoking flashes of memory within her of different times when he had invaded her space, challenged her. Florida. One of the first moments they had been in close proximity since childhood. She could now recognise that moment as one of the first chinks in her armour. The way his leg parted hers as he tied her to the post. I could take you if I wanted. The air between them hummed with electricity and she was torn in that moment between fury and arousal. He had grown up good. When he reminded her she had given him his first kiss she thought for a moment he was going to kiss her. Had he been kissed at that stage as an adult? The smell of him that night would be forever imprinted on her brain, his sweat, the rain, that something that was uniquely him. He had been careful with her as he restrained her and she had known the hammering in her chest wasnt just due to her loss of freedom.
"Let Mama be mad" Jarod whispered as he took his boy into the shower and the infant pointed at the spray in excitement. Jarod held out his palm and Michael followed suit, splashing both of them. "Let Mama be mad because she's so beautiful when she's angry".
"Already schooling our son in outdated misogynistic tropes?" Parker quipped as she pulled open the shower door.
Michael immediately made to lean into her embrace, arms outstretched. She took a towel from the rack and swaddled the baby, brushing kisses onto his cheek and mouth as she dried him. He tried to burrow into her chest. She tipped him backwards and pulled down her tank top, allowing him access to her. Jarod never tired of watching her. She was all his.
"Just reminiscing that's all" he said as he stepped from the shower and leaned across her to grab another towel.
"You miss the old days?" she murmured, arching that eyebrow and swaying gently as the boy closed his eyes, suckling softly.
He dried himself off slowly patting the towel across his back and shoulders. Parker drank the sight of him in greedily. Wet Jarod had infinite appeal. She lifted her chin and nodded towards the shower.
"Get back in there" she hissed. He grinned and obliged, turning the water on as she left the room to put the baby down.
She was transported back to the night she had woken to him showering in her ensuite. The night their plan to rescue their unborn baby had its genesis. She had a vision of herself pressed against cold tiles. They were a bottle green those tiles. In her mind they were green.
She returned to the bathroom and stared at Jarod in the shower. Bottle green tiles. She shook her head in disbelief and opened the door, the steam enveloping her as she pulled the tank top over her head and sliding her underwear down her long legs. Jarod slid a hand against her hip and pulled her towards him, capturing her mouth in a searing kiss as he pulled the door shut with his free hand. Her back hit the tiles as he kneaded her breasts before dipping his head to a nipple. He lingered only a moment as he sank to his knees, his large hands moving her thighs apart as the tip of his tongue began to gently slide between her tender folds. She was his favorite taste. He would never tire of her. He opened his eyes a fraction to look up at her writhing against the wall as he flicked his tongue in torturous circles around her clit. Her fingernails left half moons on the back of his neck as she tangled her hands in his hair, urging him on. His hands stroked her legs from her ankles to the back of her knees. He pressed two fingers into the back of a knee and he felt it buckle slightly. She felt him smile against her and she came, sighing his name as the waves subsided before dragging him up in impatience. He stood and she sank, his hand tangling in her hair now as she enveloped her mouth around him. Taking Jarod in her mouth thrilled her. To have him at her mercy, moaning her name…the only man to ever moan her given name made her eyes swim. She was undone. Completely.