Sweet Cheeks by J. Dorothy Read Free Book Online Page A

anyway.
    “Who’s there?” I whisper.
    “Shit,” I hear a female voice say.
    Crap . It’s Her . Not exactly the visitor I wanted to run into.
    “Bailey?” I ask in my sickly sweet voice, that I’m beginning to hate.
    She turns on the light over the stove and I see her. She’s dressed in boy shorts and a strappy singlet top. So she does show a bit of flesh occasionally. She has nice legs and a nice set of boobs. I suppose I can see the attraction. At least in the looks department.
    “What are you doing up?”  she asks.
    “Um ... thirsty. I get real thirsty some nights when Treasure Post is moving around and keeping me awake.” That sounds feasible, even if it is a lie.
    She nods and gives me a small smile. Better than usual. She usually spends her time glaring at me.
    Okay. Maybe, just maybe, I can use this to my advantage.
    “I was going to make a herbal tea. Raspberry. Do you want one? They’re really good.”
    She looks at me, as though she’s deciding if it’s a good idea or not.
    “It’ll help you sleep,” I say to encourage her some more.
    “Um … okay.”
    So I set about making the tea. Luckily Cam installed one of those instant boiling water taps, so it doesn’t take long.  I finish making it and pass it to her. “Do you want to sit down? I could probably use the company for a bit.” I make it like it’s about me and not her. Get on her good side.
    She nods again and we move to sit on the couch. I decide to let her sit for a bit before I try and pry further. I have to go carefully. She’s so suspicious. Okay, probably with good reason, I guess I can’t blame her. She’s on the money when it comes to my plans for Cam. In her shoes I’d be a raging bitch, and wouldn’t let Cam within ten feet of me.
    Funny, I’ve never thought about it from her perspective before. Usually there is only one perspective, and that’s mine. I really am losing my mind. Tanning has a lot to answer for, and I’ve only been around him for a couple of days. Hopefully I’ll go back to normal when he leaves ... Oh crap. I hadn’t thought about that. He'll be leaving in a few days’ time. That is kind of depressing. Real depressing. Damn it.
    Treasure Pot chooses this time to stir, it feels like I have a butterfly loose in my stomach and the cute little flutters take my mind off of Tanning for a millisecond. God I love that kid. I let out a chuckle and rub my belly.
    “The baby?” Bailey asks, and looks at me with big sad eyes.
    What is her deal?
    “Yeah. I think he likes raspberry.” I smile at her and she gives me a tight smile back.
    She puts down her drink, sighs long and hard and fidgets with her fingers looking so uncomfortable, but I don’t think it’s because she’s sitting with me, there’s something else that seems to be bothering her.
    “You, okay?” I ask. And for once it's a sincere question. Normally I wouldn’t care less.
    She grimaces. “Not really.”
    Okay, this is progress. Didn’t expect her to admit to anything. She’s always so cagey and closed off.
    “I guess I’m the last person you want to talk to. I get that. But if …” I prompt, carefully.
    “I'm so messed up,” she breathes out softly, her eyes focussed on her clenched hands in her lap. Almost like she’s not registering she’s actually talking to me. “Seeing you makes it a thousand times worse.” And she flicks her gaze toward my stomach.
    From her actions I have an inkling me being pregnant is the thing upsetting her. Which means one of two things. Either she wishes she was pregnant, highly unlikely given our age. Or she’s been pregnant and isn’t anymore. Crap. That’s a big deal. Huge!
    “Bailey, I overheard you talking to Bennett.”
    I have no idea why I just admitted that to her, but it seems appropriate given the way the conversation is heading. She has no reason to trust me, but right now I want her to. There's a lot of pain in her eyes. I think I recognize that pain. It was the pain I felt