Colton’s wide eyes stared back at Kate, as she panted through yet another excruciating contraction; her entire pelvis spreading apart to allow their baby to enter the world. The floral tones of Bernadette’s perfume wafted through the room as she returned, snapping on a pair of blue latex gloves, a stack of blue sheets tucked under her arm. Another woman trudged behind, not clearly as enthused as Bernadette, sanitizing her hands before sliding on her own pair of gloves. Snapping her gum, she made her way over to the machine beside Kate’s bed, mature hazel eyes peering over square glasses to scan the paper slowly rolling from the machine.
“Okay, Kate,” Bernadette chirped from the end of the bed, her short hair curled eloquently atop her head. Kate took in the swirls of brown, ebbing and flowing across her crown as she pushed through another surge of pain. “Kate,” Bernadette smiled, patting Kate’s bare leg to garner her atten
The hot water beat down on Kate’s tired body, doing little to ease the aches and pains of her exhausted muscles and absolutely nothing to diffuse the mental depletion she felt. Perpetually fatigued was now her permanent state of being, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. She hurried to work the shampoo through her now shoulder-length brown hair, keeping one eye on the baby monitor that flashed on the vanity. She closed her eyes momentarily, silently praying that everyone stayed asleep for just five more minutes. Bubbles tingled across her pink chipped toenails - a reminder from her and Paloma’s last day out alone, sans kids. She stifled a giggle, remembering how Colton had phoned her, asking her a million questions while squeals echoed in the background. Upon her return, he had met her at the door, black tee covered in spit-up and mashed banana while exhausted eyes stared at her gratefully. The click of the bathroom door dragged her from her thoughts, squinting eye
The moans and groans perforated through the thin wall, forcing Kate awake. The last thing she needed was another sleepless night. Work was becoming more and more difficult, her workload increasing, and now she was missing the crucial eight hours she needed to function. She groaned, rolling from her bed and dawdling to the kitchen. She grabbed a glass of water, taking small sips in the hope that her neighbor would be finished by the time she returned. Once the glass was empty, she sat it in the sink and slipped back into her now quiet bedroom. She sighed out a quiet thank you to whoever was watching over her and closed her eyes, hoping sleep would find her quickly.Any chance of that was shot when she heard the headboard banging into the wall, the bed squeaking, and the disturbing squeals of the woman in the other room. Using her pillow to muffle the sounds, she tried to ignore it but it was to no avail.Clenching her fist, she pounded on the wall.“Fuck off.”
Voices murmured from the other side of the thin wall, the bedsprings creaking beneath the weight of bodies. She prepped her pillow to be her earmuffs for yet another night. After their altercation yesterday, the last thing Kate wanted to do was give Colton another reason to pay her a visit. A girly giggle broke through, quickly turning into moans and groans. Kate grimaced in revulsion as the woman insisted on telling Colton over and over and over again just how big he was.As the moans slowly turned to wailing, Kate felt her patience growing thin. Flipping to face her clock, she gritted her teeth. They had been going at it for twenty minutes now. Surely he was doing this just to piss her off. He’d gone and found the loudest fucking woman at the club and brought her home. She started to scold herself for her thoughts before she stopped. That is exactly what Colton would do. He was an asshole.Just as Kate was questioning just how much commentary on Colton’s
The weekend had fast approached and Kate was thankful, although she wasn’t as exhausted as usual. Colton had been keeping his bedfellows quiet and she had been managing to get a solid eight hours most nights. She’d seen Austin around here and there, but their conversations were short. Kate didn’t want to get involved with anyone even remotely related to Colton, and while he was gorgeous, she couldn’t help but question why a nice guy would be friends with an asshole like Colton James. There had to be something wrong with him, and she didn’t want to get too wrapped up in him before she found out.“Come on, Kate. Have another one,” Paloma cried, setting down the shot glass in front of her. “You’ve been working so hard. Time to live a little.”Kate laughed, downing the shot and wincing as the liquid burned her throat. “I’v
Taking a breath, her brown eyes glanced up at his black ones. For a moment, he looked as surprised as she felt, but soon the conceited smirk returned and Kate realized exactly what she was doing.Pushing against the firm muscles of his chest, Kate slipped from beneath his grasp. She didn’t want to engage with him any further. She didn’t trust herself. The feeling of him, hard beneath her, made her more aroused than she wanted to admit. She didn’t want to think about how much further it would’ve gotten if his smarmy attitude hadn’t brought her back to reality.Once inside the bar, she slipped through the crowd, finding Paloma straddling Heath in a back booth. Kate took a deep breath, hoping her friend would see reason. She doubted it though. A few shot glasses littered the table and Kate knew Paloma was more than tipsy.“
Kate tossed and turned. In the depths of Colton’s apartment, she could hear the breathy moans of Paloma and Heath and she hoped it was keeping Colton wide awake. After a hot shower, she still wasn’t able to dull the sensation of him pressing up against her, the feel of his mouth on hers. She understood in that moment why women got hooked. He could make her feel things she hadn’t felt in such a long time. The problem was that he knew it, and he was an ass because of it.She groaned, rolling towards her nightstand. She shuffled through the drawer, pulling out her vibrator and laying back on the bed. She hated that he had this effect on her, that she wanted to feel him inside of her. Kate turned it on, muffling the vibration beneath her blankets as she allowed it to glide along her entrance. She was already completely aroused. The feeling of him had sent her into overdrive, the feel of his tongue ring agains
Avoiding Colton since their incident had been easier than Kate thought. He had started bringing women home again, and although the woman screamed and wailed and the bedhead banged viciously against the thin wall, Kate kept quiet. She didn’t want to draw his attention to her, and to be fair, after their time together, she understood. She hadn’t seen much of Austin and had been thankful for that too.But she knew it wouldn’t last forever.Returning home from her run, Kate climbed the staircase, wiping the sweat from her brow. She froze at the sight of his shirtless torso, his back once again covered in scratches, his hair messy and damp. He inhaled a deep draw of his cigarette and turned away.Kate’s stomach dropped. She hadn’t known what to expect but she thought it would be a snide comment, at the least. Scolding herself for wanting his attention, she skipped up the remaining steps and unlocked her front door.“You shouldn’t be smoking in the hallway. You sho
The day flew by, and soon it was time for Kate to meet Austin. She straightened out her dress, a long-sleeved white and pink floral number that finished at her mid-thigh, and flipped her wavy hair over her shoulders. She slid on her heels and touched up her makeup as she awaited Austin’s arrival. A moment later, a soft knock rapped on the door. Kate swung it open and enjoyed the darkening of Austin’s sapphire eyes as they raked over her figure.“Kate, you look…” he trailed off, stepped forward to plant a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Incredible.”“Thanks,” she murmured, grabbing her bag and stepping out into the hallway. “Not too shabby yourself.”The door of Colton’s apartment flung open as they began their descent down the staircase, Austin’s hand slipping a little too low on Kate’s back for her liking. She tried to shift under his grasp, but his hand stayed firmly glued. She furrowed her brows, taking in his smirk as he glanced over his shoulder at Colton.Ka