Page 107 of The Perfect Pick Up

He still worked as hard as ever but had balanced his life a little better. He spent three days of the week in London and the remaining four with Lucas, her, and Ammy. They’d talked about moving in together, but Felix wanted her to renovate the inside of the farmhouse, and Thea wasn’t sure she was ready for the upheaval.

“You look shattered,” she said, stroking his arm. “Do you think you’ll last the day?”

“I’m conserving my energy. Storing it up for tonight.”

Thea looked up at him from under her lashes. “But do you think you’ll have the strength? I mean, I don’t want to exhaust you.”

With a knowing grin, Felix let out a breath and weaved an arm around Thea’s waist, drawing her into his body.

“Happy?”

She turned to him. “Ecstatic.”

“Good,” he said before placing a hand on the back of her neck and gently drawing her in for a kiss. His lips were soft and warm. As his breath quickened, a tingle sprung low in her tummy.

“The kids are busy,” he whispered. “Can’t we just disappear to the barn, and I can remind you again why I can’t keep my hands off you?”

Thea’s mouth bowed. The two of them often went down to the old building. It was their little meeting spot, away from phone calls, texts, kids, and animals.

“I’ll make it worth your while,” he said, reaching around to kiss her nape. At the vibration of his voice on her skin, the tingle in Thea’s tummy moved south. Holy hell. He sparked herdesire so easily. And he’d turned out to be an amazing lover. He was a giver, and she was more than happy to receive.

As the breeze rippled through her hair, Felix stood, taking her hand and helping her up. Together, they ambled back to the farmyard, passing by the green pond. As they did, the geese flocked to the fence line. But no sooner had they poked their heads through the wires than the duck that Thea had rescued from the pond at Tottenbridge chased them off.

“Hello, Barry,” said Felix, reaching down to run his hand over the iridescent feathers of the bird’s neck.

Thea smiled. The duck adopted Felix after he’d spent more time at the farm. Barry, as Felix had named him, had grown a strong bond with Felix and guarded him jealously, often trailing him around the yard.

By the time they reached the barn, Barry still stood at the fence, quacking after Felix.

“I think he’s in love with you.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Are you willing to share me, though?”

Thea threaded her arms around Felix’s neck. “I think if the two of us sit down over a slice of bread and work out the visitation rights, I can let you spend some time together. But only on Fridays. Each leap year.”

Felix brought his lips to her neck, and the faint drag of his stubble moved over her skin. “I never had you down as a details woman.”

“People can change,” she said, her breath quickening by the second. “But I think there’s something quite serious we’ve overlooked.”

Felix kissed a path from Thea’s ear lobe, along her jawbone, ending at her lips with the lightest touch as his hands cupped her bottom. “I could overlook nothing about you.”

She ran her fingers over his chest, blood singing in her ears. She’d thought long and hard about what she was about to say.Practised in her head dozens of times, but still, her heart pounded like thunder.

“Do you think we should take out insurance on your nuts?”

He snorted a laugh. “Sorry?”

“Well, they’ve taken some abuse since you met me. The geese, the wine, the bee, my boots. Who’s to say something else won’t attack you? I have a new goat arriving next week. They can be vicious.”

Felix laughed, the guttural growl that turned her legs to jelly. “I’ll take my chances.”

“But… what if I needed you in pristine condition?” Thea searched his face for signs of him understanding what she was trying to say. “What if… what if we ever wanted a baby?”

Felix’s eyes widened, and Thea’s gut plummeted to the cobbles. Damn, he looked stunned. Had she done the wrong thing? With baby Hazel spending so much time at the farm, she’d thought about having another child more and more. She wasn’t getting any younger.

Felix cleared his throat. “Do you? Want a baby, I mean?” His brows knitted together, and Thea sighed. There was no point in backtracking.

“Well, I’ve always wanted more than one. But... Do you? Look, I know you’re really busy and probably don’t have time to even thinkabout babies, let alone…”

Felix leaned in and kissed the words from her lips, his mouth moulding to hers, their tongues moving together in perfect unison. He threaded his fingers through the back of her hair. After the longest beat, they broke their kiss.

“I take it that’s a maybe?” Thea whispered, her heart in her mouth.

Felix touched his lips to her forehead. “Thea. I love you so very much, and I thought you’d already given me everything, but there’s nothing I’d like more.”

Thea closed her eyes, a warmth settling in her chest.

“Hey,” said Felix, his lips at her mouth again, his soft sage eyes on hers. “If we’re going to do this properly, try for a baby, I mean. I think we should put in some serious practice.”

Thea giggled, then slowly nodded, her heart fit to explode. Felix was everything she wanted. Everything she needed. And with a smile and a wink, he pulled her into the barn towards whatever their future may hold.