by Nicole James
A hot palm slid upward in an unhurried caress. His hardness pressed against her, impossible to ignore.
With a sweep of his hand, he brushed the hair off her neck. The gentle press of his warm mouth and hot breath moved along her collarbone, sending shivers and tingles in its path. She moaned, and he took her mouth again, covering her lips and capturing with his kiss the soft, ragged sounds she emitted.
Strong hands slid up her ribs to cup her breasts. Her sudden reaction was strong as sensations bolted straight to her nipples, making them oh so hard. He tilted his head, positioning his lips over hers and dove deep, demanding more and pulling her against him until her breasts and those hard nipples were pressing against him.
She melted, desire washing over her in huge waves. Oh God, she wanted him; she wanted him so badly. She loved the feel of his body against hers, but she ached for more.
Suddenly, he retreated, breaking the kiss. She whimpered in protest. Her need for him was becoming an addiction she didn’t want to fight; instead she wanted to give in to it.
Clutching her hips, he set her away, and her back pressed to the door.
“Goodnight, Rayne,” he rasped out in a voice filled with gravel.
He was breathing hard, at least she could cling to that, at least she knew he would go to his room as aroused as she was, as left wanting as she was. She could take some pleasure in that sweet revenge.
“Goodnight, Rory.”
After Rayne closed the door, she leaned against it and sighed. Her eyes fell on the French doors that led to the small balcony. She needed air and stepped out.
Her fingers traced her lips, still feeling the press of Rory’s mouth on hers. All the fire that had been there in Vail was still there, burning just as hot.
She took in a deep breath of night air and viewed the city lights. She didn’t approach the rail but craned to look to the right trying to see if she could spot Connor Motor Works. She saw the neon lights of the Cattleman’s Bar a few blocks down from it, but it was too dark to see Daniel’s shop. Her shop, she corrected herself. It was hard to think of it as hers, even all these months later.
She thought of her dad’s diner and wondered if he was closing now. Slipping her cell phone from her pocket she noted the time. It was a few minutes past ten. She called him.
“Hello?”
“Dad, it’s Rayne.”
“Hey, baby girl. Are you home?”
“Um, no, that’s what I was calling about.”
“You okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Why aren’t you home yet? It’s late. Are you still at the shop?”
“No. It’s a long story, but Rory O’Rourke came to the shop today.”
“The father?”
“Yes.”
“What’d he want? Are you with him now? Where are you, honey? Now you’ve got me worried.”
“Everything is fine. He came because he found out about the baby. It was on the news.”
“On the news? How? Why?”
“It doesn’t matter how. The why is because he’s a famous musician.”
“A famous musician? You never told me that. So, what did he say? Is he going to step up and do the right thing?”
“He wants to be here for the baby. I’m not sure exactly how that will be worked out.”
“It’s simple. He marries you.”
“It’s not that simple, Dad. This isn’t 1950; women don’t have to get married because they got pregnant.”
“It would be easier on you, wouldn’t it, Rayne? You can’t tell me you want to be a single mother.”
“Don’t you think I could do it? I took care of Daniel. Why do you think I can’t take care of my own child?”
“I didn’t mean that, baby. I know you’d be a wonderful mother, but doing it by yourself is not going to be easy. It’ll be damned hard. You think that’s what I want for you? Would any father want that for his daughter?”
“No, Daddy.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m with Rory. There’s something else I need to tell you. Because he’s a rock star, the paparazzi are going to be coming around the shop, the house, maybe even your diner.”
“The papa-what?”
“News reporters and photographers, Daddy.”
“Coming ‘round the diner? For what?”
“Trying to get pictures of me or more information about me.”
“Rayne, this whole thing is crazy. We aren’t famous, rich people.”
She had to get the rest of the story out before he sidetracked her. “Daddy, Rory brought me to his brothers condo in Westwood Tower, downtown. He did it so the photographers wouldn’t be able to get to me.”
“Are you safe with him? Is that where you want to be?”
“For now, I think it’s the best place. And yes, I’m safe with him, Daddy. He’s been very sweet and attentive.”
“How long are you staying there?”
“I don’t know. Until this blows over, I guess.”
“What about the shop?”
“Charlie and the boys promised they’d take care of things.”
“I don’t feel good about any of this, Rayne.”
“I know, but it’s just temporary.”
“When do I get to meet this guy?”
“Um, I don’t know.”
“I want to meet him, Rayne. If he’s any kind of man, he’ll come meet your father. Especially after, well, after getting you pregnant.”
“I’ll ask him.”
“No, you tell him.”
“I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you, too, baby girl. Call me tomorrow?”
“I will.”
“Goodnight, honey.”
“Goodnight, Daddy.”
Rayne disconnected, heaviness dragging her heart. She got up and wandered into the bathroom. To get to it she walked through a huge closet. The bathroom had a big glass enclosed shower, a garden tub, double sinks, and a separate makeup area with a small tufted pink stool. There was also a large upholstered bench in the middle of the room.
She stepped to the tub and turned on the faucet, testing the water until it was nice and warm. Then she stripped out of her clothes and sank down to her chin.
Oh, God, it felt heavenly. She rested her head back and closed her eyes. She ran her hand over her baby bump. Right now it was small, but it wouldn’t be too long before she’d be struggling to get out of a tub like this on her own. Would Rory be around to help her? Did she want him to be? That was the million-dollar question.
Her father was right; raising this child on her own would not be easy. She knew that. She also knew she didn’t want to go through the pregnancy and childbirth alone. She only hoped Rory wasn’t lying to her about his sincerity to be involved with this child’s life and to be here for her now.
She let out a groan. The warmth of the water felt so soothing on her tired body. She stayed there, soaking until it began to cool, then she wrapped a towel around her and dug her pajamas out of her bag.
She crawled under the covers and sunk into the mattress, sighing.
Heavenly.
Chapter Twenty-four
Rayne padded to the balcony door just as the sun rose. She slid the glass open and breathed in the crisp air. It was a glorious sunny morning until the first rumbles of morning sickness overtook, and she ran for the bathroom.
A half hour later, she felt well enough to make her way down to the kitchen to find some crackers or dry toast and was thankful to find the place empty. She felt like hell and probably looked like it, too.
Popping a slice of bread she found in the toaster, the sound of footsteps came from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder. Max.
“Good morning, Rayne.”
“Good morning.” She turned to the cabinet and took down a plate, hoping he didn’t want to make conversation.
He moved to the coffee maker and made himself a cup. “You want one? We’ve got decaf.”
She shook
her head. “I’ll just have toast.”
“Morning sickness?” he asked, his eyes dropping to the hand she rubbed over her stomach.
“Yes. I should be used to it by now.”
He moved to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of Sprite. “Have you tried this?”
She nodded. “It helps.”
He smiled and poured her a glass. “There you go, hon.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem. I remember those days. My wife had a baby last year. She was hit pretty bad.”
“What did you have?”
“A daughter. Grace.”
“Did you want a boy?”
“Well, I have an adopted son named Ben, so I’ve got a little buddy.”
“How is it having a daughter?”
He chuckled. “She’s so happy and sweet. She’s already got me wrapped around her finger.”
“I’ll bet.”
“Do you know what you’re having?”
“Yes. But I haven’t told Rory yet.”
“I see. He should be the first to know.”
“I suppose.”
“Have you gotten anything yet as far as the nursery?”
“Not really. I picked up a few things at a garage sale.”
He nodded slowly. “I see.”
“I’ll manage.”
“I’m sure all our wives would love to have a baby shower for you. Has anyone planned one yet?”
She shook her head. “Not yet. I’ve been more concerned with work lately.”
“How is your shop doing? I liked the place.”
“Business is down. I’ve been trying to brainstorm how to get sales up.”
Max grinned. “You’re in a relationship with a famous person now. Maybe that will help.” He leaned closer and whispered, “Make him do a concert in the parking lot.”
She giggled. “I’ll see, but I’m not sure you’d classify what we have as a relationship.”
The smile faded from his face. “Rayne, he’s crazy about you. I mean that. When he first came back from his trip, he went on and on about this chick he’d met. He was totally infatuated and pissed at himself for losing his phone.”
“Is that the truth? I wasn’t sure if it was just an excuse, and that maybe he just showed up at the shop because the media had gotten a hold of the story.”
“He was stunned when he saw the report that you were supposedly pregnant, I’m not gonna lie, but all he could concentrate on was he finally knew how to find you.”
She bit her lip, not sure she should believe him.
“Rayne, look at me.”
When she did, he continued.
“Before we ever saw that report on the news, he’d already come to Denver and told us he had a list of all the repair shops in the metro area. He was going to go to every single one searching for you. If that doesn’t make this real for him, what does?”
She stared at him. “He had a list?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He searched her eyes. “Give him a chance, okay?”
“I’ll try, but he hurt me, and he lied to me.”
Max frowned. “About what?”
“He never told me he was in a band.”
Max huffed out a laugh. “Can you blame him? I wouldn’t want to admit that, not if I wanted to know if the girl liked me for me and not because she thought I was a rock star.” He paused. “Rayne, Rory’s had women chase him for years, but I’ve never seen him as wrapped up in any of them as he is in you.” He pulled her head toward him and kissed her hair. “I have a feeling you’re going to be part of the family very soon. Now eat your toast. I don’t want my future niece to starve.”
“Maybe it’s a boy.”
“Naw. This family seems to produce girls. And she’s going to have some cousins very anxious to play with her.”
He walked out, and she took a bite of her toast, thinking about everything he’d just said.
When she was finished, she put her plate and glass in the sink and returned to her room to get dressed. Then she stepped out on the balcony to see if she could see all the way to Connor Motor Works now that the sun was up.
While she stood there, she heard voices coming from around the corner. She realized there must be a balcony off another bedroom. Jameson and Rory were talking. She couldn’t stop herself from moving closer to hear.
“Feel free to use the condo for as long as you like.”
“I plan on staying until the baby is born.”
“Don’t rush into anything, brother,” Jameson said.
Rory chuckled. “Some people may say it’s too late for that.”
“You know what I’m talking about. Take your time. Get to know this girl. Don’t marry her because of infatuation.”
“It’s not infatuation.”
“You barely know each other. You’ve got time to find out if this is real…for her as well as you.”
Rayne strained to hear, but Rory made no response.
Jameson continued. “Don’t forget you’ve got some success. Make sure she’s in this for the right reason and not because she’s knocked up and you’re the golden goose.”
“Jameson.”
“Plus, there’s that other guy… He’s interested in her.”
“Charlie? I already set him straight.”
“How’d you to that?”
“With a right hook to the jaw.”
Jameson chuckled. “Direct if not primal.”
“Direct is what we do, isn’t it?”
“No argument here. Just don’t go giving him an excuse for a lawsuit. You’ve actually got some money to take now.”
“Funny.”
“Not being funny, Rory. It’s true. You get to a certain level, people start coming out of the woodwork, wanting a piece of it.”
“I suppose.”
“You need to be careful, and not just with women. Do you trust that manager you’ve got?”
“Lou Crawford? He’s one of the best in the business.”
“Doesn’t mean he’s not robbing his clients blind… maybe even Charlotte Justice. You never know with these kinds of people. They’re usually in it for what’s best for them, not necessarily what’s best for you.”
“Sage words of advice.”
“Just want you to learn from my experience. You want to talk about shady characters, do a TV reality show.”
“Right. I can see it now, The Real Rock Stars of LA.”
Jameson chuckled. “Keeping up with the Tour Bus.”
She heard the door open and the voices move inside, so she went back into her bedroom, and a moment later there was a tap on the door. She answered it to find Rory standing there, Jameson in the hall behind him with a duffle bag in his hand.
“My brothers are leaving; thought you might want to come say goodbye.”
“Of course.” She stepped out and walked with them down the hall. Max and Liam were already waiting, their packed bags sitting on the floor by the door.
Jameson patted Rory’s shoulder. “Take care of yourself and this pretty lady here.” He smiled over at her.
Rory looked at her. “I plan to.”
Max and Liam came forward, each giving him a back slapping hug. Max moved to her and hugged her, whispering in her ear, “Remember what I said.”
“I will. Goodbye, Max.”
“When you’re feeling better, have Rory bring you out to Grand Junction. I’m sure Malee and the girls would love to meet you.”
“All right. Thank you.”
Liam touched the top of her head. “Take care of that baby, Rayne.”
“I will.”
Jameson just lifted his chin to her. “Stay as long as you want. You’ll be safe from reporters up here, and you can order in anything you need.”
She looked around. “It’ll be a lovely prison. I’m joking. It’s very kind of you.”
After they left and Rory closed the door, the place seemed very big and very quiet.
“Have you eaten?” he asked.
> “I had a piece of toast.”
“You can’t live on that.”
“I’m not sure I can keep anything else down right now.”
“Oh. Right. I’ll call and stock up on all the right foods. I was looking on the Internet last night. I made a list.” He dug his phone out of his pocket and pulled his notes app up. “They say anything with ginger is good, and to eat early in the day. You should stash a box of crackers by your bedside table and nibble a few as soon as you wake up. It said an empty stomach ups the nausea factor.” He moved his thumb down the screen. “I have a bunch of stuff I want to get and keep on hand.”
She thought it was sweet that he’d actually made a list or that he’d even bothered to look it up. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“I knew I’d never remember it all. There’s actually an app we can download that tracks everything you eat if you want to do that. Some pregnancy website, I can’t remember—”
“Rory.”
He stopped scrolling and looked up.
She smiled and took his hand. “Let’s go see if I can keep anything down.”
“Oh, right. Sorry. Was I babbling on while you’re standing here starving?”
“Something like that.”
He set her up at the island, checked his list, and came back with yogurt and a protein bar. “Try these. And they say tea is good. Do you want some tea?”
“Sure.” She didn’t really, but he looked like he needed to do something.
“I thought later we could order whatever you might need and have it sent up.”
“Need?”
“For the pregnancy and for when the baby comes.”
“Oh.”
He popped a pod in the coffee maker. “Jameson has some herbal tea. Well, I should say Ava has it. Jameson doesn’t drink that shit…sorry, tea.”
“You don’t have to refrain from swearing on my account. You think I don’t hear it from the guys at the shop?”
“Right. I’ll bet you do.”
“Speaking of, is it true you punched Charlie?”
He paused with mug in hand. “Who told you that?”
“Did you?”
“Yeah. I did.”
“Why would you do that? He’s been a good friend to me.”
“He wants to be more than a friend. I set him straight on that account.”
