by Leslie North
There was too much to explain and too many roaming hands over her growing belly for Connie to keep up. Brian was eventually cornered by Clair and Katherine, Connie’s older and younger sister respectively, who had a lot of questions about family names and child-rearing traditions in Brian’s family. Of the seven Bonner kids, only three had yet to bring grandchildren to the table. And all the Bonner kids with children of their own were gunning hard toward expanding the clan ever larger.
“You have natural red hair,” Clair said matter-of-factly. Connie fought a smile, focusing instead on her mother’s warm hand in her own. She stayed quiet at the bedside while eavesdropping on her sisters. “Have you calculated the genetic probability of my future niece or nephew also having red hair?”
Connie snickered to herself. Clair worked in finance, specifically futures. She liked to deal in probabilities.
“I would say quite probable,” Brian said, a hint of a smile on his face. Connie squeezed her mom’s hand. If only she were awake and listening, she would have plenty to say on the subject. The thought made her suddenly sad. Please, Mom. Come out okay.
Hours blurred together as her siblings cycled in and out of the room. Brian had reached some level of acquaintance with almost everyone, which pleased Connie more than she wanted to admit. She’d only ever brought one man around her family before, an ex-boyfriend who she’d thought was going to be The One who turned out to be anything but.
She could imagine how seeing Brian must be affecting everyone, especially knowing that he was the one responsible for the life growing in her belly. She hadn’t given her family many details about the arrangement with Brian, only that they were keeping things casual but he was the definition of supportive.
And it was true. He was unequivocally supportive…for the duration of the pregnancy, at least.
Seeing him here, surrounded by her loved ones, made her heart ache suddenly thinking about what would come after the birth. His absence would hurt her more than she wanted to imagine. She already knew it.
The beeping of a machine caught her attention. Connie swung to look at her mother. Her eyes were fluttering open.
“Margaret!” Connie’s father, Henry, rushed over to his wife’s side. A collective gasp shuddered through the room. Margaret’s eyes turned to slits, and she turned her head from side to side.
“Ohhh, Henry.” Connie wilted with relief. That, at least, was a good sign. Her mom’s voice was raspy as she continued. “Where am I?”
“You’re at the hospital, honey. You had an accident. A mini-stroke. Do you recognize everyone here?”
Margaret blinked a few times, her gaze scanning slowly over the room. A smile crested her warm face, and then she named every person in the room.
“Who’s he?” she asked hoarsely, pointing toward Brian.
“That’s Brian, Mom,” Connie said, stepping up to her mother’s side. She scooped her small hand in hers, kissing her knuckles. “He’s with me. You remember—”
“Yeah, yeah.” Margaret waved her hand in the air, as though dismissing Connie’s explanation. “The baby daddy. That’s right. Much more handsome than you let on.”
And with that, Connie knew everything was going to be okay. A nurse came into the room and took vitals while Connie’s family chatted with her mom. Fatigue clawed at her—a mixture of emotional and pregnancy-related exhaustion—and she bid her family farewell while pulling Brian out of the room.
“Come on,” she said, the weight of the tense afternoon making her legs heavy. “We need to go.”
10
The car ride back to Connie’s apartment was quiet but peaceful. Connie had a tiny smile on her face, one that let Brian know she was fine. Sitting in silence with her—it was surprisingly easy. Being around her was easy.
But it was more than just easy. It was desirable. He didn’t want the proximity to end, either.
When they got to her apartment complex, Connie reached for the handle with a sigh. “Well, I guess—”
He turned the car off. “Let me walk you in.”
“Okay.”
They got out of the car, and Connie waited for him as he came around to the sidewalk. They walked together in step, their arms brushing occasionally. Each touch of her at his side sent a warning shiver through him.
He’d been turned on since hugging her in her apartment earlier that day. Calming her after her teary outburst had been something of an aphrodisiac. Sitting with her family for hours afterward had calmed the lust rushing through his veins, but it had ignited something entirely different within him. The sense of being home. Even though it felt like a home he’d never fully had himself, more like the memory of a home he’d seen on television years before.
The whole afternoon had left a pleasant sensation lingering inside him. One that he was hesitant to let go of fully. By his count, this had been one of the best Saturdays in recent history…and it had involved a fight, a scare, and meeting Connie’s entire family.
If this is the best Saturday in recent history…what have most of your weekends been like?
His thoughts dissipated as Connie shoved her key into the lock of her front door. The hot rush of desire came storming back to him, like this hallway, this doorway, were intrinsically linked to the provocative warmth of her.
“I appreciate you tagging along today,” Connie said quietly, hugging herself in the doorway. Brian reached out, desperate to feel the softness of her body beneath him. His heart raced while his logical mind stepped aside. This didn’t make sense. It was hardly right. But he wanted her.
“It was the least I could do,” Brian said, wrapping his arms around her. He brought her into another hug, sealing her against him. Home. The word flashed ceaselessly through his mind.
“There was something about seeing my mom today…like that.” Connie took a deep breath, leaving a warm indent in his chest. “I just want to be as good of a mother to our baby as she was to me. You know? That’s all I care about.”
Something in her words made his chest tighten. She had plenty of inspiration to look up to. And so did Brian—his own mother at least. But the thought of not being able to be an equally good father for their unborn child—especially since he’d never had one—sliced through him.
Better not to think of that.
“You’re going to do great,” he murmured into her hair. They’d started swaying at some point, a slow, sweet rhythm emerging. “I’ve gotten to know you pretty well over these last six months. All signs point to capable motherhood.”
She laughed, which made the roundness of her belly press into his abs. Their child. Innocent and unknowing.
Brian slid a hand over the side of her arm and after a pause, up over her shoulder and to her neck. He found the warm curve there, memories of their one night together flooding back to him.
“It’s hard for me to leave,” he said into the top of her head. He ran his thumb back and forth over her neck. “Like impossible.”
Connie tilted her head back, searing him with her bright blue eyes. “Well then, why don’t you stay?”
He had nowhere to be on this particular Saturday, and even if he did, he would have cancelled. Just to stay near Connie, trapped in this sweet moment somewhere between fantasy and reality.
He searched her face for a moment and then, without even deciding to, he surged forward, capturing her lips with his. A hungry kiss emerged, sweet and ravenous at the same time. He cupped the sides of her face as he kissed her over and over again. Her tongue pressed against his lips, and he yielded, inviting her in. She made a small noise and then ripped herself away.
“Brian,” she breathed.
His chest heaved as he struggled to contain his careening emotions. His cock was hard and hungry, and there might be no talking himself out of this. “I’m sorr—”
Connie kicked the door shut behind him and then dove back in. She grabbed the collar of his shirt, jerking him toward her. He laughed through the kiss, but the laughter faded quickly as her k
isses became consuming, electric. His hands found the dip of her waist, and she stumbled backwards. Brian inhaled sharply, breaking the kiss to steady her.
“Are you okay?”
“Just kiss me,” she said, eyes still closed.
Brian smirked, eyeing her kiss-bitten lips. He knew exactly where he wanted this to go. And there should be no interruptions on the way there. “Let’s take this somewhere safer.”
“Safer?” she asked.
“Bedroom.”
Her eyes opened wide, as though the lightbulb had gone off. “Ah. Great idea.” She grabbed his hand and led him into her dark, fragrant room. She was shedding clothes before he could even shut the door behind him.
“Was this why you came over today?” she asked, a gleam in her eye as she toed off her flats. “To seduce me?”
Brian snorted, slipping his loafers off, loosening the belt around his waist. “No. I came to drop off your copy of the papers. Which are still in my car, by the way.”
“Ah. So you never even got to the one point of business that brought you here in the first place.” She tore her T-shirt off, revealing heavy breasts in a satin bra. And that belly—gently rounding, swollen enough to know. She’d been beautiful before, but now? This was a new level.
“A few other things caught my attention,” Brian said, pushing his pants down once Connie tore off her leggings. “Jeez, I’ve never seen someone undress so fast.”
“Well I’m horny as hell, Brian. I didn’t expect the pregnancy to make me want sex more.”
Her words made his cock jump. He shed the button-up shirt, then palmed the length of his cock straining at the fabric of his briefs.
“Is it safe?” he asked, nodding toward her. “You know…with the baby and all.”
“The baby will probably be traumatized for life, but it’s worth it for one really good orgasm, am I right?” She sent him a silly grin, which made him laugh. “Of course it’s safe. Now just get inside me. And this time, we don’t have to worry about getting me pregnant.”
Brian slid his briefs off and eased onto the bed where Connie lay naked, glowing, and waiting. As soon as he climbed on top of her, she locked her legs around his waist, sealing him against her.
“I can’t tell how you much I’ve wanted this to happen,” Connie blurted. Her cheeks flushed then, and she covered her eyes with her hands. “I mean, it shouldn’t happen. We have the…arrangement or whatever. But I guess one last time is nice.”
One last time is nice. Would he be satisfied with this? He pressed his lips to her hairline, drawing an invisible line down over her nose, ending at her lips. When they kissed again, it was tender. Heartbreaking, almost.
“There’s something about seeing you pregnant.” Brian rocked against her, his cockhead immediately seeking the warmth between her legs. “It turns me on so much.” He rolled his hips in a slow circle, enjoying the brief contact the tip of his dick made with the folds of her pussy. “You were sexy before, but even sexier now.”
Something dark came over her. She hooked her arms around his neck, biting at her bottom lip. “Yeah? Then why didn’t you say anything sooner? We could have been boning.”
He laughed, burying his face in her neck. “I don’t want you to feel…” He paused. This was heading into dangerous territory. “Taken advantage of.”
“You couldn’t possibly take advantage of me,” she whispered, her small hands traveling down the sides of his body. Her legs splayed open, and she jerked her hips, bringing their groins crashing together. “Now get inside of me.”
Brian didn’t need to be told twice. He eased himself inside of her, taking his sweet time, enjoying the range of emotions playing across her face as he pushed himself in, inch by glorious inch. She was primed and dripping, tight and hot as he worked himself inside and then stilled.
“Fuck,” she gasped, digging her nails into his shoulder.
He groaned low, rolling his hips in a slow circle. Heat trickled through him. A warning. He wouldn’t last long. He hadn’t had sex in too long…and more than that, there was something about Connie that did him in.
“Does it feel okay?” he asked, voice straining. He pulled himself out slowly, then eased back in. Her eyes fluttered shut.
“That’s not quite the word I’d use,” she said, voice breathy. “But yes. No issues here.”
He chuckled, pulling back once more. She palmed his bare chest, then dug her fingers in. Like a cat flexing its claws. He grinned.
“Good. Pure pleasure then.” He rolled his hips, and she sucked in a sharp breath.
“Ohhh, God. Yes. Pure. So pure.” Her legs splayed just a little wider and she arched her back, allowing him to find another little bit of depth inside her. A gravelly moan escaped him.
“You feel so good, Connie.” He lowered himself, careful not to apply too much pressure against her belly, and rocked back and forth. He couldn’t rip his gaze from her face as he started a tender but forceful rhythm. Need swarmed him, the early signs of his pending orgasm. No, this was a downhill race at this point.
“I know. God, it feels amazing. Why does it feel so good with you?” Her voice was nearly a whimper. She clutched at his shoulders, his waist, his pecs. Grasping him frantically, as if he might disappear if she didn’t touch him everywhere. “I thought the first time was a fluke. This isn’t a fucking fluke, Brian.”
Her words warmed him, sending him even faster to the edge of no return. He drilled into her and then stilled, locking eyes. There was fire in her gaze. Something wild and desperate. He snagged her lips in a kiss and rocked against her, not breaking the seal of their lips.
Connie moaned through the kiss as they bumped and rocked and sweated in unison. Heat pooled in his lower belly. The climax was near. He pushed into her again and again, relishing that sweet heat for as long as he could until the dam finally burst open. His mouth parted, their kiss halted suddenly, and he tilted his head back, an animalistic moan escaping him as the waves of pleasure crashed and skidded through him.
His whole body shuddered as he rode the last waves. Connie called out his name, her body quivering beneath him as she reached her own climax.
When their breaths slowed enough to speak, Brian said, “Connie. What the fuck.”
She laughed lazily, eyes drifting open and closed. “Yeah. Yes. Exactly.”
He grinned down at her for a few moments until he rolled over onto his side. They watched each other for a long time, saying nothing. He could have stayed like that forever. Gazing into her warm, heart-shaped face. Chests rising and falling together as the bliss ebbed lazily away. Acting like nothing waited for them on the other side of her bedroom door. No contracts. No NDAs. Nothing to interrupt this unexpectedly sweet union.
He ran a thumb over her cheek, and the two of them grinned. Like sharing a secret. One that neither had voiced, but both knew plenty well.
11
It was dark by the time either of them got dressed. They’d rolled around in bed for what felt like a blissful eternity; rustling the sheets, laughing, acting like both old lovers and teenagers. Connie felt like they’d progressed through every stage of a relationship over that one evening in bed. That was serious.
It almost felt like…it meant something.
But she was also painfully aware of the hormones coursing through her, ready to make anything and everything far too serious and way too emotional. The logical side of her, however distant it was, counseled her to keep this as it was: a simple hook-up that was nice and much-needed after a sex drought.
Brian sighed as he checked his phone, rubbing at his forehead. She could tell that he was about to leave. The air had tightened between them.
“I need to get going,” he said, practically on cue.
“Aww, you mean you aren’t staying for the sleepover?” she teased, poking him in the side. “I had some fun things planned. Like painting your toenails pink. And a total style makeover.”
Brian snorted. “However tempting that is, I absolutely
cannot.” He sat up, reaching for the discarded clothing from earlier. Connie reached to the nightstand and flipped on the light, casting a golden hue over the room. His phone buzzed on the bedspread and he reached for it, a frown forming on his face. He sighed again.
“What is it? Bad weather forecast?” she joked, fluffing the pillows behind her.
“No. There’s this new project in development.” He paused, shaking his head. “Something really similar to what you were working on before, actually.”
She could read between the lines well enough to know that it wasn’t going how he liked. “Hm. Well, you know, instead of paying me to lounge around and grow a baby, you could pay me to work for you…and grow a baby,” she cracked, trying to make it sound lighthearted. Who knew how he might take it. His business was practically his first child. And after the deal she’d botched earlier that year, she doubted he’d ever let her near the front doors again.
“What, you’d want to come back?” He didn’t look over at her as he typed out a message on his phone.
“Well, of course. I loved working at O Developments.” Suddenly, they were back in their regular roles. Boss and employee. Except both of them were still naked in her bedroom. “I’d love to go back. I’m going a little stir crazy, to be honest. But the boss is kind of a hard ass.”
This time, Brian cracked a grin. He looked over his shoulder at her, eyes skating up and down her body. “Yeah, well, the boss got you pregnant too.”
She bit her bottom lip. God, she loved this connection they had. How it felt so sexy while so pure, too. “Yeah, he did. He probably got me pregnant a second time just now. He’s that good.”
A genuine laughed rippled out of him, sending goosebumps over her skin. She might never get tired of making him laugh. He turned to her, setting his phone down.
“So, would you like to come back?” He shrugged. “Part time, of course. We can keep it quiet about the pregnancy. I could really use your brains on this project, though. You’re one of the best developers I’ve ever had. It killed me to fire you.”
