The Enemy Trap

by Maren Moore

  "Thank you, Mrs. Davis." I say. "I appreciate your kindness. I hope to be even half the mother that you are."

  "I have no doubt that you'll be even better. I just wanted to have a moment alone with you and tell you that both Hayes' father and I fully support you and will be here for anything at all that the two of you need. I am so beyond thrilled to be a grandmother!" She squeals, no longer able to contain her excitement.

  Her acceptance means so much to me, and now that we've had this conversation, I feel like I can spend the rest of the weekend with a lighter heart. I’m no longer worried about her being upset or them resenting us being together in any way.

  "Mom?" Hayes calls from the other side of the door, before it opens and he steps into the study.

  "We're just talking, son." She smiles and gestures for him to come in.

  I can't keep my eyes off him as he walks closer. He's wearing a pair of jeans that show off his ridiculously perfect butt, with a polo shirt in a light gray that makes his eyes stand out even more. Bright green and focused on me. Our eyes meet and, like a moth to a flame, I'm drawn.

  "I hear that you're going to be a daddy."

  Hayes turns ghostly white before he whips his head to his mother, stuttering, "I…uh,...Sophia?" His eyes plead with me to help.

  "She knew. I didn't have to tell her."

  "But, how?"

  "Mother's intuition, Hayes," his mother says simply. No explanation needed.

  Hayes walks over to where she sits and pulls her up and into a hug. Their embrace is so sweet it brings tears to my eyes.

  Damn hormones.

  And before I know it, I'm sobbing like a fool.

  "Sophia, baby, it's okay." Hayes releases his mother and wraps his arms around my shaking frame, pulling me close. His arms are strong and unwavering.

  "I don't even know why I'm crying," I sob, making Hayes throw his head back and laugh before pressing his lips to the top of my head in a gentle kiss.

  His affection is too much. My emotions are overwhelmed, and I am a complete mess.

  Hayes does nothing but hold me and let me wipe my snotty nose on his polo without complaint. My mind goes back to what his mom said. His arms are tight around me, as if he’s afraid that if he lets go even the smallest amount, I’ll fall back apart. It’s a comfort I never knew I needed. And I can admit right now that I need him and his strength.

  Does Hayes have feelings for me? Or is he merely doing the duty of the doting fake fiancé, and daddy to be? Do I want Hayes to have feelings for me?

  "Dry those tears, St. James. You're too beautiful to be crying. Let's go find out what our baby is and tell our family and friends. I think Scott and Holly got here just a minute ago"

  I nod but make no move to untangle myself from his hold, hoping for just a minute more of being close to him.

  The truth is, somewhere along the way, I think I began to fall in love with Hayes Davis. It wasn't all at once, but rather small pieces of a complicated puzzle that had begun to fall together. I’m not sure what’s happening between us, but I see him like I’ve never seen him before. I truly saw him.

  I saw the side of him that the magazines would never portray: the man who rubs my feet because they’re sore, and the same man who can kiss me breathless all in the same moment. I've been too prideful to admit my feelings for him, but after today...after the way he kissed me and the love that his mother saw in his eyes, I’m ready to admit that I want this to be real.

  And pray that he feels the same.

  "Get on with it you two, I have mimosas to drink!" Holly chants from her chair on the back porch.

  All of our family and friends are gathered around, waiting for the two of us to make our announcement. Holly and Scott are the only ones privy to our secret, and Holly is the only one who actually knows the sex of Baby Davis. I’m thankful that she had the sense to pick up a cannon for both genders, since I couldn’t get the envelope to her until tonight and I was done waiting.

  "We're pregnant," Hayes says with a proud, wide smile.

  A collective gasp soon turns into whoops and hollers, and everyone rushes us at once with congratulations, hugs, and well wishes.

  It goes over much better than expected.

  "I would congratulate you, but having to live with my brother for the rest of your life is going to suck," his brother Hart teases.

  "Shut up, Hart, before I break your nose," Hayes responds.

  They laugh, but I can see Hayes is serious about his threat. His shoulders are tight and his stance is defensive. Caveman.

  His brother’s only teasing.

  "So, we also have another surprise. We're going to find out the sex," Hayes says, "Right now."

  Holly walks over and hands us each a nondescript white cannon with an arrow showing where to twist, and we both grin and take our places back in front of everyone.

  "Ready, St. James?" he asks, glancing down at me. For the second time tonight, I see something in his eyes that maybe I never noticed before. They're soft and burn into my own, and suddenly I wish we were alone instead of surrounded by a crowd.

  I give him a small smile before lifting my cannon next to his and squeezing my eyes shut.

  I hear Scott begin to count, "Three...two...one!"

  On one, I twist and pop my eyes open as the cannon explodes, revealing bright pink confetti.

  It's a girl! I knew it all along. A girl!

  I squeal and jump up and down, turning towards Hayes, who's yelling and turns to pick me up and spin me around until we're both breathless.

  "A girl, Soph. Can you believe it? My Rook is going to be a girl." He breathes before his lips find mine in a messy, chaotic kiss that I feel all the way to my toes. His hands entwine with my hair as he pulls me closer, breathing me in, sucking my bottom lip into his mouth. The kiss turns inappropriate quickly, and I pull back.

  "God, Hayes." I'm breathless, and my voice is hoarse with need.

  "Alright everyone, parties over, Sophia and I have somewhere to be," Hayes says teasingly, but starts to tug me towards the back door.

  "Hayes, stop it," I laugh, "We’re around your parents."

  He groans and looks up at the sky like he's praying for patience, and for once...I get it. I wish we could be alone right now so I can tell him everything that threatens to burst from my chest.

  We spend the rest of the evening with the people we love, and it's a night of laughter and happiness. So much happiness that my heart feels like it might explode from how much joy is inside. I'm having a baby girl, one who, if she is anything like her daddy, will be kind, persistent, and selfless. A piece of each of us in this little girl who will steal all of our hearts.

  After we help his mother clean up and she shoo's us out the door, we get into Hayes' truck and head for the small bungalow he rented for the weekend. Much to his mother's dismay, he insisted we have our own space and graciously refused his old bedroom that she offered.

  He argued that we were adults and needed our own space. Plus, my insomnia was getting worse and worse, and I needed to be able to move freely without worrying if I was going to wake someone up.

  I call bullshit.

  I think he wants me all alone so he can have his filthy way with me.

  My heart speeds up at the thought.

  When we pull into the driveway, Hayes grabs our bags and ushers me inside, and I'm taken aback by how quaint and cute the bungalow is. It looks like it came straight out of a home decor magazine.

  "Hayes, this is so perfect."

  He nods, "I saw it and thought you'd love it."

  Just another thing he does—choosing things that he knows will make me happy because he knows me. He does know me, apparently better than I know me, and that speaks volumes. I don't deserve this man.

  He sets the bags on the bed by the door and shuts the door tight, then turns to me.

  "Sophia…" Before he can even finish, I'm launching myself at him and into his arms, where he catches me easily, lifting me until my le
gs wrap tightly around his waist. This time, I make the move.

  Call it a moment of brazen want, or call it hormones, I don't even care. I don't give myself a chance to back out or talk myself out of it, or even a chance to think of the outcome of my actions.

  I simply feel.

  My lips find his, and I kiss him like I should have done so many weeks ago. I kiss him until my lips feel bruised, and his tongue dances with mine so fiercely that he swallows the air from my lungs.

  "Sophia, Sophia," Hayes murmurs then pulls back to look at me. His eyes search my face, "What's the rush, St. James?"

  His dimpled grin causes my heart to speed in anticipation. So handsome.

  "I just...I want to be close to you."

  When the words leave my mouth, he drops his forehead to mine and exhales, "I feel like I've waited fucking months to hear you say that, baby mama."

  Baby mama. The stupid nickname sends flutters through my stomach, and I know it’s not Rookie.

  "Even though it fucking pains me, and my dick hates me right now, I can't….We have to talk."

  A pained groan of protest leaves my lips, but I loosen my legs and slide down his body until my feet touch the floor. He's right, even if my out of control, hormonal AF for my baby daddy vagina doesn't get the memo.

  He walks over to the bed and sits, waiting for me to take a seat next to him. I'm hesitant, because honestly…right now I can't be held responsible for my actions. We've been dancing around this for too long, and my head has finally caught up with my heart.

  "C'mere, beautiful."

  I kick off my shoes and walk over to the bed, then sit a good three feet from him, which makes him throw his head back and laugh…and pull me to him anyway.

  "You think I'm not crazy for you, Soph?" His hand wraps around mine, and he pulls it to the straining erection in his slacks, groaning when my hand brushes against it lightly.

  Oh boy. I'm in way over my head.

  "I just have to do things the right way with you. I have to show you that this is serious for me. I can't imagine being inside of you without telling you how I feel. I sound like a pussy, and I don't even care. You mean too much to me, Sophia."

  His eyes search mine, and his fingers brush back a lone piece of hair that's fallen into my eyes, tucking it behind my ears. Inch by inch I scoot closer until our knees are touching on the bed and I can feel the rise and fall of his chest with my own. I can see the war of restraint raging behind his eyes, and I'm shocked that I didn't realize it before now.

  "I'm done pretending. You are mine, Sophia, and if any part of you, even the smallest amount feels like you aren't, then you need to walk out of that door, because I am done holding back. I'm done pretending that this isn't real and that you aren't the only thing that I want. Fuck, Soph. This is the last thing that I expected to happen, but somewhere along the way it stopped being about the fake engagement and what the tabloids would spin it out. I don't care. They can spin what they want. All I know is I want you and our baby."

  I nod, "I feel the same way. I was just too afraid to admit it to myself, to admit it out loud. But after tonight, the kiss and the conversation with your mama...I'm tired of fighting it, Hayes."

  "I'm glad we're on the same page, baby, because I am fucking done. From this second on, we're both done pretending."

  His lips crash with mine, and even though I hate that we stopped the frenzy the second we walked through the door, it feels right to know how each of us feel. To not wonder or question what the other is thinking. Instead, I know exactly how Hayes feels about me, and that just make me want this more.

  My hands shake as I fist his shirt, pulling him closer to me. My tongue tangles with his and a shiver creeps down my spine when his hand weaves into my hair and his grip is iron.

  Hayes Davis is a lover like I've never known, and I haven't even felt his ridiculously large...You know what, maybe I shouldn’t be even thinking about this right now.

  I gulp inwardly and pull back breathlessly, "I want you. Right now."

  Tired of waiting, I pull the shirt over my head and toss it to the side, my cheeks heating when his eyes pursue down my body, pausing at my stomach.

  "God, you're so fucking beautiful, Sophia."

  I bite my lip and look away, his gaze too much, too hot upon my skin. I stand in front of where he sits on the bed, and he brings his hand to the backs of my thighs, running them up and up until he has my ass in his hands. He bends, dropping gentle, sweet kisses to my stomach, continuing lower, until his fingers dip inside the waistband of my leggings and trace along the line of my panties.

  My body is on fire. I’m humming with anticipation as his fingers dance across my skin.

  I want him to hurry, to quench the ache he so easily created inside me. But he’s taking his time, memorizing everything about my body. With his fingers, he catalogues every inch of my skin, from the dip of each of my hips to the marks upon my stomach from our child.

  “Hayes,” I breathe when his fingers finally, so gently, dip into the front of my panties and connect with my already slick center. His fingers are calloused and rough against my skin, and the feeling is incomparable—the rough texture pinging pleasure through my body in a way my own fingers never could.

  “You’re dripping, St. James.” He sucks in a sharp breath and begins working my leggings and panties down my hips until I’m completely bare before him. I try to cover myself under his gaze, but he stops me, pulling my hands away and kissing them. “Don’t ever hide from me, baby. Your body is a work of art, and I’m going to spend the next twelve hours worshipping it until you understand just how beautiful it is.

  His words are gasoline on an already out of control blaze. When his rough thumb rubs a circle on my clit, my legs suddenly feel incapable of holding my weight. Lifting me easily, he lays me upon the bed and stands above me, slowly removing his clothes.

  When he pulls his shirt over his head, revealing the same washboard abs that have been the star of many of my wet dreams over the last few months, my mouth waters. My thighs clench together in anticipation.

  “Stop looking at me like that, or I won’t last a second, Sophia,” he mutters.

  “Sorry,” I squeak.

  He hooks his fingers in the waistband of his ridiculously tight black boxer briefs and begins to drag them down his hips; my jaw drops.

  My god.

  “Now you’re just making my ego even bigger.” He grins.

  I…to say Hayes is the biggest man I’ve ever been with is an understatement. How do I not remember this? How is it possible that I didn’t feel this for a week afterwards?

  My baby daddy is packing.

  Before I even have time think about how it’s even going to fit, he’s crawling over me and dipping his legs between mine, and then I lose all train of thought.

  “Oh god,” I moan, as his mouth closes around my clit, sucking. Hard.

  So hard, I see stars behind my eyes. I see a whole new universe. Is that Pluto?

  “You taste even better than I imagined,” he says, before running his tongue completely up my slit, his words vibrating on my most sensitive part. The pleasure is too much. So intense—so all-consuming. He eats me like a starving man.

  I can’t hold on any longer, the orgasm taking me whole. My back arches from the bed, my eyes squeezing shut as more pleasure than I’ve ever known wracks my body. Delicious shocks of pleasure, every ounce of it wrung out by the man who sits between my legs.

  He pulls back slightly and looks up at me, my desire glistening on his lips and chin; I blush furiously. It’s a sight I never want to forget: Hayes Davis covered in me. It’s so deliciously wicked. When he sees the color in my cheeks, he laughs, wiping his mouth with his hands and climbing over my body.

  “Did that turn you on, baby mama?” he teases, and I can’t help myself as I nod. I feel how hot my face gets. “Well, trust me when I say, it turns me on that my baby is inside of you. Mine, every fucking inch of you.”

  Primal.
Carnal. Raw. The look in his eyes makes me shiver. I want it. I want more of him.

  His fingers lace with mine as he slowly sinks inside of me, inch by inch, until we’re joined together completely. I feel the well-groomed smattering of hair brush against my clit. He’s so deep. I’m so full, and yet…I want more.

  “Please, move,” I plead.

  A throaty groan sounds somewhere deep in the base of his chest as I moan, “I’m trying very hard not to lose control, St. James, but fuck, you’re so tight.”

  I stifle a giggle and inch my legs higher on his waist, pulling him in even deeper, and we both groan. Then, he fucks me.

  He doesn’t hold back. His thrusts are deep, each one deeper than the last, I feel him in places I’ve never felt, and I am addicted to the feel of Hayes buried inside of me.

  Every time he slams back inside of me, I inch further up on the bed from the power of his thrusts.

  Sensing I’m close, he reaches between us to rub his thumb against my clit. It doesn’t take long before I’m falling.

  Free falling into a state of bliss so powerful my whole body feels like it’s on fire. The fire burns through my veins, scorching a part of me that will never be the same.

  I’m drunk on him. I’m sated and worn out as the last aftershocks of my orgasm ring out, and his thrusts slow as he slams inside of me and pours into me, groaning with each ribbon of cum that spurts inside of me.

  “Fuck, Soph,” he cries, slamming into me one final time, completely spent.

  He rolls to the side, gathering me into his arms, and lets out a ragged breath. Neither of us speak, both simply reveling in the comfortable silence between us, until my eyes begin to drift close. Just as I fall asleep, I swear I hear him whisper, “Never letting you go, St. James.”

  Eighteen

  Hayes

  "Hayes, I don't think that piece goes there." Sophia says softly. She’s obviously worried about wounding my already frayed ego that is slowly diminishing by the second while I'm putting together this disaster of a bed.