by T. C. Clark
“Are you seeing anyone now?” her mother asked while taking a bite of her sandwich.
“I am, actually. His name is Maks Stravanos and we just started, um… dating,” she answered honestly, unfortunately forgetting who she was talking to.
“You’re not talking about the Maks Stravanos, the famous painter, are you?”
Leslie grimaced at her mother’s shrill tone. Her father had poisoned the word artist for her.
“Yes, mom, I am.” She waited for the lecture, but it didn’t come. Her mother took a deep breath and settled more deeply into her chair.
“I love you, Leslie.” She said it as a statement. “Sometimes I think I forgot that part when you were growing up. I came here tonight because I want to start again. After you were shot I realized how much I’d missed with you. You didn’t even want my help while you were recuperating. You were always such a good girl growing up. So good that sometimes I forgot you were there. But I know how much that must have hurt you.” She paused for a second to collect herself. “When your dad left, I was broken. We come from a long line of women who chose the wrong men and I’d promised myself I wouldn’t be one of them. When I met your dad, it was as if none of my mother’s words could penetrate the deep love I felt for that man. He was charismatic and sensitive and everything I wasn’t used to. He was probably a lot like your Maks. But while he was my one true love, I was one of many. I’m not going to tell you to stop seeing him, because we both know you will do what you think is right. But I am telling you to think about what you’re doing. Do you guys have the same goals, like the same things? Don’t make the mistake of loving blindly. I don’t want you to end up like me, so broken from betrayal that you forget the life that’s passing you by,” she finished solemnly. She reached out and covered Leslie’s hand and squeezed it.
As lonely as she’d been as a child she’d always known her mom would be there. She wasn’t the only one who was afraid of the word “artist.” She could still remember waiting to hear from her dad on her birthdays or the holidays. She would wait for him for hours but his first love was his music.
Maks had that same drive. Leslie opened her mouth to comfort her mother when the smell of freshly fried bacon hit her nose. Immediately, she stood and ran to the bathroom. Thankfully, she made it in time. She threw up her lunch. Her body shook with the force of each heave. When she finally lifted her head, her mother was rubbing her back.
“Have you been feeling bad?” her mother asked. Ever the doctor she checked her pulse and took her blood pressure using her fingers.
“No, that bacon smell just turned my stomach. I don’t get it, you know I love bacon. I have been getting dizzy and nauseous a lot since I came back. At first I thought it was the flu, but I haven’t had a fever or any of the other symptoms.” Leslie was so focused on not throwing up that she didn’t catch her mother’s shocked expression.
“Oh, honey. I think you may be pregnant,” her mother said softly. As her brain digested her mother’s words, her stomach turned again, and she promptly put her head back into the toilet.
She was pregnant or at least, that’s what ten pregnancy tests said. She’d spent Sunday curled up on the couch. Her mind spun with possibilities. Her hand gently patted her belly. It had to have been the first time. They’d only had sex one time without protection.
Over the next few days Maks called repeatedly, it was as if he could sense something was wrong with her. Every time they spoke, she could feel herself creating another wall between them. How was she going to handle this? She couldn’t seem to think about anything else. When he’d called again this morning, she’d ignored it.
Her mother hadn’t been lying when she told her she wanted them to begin again. Surprisingly, instead of disappointment, she’d been thrilled with the news of becoming a grandma. She kept saying this was her second chance.
Alex, god bless him, hadn’t noticed her being off her game at all. She’d found comfort in her work. She decided to stop by the drugstore for six more pregnancy tests; one could never be too sure about these types of things.
By the time she got home she was exhausted. She sent Maks a text saying she was home and silenced her phone. She couldn’t deal with his questions, not tonight. Her nausea was starting to get out of hand.
She made herself a small bowl of soup and went to bed early. She forced herself not to think about the baby. She needed to rest first and then she would figure out what she needed to do next.
* * *
The pounding on the door ripped her from her fitful sleep. Leslie sat up slowly and prayed the movement wouldn’t upset her stomach. She didn’t need a magic ball to know who was at her front door. Maks was not a man who people ignored. She wasn’t ready to talk about the past.
When she opened the door her heart sped up. He was holding flowers and his smile was big enough to match the moon. Her body responded to his immediately. In this area at least they were perfect, and she knew exactly what to do to postpone the impending talk. She leaned forward and kissed him. Her tongue chased his as her hands skimmed up the front of his chest.
She became the aggressor as he leaned down. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He dropped the flowers and his bag and wrapped his arms around her. He lifted her off of the ground and she wrapped her legs around him. They were so lost in each other that she jumped when she heard a wolf whistle from across the hall. Maggie and Ursula stood there fanning themselves from their doorway.
“I don’t want to be crass but shouldn’t you guys get a room?” Ursula said with a lecherous smile. She was holding two cloth bags with McMillan Organics scrawled across them.
Maggie was holding an Oreo cake and a bottle of wine. Leslie wondered how long they’d been there she knew Ursula would tell her the next time they talked.
“You remember when you used to kiss me like that,” Maggie said with a sigh.
“Come inside and I’ll do it again.” Ursula winked in their direction before guiding Maggie inside.
Leslie didn’t need a mirror to know her face was turning red. Maks smiled down at her before kissing her on the nose and putting her down. He picked up his bag and the flowers in one hand and used the other to usher her inside. Her eyes widened when she saw the time on the digital clock. It was only nine o’clock.
He turned and locked her door. He put his bags on the couch and turned to her. His hand reached up to cup her face. She’d pulled her midnight colored curls into a tight bun. She knew they must look frizzy after she’d spent the night tossing and turning. She had on an oversized T-shirt and some old socks and yet he looked at her like she was wearing the sexiest lingerie.
She stood on her toes and kissed him lightly on the lips. No matter how confused she felt about the future she knew she’d really missed him. How could she want him so much?
She shook her and closed her mind off to all the swirling questions. Tonight she would put aside her questions and focus on the feelings brewing between them.
Maks didn’t like the uncertainty he’d been feeling these last few days. He didn’t know how to explain it but he knew Leslie was pulling away from him. After they’d talked the other day, he’d pulled his agent aside and told him about her. He’d made it clear that he needed to go home and see what was going on.
When he landed he’d wasted no time coming here. They needed to talk whatever this was out, he didn’t want her shutting him out again. But right now she wanted something else and he couldn’t deny her. Her hands gripped his shoulder as he took her mouth. He plundered her depths. When he got close to the point of no return. He pulled back and grabbed her arm. He turned and guided her to the bedroom.
Tonight he would take his time. She needed to understand there was no going back. He didn’t bother with the light. He already knew every inch of her body. They’d already talked about his past and they’d agreed to make this work but every day she drifted further away from him.
Before she could say a word he stripped off their clothes. He moved
quickly. He needed her naked. He picked her up and carried her to the bed. He shuddered as her silky smooth skin moved against his.
They fell onto the bed, a tangle of legs and arms. He rolled until he was on top of her. He used his thigh to spread her body under him. She opened willingly. Her brown eyes begged for something only he could give her.
He started at her neck and kissed his way down her body. He used his tongue and teeth, marking each area he touched. She whimpered and arched against him. When he got to the core of her. He blew gently against the tight curls that covered her mound.
She was glistening, at least her body remembered how it was between them. He used his fingers to open her and then settled in. He licked her, using the strength of his tongue to tease her swollen clit. He forced a finger deep. His cock jumped as her muscles tightened around it. He continued to feast until she came.
Her legs tightened around his head as she did. He licked her clean.
“It’s too much, Maks. Let me catch my breath,” she pleaded. As his mouth continued to feast. He couldn’t stop. Again and again, he pushed her body over the edge. She was shaking, trying to pry his hands away from her thighs.
“Please, Maks,” she whimpered, as her body convulsed.
He moved up her body and took her mouth. She tasted her essence on his lips. She was too exhausted to move, so he positioned her body how he liked. He rubbed the tip of his cock back and forth against her clit until she pushed at his chest.
He cupped her mound and looked down at her, “this is mine,” he growled. He used his other hand to guide it to his cock, “And this is yours.”
Like a siren from his dreams, she guided him inside of her. He thrust deep and then his body took over. He could no longer tease her, he needed this as much as he did. He rutted over her. His body delivered short, brutal thrusts.
He couldn’t slow down and she didn’t want him to. He could feel her nails scraping down his back. She moved her legs higher, and he went deeper. Her swollen muscles tightened and contracted around his. He started to swell. He adjusted his angle, and she screamed. He could feel her coming around him. He kept up the pace. He growled as his balls tightened. He came in a rush, his massive body shuddered over hers as he released into the depths of her.
His body bucked into her until she’d received every drop of his seed. He lifted his head to say something and chuckled when he realized she was asleep. He took a deep breath and smiled. Who was he kidding? He didn’t have the energy to talk , anyway.
He rolled and pulled her over his body. He held her tightly as he drifted off to sleep. This satisfied him for now. She was right where she needed to be. They could talk about everything else in the morning.
* * *
Leslie frowned when her phone vibrated again. She didn’t look at it. She knew it was Maks. She’d left him at her apartment this morning and for the first time in years she’d called into work. She’d texted him throughout the day to let him know she was okay, but she hadn’t answered any of his calls.
She’d taken the day to think. Although she was no closer to an answer about their future she did feel a little better. She’d spent the day watching movies and visiting museums. It was late by the time she got home. She walked into her apartment with her head down and jumped when she saw Maks sitting on her couch. She dropped her packages and tried to think of something to say.
“Maks, what are you still doing here?” It was easier to ignore a man when he wasn’t right in front of you. Worriedly, she chewed on her bottom lip. She couldn’t keep using sex to distract him, her body couldn’t handle it.
What should she do? Did she tell him now? She hadn’t even been to the doctor, and what did ten pregnancy tests know anyway? Maybe it was a fluke. She let the lies flow through her brain to calm her beating heart.
“You thought I would leave?” He stood up from the couch and walked over to her. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
“Leslie,” he began and then his gray eyes honed in on the overturned packaged scattered on the ground. She didn’t need to look down to know what had put the look of fear on his face. He bent down and scooped up a test and held one out for her to see. “Why do you need this?”
Maks forced himself to calm down. His heart was beating too fast, and his brain was filled with memories. He could tell from the look on Leslie’s face that she was as shell shocked as he was.
“Are you sure?” he asked again. The same question replayed in his mind. She looked as flustered as he felt.
“As sure as a department store pregnancy test can be. I’ve also had other symptoms if I’m being honest. Some foods that I love now make me nauseous. My mother said she had the same thing with me.” She looked tired and afraid.
“Okay, wow. I didn’t expect…wow.” He tried to focus but he couldn’t get anything out. His mind went back to Maria. He didn’t ask Leslie what she wanted to do, he could tell from the protective way she kept touching her stomach that she wanted this baby as much as he did.
“You’re not going to ask me if it’s yours?” she asked, and for the first time she actually met his eyes.
“You forget I know you; that baby is most definitely mine.” He put the packages down and went into the kitchen to make her a glass of water.
“What are we going to do, Maks? I mean, I have to tell Alex. I have to figure out how this works.” The questions kept coming, and she didn’t have the answers for any of them.
“First, we get married, and then we will figure it out. You don’t have to worry about a thing. I can support us. We can go back up to Colorado together.”
“That’s not how this works. I’m not changing my life yet. Marrying you is out of the question, and I don’t want to give up my job!”
“Leslie…”
“No, I have to think about what’s right for me and this baby. I need time to think, Maks.”
“That’s my baby, too.” He needed to watch his tongue, but he could feel his anger rising at the way she kept describing the situation, as if he wasn’t a part of it.
“I know, that’s not what I mean.”
“Okay, what do you mean then? When we left Colorado, you were excited to be with me. Are you telling me the baby changes that? Why shouldn’t we get married? We made that baby together; we should do the right thing.”
“Maks, I think you should go.” She moved to the side and motioned to the door. She looked so exhausted that he almost relented, but this conversation was too important to let go.
“I’m not going anywhere. We need to talk about this, and obviously the more time I spend away from you, the more you decide you no longer need me.” He knew taking this stance was stupid, he could see the resentment forming on her face.
“If you won’t leave, lock the front door and make a place on the couch. I’m too tired to do this. I don’t get how I’m having morning sickness now; its not even fucking morning. I just want to sleep. We can have this argument tomorrow.” She turned slowly and made her way back to her room.
* * *
Maks watched her go with a heavy heart. She needed time to catch up to him. They’d only really been together for a few weeks even if they’d known each other for longer. He knew what she was to him. He had known it from the day he’d realized she was more than Alex’s quiet secretary.
Their time in Colorado had just confirmed it. He needed to find a way to give her time. He had to tamp down on his desire to take over. He wished this was easier. Lacey had been more than happy for him to take control. He’d literally had to do no adjusting with her.
He had to remember they were two different women and he wanted two very different things from them. Lacey had been a friend who’d turned into a lover, their friendship would have sustained them. He wanted Leslie to love him because he knew he was in love with her. He knew it was too quick, but it was still the truth.
He’d wanted at least a year of learning about each other before they moved forward, but the timeline had changed. He cou
ldn’t stop the happiness that spread through his chest at the thought of having another child, especially one created between them. A full grin formed on his face when he thought about what their life could be in the future. He had to figure out how to navigate this before she pushed him away.
Leslie barely made it to the bathroom. She’d learned the hard way that as soon as she woke up she needed to sprint to the bathroom before her stomach realized she was awake. She stiffened when she felt a hand pull at her messy hair.
Maks was here. She’d forgotten about that. He stayed with her until the nausea passed and only left when she told him she needed to shower. She braced herself for a fight when she went into the kitchen. They still had a lot of things that needed to be worked out.
She was surprised to see a plate of crackers and a tall glass of clear liquid. She grabbed a napkin and drug the trash can with her. She would never underestimate the insanity of her stomach again.
“What’s that?” she asked, taking a seat in front of it. She sent out a prayer that the nausea didn’t resurface at the sight of food. She wondered how women dealt with this. She was never sick, so dealing with fatigue and nausea every morning was a trying change.
“Flat ginger ale and saltines. I read on a blog that it’s supposed to help. You said you had issues with smells, so I decided it would be better to forgo cooking for now.” He sipped his from his water bottle as he watched her take a small bite of a cracker.
“What about you?” She tentatively sipped the ginger ale. She smiled when both of the stale-tasting items stayed in her stomach.
“I’ll eat later. I’m a big boy, I can handle waiting.”
