Love in the Dark

by 12 Book Boxed Set (epub)

  Reaching for a tissue, Emma dabbed her eyes. “Don’t you see? There’s just been so much disappointment and sadness in my life that it’s hard for me to grasp that something I want so much can actually happen.”

  “Em—”

  “You don’t understand what it’s been like for me. So many times I’ve gotten my hopes up for true happiness only to have it dashed. Travis and I were planning on starting a family right away. He joked about knocking me up so we could have shotgun wedding. I wanted nothing more than to have his child, and then he was gone. Then I lost my mother.” Her lip trembled. “I’m scared this is all going to fall apart, Case.”

  “Don’t be afraid.” Casey drew Emma into her arms. “I’m here for you, and everything is going to be all right. It’s finally your time, Em. You’re just going to have to keep the faith and believe it.”

  Emma closed her eyes and let Casey’s optimism wash over her. “I want to believe it…so very, very much.”

  Casey pulled away to give Emma a reassuring smile. “Well you better, because it’s the truth. Now look in the mirror and say the words.”

  “Seriously Case?”

  “Do it!”

  “Fine.” Emma stared at her pale, mascara-streaked face in the mirror. “I’m pregnant, and I’m going to be a mother.”

  “Damn straight. Now when are you going to tell Big Papa the good news?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Even though we’ve talked on the phone and Skyped since he’s been gone, I don’t want to do it that way.” At the wicked expression on Casey’s face, Emma crossed her arms over her chest. “I know what you’re wondering, and the answer is no. We did not have phone sex.”

  “How disappointing,” Casey pouted.

  Emma rolled her eyes. “Anyway, to get back to the original point, I think it’s best to wait until he gets home.”

  “And when is that exactly?”

  “Sometime next week.”

  “Good. By then, you will have had time to see your gyno and you’ll know without a shadow of a doubt that you can tell him the good news.” She held open the bathroom door. “I say we blow out of here at five and go celebrate with non-alcoholic beverages and chocolate!”

  Emma grinned. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

  A week later, Emma stepped out into the waiting room of her OB/GYN’s office to the expectant faces of Casey and Connor. She couldn’t hide her beaming smile. “I’m really, really pregnant!”

  Popping out of their chairs, they both erupted with loud cheers and gave Emma a long, excited group hug. On the way to the car, her phone buzzed in her purse. She dug it out and gasped. At the airport. Heading home. Want to meet for drinks at O’Malley’s at six?

  She quickly texted Aidan back. Sure. Sounds good. See you then.

  At his next response, Emma skidded to an abrupt stop and stared at her phone. Both anxiety and longing gripped her at his words. Good. I’m looking forward to kissing and licking every square inch of that fabulous body of yours tonight.

  “What’s the matter, Em?” Casey asked.

  “Nothing…just a text I got.”

  Connor snorted. “Just a text my ass. From the practically giddy expression on your face, I’m assuming it’s from Big Papa Fitzgerald.”

  Emma giggled. “Yes, it is. He’s on his way home.”

  Peeking over her shoulder, Connor gasped. “Damn, girl, he’s looking forward to licking every inch of your body? Em’s gone kinky on me!”

  “Would you stop!” she shrieked, jerking the phone away from his view. Her reaction sent Connor and Casey giggling like mad as they hopped into the car.

  Fumbling for her car keys, she wasn’t quite sure how to respond to Aidan’s text. Finally, she typed a quick See you then. As she cranked the car on, she had a gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach that telling Aidan wasn’t going to be as easy as she had thought.

  15

  As his plane skidded across the runway at Hartsfield Jackson, Aidan fought the urge to shout for joy. For him, there was truly no place like home. He tapped his foot impatiently while he waited for the plane to come to a stop. Four weeks away had felt like an eternity. Even though he wanted nothing more than to grab a couple chili dogs from The Varsity along with a twelve pack from the liquor store, he had very important dinner plans and even bigger nighttime plans.

  After deplaning, he broke into a jog from the gate, grabbing his luggage as fast as he could. Glancing at his watch, he saw he had forty-five minutes to make it to O’Malley’s. He would’ve liked to freshen up, but his rumpled shirt and wrinkled dress pants were just going to have to do.

  Miraculously, he stepped into O’Malley’s a little before six. When Jenny saw him, her face lit up. “Hey stranger. Glad to see you’re back.”

  He smiled. “Thanks. It’s good to be home. You can’t imagine how much I missed this old hole in the wall. You can’t quite find the same beer or burgers over there.”

  Jenny laughed. “So do I need to reserve a large booth for the crew for your welcome home party?”

  “Um, no, actually, I’m meeting someone.”

  “Someone or some woman?”

  He coughed. “A woman.”

  Aidan couldn’t help feeling surprised when Jenny’s smile widened. “Is it the pretty redhead you were here with before?”

  His mouth gaped open. “Wait, how did you guess that?”

  She grinned. “I knew there was something between you two when you came in—something different from the other women I’ve seen you with.”

  “But we weren’t even dating then.” He shook his head. “We’re not even dating now.”

  “Oh please.” Jenny waved her hand dismissively at him and grabbed two menus. She led him to the same secluded area he had sat in with Emma before. This time she gave them the back corner booth, ensuring they would have a lot of privacy. “You guys make a really good-looking couple,” she said before leaving him open-mouthed once again.

  Aidan’s only response to Jenny’s compliments was to give a frustrated grunt. He eased down in the booth and took out his phone. After scrolling through several emails and texts, he glanced up to see Emma sweeping through the door. He sucked in a breath and tried to still the accelerating of his heartbeat. What the hell was happening to him? No woman had ever had this much of an effect on him. The time away seemed to have made her even more beautiful than he remembered, but there was something different about her—something softer, more vulnerable. It was a hell of a turn-on.

  When Jenny said something to Emma, she beamed and ducked her head. Without blinking, Aidan watched Emma as she followed Jenny to the table. Her dress slid over her hips, accentuating the curves he was familiar with, and her long auburn hair hung in waves, cascading over her shoulders. He gritted his teeth when he noticed some of the other male patrons ogling Emma as she passed them by. Even though he had no right, he wanted to scream at them that she belonged to him.

  Her face lit up when she met his gaze. “Hey!”

  As he started rising out of the booth, she rushed over and threw her arms around his neck. He opened his mouth to say hello, but her lips crushed against his. As she deepened the kiss, Aidan tried to keep his bearings by tightening his arms around Emma’s waist. Damn, he had missed the feel of her lips, her tongue, and the way her body molded against his.

  A low whistle behind them caused Emma to jerk back, much to Aidan’s dismay. Jenny grinned at them and winked. “Now who needs the guys when you can get a homecoming like that, huh?”

  Emma’s cheeks grew red, but she laughed. Tilting her head to the side, she asked him, “Am I enough of a welcome home?”

  He grinned. “At the moment, hell yes you are.”

  Jenny squeezed past them to place their silverware on the table. “I guess I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone now.”

  “Thanks Jenny,” Aidan said.

  He arched his eyebrows when Emma plopped down next to him in the booth rather than sitting across from him. “Miss me that much, hu
h?”

  Her laughter made his heart vibrate with warmth. “Yes, actually I did.”

  Aidan stared into her twinkling green eyes. “I missed you, too.” A hell of a lot more than I want to admit.

  “Me or the sex?” she asked.

  “Both,” he answered honestly.

  She giggled. “I figured it would only be the sex.”

  “You underestimate yourself as usual.” Propping his arm on the back of the booth, he turned to get a better look at her. “But I can’t help myself if it sounds like I’ve only been missing the sex when I tell you how fucking gorgeous you look tonight.”

  “No, it’s okay.” Her cheeks flushed. “And thank you.”

  Aidan leaned over to nuzzle her neck, inhaling the delicate smell of her perfume. He groaned in the sweet agony. “The way your dress is hugging all your curves and your hair is falling loose and wavy, just begging me to run my fingers through it, makes me want to forget dinner and take you home instead.”

  When she stiffened, he raised his head. “What’s wrong?”

  “I need to tell you something.”

  “Anything. Well, as long as it isn’t something like you’re not coming home with me tonight.”

  “I’m pregnant,” she blurted out.

  The air wheezed out of him and he felt like he had been kicked in the groin. “Okay, that’s not quite what I was expecting.”

  “I found out a week ago, but I wanted to wait until you got back to tell you. I thought it would mean more in person.”

  Now he knew why she appeared so different. Pregnancy had her absolutely glowing with pure happiness. A sense of immense pride radiated through him that he’d had a part in making that happiness. His lips curved in a genuine smile. “That’s wonderful news, Em. I’m thrilled for you.”

  Happy tears sparkled in her eyes. “Oh Aidan, I can never thank you enough for making this dream possible!” she cried, throwing her arms around his neck again. She squeezed him tight. “I still can’t believe it happened after only two months of trying. Do you know how blessed and lucky we are? Some people have to try for months and months—even years.”

  “Yeah, that would have been miserable,” he joked.

  A girlish giggle escaped her lips. “I am sorry we didn’t get to…well, you know, have sex as much as you would have liked.”

  Just the mention of that word on her luscious lips made him squirm in the booth. “So am I, especially since I’ve practically been a monk the last few weeks.”

  Her eyes widened. “You mean you kept up with the boxers and no activity of any kind?”

  “Well, I might have taken care of business once or twice,” he replied sheepishly. “But I abstained all last week in preparation.” Now after all that work, he was going home, tail between his legs and extremely frustrated. It was truly going to be just him and his hand that night.

  Emma cupped his face in her hands. “Oh, you poor baby. You’ve really gone above and beyond for me through this whole thing.”

  When she brushed her fingers over his lips, he grabbed her hand. “Please, Em, don’t. I’m way too fucking frustrated for shit like that.”

  A smile that was both teasing and sweet spread on her face. “I tell you what. Since you’ve made me the happiest woman in the world, I think I more than owe you another round or two to put a smile on your face.”

  For the second time that night, Aidan felt like he had been kicked in the groin. “You can’t be serious.”

  Her brows furrowed. “Don’t you want me to be serious?”

  “Of course I do! I want to push your dress up over your thighs, rip off the lacy thong I imagine you’re wearing, and fuck you senseless right here in the booth.”

  Emma sucked in a breath and widened her eyes. “I take that as a yes.”

  Aidan grinned. “Hey, it’s been four weeks babe. You’re lucky I’m not dragging you into the bathroom for a quickie.” When her nose wrinkled in disgust, he couldn’t hold back his laughter. “Don’t worry, Em. I’ll control myself.” Running his hand under her dress, he squeezed her thigh. “At least while we’re in public.”

  He was surprised when she didn’t smack his hand away. Instead, she merely smiled up at him invitingly. “Can we at least eat first?”

  “Of course we can. You’re eating for two now, right?”

  Emma snorted. “Supposedly yes, but the way I’ve been packing it in lately, you would think I was having triplets or something.”

  Aidan waved the waiter over. After Emma finished rattling off everything she wanted, Aidan couldn’t hide his amusement. “You’re seriously going to eat all that?”

  She bobbed her head as the waiter left. “It won’t matter as much this time since I assume I’ll be burning a lot of calories later, right?”

  He chuckled. “Hell yes.”

  For the rest of dinner, he behaved himself, focusing on how joyfully animated Emma became as she talked about the baby and the pregnancy. He had never seen her talk a mile a minute or smile so much. He began to wonder how her cheeks didn’t hurt. He momentarily stiffened when she mentioned that both Casey and Connor had accompanied her to her first doctor’s appointment. “So now he’s all about you having a baby as long as he didn’t father it?”

  Emma’s fork froze in midair and her face crumpled. “He just wanted to come and support me since you were out of town.”

  “That was nice of him,” Aidan said, unable to keep the sarcasm out of his tone.

  “If you don’t want him at the first ultrasound, I won’t invite him.”

  Aidan didn’t know why the hell it bothered him. It wasn’t like he had any plans of being involved in the baby’s life…or did he? For some reason, just the thought of Connor being in his baby’s life dropped a heavy blanket of possessiveness around him. Shuddering, he tried ridding himself of the feeling. Connor seemed like a genuine guy, and he obviously didn’t have to worry about him being competition in Emma’s bed.

  “Aidan, you didn’t answer me.”

  He met Emma’s intense stare. “What?”

  “I asked you again if you wanted it to just be the two of us at the first ultrasound.”

  Swallowing hard, he finally responded, “Um, yeah, sure.”

  Any doubt about his decision faded at the expression of pure, unadulterated happiness that flashed on Emma’s face. Knowing he was the reason behind it warmed him straight through to his soul. It was a feeling he thought he could come to enjoy experiencing more of.

  “Great,” she replied before nibbling on her last French fry.

  He couldn’t help grinning when he surveyed her empty plate. “Would you like some dessert?”

  She pursed her lips at his teasing. “No, I’m good for now, thanks.”

  “Then can we please get the hell out of here and go back to your house before I have a permanent case of blue balls?”

  Emma giggled. “I guess so. Just be glad I have some Ben & Jerry’s in the freezer or we would be making a pit stop.”

  Aidan groaned as he threw a wad of bills on the table. “You love to torture me, don’t you?”

  Running her hand up his thigh, Emma stopped just before she touched his cock. When he sucked in a sharp breath, she merely took her hand away and picked up her drink. Swirling the straw around, she then brought it to her lips and worked it in and out of her mouth while she drank. “Hmm, that’s so good.”

  His mouth gaped open in shock. He couldn’t believe she was doing this to him. His sweet, innocent Emma, the mother of his child, was being a total cock-tease—and in some small way, he was enjoying the hell out of it.

  When she finally looked at him, she burst out laughing. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”

  “Just make sure you keep that attitude up the rest of the night,” Aidan replied, nudging her out of the booth.

  16

  After they left O’Malley’s, Aidan followed Emma home. When she pulled into the garage, she hopped out of her car and met him in the driveway. He glanced a
round the yard. “Where’s Beau?”

  Emma laughed. “I put him in his swinging bachelor’s pad down in the basement before I came to meet you. Want me to go let him out?”

  He shook his head as they started up the walkway. “No, I can wait to see him until after I devour you at least once.”

  Emma made a tsking noise. “Poor Beau. His daddy is always thinking of his own needs first.”

  Aidan laughed. “He’s a dude, so he would totally understand.”

  “Oh really?”

  “You better believe if some bitch in heat came by, he wouldn’t think twice about thinking with his dick and running out on me.”

  “Is that what I am to you? A bitch in heat?” Emma questioned, feigning outrage.

  “Of course not…well, you might’ve been before I got you pregnant.”

  Shaking her head at him, she unlocked the front door and held it open for Aidan. When she turned to close and lock it behind them, Aidan beat her to the punch. Grabbing her from behind, he took her hands and placed them flush against the wooden door. He buried his face into the side of her neck before wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing his erection against her backside. Grinding into her, he moaned, “God, Em, I want you so much it hurts.”

  The feeling of his need against her caused warmth to flood her core. She had missed him emotionally, but the growing ache between her legs was her body’s way of showing her just how much he had been missed physically.

  One of his hands slid from her waist up her torso to cup her breast. When he kneaded it roughly like she usually enjoyed, she yelped in pain rather than pleasure.

  At her reaction, Aidan instantly tensed. He spun her around to face him, his brows creased with worry. “I’m sorry, Em. You used to get off when I did that.”

  She cupped his face in her hands, rubbing her thumbs along his jawline. “It’s not your fault. I should have warned you that my breasts are…” She bit her lip and tried to imagine how she was going to explain this. “Well, they’re really tender right now because of being pregnant.” Even though she tried fighting it, she felt her face flushing in embarrassment.