Surprise Double Delivery

by Therese Beharrie

  ‘We should probably go home,’ he said half-heartedly, making no attempt to release her from his grasp.

  ‘Mmm.’

  Izzy was happy where she was but excited about moving their relationship forward. Cal had been as straightforward as he could be with her and it was up to her to decide if that was enough to base her future on. She had to ask herself if he was worth the gamble with her heart when there was no guarantee it was all going to work out this time either. Despite her whole body screaming, Yes!

  Chapter 9

  The journey home had given Cal some time to cool his ardour and think about more than what his libido was demanding. Izzy had told him in no uncertain terms what having a family meant to her, but he wasn’t completely sure he felt the same as he once had about the idea. It wasn’t fair to bed her and give her false hope that they were going to live happily ever after.

  She deserved a partner who was totally committed to her and the babies, with no doubts about what he wanted. Until he found that certainty for himself he thought it best to cool things down between them again.

  When they got back to the house he left her at the bottom of the stairs with, ‘Goodnight, Izzy.’

  This time his mouth barely grazed her cheek as he kissed her before going to bed. Alone. He hoped she understood he wasn’t rejecting her on a personal level but taking precautions for both of their sakes.

  There was a very real chance they’d both be lying awake tonight on either side of the wall separating their bedrooms, replaying the passion they’d given in to completely. He’d been doing that anyway since the very first time he’d laid his lips on her.

  So much for taking a step back and focusing on being a support to Izzy rather than being further cause for stress. She was vulnerable after her scare and didn’t need him making a move on her when her hormones and emotions were all over the place. As were his. Especially since she’d kissed him back, her eyes and her body asking him for more.

  Cal groaned, lifted the book he’d been reading from his nightstand in deference to the sleep that had been eluding him recently.

  He managed a page or two before he realised not a single word had registered He was listening out for the sound of Izzy coming upstairs to bed.

  ‘This is insane,’ he confided to the fluffy sheep Izzy had made him keep on his bed. It was impossible to concentrate on anything but the creak of the floorboards as she crossed to her room and the thought of her getting undressed for bed. Despite only wearing his boxers, Cal was beginning to sweat.

  He tossed the book back onto his nightstand, not even bothering to mark his place, and turned the bedside light off. Eyes closed, he tried to force himself into slumber, knowing tomorrow at work would be as physically demanding as ever. Gone were the nights when he’d slept fitfully on the sofa because his bed held such painful connotations of the woman who’d broken his heart. Only for them to be replaced with lustful thoughts of the woman who’d been right by his side for years.

  In the too-quiet darkness he thought he could hear her tossing and turning on her mattress. If he was being kept awake by thoughts of how that bubbling chemistry between them was threatening to explode again, perhaps she was too. Or, as he’d predicted all along, was she too confused after Gerry’s death and their twin surprise she didn’t know what she was doing?

  ‘Cal?’ Suddenly Izzy’s soft voice called to him in the darkness. At first he thought he’d imagined it, then he heard her footsteps cross his floor. He’d been so lost in his own head he hadn’t realised she’d left her own room.

  ‘Izzy? What’s wrong?’ By the time he managed to turn the bedside lamp on again she was sitting on the bed beside him. His brain was working overtime, trying to figure out what could possibly be wrong with her when she looked so calm. If there had been an issue with the babies she would’ve been in full panic mode by now.

  Instead, she curled up in the foetal position beside him so their heads were side by side on his pillows. ‘I don’t want to sleep alone, Cal.’

  She didn’t appear to be in a hurry to go anywhere so he snuggled down beside her and pulled the covers over them. His heart was beating just as fast as it had when they’d kissed but he was doing his best not to misinterpret her meaning.

  He couldn’t help but reach out and touch her, brush the russet tresses off her shoulder to reveal the porcelain skin beneath.

  ‘Are you sure you don’t want to make the most of the peace while you’ve got it?’ Cal tried to conceal his optimism that she was here for more than company with a lame attempt at humour. However, when she rested a hand possessively on his hip, the lower half of his body jerked wide awake.

  ‘Don’t make me beg, Cal. You know neither of us would venture into this lightly, but we don’t seem to be able to stop it happening either. I don’t want to stop it.’

  Lying in his own bed, with Izzy saying everything he wanted to hear, touching him with confidence that he was hers, Cal was completely undone.

  * * *

  Izzy was putting everything on the line by being here. By climbing into Cal’s bed, not only was she risking further rejection but if he kicked her out now the last of her dignity would slink out the door with her.

  An evening unsuccessfully dodging the sexual tension arcing between them, on top of the close relationship they already had, had been sufficient for her to act on. She knew he’d turned away from her tonight because he didn’t want her to read more into his actions than he was offering.

  For now, she’d be happy for him to acknowledge the attraction with more than a passionate kiss. It wasn’t in her nature to throw herself at a man, but she knew Cal better than most. He wouldn’t take advantage of her, quite the opposite. It wasn’t difficult to tell he’d been holding back for her sake. If there was one thing preventing them from moving their relationship on to the next level it was liable to be because he was afraid of her getting hurt somewhere along the way. He’d already voiced his fears to that effect but as far as she could see it was too late, the kisses they’d shared were proof they were powerless to stop this runaway train anyway.

  She ran her hand down his corded thigh, his skin hot enough beneath her fingertips for her to suggest he take off the last of his clothes.

  His mouth kicked up at the corners, his eyes darkened and then his mouth was on hers, no longer constrained by concerns for her welfare.

  Unleashed by his conscience, it seemed Cal was as eager to explore this evolving dynamic as Izzy. He took command of her lips, moulding them to fit his. His hand was in her hair, drawing her closer, unashamed to let her know how his body was responding to her touch.

  With her eyes closed, giving herself over to the sensation of his hands and lips sweeping over her, she was already drifting away on a cloud of pleasure. Only the pure need for him she experienced when he slipped the strap of her night dress down her shoulder and cupped her naked breast grounded her again.

  He brushed his thumb lightly over her nipple and she jerked back into her body with the sudden rush of arousal in response. Her reaction to that brief, intimate contact spurred him on to extract more of it from her. Cal moved his hungry mouth from hers, sucking and tasting her skin as he moved to her neck, her collarbone, and—oh, yes—her breast.

  She sucked in a shaky breath of arousal as he slid the other strap down to follow its neighbour and flicked her nipple with the tip of his tongue. Izzy clutched his shoulders, arched her body further against his and demanded more. The first swell of ecstasy began to build inside her once he drew the responsive nub into his mouth. She’d forgotten how good it was to simply let herself go, enjoying the moment with him.

  Cal grazed his teeth over her sensitive skin and sucked hard, ripping a cry of pure ecstasy from deep inside her very core. This time she didn’t even waste time on the niceties of inviting him to undress, letting her hands do the work until he was fully naked beneath her fingertips. He
did the same for her, sliding the rest of her nightdress excruciatingly slowly down her body and kissing every newly exposed inch of her skin until she was completely naked, and he was kneeling at her feet.

  ‘You’re beautiful,’ he said, and though she felt a little bashful, with nowhere to hide her blossoming body under the glare of the bedside light, Cal’s obvious appreciation was there for her to see.

  ‘So are you.’ She repaid the compliment with as much sincerity as it had been given to her. The nature of their relationship in the past, and up until recently, meant she’d tried not to recall what he looked like out of the padded flight suit. Now she was free to let her eyes feast once more on his impressive, solid physique and the majesty of his arousal.

  Cal’s smile was so big it crinkled the skin at the corners of his eyes and made him even more devilishly delicious as he covered her body with his. Her limbs were trembling with anticipation she wanted him so badly. With him nibbling the skin at her neck, his erection intimately teasing her, she was on the edge of flipping him over onto his back and climbing on top of him. Just when she thought his restraint was proving greater than hers he nudged her thighs apart and groaned a satisfied ‘Oh...’ as he entered her.

  It was a moment of perfect joy and peace for her as they were finally joined together in body as well as soul. He paused, his eyes searching her face, and she could tell he was waiting for confirmation she was okay. She didn’t want her condition or his fierce desire to protect her at all costs to inhibit this pivotal, much-longed-for moment in their partnership. They had to learn to trust each other’s instincts as well as their own if they were going to have a future together.

  ‘I need you, Cal.’ She needed all of him with no holding back because she wanted to give him everything of herself in return.

  Her plea, her surrender freed them both from the last threads of restraint and let them search together for that ultimate pleasure goal.

  ‘My Isobel...’ His husky voice in her ear, the sweet affectation and the delicious fullness of having him inside her was too much for her to bear. She was at breaking point, desperately clinging on to prolong this feeling of ecstasy as long as possible.

  With every grind of his hips, every thrust and using every trick he had in his locker to drive her wild, he made her cries more frequent, higher pitched until she was sure she’d shatter every window in the house.

  Then the world was spinning somewhere far below her as she soared with one last push from her equally vocal partner.

  They clung together for as long as their limbs held out, panting and grinning at each other like loons.

  Izzy was so elated, if it wasn’t for the obvious, one would’ve been forgiven for thinking this was her first time and she’d given herself to her first love. She’d had good sex before, and with him, but they were looking at each other with a certain smugness that said they’d both achieved a new level together.

  ‘Why didn’t we want to do this again?’ Cal asked as he lay down beside her, still caressing her naked body and sending aftershocks of her climax rippling through her again and again.

  ‘I think we were worried we’d burn each other out.’ To illustrate the point that they’d have trouble keeping their hands off each other, she cupped his backside and squeezed.

  The truth, they both knew, was much more complicated and painful than that. Although she couldn’t speak for him, Izzy couldn’t regret that time when it had given her so much to look forward to now and had brought her and Cal closer than they’d ever been.

  ‘Hmm, I hope this isn’t simply your way of guaranteeing the babies get a room each.’

  It didn’t escape her notice he was avoiding talking seriously about their future as a couple but as long as he continued to think of this as a permanent arrangement they were good.

  As for Izzy, she knew she was in love with him and their epic lovemaking had confirmed it. Hopefully in time he’d come to feel the same, but it was too much to ask for now when the wounds Janet had inflicted were still raw. It was different for her when she and Gerry had had definitive closure. The same couldn’t be said for Janet, who’d made her presence known so recently it still pained Izzy to think about it. With no discernible conscience about what she’d done, Izzy wouldn’t put it past her to keep turning up like the proverbial bad penny.

  That left a smidgen of doubt that Cal would remain committed to her should Janet decide she preferred his attentions and wanted him back. They had a long history together, Janet had been someone Cal had imagined having a family with, and that wasn’t a thought easily dismissed. She, though, was always getting carried away on dreams of the family they could make once the twins were born.

  ‘Just wait until I try to talk you into installing a swimming pool.’ This wasn’t the time for deep and meaningful conversations or displays of jealousy and insecurity. She wanted to keep things fun and flirty, not to mention irresistible, so he’d come back for more. ‘I won’t let you get out of bed until you agree to my every demand.’

  ‘Do your worst,’ he said, lying spread-eagled on the bed, his body ready to be persuaded by anything she said or did.

  Always keen to show she was every bit as physically capable as the next person, Izzy rose to the challenge and took charge.

  * * *

  ‘Are you ready to go?’ Izzy peeped her head around the bedroom door, but Cal simply pulled the covers back up over his head.

  ‘No.’

  She chuckled and plonked herself down on the bed beside him. ‘You can’t stay in there all day.’

  ‘Why not? It sounds like a good idea to me.’

  Izzy shrieked as he reached for her and tried to pull her under the covers with him. It was very tempting to climb back in with him when his bedhead hair and morning stubble made him look even more handsome than usual.

  Now they knew how phenomenal they were together in all aspects of their relationship she could happily spend the day here with him making up for lost time. She’d heard an increased libido could happen at any stage of pregnancy, but she reckoned he’d have had this effect on her every time he touched her, long after her body was her own again.

  ‘I. Would. Love. To,’ she said, through his kisses along her collarbone, and he palmed her breast through her blouse to illustrate how keen he was for her to get naked with him again. ‘But we have an appointment to get to.’

  ‘We do?’

  It wasn’t fair to tease her like this, awakening that ache for him inside her when they couldn’t do anything about it.

  ‘I booked us into a practical parenting class.’

  ‘Isn’t it a little early for that? I thought antenatal classes were for much later in pregnancy.’ Cal frowned and seemed to withdraw to the far side of the bed. Obviously, they still had some work to do when it came to his role as a hands-on dad.

  ‘True, but this isn’t any ordinary class. It’s a private course focused on parenting twins, and I hear it’s very popular, so it books up early. I thought we could both use some tips.’ She wanted them to be the best parents they could be for the children.

  ‘I’ll need all the help I can get,’ he muttered as he pulled the duvet away.

  ‘Cal? Are you sure you want to be my birthing partner? I don’t want to force you into it if you really don’t want to be there.’ There was only so much she could do if he genuinely didn’t want to be involved.

  She wanted nothing more than to have him coaching her through her contractions as their babies were delivered into the world. Although they both had baggage they were dealing with, these babies represented their future together. She wouldn’t have asked him to be part of the birth if she wasn’t thinking of him as her real-life partner and the family they were going to make together.

  Cal took both her hands in his and looked her deep in the eyes. ‘It would be a privilege to be there for you.’

  If Izzy coul
d only believe his devotion extended to the little people they’d created together, everything would be just perfect.

  Chapter 10

  ‘Hi, everyone. I’m Sharon. Help yourselves to tea and biscuits and make yourselves comfortable.’ The woman holding the practical parenting class directed the anxious-looking couples huddled by the door towards the refreshments table.

  Cal poured out two cups of tea and watched Izzy load a plate with enough chocolate biscuits to see them through the whole day. At last she was heeding the snacking advice. With any luck they’d get through this class without any fainting incidents. He hadn’t been thrilled by the idea of coming here today but he supposed it would be useful to pick up some practical tips today on living with twins.

  Janet hadn’t even wanted him to attend the scans with her and she’d probably had Darren accompany her to the antenatal classes when the time had come. It no longer bothered him. He was just grateful Izzy was making such an effort to get him involved and feel part of this pregnancy.

  They were embarking on an exciting new chapter of their lives, not only as a couple but they were about to be thrown into the deep end with the arrival of the twins too. Izzy had accepted him as her partner and that was enough for him. It meant he could be here to support her when she didn’t have any family around to help. Cal hoped that through these classes he’d see exactly what he could do to make life easier for her. Even if it was just being there to mop her brow or have his fingers crushed during labour. It was better for Izzy’s well-being to know she had someone who’d be by her side throughout this journey.

  He glanced around the room at the other couples. There were married pairs, mothers and daughters and best friends. Every couple was different, but the common theme was that loving bond like the one he had with Izzy. It would’ve been tough for Izzy to have come here on her own and tougher for him if he had missed out. Some things a person could never get back and thankfully he’d realised that before he’d missed out on any more of their babies’ important milestones.