Baby Surprises 7 Book Box Set

by Layla Valentine

  “I’ll bring you out here anytime you want,” he offered, and Juliette could tell that he was perfectly sincere. “We could bring everybody. Maybe we could do Thanksgiving out here.”

  Lorna sighed, the humor fading from her eyes. “You don’t want to open that can of worms right now,” she said. “Everybody has gotten a little more complicated lately.”

  “Is Ashley back with Paul?” Dominic asked, his blue eyes narrowing.

  “Not officially,” Lorna said, shaking her head. “But there is an awful lot of talking and texting for a couple that aren’t seeing each other.”

  Dominic’s jaw went tight and a muscle ticked in his cheek. Juliette stepped slightly to the side when she felt the tension begin to radiate off of him. He glanced down at her.

  “I don’t want to intrude,” she said softly, giving him what she hoped was an encouraging smile. “I’ll be over on the lounge chair if you need to talk to me later, okay?”

  Dominic nodded and went back to the conversation, switching from video chat to hold the phone to his ear. He walked off down the beach quickly. His posture was so tense that she was afraid he’d pull a muscle. Admittedly, she had no idea what was really going on, but she could infer.

  He’d mentioned a sister a few times before. Apparently, the sister was dating someone that he really did not approve of. She would have wondered if it was just him being an overprotective brother if his mother hadn’t seemed to feel the same way.

  Juliette stretched out on the lounge chair and picked up her book. When she realized that she’d read the same sentence three times in a row, she put it down again. It had been a while since she’d called home herself. Dominic wasn’t the only one who had reason to be concerned about a sibling.

  She picked up her phone and dialed her mother’s number. Carol always worked the night shift on Tuesdays so she should still be at home.

  Her mother answered on the second ring.

  “Juliette!” she said, her warm voice ringing through the line. “How are you doing, honey?”

  Juliette realized that Tami had a point. They really did have a relaxing accent. She felt her whole body warm up at hearing the affection in her mother’s voice. They’d been emailing and texting almost daily, but she hadn’t made time for a real conversation in over a month.

  She’d have to start doing better about that. She and her parents had always been close, and she didn't want to lose that bond just because she lived on the other side of the country now.

  “I’m doing pretty well,” she said. “I’m lying on the beach right now, just soaking up the sun.”

  “Did you put sunblock on?” her mom asked automatically.

  “I did,” Juliette replied.

  “Remember to reapply it every so often, especially if you’re out there in the water. You know it washes off.”

  “I will, I promise.”

  She grinned. It might have bothered some people to be so consistently mothered, even into her twenties, but Juliette knew it was just her mother’s way of showing that she loved her.

  The thought sent a sudden surge of homesickness right into the pit of her stomach. Maybe once filming wrapped up, she could go back home for a while. She hadn’t thought about that possibility until just now, but she liked the sound of it a lot.

  “Tell me everything you’ve been up to,” her mother said excitedly.

  Juliette paused; she couldn’t exactly do that. Not without getting into some very awkward territory.

  “It’s going really well,” she said. “Edward is great to work with.”

  He really was. She honestly did not think that she could have had a better experience on her first film with any other director. He corrected her quietly and didn’t mind answering her questions.

  “What about the producer? That Price man?”

  Juliette chewed on her thumbnail, trying to figure out how to explain her issue without telling her mother about the contract she’d been forced to sign. She never outright lied to anyone, especially not her mother, so she’d just have to use her typical mode of operation and equivocate.

  “He’s pretty strict,” she said with a sigh. “He really didn’t want to bring me on for this project—since I don’t have any experience.”

  It was more than that, though. He watched her so closely when she was with Dominic that she was beginning to feel uncomfortable. Edward had picked up on that and had scheduled the more romantic scenes to happen when Albert was off the island. It happened frequently—he was always running back to Horizon Studios to deal with one crisis or another. It was a huge relief that Edward did that, because whenever Albert was on location, he always seemed to be trying to catch Juliette and Dominic in the act.

  Even though Albert’s suspicions were grounded in fact—she was breaking the contract, and had been for weeks now—the assumption that she and Dominic were lying annoyed her. Maybe it wouldn’t have if things hadn’t been working out so well, but everything had been perfect so far. The movie was going according to schedule, which meant that it was on track with the budget, too. What did Albert have to be so ticked off about?

  Actually, they were a little ahead of schedule, which was why they weren’t filming today. So why was he still so determined that she and Dominic were going to do something to screw up the film? Being watched so closely would have made her nervous even if she wasn’t sneaking around with her co-star.

  Edward always had to do a lot more retakes when Albert was on location. Maybe that was why he thought that she was breaching her contract, but it didn’t have anything to do with Dominic. It was the producer himself that caused her nerves.

  “You’ve got plenty of experience,” Carol said indignantly, her voice rising. “You did all those plays and those commercials. And you did that other movie just last year.”

  Juliette smiled at her mother’s fierce defense. “That’s not the kind of experience that means a whole lot to Mr. Price,” she said.

  “Well, it means a lot to us,” her mother reminded her. “We’re so proud of you, Juliette. No one deserves this more than you. You’ve worked so hard, and I’m so happy to see that it’s paying off for you.”

  “Thank you,” Juliette said. It seemed inadequate, but it was all she could manage to say.

  Her throat was suddenly tight. She knew that her parents were both very proud of her. That made what she was planning to do for them feel even better. They’d supported her from the time that she was eight years old, doing her backyard plays. She had been waiting for a break like this to have a chance to repay them.

  “How’s Dad?” she asked, changing the subject while she got her emotions under control.

  “Good,” Carol said, sounding emotional herself. “As usual.”

  Juliette smiled, knowing how very true that statement was. Her father was the most cheerful person she knew. His bad days were incredibly rare, and that meant that he brightened other people’s days consistently.

  “Did he get the postcard I sent for him to show the class?”

  “He did,” Carol said, and Juliette could hear the smile in her voice. “He said to tell you thanks if you called before he got a chance to tell you himself. He said that the kids couldn’t believe how clear the water was. Does it really look like that all of the time or did they Photoshop it?”

  Juliette looked out at the sparkling sea that lay in front of her. “It really does look like that,” she said, surprised at the sudden wistfulness in her mother’s voice. Maybe she’d have to bring them back here someday, just as Dominic had offered to bring his family. Maybe they could all come out together.

  She cut the thought off quickly. Chances were that this wasn’t going to last, and she knew it. She just had to keep reminding herself so that she didn’t get hurt when the inevitable occurred.

  She gathered her courage and asked the question that she’d been holding back. “How’s Rob been doing lately?”

  Her mother paused, and Juliette suddenly wondered if the temptation to eq
uivocate was there for her mother as much as it was for her. Either way, the prolonged silence wasn’t a good indication about the state of her older brother.

  “Tell me honestly,” Juliette said. “I’d rather know the truth than wonder about it out here where there’s nothing I can do.”

  “He lost his job last week,” Carol said heavily.

  Juliette caught her breath. “Again?” This was the fifth one in three years.

  “I’m afraid so, honey.”

  “He wasn’t drinking at work, was he?”

  “No, not this time,” Carol said. “There were just too many late starts to the day. The candle doesn’t burn at both ends, and he’d been staying up so late that he just couldn’t get up on time in the morning.”

  Or he was simply too hungover to care. Juliette didn’t say that part out loud. What good would it do?

  “I’m sorry, Mama,” she said.

  “Well,” her mother said, trying to sound cheerful. “I’m sure something else will come along soon.”

  Juliette chewed on her lower lip. There was another thing that she wanted to do when she got her first big check, but there was no point in bringing it up now, not when she didn’t know how her brother would feel about the offer. He should be the first one that she spoke to seriously about it.

  Dominic was walking back up the beach toward her now. His broad shoulders were slumped, and he was looking down at the path he was creating in the sand as he scuffed his feet into it.

  Her heart contracted. Whatever the conversation had been about, it looked like it hadn’t gone well.

  She’d beckoned him closer before she even realized what she was doing. Albert wasn’t on the island today. Surely two co-stars could sit next to each other without anyone suspecting anything.

  “I’ll let you go,” Juliette said to her mother. “I think I’m going to try to get into this book since I have a bit of time off.”

  “That sounds like a good plan,” Carol said, clearly relieved to have a different subject at hand. “I can’t tell you the last time I had time to curl up with a book.”

  If Juliette had her way, her mother might have a lot more time on her hands soon. She didn’t say anything about that though. There was no point in raising hopes if things didn’t pan out the way that she wanted them to. She said her goodbyes and looked up at Dominic when he stopped in front of her. He looked even worse up close.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked him, gesturing for him to sit down beside her.

  His dark eyes looked shadowed, but he nodded. “Sure. I think I’m going to take a swim though. Want to join me?”

  She held up the book she had brought out with her, and he gave her a smile. Or rather, he gave her the ghost of one. It didn’t look anything like his usual grin.

  “I’ll catch up with you later on,” he said.

  She nodded and watched him walk out, into the ocean. He dove in and swam out further than they usually went together. As she watched, he ducked under the bright waves and then bobbed to the surface several feet away.

  She could see that he was moving as fast as he could. Probably trying to outrun whatever he and his mother had spoken about. She wished that she could help, but she just didn’t know what to do.

  They didn’t talk again that day. She tried not to take it personally, because she could see that he needed his space. It didn’t mean that she didn’t miss him though.

  Chapter 16

  When the soft knock came at her door just after midnight, she was ready to greet him. Juliette gestured for Dominic to come inside her villa, but he shook his head and beckoned for her to follow him out instead. She did as he asked, walking along behind him through the sand dunes and up a small hill. Eventually, she found herself settled in the cave where they would be filming their sex scene when it came time.

  There was a makeshift bed set up already. She stretched out on it, surprised that something that looked so pieced together was actually comfortable. She made a mental note to compliment the prop department once they had filmed the scene where they would use the bed.

  Dominic lay down beside her, kissing her slowly, almost lazily. “You looked so damn good today,” he said when he drew back.

  “When?” she asked, confused. She’d spent half the day in her bathing suit and the other part in shorts and a T-shirt.

  “All day long,” he said, running his hand through her long hair, twining it through his fingers. “It was all I could do to keep my hands off of you, do you know that?”

  “I wish that you didn’t have to,” Juliette said, sighing as he kissed his way down her neck. It would have been so nice to be able to hold his hand when they walked along the island in their spare time. Stretching up and kissing him whenever she wanted would be even nicer. She also would have loved the chance to comfort him today when he had been so upset about the call.

  She didn’t want to pry, but she really hoped that he would tell her about that soon. She knew there was probably nothing that she could do to help, but sometimes listening was enough.

  “Me too,” he agreed. “Once filming is over, I say we go out and paint the whole damn town red. What do you think about that?”

  “Sounds good to me,” she said with a smile.

  And she meant it. She didn’t consider herself a social climber or a show off by any means, but the thought of being out at events on Dominic Hawk’s arm was delicious. Maybe it was simply because they’d had to sneak around for so long.

  “Good. And while we’re on the subject, there’s something I’d like too,” he said as he pressed a kiss to the hollow of her throat.

  “Oh? And what’s that?”

  He trailed his fingers down over her stomach, letting them dip under her waistband. “I’d like to taste you here.”

  Juliette wondered later if she’d looked overly eager, but she didn’t actually care if she did. She practically pushed his head down.

  Dominic looked up at her with a grin. “It won’t be that fast,” he said as he drew her pants down and tossed them to the side of the bed. He left her panties on, scattering kisses over her thighs as he trailed his fingers up over the cloth. “You’re so wet already,” he noted.

  Juliette didn’t bother to deny it. Instead, she spread her legs a bit wider and let him settle between them.

  He hooked his arms under her legs and brought her down to his mouth, but he still didn’t tug her panties down. Instead, he began kissing her stomach, trailing his tongue under the edge of her underwear, leaving a trail of wet heat that had her arching up. His fingers moved up the sides of her pussy, leaving it tingling as she waited for his touch.

  She wanted to clench her thighs together, to try to get some pressure on the ache he was creating, but she couldn’t. His broad shoulders kept her legs apart.

  When she was whimpering, her fingers tight in his hair, he tugged her panties aside and looked up at her. Juliette propped herself up onto her elbows, watching as he took his first lick. Heat flooded her when his tongue flicked her tight clit.

  “Oh, God,” she gasped out.

  After the onslaught of teasing, his mouth was merciless. He slid two fingers into her as he sucked on her clit, teasing it with his tongue again and again. She couldn’t help but writhe beneath him.

  “Are you ready to come for me?” he asked.

  “No,” she moaned. “No, I want you inside me when I come.”

  Dominic was more than happy to oblige.

  He rose to his knees and flipped her over onto her stomach, bringing her to her knees as well. She took him deep on the first thrust and felt his grip tighten on her hips as he pulled back only to surge forward again.

  She gripped the blanket and arched her back. He pulled her upper body up and toward him so that her back was against his chest and her head rested on his shoulder. Then he closed one hand around her throat. Not tight. Not painful. Just firm pressure. He dipped his head to speak into her ear. His voice was rough.

  “Come for me, Juliette.
”

  There was no choice but to obey. When she tried to catch her breath though, she realized that he was nowhere near stopping. She let her head fall back to his shoulder and allowed him to have his way with her.

  Once it was over, he tugged her to him to let her head rest on his chest. His fingers trailed down her back, and she snuggled closer, enjoying the softer touches. Sometimes, with all of the tension of keeping things hidden, the sex got a little rough. She loved it, but it was always nice to come back down with him.

  “I don’t know a whole lot about you,” he said after a moment.

  Juliette looked at him. “What do you want to know?”

  “Everything.”

  “That might take a while,” she said with a quick laugh.

  “Okay, okay. Tell me about your family.”

  “They’re all back in North Carolina,” she said. “My dad teaches English at the elementary school, and my mom works as a manager at a fast food restaurant.” Juliette cleared her throat. “It’s not glamorous or anything—”

  “I started washing dishes at a cheap Italian restaurant when I was thirteen,” Dominic said. “They were the only place that would hire me under the table and still pay me okay.”

  “What did your mother do?”

  “My mom did a little bit of everything,” he said. “Retail, food service, telemarketing, data entry. Most of the time she did two or three of those things at once. I kept that in my head when I was trying to get my career started and had little chicken-shit gigs booked all over the place. Sometimes I didn’t sleep, but sometimes neither did she, and I knew the reward could be worth the shit of getting there.”

  “I’m glad it was,” Juliette said, tracing her fingers down his stomach, over the crisp line of hair that led down to one of her favorite parts of him. “You said that you bought her a house, right?”

  He nodded.

  “I’d like to do that for my parents too. That’s what I’m hoping to do with part of the check for this movie. That and maybe find a way to put my brother in a clinic.”

  “A clinic?” Dominic repeated.