by Tia Siren
I shot a dark look at him as I scooted away from him. “You’re here with Lucy, my best friend. I am here with your best friend. Do you really think this is okay?” I demanded as he casually shrugged.
“We’re all casual. We’re all just fucking. Why not try each other? It’s not like you’re worried about getting pregnant or anything.” Lewis was so flippant with his words that my mouth dropped open in shock.
I had never felt like I’d just fucked Ryan, even though we had hardly been together to begin with. “I’m not like that,” I protested, and he chuckled.
“You’re having Ryan’s baby after a one-nighter. How are you not like that, Brea? You hadn’t known each other that long to begin with,” he said.
I looked back at the door. The sound of popcorn and laughter filtered into the room as I moved farther away from Lewis. Our situation did look casual from the outside, but it wasn’t. I fought the urge to break my promise to Ryan’s father and tell Lewis the truth right there. I knew Lewis would run with that gossip and Ryan would be left with nothing. He wouldn’t care about his best friend if it meant a chance to spread the rumor.
Why the hell was Ryan so close to this guy to begin with? Lewis leaned closer and placed his hand on my thigh as I crawled back.
“Don’t touch me.”
“I’m not good enough for you? I’ll bet I could fuck you good, Brea.”
“No,” I protested as I moved back and stood up on shaking legs.
“I’ve shared girls with Ryan before. This wouldn’t be the first time, but we’d have no worries with you. You know who the baby daddy is, so relax a little. Have some fucking fun, Brea.”
The words cut through me like a knife, and I stumbled backward. I could only think to leave, and I grabbed my purse from the table and ran to the front door, opened it, and ran out into the night.
Ryan and Lewis shared women. I didn’t care whether it was at the same time or not. It was just so disgusting. Lewis seemed like the kind of man to do it with any woman, but I had thought Ryan was better than that. I had thought I’d made a good choice with him.
I cried as I turned right instead of left, taking a different way home so he wouldn’t find me. I was a little worried being out here all alone, but the streets were crowded with people hitting restaurants and bars as I hurried past them. A few called out to ask if I was okay, but I just kept running.
My phone rang in my purse, but I just needed to be home. Stacy was supposed to be clearing out some space at her boyfriend’s apartment, so I would be alone there. I could figure this whole thing out by myself.
I turned down another street and headed to my apartment as my phone chimed with a text. I couldn’t see it, but I assumed it was Ryan or Lucy asking why I had left. I doubted Lewis would admit to his part in things, and I cried a little harder as I took the last turn.
When I ran up to my building, someone stepped out of the shadows, and I screamed.
“Brea! What happened?” I heard Ryan’s voice and dropped back against the building as I took a deep breath and started sobbing. “What’s wrong?”
“Get away from me!” I screamed as I tried to pass him to get to my door.
“What the fuck happened back there, Brea?” he demanded. He grabbed my arm to hold me still.
“I just want to go home,” I pleaded with him as I tried to pull away. “Please let me go.”
I felt nausea rising in my stomach as I fought him. Ryan pulled me against him and stared into my eyes. I started to cry again, so he wrapped his arms around my waist.
“What. Happened?” he asked me as he walked us toward my door, making me fight him as my phone rang again.
“That’s Lucy. She’s worried sick about you, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she shows up here as well. Did Lewis pull some shit with you? In that short time, it’s the only thing I can see happening.”
I collapsed against him and cried weakly. Ryan lifted me and took me to the door, unlocking it after he got my keys from me. He closed it and locked it before carrying me to bed and sitting down with me.
I rolled away from him and took several deep breaths as I forced myself to calm down. I wouldn’t make any sense if I was hysterical. I closed my eyes as I felt his hand on my back. It reminded me of the way Lewis had been touching me, and I shivered violently as he sucked in his breath.
“Why did you leave?” Ryan asked me softly as he handed me a tissue.
“It was the way he was looking at me,” I said as I dropped back against my pillows and closed my eyes.
“Lewis?” he asked, and I nodded slowly. “What did he do?”
“He told me that I looked good. He told me that he wanted to—” I covered my face with my hands.
“He hit on you?” Ryan asked. I nodded.
“Not like before. This was really aggressive,” I explained as Ryan moved a little closer to me. “It made me feel so cheap.”
“What about Lucy?” Ryan asked in a hoarse voice. I sniffled.
“He said that it’s casual between them. He said that you and I are casual too, so why not hook up with him? He acted like it was nothing, Ryan. I’ve never wanted him,” I told him as my eyes found his.
Ryan looked livid. He clenched his fists tightly. “Fucking asshole.” He stared at me with dark eyes. “Did he touch you?”
“A little,” I admitted. Ryan stood up and paced the room. “He didn’t hurt me, Ryan. That’s when I left the apartment.”
“I should kick his ass. You’re fucking pregnant, Brea. He can’t think that it’s okay to touch you like that,” Ryan told me. He dropped onto the bed in front of me. “You’re not cheap. You’re an amazing woman, and I hope I’ve never made you feel that way. I know we have an arrangement here, but I never wanted to hurt you.”
“You never have. I want you to touch me, Ryan. I want everything we do together, but I’ve never been attracted to him. He’s with my best friend and he’s trying to sleep with me. I want to tell her everything.” I pulled my knees up and wrapped my arms around them while Ryan stroked my hair. “I want her to be with someone better.”
“I do too. But she’s Lucy and she’s going to do what she wants,” Ryan said. Our eyes locked. “He’s never going to lay a hand on you again, Brea. I’ll kill him first. I am going to protect you and my baby. If I lose a friend over it, then fuck him. You matter more.”
“He’s your best friend,” I said with shock, and he smiled sadly.
“Is he?” Ryan shrugged and let emotion wash over his face. “He’s been there for me a lot over the last several years. I’d hate to lose that, but he can’t expect me to be fine with him being an asshole to you. You’re more important to me.”
I moved forward into his arms, holding him close for comfort. “This is about our baby.”
We called Lucy and filled her in on what had happened, leaving her to decide what to do about Lewis.
Ryan made us some popcorn, and we turned on a movie after I took a shower to clean myself up. I pulled on a T-shirt and some boxers and joined him on the bed, taking a handful of the buttery popcorn. It felt like things were better as I looked at him leaning back against the pillows with his jeans undone and his hair messy.
I felt the usual desire take over as Lewis faded from my mind. While what he had done was disturbing, I was over it and felt safer now. I’d cried it out in the last hour as well as in the shower, and I was ready to relax now.
I reached out for more popcorn, feeling my nipples harden against the thin shirt as I leaned a little closer. Ryan surveyed me with a grin as I slowly slipped the kernels into my mouth.
“Are we okay now?”
“Have you shared women with Lewis in the past?” I asked slowly as he closed his eyes for a moment.
“Jesus fucking Christ.” His voice was subdued. “He pulled that card? When we were younger, that might have happened once or twice. Younger as in high school or early twenties. I don’t spend my time meeting girls and handing them off to him when I’m done or b
ringing him into the bedroom with me. I found out fast that was not my thing. I can’t believe he even fucking suggested that. I never want his hands on you.”
I heard the anger in his voice as I rested across his body and kept nibbling on popcorn.
“The fact that you’re pregnant with my baby makes it sick. He doesn’t get the rules at all.”
“Rules?” I asked as he ate his own popcorn.
“The whole ‘don’t touch my girl’ thing,” he grumbled as I pushed the popcorn bowl to the side and slid up his body.
“Your girl doesn’t want him touching her,” I assured him before I kissed him. “He can’t know the truth about this though. He should think it was a one-night stand. Otherwise, he might go to the media and you’ll lose everything.” I kissed him again.
“It’s shit when you can’t trust your own friend,” Ryan murmured before he tilted my face over his to deepen the kiss. I didn’t want him to lose a friendship, no matter what my opinion was. I also wanted him to stand by me against anyone else. My body felt warm as our kiss deepened.
We kissed slow and hard before I undressed him and lifted my shirt over my head. Ryan cupped my breasts as I reached down to grip him in my hand. I stroked him as he hardened in my hold and moaned my name. He slid one hand down my body and between my legs, groaning at my wet core.
“You feel so good,” Ryan said as he pulled me over him, my pussy pressing his cock down over his body. He played with my clit as I slid back and forth, driving us both crazy. Ryan flipped me onto my back and sucked at one of my nipples as he slid a finger inside me.
I spread my legs and rocked with him before he pulled his hand back and entered me. I clutched at his back as he drove into me, crying out his name.
I knew I was getting attached to Ryan as I tightened around him and whimpered. I’d never felt this way with any man, and I wondered how much of that had to do with the pregnancy. He rocked forward, seeking his own release.
He found it and stilled as he filled me, our warmth joining together. Ryan stayed inside me for a few minutes as I stroked his skin and hair.
“I like knowing that I’m inside you. I like that part of me is growing inside you.”
“So do I.”
I memorized the way our bodies felt pressed together as he leaned down and kissed my neck. Ryan finally rolled over and sighed as he looked at me in the dim light.
“Want some water from the kitchen?” I nodded, and he kissed me before pushing himself up to go get it. I closed my eyes and threw my hands over my head as I let myself relax.
CHAPTER 13
Ryan
For two months, I waited impatiently for the ultrasound. The appointment was coming, but time moved slowly. I went to every appointment before that, even though Brea told me they were standard and I didn’t need to worry.
I had promised her I would be there for every step of this pregnancy, and I intended to keep my word. I wanted to prove that to her every day. I stayed with her a lot during that time. We spent nights together, making love and talking about our baby as Brea’s belly grew. Her stomach rounded over time and her breasts were heavy and full, making her look sexier than ever.
I brought her all the food she wanted and would go to her at the drop of a hat. Nothing was more important than her. I knew my time at the bank was getting to be less and less since I wasn’t going to take it over. I wanted to be here for the pregnancy and then I could go back to work. I would figure this out so my child could become a proper heir to the company.
The morning of the appointment, I took Brea out to breakfast. She’d been craving pancakes a lot and I knew a great place to go. I wanted to have some time with her before the ultrasound.
I knew my father was going to be there, and it could either go really well or really badly depending on what this baby was. I was at the point that I didn’t care and just wanted a healthy child, but Dad wanted a boy and nothing else.
Brea sipped fresh orange juice and ate her thin pancakes covered with fresh strawberries while talking excitedly about the baby. Brea knew in her heart that it was a girl, and I trusted her instincts. She’d been carrying the baby for twenty weeks after all. Brea felt every shift and ache and knew the baby in a way I couldn’t yet.
I spent a lot of time talking to the baby through her stomach, playing music and reading books at night when we were finished making love. I wanted my child to know my voice. Our time together was great time, but we were both nervous about today.
I had kept Brea away from my parents and acted as the middleman between them. I spoke to Dad and bit my tongue when he spoke poorly about Brea and her life choices. He talked about the baby like it was business and nothing more. I knew fighting wasn’t going to do any good. I needed to keep things as calm as possible before I got the inheritance. That would set me free and I would never have to worry about his judgment ever again.
I could start over. Brea and I would have the baby and I could focus on my life. I was certain my parents wouldn’t want to have a lot to do with the baby until I could throw it into the family business. We stalled as breakfast ended and Brea sipped her juice slowly.
She’d already had the required liquids for the ultrasound, and I saw the discomfort in her eyes as she finally stood. “I have to pee,” Brea grumbled as she walked ahead of me to the car, fussing with her long T-shirt and leggings. I led her to the car and helped her inside, kissing her cheek before I walked around to the other side. I drove us to the hospital, and we both saw my father waiting at the entrance of the building, looking around impatiently.
“Does he have to be here?” Brea whispered. I sighed. It was part of the deal, and while I’d prefer it to be just the two of us, I had agreed to Dad’s presence. We got out of the car and walked toward him. He only had eyes for Brea.
“How are you feeling?”
“Good,” she replied with a grimace. “Let’s go in.”
“She drank a ton of water for this. Brea is a bit grumpy,” I explained to Dad even though he must have understood. He had been there for Mom during her pregnancy, hadn’t he?
I checked us in and joined her in the corner where my father sat looking at his phone. Brea looked uncomfortable as she stared at the floor, waiting for her name to be called. We stood as we heard it, and I took Brea’s hand and walked to the door. She led the way, and I watched as they weighed her, much to her dismay.
Dad watched everything with a shrewd gaze and walked behind me to the room where we would find out the gender. The technician told Brea to lift her shirt and lower her pants, revealing her stomach. Brea shifted as gel was spread over her skin, and the technician smiled at her.
“Ready?” The woman went over the measurements and size, telling us that the due date was still January twenty-seventh and that everything looked good so far. I watched in awe as the baby moved around and gripped Brea’s hand, nearly forgetting that my father was even there. “Want to know what you’re having?” the blonde asked. We both nodded. She moved the wand over the torso and slowed as the baby turned around again.
“See that?” Brea leaned in closer and stared as she held tightly to my hand. “You are going to have a sweet baby girl.”
“God damn it! You can’t even do that right, can you?” Dad roared from the corner, making us all jump. “This is bullshit. A girl can’t run the company. You’d better think about trying for a son before you see a penny.” He turned and left as the technician watched him with narrowed eyes. She looked back at us in shock.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered as I leaned in to kiss Brea’s hair. I stood and walked out of the building, searching for Dad before I ran over to him. “What the hell was that?” I demanded as he turned to me with rage in his eyes.
“A girl won’t do what you need. They don’t know how to run a business, Ryan. Your inheritance is on hold again. Try for a damn boy.” Dad turned, and I reached out to grab his arm.
“You’re getting a granddaughter. You should be happy because she’s a b
lessing, Dad. She can be whatever she wants to be! Women do amazing things in business.” I looked back at the building, imagining what Brea must be feeling. “That was such an asshole move. Do you know how much we’ve been looking forward to today? God, I knew you’d fuck it up somehow.”
I watched my father walk away from my words and my life. It didn’t matter to me that he might take it all away. I believed his threat was an empty one, given that I’d done what he wanted. It just wasn’t the image he was holding onto in his mind. What bothered me was how he had just tossed my family away in front of Brea.
I was used to him and had expected it. I’d protected her from him because of the way my dad was, and now I was pissed off that I’d allowed him in there at all. That wasn’t a moment she would ever have again. It wasn’t one I’d think back to without my father being a part of it. It was gone. He had ruined it. I took a few breaths before turning to go back inside.
I asked the woman at the desk to let me back in since there was no line. She told me to wait just a second until someone called me back, and I paced as I did. I focused on the fact that my baby was healthy and strode forward as my name was called. I made my way back to the room where I was greeted with a dirty look from the technician and a scared one from Brea. The technician was just telling her that everything looked great and the baby was growing right on schedule.
