The Baby Contract

by Amy Brent

  “Then don’t, because I’m in love with you. I don’t want anybody else.” I told her before I could stop myself. She gasped, and I closed my eyes as I felt her hands in my hair. “I do. I love you, Ray.”

  “You shouldn’t,” she murmured as I felt her fingers against my scalp. “I’m trouble, Declan.”

  “No, you are unbelievable. I am going to keep you safe from anything that you’re scared of, Ray. I won’t let him hurt you.” I stood slowly and pulled her into my arms as she sucked in her breath.

  “I am scared that he’ll hurt you,” she told me as her arms slid around my neck. “He won’t let me go.”

  “The fuck he won’t. You’re mine,” I growled before our lips met roughly. She gripped my hair as I pulled her hips against me, digging deeply into her skin. I wanted her. No, I needed her in a way that I’d never craved a woman before this. I lifted her just as she wrapped her legs around my waist, bringing her inside to the couch as our tongues slid together. Rayna had worn a dress to work, and I pushed her down on the cushions as I slid it up. She was crying out as I stroked her skin, drawing her underwear down and over her feet. I dropped my pants, moving in front of her on the couch before I moved my mouth between her legs. Emotion turned her on, and I lapped at the sweet juices that covered her folds as she clawed at my head. “Ray,” I moaned before diving in for more, feeling her arch against me.

  She came with a scream, demanding for me to sit down once I’d pulled away. I moved to my back as she jumped over me, claiming my cock with her tight pussy. She slipped all the way over me with one movement, making us both cry out as she stayed there for a moment. It wasn’t long before she was riding me fast, rocking her body against mine as I held onto her. We came together as she kissed me, moaning against my lips. I pushed her onto her back, still hard for her as I thrust a few more time just to feel her around me.

  After some time, we made our way to the kitchen, half-dressed and hungry. I heated up the meat and potatoes for us, plating it as she got the salad out of the fridge. We sat outside tonight, sipping wine and enjoying the fresh air after the wild sex. Rayna didn’t say anything as she took small, careful bites and kept looking at me as I watched her. “You knew who she was, didn’t you?” I asked to break the silence.

  “Yes, I did. You have a couple of pictures left in the house and I…I looked at her Facebook. I know that she has a lot of pictures of the new guy, but the ones of you make you two look so happy. It seemed like a great life.” I watched her sigh as her shoulders slumped.

  “What did we say about fucking Facebook earlier?” I asked as she looked at me. “It’s fake bullshit.”

  Rayna nodded slowly. She stared at me for a moment and then licked her lips. “Did you mean it?”

  “Every word. It took me by surprise because this was just supposed to be a night at a hotel with a woman. I was just going to release some demons, but then I saw you.” She blushed and smiled faintly.

  “I never loved James,” she admitted as I watched her carefully. “I knew him, and I got on well with him, as friends. There was just never that attraction with him that I felt should be in a marriage, but it’s so common for families like ours. It was just known that we’d get married, and I wonder if I didn’t look for anything else because of that.” Rayna sipped her wine and seemed to think for a moment. “The moment that I kissed you, I felt something. I went into that night thinking that I’d have to force it but it was great. I have never wanted anyone like I did you that night.”

  “But you never did it again?” I asked her as she shook her head.

  “It was never going to be a career. I was just rebelling, I suppose. I never thought I’d find you doing that.” Her eyes clouded over and she shook her head. “I’m going to get you hurt, Dec. I’m not worth it.”

  “Woman, I am going to take you to one of the most beautiful places in the world and show you just how worth it you are. If you like it there, I’ll get us a house, and you’ll never have to come home. I’ll give you the world, Rayna.” I reached across the table and took her hand, stroking it gently.

  “You’re too nice to me, Declan.” Her eyes filled with tears and I stared at her as she wiped at them.

  “You’re a wonderful woman,” I assured her as I stood to take the plates inside, smiling as she followed me to help wash them as she always did.

  “I can’t believe that we’re leaving in two days,” Rayna told me in a hushed voice as we worked together, making me smile. “I’ve never looked so forward to traveling before.”

  “I can say the same,” I told her as she glanced over at me.

  “You’ve had such a life, Declan. I’m sure you’ve traveled the world,” she spoke in a disbelieving tone and shook her head. “You’ve been to this place before?”

  “I had with a girlfriend years ago, but it wasn’t like this. I’m looking forward to this time with you, where we can just be us.”

  “I am, too.” We finished the dishes and made our way to the bedroom, stripping down to shower together before we dried off and crawled into bed. I held her close, kissing her damp hair as she snuggled close to me. I wondered if I should have told her that I loved her now since it slipped out in the heat of the moment.

  CHAPTER 21

  Rayna

  I worked my last shift and smiled as I walked to my car. We were packing tonight and flying out first thing in the morning. I trained Maria at her place the last night, looking at the beautiful Hispanic girl as I wondered if Declan would’ve fallen for her. She was sweet and feisty, making me laugh all night. She wanted to work from home due to a knee injury, and I thanked her before I left for covering for me. “Lana told me that you’re going away.”

  “Long awaited vacation,” I nodded as she smiled. I didn’t want to tell her the details since it all sounded so wrong in my head. It didn’t feel that way when I was wrapped in his arms, though.

  I started the engine of the car, driving towards the house that I now considered home, which was scary. I had just over two weeks left until James came home, but I’d made my decision there. The only thing I needed from the house was clothes since it was his castle and never mine. The possessions on the shelves meant nothing to me, and the pictures were the kind that I’d never want to see again. I liked Declan’s house, with its relaxed comfort and inviting feel. It was smaller than James, ’ but it held love there, love from both him and I that filled the air.

  I drove to that house, wondering if James tried to call my old phone. I wondered if my parents tried to call it at all. Oddly enough, I didn’t feel any need to talk to any of them, pretending who I was and telling them what they wanted to hear. I had the attention of a man who knew the real me and seemed to love her, a thought that scared me. He told me last night with so much passion that he was in love with me and the way we made love on the couch, wild and needy, was a claiming. He claimed my body and made it his, and I loved every moment of it.

  I loved him, but I couldn’t say that. I loved Declan too much to put him in the way of James misplaced jealousy when we came home. In France, we could be a couple in love, likely not known by anybody. They wouldn’t care who we were there, and I’d memorize every moment of the trip. I’d save it for the lonely nights that I would be dealing with when I came home, giving James time to calm down.

  If he had called, he knew that I was missing. He might be on this already and searching for me. I winced inwardly as I realized that Declan probably used my name for the flight but hopefully nothing else. I’d had my hair done again recently in a darker blonde with vibrant purple ends, loving the small way that I could change who I was within a few hours.

  Declan teased me, saying that it was like fucking a new woman in his bed. When he was behind me, taking me, his hands would grip my hair as he told me that he liked it. He asked me how often I’d be changing it, but sadly this was the last color that he’d see on me. I’d beg him to leave me alone if I needed to, hoping that our time together didn’t already seal his fate.r />
  I walked into the house to find the kitchen empty but the smell of something cooking in the air. It smelled wonderful. I considered taking Declan up on his offer of buying me a house anywhere I had wanted for a second before I made my way to the bedroom. Declan was there, with an open suitcase on the bed as he faced his closet, wearing only a pair of soft, flannel pajamas. I watched him for a moment, thinking how gorgeous he was as I cursed myself for planning to leave him. Declan turned his head to look at me, a smile playing on his face. “Welcome to vacation, pretty girl.”

  “Thank you. You look happy,” I observed as Declan nodded and held his hand out towards me. I strolled forward and moved into his arms to kiss him softly.

  “So happy,” Declan assured me after the kiss as he smiled at me. “I have a chicken casserole in the oven. I figured we’d spend the night packing and trying to sleep some before the flight.”

  “It smells so good,” I said as I kissed him again. I glanced at his bag, seeing it half-filled before looking at my new stuff folded up on the dresser. The lingerie was tucked into my suitcase that I‘d brought here, carefully wrapped and hidden. Declan told me that he had extra luggage if I wanted to use it and I’d accepted. There was a large bag beside him, all ready to fill up. I couldn’t wait.

  We ate in the bedroom, stealing bites of the cheesy broccoli and chicken as we added things to the suitcases. I sipped wine as I planned in my head how I was going to organize this, settling on underwear first. I put the ones that he’d seen already in, adding the closed bag after as I felt his eyes on me. “What’s that?” Declan asked huskily as I giggled.

  “A surprise,” I replied, laughing harder as his exaggerated moan. I threw some socks over the bag, in case we took any hikes or walks around, glancing at the shoes that were on the opposite end of the suitcase. I wasn’t a shoe girl like some of my friends, having just enough to be practical. I also had a foot condition that required me to spend a lot on shoes as it was, so I chose carefully.

  “I might have a few of those as well,” Declan hinted as I turned my head to look at him curiously. He winked and continued packing as if he’d said nothing unusual. I had this fleeting image of him on some beach, on his knees with a ring in his hand. That was the proposal every girl dreamed of as opposed to the news over dinner that I was marrying James. The large engagement ring was given to me as an afterthought on the holidays, more show behind it than meaning.

  I brushed the image out of my head as I focused on clothes. I packed a few pairs of jeans, some shorts, and casual shirts that could make up a series of outfits. I also packed the sundresses I’d bought as well as skirts to go with the shirts as well as a couple more formal dresses. I didn’t know what he had planned, but from what Declan had shown me so far, he was a romantic man.

  I sealed my shampoo and conditioner into bags, along with the extra toothbrush Declan bought me. I brought minimal cosmetics since I knew that we’d be outside in the sun and I wouldn’t need them.

  Declan and I took a break to wash the dishes, kissing several times before we finished and went to bed to make love. I knew that’s what it was, well-aware that I had never done this with any man before. It was beautiful, no matter if it was slow or rushed. I hated walking away from it in what seemed like a few short days.

  We slept for about four hours before getting up to go to the airport, taking a shuttle as we both sipped coffee. We had several hours on two planes in which we planned to sleep, just waking up enough to check in with our tickets. I smiled as we completed every step and found some seats to wait to leave, sitting apart as we smiled at one another. First class was not new to me, but I’d traveled so little that I felt like a child. We settled into the comfortable seats, tucking blankets over ourselves as we held hands and got comfortable.

  I slept and read on my Kindle during the flight while Declan took care of emails on his phone on his breaks from sleeping. We still cuddled under the blankets unless we were eating, loving the hidden closeness that we could achieve this way. He told me that he was tempted to get a private plane for the trip, but knew that I’d kill him.

  We landed nearly a full day later, ready to move and settle in our room. I didn’t walk as much as I should have on the plane and felt like I could walk all the way to the hotel as we made our way to the baggage claim.

  Once I saw the black car that was going to take us, I changed my mind. It was luxurious and sleek, making me smile as Declan took my suitcase and led me towards it. I slipped into the back, noting the privacy glass as the driver loaded our bags into the trunk. I stared out of the window as we drove, wrapped tightly in Declan’s arms. We were miles away from home, and I felt it as my body relaxed against him. It was beautiful here, taking in the cities with their old architecture and postcard beauty as I smiled and tried to snap a few shots from the car. It was a couple of hours in the car, and I took in the lush, green hills and flowers as we moved closer to the coast, mesmerized by the beauty.

  I was also all too aware of Declan’s presence beside me, feeling his hands touch me everywhere as I struggled not to climb into his lap. There was a moment during the flight when it was dark that he slipped his hand between my legs under the blanket, under the leggings and underwear to find me needy and wet for him. His fingers worked their magic as I kissed him to keep quiet as I felt my release through my entire body. He excused himself to use the restroom, making me confident that he was going to jerk himself off before going back to sleep. I grinned and thought about everything that I was going to do to him when we were in France.

  Here in the car, I unzipped his pants and wrapped my mouth around his cock as he slipped his hands into my hair. He was thick and hard, filling me to the point that he nudged my back throat. I was used to this and moved harder as he grunted and moaned my name before he came deep in my mouth.

  We focused on the passing scenery for the remaining short drive, relieved when the driver pulled up to the beautiful building that housed our room. Declan slipped him some bills as I watched and checked us in as the pretty women behind the counter took him in. Declan was gorgeous and confident, oozing alpha male out of his pores as I felt my heart tug in my chest. I didn’t want to let him go when we left here. Based on the way that the girls were looking at him regardless of my presence or not, he’d be snatched up in a moment.

  We took the elevator to our room, and I walked right to the windows to look over the blue ocean. It was stunning, and Declan wrapped his arms around my waist as he asked if I’d like to shower with him before taking a walk down there. It was time for dinner soon, and we decided just to keep it easy tonight, eating in the room and getting some sleep in a real bed. I smiled and walked through the spacious living area, down a hall where there were two rooms off to the left with an ocean view. Declan picked the last one, and I gasped as I walked inside, clutching his hand. The bed was a King and faced a wall of windows, displaying the same view as the living room. There was a door leading to a balcony that had table and chairs and even a grill. An ornate fireplace was against the left wall with a large television hanging on the wall just beside it. It was gorgeous, and I noted the door just to the right of the bed as I licked my lips and felt tears in my eyes. “Declan, it’s amazing. It’s too much,” I whimpered as I turned into his arms.

  “Nothing is too much for you, Rayna. When will you see that?” He asked me as I fought the crying jag that was coming on. He sensed it and led me carefully into the bathroom and sitting me on the counter as he turned on the shower. I looked around, seeing that the bathroom was fantastic as well. The shower was massive with water coming down from several places, and it included a huge tub as well. There was even a small fireplace in here. I looked up as he approached me again, slipping down to help him remove my clothes before he took his own off. I stepped under the water, feeling the heat ease into my skin and into my sore bones as I closed my eyes. “This is the best thing after a long flight. It’ll ease all the aches and pains for you, and we can even nap before we eat. Yo
u’re a whole world away from LA.”

  “Yes,” I murmured as I felt his hand slide up to cup a breast. I hardened against him immediately, and he pinched me gently. I wanted him in here, and he pressed against me as I moaned. “Declan, I…I need you.” I turned to face him, kissing him hard as he tugged me against him. We made love against the tiled wall, my back hurting with the force of it as I cried out his name. I imagined a life where we could do this freely anywhere we wanted, openly loving each other and creating a new life. I came with him as I wished for the birth control to fail for one moment, knowing that it would further James’ anger and could never happen. He held my ass as he stilled, grunting my name breathlessly before telling me how much he loved me.

  I opened my mouth to speak, the words on the tip of my tongue. I loved Declan madly, but I didn’t want him to know that since it would break his heart more when I left. We finished the shower, smiling before we dried off and I walked over to the windows. The sea was just outside, and I could see a hint of the private beach the resort offered as I looked down to the right. I cracked open one of the windows to let in some of the fresh air, breathing in deeply. “Is this real?” I asked softly, trying to figure how I ended up here.