I was finally making a move towards convincing her that we were more than just baby-making buddies. I’d meant to start earlier, but our chemistry was so explosive that whenever I saw her, we ended up fucking. And damn…it was the best sex I’d ever had.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I shook my head a little to drive away thoughts of our writhing, naked bodies. I was getting hard and if I didn’t put on the brakes, I’d end up dragging her to the bathroom and ruining my plan to show her that we were more than just sex.
We made small talk while we ate, though Madison was unusually quiet. When I asked her if she was okay, she nodded and gave me a small smile before she continued eating. I wanted to push the issue, but decided it wasn’t the time or place.
After we finished our meal, I took her hand to help her from her seat, then twined our fingers together as we walked to the exit. Once we were outside, Madison attempted to disengage our hands and walk towards her car. But, I held tight.
“Our date isn’t over, lips,” I told her with a wink.
Her eyebrows rose, and she tilted her head to the side, a question in her eyes.
I used my free hand to point to the large theater across the street. “Dinner and a movie.” I grinned and pulled her close. “I’ll even let you pick.”
Her face cracked with a genuine smile as she chuckled. “Not afraid of a chick-flick, huh?”
I puffed my chest out comically and grunted, “I’m secure in my masculinity, baby. Bring on the gooey shit.”
This time, she laughed a full belly laugh, making my insides warm and my dick, which had been slowly softening, to become rock hard again. Her mood brightened and I let go of her hand so I could throw my arm over her shoulders and start towards the building across the way. “Come on, lips.”
When we got to the ticket counter, Madison hemmed and hawed dramatically over which sappy movie she wanted to see. But, in the end, she chose the newest superhero flick making me laugh and love her even more.
The theater was dark when we entered, the previews already playing on the giant screen. Madison started towards the middle of the seating section, but I slipped an arm around her waist and guided her up the stairs to the back row.
She frowned when she saw the seats I’d chosen. “We’ll see the movie much better from down there.” She gestured to her original destination.
Even though she couldn’t really see it, I grinned devilishly as I lowered my fame into one of the plush recliners and tugged her down onto my lap. She looked around frantically and tried to shimmy off. I held her hips firmly and groaned when her ass wiggled against my dick. I put my mouth next to her ear and whispered, “You won’t be watching it much anyway. We’ll be having a good old-fashioned make out session like a couple of horny teenagers.”
Madison leaned back to look at my face, an adorable pout on her lips. “But, I wanted to see this movie,” she protested. There wasn’t much conviction in her objection.
“I told you to pick a chick-flick, lips,” I said as I brushed my mouth across hers once, twice, before sucking on her bottom lip.
She shivered and squirmed on my lap, forcing me to tighten my grip and hold her still. “Don’t move like that, baby. Or this will get completely out of hand and we’ll probably be banned from this theater for life.” Madison tucked her head into my neck to muffle her giggle.
The intro music began to play, but I kept her completely distracted for the two-hour movie. We broke apart when the lights were turned all the way up and blinked from the brightness. Madison scrambled from my lap into the seat next to me, her face flushed with a mix of passion and embarrassment. After a minute, she realized that no one was paying us any attention as the theater emptied and her blush began to recede.
I stood and offered my hand to help her to her feet, then placed it at the small of her back as we descended the steps. We made our way back outside and crossed the road back to the restaurant parking lot. I steered her towards my Jag but she resisted, grabbing my hand and tugging me to a stop.
“My car is over there.”
I lifted a brow. “And?”
She laughed and made some kind of harrumphing sound as the same time. “It would be hard for me to drive it home if I’m in your car. Being in two places at once isn’t a talent I possess.”
I grinned and yanked her into my arms. “We’ll come back and get it tomorrow.” I grasped her hand and brought it to the bulge in my jeans. “I can’t wait another fucking minute to have you, baby. I don’t even know if I’ll be able to make it home. I’m about to explode and I’d rather do it inside your tight little pussy.”
Her brown eyes deepened into dark chocolate and a smirk played around the corners of her mouth. “You might be able to talk me into relieving some of that pressure in the car.”
I swallowed hard as I imagined Madison’s incredible mouth wrapped around my cock as I drove home. The long strands of her midnight hair tickling the exposed sensitive skin as her hot, velvety tongue lapped at the head. Yeah, I hadn’t been joking about being ready to blow. We needed to go. Now.
I towed her behind me as I resumed walking to my car. “As much as I want to play that scenario out eventually, coming in your mouth won’t get you pregnant. At least, that’s what they told me in medical school.” I glanced back at her with a teasing grin but stopped when I saw her face.
Madison’s playful expression had faded and was replaced by apprehension. She pulled her hand from mine and began to fidget nervously, her eyes suddenly avoiding contact.
I thought back to what I’d said and couldn’t figure out why it had changed her mood so drastically. Getting pregnant was everything she wanted. I’d hoped she’d started to slide me into that small category as well. From her current demeanor, it wasn’t looking good.
“Madison?” I asked, peering closely at her. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head, still keeping her gaze trained over my shoulder. “Nothing. I’ll meet you at your house, okay?”
The fact that she still wanted to come home lessened my fear, but I was still on edge. Tonight hadn’t just been about taking her out on a traditional date. I wanted to show her that we were more than a means to a baby. Then, I was going to admit my feelings and ask her to give us a real try. Now I was seriously rethinking my strategy.
Madison finally locked eyes with me and she smiled, a little strained, but still genuine. “I just have to run a quick errand. Then I’ll be all yours.”
The rawness inside me was soothed a little bit more. “It can’t wait?”
She chewed on her bottom lip and shook her head as she took a step back. “You’ll understand when I get there.”
I pushed back a big sigh, choosing instead to shift towards her and place a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll see you at home.” Then I kissed her tenderly. “Don’t take too long.”
Madison slid her fingers down my cheek before spinning around and hurrying to her car. I watched her until her taillights disappeared, then trudged over to my Jag and headed home.
I tried not to check my watch obsessively, but it wasn’t long before I was pacing restlessly in the front living room as I waited. I kept replaying the scene from the parking lot in my head over and over—trying to decide whether to go forward with my original plan.
I was sick of waiting. I wanted to claim Madison as mine, not just the mother of our baby. My intention had been to ease her over to my way of thinking. But, I was starting to wonder if I needed to just tell her how it was going to be. She was mine. We were going to fuck like bunnies, get married, have babies, and live happily-fucking-ever after.
Eventually, I blew out a harsh breath when I saw her little car come around the corner and park in the driveway. I shouted at the caveman in my head to back off and opened the front door. I leaned an arm against the jam over my head as I waited for her, attempting to appear relaxed.
She exited her car and as she came closer, I noticed she was holding a plastic bag from a local drug store. My mouth tipped d
own into a frown as I tried to guess what had been so important she had to stop there before coming home.
When she reached me, I stepped back to give her room to walk inside. She stopped in the hall and pivoted to face me, her expression an odd mixture. I wasn’t sure, but it almost seemed like she was excited and scared at the same time.
I shut the door and swiftly closed the gap between us, taking her into my arms. She opened her mouth, but I cut her off. “We need to talk, lips,” I told her firmly, making sure I softened the command with a light kiss. Then I started towards the back of the house, keeping her in the circle of my arms.
“I know. I—”
“No, you don’t, baby,” I assured her. Reaching the couch, I held her close as I dropped down onto the cushion, effectively seating her on my lap. “I have some things I need to tell you.”
“Me too. I had to—”
“Madison,” I sighed. “You’ve got to let me get a word in, baby.” I was trying to formulate the right words to tell her what I wanted without sounding like a complete Neanderthal. I wasn’t taking no for an answer, but I wanted her to think she had a choice.
She frowned, and her eyes narrowed, flashing with annoyance. “Ethan Cole, shut the hell up!” she shouted, and my eyes snapped to hers in surprise. Madison reached into the bag and pulled out a small, rectangular box and held it in front of my face. “I’m late.”
Chapter Ten
Madison
Yup, I had blurted it out just like that. No warning. No lead-up. No easing my way into it so Ethan wouldn’t be taken completely by surprise. Just a frantic “I’m late.”
But it’s not like I had any choice with the way he kept interrupting me. Whatever news Ethan wanted to share with me couldn’t possibly be more important than the fact that my period was late—not when the small, lightweight pregnancy test in the bag I was clutching in my hand felt like it weighed about a million pounds.
Now wasn’t the time for his commanding ways; not when I was oddly in panic mode, even though being pregnant was everything I’d ever wanted. But that was before Ethan. I still desperately wanted to be a mom, only I also found myself craving...more. Like the husband, white picket fence, and happily ever after to go along with the baby we might have already made.
Instead of freaking out like I was doing, Ethan took my hands in his and calmly asked, “How late are you?”
I wiggled a few fingers at him. “Three days.”
“How consistent is your cycle normally?”
“Like clockwork.” I felt the heat fill my cheeks as I blushed. Ethan had gone into doctor mode, but I couldn’t forget that he wasn’t professionally acquainted with my body—he was intimately acquainted with it. Very, very much so.
“A menstrual cycle that's off schedule doesn't always mean you're pregnant. There are other factors that could be causing your late period,” he warned, reaching for the test I’d bought. He nodded when he saw the brand I’d picked. “Taking the test in the morning is best because that’s when the hCG level in your urine is the most concentrated.”
I yanked the box out of his grip. “There’s no way in hell I can wait all night to take this. I’m too anxious for the results. I wouldn’t be able to get any sleep.”
“Although I can think of plenty of very satisfying ways for us to pass all the hours between now and the morning, I don’t like the idea of you being worried.” His dark eyes held a mixture of desire and concern as they searched my face. “Lucky for us, you went with an early detection test. They’re more sensitive, which reduces the odds of a false positive if you take it tonight.”
That was all the encouragement I needed, and I jumped to my feet. I hurried to the bathroom attached to the master bedroom. Since the guest bath was directly off the living room, I figured it would be more private while I peed. But, Ethan followed right behind me.
“Um, no way.” I twirled around and pushed against his chest until he backed up all the way out of the bathroom. “You’re not staying in here with me while I pee on a stick.”
“There’s no need to be embarrassed. I’m a doctor,” he tried arguing, but I wasn’t having any of it.
“But you’re not my doctor,” I reminded him. Then I thought of something and lightly smacked his chest with the pregnancy test box. “In fact, you refused to take me on as a patient, remember?”
“Fine.” A muscle in his jaw jumped as he clenched his teeth. “But I’ve seen, touched, and tasted every inch of your body. There’s no reason I can’t stay in the room with you while you take a pregnancy test to find out if you’re carrying my baby.”
I briefly considered letting him stay, as long as he kept his back turned to me. But the only person I’d ever peed in front of as an adult was my best friend. It was the opposite of sexy, and I refused to do it in front of Ethan. If he didn’t like it, that was just too bad. “The idea of peeing in front of you makes me uncomfortable. Isn’t that reason enough?”
“Shit,” he groaned. “Of course it is.” His head dropped low and he sighed before taking another step back. “Go ahead, but please don’t leave me out here the entire time. As soon as you’re done, I’d like to wait for the results with you.”
My heart warmed at how quickly he caved and how vulnerable he seemed when he asked so nicely to wait with me. I moved close, wrapping one hand around the back of his neck as I rose up on my toes to press my lips against his. Neither of us closed our eyes. With our gazes locked, the gentle kiss was brief but meaningful. It gave me hope that the results of the test wouldn’t change things between Ethan and me—in a good way.
I took a deep breath and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. It didn’t take long for me to rip open the box, read the instructions, and do my business. As soon as I flushed the toilet and turned on the faucet to wash my hands, Ethan rapped his knuckles against the door. I laughed softly before calling out, “It’s okay. You can come in now.”
He pushed into the room and wrapped his arms around me, his eyes meeting mine in the mirror. “Thank fuck. That felt like forever.”
“It took me two or three minutes, tops.”
“You know what they say about a watched pot never boiling.”
I nodded and offered him a soft smile. “Which is why I couldn’t wait until the morning to take the test. If those three minutes felt like forever, imagine how long the entire night would’ve taken.” I glanced down at the test where I’d placed it on the counter. “It’s bad enough that we aren’t supposed to look at the results for three minutes after I peed on it.”
“I totally understand.” His arms tightened around me. “But I don’t want you to be unnecessarily disappointed if you get a negative on the test. It could be a false negative. If it doesn’t come up positive and your period doesn’t come before the morning, I want to take you into the office with me so I can run a blood test. They’re the most accurate method, and I can get the results in a few hours since we have our own in-house laboratory.”
“Thank you,” I breathed out, feeling some of my nerves settle.
He nuzzled into the crook of my neck and brushed his lips against the sensitive skin there. “I’d do anything for you, Madison. Don’t you know that?”
“You already are. You’re giving me a baby.” As I thought about telling him I wanted more, my eyes darted towards the test again and I saw a flash of pink on the display screen. Blinking a few times, I reached out with a trembling hand to pick it up. I brought it closer to my face, and the pink became more distinct.
“Two lines,” I gasped, tears filling my eyes and making it hard to see the results. But I knew what I’d seen. “Oh my God, it’s two lines!”
Ethan plucked the test from my fingers, looked down at it, and whispered, “You’re right. There are definitely two lines. They’re impossible to miss.”
“My period’s late. The test is positive, even though I took it at night. That means I’m pregnant, right?”
He dropped the test back on the counter and
lifted me up in his arms. Then he cradled me close to his chest while he carried me into the bedroom and gently set me down on the edge of the mattress. Dropping down to his knees, he pressed a kiss to my still-flat belly and looked up at me with dark eyes filled with joy. “Yes, Madison. That’s exactly what it means. We did it. You’re pregnant.”
I was going to have a baby. Now the only thing left to find out was if I was going to get the husband, white picket fence, and happily ever after with it.
Chapter Eleven
Ethan
I stared at Madison’s glowing face and a surge of love washed over me. Everything I wanted was within my grasp, sitting right there in front of me. I cradled her cheeks in my hands and brushed a soft kiss over her smiling mouth.
“We did, lips,” I whispered again. “We’re having a baby.”
When I pulled back, Madison’s expression had dimmed. It was so subtle, most people would have missed it, but I wasn’t just anyone—I’d dedicated my time to getting to know this woman.
“What’s on your mind, baby?”
She forced her smile to brighten and shook her head. “Nothing, of course. I just can’t believe it. I’m finally having a baby.”
I frowned and slipped one hand to the back of her neck, while the other gripped her chin. “We are having a baby, Madison,” I emphasized. “Together. It’s alright to be scared, but you won’t be doing this alone.”
She bit her lip and blinked away the moisture gathering at the corners of her eyes. “It’s not the same.”
“The same as what, baby?” I released her chin and used my thumb to wipe away the remaining wetness from under her eyes.
“I’ll still be a single mom.” Her lips turned up into a tremulous smile, her attempt at confidence failing miserably. “It’s not like I’m not prepared for it since it’s what I planned, after all. I’m just a little overwhelmed.”
Baby Daddies: A Me, Myself & I Collection Page 5
