Leila was well aware of the differences her mother was referring to, and strongly disagreed. "It's no different, Mom. Jason might not be a native, but he's a kind, caring, hard-working man who'll take good care of me and our family. He has many of the great qualities Dad does, and most importantly, I love him."
That declaration didn't seem to sway her mother in the least. "You've changed since you've met Jason. You're no longer the proper, modest girl you once were."
Leila grit her teeth. Yes, her mother had raised her to be sweet and demure when it came to men, dating, and relationships because that's what her own mother had taught her. And for years Leila had been that mild-mannered, accommodating woman, until things had turned serious between herself and Kalani and she'd realized how unbalanced their relationship was. She'd been too passive and too eager to please, and knew she'd end up being a submissive wife if she'd married him—eventually feeling stifled and very unhappy.
Thank God she'd come to her senses, because marrying Kalani would have been that huge mistake she would have grown to regret—and resent.
After their break-up, she'd embraced her independence and freedom. She was now a confident, self-reliant woman—personality traits her mother had a difficult time adapting to, even now. Leila had also vowed that the next man she became seriously involved with would accept her as his equal, and she'd found that, and so much more, with Jason. Not only were they best friends and lovers, they were partners in every sense of the word.
"I have changed," Leila admitted as she put away the last of the clean and dried dishes. "For the better."
Her mother didn't reply, which was an answer in itself.
Drawing in a deep, fortifying breath, Leila met her mother's gaze and absently placed her hand over her still flat stomach. For the baby's sake, she had to get through to her mother somehow, to soften her up and make her realize she needed to compromise a bit, or she'd end up alienating not only Jason, but Leila as well.
"In three days I'll be Jason's wife, and the best wedding gift you can give both of us is accepting Jason as part of our family. I love Jason, and nothing is going to change that fact. So please try to be happy for me and support my decision."
That said, she left the kitchen in search of her fiancé. It was time to tell him about the baby.
As soon as Leila stepped out of the house, Jason couldn't miss her distressed expression. Obviously, things hadn't gone well with her mother, which wasn't a huge shock anymore.
Excusing himself from the conversation he was having with her brothers, he met up with Leila on the porch. One look into her soulful brown eyes and he knew they needed time alone.
"What do you say we go take a walk, just the two of us?" he suggested.
A grateful smile touched her lips. "I'd like that."
Grasping her hand in his, he led her toward the path that gradually gave way to the sandy beach just beyond Leila's family home. The sun had already set for the evening, and silvery moonlight guided their way as they walked quietly along the shore for a few minutes with their bare toes sinking into the damp sand. Catching sight of an area shadowed by large palm trees that would afford them some privacy, he headed in that direction.
Once they reached a secluded spot, Jason backed Leila up against the large trunk of the tree and dipped his head to nuzzle her neck, inhaling her sweet, womanly scent. His hands came to rest on her waist, and he pulled her hips snug against his. He was already hard with wanting her.
A delicate shiver coursed through her, and a soft sigh escaped her lips. "Jason … I need to talk to you."
"Ummm, talking is so over-rated," he said as he trailed warm, damp kisses along her jaw to the corner of her mouth. "Didn't you see that at dinner tonight?"
"Yes." Her voice was a soft, breathy whisper, and she turned her head so their lips met and touched in a gentle caress. "But there's something I need to tell you."
"In a little bit," he promised, not wanting talk of her mother to spoil their time together. Framing her face in his hands, he looked deeply into her eyes. "Right now, the only thing you need to tell me is that you love me as much as I love you."
Her eyes shimmered with emotion as she gazed up at him with pure adoration. "I do love you. More than I ever thought possible."
A slow, lazy smile curved his mouth. "Good, because you've made me a very happy man. Now hush and let me make you a very happy woman," he said as he unfastened the buttons securing the front of her dress, unhooked her bra once again, and filled his palm with her soft, lush breast. Slowly, he brushed her taut nipple with his thumb.
Her eyes closed on a barely restrained moan, and her head rolled back against the tree. "Jason…"
"Shhh," he whispered against her ear, refusing to let anything spoil this moment, or the pleasure he wanted to give her. "I want you to relax. No thinking about anything but you and me and how good I'm gonna make you feel."
Lowering his head, he kissed her soft and slow, until he felt her knees go weak and her body go slack. He pushed his hand beneath the hem of her dress, dragging the material upward as he skimmed his palm along her inner thigh, and gently urged her legs farther apart. Then, he slipped his fingers beneath the elastic band of her panties and touched her intimately.
She was all softness and wet warmth, and wonderfully aroused. He filled her with one finger, then two, and delved his thumb between her slick folds. He groaned deep in his throat, his erection straining painfully against the fly of his jeans at the thought of his shaft being enveloped in all that creamy, irresistible decadence.
She gasped, clutched at his shoulders, and pulled her mouth from his. "Oh, Lord, Jason. What are you doing?"
He gave her a lopsided grin, finding and stroking her clit in a slow, knowing rhythm. "I thought that would be obvious. I'm going to finish what we started this afternoon, before we got interrupted. We're all alone, and I want this just as much as you do. Let me make you come."
The tease of his fingers, and the promise of pleasure was all it took for her to surrender complete control over her body to him.
"Yes," she whispered.
He'd been dying to taste her plump breasts earlier, and he did so now. He ran his tongue over her engorged nipple, then opened his mouth wide and suckled as much of her as he could. Amazingly, at the same moment he felt the beginnings of her orgasm clench at his deeply buried fingers. She'd always been responsive physically, but this was the quickest she'd ever climaxed, and he was stunned and quite pleased with himself. Then again, they'd been tempting and seducing one another over the phone for the past three weeks, and that had been foreplay in itself.
She shuddered and whimpered as her climax hit hard and fast, then the tremors gradually ebbed, leaving her panting and trying to catch her breath.
He stared down at her, waiting for her to recover. He'd never seen her look as beautiful as she did at that moment, with her face replete with passion, and her bare skin all aglow with moonlight and desire.
Her lashes drifted back open, revealing the dazed and shocked look in her eyes.
He chuckled as he pulled his hand out from beneath her dress. "I guess you really needed that."
"I … umm, yes, I suppose I did." She gave her head a perplexed shake. "My body feels so ultra-sensitive."
"That's definitely a good thing, sweetheart," he said with a grin. "What do you say we go for a second round, with me deep inside of you?"
She laughed huskily and nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yeah, let's."
He wanted her so badly, and he was going to take her right then and there, up against the tree. He was so eager to finally make love to her that he knew it wouldn't take him long to find his own release. Leila's hands were tunneling beneath his shirt and his fingers dropped to the zippered fly of his jeans when their tryst came to an abrupt halt—for the second time that day.
"Yo, Jason!" Paulo called out from somewhere behind them, down by the beach. "You ready to head back to the apartment?"
Jason jerked back fro
m Leila, the sound of her brother's voice putting an immediate damper on his ardor. "Dammit," he muttered irritably beneath his breath.
Leila was far more persistent. "Tell him to go on without you."
"I can't." He straightened his shirt and sighed, his frustration obvious. As was his resignation over the situation. "Mani left to meet up with some friends for the evening and took their car, and I promised Paulo a ride home since that's where I'm staying for the next few days, too."
"Jason?" Paulo again.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll take you home," Jason said, loud enough for Leila's brother to hear. "Just give me a few minutes."
"Sure thing." Paulo sounded way too cheerful. "I'll be waiting for you up at the house."
Jason pressed his forehead to Leila's and looked into her eyes. He was glad to see that she no longer appeared stressed or upset. At least he'd accomplished his initial goal of taking her mind off of other matters for a little while. Hopefully, she'd remain relaxed and calm for the rest of the evening, until they met up again in the morning.
"I swear, your family has the worst timing," he grumbled good-naturedly. "I'm betting your mother sent Paulo out here just to make sure there's no hana 'mai going on between us."
"You're probably right." She laughed, though the sound was strained. "I'm sorry that you got cut short."
"Hey, you're worth waiting for," he reassured her, rubbing his nose against hers.
When they arrived back at the house less than ten minutes later, Jason walked Leila to her place and gave her a good-bye kiss that was a poor substitute for the throbbing ache in his groin. Then, he drove Paulo back to his apartment where Jason settled in on the couch for the evening. After traveling for a good part of the day, he was actually quite exhausted.
It wasn't until Jason woke up the following morning that he realized he'd never given Leila the chance to tell him whatever had been bothering her—before he'd set out to divert her attention with more satisfying pursuits.
Rolling out of bed feeling more refreshed after a night's sleep, he showered and got dressed, intending to remedy that mistake when he saw Leila this morning.
CHAPTER FOUR
Leila woke to the rich, overwhelming smells of coffee and bacon, and her belly immediately turned over with a familiar swell of queasiness. She groaned, burrowed her face deeper into her pillow, and waited for the sick feeling in her stomach to subside.
"Wake up, sleepyhead."
Jason's low, masculine voice and cheerful tone did little to calm her morning bout of nausea. Forcing her eyes to open, she glanced at the clock on her night-stand, then to Jason, who stood by the side of her bed holding a wooden breakfast tray, looking sexier than a man had a right to. Especially when she was feeling so crummy.
"It's eight in the morning," she said in a raspy voice. "What are you doing here so early?"
A disarming grin appeared on his lips. "I realized we never got the chance to talk last night, so I thought I'd surprise you with breakfast and we can talk now, before we both head off to our separate appointments for the day."
Trying to ignore the start of a headache, she mentally reviewed their schedules. It was Thursday, and it was going to be a full day for both of them. She had her final fitting for her wedding dress and other errands to take care of, and he was going to the tuxedo shop with the guys. Then this evening, he'd be at his bachelor party until late into the night, no doubt.
Oh, yes, they definitely needed to talk this morning.
Pushing her pillows against the headboard, she sat up in bed, determined to have this important discussion with Jason before they were interrupted again. But as soon as Jason set the tray over her lap and she got one strong whiff of the meal he'd made for her, her tummy threatened to rebel in a very ungracious manner.
A pitiful moan escaped her, and she pushed the tray away.
Jason caught it before everything spilled onto the mattress. "Honey, you're suddenly pale and you don't look so good." Concern creased his brows as he gently touched her forehead. "Are you okay?"
Tears filled her eyes, her hormones and the stress of the past three weeks finally getting the best of her. "No, I'm not okay," she said in a soft, trembling voice. "It's morning sickness."
His frown deepened. "You mean you're getting a relapse of the flu?" he asked in confusion.
He was such a typical guy. She would have laughed at how obtuse he was at the moment, but her nausea had risen up to her throat. "No, I mean I'm pregnant."
And with that abrupt announcement, she scrambled off the bed, bolted for the bathroom, and promptly threw up.
Pregnant. The word resonated in Jason's head as he paced out in the kitchen where he was waiting for Leila to finish in the bathroom and join him. Dealing with a sick woman wasn't his forte, let alone a sick, pregnant woman. After he'd knocked on the closed door and made sure she didn't need anything, he decided he was better off getting out of her way until the nausea passed.
They were going to have a baby. His mind spun with the knowledge. Undoubtedly he was shocked and stunned by Leila's news, and not at all sure what to make of the situation—or the source of Leila's tears. Was she upset? Did she not want the baby? He had no idea how she felt about this unexpected surprise, but he intended to find out—and reassure her that this changed nothing between them.
He heard her come out of the bathroom and a moment later she shuffled into the kitchen wearing a tank top and sweat pants. Her top hugged her curves, and that's when he really noticed her breasts, which looked fuller than he remembered. Already, subtle changes were transforming her body, and he wondered if those changes were part of the reason why she'd come undone so quickly with him last night.
She'd brushed her hair and washed her face, and the color was back in her cheeks. But she still looked weary and now unsure, and when he opened his arms to her, she didn't hesitate to accept his comforting embrace. She snuggled into his chest, and he felt a shuddering breath course through her.
"I'm sorry," she whispered against his neck.
His heart ached for her, along with that vulnerable catch he heard in her voice. Tucking a finger beneath her chin, he lifted her face up to his, trying to gauge where that apology was coming from. "For getting sick, or being pregnant?"
"A bit of both, I suppose." Her shoulders lifted in a delicate, uncertain shrug. "This wasn't exactly a planned pregnancy."
"Sweetheart, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for." He gave her a teasing grin. "I was going to marry you anyway."
She laughed and slipped from his arms. She took a can of Sprite from the refrigerator and grabbed a box of saltine crackers from the cupboard. "Thank you for making me breakfast. That was so sweet of you, but these days I can't get much down first thing in the morning, and certain smells really set me off."
Since she wasn't going to eat her breakfast, and he didn't want it to go to waste, he picked up a piece of bacon and popped it into his mouth. "So, it's like this every morning?"
"Most." She nibbled on a cracker. "Some days are worse than others, and luckily it passes after a few hours."
"Ahhh," he said in understanding. "This is the flu."
She nodded. "Or so everyone else thinks." She poured Sprite into a glass, and took a small drink.
"How long have you known?"
"I found out right after you left. I missed a period and took one of those home pregnancy tests and the positive sign turned a bright shade of pink. Then I started getting sick in the mornings."
He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Leila, why didn't you tell me before now?"
"Because I didn't want you to worry about me or be distracted while you were trying to tie things up business-wise in California. Besides, this wasn't something I wanted to tell you over the phone."
His mouth quirked with a grin as he remembered what had transpired back in her bedroom half an hour ago. "Well, I do have to say the way you told me is quite memorable."
She ducked her head sheepishly. "At least I made it
to the bathroom in time instead of getting sick on your shoes."
He was glad to see her joking with him, but he was still worried about her. "Are you okay with all this?"
"Me?" Her tone rang with incredulity and her eyes widened in startled surprise. "I'm more concerned about you being okay with this unexpected pregnancy."
"I know we weren't planning on starting a family so soon. And I'll admit I'm still a little shocked over the news," he added, and tenderly brushed the back of his fingers along her soft cheek. "But I've always wanted a family of my own, and with you, and I figure we just got an early start on things."
She bit her bottom lip, her eyes filling with dread. "I have to tell my parents."
He didn't see that as a problem. "I'm making an honest woman out of you," he teased playfully. "Besides, how can they not be happy about a grandchild?"
She dragged her fingers through her hair and away from her face. "My mother is already having a tough time with us getting married and moving to California. I can only imagine how she's going to react when she learns she's going to have a grandchild so soon, but she won't be able to see the baby on a regular basis."
"We'll come and visit often."
"And I honestly hope those visits will be enough," she said, her voice catching.
He was certain her out-of-whack hormones were causing her to blow things out of proportion—especially her parents' possible reaction to her pregnancy. Still, he did his best to reassure her. "It'll work out, Leila. I promise."
He pulled her back into his arms and hugged her tight, hoping like hell her parents didn't make a mockery of his promise.
Leila had pegged her parents' reaction too damned accurately. Hours later Jason was still feeling the sting of Nyla's quiet resentment, along with the disappointment he'd seen in Keneke's eyes. What should have been a joyful announcement had turned into an emotionally draining event. He had no doubt Leila's parents viewed him as the bad guy in this entire scenario—the man who was taking not only their daughter away from them, but their grandchild, as well.
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