Terri didn’t move. She didn’t flinch. She held his gaze.
“Mr. Johnson, I think that you should—”
“Get out!” Gavin glared at the man, whose face turned fire engine red. Gavin didn’t care what he thought. He was paying the bills and his attorney needed to get the hell out of there.
Jesup straightened his tie and quickly exited the room.
Silence reigned between them. He stared down at her. She looked up at him.
Gavin leaned on his hands toward Terri. “What are you doing?”
“I’m here to sign a prenuptial agreement.”
“You trying to make me look bad?”
“I don’t know what you want me to say, Gavin.”
“You don’t want anything. You don’t need a lawyer.”
“Correct,” she said quietly. “I just want you to provide for our children. That’s it. Whatever you do is fine with me.”
“How can you say that? How can you be so sure?”
She didn’t answer right away, but then she said, in a very quiet tone, “You’re angry, but I know you would never harm me, and I know you want to provide for our children. You couldn’t do anything less. You’re too honorable for that.” Her eyes softened. “Just tell me where to sign.”
Chapter Thirty
Terri might as well be living alone for all she saw of Gavin. She spent more time with the housekeeper, Edie, and the chef, than with him. Since the wedding, he kept his distance, and the few times he actually touched her, she almost cried from relief of the physical contact. But as much as she enjoyed their moments together, she hated them, too. Stalled conversations started and ended with weighty silence and awkward hand gestures.
Most nights, he came home late and slept in a guest bedroom, stating he didn’t want to disturb her, but he kept some clothes in the master suite for appearance’s sake. And why wouldn’t he avoid her? She wasn’t the same woman. Before, she’d been confident and never insecure about her body. Not anymore.
Her nose had spread wider, and her signature sexy walk with swinging hips had been reduced to a penguin waddle. At six months into the pregnancy, her waistline had stretched to the size of ten basketballs, and if her butt got any bigger, they’d be able to serve dinner for eight on it.
Terri sighed, dragging the loofah over her chest and relishing the rose-scented water. Running her hands over her large belly, she imagined the moment when she met her son and daughter. Gavin may not care to pay her any attention, but she would have her new babies to shower with love and affection.
Time for her to get out of the water before she turned into a prune. She’d stayed in there long enough and the water was getting cooler. She released the water. As it swirled into the drain, Terri pressed her hands on one side of the Jacuzzi tub and pushed up. But she barely budged.
She tried again, repositioning her hand to push herself from the bottom. Still nothing. Panic set in. She may not be able to get out of the tub.
Terri laughed to herself. How ridiculous. Surely, she could get out. But the more effort she exerted, the more she realized she was stuck.
“Edie.” Her voice bounced off the tile in a mocking echo.
Had the housekeeper left already, and if not, could she hear Terri all the way in the bathroom?
“Edie!” she called again, louder this time. Anyone listening could hear the panic in her voice, and she wasn’t even sure when Gavin would be back.
“Edie!” she screamed. Tears of frustration filled her eyes.
I’m stuck.
****
Gavin dropped his briefcase in the bedroom he slept in most nights. The quiet house meant Edie had already left. He came home early because he didn’t want Terri to be in the house alone. Even if they barely talked, he could still be there in case she needed him.
They should get the house fully staffed soon. She needed a driver for sure, and they should start interviewing nannies—one for the weekdays and the other for the weekend.
He tossed his tie onto the bed and walked down the hall to the master bedroom suite. Outside the door, he took a deep breath and then knocked. He hated himself for forcing Terri into a marriage she obviously didn’t want. The vivacious, energetic Terri he fell in love with was nowhere to be found, because of him. He was so ashamed of his behavior, he could hardly face her.
He knocked on the door and heard a muffled voice from the inside but couldn’t distinguish the words.
“Terri?” He waited.
Again, muffled sounds that he barely heard. He pushed open the door and heard the tail end of Terri’s cry.
“…in here! In the bathroom.”
Gavin rushed toward her panic-stricken voice and found Terri in the giant tub, one arm resting on the side and her eyes wide and pink from tears.
She reached a hand to him. “Help me.”
“What’s the matter?” He hurried to her side.
“I’m stuck. I can’t get out.”
He pulled up short. “Wh—stuck?”
“Yes.”
She looked so pitiful, and the circumstances sounded so comical, he couldn’t help it. He started laughing.
Her eyes widened. “It’s not funny!”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Gavin said. Still, his shoulders shook from the humor in the hilarious situation. “Let me help you.”
Placing a hand under each arm, Gavin lifted her from the floor of the tub and got the full view of her gloriously naked caramel-toned skin, damp from the bath she’d taken and smelling as divine as a rose garden filled with fresh blooms. His body reacted immediately, and he ground his teeth to fight the instinctive response.
She looked huge, immensely uncomfortable, yet never more beautiful. Her skin glowed and her hair, piled on top of her head, held a glossy sheen.
Terri’s arm came across her breasts, which were even larger now that she was pregnant. The other hand covered her privates.
“Could you hand me a towel, please?”
He hardly breathed. He hadn’t seen her naked body in months. “No. Move your hand. I want to look at you.”
She didn’t budge. Only stared at him.
“Please, Terri. I want to see you.”
He pulled her hand away from her breasts, and the other eased away from her pelvis. She stood there and let him examine her, looking like a goddess with her belly stretched taut with his children, and her fuller, heavier breasts capped by darker, plumper nipples. Damn, he wanted desperately to take one of the sensitive buds into his mouth.
“Are you in any pain?” he asked, touching the firm skin of her stomach.
A black line stretched down the middle of her belly. The changes in her body fascinated him.
I did that.
“No. This is supposed to be the easy part.” She smiled, appearing a bit hesitant about him and his intentions.
Gavin palmed her belly. “Damn, you look beautiful.”
He lowered to his knees and kissed the top of her stomach, the sides, and below her belly button. His touch was soft and affectionate—toward her as well as the children she carried.
“Beautiful,” he said again, amazed that this woman was carrying life inside of her—life that they’d created.
“I thought you would think I was ugly,” she whispered.
He looked up at her. “No way. This is amazing.” He closed his eyes and rested his head against her belly.
Her fingers slid over his hair, a soothing massage that relaxed him. He missed her touch. He missed his woman.
He kissed the underside of her belly and molded his hands over her hips. On her sharp intake of breath, his mouth moved more boldly, kissing her hips and then moving horizontally until he brushed his mouth across the dark cloud between her legs. His tongue flicked the clit nestled among the curls, and she moaned out loud, gripping the back of his head.
Gavin’s heart rate picked up speed. He wanted more. He kissed her lower lips, easing his tongue along the slit, and she gasped his name.
The sound of his name on her tongue catapulted him into action. Rising quickly from the floor, his eyes met hers and he kissed her soundly, clasping her face in his hands, delving into her mouth with his tongue. When he released her, he led her into the bedroom and laid her on top of the sheets, head nestled against the pillows.
“I just want you to feel good,” he said, tossing off his shirt. He undressed quickly, removing every item of clothing except his boxer briefs, and then joined her on the bed.
“Just lay back and enjoy yourself,” he said.
He stroked his hand over her naked skin, over her thighs and up to her hips where the results of her pregnancy marked her skin.
“Stretch marks,” she whispered, as if he didn’t know what they were.
He grumbled low in his chest and maneuvered so he could kiss the roundness of her belly. One hand cupped one of her fuller breasts as his lips traveled along her hips. He nudged her thighs apart with his hand, and his lips pressed to the goal, lifting one leg over his shoulder.
She melted as his tongue eased over her slick flesh, swirling against the tight bud at her center. Terri opened her legs wider and let him press openmouthed kisses to her throbbing flesh. She gasped, tension coiling in her core. He licked and tugged the knot of nerves with his pretty lips and lapped at the moist dew with a groan.
The tension finally snapped, sending waves of pleasure crashing through her. Terri cried out, a broken, ragged sound torn from her lips as he feverishly licked at her skin, moaning into her flesh as he took every drop and dragged every spasm from between her trembling thighs.
He made his way back up to her mouth and kissed her thoroughly again. Still reeling from the onslaught of bliss, Terri managed to kiss him back, whimpering, clinging to his wide shoulders.
When he released her mouth, she rolled onto her side and into his arms. Using his shoulder as a pillow, Terri nestled tightly against him. His arms folded around her, drawing her against his warm skin. One hand rested around her back and the other on her stretched belly where their babies rested.
Breathing finally back to normal, Terri traced the groove of his top abdominal muscle. “Gavin?”
“Yes.”
“Will you stay in here tonight?”
He pressed his lips to her forehead, and although she couldn’t see it, she felt the smile his mouth made against her skin. “I’ll stay in here every night.”
She relaxed and breathed easier, and before long, they both fell asleep.
Chapter Thirty-one
Terri rubbed her belly. Too much Oreo pie. Lucky for her, she could eat as much as she wanted and blame it on eating for two. Being pregnant definitely had its advantages.
Turning sideways in the bathroom mirror, she admired her newly done hair, long blonde braids reaching down the middle of her back. Even though her delivery date was still two months away, she knew that the likelihood of having a preterm birth increased with multiples and wanted to be ready.
Aside from having a hard time getting up sometimes, she loved being pregnant. She loved shopping for baby clothes—finding little matching outfits for her son and daughter—in blue and pink. Over the weekend, she and Alannah flew to Los Angeles for a meeting with the owners of Petit Trésor. They left the luxury baby store with thousands of dollars in clothes, accessories, and a designer diaper bag made of tan cow leather.
The first time Terri visited the store, she met with the owners alone for a consultation on designing the babies’ room in a décor fitting for a boy and a girl. The nursery was on the third floor with the master bedroom and she chose soothing colors in tans, creams, and beiges.
Their daughter’s crib was decorated in the palest rose design with a mattress made of natural latex and organic lambswool and bunnies etched into the wood. Long silk bows were attached to the side, and handstitched bedding in luxurious fabrics waited for her little angel to arrive and lay her head. Their son’s crib was similarly designed, except they kept the colors a neutral white. Above each bed, a Blabla sheep mobile rotated, knitted by Peruvian artisans and made of only the finest natural fibers.
Terri rubbed her belly again, imagining what her little boy and girl would look like and their personalities.
“Mrs. Johnson?” The housekeeper called at the door.
“Yes?”
“I’m leaving. Would you like me to set the alarm before I go?”
“No, I’m going to pick up a few things at the store.” She tugged on a robe and padded out to the bedroom. She opened the door.
The housekeeper frowned, her brown face showing wrinkles around the corners and a spattering of tiny moles down her left cheek. “Ma’am, if you need me to get something…”
“Not necessary.” Terri waved away the concern. As the woman of the house, the employees were expected to tend to her every need, especially since she was pregnant, but it was nice to run her own errands sometimes. “You go on. I’ll be fine.”
“Well, if you’re sure…” Edie hesitated.
Terri figured the woman was probably worried about word getting back to Gavin, but he was still in Missouri, where he and Xavier had gone to examine the operations of a small craft brewer that they were considering buying out.
“I’m sure. And this will be between the two of us.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Edie folded her hands in front of her. “The chef prepared a fried chicken meal using your grandmother’s recipe, as you requested. I hope you’ll find it to your liking.”
She had the strangest cravings since getting pregnant. Gourmet cheese straws and gelato were only the beginning. She also craved baloney sandwiches and her grandmother’s fried chicken.
“I’m sure I will.”
“Good night.”
After Edie left, Terri put on an oversized shirt that stretched across her belly and breasts and a pair of elastic waistband jeans. Chuckling at the vision she made, she flung her Gucci purse over her shoulder and took the elevator down to the first floor. As she neared the kitchen, the aroma of fried chicken, mashed potatoes with cheese, and sautéed corn filled the air.
She went into the kitchen and lifted the cover from the pot and pinched off a piece of meat. Crunchy skin and moist insides danced in her mouth. “Mmmm. He did good, Nana Elisabeth,” she said to the empty kitchen.
Terri re-covered the dish and picked up the tablet resting on the counter, scrolling through the images to ensure all the doors and windows were securely closed before setting the alarm. She stopped when she saw the sensor on a door at the back of the house glowed with a red warning light. Someone must have left it open. Again. It could have been one of the gardeners or one of the workmen Gavin had knocking down a wall to build a library for her.
Sighing, Terri set down the tablet. She’d have to shut it properly before she could set the alarm.
At a soft sound behind her, the hairs on the back of her neck immediately went vertical and she swung around.
She almost fainted when she saw Talon Cyrenci standing in the doorway. Grabbing onto the counter, her eyes darted around the room. Was she hallucinating?
Those cold green eyes were no hallucination.
Talon was of average height with a long body—the best way to describe him. He had a narrow, elongated face and arms and legs that seemed to extend to three times the length of his torso. But he had the body of a long distance runner, with lean muscles and a hidden strength not easily discerned at first glance. The kind of strength used to subdue a woman and keep her in her place.
Sharp as ever, he projected an image of refined wealth in a long-sleeved shirt with gold cuff links, dark slacks, and gleaming wingtips. But the fine covering hid his true personality—that of a common street thug who dragged her into his life of crime.
“Hello, Felicia.” The familiar slick smile turned her stomach. “Pardon me. It’s Terri now, isn’t it?”
A chill scurried down her spine. “H-how did you get in here?”
“Don’t look so afraid, sweetheart.” The evil g
rin stretched further across his face. “I just came for what you owe me.”
“I-I don’t owe you anything.”
He wagged a finger at her. “Don’t be coy. You know what you did. I lost everything because of you.” He looked around the Poggenpohl-designed kitchen—sophisticated simplicity with its sharp lines and flat surfaces of white and metallic gray. “Now look at you. Pregnant. Married. To a fucking billionaire, at that. Best damn scam you ever pulled, and I didn’t even have to put a gun to your head to make you carry it out.”
He came around the island and Terri edged away, sliding along the counter. The knives were in the drawer in the corner. If she could get to them, she should be able to stab him and make an escape.
“What do you want?” she asked, trying to distract him with conversation.
“I want money.”
“I don’t have any money. My husband—”
“Your husband. Isn’t that sweet?”
Terri’s hand tightened on the counter at his sarcastic tone. “I don’t keep much cash, but I have—have some jewelry upstairs.”
“There’s a safe here somewhere. These rich types always have safes.”
“There is, but I don’t know the combination. He’s never given it to me.”
“The jewelry’s a start. Then you and I are going to the bank tomorrow to withdraw some funds.”
Terri’s legs became unstable, and she gripped the counter even harder for support. Did he plan to stay here all night? “Tomorrow?” she brokenly whispered.
“That’s right. We’re going to be spending a little time together. You owe me money, and you owe me the time I spent behind bars.” His face turned into a vicious snarl.
“You can’t stay here. Gavin will be home any minute.”
“Tsk, tsk. You think I’m stupid, don’t you? I already know your husband is in Missouri.” He nodded when her eyes widened, his eyes filled with triumph. “Yeah, that’s right. I’ve been keeping an eye on you for a minute, and lucky for me, the newspaper, magazines, and Internet let me know everything he’s up to. Hell, even his Twitter account announced where he is.” The sly grin died on his face. “Show me the jewelry. Now.”
The Rules Page 20
