More Than He Expected

by Andrea Laurence

  He wanted to say something, but he wasn’t quite sure what. With the precariousness of their relationship, many things could be interpreted wrong. There were still a few days left of the trip. Saying the wrong thing now could make the rest painful at best.

  Alex reached out his hand to help her from her chair. “She was right about one thing. You are glowing,” he said once she got to her feet.

  Gwen searched his face for a moment, then shook her head dismissively. “Of course I glow. I just had a very expensive and thorough facial and sea salt scrub.”

  “True, but you’ve had a rosy, maternal radiance this whole time. Today’s treatments only made you relax.” He leaned down and placed a kiss against her exposed shoulder. “And even more silky soft, if that’s possible.”

  He took Gwen’s hand and led her through the tables to the sidewalk. They walked silently back to the car and didn’t speak during the drive to the house. When Alex turned into the driveway, he noticed the other cars had returned. He stopped the convertible, not wanting to end his wonderful day with Gwen on such a somber note.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  Alex shifted the car into Neutral, engaged the parking brake and turned in his seat to face her. “I hope you had a good time today.”

  Her dark eyes widened for a moment before the corner of her mouth turned up just slightly. She looked down into her lap as though she were embarrassed. “I did. You don’t know how badly I needed a little TLC. Thank you, Alex. It was very thoughtful of you.”

  “You don’t seem very happy now. Did that woman at the restaurant upset you?”

  “No,” she said. “She just made me think about things I’ve been trying to ignore.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like what life is going to be like after the baby is born. After this vacation ends and you’re gone again. In that woman’s mind, I was just starting out on the wonderful adventure of parenthood with you by my side. The truth is that in four months, I’m going to be alone with nothing to show for the last year of my life but some oversized clothes.”

  Alex didn’t know what to say. He wouldn’t insult her intelligence by attempting to comfort her with the empty promise of his staying. The baby wasn’t hers to keep. Her worries about him and what he could offer were valid. So he didn’t say anything. Instead, he leaned over and wrapped his arms around Gwen, pulling her to his chest.

  There was no heat in his touch. Only comfort. She accepted it, snuggling against him and burrowing her face into his neck. They sat that way for several minutes. He could feel a cool dampness sinking into the cotton of his shirt and realized she was silently crying. He didn’t say anything, just held her tighter and waited for the tears to dry.

  At last, Gwen spoke, her voice almost too quiet for him to hear it. “Come to my bed again, tonight.”

  He nodded against her, brushing a bit of her hair back to press a kiss to her forehead. “I will.”

  Eight

  The following day included a group excursion to the beach. Their stretch of harbor property was a little too rocky, so they loaded up the Land Rover with chairs, umbrellas and coolers and left midmorning in their usual caravan of cars.

  Adrienne pointed out an empty stretch of white, sandy beach, and they pulled the cars off the road to claim it. With so many people, it didn’t take long to get everything unloaded. Gwen tried to help, but Alex just frowned at her and insisted she make herself comfortable in the lounge chair he’d set up for her. She didn’t argue, carrying her bag over and settling in to stay out of everyone’s way.

  Will and Alex set up a large umbrella just behind her to shade a couple of the chairs. Except for Helena, who had a dark, Italian glow to her skin, the other women were all extremely fair and would burn even with sunblock.

  As the others unpacked and set up, Alex brought Gwen a bottle of citrus-infused water and a can of SPF 75 sunscreen spray. “Be sure to drink as much water as you can and keep plenty of this on today. It’s hot, and I don’t want you getting dehydrated.”

  He had been fawning over her since they got home yesterday. Almost like a man would pamper his expectant wife. Crying in his arms had probably been a bad idea. It felt good to get it out of her system, but now he probably thought she was both emotionally and physically fragile. He’d even handled her a bit more delicately in bed last night. It was wonderfully passionate and romantic, yet she didn’t remember Alex being a particularly tender lover before.

  Gwen took the water and the sunscreen from him and noticed Adrienne watching them as she unpacked a few beach towels from a tote bag. “Stop fussing. It’s not exactly subtle,” she said.

  Alex shrugged. “I’m more worried about the welfare of you and the baby than anything else, including being found out by the relationship police.”

  For a brief moment, the expression on his face was serious and concerned. No smirks, no winks, no grins. He was honestly worried about her. She wasn’t quite sure how to respond, especially when the charming smile returned and he wandered off to help Wade and Jack unpack a few bagged chairs. He was so confusing.

  After the last few days, her confusion was only getting worse. Alex was the fun guy, the exciting guy. Not the caring, relationship guy. And yet, since they’d been in the Hamptons together, that was almost how it had felt. The wild, passionate nights were paired with conscientious and thoughtful days. If Alex was any other man, Gwen might start to wonder if something more was going on between them.

  But tigers didn’t change their stripes.

  Instead of worrying too much about something she couldn’t control, she decided to do as he’d said and start rubbing in sunscreen. She could already feel the warmth on her skin that was a certain precursor to burning. Fortunately, today she’d opted for her one-piece suit so less skin was exposed. It was black and purple, and she tied a multicolored sarong low on her hips. After applying the lotion to every inch she could reach, she set the can aside and eased back into her chair with the water he’d brought her. Now that she was protected from burning, it was easier to relax and let the heat sink into her bones.

  She’d spent another wonderful night with Alex. Combined with yesterday’s massage, there were parts of her body she didn’t even know could hurt, but she couldn’t regret it. Being with Alex was a welcome distraction from reality. This trip, this place, this romance… It was all a fantastic dream she would wake up from the moment Will’s car crossed back into Manhattan.

  She’d tried not to let yesterday linger on her mind. She and Alex had had such a good time walking around and having lunch. His spa surprise had been a spot-on choice. She couldn’t think of a single thing he could’ve bought her that she wanted or needed more. He really did seem to have her figured out. Or maybe he just understood women in general. What woman wouldn’t appreciate a day at the spa?

  Gwen had thoroughly enjoyed the tiny glimpse into what life could be like together. The sweet lady’s comments at the bistro had simply snapped her out of the romantic reverie she’d drifted into. It wasn’t her fault that in that moment, Gwen wanted so badly for it to be real. That they were a loving husband and wife vacationing. Expecting their first child together.

  It had taken a while for Gwen to admit to herself that was part of her problem. She was falling for this fantasy they had going. It had lulled her into the idea that having a husband and family was something she wanted—something she had. Gwen’s hand went to her stomach, stroking the curve through the stretchy black fabric of her suit. But she didn’t have anything. It was not her baby. It was not his baby. She needed to keep telling herself that.

  She couldn’t help but glance up to where the guys were now playing Frisbee in the sand. Alex was wearing only a pair of fire-engine red swim trunks. He moved quickly, snatching the disk from the air and immediately firing it off in Wade’s direction. She admired the athleticism and grace of Alex’s movements as his strong muscles flexed beneath his tanned skin.

  He was not hers, either. Gwen sig
hed and took a sip of her water.

  Gwen had been thinking the strangest things over the last few days. She wasn’t sure if it was the baby, being around happy married couples, hormones, or having Alex’s warm presence in her bed at night, but it made her want more. For the last eight months, she hadn’t been able to target what she really needed in her life. Maybe it was because she’d labeled the thing she needed the most with her mother’s ugly stigma and couldn’t see past it.

  Love and marriage and family.

  If that was what she wanted, certainly she could do it differently, right? It was such a huge leap for her, to want the one thing she’d always told herself she didn’t need. But she wanted to try. If it didn’t work, she could always go back to the way she’d done things before.

  If she was going to start entertaining the idea of marriage and family, okay. Gwen was more open to that than she’d ever been before. But to have it, she needed to start with the basics—a man who loved her and wanted to marry her.

  Yes, and all she needed to buy her own tropical island was a couple million dollars. Easy fix, right?

  Gwen turned to watch Adrienne spread out a beach towel on the chair beside her and settle in with her own drink and a paperback to read. She looked adorable in her hot-pink bikini, her dark brown hair swept into a ponytail. There was no need for her to cover any of her curves with a wrap like Gwen had. She set her items on top of the small cooler that separated them and started applying sunblock to her legs.

  “I thought you’d sworn off men,” Adrienne said casually, slathering on the thick white cream.

  “What?” Gwen looked up and followed Adrienne’s line of sight to Alex. “Oh.”

  “When were you planning on telling me?”

  Gwen gave a quick glance around to make sure no one else was within earshot. For now the coast was clear. “How did you find me out? Was it the fussing? I saw you watching us.”

  “Not really. That was just the latest of a hundred clues. You two are both ignorant if you think that kind of sexual attraction can be disguised. Even a ten-thousand-square-foot house on three acres is too small for people not to notice something is going on. So… Tell me what’s going on.”

  Gwen shrugged dismissively. “Not much to tell really.”

  Adrienne turned to her, a curious arch to her eyebrow. “I find that hard to believe.”

  Her best friend was too intuitive for her own good. But short of the torture of thumbscrews, Gwen wasn’t going to admit to anything more than a fun fling. After all, that was all they’d agreed to. All that it was supposed to be, regardless of how it might feel. “I’m sorry to disappoint. But you know Alex and his track record with women well enough to realize there isn’t going to be more to this story than some good sex.”

  “Good?”

  “Okay,” Gwen admitted with a sly grin. “Great sex. He has most certainly earned his reputation with the ladies.”

  Adrienne smiled and started smearing the sunblock into her arms and shoulders. “How long has this great sex been going on?”

  “Two days. If you don’t count the two weeks after your wedding.” She said the last sentence quickly, following it with a swig of water from her bottle as if she could slip the shocking news past her friend. From the look on Adrienne’s face, it didn’t work.

  “So, what…eight months?”

  “No. Eight months sounds like it’s something. Eight months with a nearly seven-and-a-half-month gap in between is clearly nothing.”

  “But you’ve kept it a secret from me for that long. If it was nothing, you could’ve told me.”

  “I know.” Gwen winced at the admission. “But I knew you would get spun up about it. If something went wrong, it would make things awkward, with us being friends with you and Will. It was just easier this way. I don’t want this made into any more than it is.”

  “Great sex,” Adrienne said flatly.

  “Yes. I have to say I hadn’t come up here intending on picking up anything with Alex. I turned him down several times. But a combination of pregnancy hormones and that damned seductive smile of his changed my agenda pretty quickly.”

  Adrienne nodded sympathetically. “Alex’s charm is hard to ignore.”

  Gwen looked back out toward the water. Sabine and Emma had waded out into the waves with boogie boards. The guys were still playing Frisbee. As though he could feel her eyes on him, Alex turned to Gwen and shot her a smile before turning back to the game.

  “Indeed,” she agreed. Every nerve in her body had responded to him in that instant. Even after a long night of thoroughly exhausting lovemaking, she wanted more of him. And not just his body.

  It was a dangerous thought, because that was all Alex could offer her. At best, she would walk away from this week with some fond memories and a fabulous day at the spa. If she let herself get too involved in this fantasy, she would walk away with a bad case of heartache. Either way, one thing she wouldn’t have come next week was Alex.

  Frowning, Gwen quickly scrambled into her bag for a magazine she’d brought with her. She needed a distraction. Anything to keep her brain from the train of thought it was determined to take. She’d just told Adrienne this was nothing and now, seconds later, she was sitting here thinking the exact opposite.

  Flipping open the magazine, she thumbed through a few pages until she found an article on something completely unrelated to sex or love.

  “Just do me a favor, though.”

  Adrienne’s words pulled Gwen from the details of this fall’s hot hairstyle trends. “What’s that?”

  “I know that you’re not really into the long-term thing, so it might be a moot point. But don’t let yourself fall in love with Alex. I’ve only known him a few years, but it doesn’t take long to realize that behind the charm and the money is a man running from something. Plenty of women have wasted time and energy trying to chase after him only to find themselves empty-handed. I’d hate for you to be one of them.”

  “Of course,” Gwen said, turning back to her magazine with a forced smile on her face. “I’m not stupid.”

  But inside, she knew the truth. If she wasn’t careful, she would be on track to becoming the stupidest woman on the planet.

  * * *

  Alex clutched his drink in one hand and the deck railing of the ship with the other as his stomach lurched. He hated boats. Dinghies, canoes, yachts, cruise liners… It didn’t matter. Even the most expensive stabilization systems and motion sickness pills couldn’t keep him from getting nauseated. It was ironic, really, since his family owned a multimillion-dollar yacht and he hadn’t set foot on it even once in the ten years since his parents bought it.

  This boat was harder to circumvent. Will and Adrienne had chartered a dinner yacht to cruise out into the water at sunset. There was no avoiding it, especially when he saw the light of excitement in Gwen’s eyes when she found out about their plans. It was a lovely, romantic idea in theory. He popped a couple Dramamine and hoped he could keep the meal down. Throwing up over the side of the railing was a definite mood killer.

  So far, so good. Dinner had been an excellent New England clambake-style spread. He could forget where he was while gorging himself on perfectly cooked seafood and spicy seasoned vegetables. Fortunately, the wind had died down. The water was relatively calm, with the reflection of the full moon dancing across it. But every now and then, they’d hit a larger wave and he’d seriously regret the chocolate lava cake they’d had for dessert.

  After dinner, the ship was set to cruise around for an hour with a fireworks display before returning to the pier. The deck was decorated with colored lights and music was piped out through speakers all over the ship. Everyone seemed to be happy to talk and laugh, sipping their drinks and watching the lights from the shore twinkle in the distance. It really was a perfect night to be out sailing. If you liked that sort of thing.

  Alex had quietly asked the bartender for some ginger ale in a lowball glass and moved away from the crowd not long after desser
t. He found a quiet corner of the ship where he could take a moment to breathe deeply and let his dinner settle. If anything went awry, there would be no witnesses. No one knew about his issue with boats, and he preferred it to stay that way.

  The wind picked up, ruffling his hair, and before he knew it, the up-and-down movement of the boat went from almost tolerable to gut-wrenching. His stomach churned and he broke out in a cold sweat.

  “You’ve been holding that same drink for an hour,” Gwen said, coming up to him.

  Damn. It was bad enough to feel sick, but he certainly didn’t want to be sick around Gwen. “I’m not feeling much like drinking tonight. Too much sun at the beach, I think.”

  Gwen watched him curiously for a moment, her eyes narrowing. “You look a little green.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Alex, I’m a nurse, remember? You can’t fool me. Are you feeling seasick?”

  He gritted his teeth and gave a curt nod. Before he could say anything else, the ship rocked and the battle was over. Alex ran around the corner out of her sight and hung over the back of the ship to return his dinner to the sea. When there was nothing left, he rinsed his mouth out with ginger ale and spit it out. Feeling a hundred times better, he closed his eyes and slumped over to rest his forehead on the white metal rails.

  Gwen didn’t speak, but he knew by her scent the instant she sidled up beside him. Something soft and cold pressed against the back of his neck. “This wet towel should help,” she said. “And suck on one of these.”

  Alex opened his eyes to see one of her peppermint candies in her hand. He unwrapped it and put it in his mouth. The mint was surprisingly soothing to his upset stomach. It wasn’t long before he started feeling normal again.

  “Feeling any better?” she asked.

  “Yes. You’re an excellent nurse.” He attempted a grin, but his heart just wasn’t in it.

  Gwen gently rubbed his shoulder, then turned to grip the railing and look out into the water. “The moon is beautiful tonight.”