I waved my hand in front of his face. “Yoo-hoo, up here!” I called, gesturing toward my face.
He smirked and glanced up. “Can I come in?”
I stepped back and he walked in. I locked the door behind him.
“I’ll go get dressed.”
He reached out and splayed a palm over my towel-covered hip. “I like ya the way you are.”
I rolled my eyes. “You didn’t know I was gonna be in a towel when you came over, so I figure you have something to say.”
I tried not to think too much about his hand on my hip and the way his fingers moved slightly, rubbing against the softness of the towel.
“You’re pregnant,” he said. It wasn’t a question.
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone just yet.”
He pulled away from me and paced into the living room, jamming his hand through his hair. “How the hell did this happen, Soph?”
“It’s a long story,” I said, weary. I realized I needed to come up with some kind of story as to how I ended up pregnant and alone.
Matt’s hands fisted at his sides and he avoided my gaze. The muscle in his jaw jumped a few times, and I just stood there, allowing everything to sink in.
I was surprised to see him here. Of course, maybe he just wanted answers to explain the bomb I dropped before running.
“Who is he?” Matt asked, his voice pained.
“You don’t know him.”
“Does he know?”
“Yeah, he knows.” At least I could tell the truth about that much.
A low curse slipped into the silence that followed my reply. “Where is he?”
“Not here.” And Lord help me, I missed him.
His jaw clenched again. I really didn’t have it in me for some fight with a pissed-off guy. Even if the guy was Matt.
“I’m really tired. Can we talk later?” Water dripped from the ends of my hair and trailed down my shoulder blade, making me shiver. I pulled the towel more closely around me.
He didn’t say anything. He just stood in the center of my living room. Completely silent. The silence that emanated from him was so thick it made it hard to breathe.
When he finally spoke, his words cut through the substantial quiet with unwavering ease.
“I’ll claim the baby.”
I heard his words. There was no mistaking what he just said. But my brain was so shocked that it took me a while to process them, to make sense of them.
“Matt.” I meant to gasp, but I couldn’t put the force behind the word. Instead, his name sounded like a leak. Like I was a balloon that had been punctured by the sharp end of a needle and it was his name that came out in lieu of air.
He looked up at me. His brooding eyes were clear, intent… sincere.
“You don’t know what you’re saying,” I told him, even though it appeared he did.
“I do,” he replied. “I know exactly what I’m saying.”
My knees wobbled, causing my body to teeter over the floor. Matt was there, taking my bare arm gently and anchoring me to the ground.
“This isn’t your responsibility. This isn’t the time to make some romantic gesture because you want to feel like the hero,” I told him. “I don’t need a hero right now. I need a friend.”
He released my arm, dragging his fingers up the bare skin to brush away the wet strands of hair clinging to my shoulder and collarbone. “I’m nobody’s hero,” he murmured. “Hell, I’m probably not a very good friend either. I don’t know the first thing about kids. But I’m willing to try.”
His words created an ache in my heart, a raw kind of hurt. His words were so incredible, so genuine, it actually caused me pain. “You are a good friend,” I whispered. He’d always been a good friend to me. Always. But being a friend didn’t mean having to also be a father. “I already had one man walk out on me. I’m not doing that again.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
I looked straight into his eyes. “Yeah? And what happens tomorrow night when a hot, willing blonde sits down at the bar? And the night after that and after that? Are you gonna point to me and my growing belly and tell them your days of playing the field are over?”
“Yes.”
My eyes shut. I hadn’t expected this. I always knew Matt was a good guy, but I had no idea he would make this kind of offer.
“You’ll resent me. You’ll resent my son.”
“It’s a boy?” he asked sharply, his body shifting just a little bit closer to mine.
“I don’t know,” I murmured, embarrassed. “It’s just a feeling I have.”
“A boy needs a father,” he said, his voice low.
“He’ll have my dad. His grandpa.”
“What will people say, Sophie? Your parents? Everyone in this backward ass town?”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said, lifting my chin defiantly.
“You say that now, but when people start talking. When the rumors fly, you’re going to feel it. That baby is going to feel it.”
I swallowed. Why was he saying those things? Didn’t he know how hard this already was?
“I can shield you from that,” he said, splaying a hand across my lower back. “No one but us will ever have to know he’s not really mine. I’ll raise him as my own, Sophie.”
“Why?” I asked, tears welling in my eyes. I looked up, trying to find the answer in his face. “Why would you do this? Why would you want to?”
His hazel irises swept over me, a tender light leaking into his gaze. “Ahh, Soph,” he whispered, brushing at my hair once more. “I—”
His words were cut off by movement on the other side of the room. I stiffened, glancing up as soon as I sensed we weren’t alone.
Matt moved quickly, putting his body in front of mine, acting as my own personal shield. “Who are you? How the hell did you get in here?” he demanded, staring across the room at the figure in a silver, hooded robe.
Tarek.
He came across the room with the grace only he contained. The hood stayed low on his head, completely hiding him from sight. My eyes stared into the shadow of the hood, desperate for a glimpse of his face. It felt like forever since I’d seen him last.
He acted as if I wasn’t here. His sole attention was focused on Matt.
“Call the cops, Sophie,” Matt ordered, his body rigid as he anticipated some sort of violent threat.
I took a step back, unsure what Tarek was going to do or why he was even here. Before I could reach for the phone, Tarek’s long, ultra-pale fingers reached out and took hold of Matt’s head on either side.
“What the fuck?” Matt said, fear creeping into his voice.
A soft glow emanated from Tarek’s fingers and seemed to drift around Matt’s head. “Forget the last few hours. The last thing you remember is leaving work and going home.”
“What are you doing!” I demanded, worried for Matt.
I’d never been frightened of Tarek before, but this was changing my mind.
“Making him forget,” Tarek said, releasing his gentle hold on Matt.
The next thing I knew, Matt was letting himself out of my apartment without another word. The lock on the front door latched behind him without any help from me.
I gaped at the space Matt just vacated before swinging around to stare at Tarek.
“What the hell is going on!” I demanded.
Tarek pushed back the hood, revealing his radiant amethyst eyes, faultless skin, and face. His wide stare drank me in with a desperation I found jarring.
“Tarek?” I asked.
“I don’t like him,” he replied as if that explained everything.
If I didn’t know any better, I would have sworn he was jealous.
the promise
"I
thought you weren’t coming back,” I said.
“I didn’t say that,” he answered, his eyes sweeping over my entire body with one lingering stare.
“No, you just said you were going to come back fo
r my baby,” I snapped, placing a hand protectively over my stomach.
His eyes followed my movement. “You aren’t dressed.”
“I was taking a shower.”
“With the human?” His eyes narrowed into slits and again I got the hint of jealousy from his tone. Part of me drew pleasure from that. Part of me wanted him to be jealous, to know what he was missing.
And yeah, the other part of me knew he likely wasn’t jealous at all. He was, after all, a man who was raised not to feel anything.
“Does it matter?” I asked, not giving him a direct answer.
His eyes flashed, a lightning storm of neon violet taking over his glare. “Yes.”
Satisfaction burned through my middle and I hid my smile. “Matt wasn’t in the shower with me.”
Tarek pushed a hand through his totally touchable hair and shut his eyes briefly. When he refocused on me, they had returned to the deep purple I found so stunning. Looking at him was so easy. It was like he was his own personal force of gravity I could not resist.
I knew it was wrong that his presence somehow energized me. Like he was a giant Red Bull coursing through my veins. The baby must have felt his presence too because that fluttery sensation of him moving took over my middle.
My fingers flexed over my abdomen and a feeling of awe washed over me.
“What is it?” Tarek said. He was at my side instantly, before I even realized he had moved.
“I can feel him moving,” I whispered.
His eyes widened, the awe that I was feeling reflected back at me.
“Would you like to feel?” I asked tentatively.
He hesitated only a moment, then reached out his pale hand, hovering just above where mine rested. I reached out to guide his touch, but he brushed me away gently and grasped the end of the towel, yanking it away.
A sound of protest rumbled in the back of my throat, but he ignored it. The only thing covering my nakedness dropped around my feet. I stood there before him completely naked, slightly damp, with goose bumps rising along my flesh.
His eyes studied me, taking in every last detail of my body. Strangely, I didn’t feel uncomfortable. He didn’t leer at me like I was some kind of plaything. He gazed upon me like I was some kind of exquisite creature, like the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
“You’re beginning to show,” he said, his eyes flicking up to mine. The unmistakable emotion there caused my breath to catch.
I nodded.
“Here,” I said, taking his hand and placing it over the area where I last felt the baby move.
Tarek’s hand was large and so long it almost covered my entire abdomen. I groaned a little without thinking because his skin was so warm he was like a giant heating pad that gave off delicious rays of relaxing warmth. Not wanting to pull away, I settled my hand atop his and hoped the baby would move again.
Several seconds went by and then the light flurry of movement took place. I gasped, pressing his hand harder against me. “Can you feel that?” I asked excitedly.
A smile unlike any other I’d ever seen broke over his face. It was like the beginning of a new day breaking over the darkened horizon and illuminating everything in its path with the first blush of dawn. His eyes shined with pride and his fingers spasmed over my skin like there was just too much inside him to hold still. “I feel it,” he said, rubbing slow circles over my belly.
The baby moved again the minute he spoke. Tarek gasped and looked at me. “Was that…?”
I nodded. “He must know you.”
“He?” He glanced at me, puzzled.
I nodded. “I think it’s a boy.”
“A son,” he whispered, looking down at where our fingers rested over the baby. His hand tightened over my skin possessively. It caught me off guard because up until this point, Tarek had always touched me carefully.
I stiffened and he glanced at me. “He’s mine.”
I pulled away, wary. The promise he made before about coming back for this baby reared up in my mind. “I’m his mother.”
If he heard me, Tarek gave no indication. He paced over near the couch, and I bent to pick up the towel. Just as I was lifting it around me, he turned abruptly. “You’re mine as well,” he said, his voice hard.
Heat curled in my belly at his declaration. I lifted my chin. “You do not own me.” I sniffed. Even if the idea of being possessed by him excited me, I wasn’t about to show it. A woman had to have a backbone. I wasn’t about to let him think he could just boss me around.
He moved in a flash, bringing his body right up against mine with such force we hit the nearby wall. Tarek’s arms were around me, and his palms flattened against the wall, keeping me from feeling the collision.
I dropped the towel with our movement and the entire front of my naked body pressed up against his and that damn silky robe. “Don’t you own a pair of jeans?” I asked.
Slowly, he withdrew his arms from behind me, leaning his forearms against the wall, caging me in, making no attempt to give me any kind of personal space.
“I didn’t like seeing him with you,” he growled. The accent he carried seemed to punctuate every single word.
I shivered. “I thought you didn’t feel emotion. I thought caring about people wasn’t something you did.”
His eyes roamed my face, not settling on one feature, but taking them all in, like he was committing exactly the way I looked to his memory. “I don’t.”
“Then why are you here?” I challenged.
The chemistry between us was palpable, crackling around us like tangible electricity. While he might say he didn’t feel, that he didn’t care, he so totally did.
Maybe he just didn’t know it. Maybe he didn’t know how to express it.
He shifted closer, dipping his head just a little bit. “I…” He stuttered, trying to come up with a reason.
I didn’t wait for him to figure it out. I was impatient and needy. Plunging forward, I crushed my lips to his. The second we made contact, I felt a jolt of energy coursing through my veins. It was almost like I shot some huge gun and the force of the bullet exploding from the chamber threw me backward. My hands fisted in the front of his robe, keeping me against him, unwilling to break contact for even just a second.
Tarek’s reaction was immediate. I felt the ripple of surprise at my bold action, but it was quickly snuffed out by desire.
Emotionless my ass.
A guttural sound ripped from the back of his throat, and I swallowed it as Tarek opened his mouth and deepened the kiss. Both his arms came around me like vises, pinning me against him as he slanted his lips over mine again and again.
My knees went weak, my entire body turning boneless. He kissed with the kind of fervor that made everything else around me go completely black. It was only him and his mouth, the moist heat of his lips, the way his silky smooth tongue glided over the inside of my mouth like cool water.
My lungs burned with the need for oxygen, but I’d rather die than break the kiss just for air. His lips wrapped around my tongue and tugged, pulling it into his mouth and sucking it as I tumbled against him, totally unable to keep myself upright.
Just when I felt like my chest might burst from lack of air, Tarek released my tongue and covered my mouth with his. In one deep rush of air, he breathed out, pushing the oxygen from his lungs into my body, flooding my system with the wind right from inside him.
My chest expanded. A lightheaded feeling swept over me as every cell in my body drank in the very air that kept him alive.
He wasn’t just kissing me; he was now literally giving me what I needed to live.
My hands wound up around the back of his head, delving into the hair that was so very enticing. It was whisper soft. How something this silky and yielding could have so much body I didn’t know. I pushed my fingers through it even more, reveling in the way it felt between my fingers and groaning with the new breath he’d given me.
I’d never felt so alive in my entire life. My body was
on fire, burning with passion and need. The air he gave me mingled in my lungs as his tongue swept over the roof of my mouth. He was literally filling me up from the inside out.
When he pulled back his head, my fingers tightened against his scalp, refusing to let him pull too far away. “You make me…” He gasped, pressing his lips on mine again before pulling back to look at me once more. “You make me feel.”
I untangled my hand to slide the zipper down on the robe. The minute I caught a glimpse of his marble-like skin, I pushed my hand over it, gliding my palm against him.
“I will own you,” he demanded.
“Yes,” I begged. “Own me.”
He picked me up, my legs wrapped around his waist and his lips fastened over my already puckered and throbbing nipple.
I groaned and thrust out my chest so he would have better access. He laved at my nipple as he walked. I was so far gone I didn’t even wonder how he seemed to walk without trouble while he was so focused on my breast.
Tarek brought me into the bedroom, where he gave my nipple one last long suck and then laid me across the bed. He towered over me, staring down with flashing purple eyes and kiss-swollen lips.
He peeled off the robe slowly, his eyes never leaving mine, and I desperately wanted to stare at his perfect body, but I couldn’t look away. I was hypnotized by the look in his eyes, the awe, the carnal desire.
Tarek came over me, his wide chest causing me to lick my lips with anticipation. He’d barely touched me, but I was so wet and ready I’d probably die if he tried to prolong with foreplay what I really wanted.
I wanted him. I wanted his long, thick cock inside me. I wanted to feel him pound into me. I wanted to be consumed by him.
I reached up and grabbed his biceps and spread my legs, sending a clear invitation.
“Look at me,” he ordered.
My eyes latched onto his at the exact moment he plunged into me.
My entire body stiffened and an exaggerated groan rumbled through my chest and filled the air around us. His eyes burned with purple heat and beneath my palms, I felt his muscles tremble.
He slid out and speared me once more. I dragged in a ragged breath as my eyes slid closed.
Distant Desires: Part Two Page 5
