by Lynne Silver
It was strangely intimate doing such a mundane task such as teeth cleaning while a six-foot male was doing his best to keep you hot and bothered. When she was finally done, he penned her between him and the counter, placing his palms on the sink counter.
“You done?”
She nodded, and then he was on her, his mouth devouring hers. He’d asked to fuck, so she expected rough and dirty. Instead he gave her tenderness. Somehow they made it out of the bathroom and back to her bed.
He made love to her with his mouth, hands, and when she was on her back, wet and panting for him, he gave her his dick. They’d left the shower water running, which worried her slightly, but then she forgot about it in his barrage of kisses and intimate touches.
“This complicates things,” she whispered, looking up at him as he kneeled between her legs with his fists braced on either side of her head.
“Disagree.”
She gasped as his cock found her wet opening and nudged at her.
“Shit, you’re ready for me,” he groaned.
Her teeth found her lower lip as she closed her eyes absorbing the pleasure of feeling him intimately between her legs. Truth was she’d been crazy horny lately. She’d done some reading online and learned that pregnancy made some women’s hormones run amok and put them in a constant state of arousal. Of course, she was one of those women. Because why wouldn’t she be the woman who was either vomiting or lustful?
“In,” she finally said, and reached between them, guiding him inside. “Enough teasing.”
He filled her until she had no room for anything but him in her body, her mind, her entire being.
“Feels different,” he said, giving an experimental push deeper into her. She absorbed the pleasure, silently agreeing with his statement.
Was it because her body’s hormones were wonky that she felt closer to him, more connected, or was it because, for better or worse, they were now a part of each other’s lives forever? Their baby forged a bond between them.
“You’re wetter. Silkier.”
Oh. He’d meant she felt physically different. He felt the same to her, which was ah-mazing. They’d only made love a handful of times, but each time was better.
This time, her orgasm started building early and was on her before she had a chance to welcome it, and then before she’d caught her breath, another one was rippling through her.
“Baby, I’ve barely gotten started,” he whispered, kissing her nose. “You trying to kill me?”
She closed her eyes and shook her head, unable to speak.
“Is this a pregnancy thing? Multiple orgasms?”
“Don’t know,” she managed to say, because as he thrust deeply and slowly into her, she felt another wave coming on. “Daaannny,” she cried.
“I got you, babe. Ride through it.”
Her nails pinched into the skin at his shoulders, as he tried to pull back for another thrust, but she wrapped her legs around him and kept him close.
He chuckled. “Okay. Message received. You’re gonna kill me, but I’ll die a happy man.”
She groaned.
“Hold on, Ame, I’m gonna move now.” His words tickled against her lips, and he chased them with the tip of his tongue. She opened her mouth to argue, but he stole her fight with his mouth, taking her for a deep, wet, yet tender kiss. He did as promised and broke her leg hold, to move back, then thrust forward, driving his dick in deep.
At some point, she might’ve blacked out, but eventually she opened her eyes, to Danny balanced above her, careful not to give her any of his weight. He was looking intently at her, in a way that made her want to avert her eyes, but she managed to hold his gaze.
“I’m holding on,” he whispered. “Deny it all you want, but what we’ve got is better than most couples.”
“Danny…”
“No.” He kissed her lips softly, then pulled back. “You say no to us, but I think you’re wrong.” He leaned on one arm and raised his right hand to palm the bare skin over her heart. “Feel this, baby. Think on it.” He pulled off her while she blinked at him, overcome. “Get showered.” Head jerk to the bathroom. “Stop wasting water. I’ll meet you in the living room in twenty minutes. We’re late for brunch.”
He started to leave her room, and she watched his fine muscular ass go, in a stupor. A minute passed and then he stuck his head through the doorway. “Need help in the shower? I don’t hear you moving.”
That got her up and hurrying through her morning routine, though getting out of the shower, she got a little woozy and the room spun before she managed to lower herself to the floor, head between her knees.
She sat like that, catching her breath, until suddenly Danny was beside her, handing her a bottle of water. “Drink, Amy.”
How did he know exactly what she needed? “Are you sure you’re not a doctor?” she asked.
“Told you, I did a lot of reading on pregnancy last night. Three orgasms plus a hot shower was a recipe for fainting. Shouldn’t have left you alone.” He frowned. “Maybe I should move into your room with you.”
She pushed off the ground. “No. I’ll take better care of myself.”
“And the beanie baby in there.” He pressed a kiss to her stomach, then rose. He was already dressed in a collared shirt and khaki shorts for brunch at the Lawrences. “You sure you up for brunch?” he asked.
“Yes. I said I’m fine.” She brushed past him to grab up her clean clothes and get dressed, but then she froze. “Cat and Ian will be there.”
He nodded.
“They think I’m pregnant?”
Another nod. “Do you want to tell them today?”
“No, but I think we have to. I’m going to need Cat to cover for me while I’m at the doctor on Tuesday. She needs to know.”
He grinned. “Cool.”
She pulled her shirt over her head. “I’ll tell her I’m pregnant, but do we have to tell them you’re the father?” Her head emerged from the cotton neck hole in time to see his grin turn sour.
Her heart hurt as he glanced away from her. “If that’s what you want.”
“I don’t want to hurt you, Danny, but it’s complicated.”
He looked back to her. “What’s complicated?”
“Cat doesn’t know anything about us,” she explained. “She thinks the baby is Mitch’s.”
“That’s a natural assumption. I thought the baby was Mitch’s too.”
Her cheeks felt hot as she grabbed up some jewelry and a silky dragonfly printed scarf to tie in her hair as a headband. The two ends hung down her back, slightly longer than her hair. Who would’ve thought that she Amy Stern would be at the center of a love triangle, complete with secret baby?
Not her. Never her in a million years, yet here they were.
“Mimosa, Amy?” Cat held up a glass flute holding orange juice and champagne.
They were all sitting around a table at Ian’s parents’ house on their pool patio. Even with the overhead fans running on full blast, Amy was still sweating. Pregnancy hormones? She gave Cat a narrow-eyed look, wondering if this was a trick of some kind. “Sure. Thanks.” She reached for the glass, but Danny plucked it out of her hands and put it in front of him with a loud clink.
She glared at him. He responded with raised eyebrows.
“Fine,” she muttered. She took a breath and looked around the table. “I have an announcement,” she said in a loud voice.
Everyone fell silent, and she saw Cat reach for Ian’s arm under the table. Now that all eyes were on her, she didn’t want to be the center of attention. She wanted to run back home and hide under her covers.
“Yes?” Joy said, with an expectant smile.
She sighed. “I’m pregnant.” No flowery words, no speech, nada. Simple. To the point.
Cat and Joy obviously didn’t need flowery words. They both pushed back from the table and ran around to hug her. She accepted their embraces, all the while hyper-aware of Danny sitting quietly next to her. This should be
his moment too, and she felt like a bitch for not giving it to him.
“Congratulations,” Ian said, when everyone was back in their seats.
“This is exciting,” Joy said. “But where is Mitch? Now he’s part of the extended family. Please invite him along on Sundays.”
Next to her, Danny was gripping his thigh with white knuckles. His foot was tapping a million beats per second.
“Actually, about that,” she said, casting him a sidelong glance. “He’s not the father.”
There was a shocked pause. Before they could ask who the father was, she spilled the beans.
“Danny is,” she whispered.
All eyes swung to him, but he was staring at her, obviously shocked.
She gave him a small watery smile.
Now, everyone around the table erupted. Ian, who was next to Danny, pounded him on his back. Joy started crying, and murmuring that she was going to be a grandma. Technically, she wasn’t a blood relation, but in her mind, she’d unofficially adopted all of her kids’ friends, and this baby was hers. Considering the baby lacked any blood-related grandmothers, Amy was grateful to have Joy on board.
Everyone was talking at once, expressing their shocked amazement. All except Cat who was sitting stiffly and silently in her chair. When it seemed she couldn’t stay quiet any longer, she jumped up. “Amy, can we talk?” She jerked her head to the house. “Alone.” Cat didn’t wait for her, but entered the house.
Amy slowly rose and stepped after her, shaking off Danny who’d grabbed her wrist. “I’m fine,” she murmured. “It’ll be okay.”
“I’m right here if you need me, baby.”
“I’m okay,” she repeated, but inwardly she’d never felt so alone. When it came down to it, Danny was Cat’s brother, and they’d been loyal to each other through some of the worst stuff life had to offer. If he had to pick sides between his baby mama and his sister…well, she didn’t want to think about which side he’d pick.
Quietly, sliding the glass door closed behind her, she entered the living room, but didn’t see Cat.
“In here,” came a voice from the kitchen.
Amy followed the sound of the voice and entered the big spacious, modern kitchen. Cat was at the sink, rinsing dishes and loading them into the stainless steel dishwasher as if she lived in this house. “Hi,” she said.
Cat didn’t turn around. “How long?” she asked.
She frowned and went to perch on one of the tall stools at the tall island in the middle of the room. “How long, what?”
“How long have you been sleeping with my brother?” Cat asked, slowly. Amy had never heard this iciness in her friend’s voice before, and she worried that her big announcement may have ruined her relationship with the closest girlfriend she’d ever had.
“Since Christmas,” she said.
Cat whirled to face her, a coffee mug in her hand. “Christmas,” she repeated.
She nodded.
“Do you love him?”
Her gaze flew up to meet Cat’s steady, harsh stare. How to answer this without pissing off Cat more? She opted for the truth. “No,” she whispered, but as she said it, it didn’t feel like the truth. It felt like a betrayal. “It was just sex.” Lie. It’d been more.
Cat shook her head in disappointment. Amy gripped the edge of the counter, worried her best friend was furious.
“It was before I started dating Mitch,” she said. “It was only a few times.” And this morning. She couldn’t seem to stop blurting things out that were really none of Cat’s business. Except Danny was her brother, so maybe they were. It was all complicated, and part of Amy wanted to run, out of Miami, out of Florida, and go have her baby away from any of these people.
“I feel like I don’t know you at all,” Cat said in a quiet, small voice, and when Amy looked at her, the desire to run fled. These people had become her family, and family was worth fighting for when the alternative was being completely on your own.
“You know me. This thing with Danny…we didn’t plan it. It happened. Your brother is extremely attractive.”
“What about Mitch?” Cat asked.
“What about him?”
“Are you still dating?”
She shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. He’s been traveling, and I’m not sure I ever felt a real connection with him anyway other than friendship.”
“But you do with my brother?”
“Cat, enough.” Danny entered the kitchen, Ian close on his heels. Both men went to their women to take up their backs. “Back off.”
Cat glared at her brother. “I’m trying to understand, Danny.”
He slid an arm around Amy’s back and leaned into her. “What’s to understand? We’re adults. We had sex, and now we’re having a baby. Get with the program, or get out.”
“Now that’s enough from you,” Ian said. “I’m calling a time out.” He looked to Amy, and his gaze softened. “Amy, why don’t you and Danny go home? This was a shock to everyone and we need time to absorb the news. I’m sure Cat will be over your house tomorrow with diapers, bottles and whatever the hell else you need for babies.” He caressed her hair. “Right, gata?”
Cat didn’t respond, and remained standing stiffly, her arms folded across her chest.
Amy glanced at her, then rose from the stool, grabbing Danny’s hand. “Let’s go,” she murmured. Wordlessly, Danny followed.
When they hit the kitchen doorway, Danny looked over his shoulder at his sister. “You’re going to be an aunt. Think on that.”
She couldn’t see Cat’s reaction, because Danny hustled her to the front door and out to her car. Without asking, he plucked the car keys from her purse, opened the passenger door for her, then got in the driver’s side.
Amy cried the whole ten-minute ride home.
Danny rode to work early Monday morning distracted, worried, and angry. This was not a good thing because today was his second day heading up a crew. Joe had taken him aside last week and told him he trusted him with a longtime client and not to fuck it up.
They had to go in, mow, and clip back a few dead palm leaves. No biggie. He’d be supervising two men: Jesus and Carlos. Jesus had been with Joe for years, and Danny didn’t know his full story, but he was a special case. Nice guy, but not smart enough to do much more than mow. You almost had to point him in the right direction and yell when it was time to turn. Carlos, he didn’t know at all.
So yeah, Danny was worried he’d fuck something up and Joe wouldn’t trust him to run a crew, which was one step closer to helping with the garden layout and plant selection for big design projects.
He was angry because Cat hadn’t called last night. Amy had finally stopped crying when they’d pulled into the driveway, but once inside, she’d scooped up the cat and gone to her room, shutting the door behind her. His sister needed to get over her snit and start being happy for her brother and her best friend.
Worry came from the fact that he’d left Amy in the kitchen vomiting this morning. He’d been up drinking coffee, and she’d wandered into the kitchen. After eye-fucking his mug of caffeine, she’d grumbled and poured some orange juice, downed a cracker, then rushed to the sink, losing what little she had in her stomach.
He hadn’t wanted to leave her, but she’d waved him off, focused on washing the sink, too distracted to say much of a goodbye. What was there to say, anyway? It wasn’t as if they were a true couple, kissing and telling each other to have a good day at work.
Hell, he wanted that from her, but she hadn’t budged on her no relationship stance. Though she’d shocked the shit out of him yesterday at brunch when she’d spilled the beans that he was the father. He’d expected at least a month of having to pretend that Mitch was the dad.
It was a heck of a relief.
“Turn here,” he said, suddenly, glancing at the address Joe had given him. Carlos was driving the truck. Danny had shotgun and Jesus was riding middle, bouncing on the bench seat between them like a happy toddler.
Correction. Not teenagers. College-aged, if Danny had to guess. Seemed a little early for spring break.
The girl was wearing nothing other than a skimpy black bikini bottom, ear buds in, oblivious to the world.
The dude was in board shorts and talking loudly on his phone. When he saw Danny’s crew, he motioned a quiet sign with his hand. Carlos froze, but Jesus kept running the Weed Wacker.
Danny grabbed him by the shoulder, then turned the damn thing off. They hung out for a while watching the kid talk on his phone, oblivious that his parents’ gardening crew had better things to do than stand around waiting for him to finish a call in which he dropped an F-bomb every other word, bragged about how hungover he was, and then bemoaned the state of parties in Miami.
Apparently, Havana was where it was at. Not Little Havana. Havana, Cuba. Danny fleetingly wished his mother were alive so she could laugh that her birthplace was considered a trendy hotspot.
After the three of them watched the guy talk and talk, he’d had enough waiting. He gave a signal to Jesus to get back to work, and walked onto the screened-in patio to start blowing leaves from the big potted ficus trees placed around the pool.
“Yo, dude. Can’t you wait?” Asshole yelled.
Danny didn’t cut the power on the leaf blower. “No,” he shouted back, earning a huge scowl.
He braced as the kid stormed up to him and got in his face. “Don’t be an asshole, man. I’m on a call.”
“Work?” Danny asked.
“Huh?”
Exactly. The kid wouldn’t know work if it slapped him in the ass. He hoped he hadn’t been this much of an asshole when he’d been his age. Oh, wait. He had. “Is your call for your job?” Danny asked, slow and clear.
The girl on the couch was up on her elbows watching them now. Her perky bare breasts with their tan nipples, were cute, but not nearly as enticing as Amy’s fuller ones, because yeah, he’d looked. What male worth his balls wouldn’t?
