Key To My Heart: Stay

by Misty Reigenborn

  She had her own apartment in a nice neighborhood, even if it was tiny. She had planned well and had had a job waiting for her when she’d moved. She was actually making more money than Acasia was at the moment. Demi had a lot to be proud of, and Acasia had seen a strength emerge in her sister lately that she’d never realized was there before. Demi was prepared to raise her baby by herself, unwilling to settle for marrying a man that she didn’t love. She knew that it was time to let her sister live her own life, make her own mistakes.

  And it was time for Acasia to enjoy Garett. She just hoped that their second date went as well as the first had.

  Garett

  When Acasia told him that Demi was pregnant, he wondered why he hadn’t already heard the news from his mother. She had known of course, but he supposed she hadn’t chosen to share the news since Demi’s baby wouldn’t be her grandchild. She certainly hadn’t been shy when it had come to announcing Nikki’s pregnancy.

  Acasia had confessed that she’d been so distracted by her thoughts of him that it had taken her days to share the news. A smile had broken out over his face then. It was amazing to think that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

  He called Gavin as soon as he got off of the phone with Acasia, warning his brother that it was high time he told Demi how he felt. Gavin was concerned about how she felt about the father of her child, but Acasia had told him that Demi had no plans of marrying the man, was unsure that she even loved him, and he assured Gavin that he still had a chance with her. But his brother’s chance with Demi was going to slip away if he didn’t get his ass in gear, and he told him so, reminding Gav that he had been the one who had so recently called the Brown sisters unforgettable when he had been trying to convince Garett to take a chance and ask Acasia out.

  He had a feeling Gavin would get to the point where he would no longer be able to ignore his feelings for Demi and would be forced to confess them to her. Then again, Gavin had lived with his love hidden for years, giving up on a woman he’d felt was too good for him, much as Garett had denied his feelings for Acasia.

  But Garett knew from personal experience that hiding your feelings didn’t make them go away, and he still had hopes that Gavin would find the happiness with Demi that he had found with Acasia.

  Acasia

  There was an air of expectation when Garett picked her up for their date that night. It had been two weeks since their first date, and though Acasia felt more than a little silly for keeping track of the days in her head, she was unable to hide her excitement. She was just so happy to be with Garett. She felt like she was walking on air, and even her mother had commented that she was positively glowing.

  He was cooking her dinner. His kitchen was mostly finished, and he had made some good progress on the house, but when he teased her about moving in with him, she had laughed, telling him that he had a lot of work to do on the place before she would ever consider moving in with him.

  He was a good cook, much better at it than she was actually. She teased him about being too damned domestic, but he just smiled and pulled her into his arms. After a few minutes of heated kissing that left her breathless, Garett pulled back and brushed her hair away from her neck.

  He kissed a gentle trail down and then back up her neck, sending shivers up and down her spine. She felt an immediate heat and knew where the night would end up. But of course she had always known that it wouldn’t be long before they ended up in bed together, knew that it wasn’t possible with their combined hormones. And it had never bothered her. She had wondered what it would be like to have Garrett make love to her for months and now that it was finally about to happen, she could think of nothing else.

  He gazed at her with beautiful hazel eyes that now looked more brown than green. She could see the heat in them, but there was hesitation there as well. “Cas?”

  “Yes?”

  “I uh. . .”

  She let out a breathy laugh. “Garrett?”

  “Yes?”

  “I want this too.”

  She squeezed his hand. He gave her a crooked grin and took her other hand in his. “I thought so, but it’s still pretty soon and I didn’t want to. . .”

  “Shh baby. It feels right.”

  “Acasia I. . .”

  Her heart started to beat even faster, thinking that he was going to tell her that he loved her. She had wanted to tell him that she loved him since their first date, but she hadn’t wanted to scare him away.

  “Yes Garrett?”

  “I care about you. I mean, I’ve always cared about you, but I. . . I’m sorry. I can’t put into words the way I feel about you.”

  She felt a stab of disappointment, but at the same time she understood his caution. She knew that he had been hurt before, and for most people she supposed it did seem a little soon to be exchanging such important words as “I love you”.

  Acasia put all other thoughts out of her head and kissed Garrett. She hoped that her intentions were clear, as the heat was still spreading through her body. She welcomed it, knowing that the build-up of passion would only make the moment he was inside her even better.

  Passion in his eyes, Garrett took her hand and led her up the stairs to his bedroom. She rid herself of her clothes impatiently, unashamed of her naked form. She had sometimes been self-conscious of her body, but never with Garett. He had banished all thoughts of self-doubt about her beauty on the day he’d asked her out.

  He drank in the sight of her as he stripped himself, almost teasingly slowly. She usually liked her men taller than Garett was at 5’11, but his body was so amazing that it made up for the fact that he was only three inches taller than her. His abs made her want to drool. The sight of his bare bottom as he turned to his nightstand made her want to groan.

  He turned back to her empty handed, an apology in his eyes. “Cas, I don’t have a condom.”

  Her body was practically humming. She didn’t think she’d ever been so turned on in her life. The idea that she would have to wait even longer to experience the incredible sensation of their perfectly joined forms was almost unbearable. She shook her head slowly.

  “If you make me wait any longer Garrett, I think I might spontaneously combust.”

  A sly grin spread across his face. He pulled her to him and kissed her long and hard, bringing his hands down gently to cup her ass and pull her fully to him. He kissed her again until she was breathless. The wetness had spread between her legs. She could almost feel him inside of her, the motion of his long, hard cock going in and out of her. She let out a moan as he brought a gentle hand down to part their bodies, leaving his other hand resting at her waist. He touched her almost hesitantly, licking his lush lips as he looked into her eyes.

  “Damn, you are wet aren’t you?”

  A blush had risen to his cheeks. She felt her own turn scarlet. She tried to play coy. “Guilty as charged, though I’d say that you’re rather evidently aroused yourself.”

  He licked his lips again. “Yes, I’d say so. But I can wait a little longer, Cas. I’ve waited for years to have you as it was. You are so fucking beautiful. Perfect. Woman, I’d swear sometimes when I look at you that a Goddess walks the earth. The thought that you’re mine, it makes me the happiest man in the world. But the last thing that I want to do is screw this up. It’s felt like I was walking around in a dream since the day that you said you’d go out with me.”

  “I feel like I’m on fire Garrett. I’ve never wanted a man like I want you right now. I need you. Now.”

  He grinned. “If you insist.”

  He pressed her gently back onto the bed. He gripped her hips with gentle hands as he slowly eased himself inside her. She let out a sigh as he gave her the fullness of his manhood. He was the perfect length to fill her. She dug her nails into his ass as he moved and the head of his cock met her g-spot, bringing her right to the edge of orgasm. He eased back gently, teasing her. She shook her head at him, wrapping her legs around his waist, closing her eyes as she tilted her hi
ps so that it felt just right.

  She cried out his name in a voice so husky with passion that she almost didn’t recognize it as he brought her to orgasm. Her legs were shaky and she loosened her hold on him somewhat, but her womanhood had become so sensitive with the intense orgasm that he brought her quite easily to orgasm again and again as he moved within her. It was everlasting and all too short at the same time. She wanted more even after she’d felt his release in her. He’d awakened a sexuality in her that she’d never felt before, hadn’t known was possible to exist.

  He moved off of her. There was a look of satisfaction on his face, but a sense of almost confusion there as well. She craved a cigarette like she hadn’t craved one in a month as she looked at him, wavy hair mussed, full lips appearing even more full after their frenzied kissing. He was gorgeous, and she knew in that moment that she would never want another man like she wanted him, that her body would never awaken for another man like it had awakened for him. It simply couldn’t be possible.

  “Acasia?”

  “Yes Garrett?”

  His name tasted different on her tongue now, even more so than when she had said his name at the diner the night he’d asked her out. They had shared something together that would change both of them, probably forever, but nothing had ever felt more right in her life.

  “I uh. . .” He was blushing again. “All that for me?”

  She laughed. “Do you see anyone else here?”

  “I. . . Wow.”

  “Ditto handsome.”

  “Will you stay with me tonight? The thought of waking up without you in my arms after what just happened is almost unbearable.”

  She smiled. “It is.”

  The gentle kiss they shared turned into heated foreplay. Garett took it slow and easy the second time around, letting the passion build. His hands roamed her body gently at first, showing his adoration for the curve of her breast, the curve of her thigh, the curve of her ass. He took her nipple into his mouth, sucking gently at first, then more urgently as he felt her tighten around him. Her eyes drifted closed as she came to orgasm.

  She lost tracks of the number of orgasms she had that night. They were awake until the early light of dawn brightened the window and both were glad that they didn’t have to work that day as they fell asleep a little after seven a.m. almost immediately following a shared shower.

  Garett

  Making love to Acasia left Garett feeling utterly fulfilled. Their bodies fit together perfectly, and it seemed as if he was made for her, and she for him. He had never felt a woman’s body come alive underneath him the way hers had, and the feeling of her slippery wetness gripping him had threatened to send him over the edge long before he’d been ready. Making love to Acasia felt more right than anything ever had before in Garett’s life. He’d almost told her that he loved her, had seen in her eyes that she loved him, but he’d been too afraid to tell her, afraid that he would disturb the perfection of their evening together.

  Waking up with her in his bed, Garett knew that it was where she was meant to be. He knew that every decision that he made about the house from that point on would have to be approved by Acasia. It might not be their house quite yet, but he had already started to see the house as hers almost as much as it was his, and that too felt right. He was head over heels in love with Acasia after two weeks of being her man, and though he felt more than a little silly imagining their children, he knew that she was the woman that was meant to carry his children.

  He was afraid that he would scare Acasia away, send her running as far away from him as possible if he revealed his true feelings for her, but he knew that the day would come all too soon that he would confess his love for her. It was already hard enough as it was not to tell her, and after having made love to her, he knew that it was going to be even harder to hold back. But he wanted everything to be right. The thought of losing Acasia already scared him, and he knew that he would do anything to make her stay with him. It was where she belonged, and he only hoped that she felt it as much as he did.

  Acasia

  Acasia was happy with Garett. She missed him when she wasn’t with him. Nothing brought a smile to her face more than seeing him unexpectedly. She was in love and there was no going back.

  He had made a lot of progress on his house. She was proud of him, and tickled when he asked for her opinion on changes he wanted to make to the old place. She knew that he was beginning to think of it as their house, and she looked forward to the day when it would be their house. Things may have been moving fast between them, but it didn’t make it feel any less right.

  Her life felt like it was heading in the right direction for the first time in a long time. She knew that soon Garett would tell her he loved her. She looked forward to saying the words herself. She was looking forward to every first with him. She was already finding herself looking forward to being his wife, carrying his child.

  While there was a part of her that knew she should be cautious, and not jump into a relationship with another man that might break her heart, she had felt herself jumping in wholeheartedly. She was herself when she was with Garett. And he had shown her a side of him that she had never seen before. He was passionate. So passionate about her, so passionate about doing what he loved. It made her want to find something that she loved.

  Things were almost going too well between her and Garett though. She was afraid that something would come up to tear them apart just like it had in all of her other serious relationships. She tried not to think of all the things that could go wrong and tried to just enjoy being with him without worrying, but sometimes it was hard. The fear still lurked in the back of her mind that Garett would eventually find something about that her that wasn’t lovable and would leave her as Gavin had or cheat like Colton.

  She had no reason not to trust him, and told herself she was being paranoid, but the disquiet remained. She felt like she waiting for the other shoe to drop.

  Garett

  Acasia had been acting strangely for the past few days. He was worried that he had done something wrong, and he tried to question her casually, but she claimed nothing was wrong. It didn’t seem like she was mad at him. It seemed more like something was on her mind, that she was starting to have doubts about being with him.

  He had no doubts about being with her. Spending time with Acasia only made him want to spend more and more time with her. He was worried that she had regretted making love after only two weeks of dating, but her passion for him hadn’t died. She wanted him. Her body came alive at his touch. He thought she was in love with him, but sometimes he wasn’t sure, so he didn’t tell her he loved her.

  He couldn’t stand the thought of losing her. Every plan he made involved her. He even thought about her before he went to the grocery store, making sure that he bought things she liked to eat. He liked to cook for her. He liked that she listened to him, really listened to him. He could be himself when he was around her, talk to her about anything. Well, almost anything. Gavin certainly wasn’t a good subject to bring up with her.

  He wanted her to know how much she meant to him, but he wasn’t sure how without telling her that he loved her. So he tried to show her, but he wasn’t sure that it was working. She seemed to be pulling away from him already, and he wished that she’d talk to him about whatever it was that was on her mind.

  Acasia

  The other shoe dropped a few weeks later when Acasia realized she had missed her period. She drove to the next town over to buy a pregnancy test, knowing that if she was seen purchasing one in Clinton, word would be back to Garett before she had even taken the test, and that was the last thing she wanted to happen. If she had to tell him she was pregnant, she damned sure wanted to be the one to tell him herself, not to have him hear it through the grapevine.

  The test was positive. She stood looking at it for a long moment, wondering if it was possible she could have read it backwards. But of course it wasn’t. She and Garett were having a baby, and sooner or
later she would have to tell him.

  She sighed when she heard Garrett’s ringtone come from her phone. She knew that she needed to talk to him, but all she wanted to do at the moment was run away. Either that or curl up on her mother’s lap and cry and there was no way in hell she was going to do that. Besides the fact that she was almost thirty and too old to be crying in her mother’s arms, she was bigger than her mother and could hardly curl up on her lap like a child anyway.

  How in the hell could I let myself end up pregnant now she thought as she flicked the icon on her screen to ignore the phone call. She loved Garrett, but she was scared to death of having a child, and she had no idea what in the hell she was going to do. She knew that Garrett loved her too, even if they hadn’t yet exchanged the words, but the fact that she was pregnant so soon after they had gotten together complicated things even further. Why was she continually screwing things up she wondered?

  The tone chimed on her phone to let her know that her boyfriend had left a message. She pushed the button to dial her voicemail, hearing Garrett’s cheerful voice “Hey baby. I guess you’re busy. I know that you’re off work for the next few days and I was hoping that we could get together. I’ll make you dinner. Call me back as soon as you can. Bye baby.”

  Acasia sighed as she pressed the number to delete the message. Tears stung her eyes. She felt helpless and the thought of running away for a few days sounded wonderful. She booted up her laptop and wondered if she had enough money in her bank account to afford to get away for a few days. She checked her account balance and figured that she could afford an economy motel room. Part of her wanted to call Garrett as she booked the motel room, but the rest of her wanted nothing more than to run away from everything, and to try to figure out what the hell she was going to do about the situation she had gotten herself into.