Hurt stabbed her heart. “You’re on I-85? But why? I don’t understand when you just said you’re moving to Chicago.”
Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Why did it even matter since they still lived in two different states? He was running behind Melinda, and anyone with eyes saw the woman had designs on him from the outfit she sported the other night.
“Is that what you think? Damn it, Vanity.” She heard him strike the steering wheel. “Meet me. Where are you?”
Vanity hesitated. She considered jumping back on the interstate and hightailing it home, but if she didn’t take a chance on getting hurt—if she refused to trust him with the risk of it all going to hell—she wasn’t truly living. There would be no chance of love and happiness.
“There’s a diner,” she said, recalling the sign, “five miles back from where I am now.” She gave him the exit with butterflies stirring in her stomach. “Be careful. The weather is getting worse.”
“I’ll be there.”
Vanity made the short trip almost shaking. She pulled into the near deserted parking lot, but the neon sign blinked OPEN, and she stepped out to dart across to the entrance. Once inside, she found a table and ordered a hot cocoa with extra marshmallows. Judging the time for Owen to get there, she waited until she was ready for another cup before ordering him one as well.
Just a few other patrons occupied the narrow restaurant. Red sparkly garland hung over the counter and around each window, along with white twinkling lights. At the end of the counter, someone had decorated a small artificial tree with ornaments way too big for it. Any other time, the setup would appear cheesy to her, but with the snow coming down outside and the prospect starting something new with Owen, the scene stirred excitement in her belly.
Several minutes later, Owen pulled into the lot next to her car, and he unfolded from the interior. Vanity’s heart went into overdrive, and she pressed a hand to her chest.
The bell over the door jingled as he stepped inside, and his blue gaze met hers. He moved with purpose the few strides to her table and swept her onto her feet and into his embrace. His kiss shook her from head to toe, and for a few amazing moments, she forgot every worry.
When he set her on her feet, Vanity teetered, but Owen held a hand at her waist until she sat down. He took the spot across from her, and she tried not to melt under his hot gaze.
“This is for me?” he asked.
She nodded. “Extra marshmallows the way you like it.”
“And the way I got you into.” He grinned.
She rolled her eyes in jest. “Not like it’s original.”
They laughed off the tension, and Vanity relaxed a little. She leaned back in her chair but then moved forward to grip her cup. The thoughts flooding her mind did not allow for comfort just yet. “I heard you say you’re moving to Chicago. I understand your reasoning, and I admit it bothered me. I—”
“First of all, I am not moving to Chicago, baby.” The gentle patience in his tone gave her some peace, along with his words. “I am going there to inspect the area and home where Melinda intends for Jamie to live. It pissed me off that she knew all of this and had been planning it for a while and kept it quiet. By rights, I should take her to court.”
Vanity lowered her gaze. “But you won’t.”
“Wrong again.”
She gasped and looked up at him. He reached across to take her hand.
“I’ve sat in fear about whether Jamie is mine or not for too long. I’m going to get a paternity test, and if he’s not, then I will still fight her for rights to see him. If he is, then it’s a weight off my shoulders.”
Vanity laced her fingers with his. “That’s so great. I’m glad. I know it’s scary, but you can do it, and she’s not stupid enough to try to block you from Jamie’s life either way. You’re a great father.”
“Thank you.” He bent forward and raised her fingers to kiss them. “One other thing.”
She shifted in her seat. “Yes?”
“If Jamie turns out to be mine, I’m going to file for full custody of him. I would like to live in Charlotte.”
Vanity sat in silence. A myriad of thoughts paraded through her mind, none she wanted to speak out loud to him. When she didn’t speak, he jostled her hand to capture her attention, and she focused on him again.
“I don’t want to be selfish, Vanity, but a long-distance relationship is a challenge for anyone. We would need to live either in Baltimore or in Charlotte. I am hoping you will consider relocating here, but I won’t push you.”
Her mouth went dry even as elation built deep inside. “Isn’t that a little fast?”
He smiled. “I don’t mean for us to live together just yet. I would help you find a place, or you might choose to stay with Ella until we’re sure about where we’re going. If you can’t relocate because of work, I can rethink my plan with Jamie.”
“Is this why you didn’t call me for two days after Melinda came to your house?” She glanced away so he wouldn’t see the insecurity she felt, but he picked up on it anyway.
“There is nothing, and can never be anything between she and I. As I said, Vanity, I love you. I want to get to know you better. I realize I have baggage, and it’s about to increase with my custody suit. If I win, you would be dating a fulltime single father. That’s another consideration.”
“That is a challenge with a whole new set of fears. You’re asking me to trust when I haven’t done it before. Not only that, but your son comes with the package. I like Jamie a lot. He’s so sweet, but I want to be honest, it terrifies me. I might not be strong enough. Hell I might need therapy to get through all this.” Her laugh seemed hollow and weak, and she pulled her hand from his to bunch together with the other in her lap. Chills raced over her arms. She didn’t know if she’d said the wrong thing or made him want to back out, but she had come this far. “I love you too, Owen. I know I will love Jamie because he’s that kind of sweetheart. I don’t know anything else.”
“That’s good enough for me.”
She gaped at him.
“You’re willing to stand with me in this process?”
She swallowed. “I am, and I shouldn’t have a problem with staying with Aunt Ella until I’m settled down here. I have to find another job, but I’m pretty good at what I do.”
He winked. “There’s my girl. Then let’s go. I have until New Year’s, and I want to spend that time with you in my arms.”
“Yes, let’s go home.”
Epilogue
“Baby, it’s here,” Owen told her on the phone. She heard the tension in his voice and tossed the last load of towels into the wash before switching her cell to the other ear.
“I’ll be right over. Wait for me.”
She’d been at Aunt Ella’s for just over a week. Back in Baltimore, things weren’t settled yet, but she came down to be with Owen for this time. He had waited until she could come back to do the paternity test, and coordinating it so Melinda could be involved took some doing. The woman claimed she was willing to do the test but then made excuses. Owen had paid her way from Chicago to Charlotte just so he could be sure of everything. The private clinic could have done the test without the mother, but Owen insisted, and Vanity didn’t blame him. At least the results hadn’t taken more than a few days to come back. She knew years ago it took weeks. Now he had the result letter in the mail, and they intended to open it together.
“Aunt Ella, I’m going next door,” Vanity called to her aunt and headed outside. She had elected to stay with Aunt Ella for a while, who was thrilled with the prospect, since neither Vanity nor Owen wanted to be far apart. Besides, their struggles were just beginning since Melinda didn’t know yet that Owen intended to return to court. He had wanted to be on solid ground with the paternity thing first.
Owen opened the door when she walked up and took her into his arms. She encircled his waist and pressed her face to his hard chest. Breathing in, she inhaled his masculine scent, both comforting
and arousing. He held her tight, stroking her back. She picked up the rustle of the paper in his hand and gave him time.
“I love him.”
She tightened her hold. “I know, baby, and he’s yours. I have no doubt of that. Let’s do this together.”
Owen shifted his shoulders and kissed the top of her head. They sat down on the couch in the living room, and he ripped apart the envelope’s seal. Together, they read the words, and tears filled Vanity’s eyes until she had to shut them.
“99.99 percent chance…” Owen read.
“That he’s your son,” she finished. “Thank God.”
“Yes.”
Owen crushed her to his chest, and she felt the tension leaving him. The letter slipped from his fingers onto the floor, and he drew her onto his lap. He cupped her face and kissed her lips. Vanity leaned into him, shutting her eyes. They rubbed cheeks, just holding on and drawing comfort. After some time, Vanity inched closer to rest her head under his chin. She lay a palm on his chest, his heart beating a rapid tattoo.
“Next is the custody suit,” he said.
“Are you going to tell her?”
“Yes, I don’t want to spring it on her as she did to me.” He tipped her chin up and kissed her once again. Vanity lingered where she was, parting her lips so he could slip his tongue between them. For long moments, they danced with just their mouths, and a wave of sexual desire made Vanity’s body heat to scorching. Owen ran a hand up from her waist to her breast, and when he tweaked her nipple, she cried out in pleasure.
In an involuntary movement, she spread her legs and took Owen’s hand from her breast to place it at her pussy. He thrust her panties aside and eased two fingers into her wetness. A shudder rocked her to the core, and she arched her hips on his thrusts.
“Vanity.”
She moaned. “Hm?”
“Stay with me tonight—and every night.”
She stilled his hand, opened her eyes, and stared at him. “What are you saying?”
“I want us to live together. I want you beside me every day.”
“I’m already beside you. I told you I’ll be right here throughout this custody thing. I’m not going anywhere. While I admit it’s scary, and it took me a while to take the step, I trust you.” She chuckled, a little embarrassed. “I’m even resisting the urge to prove myself with my bank card. I mean it hasn’t been that long, but you don’t know the temptations I’ve dealt with. I’m just…I’m here, Owen. I promise.”
He raised an eyebrow while he studied her face. “In other words, no?”
“I—”
“I see I will have to win you over to my way of thinking.”
“All or nothing?” she said.
“All and all!”
Vanity squeaked in alarm when he stood up and tossed her onto the couch. He unbuttoned his pants, and she caught her breath. The sight of the V at his groin arrested her attention, and she refused to look away. Owen shoved the slacks over his hips, and she sat forward. Her endless lust for him never dulled. They had sex everyday, but it was more than just about the physical. Owen seemed to know when to be gentle and when to dominate her. He read her like a book, and she loved it. She loved him. Each time they were together, admitting the fact came easier, both in her mind and out loud to him.
The tenderness that came into his gaze, the way he held out his hand to her, all drew her like a moth, but not to flame. More and more, Owen became a haven rather than danger or risk to her heart. She blossomed in his love and attention, and it made her want to get better—to give him better in return.
“I’ll stay,” she said on impulse, yet sure the second the word left her lips. “I’ll move in.”
His eyes grew round, and then he extended a hand to her. Vanity put hers in his and stood. They ascended the stairs to his bedroom and shed the rest of their clothes. At the bedside, Vanity drifted into his embrace. They clung to one another, and she tilted her head back to twirl her tongue with his. She reached between them and stroked his cock. The shaft strained against her hand, hardening as she worked it. Vanity squeezed the head and felt moisture at the tip. Owen groaned in her mouth, but he lifted her into his arms and laid her on the bed. Above her he took in her full length, and she didn’t miss the expression in his eyes that made her heart ache. Staying was the right decision. She knew nothing of making a home with a man and his child. Family seemed like a foreign concept, but she was willing and open to learn.
Owen climbed onto the bed. She parted her legs and raised her hands to him. He settled between her thighs, their hips meeting in the most mind numbing of pleasurable connections.
“Vanity,” he murmured as he eased his cock past her entrance. Vanity raised her hips off the bed to meet his gentle thrust. With each inch inside, she grew desperate for more. His harsh grunt when he was seated to the hilt sent shivers down her spine. Owen caught one ankle and raised her leg. He began gliding in and out of her pussy and hissed between his teeth. “You’re so hot, baby.”
“I’m hot for you. I can’t get enough.” She played with her clit, and the sensations of an orgasm teased with her mind but refused to break. Vanity struggled to pick up the pace as their bodies met, but Owen kept rigid control. She whined, and he appeared to pick up on what she needed.
He guided her hand over her clit, encouraging her play. Vanity tugged at the sensitive bud, and her orgasm grew stronger, but each time it crested in her core, the damn waves receded. She cried out her frustration.
“Easy, baby, I always please you, and this time is no different.” Owen pulled out of her. “Get onto your hands and knees.”
She did as she was told and looked back at him. To her surprise, he dropped to his knees on the floor and licked her pussy. Dripping wet, Vanity pushed back onto her lover’s tongue. Owen drove deep and laved her juices. She gasped and wiggled in bliss, but her orgasm didn’t come to a head.
Owen leaned away. “Play with your clit for me.”
She reached between her legs and began stroking her button. Pleasure ruptured like wildfire, and she rode both her fingers and Owen’s tongue. When she whimpered his name, he stopped once again, and she protested.
“Hold on, my love.” He drove his fingers into her and rotated them a little while. “So wet. You need to come, don’t you, baby?”
“Yes, please, Owen,” she begged.
He removed his fingers and slid them higher to her anal entrance. Vanity bit into her bottom lip. She squeezed her eyes shut, and then he took the plunge, inserting one finger into her ass. He worked it around and around until her muscles loosened. A second finger followed the first, and strength left Vanity’s body with the sense of fullness. Still, Owen wasn’t done. He kept his fingers where they were and then threaded his dick into her pussy. She yelped.
“Keep playing with that clit,” he commanded.
Three spots stimulated at the same time, Vanity took in a single breath before her entire core went into hyperdrive. A climax took hold, more potent than any she experienced in the last weeks, and she screamed through her release. Owen pounded into her from behind until her shouts turned to whimpers, and then he altered their positions. He sat on the side of the bed with her on his lap facing away from him. Vanity held onto his thighs and rode his cock at an unhurried pace. Owen’s hands spasmed on her hips before he emptied his hot load inside of her.
“I love you, Vanity.”
She leaned back and sighed in contentment, a hand at his cheek to caress it. “And I love you, baby. You have my trust—and all my heart.”
* * * *
“Mrs. Chase, it’s a girl,” the doctor announced.
Vanity collapsed back on the bed, her mind in a spin. First a husband and a stepson, and now a daughter. As scary as it was, at last she truly lived.
The End
About the Author
Tressie Lockwood has always loved books, and she enjoys writing about heroines who are overcoming the trials of life. She writes straight from her heart, reach
ing out to those who find it hard to be completely themselves no matter what anyone else thinks. She hopes her readers enjoy her short stories. Visit Tressie on the web at www.tressielockwood.com.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Five
Epilogue
About the Author
Can't Buy Your Love Page 6
