by Violet Paige
“Are you staying home the rest of the day?” I ran my hands over my breasts and let my fingers travel between my legs.
“Shit,” he hissed.
I closed my eyes and felt my folds slick with honey. I let my legs fall open so Jer could see the full show. I circled my clit while my other hand rubbed my nipples.
“Are you going back, Jer?” I could barely speak I was dying to come again.
“Fuck no.” He fisted his cock a few pumps before it was hard again. He climbed on top of me. “I have a wife who needs my attention.”
I smiled as he thrust inside my swollen pussy.
“Ohh,” I moaned with satisfaction. I’d keep my husband in bed the rest of the day. We’d love each other. We’d please and satisfy each other. And when we were done, we’d do it all over again.
His mouth crushed mine with a forceful kiss as he pinned my wrists over my head.
He pumped in and out, building my next orgasm from my core to the farthest reaches of my veins.
“Come, baby,” he growled. “Come so I can feel you on my bare cock.”
There was nothing holding me back. I was an avalanche of orgasms all afternoon. One after another. Every time I thought I was finished, Jeremy climbed back on top of me and gave me one more intense than the last. We fucked in the shower. We fucked on the side of the bed. We walked to the kitchen for lunch and he fucked me on the table. We had an appetite for each other that was ravaging. It was fierce. It was atomic.
And I loved every single second of it.
20
Jeremy
Sasha tapped her foot. I hated it when she did that. “Well?” she snapped. “What are you going to do? Victor is talking to Stepp again. Everyone knows. Stepp has made it public knowledge.”
“Call our attorney. He needs to send a reminder of our contract, but in legalese.”
I looked at my watch. I wanted to talk strategy, but I had an appointment with Evie. If I didn’t meet her at Dr. Simon’s office, they’d both kill me.
“Where are you going?”
I closed my laptop. “Appointment,” I explained. “We can discuss it when I get back.”
“Unless you are having a root canal, there is nothing more important than this.”
“It’s Evie’s six-month exam. Twenty-six weeks,” I corrected. I was still trying to convince her to let Dr. Simons tell us the baby’s gender. Everyone in the OB office knew but us. “I have to be there. This is not negotiable.”
“In Russia, women handle these things with other women. Strong women don’t need men to hold their hands.” It was a dig about Evie, but I wouldn’t take the bait. There weren’t many women stronger than Evie. Sasha hadn’t done much to soften her jealousy.
“We’re not in Russia, Sasha. American women want their husbands involved.” I reached for my phone. I had no idea if she was telling the truth. “Besides that, I want to be there. I want to see the ultrasound. It’s my baby.”
She sighed. “Three months until the inheritance?”
I nodded. “That’s right.”
She might not care anything else for my child, but she knew it was our final ticket to purchasing the team. If we could hold Scout’s investors together for a few more months, the deal would be done and the fucking games with Stepp could end. I’d have my team. I’d have everything.
I had tried like hell to work less and spend more time with Evie at home. I didn’t miss TV binge night. I didn’t miss doctor appointments. We flew to Newton Hills for her father’s sixtieth birthday.
I was there when she asked me to be, but I saw the look in her eyes every time I left. I couldn’t be in two places at once.
I raced out of the office building.
I looked down when my phone rang. Shit.
“Yeah?”
I pushed past a couple of guys talking about last night’s game. I could jog to Dr. Simon’s.
“Jeremy, it’s Byron Lancaster.”
“What do you need, Byron?” I wasn’t in the mood for his shit.
“Seems there’s a complication of the execution of funds.”
“What in the hell are you talking about?” I paused at the crosswalk and waited for the signal. “The paperwork is rock solid. You have copies of our marriage certificate. You have Evie’s bloodwork and a signed affidavit from her doctor. You had the due date before her parents. The day our baby is born, I expect a deposit in full.”
“I’ve been made aware of new information.”
“What kind of information?”
“I need the results of a paternity test before I’ll move anything on the Hartwell estate end.”
“Paternity test? Damn it, Byron, stop being a fucking moron.”
He cleared his throat. “Are you aware that only weeks before your marriage, Evelyn Rossi had a medical procedure to conceive at the Atlanta Center for Hopes and Dreams Conception?”
“Yes. So what’s your point?”
“My point is that she could be carrying another man’s child. It might not be a Hartwell. No Hartwell. No money. Your father’s will was explicit.”
“You bastard,” I threatened. “She is having my baby. It’s my baby.”
“You’ll need to prove it. I’ve filed a court order.”
I stood outside the doctor’s office. I could see Evie in the lobby. Her belly was round now. There was no way to conceal her pregnancy. She waved me inside. I held up a finger.
“Byron, you will hear from my attorney. Tell my mother if she wants to disavow her own grandchild, fine. But making Evie go through this is cruel. She’s my wife. I won’t let you upset her.”
“My obligation is to inform you of the legal aspect of the estate. Mrs. Hartwell is your concern.”
I hung up before I blasted him again. I had to cool down before I walked inside. Evie could always read me. She knew when I was frustrated or distracted.
I took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked inside.
I waited until after the ultrasound was over and Evie was getting dressed before I followed Dr. Simons into the hall.
“Did you need something, Jeremy?”
I waited for a nurse to leave the station. “I have a question. A personal question.”
Dr. Simon laughed. “Is this another sex question? You two should have that covered by now.”
I shook my head. “I wish it was a sex question.” I shoved my hands in my pockets. “At this point in the pregnancy, what are the options for a paternity test?”
She frowned. “I’m sorry, did you mean paternity or something else?”
“Believe me, I know that’s my baby.” I tried to reassure her. “This is a legal matter. I don’t want to tell Evie until I have the information. Is it possible? Tell me what we’d need to do.”
Dr. Simons placed her clipboard on the nurses’ station. “Unless there is an emergency, or a dire situation involving the mother’s health or care, I can’t advise you to try a paternity test. Evie has had a healthy pregnancy with no risk factors. The baby is doing well. I don’t want to introduce any complications. My opinion is that if you need a paternity test you wait until your child is born.”
I hung my head. “Of course. I wouldn’t…I’d never put either of them at risk. Forget that I asked.”
She patted my wrist. “I won’t say anything. I’ll see you in four weeks for the thirty-week?”
“Yes. I’ll be here.”
The door opened and Evie walked into the hall. “What’s going on?”
“Following up,” I lied. “Can I take you to lunch?”
She grinned. “I’m starving.”
“Good. I made reservations.”
She blushed. “A date-date?”
“Am I going to get lucky?” I taunted.
“Maybe.” She laughed. “Only if I get dessert.”
“Come on.” I tugged on her hand.
21
Evie
I wanted to wear my beautiful glittery high heeled shoes. They were gorgeous. I felt
elegant and sexy in them. They were the ones I wore the night I redecorated the loft with massive amounts of blankets and pillows. But now I sat on the bed and could only stare at them in the closet.
Jeremy walked into our room.
“What are you doing?”
I exhaled. “Drowning in self-pity.” I was honest. It was hard to hold anything back.
He followed my stare. “What’s in the closet?”
“All my heels,” I whined.
“Babe, I’m not following.”
I pushed off the bed and staggered to my feet. “I’m nine months pregnant. Even if I could squeeze my feet into those shoes do you think it would be a good idea? I’d lose my balance. I miss my shoes. I miss my clothes. I miss my honeymoon lingerie.”
“Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.” Jeremy held my face between his hands. “What did you do with the honeymoon lingerie.”
My eyes narrowed and I hit him in the chest. “Not funny.”
He laughed. “Why don’t you put some on?”
I growled. “Because I’m nine months pregnant.”
He wrapped his hands around my waist. I could only get so close before my belly bumped into him.
“I love you like this. You’re gorgeous to me, Evie. Always.”
I twisted my lips together. “Stop being so sweet.”
I grabbed a stack of baby clothes I had folded and walked across the hall into the nursery. We had to decide between the guestroom and Jer’s sports room, and we chose to put a daybed in the nursery and make it a combination guestroom. That way when my mother came to stay and help with the baby, she’d have a space. And the bathroom was attached, which was convenient.
It was also a good excuse not to uproot Jer’s baseball career into boxes and storage. I knew he was happy about the nursery, but it wouldn’t have been easy for him to give up his space. I could tell what he was thinking the first time it came up. He had to draw a line somewhere.
I loved the nursery. Some days I would sit in the glider we had custom made and rock. I’d look around at the books I had collected and the gifts friends had sent. Our baby would be happy here. Our baby would be loved.
I tucked the tiny onesies into drawers.
My hand rested on my stomach.
“Oomph.” I felt a sharp tightening around my abdomen. I flinched. I straightened my back and moved to the glider. I just needed to put my feet up.
Jer peaked inside the room. “I’m going to workout. See you in an hour.”
“Jer, wait.” I grabbed my belly again when another wave hit.
“What?”
I bit my lip. The spasm subsided. “It’s probably nothing. Have a good workout.”
He walked toward me and leaned down to kiss me. His lips were firm. I tasted cinnamon on his tongue.
“Mmm,” I purred. “Oh shit,” I cursed.
“What is going on?”
I cringed, doubling over. “Ok. It’s not nothing. Contractions.”
The last one faded and I caught my breath. I settled back into the chair. Everything felt normal again.
“We need to go. Now.” Jeremy’s eyes darted back and forth.
“No. That’s not the plan. We have a plan.” I wanted to stay home as long as I could. The idea of the hospital wasn’t what I wanted. Dr. Simons told me it was very common for first-time mothers to be in labor for a full day. I wasn’t going to rush to the hospital.
But then another contraction walloped me and I almost fell to my knees. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. I needed hours. I wanted a warm shower. I wanted my birthing ball. I wanted time to get to know the labor nurse.
“Jeremy…”
“I’m on it. I’m calling Dr. Simons now. We’re leaving.”
I nodded. I wasn’t going to argue. The contractions were too close together. I had been robbed of words. He helped me into a car and we took off.
I wasn’t trying to set any records, but Austen Chloe Hartwell was born less than two hours after we were admitted to the hospital.
I watched as Jer paced around the room holding her. He had the most adorable grin on his face.
“Did you know she was a girl all this time?” he asked.
“No. I was as surprised as you.” Secretly, I had leaned toward pink my entire pregnancy, but I wanted the surprise. I didn’t want to know ahead of time. I liked the mystery and suspense. I liked being able to tell people we didn’t have a name.
He peeked at her face. “I can’t believe her.”
“Me either.” She had dark hair and perfect rosy skin. I hoped she had inherited Jeremy’s blue eyes.
“Or you.” He handed Austen to me. “You were incredible, babe. I’ve never been so proud in my life.”
I exhaled. I was exhausted. If the staff would let me, I could sleep for days. But the nurses kept interrupting every hour. No one was going to let me sleep.
“Your mom will be here tomorrow.” Jeremy plucked the baby from me and put her in the bassinet. “Do you think you can sleep?”
I nodded. “Just for a minute…”
He must have turned off the lights because everything was dark and I faded away.
22
Jeremy
The apartment was quiet. Evie and Austen were asleep in the bedroom. Naptime was my time to work. I ran the numbers again. I was going to pull this off. I’d have the full development software ready to launch before next quarter.
Scout was getting ready to dominate the sports app world. I smiled. Only two months ago I finalized a deal with some minor league ball teams for a shoe endorsement. Scout was kicking ass everywhere. There was only one final piece to complete the puzzle I wanted to assemble.
I heard a knock and almost tripped over the coffee table, trying to get to the door before Evie or the baby heard it. “Damn it.”
I growled pulling the door open. “Sasha.”
“May I?”
“Of course.” I was surprised to see her. “What brings you by? Did you want to see Austen? She’s sleeping.”
Sasha was one of the only people who hadn’t attempted to meet my daughter in the two weeks we’d been home.
“No. That’s not why I’m here.”
“All right. I just ran the app numbers and it looks good.” I grinned. “Fucking amazing, actually.”
She shook her head. “I thought I needed to do this in person.”
“Do what?”
She presented a blue folder. I’d seen folders like this one before. Whatever was inside it had been drafted in an attorney’s office. The gold seal was on the front.
“Sasha, what is this?”
“Your contract with an offer to purchase.”
My brows pinched together. I flipped the folder open. I read the first two paragraphs. I wanted to rip it up. I wanted to shred it in my hands.
“You’re selling your shares of Scout? What the hell is going on? What are you thinking?”
Her face remained stoic. “The offer you’re making is fair. More than fair.”
“I haven’t made a fucking offer to buy you out and you know it. I don’t want to buy out your part of the company. We’ve built it together, Sasha. Take this. I don’t want it.” I tried to hand her the folder but she backed away from me.
“You’ve always been the majority owner. This makes it official.”
I shook my head. “Why would you do this now? We’re about to have everything. All of it is happening at once and you’re ok walking away from years of hard work? It doesn’t make sense. You are nothing, if not a logical business woman. This is completely out of character.”
“It’s my decision to leave, Jeremy.”
“I don’t believe it. What could possibly make you do this?”
“I’ve assessed the risks and I don’t think this is a good one anymore. I’m moving on to a more stable opportunity. One with less family complications.”
I paced in front of the massive warehouse windows. “Risk? There is no risk. What kind of complications are you talking about?
”
“You don’t have your inheritance yet. I know why. I know exactly the reason that money isn’t in your account even though you’re too scared to tell me. Have you told your wife? Is that it? Is that the reason you haven’t taken the paternity test?”
I turned on my feet. I didn’t know how she had heard about the paternity suit. It didn’t matter. I would defend my child to the ends of the earth. “That is my daughter. She is mine. I don’t care if Byron Lancaster tries to block the estate in court, he’s wrong. The tests are going to prove it. Don’t you ever question it again.” I balled my fists at my side before shoving them in my pockets.
“But you haven’t had the test done yet. Why is that, Jeremy? Are you afraid she’s not your baby? Are you worried the world is going to find out your sham of a marriage was based on lies all along? You married someone to have a baby and you couldn’t even accomplish that. Did she sleep around on you?”
I glared at her. “You’re a cold bitch, Sasha. Cold.” I walked over to the coffee table, grabbed my pen, and the contract. I scribbled my name on the last two pages and threw it at her. “Take it and get out. I’ll have the money wired to you. Clear out your office. Everything,” I growled. “There’s nothing left to say. Get out of my home.”
She walked slowly to the door and turned. I saw her eyes spot something behind me. Her wicked grin told me everything I needed to know.
Fuck.
Evie was right behind me.
23
Evie
Sasha’s eyes were enough to send a chill to my soul. She smirked one more time before twirling on her heels and slamming the warehouse door behind her.
I was confused. I couldn’t possibly have heard what I thought I did. I’d never liked that woman. Partially for irrational jealous reasons, but partially because she just wasn’t a nice person. I tolerated her because of Jeremy. I never thought I had a choice. She was part of Scout. That meant she was always going to be connected to our lives. It had taken ten months, but I thought I had accepted her place next to Jeremy.
