This I Promise You

by Smith, Maureen

  Adam’s expression darkened in angry disbelief.

  “Hey, baby,” Lexi called out cheerfully.

  “Hey.” He didn’t look at all pleased to see her standing there with her ex.

  She forced a bright smile. “You remember Adam, don’t you?”

  “Of course.” Quentin inclined his head toward Adam. “McNamara.”

  “Reddick,” Adam gritted between clenched teeth.

  Trying to cut through the palpable tension, Lexi began chattering to Quentin. “The restaurant’s really packed today, even more so than usual. It’s days like these that make me wish they had valet parking during the weekday, not just evenings and weekends. We’ll have to put a bug in Mike’s ear. But go ahead and find a spot, baby. I’ll be waiting for you.”

  Quentin eyeballed Adam a moment longer, then nodded shortly and pulled off.

  Adam glared after the departing car, then turned to stare accusingly at Lexi. “Looks like I was right all along about you and your boy being more than just friends.”

  Lexi heaved a sigh. “Adam—”

  “I think it’s really fucked up how you both played me.”

  She gave him a level look. “I never cheated on you, Adam. That was your forte, remember?”

  He sneered. “The only reason I cheated was because you were fucking your so-called best friend behind my back!”

  “What? Are you still spouting that same bull—” She broke off and held up a hand. “You know what? I’m not having this conversation with you.”

  “Because you know I’m right,” he jeered furiously.

  “No, because I’ve moved on, and so should you.” She stepped away from him. “I’m going inside now. Have a nice life, Adam. Seriously.”

  He grabbed her arm. “Hold on, bitch. We’re not done—”

  “WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?”

  Lexi and Adam whirled around to see Quentin bearing down on them like a speeding bullet train. They had only seconds to register the lethal fury blazing in his eyes before he violently seized Adam by his shirtfront and punched him in the face with a brutal left hook that dropped him to his knees. Adam let out a strangled cry of pain as blood spurted from his nose.

  Without releasing his vicious hold, Quentin hit him three more times with his huge fist, leveling Adam to the ground.

  “Quentin!” Lexi screamed, rushing in front of him as he went for her ex again. “Baby, stop! You’ll kill him!”

  “DON’T YOU EVER PUT YOUR HANDS ON MY WIFE AGAIN!” Quentin roared as Adam groaned and writhed on the pavement.

  Heart thudding with panic, Lexi reached up and took Quentin’s face between her shaking hands. “Baby, please,” she whispered beseechingly. “He’s not worth it. Let it go. Please.”

  Quentin was enraged, chest heaving, nostrils flaring, fists clenched at his sides. He’d been dying to get his hands on Adam for years. If Lexi hadn’t intervened in the past, he would have killed him a long time ago.

  Taking several deep breaths to calm her nerves, she gently but firmly pushed at his chest, meeting an immovable wall. “Stay right there, Quentin.”

  “Goddammit, Lex—”

  “I’m serious, Quentin. Don’t move.”

  He clenched his jaw hard, looking past her to glare down at Adam.

  She turned around and knelt beside her injured ex-husband. “Are you okay?” she asked curtly.

  Adam just stared up at Quentin, his eyes wide with fear as blood streamed from his nostrils and the corner of his mouth.

  “Oh, Jesus,” Lexi whispered, watching nervously as her husband circled Adam with the menacing stealth of a heavyweight champion just waiting to deliver the knockout punch. “Baby, please. Not here.”

  “That motherfucker put his hands on you, Lex!” Quentin shouted.

  “It was one hand, and I’m fine.” She scowled down at Adam. “You just couldn’t leave well enough alone, could you? Idiot.”

  He coughed and spat a thick glob of blood onto the street, then fumbled a handkerchief out of the breast pocket of his blazer and pressed it to his nose. His right eye was already beginning to swell.

  “Here. Let me help you up.” As Lexi grudgingly assisted him to his feet, she heard the rapid click of high heels hurrying across the pavement before a woman’s shocked voice cried out, “What’s going on here?”

  Lexi glanced around to meet the alarmed gaze of a slender, attractive Japanese woman with a cascade of long black hair.

  “Oh, my God!” she gasped. “What happened to you, Adam?”

  He averted his eyes, shamefaced.

  Lexi shook her head in disgust. “What happened is that he chose the wrong day to make an ass of himself.”

  The woman glared accusingly at her. “Who the hell are you?”

  “I’m Alexis.”

  The woman’s eyes widened in surprise as they swept over her. “You’re Adam’s ex-wife?”

  “Unfortunately,” Lexi said grimly.

  The woman shot Adam a look that made it clear Lexi wasn’t at all what she’d expected. God only knew what lies he’d been feeding her.

  “Here.” Lexi handed him over to his girlfriend. “He might need some help standing.”

  A flush of humiliation swept over Adam’s face. “I’m fine, Mariko,” he muttered, the words muffled by the handkerchief covering his bloody nose. He cast a resentful glance at Lexi. “You’ve got yourself a real charmer there.”

  Quentin wasn’t having it. “WHAT?”

  Panic filled Adam’s eyes as Quentin lunged at him, shoving him so hard that he staggered back and fell to the ground.

  “Quentin!” Lexi cried.

  Adam scuttled backward like a frightened crab as Lexi jumped in front of her husband, trying to hold him back. She didn’t miss the flare of feminine appreciation that sparked in Mariko’s eyes as she stared up at Quentin.

  With a gentleness that belied his seething fury, Quentin picked Lexi up by the waist and set her aside. Then he stepped forward and dropped to a crouch over Adam, his eyes gleaming with such savage hatred that Adam looked ready to wet his pants. When he tried to shrink back, Quentin hauled him up by the shirtfront and got into his face.

  “Let me tell you something, motherfucker,” he snarled, low and menacing. “You and I have never liked each other. I saw you for who and what you were the moment I met you. Ever since that day I’ve had two major regrets. One is that I didn’t do everything in my power to stop Alexis from marrying you. The other is that I didn’t kill you the first chance I got. The only reason you’re still breathing right now is because we’re not alone. But understand this, McNamara. If you ever come anywhere near my wife again, I will rip your fucking throat out and feed your sorry carcass to some junkyard dogs.”

  Adam’s eyes bugged in terror and he gulped hard, blood running from his nose and dripping off his chin.

  Quentin’s eyes narrowed menacingly. “Nod to let me know you understand.”

  Adam bobbed his head quickly and then darted a glance at his girlfriend. Meeting her appalled gaze, he looked away in abject humiliation.

  Quentin clenched his jaw and then rose to his feet, towering over Adam with the deadly glare of an alpha wolf defending his territory.

  Lexi looked at Mariko, making a woman-to-woman appeal. “You should take him home to make sure his nose isn’t broken.”

  The woman nodded tightly, barely concealing her disgust as she reluctantly helped Adam off the ground and put her arm around his waist. As she led him away, she grumbled irritably, “Maybe next time you should park the damn car.”

  This brought a darkly amused grin to Quentin’s face.

  Annoyed, Lexi poked him in the chest. “That wasn’t funny, Red. You’re way bigger and stronger than he is. You could have killed him!”

  “I know.” His expression hardened. “Next time I’ll wait until you’re not around so I can finish the damn job.”

  When Lexi scowled, he bent his head and nipped her ear, catching the lobe between hi
s teeth before his lips moved to the curve of her neck, nuzzling her there until she relented with a soft laugh.

  Grinning crookedly, he draped a possessive arm around her shoulders and drew her to his side, and together they headed into the restaurant to join their waiting friends.

  22

  Candles flickered around the large bedroom, casting sensuous shadows that seemed to sway to the romantic music playing softly in the background. A trail of pink rose petals led from the door to the master bathroom, where they were strewn across the surface of the scented water that filled the Jacuzzi.

  That was where Quentin had found Lexi when he’d arrived home from work that evening. He’d stood in the bathroom doorway staring at her, his mouth curved into a sexy grin. As he watched, she’d slowly trailed a rose petal down the curve of her throat and over her naked breasts, delighting in the way his erection swelled against the front of his pants. She’d smiled seductively and crooked a finger, beckoning him to her.

  She’d never seen the man undress so quickly.

  They’d started in the hot tub and worked their way to the bed, where they now lay spooned together, savoring the intimate contact after hours of intense lovemaking.

  “That was quite a homecoming.” The lazy rumble of Quentin’s deep voice, combined with the heat of his breath on Lexi’s nape, had her skin tingling and her toes curling. “When I walked into the house and saw the candles and rose petals leading up the staircase…my, my, my.”

  Lexi felt her lips curve in a self-satisfied smile. “I’m glad you enjoyed the surprise.”

  She’d wanted to make this evening as special and memorable as the news she’d been dying to share with him all day. After Adam’s ill-timed appearance derailed her big announcement, she’d planned to tell Quentin as soon as lunch was over. But after they finished eating and making merry with their friends, Quentin had gotten called back to the office. So she’d had to put off telling him yet again.

  At the reminder of the confrontation with Adam, Lexi took Quentin’s left hand and gently kissed his bruised knuckles. “Does it hurt?”

  “What?”

  “Your hand.”

  “Nah.”

  “Not even a little?”

  “Nope.”

  She believed him. “You’re such a tough guy,” she teased.

  He chuckled as she snuggled into him, feeling safe and secure in the warm clasp of his arms. While she didn’t condone violence, it felt damn good to know her man could protect her whenever and wherever the need arose.

  She sighed contentedly. “I assume when Junior’s old enough, you’ll teach him how to box.”

  “Of course,” Quentin drawled, planting a warm kiss on her back. She shivered as he ran his tongue from her shoulder to her neck.

  Turning her head, she smiled at him. “Will you do the same for our daughter?”

  He lifted a brow at her. “What? Teach her how to box?”

  “Yes. It’s only fair if you’re going to teach Junior.” She grinned. “Our daughter could be the next Laila Ali.”

  “Nah,” Quentin said with an almost dreamy smile. “If we ever have a girl, I want her in the kitchen cooking with you.”

  “What!” Lexi sputtered indignantly. “That is so sexist!”

  “What?” Startled, Quentin laughed as she scooted away from him. “No, wait, that came out wrong. Hold up.”

  He grabbed her and rolled her onto her back, making her laugh as she stared up at him.

  “I wasn’t trying to sound sexist, babe,” he insisted, stroking her hair back from her face. “It’s just that ever since we started dating, I’ve been fantasizing about having a little girl who looks just like you. I’ve imagined the two of you in the kitchen together in matching aprons with a smudge of flour on your noses. You’re showing her how to make one of your amazing dishes, and neither of you can stop giggling. I smile so damn hard every time I get that picture in my head.”

  His words made Lexi melt inside. “That is so sweet, baby,” she whispered, her heart swelling with love and affection. Smiling tenderly, she reached up and curved a hand against his cheek. “I guess we’ll find out in a few months whether I’m getting my little sous chef.”

  “A few months…?” The meaning of her words didn’t register at first. When they did, Quentin’s eyes widened and he stared down at her. “What are you saying? Are you…are you—”

  “Pregnant?” She grinned. “I sure am.”

  “Are you serious? Don’t play with me, babe.”

  “I’m not,” she said with a laugh. “You know I wouldn’t joke about something like that. I’ve been dying to tell you all day. I was going to do it before lunch,” she added wryly, “but then Adam happened.”

  Quentin was so enraptured by her news he didn’t even react to the mention of her ex’s name. “We’re really having another baby?”

  She smiled. “We are.”

  Quentin threw back his head and let out a wildly exuberant “Woo hoo!” that would have woken up Junior if he weren’t spending the night at Lexi’s mother’s house.

  She giggled as Quentin showered kisses over her eyelids, cheeks, nose and jaw before pressing a breath-stealing kiss to her mouth.

  When he pulled away, they grinned at each other and simultaneously broke into ecstatic laughter.

  “When’d you find out?” he asked her.

  “This morning when I took the test at Reese’s house. While we were having coffee, I mentioned to her that my period was a few days late, and I asked her if the minipill could be throwing off my cycle. I’d barely finished my question before she got up, ran out of the kitchen and came back with a home pregnancy test. Being an ob-gyn, of course, she has her own stash of testing products.” Lexi grinned. “You should have seen her jumping up and down and squealing. She was so excited for us. But I made her promise to let you share the good news with Mike.”

  Quentin grinned broadly. “I can’t wait to tell our families, especially my mom and Grandma Penny. You know how badly they want us to have more children.”

  “I know.” Lexi grinned. “I think Mama Wolf already knows that I’m pregnant. That day after church, she asked me how I was feeling and told me to take good care of myself and get plenty of rest. I didn’t remember her comments until this morning. Clairvoyant old woman.”

  She watched as Quentin splayed his fingers over her stomach, marveling at the thought of his second child laying just beneath his hand. His awed expression melted her heart.

  “If it’s a girl,” he said softly, “let’s name her Alexandra.”

  “Ooh, Alexis and Alexandra.” Lexi beamed. “I like that.”

  Quentin’s pleased grin was boyishly endearing.

  She reached up and gently combed her fingers through his hair. He was letting it grow out a little. It was so soft and wavy. It felt like silk.

  In the background, ’N Sync was crooning their romantic song “This I Promise You,” an oldie but goodie. The lyrics were beautiful, perfectly capturing the tenderness of the moment.

  Lexi smiled up at Quentin. “I’ll have to ask Asha to do that thing with a necklace to determine the baby’s sex. She’s done it for me, Samara, Reese and Taylor, and her predictions have been accurate every time.”

  Quentin grinned. “I can’t wait to see what she says.”

  “Neither can I.” Lexi sighed and rubbed her face against his chest, then leaned up and kissed him where the pulse beat at the base of his neck.

  When he shivered, she pulled back and looked up at him, watching his long lashes flicker down as he stared at her mouth. Heat and need rose within her, and she unconsciously bit her lip. As he lowered his head, her stomach fluttered and her breath quickened.

  When his lips gently covered hers, pleasure slid through her veins and her womb contracted. She caressed his muscular forearms and stroked his chest as he rose above her. He parted her legs and guided his hard cock through her slick folds, groaning at her glove-like grip.

  As he began pumping
into her with aching slowness, she moaned softly and wrapped her legs around his back. The movement pulled him in even deeper, making him shudder with satisfaction.

  Staring intently into her eyes, he laced his fingers through hers and slowly drew their hands above her head. She gazed back at him, staggered by the intensity of their connection. Every move he made, every breath he took, she took with him. They were one and it felt so damn right, she wondered how she’d ever existed before he came sauntering into her life.

  He picked up the pace, whispering heated words of love as his hips rocked against hers. Gasping softly, she tightened her legs around his waist, her heels digging into the small of his back.

  Moments later she shook explosively into climax and he joined her, dropping his head to her shoulder as his seed erupted in hot, pulsing surges against her cervix.

  Closing her eyes, she pressed her forehead to his damp chest, keeping her legs wrapped around his hips to hold him inside her as long as she could.

  After some time, he pulled back to gaze down at her. “I love you so much, Alexis Reddick.”

  She smiled into his eyes. “You’d better. I’m giving you another baby.”

  “Hell, yeah.” He smiled and leaned down, his lips touching hers with a tenderness that made her want to cry. Seconds later, she realized that she was.

  Quentin gently brushed her tears off her cheeks, his eyes twinkling with warm amusement. “Hormonal already?”

  She sniffled and laughed. “Don’t make fun of me.”

  He grinned. “I wouldn’t dare.”

  She smiled softly, gazing up at him with awe and wonder. She loved him even more than she’d ever thought possible, and she thoroughly reveled in the bond they shared. A bond that had been forged over twenty-five years ago. An unbreakable bond that would only grow deeper and stronger in the years to come.

  “I love you,” she whispered fiercely.

  Quentin’s gaze was searingly tender. “Don’t ever stop.”