A Friendly Arrangement

by Sarah Bates

  “There’s no one else I would ever want to be her father, Alex,” she said, reaching up to brush her fingertips through his hair.

  He studied her for a moment, then shifted and pulled the small box from his pocket. “I want to be there from the start next time,” he told her.

  “Next time,”

  “With the next one,” he explained. “And the one after that. I want to make babies with you, Sami. I thought about what you said last night, about the two of us giving Serena little brothers and sisters, and that’s what I want, too. I want to make a family with you.”

  She swallowed hard and, their meal completely forgotten, shifted away from the table. “I don’t understand.”

  “I know.” He sighed and stood, then pushing his chair aside and knelt down beside her, took her hands and kissed them. “I love you, Samantha. I’m in love with you.” He smiled as he clarified, the way that she had the night before. “And I want to make a family with you. A lasting marriage. A year isn’t good enough. It never was. I want forever, Sami.” And saying so he lifted the black velvet box.

  “Alex,”

  “Open it,” he said, handing it to her.

  She took it and slowly lifted the top, and her breath caught as tears slipped down her cheeks. It was by far the most beautiful ring she had ever seen, and she remembered, very distinctly, the first time she had ever seen it, gracing the slender, elegant hand of Eleanor Steel, Alex’s grandmother. She lifted her wet gaze back to his, completely lost for words.

  He watched her for a moment, then gently took her left hand and slid the glittering diamond he had already given to her off of her finger. He placed that one on her right hand, then took his grandmother’s ring and slid it in front of the golden band he had placed there as he’d sworn vows to her. It fit perfectly.

  Then he kissed her hands again and looked up, reached up to wipe the tears from her face. “When my grandfather gave this ring to me he told me to only give it to the woman I loved more than anything else. I’ve loved three women in my life, Sami. My mother, my grandmother, and you. You’re the only one I have left. You, and now you’ve given me Serena, and I love her too. But my heart is yours, and always will be. Will you give me forever?”

  Unable to speak she simply nodded, vigorously, and wrapped her arms around him when he pulled her to her feet.

  “I love you,” he said when he brought his mouth to hers. “I love you.”

  Because it was such a beautiful, clear night they decided to walk home along the beach after they ate their dinner. Strolling hand-in-hand in the surf they talked about their future together, about all the beautiful babies they would make.

  “I think that we should name our first son Gregory, after your grandfather,” Samantha said as she swung her flip-flops from her hand.

  Alex smiled and nodded. “I think he would have liked that.” He lifted their hands and kissed her fingers. “It’s so strange to think that if he hadn’t put that clause in his will, we wouldn’t be here right now.” he looked at her and reached his free hand up to brush at her hair. “I know that we would have eventually ended up here, because I love you, but,”

  “You’re grateful that he gave you that shove so that you didn’t wait so long,” she said. He nodded and she smiled and leaned into him. “So am I. I love you, Alex.”

  She moaned softly when he cupped her face in his hands and took her mouth with his. He kissed her long and deeply, pouring all that he felt for her into the way his lips moved over hers, the way he slowly slid his tongue between her lips and stroked her, tasted her.

  All too quickly the need he had for her, always a low simmer beneath the surface, flared to life inside of him. He dragged his mouth away from hers and sucked in a hard, harsh breath and met her gaze.

  Her pale green eyes studied him, soft and clouded with the passion he had started to awaken in her. He shifted her closer and she brought her arms up around his neck, fisting her hands in his hair as she tugged his head back down.

  “Sami,” He groaned her name as their mouths came back together and he tightened his hold on her.

  “Make love to me, Alex,” she panted when he moved his mouth down to taste her throat.

  He shifted, and glanced over his shoulder to judge the distance they had left to the house, and thought that he was going to go out of his mind when she started kissing his neck. Then she moved her mouth up to catch his earlobe with her teeth.

  “Alex,” she urged.

  The light on the back deck of the house was illuminated not too far in the distance, but he knew he couldn’t wait even that long. He also knew that they had already crossed over onto his own private property. So they were alone.

  She laughed breathlessly when he turned back and captured her mouth, and dragged her down into the wet sand. Just then a wave broke and slid up the shore, soaking them both. Neither of them seemed to notice or care as they began to pull at each other’s clothes.

  “I need you, Sami,” he growled, dragging his mouth over hers, tasting her and the warm salt or the water crashing below them and surround them. “I need you.”

  She caught his face in her hands, her fingers slipping into his dark, dripping hair. “Have me,” she said.

  He crushed his mouth back to hers and his hands shot up under the skirt of her dress to pull away the swatch of silk that barred her from him. Their efforts were hampered slightly as another wave came up and crashed over them.

  He rolled them quickly, lifting her off of the sand and above the brunt of the water that slid up around them, and settled her over his lap.

  Her panties and flip-flops receded into the ocean, but neither of them really cared as they struggled with the closure to his pants. Another wave came, pooling about their waists, then finally, with a triumphant cry, she slid his zipper down. He arched under her, dragging his pants down his hips, and then with one powerful thrust, he was inside her.

  She gripped his shoulders and arched, a shocked cry catching in her throat. His arms came around her and his hands fisted the back of her wet dress. They stared at each other in the bright moonlight for a split second, then she lowered her head and her long golden curls curtained their faces as their lips brushed softly, gently.

  Then she moved over him, her body arched, and she slowly began to rock them. Their rhythm followed the waves, slow and deep, strong and power.

  He never took his mouth from hers as she moved them, and when the pressure had finally grown too great for both of them, they clung, then fell over that glorious peak together.

  Long minutes passed as they sat tangled in each other and their wet clothes. Samantha rested against his chest as her body trembled with those lovely little aftershocks, her head rested weakly on her shoulder.

  Holding her close, Alex shifted and carefully climbed to his feet, and chuckled when he felt one of her hands drop down to grab at the waistband of his pants.

  “Thanks.”

  She sighed and pressed her face to his throat. “It’s the least I can do,” she murmured.

  He carried her up the beach, stepping carefully in the deeper, dry sand, then up the whitewashed steps and into the house. He carried her straight through to their private bathroom and only then did he gently lower her to her feet.

  “You’re cover in sand,” she said, laughing as they both tugged his shirt over his head, then tossed it aside.

  “So are you.” He reached up and slid his hands into the long wet ropes of her hair. “I love you,” he said.

  She smiled up at him and leaned up on her toes to kiss him. “It’s so amazing to hear you say it,” she mumbled against his lips.

  “I love you,” he murmured.

  They slowly finished stripping each other, then stepped into the shower. Alex turned the water on, warm, and closed his eyes and groaned when she came up behind him and slid her arms around him, laying her hands flat to his chest as she began to press kisses to the backs of his shoulders.

  He slowly turned and leaned down to
kiss her. He reveled in the way she tasted, the way she felt against him.

  She tipped her head back to give him better access to her throat when he lowered his head, and held his strong arms for balance as he moved her back a few steps. She let out a soft gasp when her back pressed against the cool tile wall. “Alex,” she fisted her hands in his hair when he slid his mouth down to sample the soft, heavy swells of her breasts, and her breath caught when he drew a dark pink peak between his lips.

  The pull of his mouth on her had an answering pull down in her center and she shuddered when one of his hands cupped her there.

  He stroked her, his fingers dipping slowly into the soft, velvet heat of her and her muscles tightened around him, trembling. His body tensed in reaction, a deep, desperate need filling him to feel her surrounding him again. He slowly withdrew his hand and brought his mouth back to hers as he shifted them. “I need to be inside you,” he murmured.

  She nodded as she held onto his shoulders, unsure that her legs would hold her much longer. “I think that we’re going to have to get creative.” she laughed breathlessly when he lifted her up and her belly bumped into his flat stomach. It was a stark reminder that they weren’t exactly alone in their frenzied passion.

  He grinned and nipped at her chin. “I can do creative,” he told her.

  For the next few days they lost themselves in each other, finally giving into all the pent up emotions of the past, finally letting themselves have what they had always truly wanted, each other.

  Alex proved he could indeed be creative. Very creative.

  Samantha had never dreamed that there were so many different ways to make love. When she had said as much to Alex he merely grinned and showed her a few more ways.

  Now already their tropical getaway was coming to a close, as Alex’s work demanded attention. He was loath to return to the office, for the first time wishing he could simply relegate the problems to someone else. But his grandfather had trusted him, even if he had threatened in his last words to break his legacy in pieces and sell it off. And so, with that on his mind, and heavy on his heart, he had reluctantly told Samantha that he had to go back to Orlando.

  But, at least, they could have one more day to relax in their own private little world.

  Taking a break from their bedroom, and the kitchen, and the living room floor for that matter, as her body simply needed to rest, Samantha lounged in the hammock again, sipping a bottle of mineral water and listening to the crashing of the waves.

  “How are you doing?” Alex asked as he strode through the deep white sand.

  She tipped her sunglasses down her nose and admired his toned, tanned physique, grinning at his tousled, wet hair and the drops of salt water sliding down his hard torso. “Fabulously,” she finally replied, sipping her water. “This is the life. I could stay here forever, basking in the sun, making love to my incredibly beautiful husband.”

  “Hm.” He looked around, as if to make sure they were alone, then looked back to her and wiggled his brows. “Sounds like a plan,” he said, eyeing the hammock contemplatively.

  She laughed when he reached out to test the strength of the ropes. “You are insatiable, aren’t you?” she teased when he bent to kiss her.

  “Just hungry,” he murmured, and made it plain what he was craving when he reached behind her and untied the strings holding her bikini top in place.

  “Alex,” she groaned when he dipped his head and slid her fingers into his hair as he took a tight pink peak into his mouth. “Take me inside,” she murmured.

  He hummed in pleasure and hooked his arms around her, lifting her up. “What a fantastic idea,” he agreed.

  She laughed and held on tightly to him as he carried her towards the house.

  When he laid her on their bed she reached up and brushed her fingers through his damp hair again. “I know that you have to get back, but I really do wish we could just stay here,” she said softly.

  “I know.” He dipped his head and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. “We’ll come back soon,” he promised.

  She hummed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he deepened the kiss, tipped her head back when he trailed hot kisses down her throat. And laughed when he jerked back all of a sudden and stared down at her belly.

  “Was that,” he reached out and placed a hand over the mound of her belly and stared in awe when he felt a responding bump against his palm. “How long has she been kicking?” he asked, looking back up.

  “A week or so,” she replied, and felt her smile widen when Alex leaned forward again and pressed a kiss to her belly. “I haven’t mentioned it because they haven’t been very strong, just like little bubbles, so I wasn’t sure that you’d be able to feel them.”

  “I felt those two.” He rubbed her belly and looked back to her, grinning. “She’s going to have a really good roundhouse kick,” he chuckled.

  Samantha scowled comically and wrapped her arms around her stomach. “She’s going to be a ballerina.”

  He chuckled again and leaned forward to kiss her pouting lips. “She can be whatever she wants to be. She’s still going to my baby girl, no matter what.”

  She smiled at that and reached up to brush at his damp hair. “Yes, she is,” she agreed. “Always and forever.”

  Chapter Ten

  A week later they were back in the city, but even though Alex was back to working long, hard hours, their newfound physical relationship suffered very little. Most nights he didn’t even make it through their bedroom door before Samantha started undressing him.

  So far they had managed to christen not only their bed, and the shower and floor of their suite, but also the desk in the library and the island counter in the kitchen now held special places in their hearts as well. Especially the counter, which was at just the right height for him.

  His creativity, apparently, knew no bounds.

  Which had ultimately brought her to the question, how far along should she be before they had to start keeping their hands to themselves? All her books were vague on the subject, some of them saying that it was alright for the first two trimesters, then others still said that as long as it remained comfortable, there was no date restraint, reminding the readers to just be mindful of the little ones inside of them.

  Alex had opted to go with the latter books, but she still worried, so she made an appointment to talk to her doctor about it. Dr. Evans had agreed with Alex, which she knew would please her husband greatly.

  Her husband.

  Samantha still felt a thrill at the fact that she could call Alex her husband, and that he was going to remain so, always. She smiled and put her sunglasses on as she stepped out of the doctor’s office and headed across the parking lot, trying to think of all the creative ways she could tell him.

  The last person that she ever would have expected to find leaning against her car was her father. Her stomach plunged instantly at the sight of him.

  “What are you doing here?” she demanded, dragging her keys from her purse.

  “Now is that any way for a daughter to greet her father?” Marcus asked, pushing away from the snazzy new black Volvo SUV that Alex had surprised her with the night before. “Where’s my hug, princess?” He held his arms opened wide as though he actually expected her to embrace him.

  Yeah, right.

  She straightened her shoulders and simply stared at him. “What do you want?” she asked.

  He sighed and gave up the pretense of fatherly adoration. If she wanted to cut to the chase, so be it. “I need money,” he said, straightening the front of his suit coat.

  She laughed in his face. “You’re not getting a penny out of me. If your little brainless twit lost it all, that’s not my fault. I won’t be your debit machine.”

  He scowled and folded his arms at his chest. “I think differently.”

  “What makes you think that I’ll just give you money? My money. Money that my grandparents left to me?” She shook her head and went to push by him.


  He reached out and grabbed her arm, turning her to face him. And tightened his grip painfully when she tried to pull free. “I know you’ll give it to me because I know something you and your dear husband don’t want anyone else to know,” he told her.

  She glared at him and finally yanked her arm free. “Like what?”

  He smiled and reached up to adjust his sunglasses. “Like the fact that’s not even your husband’s,” he replied, gesturing to her belly.

  She blinked in surprise and shifted away from him. “That’s no one’s business but mine and Alex’s.”

  “Yes, and wouldn’t you like to keep it that way?” he asked. “Can you just think of the scandal that would come out if anyone else was ever to find out? Why, people are liable to start wondering who the dear daddy is, and maybe even start to wonder if handsome, viral Alexander Steel is capable of fathering children. Then, of course there’s the question everyone will ask? Why did he marry you if he hadn’t gotten sloppy and accidentally knocked you up? A man who, rather publicly, always swore he’d never marry?”

  Samantha’s mouth had gone dry and she swallowed hard as she stared at him. “You’re actually blackmailing me?” she asked hoarsely.

  He tisked and shook his head. “I prefer to think of it as ensuring your cooperation. And don’t even think of going to Mr. Hubby about this little visit. If I hear from him, or his watchdog attorney, everything I know will go to the press. Your husband would be ruined if that happened, and his already struggling company will be, well, I’m sure you can imagine what would happen to the stocks if something of this negative magnitude were to come out.”

  She slowly shook her head. “I don’t know where you get your information, but Alex’s company isn’t struggling. And why would anyone believe you?”

  He smiled sharply. “I see that your new husband doesn’t tell you everything. And because I have documented proof. A sperm donor, Samantha? Really. That’s, well, sad.”