He opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed the cream he used to relieve muscle and joint pain and rubbed some into his knee. He washed his hands and then hopped on one leg to his room and pulled on a clean pair of basketball shorts. His next stop was the kitchen. He filled a plastic bag with ice, hopped to the couch, and then plopped down and placed the ice on his knee. He laid his head back on the sofa and shut his eyes.
Twenty seconds hadn’t passed before he heard a knock on the door.
“Come in.”
For a moment there he figured whoever had been at his door had gone away, but then the door creaked open and Jill poked her head inside. “Hi there.”
He lifted his head. “Hi.”
She looked at his knee. “Are you okay?”
“Just a little too much basketball with my brothers this morning.”
“Mind if Ryan and I come inside?”
He waved a hand through the air and said, “Be my guest.” Then he tried to push himself up from the couch.
“Don’t move,” she told him. “I can manage.”
He didn’t like the idea of not helping her with the baby, but then he remembered what Sandy had said about Jill falling for him, and he decided to stay where he was.
She opened the door wide enough to push the stroller inside without disturbing Ryan. “He’s asleep,” she said with a smile. “A true miracle.”
He couldn’t stop himself from smiling back at her. She looked happy and that made him happy. “You look great.” She looked better than great. This was the first time he had seen her wearing something other than sweats. Her jeans were snug, showing off slim hips and long legs for such a short woman. Her yellow shirt contrasted nicely with her hair, which looked like three shades of brown, depending on the lighting. It was the first time he recalled seeing her hair untangled. It looked soft and shiny, full of body, the kind of hair a man liked to comb his fingers through. He shook his head, attempting to clear his wayward thoughts.
“Thanks,” she said. “I feel great.” She shut the door and set her purse on the coffee table in front of the couch. “I finally managed to catch up on my sleep yesterday. It’s funny, but ever since I talked to those women at the park I’ve felt different…better. When I called the doctor last week, the nurse told me it was perfectly fine to let Ryan cry sometimes, so when you didn’t show up this morning, I let him cry while I took a shower and did my hair. I’m even fitting into my old jeans, which is why I’m here.”
“Those jeans look amazing.”
When she laughed, her eyes sparkled right along with her straight white teeth.
“I didn’t come looking for compliments,” she told him, “although I appreciate them all the same. I came to tell you thank you and to apologize for being so rude yesterday. My actions were uncalled for and I’m embarrassed. You’ll also be glad to know that I apologized to Chelsey and she’s back on the payroll.”
“I’m glad. She’s a very enthusiastic employee.”
She nodded. “I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate all you’ve done.”
“Don’t give it another thought. Under the circumstances, I think you’ve handled everything going on around you, me included, quite well.”
“Look at me,” she said. “I’m doing it again, blabbing on about myself when you’re sitting there in pain. It’s that knee again, isn’t it?”
“What do you mean again? How could you know about my knee?”
“I noticed you were in pain the first day I met you, the day my water broke and you scrambled to get out of the car.”
“We’ll definitely have a few good stories to tell Ryan when he’s all grown up, won’t we?”
Her blush was followed by an awkward bit of silence before she asked, “What can I get for you?”
“If you could grab me a glass of water and that bottle of ibuprofen over there on the counter, I would appreciate it more than you know.”
While she busied herself in the kitchen, he watched her through new eyes. She was a ball of sunshine. A little extra sleep had literally transformed her.
“Here you go.” She handed him the water and then opened the ibuprofen. “How many do you want?”
“Two would be great.”
She handed him the pills, and then waited while he downed them with the water before she took the glass from him and returned it to the kitchen. “Another reason I came,” she said from the kitchen, “was to see if you wanted to come with me to Ryan’s first appointment with the pediatrician.”
Derrick smiled at her and realized how drab his day had been until she walked into his apartment. He wanted to spend time with Ryan. Hell, he realized, he wanted to spend time with Jill, too.
“Your leg hurts pretty bad, huh?”
She was hovering over him now, moving the bag of ice so she could take a good look at his knee. “It is swollen. You should probably stay off of it today.”
“No,” he found himself saying. “I think going with you and Ryan is just what the doctor ordered.” He removed the ice.
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.” And it was the truth.
“Here,” she said, helping him up. “Lean on me. I’ll serve as your crutch so we can get you to the other room so you can get your shirt and a pair of shoes.”
“I might hurt you.”
“Ridiculous.” He was bare-chested but that didn’t stop her from taking his arm and placing it over her shoulder. “Now go ahead and walk. Lean on me. It’s okay.”
He did as she said, surprised by the strength in her small arms as she helped him down the hall to his room. They walked into his bedroom, but as he headed for the bed and she tried to let him loose, he tripped over the backpack he’d taken to the gym earlier, and brought Jill along for the ride. They fell onto the king-sized bed. Instinctively, and in hopes of protecting her from harm, he wrapped his arms around her waist as they fell to the mattress. When they landed, he was on his back and they were face to face, nose to nose.
She laughed, her breath minty as she tried to push off of him.
A creak and then a loud crack brought her right back down on top of him as the old bed frame gave way, bringing them both sliding to the corner of the mattress.
The two of them had become one. “Are you all right?” he asked, his lips pressed against her ear.
“I’m fine,” she said. Still laughing, she grabbed one of his pillows and bopped him on the head with it.
“Oh, so you want to play rough, do you?” He rolled to his side and tickled her.
She laughed so hard she could hardly talk. “No tickling,” she squeaked. Swatting feebly at his arm, she slunk further into the puddles of blankets and pillows in an attempt to squirm away from him.
Laughing, he tickled her some more, but then pulled his hand away the moment he felt a tightness in his groin. Nothing seemed humorous suddenly as he realized there was no denying the unexpected heat sizzling between them.
Their gazes met and he knew she felt it too. Her eyes were heavy-lidded, her lips plump and full. He already knew he wanted to be her friend, but now he realized he also wanted nothing more than to lean closer and kiss her, feel her lips against his and put an end to the unexpected and tantalizing vibration swirling about inside.
Chapter Eleven
Since entering Derrick’s apartment, Jill felt as if everything was happening in slow motion. Getting him ibuprofen, helping him to his room, the frame of the bed breaking, and now this—this wasn’t what she had come to his apartment for. But now that she was pressed close against Derrick’s hard, naked chest, every part of her felt warm and tingly.
More than anything, she wanted him to kiss her, but he seemed intent on pulling away. Filled with a lustful urge to feel his lips against hers, figuring it was her hormones, but wanting to know for sure, she decided to go for it. She leaned in close and brushed her lips against his. He smelled as good as he looked and the moment her lips met his, and he pressed closer, something snapped. She lost cont
rol. It was like awakening after being in a coma.
Letting instinct take over, she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her body close to his, close enough to feel him thick and hard against her thigh. A whimper escaped her as she brought a splayed hand up and over well-developed back muscles and higher still until her fingers swept a path through his hair. He deepened the kiss. Her leg circled around his. She touched him, devoured him really, one hand sliding across solid abs and lower over the silky fabric of his gym shorts until she felt him hard against her palm.
“What the hell is going on in here?”
The moment Jill heard her father’s voice, she knew that her mind had to be playing tricks on her. But then Derrick pulled away and said, “Who are you and what are you doing in my apartment?”
Jill looked over her shoulder and saw her father standing in the doorway. “Dad! What are you doing here?”
Her father walked away. He wasn’t angry. He was livid.
Sandy poked her head through the open door next. She looked down her nose at the two of them. “Wow,” was all she said before she disappeared too.
Derrick pushed himself to his feet. Once he was on sturdy ground, he helped Jill up, and she found herself peering into gorgeous eyes.
“I’m sorry about all of this,” he said. “I don’t know what came over me.”
I’m sorry? She’d already been fantasizing that the kiss might be the beginning of something wonderful, while he, on the other hand, felt the need to apologize. She dropped her gaze from his. “I better go check on Ryan.”
He didn’t protest. Instead, he said, “I’ll get dressed and be right out.”
She slipped out of the room and made her way down the hallway. Everybody was gone, including the stroller with Ryan in it. A glance out the window told her Sandy had taken everyone back to her place.
Pacing the floor, she suddenly regretted wearing tight jeans and shoes with heels instead of sweatpants and her comfortable sneakers. Earlier, when she had squeezed her bottom into ridiculously tight jeans, she had been so excited to fit into her pre-pregnancy clothes, she hadn’t thought twice about what Derrick’s reaction might be.
But what was she doing? Why had she come to his apartment in the first place? Only a few days ago, she’d wanted Derrick Baylor as far away from her as humanly possible. And now suddenly she wanted him to take her in his arms and ravish her.
She palmed her forehead in disgust.
The expression on his face after he’d lifted her from the floor spelled R-E-G-R-E-T in capital letters.
She looked around his apartment. Now what? She needed to get out of here, and fast. She grabbed her purse from the coffee table, left his apartment, and shut the door quietly behind her. Her eyes stung at the realization she’d made a fool of herself.
“Mom,” she said as she came through the door to her apartment. Forcing a smile, she took her mother into her arms and gently squeezed her bony, rigid body. Her sweet smelling perfume was overwhelming and it took everything in her power not to cough and wheeze.
Sandy was sitting in Jill’s favorite chair, holding Ryan while Lexi sat on the floor close to Sandy’s feet. With a crayon in each hand, Lexi busily colored in her books.
Jill set her gaze on her father. He looked out of place on her lime-green couch. And yet, oddly enough, he looked the same as always: the same perfectly fitted dark suit, the same starched button-down shirt, the same disappointed frown. He would be turning sixty this year. His hair was thick with very little grey. There wasn’t a hair out of place. If he didn’t always look so angry, she might consider him to be a handsome man.
“What was that over there?” he asked, his voice as stiff as her mother’s posture.
Jill sighed. “I thought you knew.”
“Knew what?”
“I told Mom I was dating Derrick Baylor, quarterback for the Condors.”
“She mentioned it,” her father said. “He is an athlete. I guess I should have expected to find you in a compromising position on the floor of his bedroom. From the looks of it, you two are getting along just fine.”
Jill felt a burst of heat creep into her face. “We’re doing well,” Jill lied, “but what you saw over there isn’t what you think. Derrick has a bad knee. I was helping him to his bedroom when he tripped and we both fell and then the frame broke—”
“Stop with the stories,” he interrupted. “Your mother has been trying to convince me that you’ve grown up. I’ve been in California for less than an hour and I can already see that nothing has changed. I’m very disappointed.”
Jill lifted her chin. “I’m sorry you feel that way,” she said, but the truth was, she’d heard it all before. She’d always been one big disappointment to her father. Never mind that she’d never once been caught in a compromising position before. It’s just the way it was. Jill was only thankful that her younger sister, Laura, hadn’t joined them. Jill loved her sister, but the pressure her parents put on Jill to be like Laura was too much. She loved her family, but all three of them had a way of making her feel small and unworthy. It had taken her father five minutes to cause all of her insecurities to come rushing forth.
“I canceled more than one important meeting to make this trip,” her father cut into her thoughts. “We wanted to support you and your new baby—”
“Your grandson’s name is Ryan,” she cut in.
“I can see now,” her father went on, “that believing you might have grown into a responsible young lady was only wishful thinking on our parts.”
“I need to go,” Jill said right before she heard a knock on the door. “Come in,” she said.
“Howiewood,” Lexi shouted when Derrick entered the apartment.
Derrick smiled at Lexi. His limp was no longer noticeable as he entered. He looked about the room and extended his arm toward her father, ready to shake his hand. Her father would have nothing to do with him. Simply put, her father was a snob.
Straightening, Derrick’s arm fell back to his side before he headed for her mother instead. Jill’s mom was as friendly as a two by four, but at least she managed to place a limp hand in Derrick’s palm. Once her mother had her hand back, she pulled a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer from her purse and wiped the germs clean.
Jill had already had enough. Besides, she was going to be late for Ryan’s doctor appointment if she didn’t leave soon. “If I had known you two were coming,” Jill said, “I would have had time to prepare, but as things stand, Derrick and I are on our way to Ryan’s doctor appointment. We need to go.”
“You’re not going to say hello to your sister?”
Jill’s eyes widened as she looked at Sandy.
Sandy nodded. “She’s in the other room, washing up.”
“She’s distraught after seeing you copulate on the floor with that man,” her father said.
“He has a name,” Jill said.
“Howiewood,” her father said as he smiled at Lexi. “Isn’t that right?”
Lexi nodded, happy to oblige.
“Copulate?” Derrick repeated. He looked at Jill. “Is he serious?”
Jill answered the question with a tight nod and even tighter smile.
“How could you?” Jill’s mother asked.
“We were not having sex,” Jill said, exasperated.
“You told me you were dating a football player,” her mother said, “but I had no idea you had taken it to the next level. It’s no wonder Laura is bawling her eyes out in the other room.”
“I wasn’t crying,” Laura said as she joined them. She looked at Derrick and her mouth dropped open. “Is this the guy you were banging over there?”
Jill couldn’t believe her ears…or her eyes. If Mom hadn’t just told her that Laura was here, she would never have guessed that the twenty-six year old woman standing before her was her younger sister, Laura. She hadn’t seen Laura in nearly a year, but that didn’t explain the transformation. Her sister used to wear pencil skirts and cashmere sweaters with tin
y pearl buttons. Today she was dressed in all black, the fabric hugging her body like a second skin. The girl standing in front of her looked more like Lady Gaga than Laura. “Are those leather pants you have on?”
Laura smiled brightly. “Aren’t they great?”
Jill didn’t know what to say. She was confused and she needed to go. “I hate to run, but Derrick and I need to take Ryan to the doctor’s. Why don’t you come with us, so we can catch up?”
“I would love to join you.”
Jill looked at Derrick. The poor man looked as if he was afraid to make another move. “Could you grab the stroller and the baby’s bag?”
He did as she asked while Jill took Ryan from Sandy.
“I’ll lock the doors for you and then call you later,” Sandy said.
Jill thanked her before gesturing toward her sister and heading for the door. “Where are you staying?” Jill asked her mother.
“At the Amarano.”
“We have reservations at the Sky House for 7 pm,” her father said. “We will see you there.”
It was not a request, Jill realized. It was an order.
~~~
“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Derrick told Laura as they headed for the parking lot. “Jill has told me all about you.”
“Liar,” Laura said.
He laughed.
Jill unlocked the door to her Volkswagen Jetta. Derrick took Ryan from her and while he strapped Ryan into the car seat in the back, Jill pulled her sister to the side. “What’s with the new look?”
“I’m just having fun,” Laura said. “For the first time since I was born, I’m doing what I want to do.”
“And what is that exactly?”
Having My Baby Page 10
