“Hey, Eddie,” I said, my voice brighter, though still trying to keep it down. “How’ve you been, kid? I hope you’re having a good time at grandma’s?”
He hummed. “Grandma’s awesome!” he declared.
There was a round of laughs behind him, and I guessed the rest of the family was around him and listening in. I smiled, hearing my little boy so happy.
He is why I’m doing all this; I reminded myself.
This whole thing with Lexi, the contract, wanting a baby… I was doing all of it for the sake of my son. He had lost his mother, and while I couldn’t get that back for him, I could at least give him a sibling to play with, before the age gap got a little too big.
“I’m glad, kid,” I murmured, leaning back against the bathroom door. “I miss you a lot over here, you know? It’s just not as much fun without you around.”
“Just work then, daddy,” he said, to another round of laughs.
I winced. Ah, work.
Shit. It wasn’t exactly a new realization, but I knew I was shirking work, too. Lexi was just too much of a distraction for me to focus on anything else, though. I had an office outside of the house, but I usually just worked from home for convenience. Still, it felt like I hadn't been out of the house at all since she came. And it wasn’t like I was even doing any work.
When was the last time I stepped into my home office? I couldn’t remember because I was always so busy doing other shit. Like worrying about Lexi. Her thoughts, and her comfort, not to mention wanting to be with her. She was pretty much all that had occupied my mind the past few days because I was worried about her when I couldn’t see her, and when I could see her, I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off her.
The one thing I hadn’t neglected, in fact, was calling my son every night, and yet today, I’d waited so long to do it, that he’d called me himself.
Get it together, Ryan.
“Daddy’s a bit busy over here,” I said vaguely. “But I miss having you around. So hurry up and get back, okay, kid? Say hi to grandma for me.”
“’Kay, daddy,” he said brightly. “Bye.”
I smiled to myself as he cut off the call. He hadn't talked much, and yet, it was more than he’d talked on other days. Sending him to my mom’s was the best idea. I should probably go, too, the next time he went, or mom would get pissed at me for not visiting her as often as I should.
There was still the question of work, but it wasn’t like I had to get to it at that moment. There wasn’t anything so pressing that it couldn’t wait. So I left the bathroom, picked up our clothes to lump them in a pile, then went back to bed, leaving the phone on the nightstand.
I slid back into bed, pulling the covers over me, and lying on my side so I could look at Lexi some more.
Why am I so attracted to you?
I frowned to myself as I considered it. I knew it couldn’t be something so simple, as her being a woman and me a man, because I had met many women that wouldn’t have minded jumping into bed with me, even if it was just to give me a kid. I hadn't felt a thing for any of them, though. It was a bit strange with Lexi because no matter what I knew of her from the background check, she was still very much a stranger. A stranger that I saw, and immediately wanted to take home with me.
Whatever it was about her that kept pulling me in… I didn’t mind it.
I let out a yawn, realizing just how tired I felt.
Chapter 16 - Lexi
“Morning, sleepyhead,” are the words that wake me up as he whispers in my ear. What is this? Is it love or infatuation?
I spread my legs, and he shuts the door, at the same time I close my eyes. I smell his musk…his strong, masculine musk. Even first thing this morning, there is no change to his aroma. It’s the same as the night before, strong, masculine, and crying out my name.
My hairs stand up as if they’re attracted to him like a magnet. They want to pull him close. I want to say something, anything that will help me figure out what’s going on. I should’ve run out the door; I feel his length brush against my thigh. I’m naked, and he’s so close, close enough my erect nipples are aligned with his.
His head is between my legs and his hands around my ankles as he starts to lower himself down. I open my eyes, knowing I don’t have to look at him.
“Don’t move,” he demands as his tongue darts straight into my wetness, and I groan. I moan at my weakness, my constant refusal to stay as far away from this man as possible.
He holds gently onto my ankles and pierces his tongue in and out of my labia. I stand, trying not to disobey. It’s so hard because I’m becoming weaker and weaker at the knees the more he presses against my clit. His tongue is swirling, his lips are blowing, and it’s driving me wild. I know I’m so close to the edge of climax, and the only words that can escape my lips are, “Hmm, I’m…”
He’s quiet as he takes control of my climax. He keeps moving slowly in and out, and his fingers tease my ankles.
I come, slumping like a rag doll waiting to be controlled. He jumps up behind me and holds onto my breasts, pushing me against the door. This can only mean one thing: he wants relief, and it’s going to be against the door.
My head moves to the side, he slides his tongue into my mouth, and I suck it. I suck it harder as his fat cock strokes my cunt. I start to get wet again. Ryan wants me to know he controls me, and as much as I want to leave, I can’t. He never forced me; he just wants me to stay. He needs me to be the one who chooses, and I took the option of being with him.
I clear my mind and take the pleasure he is going to give me as he enters me slowly with his length. I forgot how big he is until he thrusts it in until it won’t fit anymore, and with one hand still on my breast, he focuses on my clit with the other. His fingers stroke it as he circles his hips, my pussy becoming once again acquainted with his member.
He’s not going to pump into me.
This is the beginning of my journey. I want to scream, but I keep sucking his tongue. I start to lap it harder as I feel his cock grinding, my pussy crying for more. I whimper as he withdraws his tongue from my mouth and asks, “What do you need me to do?”
“Pump me.”
“No, what do you need me to do.”
I’m confused by the question. I need him to fuck me, but I don’t want to say that, so he continues to rotate his length. It goes round and round, and so does my arse. This time, he drops my breast and uses both hands to stroke my arse, and alternates the movement to my clit.
I need him to fuck me, and the more I feel, the more my pussy walls tell me not to be so stubborn and just enjoy the sex. It is crying, and if it could speak, it would shout it out loud and clear. He slows his movements, making my torture feel even worse. I’m frustrated and finally blurt out, “Fuck me.”
“Louder.”
“Fuck me!” I shout with my head pressed against the door, partly because of the force he has on me, and partly because I’m exhausted.
We come, and I’m exhausted and sore at the same time. As I feel his come shoot up my spine, I cry, my tears streaking down my cheek.
He climbs on top of me slowly, and says, “I’m going to make love to you. This is what you need and want right now.”
Open, your mouth. Tell him to get off you.
I should deny him. I should have prevented him from torturing me as he did before. He sighs as he makes his way to the bathroom to clean himself. I watch him like a frozen statue. Unable to move, waiting for him to take me as he did once before. My pussy wants more, and it knows he’s willing to give it. As he makes his way back, he kisses my head, then my cheeks and finally my lips. It feels like I’m kissing a different person.
This person doesn’t want to fuck me; he wants me to love him as he is going to do to me right now. My wetness is driving me mad as it starts to flow when his length strokes my pussy. I can’t believe it feels this way after what he did, and I feel betrayed.
Every part of me is letting me down, my pussy, for reacting every time h
e touches me, my impulse, for not walking out the door and my conscience, as I recall that I came here to give him a baby not to fall in love.
He is causing so many mixed emotions in my mind that I can’t think straight. I kiss him back with hunger as he gently enters my pussy, and my legs wrap around him so we can be as one. He thrusts gently inside me, using his hands to caress my sides, my face and, at times, to drive my head closer to his as we kiss.
Chapter 17 - Ryan
I woke up before Lexi did, and the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes, was her face. It made me smile that she was the first thing I got to see in the morning. I debated waking her up for the moment but decided she could stay for a bit.
Slipping carefully out of bed, I went to the bathroom to get showered up. Then I wrapped a towel around my waist, another around my shoulders to catch any drops of water from my hair, then went back to the bedroom.
I moved over to the bed to where Lexi was still sleeping. A glance at my phone’s screen on the nightstand told me it was about time for breakfast, so I reached a hand out to shake her awake.
“Lexi,” I called out gently. “Come on, Lexi. You need to get up and go shower. We should be going to have breakfast soon.”
It took a few minutes with me shaking her and calling her name gently as she grumbled and tried to squirm stubbornly away from me. But then she opened her eyes and blinked up at me, then sat up. Her hair was sticking up, her eyes were squinted at me, and she still looked a bit drowsy. But I couldn’t help looking at her and wanting to take her again, my eyes falling to her exposed breasts as the sheets fell away from around her chest.
“What time is it?” she asked, rubbing her eyes with a fist. Then she raised her arms up as she stretched her body out with a yawn.
Fuck.
I couldn’t stop eyeing her body, but it wasn’t the best time for this shit. We didn’t want to miss breakfast, and I’d probably made her sore last night.
Get your mind out of the gutter, I thought to myself harshly.
“Almost time for breakfast,” I told her, leaning closer to peck a kiss on her cheek. “Get showered and dressed.”
“Okay,” she said, smiling at me before stumbling out of bed.
I thought about helping her, but she stabilized herself and walked toward the bathroom. I watched her the whole way, wondering if she knew she was naked. She’d been so shy in the beginning; if she could be this open with me, then things were progressing well between us, right?
Before I could get any ideas, I walked out with my clothes in hand. There would be no one out in the hall this early in the morning, so I didn’t feel worried. After getting dressed, I wasted several minutes looking through my phone to see if I had any missed calls new texts, or emails. There were a few.
When I thought I’d waited enough time, I got out of my room. I walked slowly down the hall, my eyes on Lexi’s door, waiting for her to come out. I didn’t have to wait long; I was out of time to keep stalling unless I wanted to start taking a step every minute. Before she walked out, looking shocked to see me there.
“Hey,” she said, smiling.
“Hey,” I repeated, returning the smile.
We walked down the stairs and to the dining hall together. I had this large grin on my face, and when I glanced at Lexi out of the corner of my eye, I could see she was just as happy as I was. We sat down at the dining table, and immediately, food was set. I waited until the maids were gone, then turned back to Lexi.
“Dig in,” I said with a wave at the spread. “And let me know if there’s something you like or don’t like, okay?”
She hummed with a nod of her head. “It would be hard, though. How could I not like anything? The food here is always the best. Better than anything I’ve ever had.”
I smiled to myself, feeling just a bit proud, even though I never lifted a hand to make any of the food in the house.
“I’m glad that you like it,” I murmured. “Though, it does make me curious about you.”
Her wide eyes looked up at me as she crunched down on some toast, then took a sip of coffee.
“What do you want to know?” she asked.
So, she would just tell me if I wanted to know? We ate a little bit, and she kept sending me looks, probably waiting for me to ask. But, just in case I got her mad like last time, I figured I might as well let the both of us have our fill first.
Then finally, I said, “I did want to know a bit about your home situation. I mean, I know you were just living with your mom…”
She sighed and nodded. “Yeah. I don’t remember much about my dad, though I do have a few memories of who I think could be my dad. There were no pictures of him around the house, though, so I can't know for sure. He died when I was young, and mom didn’t take it well.”
“Your mom and you don’t get along?” I asked. She wouldn’t have run away from home otherwise.
“I don’t know if I would put it quite like that,” she said slowly. “We got along just fine, but I guess we never really talked. She got me through school, and she liked to drink. I didn’t like that about her, because she’s not exactly a nice drunk. Things fell apart when it came to college, though, because I wanted to go, but she wanted me to work so she could work less and bring in more income. We probably argued more than we’d talked in years, just because of college, before I’d had enough and just left. She wanted to hold me back in every way possible, and I was determined. The decision was pretty easy to make.”
She said it all so matter-of-factly, I wasn’t sure if I should have felt sympathy for her or not. She probably wouldn’t want any pity, though. There was some more silence between us because I didn’t know what to say to her. She was the one to break it this time.
“What about you?” she asked. “I’ve been curious about Edward’s mom, but I didn’t know how to ask before. I’ve been around the place, and I couldn’t even find a single picture of her. Is it okay for me to ask?”
Her question brought back the memories, and I felt a lump in my throat. But I managed a smile and a small nod for her. Of course, she would be curious, and there was nothing wrong with letting her know, after all.
“There are pictures of her around, but I keep them all locked up in my room because Edward gets quiet for days after he sees them. I’m hoping... that there will be a time when he will be fine with looking at them, and I’ll put them back up.”
She slowed her chewing, her focus on me. “What happened to her?” she asked softly, probably reacting to the tone of my voice which was the furthest thing from happy.
“Her name was Kora,” I started quietly. She didn’t miss the past tense, and I saw her expression fall into one of sympathy. “We met in college and… it wasn’t exactly love at first sight. You could say we were rivals. Only she disliked me a lot more than I did her because she thought I’d paid my way through everything when she’d worked hard to get to where she was.” I smirked to myself at the memories. “I proved her wrong, of course. Somehow, we fell in love, and got married right after graduation.”
I could still picture how beautiful she’d looked in her wedding dress, mere days after we graduated because neither of us wanted to wait too long after we’d already passed one hurdle.
“It wasn’t long before we had Edward. She and I planned to have a lot of kids. But when Edward was a year and a few months old, she got sick. Or, more like we realized she was sick, we just didn’t know before.”
There was a short silence.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice small.
I just shook my head, shaking off the memories along with it, and gave her a small smile.
“It’s fine. We looked for the best, but there was nothing we could do for her. She did her best to be there for Edward in her last moments. The two of them were very close. She spent more time with him than I did, so he took it hard when she passed away. It’s why I want another child so badly while Edward is still so young. I want him to have a sibling to play with as he g
rows up. I don’t know if it’ll help any, but he’s slowly coming out of his trauma. He talks now when before, he would go days, sometimes weeks without saying so much as a word. He’s getting better, but I was so worried before…”
I surprised myself a little with how open I was about this. The words had just come out of my mouth without a second thought, but now that I’d stopped, I thought I’d said too much. So much, that the memories were rushing through my mind, and I couldn’t stop them.
We finished breakfast, and I didn’t raise my head from my plate once. I was feeling a little emotional, and I found myself blinking a lot to push back tears. I’d revealed pretty much everything about myself, and now she knew all the cards I held.
The moment I was done, I got up and left without a look or a word to Lexi, heading to my room alone to pick myself up.
Chapter 18 - Lexi
I watched as Ryan got up and left the dining room the moment he was done eating, and I couldn’t bring myself to call him back. Thinking of what he’d said, I could guess why he was acting the way he was. The grief must have been strong because it probably hadn't been that long ago.
I finished eating by myself and left the table just as the maids were coming in to clear it.
“He probably went to his room,” I murmured to myself.
I knew where his room was, of course, but I’d only ever gone there with an invite. So, I was a little hesitant just to go barging in when he was dealing with something personal. It hurt to think of it that way, but technically, it wasn’t like he and I had a relationship. It was an agreement, with a contract and everything. It didn’t suddenly make me his girlfriend or make us best friends who talked about everything with each other.
“I should leave him alone,” I decided.
Still, as I walked up the steps, I couldn’t help feeling worried. I remembered him waking me up this morning, then stalling just long enough to be outside my door by the time I got out so we could walk to the dining room together. It had been so sweet of him, and it had made me happy.
The Baby Contract: A Single Dad Romance Page 8
