by Tia Siren
“I’m fine.”
“And then I wanted to make sure you got back home okay.”
She opened her eyes. “How did you know I went home?”
“Shannon asked your friend if you had gone home or if you planned on coming back to New York.”
“And what did Jessica tell Shannon?”
“That she had no idea what you planned on doing exactly,” Toby said. “You didn’t give her a straight enough answer.”
“That’s about right. I have no idea yet.” Bitterness washed over her. “I’ll probably stay here in Wyoming, maybe take some online classes.”
“What about NYU?” Toby asked, and she could hear the frown in his voice. “You were so adamant about staying enrolled there and not putting your education on hold for anyone.”
“I’m pretty sure my days are limited there,” Paige said. “Why are you asking me about it anyway?”
“I’m just confused is all about—” He cut off abruptly before changing topic. “You haven’t heard from Luke at all?”
“No,” she said tensely. “Why? Should I have?”
“No phone calls or messages?”
“No,” Paige replied impatiently. “Why do you sound so surprised about that?”
“No reason, I suppose. I just thought he would’ve contacted you by now judging from the last conversation I had with him.”
“What was the last conversation—”
A beeping sound filled Paige’s ear.
“I’m sorry, Paige. I’ve got to take this phone call real quick. Call me tomorrow to let me know what happens.”
“What—” The line went dead.
Paige stared down at her phone in bafflement. She had no idea what Toby knew exactly, but knowing he was close to Luke, she summarized he knew something about Luke.
He just didn’t want to tell her.
****
The drive back to the farm was a long twenty-minute drive in silence. Paige gazed out at the blur of scenery along the highway as she replayed her brief conversation with Toby.
What is Luke up to?
It made her uneasy knowing that he was up to something. What it was exactly, she had no idea, and Toby hadn’t seemed too keen on telling her anything. She tapped the screen of her phone as she debated calling Luke’s cell. He won’t pick up. Why would he? He got what he wanted from you, partly.
She was caught on that part of it all. Luke had taken something he knew meant the world to her and then trampled all over it on his way to get what he truly wanted—money.
“Mom,” she said, turning to look at Marie with a grimace. “I have to tell you something that I hope you won’t tell Dad. Just woman to woman.”
Marie looked at her with a grim expression. “I had a feeling you needed to tell me something. What is it?”
Paige spent the next ten minutes explaining everything that had happened over the past thirty days—including the night she had given in to her passions with Luke.
“It makes sense now how you feel,” Marie said once Paige had finished telling her everything. “Sex brings out complicated emotions. I’m not surprised you feel the way you do.”
“I’m not crazy then?” Paige asked, wiping her eyes dry. “I feel like I’ve gone crazy trying to figure out why I feel the way I do.”
“It’s a big thing, Paige. That’s why your father and I have tried to tell you that it’s better to wait for someone you love.”
“I thought I did love him.” She looked out the window at the acres of sweeping land filled with evergreen pines. “I do love him. That’s how I feel, and I know he feels the same way about me. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“You can love someone with everything you have but not have it be the right time, Paige.”
“I know. It wasn’t the right time.”
Marie reached over to pat her on the knee. “Everything is going to be okay, honey. We’ll help you through whatever you need help with.”
Paige smiled in appreciation. “Thanks, Mom.”
A black truck was parked in front of the farmhouse when they pulled up a few minutes later.
“Who on earth is that?” Marie asked, leaning over the steering wheel to stare at the truck in confusion. “I don’t recognize that truck. Do you?”
“No,” Paige said, also leaning forward to look at it. She caught sight of the paper tags on the back. “It looks like a rental though. Maybe dad knows whose it is.” She scanned the fields where he had been cutting hay. “I don’t see him in the fields, so he must be talking to whoever drives the truck.”
“Must be.”
Once the engine was cut, they hopped out of the truck to head around to the back door that led into the kitchen. Her arms full of groceries, Paige entered the kitchen and nearly drop them in sheer and utter surprise when she found her father sitting at the table with Luke directly across from him.
“Luke?” she gasped out, holding onto the bags before they could fall to the ground. “What are you doing here?”
Luke rose from the table where he had been nursing a cup of coffee. He reached out to grab the grocery bags from her hands.
“I needed to talk to someone about a few things,” he said. “You talked about how wonderful your dad was at giving advice.” He set the bags down on the counter. “And you’re right. He is.”
She was at an utter loss for words.
Paige swiveled to glance at her mother, who stood rooted in surprise as well with groceries in her arms. Her heart pounded furiously against her ribcage as she ran her eyes over him, willing him to disappear like she was in a dream, but he remained standing there.
He looked worn out from the dark bags under his eyes, but in much better shape than she had seen him in Peter’s office. His blonde hair was tied back. A bristle of a beard covered his strong jaw, and he wasn’t dressed in his normal attire of fancy clothes. He was in a pair of tattered jeans, sneakers, and a sweater.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Just seeing him for the first time since in Peter’s office brought a fresh wave of emotion over her. “If you came here to tell me off for going back on our deal, then—”
“I’m not here for that,” Luke said smoothly. He glanced back at her father, who nodded in some sort of understanding. “Can we go for a walk together? I only have an hour before I have to get on a plane to go to Florida.”
“Florida?” Paige echoed, but she reluctantly let her arms drop. “I guess we can talk since you’ve obviously won my father’s stamp of approval.”
Harry stood up from the table to help his wife with the bags of groceries. He sighed at Paige in exasperation.
“I am not heartless,” he said, and he patted Luke on the shoulder. “Mr. Turner arrived here after you two left to go to town. He came clean to me about everything that has happened between you two.”
Paige’s eyes widened. “And you're okay with that?”
“Not all of it,” Harry said. “I made my opinions very clear to him, and he has responded with respect. He respects what I told him.”
“What did you tell him?”
“Go for a walk,” her father said, ushering Paige out the door with Luke in tow. “Listen to what he has to say.”
Dizzy with confusion, Paige stood on the back patio as Luke gazed at her with an indescribable expression. There was nothing she could think of to say. She had no idea why Luke had come all the way out to Wyoming, and it unnerved her that he had just shown up without warning.
It gave her little time to sort through her feelings.
“I thought you would be in New York,” she said finally. “I’m a bit surprised you’re here.”
“I wanted to come find you,” Luke said. He glanced out over the acres of land stretched in front of them. “The only place I could think you’d go to was your parents’ house—even if you didn’t want to go back.”
“I was confident that if I went back to New York, I’d be kicked out for lack of payment.
”
Luke sighed as he shook his head. “I know you’re upset—”
“Damn right I am,” she blurted out, fresh tears streaming down her face. “How could you do what you did to me?”
“I’m sorry, Paige. I shouldn’t have—” He stopped talking and turned to look at her. Gathering her cold and sweaty hands in his own, Luke looked at her with a passionate gaze. “Just hear me out. Yes, it started out with me not caring if I got you into my bed; I just wanted you there. But things started to change for me over the past thirty days. You saw parts of me that even Toby doesn’t see.”
Her eyes fluttered shut as confusion crashed over her. “Don’t do this to me, Luke. I’m already confused enough about how I feel toward you right now. I don’t even know if I want to see you.”
“Well, I know how I feel about you,” he said firmly. “After you left Peter’s office, I got drunk—drunker than I have ever been in my life—because I knew what I had to do to make all of this right.”
“Which was what?”
“I needed to tell you that I love you.” Her eyes opened in surprise at hearing that. “I had to tell you that in person, because I do love you. It took me some time this past week to figure out why I ran from you, but it’s because I love you. I didn’t want to prove my father right, but I realize he wanted me to be in love. He wanted me to have a good life and not turn out like him.”
Paige scanned his face intently for any flicker of deception. There was nothing but genuine love and care there. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had seen Luke appear so honest and carefree.
“And that involves me?” she whispered.
Her heart lifted in relief when Luke nodded. His strong and steady fingers gave her hands a tender squeeze.
“Yes,” he whispered back. “I came out here to apologize to your father too. I told him everything that’s happened, and what I plan to do to fix all the damage I have done.”
“What’s your plan?”
“I managed to get into a treatment center in Florida for alcohol abuse,” he said plainly. “I’m getting on a plane today to go there, but I had to see you first.”
“What about—”
“My inheritance?” he supplied, smiling slightly. “Peter agreed to look over my father’s business while I still run it after I take some time to myself. I want to do things properly— the way it was originally set up.”
Pressing a kiss to the back of Paige’s knuckles, he fished something out of the pocket of his jeans. Paige’s heart skipped a beat when she realized he was holding the ring she had taken off back in North Dakota.
“I still want you to be my wife,” he said. “Not tomorrow. Not even at the end of sixty days when I’m done with this program. I want it to be when you’re done going to school, or when you feel the time is right.”
He slid the ring on her finger with a smile. “This ring belonged to you in the first place. I know it’ll take some time to forgive me, but I hope that you do.”
It had to be a dream. That was all Paige could think as she stared up at Luke with the chilly fall breeze stirring his hair. But it wasn’t a dream. The past two weeks seemed to fade away from them.
He had come all the way to Wyoming to apologize, to tell her that he loved her and planned on waiting as long as it took to get her back. She couldn’t have asked for anything else.
“I love you,” she said. “I’ll be waiting for you too.”
Luke smiled at her before leaning down to kiss her. They kissed each other with a cold breeze circling them, but they were warm in each other’s arms.
***
THE END
Hot! Sneak Peak
The Baby Maker
I won't lose Piper a second time.
I'm going to make her a baby.
But she's gonna make me a daddy.
I'm known as The Baby Maker.
Women hire me for one thing.
To get them knocked up.
I have rules. I don't do dinner. I don't do dad.
I'm just the donor.
Their moans tell me how much they enjoy my services.
But when I'm with a client, all I can think about is Piper.
I broke her heart. And I regret it.
So when she wants to hire me, I know it's my second chance.
Just reading her application makes me hard.
The thought of coming inside her.
My name on her lips when she orgasms.
She'll sign my contract.
Once she's pregnant, she'll be out of my bed.
No f*cking way.
For this client... The Baby Maker is gonna break all the rules.
Chapter 1
Evan
There were rules to this business, and I stuck to them. My clients understood this and followed them to the letter – well, ninety-nine-point-nine percent of them did. Susan Reynolds was not one of them. She liked to test my boundaries. I’d been forced to remind her on a few occasions that she was pushing the guidelines too far.
I lay on the bed. Susan ran her fingers down my chest toward my groin. It was my cock that my whole enterprise was built upon. An enterprise I’d made successful by word of mouth and some very smart, secretive internet marketing.
I had other business ventures. Some earned well, and most had been presented to me on a silver platter, so to speak. It seemed everything I did was hugely successful, and this endeavor was no different. I just happened to possess a cock with a golden touch. The women that came to me for my services always found that out. They enjoyed our time together for as long as our business relationship lasted. Nearly all of them had become pregnant, which was why they came to me in the first place.
All except this damned Susan Reynolds.
The Baby Maker venture stemmed way back from my time in college. My father had been one of the world’s top surgeons. But even with all his knowledge and contacts, it wasn’t enough to prevent him from passing away. As for my mother, she had become mentally ill and now lived with her sister. My aunt was now her full-time caregiver.
The Baby Maker program made money, lots of money, but I donated it all to charity. And not just any charity. I gave it to an orphanage. I didn’t need the money. I was already wealthier than most people could understand. And I chose to donate to the orphanage for the simple reason that I, myself, had been adopted.
The fact that I was adopted became a serious point of contention after my father died. It resulted in a huge argument over my father’s inheritance. My uncle, who had since passed away, had tried to claim my father’s estate. He asserted that I had no right to the inheritance because I was adopted. Thankfully, the law was on my side. An adopted child had just as much right to his adoptive parent’s estate as a biological child. I was the rightful heir to my dad’s fortune. My uncle's case was dismissed; it had fallen flat on its face before he could even put one foot on the courthouse steps.
Susan softly caressed my cock, and I started to become hard under her touch. Her tongue ran over my belly and began to lick the length of my shaft. Then my hardness increased until I was fully erect. Her warm lips wrapped around me, and her head slid deeper into my lap. I filled her mouth with each motion of her head.
Susan had dark, hazel eyes and long dark hair, which was perfectly draped across my belly. She sucked hard on my eager cock. She was only around five-foot tall, but her breasts were full and round. I took her nipples passionately in my mouth. They were divine.
Being healthy had become a huge factor in my life; especially considering my mother’s condition and the untimely death of my father. I’d learned early on that sex and vitality ran hand in hand. I made sure I had both in equal amounts. I ate well, and thanks to my ingenious enterprise, I had a constant stream of sexual partners. I had no shortage of applicants for my services, and the possible clients were personally vetted to make sure they met my strict requirements.
Another thing I’d learned from my younger years and my adoption was, you didn�
��t have to know who your real parents were to have a successful life. I had no desire to settle down or have children. I didn’t need a family of my own. And really, I’d only ever loved one woman in my life, and that had not worked out the way I’d wanted. Her loss led me away from romance and set me on a road that led to sex. Yes, just pure unadulterated sex and lots of it, with no ridiculous, heartbreaking, strings attached.
Susan straddled me and rubbed the tip of my cock against her soaking wet pussy. She lowered herself, and my hard cock slipped inside her like it was meant to be there. The warmth of her body enveloped me. It was perfect. Then she raised and lowered herself harder and faster onto me. She bowed her head forward and gazed into my eyes. She placed her lips on mine, and her long hair fell on me when she leaned lower. She shoved her tongue deep into my mouth and ran it around. She definitely wanted me.
She pulled away and got lost in my eyes. Her hands grasped my chest, and she lowered her pussy down onto my manhood. I reached for her breasts and teased them. Pain ignited in my chest from where she dug her nails firmly into my skin.
“Susan, can I just remind you of the no marking policy?” I asked.
She continued writhing and shoved her hips down firmly on my dick. She was like a woman possessed.
“Rules, rules,” she said playfully. “Don’t they say they’re meant to be broken? Oh, come on. Live a little. You need to let yourself go for once!”
“Not going to happen,” I replied. “The rules are there for a reason. And we all stick to them, even me.” I pulled at her hard nipples and enjoyed the sound of her moaning loudly. She was such a good noise maker.
I had concerns about Susan. Over our last few sessions, she’d become a little too much. Of all my current clients, she was the only one who wouldn’t get pregnant. I started to think she relied on this fact to take advantage of the situation. I’d tried to tell her that she had to stick to the rules. They helped everyone and offered a level playing field that benefited all parties involved. Including me.
