Theo only glowered at her. “You should have asked me,” he said, then started walking down the street. “I think it’s time that you went to bed, it’s late and you need your sleep. We’re leaving in the morning.”
“You can’t just order me around like that,” she said, following him none the less, the fun of the evening spoiled. All she wanted to do was hide in her bedroom for the rest of the night.
Theo stopped and turned around. “Of course, I can. Right now, you belong to me,” he said, jabbing his finger in the direction of her swollen belly.
Amanda stood with her mouth hanging open, then narrowed her eyes at him. “I belong to no one but myself, this baby may be yours, but that doesn’t mean you own me. You’re the one who brought me to Alaska then abandoned me,” she said, then pushed past him into Marci’s house.
When Marci saw her she asked, “What are you doing home?” Then she looked at Amanda’s face. “What’s wrong?”
Amanda jerked her head behind her. “Ask him,” she said, then went to the kitchen, got a glass of water, and headed to her room, resisting the urge to slam her door when she shut it.
Theo and Marci stood staring at each other for a few seconds, then Marci said, “I guess you better come in and tell me what happened.”
Theo followed her to the kitchen and took the cup of coffee she poured for him, then sat down at the scarred wooden table in the middle of the room. He’d sat at this table many times before, but he’d never been the focus of Marci’s attention quite like he was at that moment. His emotions were running wild, desire for Amanda battled with anger making him want to scream out his frustration.
But instead, he took several deep breaths, and said, “I may have said some things I shouldn’t have, but it’s only because I was so worried about Amanda and the baby. I never would have let her come up here if I’d known what she was planning and Seth knew that but he brought her up here anyway.” He felt better now that he’d voiced his objections to someone he was sure would understand.
Marci was silent for a long time, then asked, “Why didn’t you know she was coming up here? Where were you?”
Theo had the grace to look guilty. “I had to go back to Seattle, business stuff.”
“Why didn’t you take her back with you?”
Theo opened his mouth and almost told the truth, then shut it and was silent for a minute searching his brain for a good reason. “I thought she’d be happier here,” he finally said, thinking it was a good answer.
“And she is,” Marci said, then gave him a look that said this one’s on you.
Theo knew that he’d been beat. “I think I’ve lost my mind. This is so much more difficult than I thought it would be.”
Marci patted his hand. “You look exhausted, why don’t you get some sleep and we’ll figure this out in the morning? You can have the bedroom you stayed in the last time you were here,” she said, getting up and taking their cups to the sink.
Theo got wearily to his feet. “Thank you, Marci, you’re a good friend,” he said, heading out of the kitchen, but before he could get through the door, Marci stopped him.
“Theo, I do have one piece of advice for you. Stop trying to control everything, life is full of surprises, sometimes all we can do is hold on for the ride. If I were you I’d talk to Amanda, tell her how you feel. She’s a smart woman, she’ll understand.”
Marci watched Theo walk out of the room thinking that she was seeing a man in love, a man who didn’t understand that was what had happened to him. When Seth had called her with his plan, she’d been skeptical, but seeing Theo tonight made her see that once again Seth had been right. She’d been watching Amanda closely, hoping she’d get some sign about how she felt about Theo, but she’d avoiding talking about him. Now she understood why, something had happened between them, that was clear by the way Theo’s eyes changed when he talked about her.
As much as she wanted to help them work this out, she wasn’t sure that there was much she could do. It was going to be up to them to figure it out, she’d have loved to talk to Theo more but she could tell that he wasn’t ready, so she’d done the only thing she could think of and given him the room next to Amanda’s. She was pretty sure that Amanda was up in that room right now crying her eyes out, her crying had become a bit of a joke around the village, but tonight it wasn’t funny. She hoped that Theo would hear her and do the right thing, and that maybe it would turn into more, that he’d finally tell her how he felt.
Marci’s words were still echoing through his mind as Theo climbed the stairs, he was a terrible control freak, it served him well in his position as head of the company. But he knew that it sometimes didn’t work so well in his personal life, and tonight he’d shown just how controlling he could be. He cringed when he remembered the words he’s said to Amanda, it had been way out of line and he’d have to apologize in the morning. Tonight, he was just too tired, he’d probably say something equally stupid if he tried to talk to her now and things were bad enough as it was.
Tomorrow they’d sort this out, he thought when he got the top of the stairs and saw the door to his room and thought about the bed. But as he walked down the hall, he heard sobbing coming from a closed door and knew that it was Amanda. Feeling like he’d been slapped, he stopped outside the door and stood there trying to decide what to do. In the end, he knew that he couldn’t walk away, so he knocked on the door and waited.
Chapter 8
Amanda took a deep breath and dried her tears for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Of all the things that had come along with this pregnancy, the crying was the worst, and she didn’t just cry when she was sad. She cried when she was happy, when she was sad, and even when she was mad or frustrated, and everyone in the village had witnessed it at one time or another. They’d begun to tease her gently, making a joke of it to make it easier for her to bear, but the intense emotion drained her.
Taking a deep breath, she hiccupped a few times, then smiled when the baby kicked her in response. “Sorry, little one, but this is really your fault, you know,” she said, rubbing the swelling in her abdomen.
As much as she’d tried to avoid it, she’d become attached to the little life that was growing inside her. Each kick and movement making her wonder what the baby would look like when it was born, how it would feel to hold it in her arms, and she wished not for the first time that she’d truly understood what this was going to be like. Now not only did she have to deal with what was going on with Theo, but the developing feelings she had for the baby, a baby she’d have to hand over and never see again.
Theo had treated her like a child tonight or even a possession, drug her out of the lodge in front of everyone, then told her to go to bed. It had been clear to her almost immediately that not only was he mad, but that he was exhausted, but that didn’t excuse his behavior. Tonight, she’d gotten a glimpse of the real Theo, the one who threw a fit and said mean things when he didn’t get his way, and she hadn’t liked him at all. So, maybe it was a good thing that he’d shown his true self, that she wasn’t blinded by the way he made her feel, no amount of physical pleasure could erase the way he’d made her feel tonight and a life time of that would be a nightmare.
When she heard a knock on the door, she assumed it was Marci and tried to get her voice to work. On the second knock she finally found it. “Who is it?”
“It’s Theo. Are you all right?” His voice sounded distant through the door.
Taking a deep breath, she got to her feet and went to the door, knowing that she’d have to open it, talking though the door would be impossible. When she opened the door, the look of concern on his face almost melted the anger she was feeling, but then she remembered what he’d said that night.
“I’m fine, thank you,” she said, then tried to shut the door.
“Can we talk for a second?” Theo asked, noticing that her eyes were puffy and there were pink spots on her cheeks.
The last thing Amanda wanted to do was talk, b
ut she opened the door farther and walked back over to the bed. Theo followed her into the room a couple of steps then shut the door and waited, not sure what to say to make things better. Amanda sat down on the edge of the bed, it wasn’t her responsibility to open the conversation and she wasn’t about to. She took a deep breath, then embarrassed when her breath shuttered from crying, she looked down into her lap unable to meet his eyes.
Theo had never felt so bad in his life. “Oh, Amanda, I’m so sorry,” he said, meaning every word.
Startled she looked up at him, her brown eyes red from crying, she looked into his blue ones, not sure she’d heard him right.
“I shouldn’t have said what I did earlier tonight. I don’t really think that you belong to me, it’s just that I was so worried.”
“Do you really think I’d do something to endanger the baby?” she asked, her eyes locked on his, until he broke eye contact.
Theo sat down next to her and thought about her question, then answered. “No, I don’t think you would. But it scared me to find out that you were up here, bad things do happen, things I can’t control.”
“Theo, you can’t control everything, and that includes me,” Amanda said, her heart pounding in her chest. It felt good to say it, but she was afraid of what his reaction was going to be.
Theo sighed. “I know, but I like to be in control.”
Amanda looked down into her lap again. “Sometimes you can’t be in control, Theo,” she said.
“I’m learning that, I really am,” he said, then put his arm over her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. “I promise you I’m learning that.”
Amanda didn’t know what to feel just then, the feeling of his arm around her shoulders made heat spread though her and a tingle begin deep inside her. Her brain was screaming that she was in dangerous territory, but her body thought differently, leaning into Theo to absorb more of his heat. When his mouth came down on hers, she knew that she had to pull away, stop what was about to happen before it did, knew that it was the only way she could keep from getting hurt.
Since Theo had left her alone in Alaska, she realized that the night they’d shared had been far more important to her than it had been to him. To her it had been the beginning of something wonderful and meaningful, but clearly to him it had simply been indulging the spark between them, a spark that she had to admit was brighter than anything she’d ever felt before. But that didn’t change the fact that sleeping with him again would only make her feel the same way when he pushed her away later, and she was sure deep down that was exactly what would happen.
She’d almost gathered the strength to push him away when his mouth left hers, and began a delightful path from her ear to her neck. Goosebumps erupted on her body and she shivered as the pleasure flooded her, any thought of pushing him away quickly fleeing her mind. When his mouth found her breast through the cotton t-shirt she was wearing, she threw her head back and whimpered, any resistance left inside her evaporating.
Theo wasn’t sure what had driven him to kiss Amanda, but once he’d started there was no stopping, her mouth was delicious. She tasted like sunshine and fresh air, her body pressed up against his soft and yielding, even if a slight tension had crept into her when he lowered his mouth to hers. The smart thing to do would have been to stop right then, but once his mouth was on hers he knew that only her pushing him away was going to stop him. He wasn’t proud of that fact, but he didn’t care, everyone kept telling him to stop trying to control everything and his desire for Amanda was one thing he’d been holding under tight control.
Throwing caution to the wind, he pulled his mouth from hers and began to kiss her neck and chest, finally sucking a swollen nipple into his mouth. When he felt the tension in Amanda’s body disappear, he knew that nothing was going to come between them and the passion they shared. In that moment he didn’t care what caused that passion, hormones or real feelings he’d be a fool to turn away from this woman and the delight she was willing to give him.
He stood and began to strip off his clothing, Amanda watching his every move only fueling the desire burning inside him, until all he wanted to do was lay her down on the bed and drive himself deep inside her. Instead he pulled her to her feet and stripped the huge t-shirt over her head, revealing that she wore nothing else underneath. Sucking in a deep breath, he pulled her to him, crushing her tender breasts against his muscular chest. He threaded his fingers through her hair cupping the back of her head and lowered his mouth to hers.
Locked in Theo’s embrace, Amanda fought to breathe, the passion between them so intense it took her breath away and left her dizzy. When she slumped against Theo, he laid her on the bed and stood over her, his eyes roaming over her body. Amanda reached for the sheet to cover herself up, very aware of her swollen belly, widened hips, and the few pounds that had accumulated over the last few weeks.
“Don’t do that, I want to look at you,” Theo said, stopping her before she could pull the sheet across herself. “You’re beautiful, actually luscious might be a better word.”
Amanda blushed, her breath cut off when her heart practically burst at his words, which were echoed by the look in his eyes. She relaxed back against the pillows and tried not to squirm as his eyes roamed over her. Then finally satisfied, Theo laid down on the bed next to her and leaned up on one elbow. Amanda looked up at him, her body electrified by the feeling of his bare skin on hers, the desire so clear in his eyes different than she remembered, as if he’d actually begun to care for her.
“I never should have left you and gone back to Seattle, it was a mistake and I’m sorry. I promise I’ll never do anything like that again, I don’t know what’s happening between us but I think it’s time to stop fighting it,” Theo said, his eyes locked on hers.
“I think I’d like that,” Amanda said, unable to say more, the ever-present tears threatening once again.
Theo brought his mouth down on hers, then trailed one hand down her chest until he found her swollen breasts and hard nipples and unable to resist the temptation, his mouth left her to take first one then the other nipple in his mouth. Amanda’s body responded by tightening deep inside, little ripples of pleasure making goosebumps break out on her skin. When he’d finished with her breasts, he kissed his way down her ribs, then kissed her swollen belly before sliding between the legs and pushing them open.
Amanda tensed then relaxed when Theo said, “Let me give you pleasure, I want to see if you taste as luscious as you look.”
He slid his finger across her swollen nub, then slipped it inside her, making her hips come up off the bed, then used his tongue to do the same thing. Amanda felt the pressure begin to build at the first touch of his hot tongue on her sensitive flesh, gripping the sheets in her fists, she moaned as his tongue drove her closer and closer to the brink of pleasure. Finally, his slid his finger inside her again, pushing it deeply, then used his tongue to drive her over the edge, her hips rising off the bed as wave after wave of intense pleasure washed over her.
When her body began to calm again, she was filled with the intense need to feel Theo inside her. Socked that she could need anything so deeply, she whimpered then pleaded, “Please, Theo, I need to feel you inside me.”
Theo slid up the bed, then gently rolled her onto her side. “I think I can handle that request.” Then he nestled himself up against her back, his erection between her legs.
Amanda gasped when he flexed his hips and slid between her folds, the tip of the swollen penis rubbing against her tender nub. Theo grabbed her leg and pulled it over his own, opening her to him, then slowly slid inside her. He fit snuggly and each movement of his hips sent shivers of pleasure rippling through her. He wrapped his arm around her from behind and cupped her breast, then gently pinched the swollen nipple, making her suck in her breath, then moan with pleasure.
He held her tightly against his chest and drove himself into her over and over again, each thrust of his hips bringing them both closer to oblivion. Kissing th
e back of her neck, he slid his hand over her rounded belly, gently caressing the mound before sliding his hand between her legs and stroking her clit with his finger. The hard core of pleasure that the thrusting of his hips had created began to unravel, waves of pleasure radiating out until the world around her ceased to exist and pleasure was all she knew.
Theo felt Amanda’s orgasm take her, her muscles clenching around him so tightly he knew that there was no fighting the end any longer. Thrusting into her deeply, he let himself go, the pleasure so intense he could do nothing more than hold on to Amanda and let it take him. When his body finally stilled he was filled with a feeling of contentment so encompassing that he was sure that he’d never be the same again. Deep down he knew that he was feeling the love that he felt for Amanda, but he blocked that thought and rode the last waves of pleasure.
When he was finally able to talk, Theo kissed the back of Amanda’s neck and said, “I promise I won’t leave this time.”
“Thank you,” she said, as her eyes fluttered closed.
Amanda woke up slowly, but very aware that Theo was still in bed with her. She wanted to prolong the moment but her bladder wasn’t going to let that happen. Getting out of bed slowly, she scooted out the door and into the bathroom, sure that she’d escaped without waking Theo up. But when she got back into the room, he was sitting up in bed, looking sexy as hell, waiting for her.
“Good morning,” he said, then patted the bed next to him. “Come back to bed, it’s still early.”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to go back to sleep,” Amanda said, suddenly feeling embarrassed.
“Who said anything about sleeping?” Theo said, with a wink.
Amada could feel herself blushing but walked over to the bed and got in again. Theo wrapped his arms around her and slid her down into the bed. She could feel his erection pressing against her leg and giggled. “That’s not quite the response I expected,” Theo said, smiling down at her.
Carry My Baby: BWWM Romance (Brother From Money Book 18) Page 8
