His Secret Starlight Baby

by Michelle Major

  He’d just taken off his watch and set it on the tall dresser in the master bedroom when a sound caught his attention.

  Cory lay asleep on his bed, on top of the covers, as if she’d dozed off there without meaning to.

  Every nerve ending in Jordan’s body went on high alert. It was like his fantasy life had thrown a party, and this was his dream come true. Like most dreams, once achieved, he wanted more. Suddenly it wasn’t enough to watch her. He wanted to hold her in his arms, to bury his face in her hair and breathe in the citrusy fragrance that always clung to her.

  He wanted so much more.

  Not a creeper, he reminded himself. He wasn’t sure what had led her into his room, but he had a feeling she could easily be scared off again. He still couldn’t believe how much his feelings had changed in the past couple of weeks. He tried and failed to access any of the initial anger he’d felt when she’d shown up in his life with a baby he hadn’t known about. Maybe the anger could protect him.

  He still wished that she would have told him about Ben earlier, but Jordan understood she hadn’t been in the best place emotionally. He also took responsibility for the way he’d left Atlanta without speaking to her.

  Walking away and changing his number had seemed like the simplest course of action if she’d gone back to Kade. If he’d stayed, he would have spent months waiting and hoping for her to call. Too much time devoted to wondering if he should reach out to her.

  But he hadn’t known what would result from their night together.

  Now he did. What was the saying?

  When you know better, you do better.

  He had to do better for both of them.

  He stripped off his clothes and put on a fresh T-shirt and shorts. No way was he going to wake her smelling like stale beer.

  Hell, he wished he didn’t have to wake her at all.

  Maybe the right thing to do—the better thing—would be to retreat to the couch for the night and leave her in peace.

  He wasn’t quite that much of a better man.

  The mattress sagged with his weight as he sat on the edge of it. Cory’s skin felt like silk as he gently shook her arm.

  “Sweetheart, wake up.”

  She mumbled something incoherent, then shifted and snuggled against his pillow. He felt a smile tug the corner of his mouth. Cory didn’t wake easy and sunny like Ben.

  Okay, he’d tried. Maybe not the most valiant effort, but he’d made some attempt.

  He moved to the other side of the bed and pulled back the sheet and comforter. His hands fisted as he resisted the urge to draw Cory closer, his own personal soothing blanket. She made him feel secure in a way he hadn’t realized was lacking from his life. Like she was some sort of lighthouse in the storm of whatever might come his way, a true north that would always guide him home.

  Except there was no always between them. There was just a temporary arrangement that she seemed more than ready to end.

  He never wanted it to end.

  With a deep breath, Jordan closed his eyes and willed his body to relax. A moment later he heard a startled gasp and turned his head to find Cory staring at him in the faint light of moon glow that came from his bedroom window.

  “I tried to wake you,” he said immediately.

  She didn’t answer for a moment, then said softly, “I like your bed.”

  Her voice was sleep-rough, her eyes heavy, and it was all he could do not to groan in response.

  “Then stay,” he managed and did his best to gather all his gentlemanly instincts. “I can move to the couch if you want.”

  “I want you to stay,” she answered without hesitation.

  Then, as if every one of his dreams was coming true, she leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his.

  Jordan’s body went into overdrive, but he tamped down the need to move too quickly. He let her set the pace. This was a gift, and he was smart enough to cherish it.

  His measured response must have been the right one. Cory shifted closer, her small frame pressed against the length of him. He inwardly cursed the layers of bedding that separated them.

  “How was your night?” she asked between kisses.

  “This is the best part of it.” He threaded his fingers in her hair, reveling in the feel of the soft strands.

  She moved again, lifting herself to straddle his hips as she balanced her weight on her hands on either side of his head. Her hair fell around him like a cocoon, and he wanted to stay in this moment forever.

  “Can I tell you a secret?”

  “Yeah, sweetheart. You can tell me anything.”

  “I was dreaming about you before I woke up.”

  “The kind of dream where you’re naked and in front of a crowd of people?” he asked with a smile.

  She shook her head, the ends of her hair tickling his neck. “The kind of dream where you and I are alone and we’re both naked.”

  “I like your version better,” he said, not bothering to keep the desire from his tone. He was so damn tired of hiding how much he wanted her. For all he knew, she was sleep seducing him, but he’d take whatever she was willing to give him.

  “Me too.” She sat up and tugged the pajama shirt over her head.

  To his eternal gratitude, she wasn’t wearing a bra.

  He lifted his hands and drew his thumbs over the tight peaks of her nipples before holding the weight of her breasts.

  She moaned low in her throat and leaned forward to kiss him again, but he shifted her forward so he could take her breast into his mouth. He gave attention to one and then the other, savoring the sweet and salty taste of her.

  Then she leaned down to kiss him again, deep and long. He lifted her up and off him so he could pull down the covers. He needed to be closer to her, to feel her skin against his. To be inside her.

  But maybe he should have turned on the nightstand light, because suddenly they were tangled in covers, arms flailing and legs kicking as they tried to get to each other.

  Cory’s laughter rang out in the dark room. “I’m stuck in the sheet.”

  “Damn sheet,” he muttered and turned his attention to freeing her.

  She laughed again, and the sound made Jordan’s heart feel like it was filled with champagne bubbles, light and fizzy. He’d never thought of sex as fizzy. He was the down-and-dirty type. As with everything else, Cory helped him see a new perspective that made something already awesome even better.

  They were both breathing hard and laughing just as hard by the time he untangled her and threw back the covers. She flopped on the mattress next to him. “Wow, that was a bit of a mood dampener, huh?”

  “Not one bit.” He took her hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing each of her knuckles. “I can’t imagine anything that would dampen my desire for you.”

  She squeezed his hand. “Then you’d best get naked, my friend. Because I’ve got some dreams, and you’re just the man to make them come true.”

  With that kind of a command, how could he do anything but follow it? Minutes—or hours—later, he sheathed himself in a condom and slid inside her. The sigh she let out was like music to his ears, and it felt like coming home.

  They moved together, all thought of laughter put aside for the moment. As good as it had been with Cory before, something was different this time. Jordan wanted more, and he got it. Their connection seemed deeper, and he couldn’t imagine how or why they would end their arrangement in any way but making it real.

  If she needed time to get used to the idea, he’d give that to her. If she needed space, it was hers. But whether or not she wanted to talk about it now or pretend otherwise, they belonged to each other.

  Of that he had no doubt.

  And when they went over the edge of desire together, holding each other tight, it was as if the universe was giving him a sign of how right this w
as. They were meant to be.

  As he held her close while their breathing went back to normal, she smiled against his mouth. “That was better than any dream I ever had.”

  Filled with hope and an overwhelming sense of peace, he couldn’t agree more.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Sunday evening, Jordan parked the car on the street in front of Nick Dunlap’s Craftsman bungalow. “You don’t have to be nervous.”

  “I’m not nervous,” Cory lied.

  “They’re nice people.”

  “Of course you think that. They’re your friends.”

  She closed her eyes and tried to steady her breath, knowing she was being ridiculous but unable to stop herself. When Jordan had suggested attending the Sunday supper party at Nick and Brynn’s house, it had seemed like a great idea. Mara and Parker would be there, along with her daughter, Evie. Josh and his daughter, Evie’s best friend, Anna, were coming, as well.

  “Actually, they’re not really my friends.”

  She glanced toward Jordan. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, they’re my customers. They come into the bar on a regular basis for a drink and a meal. I like all of them, and they seem like the kind of people who would make good friends. But I don’t have friends. I have coworkers and customers.”

  “That’s not true,” she argued. “Josh gave up an entire morning to help you redo the nursery.”

  “And I’m comping his employees a happy-hour game night at the bar.”

  “Everyone in town likes you, Jordan. At least everyone I’ve talked to.”

  “I’m the local bartender,” he told her with a laugh. “I pour beer. Who doesn’t like the guy who pours beer?” He took her hand. “This is new for me, Cory. I’m not much for socializing. It’s out of my comfort zone. Hell, don’t forget how we met. Most of the team was inside whooping it up at the party, and I was sitting alone on the side of your pool.”

  “I’m glad you were there,” she said softly, running a thumb over a scar on his pointer finger. “And that you’re here. I’m glad we’re doing this together, even if it’s hard for me to open up to these people.”

  He frowned. “Everyone who meets you loves you. You already have a foursome of friends, and you’re thick as thieves, from what I can tell.”

  She shrugged. “Those women are like me, not quite broken but definitely a little banged up and bent in places. The people in that house have their lives together. I feel like they’re going to take one look at me and know I don’t belong. That everything between us is fake.”

  “Not everything. At least I don’t think you could have faked me making all those dreams come true last night.”

  “I’ll give you that,” she said, feeling a blush creep up her cheeks at the memory of how many times he’d made her dreams come true.

  “You gave me a lot more.” He leaned in and brushed a kiss across her temple.

  Ben let out a happy shriek from the back seat, making Cory grin. Was it possible a baby could pick up on the connection between his parents? She’d noticed that Ben seemed to express his happiness every time he saw his parents touch.

  “We should go in.” She looked toward the house again. “I just hope these people don’t turn on me if I’m no longer a part of your life.”

  “We have a son together, Cory. We’ll always be a part of each other’s lives.”

  She nodded and got out of the car, unwilling to let Jordan see how much the thought affected her. Of course, they’d always have a part in each other’s lives. But the idea of Ben being the only thing that held them together hurt her heart. She didn’t want to believe that. There was no way to believe it when the truth was so much more for her.

  Cory wasn’t pretending to be in love with Jordan. She’d fallen for him, and she knew how badly her heart would break when they ended this.

  Nick opened the front door with a wide smile. “Good to see you out from behind the bar,” he told Jordan with an enthusiastic handshake before turning to Cory. “I hear we have your better half to thank for the change in everyone’s favorite solitary bar owner.”

  “I’m Cory,” she said, offering her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “The pleasure is all mine.”

  Jordan held up a couple of the growlers of beer he’d picked up from the bar on their way over. “You can take a bartender out into the real world, but lucky for you, I travel with beer.”

  “Thanks, man.” Nick led them into the house, and Cory followed, trying to tamp down the nerves that bubbled up again.

  Nick seemed nice enough and not as intimidating as she would have imagined for an officer of the law, but his casual comment about Jordan being the favorite reminded her once again that she would be the outsider when their arrangement ended.

  It would end because it had to. Her feelings for Jordan were already too overwhelming. They threatened to outstrip her good sense and her commitment to making herself a priority.

  She pasted a smile on her face despite her tumbling emotions as Nick led them into a bright kitchen painted in a soft yellow with maple cabinets and a beautiful granite counter. She greeted Mara and Brynn and was introduced to Mara’s husband, Parker. She also finally got the chance to personally thank Josh for his help with the nursery.

  “The girls are in the basement playing Ping-Pong,” Brynn told her as the men went into the family room to watch a basketball game. Brynn held a baby girl who looked to be near Ben’s age. “This is our daughter, Remi. She’s seven months now.” The baby was adorable—although not nearly as big as Ben, she seemed just as happy.

  Cory held her baby a little tighter. “Ben is almost seven months old, as well.”

  “They’ll grow up together.” Brynn grinned. “Best friends, I’m sure.”

  As much as Cory loved the thought of those kinds of lifelong friendships for her son, she could also imagine a future where she’d be alone with only Ben. What if Jordan eventually found a woman to settle down with? Someone who wasn’t her. What if her son had half siblings and she had no one other than her cooking-club friends and whatever job she ended up finding once she left the bar?

  “Did I say something wrong?” Brynn asked gently.

  “Because you look like she just kicked your puppy,” Mara added, earning an eye roll from Brynn.

  “Ignore her,” Brynn said.

  “She works with Madison Maurer,” Mara reminded her friend. “My level of snark is nowhere near hers.”

  The easy banter between the two helped Cory to relax the tiniest bit. “It’s nothing. I just didn’t exactly grow up in a tight-knit community. Sometimes the easy camaraderie of this place overwhelms me.”

  “Girl, same.” Mara pointed to herself. “Sometimes it’s overwhelming, and sometimes it’s nauseating.”

  “It’s never nauseating,” Brynn argued. “But it can be a lot to handle.”

  Cory frowned. “Jordan said you’re a Starlight native. Don’t you get used to it?”

  Mara and Brynn shared a look. “There are great things about small-town life,” Brynn said after a moment. “But even if you grow up in it, having people know your business or thinking that they understand you better than you understand yourself is a challenge sometimes.” She rested a hand on Remi’s head, and the girl snuggled against her chest. “Plus, people like to judge others or what they don’t understand. You have to learn to ignore it.”

  “I’ve never been great at ignoring other people’s opinions.”

  “This is your chance to choose who matters to you. You get that choice.”

  Cory let out a long breath. She hadn’t expected to jump right in with a deep, emotional conversation at a dinner party, but being honest and then supported for it did wonders for her confidence.

  “I appreciate you connecting me with Ella,” she told Mara. “She’s been a lifesaver staying with Ben wh
ile I work.” She glanced at Brynn. “She takes care of Remi during the day, as well, right?”

  “I’d be lost without her,” Brynn admitted. “Although, I kept waiting for her to tell me she’s heading back to her traveling nurse career. I’m not sure anyone expected her to stay in town this long.”

  Cory got the same impression but didn’t mention it.

  “But you’re here for the long haul,” Mara observed, her gaze steady on Cory. “Jordan certainly did a good job of playing his cards close to the vest on the relationship front. No one had any idea about you and Ben.”

  Including Jordan, Cory wanted to say. Once again, she hated lying to the people in this town. She didn’t know much about either of these women, but they didn’t strike her as the type who’d think badly of her for how she’d handled her pregnancy and the months after Ben’s birth.

  “There was so much to deal with after Ben’s surgery,” she said, because that much wasn’t a lie.

  “I can’t imagine what you went through or how you handled it on your own,” Brynn said.

  Cory shrugged and offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile. As nice as these women seemed, she didn’t want to relive that time again. “He’s healthy now, and I’m so grateful. We’re focused on the future.”

  Brynn squeezed her arm. “I respect that. Speaking of the future...” She leaned in to study Cory’s earrings. “Mara tells me you’re a jewelry designer.”

  “Hardly,” Cory said with a laugh. “I used to make things to wear and I sold a few pieces, but I’m just getting back into it. I took a few art classes in college, but don’t have any actual expertise.”

  “You have talent,” Mara said. “That’s obvious. I’d totally wear that necklace.”

  “Thanks.” Cory pressed a finger to the beaded chain she wore, a blush rising to her cheeks at the way the two women were studying her.

  “Have you heard about the upcoming Maker’s Market we’re hosting at Dennison Mill?” Brynn asked. “In addition to our regular shop vendors, we’re inviting other local artisans to set up booths around the property. We’ve done the event before, and it’s been really popular. There isn’t a lot of time, but if you want me to save a space for you, I’m sure our customers would love your designs.”