Stay with Me: A Second Chance Accidental Pregnancy Romance

by Lea Coll

  This is what I wanted to avoid—lying to my friend. But right now, my loyalty was with Lucy. “I’m spending time with her—hoping to convince her to stick around this time.”

  Jack smirked. “Yeah, how’s that going?”

  “Not sure, honestly. Sometimes I think she’s considering it and then she talks about the need to get a job in the city.”

  He shook his head, shifting so his elbows were on his knees, and lowered his voice so the rest of the guys wouldn’t hear. “Yeah, the turmoil at home when we were kids was rough. I think it got worse when I left but she never said. I think that’s why she’s so pressed to live somewhere else. There are bad memories for her here and she’s determined to do everything herself in her own way.”

  “Does she feel the same way now that your parents are retired? They seemed happy.”

  “It might be more about her job at this point. She’s convinced she needs to work at some fancy graphic arts job in the city. She gets some kind of status or feeling of accomplishment working there. You know she has the skill to start her own business—wedding planning, photography, graphic design—whatever she wants to do.”

  “It’s tough going out on your own.”

  “It is but she has our support. She has options.”

  I couldn’t mention that her circumstances were even more complicated than he knew, and I had a feeling Jack wouldn’t be happy I’d gotten his sister pregnant.

  He glanced over at me. “She hasn’t given you a date when she’s leaving, has she?”

  “No but I get the feeling she wants to stay for your wedding and then move on.”

  “Fuck. I didn’t think it was that soon.”

  His wedding was one month away when Lucy would be fifteen weeks pregnant. My time was running out to convince her that she should stay.

  Luke called over to him, talking about a play on the field and Jack didn’t bring Lucy up again. I didn’t want to leave Chestertown. I didn’t want to leave my job, not when I was trying to get a promotion, but if Lucy left I didn’t see any other option.

  I watched the game but I was distracted by how everything was going to change soon.

  When the game was over we headed over to Pickles across the street from the stadium. It was a small run-down bar, but it was tradition for fans to gather there after the games.

  It was packed by the time we arrived and all I wanted to do was see Lucy. I followed Luke as he maneuvered through the crowd to find the girls.

  When I saw Lucy seated at a high-top table, I headed straight for her, placed an arm over the back of her chair and stepped in close. It was a simple thing—meeting a woman and her friends after a game with the guys, but it was nice. “How was the spa?”

  “Relaxing.” She smiled and I relaxed a little.

  “Good. You ate lunch? You’re not overdoing it?”

  Lucy rolled her eyes, but her lips were tilted up in a smile. “No. You’re not my keeper, you know.”

  I tucked a stray hair behind her ear and pressed my body closer to hers as people tried to get past us.

  “This place is packed. Let’s get out of here,” Luke called out over the noise of the crowd.

  I raised my brow at Lucy who nodded in agreement. “It’s too hot in here.”

  Lucy slipped off the chair and I grabbed her hand to move through the crowd and onto the sidewalk. “Where to?” I asked Lucy.

  “Fell’s Point. You haven’t experienced Baltimore until you’ve been there.”

  We piled into Ubers and headed to Fell’s. When we stepped onto the cobblestoned street Lucy pointed to the sign for The Horse You Came In On Saloon. “I think you know where we should go.”

  “Absolutely. We have to get a picture!” Samantha paused and Jack took a picture of the girls in front of the saloon and I did the same for the guys.

  We snagged a high-top table and Luke and Jack headed to the bar for beers. It was busy, but not as crazy as Pickles.

  “Gosh, I haven’t hung out in Baltimore in awhile,” Emma said. “It’s so fun.”

  “A little more happening than Chestertown,” Lucy said.

  “It is. I’ll enjoy it for a night and want to head back to Chestertown. It’s not so busy and you don’t need to worry about being approached on the streets,” Emma said.

  She’d moved to Chestertown from Baltimore over a year ago for a job and stayed when she met Luke.

  “Are you happy that you moved?” Lucy asked.

  “Oh, yeah. I didn’t think I’d ever want to live in a small town but then I met this great group of friends and Luke. I fell in love with the town and the people.”

  Lucy’s forehead wrinkled. “Why didn’t you want to live in a small town?”

  She asked it casually but she was still, eyes on Emma like she was really interested in her perspective.

  “The city life is fun at first, but worrying about walking down the street, someone breaking into my home, stealing packages off my front step; it’s a different lifestyle. One I don’t miss. In Chestertown, I feel safe. It’s quaint and clean, and the bars are never packed.” She shrugged. “I can’t explain it. It just felt like home to me.” She shifted on her barstool studying Lucy. “Why? Are you thinking of staying in Chestertown permanently? Jack and Samantha would love that.”

  “I’m not sure, honestly,” Lucy said as Jack and Luke returned with pitchers of beer and tumblers for everyone. “My life is here. There aren’t graphic design jobs in Chestertown.”

  “Are you seriously thinking of staying in Chestertown long term?” I bumped shoulders with her to lighten my question.

  She chewed her lip. “I don’t know what to do.”

  I poured beer from the pitcher into my glass to give myself a minute to think of a response. She was going to get a job offer eventually and I needed to show her I was serious about her staying. “I’m going to convince you to stay.”

  “And how are you going to do that?” Her tone was light and playful.

  “I have my ways.” I winked at her before taking a long pull of beer. It was time to step things up a bit.

  Lucy

  His words caused my core to ache. I wished I could drink tonight, make bad decisions, and fall into bed with him.

  I leaned over to whisper in his ear, my hand on his bicep, which flexed under my fingers, and pressed my breasts into his arm. “I’m interested if your way involves your tongue.”

  I saw him swallow hard and shift on the stool. “Fuck,” he said so quietly I almost didn’t hear him.

  Not moving away, I continued, “I think about that morning on your boat a lot.” I slowed my words and said softly, “It was so hot.”

  He cleared his throat. “It was.”

  Luke’s hand clapped down on his shoulders. “Are you up for a round of darts?”

  “Absolutely,” Wyatt said, not looking at me.

  I watched him walk to the back of the bar wondering if I’d gone too far. Sex was supposed to be off the table even if I’d very much wanted it back on.

  When the guys returned from their game, Wyatt placed a hand on my neck and he leaned down to whisper, “Meet me at the rooftop pool tonight after we go back to our rooms—just you and me.”

  I tried to pay attention to the conversations around us but I couldn’t stop wondering what he had planned.

  We finally made it back to the hotel. I was exhausted from the day but energized to see what Wyatt had in store for me at the pool. I quickly pulled off the dress and heels I’d worn for the party and changed into a red bikini with a sheer cover-up. I wasn’t showing yet and wanted to enjoy wearing a bikini for probably the last time for awhile.

  Going up in the elevator, I wondered if he was already waiting for me, and my pulse sped up in anticipation. Would he finally give in and move our relationship to the next level?

  The elevator doors opened to a rectangle infinity pool and the lights of the city. I stepped forward, not seeing anyone so I walked slowly around the pool when I felt heat at my back, a
hand brushed my hair off of my shoulder.

  “Are you meeting someone here?” Wyatt moved my cover-up to the side so he could place a kiss on my bare shoulder making me instantly wet.

  I licked my lips, my head dropping back to his shoulder as he continued to place light kisses on my neck and shoulder. “No.”

  “You came out here in that skimpy bikini by yourself?” He stood behind me, his legs on either side of mine, as his hands moved from my shoulders, down my arms, to the bottom of my cover-up. His fingers gripped the bottom before pulling it up and over my head until it landed in a puddle at our feet.

  He sucked in a breath, his hands traveled up my thighs, my stomach, to my breasts until he lightly cupped the underside as if weighing them, a thumb rubbing over the nipples, a whimper escaping my lips.

  Suddenly anxious to see his face, to connect with him, I tried to turn in his arms, but he said firmly, “No. There’s no one here but us.”

  “But someone could walk in.” My voice sounded breathless to my own ears as my excitement increased at the possibility. I’d called the shots last time. I’d wanted it hard and fast. No memories. No emotions. Is that what he’d want this time too? There’d be no chance of old emotions creeping up on us if we kept it impersonal—no eye contact, no talking.

  “The camera only faces the door and the other half of the pool.”

  He stepped behind me, caressing my breasts, and one hand slipped down my stomach and under my bikini bottom. He cupped me before caressing, separating me, so his finger could slip inside me, which forced my ass back into his erection.

  He seemed to want this as much as I did but I had to know if he’d changed his mind. Was he okay with sex not changing our relationship? “I thought you said we couldn’t—”

  “Shh. No thinking. Just feel how it is between us.”

  When the second finger entered me, my knees went weak and his other arm went around me, holding me up. I was surrounded by him—his strong arms, his scent, his breath on my temple.

  The thought of the elevator door opening and other guests seeing us had me quickly spiraling to an intense orgasm. He held my weight as I slumped, coming down from the high. Then he swung me into his arms carrying me to the edge of the pool. He sat me on the side with my feet dangling into the water before he jumped in effortlessly.

  I drank in the sight of him in his swim trunks, broad shoulders, muscular arms, defined abs, and his tapered waist. He quickly ducked underwater and when he emerged, water dripped off of him and he slicked his hair back off his forehead.

  He stepped between my knees, his hands on my hips, and I felt the string of my bikini on my hips loosen and fall. His hands spread my knees wide as I leaned back on my arms feeling wanton and so exposed on a public pool deck. “You want my tongue,” he said, never taking his eyes off of mine.

  “Yes,” I hissed, ready for more, not caring where we were or who could see. If I stopped him to go somewhere more secluded it would take him out of the moment.

  He pulled me closer to the edge, spreading me with his fingers, as he dipped his head between my legs, giving me one long lick.

  “Fuck Wyatt. Your tongue is magic.”

  He didn’t answer but his tongue circled my clit as his fingers entered me. My head fell back as I shamelessly rode his fingers and his mouth. The combination of his fingers, his tongue, and his teeth sent me over the edge. His fingers rode my orgasm and after one last kiss to my clit, he dunked his head into the water washing his face.

  “Is that what you wanted?” He didn’t wait for an answer. His hands went to my hips placing me in the water and instantly cooling me. His hand on the small of my back pulled me to him so the considerable length of his erection pressed into my belly.

  “Wyatt—” He’d said no sex until we were in a relationship. I didn’t know if what just happened meant he’d changed his mind or if he was giving into his lust for me.

  But before I could finish my sentence his mouth was on mine, his hands on my butt, lifting me as my legs went around his waist. His hard cock pressed at my entrance. After two orgasms I wanted him inside me in the worst way. I broke my mouth from his. “Wyatt, please. I need you inside me.”

  I was dropped into the water and his trunks were pushed down.

  “Take off your top,” he ordered.

  With shaky hands I tugged the knot until it was loose and threw the top behind me.

  I couldn’t even process what happened before I was out of the water and on the edge of the pool completely naked. I felt the rough texture of the pool deck under my ass as I bit my lip, watching him fist his cock and give it a stroke or two. Someone could come out here any minute but it only heightened my excitement.

  “You are such a tease.” I felt his eyes on me but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the sight of him fisting his cock so much harder than I did.

  “Am I now?” I looked at him through my lashes.

  “Yes, you are.”

  Then he stepped closer, lining himself up with my center and slowly pushed in. My eyes lowered to the spot where we were joined, his cock stretching me inch by inch. Everything was more intense and heightened but I’d never felt more adventurous or sexy.

  Wanting another orgasm, I tilted my pelvis to create a delicious sensation. “Yes, right there.” It continued to build as every muscle in my body strung tight. I cried out when the orgasm washed over me.

  Wyatt pulled me off the deck of the pool until I was wrapped around him again, my breasts smashed against his chest, and he thrust roughly inside me. When his orgasm finally hit, he groaned into my neck, still holding me tight to his body. There was something more intimate about being naked and wet in a pool. I felt exposed and raw, but at the same time it felt so good.

  I was a limp noodle in his arms, spent from the three amazing orgasms he’d given me. What we’d done was erotic, but I was acutely aware that we were in a public place.

  “Wyatt, we need to get dressed. Anyone could walk in.”

  He slowly released me. “Right.” He handed me my bikini top, helping me knot it behind my neck and back. Then we searched for his trunks, which were floating in the pool. Pulling them on, he lifted himself out of the pool and turned to help me. As he released me to stand, he said, “Let me get your bottoms for you.”

  Bringing them to me, he kneeled, helping me into the bottoms and slowly sliding them up my legs, tying the sides tightly. His hands on my hips, I held my breath, as he leaned forward, kissing my belly. He rested his head on my belly for a few seconds before standing and taking my hand.

  I searched his face for any sign of what he was feeling. I felt exposed with nothing between us except our baby. Fuck—this complicated everything.

  Wyatt

  I couldn’t believe we hadn’t been physical since the boat. I was trying to protect myself but if I wanted to convince Lucy we were meant to be together, being intimate was a huge part of it. It was the only time she truly let go of her worries and concerns and let me in.

  Lucy averted her eyes, pulled her hand from mine, and grabbed a towel to cover herself. She was breathing in slow deep breaths as if she was trying to calm down.

  “You’re panicking.”

  She shot me an annoyed look. “Aren’t you? We’re going to be parents in a few months. This complicates everything.”

  “Does it?” I worked to keep myself calm because I’d hoped this would bring us closer together.

  She refused to look at me. “Isn’t that why you said nothing physical unless I was working and living in Chestertown officially?”

  “Well, yes, but—”

  “I thought we could do this. I thought we could have sex without getting emotions involved but I can’t. There’s no guarantee that things will work out and then how will we raise this child together?”

  “What’s going on? Why are you so resistant to trying to see if we can be together?”

  “The stakes are high if we screw this up. There’s more than just us to think abou
t.”

  “What if I move to the city with you?”

  Her mouth dropped open. “You would do that?”

  “I would do anything for you.” And I would. This woman had my heart. She always had.

  We’d arrived at her hotel door, but she was deep in thought.

  She turned to me. “I don’t know.”

  “Think about it.” I left her with a quick kiss on her lips, hoping she’d come around.

  I lay in bed for awhile that night thinking about how everything we’d had as kids was more intense, more heightened as adults. The baby didn’t complicate things but made everything better. I needed to be patient with her—she’d come around. She had to.

  The next day we had brunch with the group and then we headed home. As we drove home, I tried to imagine what it would be like to live in the city and I couldn’t. Maybe we could live in the country and she’d commute. If she was offered a job, we’d need to find a solution, but first, I was anxious to tell everyone our news.

  “We need to plan how we’re going to talk to our parents.” I glanced over at her to see if she was in agreement. “Jack asked me at the game if we were back together and I wanted to tell him the truth.”

  “I agree. It’s time.”

  “Great. So, what are you thinking?” I’d leave this part up to her.

  “We tell my parents first and then yours. Maybe on the same day so there’s no time for word to get out.”

  “And we do it together.” I wanted to be by her side. I wanted to see everyone’s reaction because I knew they’d be happy for us.

  “Of course.”

  I gripped the steering wheel tighter as I smiled over at her. “This is the first of many decisions we’ll make together.”

  Lucy

  The next weekend, I sat in the rocking chair on my parents’ front porch waiting for Jack and Samantha to arrive for brunch. Wyatt was coming over too so we could tell my family about the pregnancy. Wyatt’s sister was home for the weekend, and he wanted to take the opportunity to tell his family too.