by Jessa York
“You’re speaking in your professor voice now.”
“Problem one, is the baby okay?” I asked. She shrugged her shoulders, making my stomach nervous as hell. “Is there a reason you think maybe the baby isn’t okay?”
“No, but I worry.”
“Then what should we do?”
“I made an appointment to see a doctor. They can’t get me in for weeks.”
“Where did you call?”
“The free clinic.”
“Well, lucky for you, your boyfriend has money to pay for a doctor who can get you in sooner than that.”
“I can’t ask you to pay for that.”
“You aren’t asking. I’m telling you what’s going to happen. Now problem number two,” I said, holding up two fingers. “Telling your mom. We should do this tomorrow after I take you shopping.”
“Shopping for what?”
“Clothes that don’t explode when you sit down.”
She started giggling at the memory of her dress ripping at the table. “Jake, I don’t have a job and money’s tight. I can’t just buy new clothes whenever I want. Normally I’m lucky enough to get Ivy’s castoffs but now that I’m fat, I can’t fit anything.”
“First of all, you’re not fat. You’re growing a human being. And if I can be completely honest? You’ve never looked hotter.”
Paige rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
“Not lying. Your body was incredible before but now it’s—unstoppable.” It was all completely true. She was always responsive to my touch. Pregnancy seemed to amp it up, making her body even more sensitive.
“You’re just being nice.”
“Mmm hmm and in a minute, I’m going to be nice all over again.” Dropping my head, I kissed her tenderly. “Problem number three.”
“I didn’t agree to shopping.”
“You’re not paying. I can’t let the mother of my child walk around naked. End of story. Problem number three, quitting school? You can’t be serious?”
“How am I going to manage a baby and school? I can hardly handle it as it is.”
“You won’t have to. We will. You’re not doing this alone, Paige.”
“That’s nice of you to say, but I’ve lived with a single mother most of my life. It’s not easy.”
I felt her words, single mother, stab right in my gut. I had no intention of letting her be one. “Truth or dare?”
She smiled at me. “Truth.”
“Do you believe me when I say I’ll help?”
Her hesitation said it all. “I believe you have the best of intentions. Once it gets down to the daily grind of real life, sometimes people—” Her voice trailed off.
“Screw off? Make another family and forget about their beautiful daughter?” More tears spilled over as she chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m not your father. I won’t do that to you or our baby.” The look in her eyes told me she didn’t trust my statement to be true. I’d have to prove it to her. “Okay, your turn.”
Sniffing for a second, she ran the tips of her fingers under her eyes. “Did you love, Amelia.”
I answered immediately, “No. Probably more like an infatuation I couldn’t shake. My turn. Will you move in with me?”
She bolted up in the bed. “Are you insane? We hardly know each other.”
“We’ve known each other since we were kids.”
“Not the same thing, Jake. And anyway, that’s not how you play Truth or Dare.”
“Good point, then I dare you to move in with me.”
She leaned down, laughing as she shook her head. Paige’s big, beautiful breasts pressed against my chest. Kissing me, she said, “You don’t play fair.”
“Not with this I don’t.” No way in the world would I let her slip out of my hands again.
37
Jake
“Paige, you know all of this. What you need is a good night’s sleep,” I said, closing the textbook on the table.
Her eyes went wide as her jaw slacked. “Are you crazy? What I need is to stay up all night and cram in as much knowledge as possible into this tiny brain of mine.” Her head dropped onto the notebook we’d been working in.
“Your brain isn’t tiny. This work is difficult,” I said, placing my hand on her head, running my fingers through her long hair.
Turning her face to me, she said, “You don’t find it difficult.”
“If you removed your calculus mark, our GPAs would be comparable.”
She sat up, frowning at me. “How did you—oh my gosh, did you look at my marks?” The palms of her hands hit the table.
“Umm, maybe?”
I could feel the weight of her glare. “Why did you do that?”
Shrugging, I collected the books as I said, “Curiosity, I guess.” And the fact that I always made sure the registrar had her correct calculus marks down to the decimal. While doing that my eyes may have wandered.
“Why are you packing up?” She tried to stifle another yawn unsuccessfully.
Grabbing her hand, I said, “You need sleep.”
“Jake, I have to study more.”
Thinking of a compromise, I squeezed her hand. “Okay, you get ready for bed and I’ll quiz you until you fall asleep.”
“Fine. Bring the notes in the blue notebook.” Then she stood and shuffled down the hall.
I tidied up the table, leaving the book she’d requested out. After washing our snack bowls and glasses I headed down to her room half expecting Paige to be asleep already. To my surprise she was just pulling off her shirt.
Tossing it onto the floor, she glided her shorts down her rounded hips and belly. God, I loved looking at her body as it bloomed into the formal stages of pregnancy. Her baby bump was definitely visible now.
Walking up behind her, I set my hands on her shoulders, lowering my lips to kiss the sensitive skin of her neck. Her body melted into mine as she stepped back, leaning on me. My hands reached around, finding her full, soft breasts.
“Mmm,” she said as I rubbed them, dragging my fingers over her nipples. “That feels nice.” I had to agree with her on that. Moving her hair, I kissed her shoulder while unhooking the back of her bra. She yanked it off the rest of the way.
Spinning her around, I captured her mouth with mine in a deep kiss, my hardness tight against her stomach. “We’re alone for a while, right?” I asked, hoping like hell her answer would be ‘yes’.
“Yeah, a couple more hours at least,” she said with a breathy sigh that made me want her even more. I dragged the tips of my fingers down her back, trailing the valley of her curvy ass. Soft skin and warm, wet need awaited me.
I groaned, my middle finger parting her sweet, slippery flesh. My cock hardened further as Paige whimpered into my mouth, “Oh, Jake, mmm hmm.” Her soft, breathy sigh floated over my lips while my fingers readied her.
Paige’s hands went under my T-shirt, forcing it up. Not being one to halt progress, I ripped it off, tossing it on the floor. “Lay back,” I muttered against her lips.
Moving her backward until she had no choice, I guided her gently onto the bed as I followed. “I love you, so much,” I said, running my tongue down her neck, tasting a hint of salty but mostly sweet.
My fingers roamed to her chest, slowly reveling in the weight of them. This was definitely one of the most fantastic parts of Paige’s pregnancy—aside from the growing human being, of course. Her already ample chest had nearly doubled in size.
Hair spread on her pillow, she moved her head from side to side as I kissed and sucked and played with her breasts. Hips grinding into me at a steady pace, I finally undid my pants, slipping myself out of my underwear.
She squirmed in anticipation as I lined myself up, ready to sink into her sweetness. “Ah,” she whispered when I entered her, wriggling beneath me. Feeling her—skin on skin—was incredible. Something I was sure I’d never get used to.
Gripping my shoulders, she began to move, encouraging me to go faster. A flood of desire traveled through me
knowing how much she wanted this—knowing how much she wanted us. Her pulse quickened, the vein on her neck throbbing in time with the ache in my cock.
My hands slid under her behind holding her up at a different angle as I sped up our rhythm. Paige let out a sensual groan, obviously liking what I was doing. Grazing my teeth on her shoulder, I bit down gently, feeling the persistent threat of my impending climax. Needing to hold off, my fingers found her special spot, making her gasp.
Slowly, I rubbed exactly how she liked, until soon she was ready. “Come for me,” I said before I covered her mouth with mine, pressing where I needed to as she detonated below me. Her eyelids fluttered while I absorbed her cries, driving into her even faster now in search of my own release.
I exploded inside of her, flooding her as she clenched me tight—everywhere. A few more jarring thrusts and we were finished. “I love you,” I said, kissing her swollen lips as I glided in and out of her, reveling in our combined wetness.
A slow grin emerged on her face. “I love you, too.” Paige briefly opened her eyes before letting them shut again. Pulling out, I rolled her onto her side so both of us could fit on this small bed. Arm under her head, I whispered, “Sleep.”
Paige nodded, barely. Tucking the hair behind her ear, I kissed her cheek as she pushed it toward me. My hand slid over her hip and down to where our baby was. Never in my life did I ever dream it would be possible to feel this kind of love for two people.
Paige’s body relaxed, exhaling slowly as she drifted into a peaceful sleep.
My body was tired, but my mind couldn’t stop thinking about tomorrow and how pissed she was going to be at me. This might be the last time for a while she’d let me hold her like this. Turning my head to smell the coconut scent on her hair, I hoped she would understand why I did what I did.
Paige
Heat. Too hot. That was what woke me in the early hours. Jake’s arm was tight around me, his hand covering my belly as usual. These two beings held some kind of pact to see how hot they could both make me.
Having Jake this close was nice—for a while. Right now, I could feel sweat dripping down my neck. Unable to bear the stifling temperature any longer, I moved out from under his arm careful not to disturb his sleep.
Picking up my phone from the dresser I looked at the screen display. Two thirty-two. Still plenty of time to shower and go over my notes. Taking some clothes with me before I shut the door, I carefully tiptoed to the main bathroom to shower there.
The hinges squeaked as I closed the door in the dark. Flipping the light on, I squinted, my eyes protesting the sudden brightness. Looking in the mirror I saw a very tired, very puffy me. Not only was I gaining weight on my body, but my face was getting fat, too.
Nothing I could do about that. I was already halfway through this pregnancy and it still didn’t seem real. Running my hands over my ever-growing belly, I smiled. Jake didn’t seem to mind the tired, puffy, expanding me. Quite the contrary. If he didn’t care I guess I should try harder not to.
Setting my phone down on the counter, I stepped in front of the shower, turning it on. Some of the cool spray hit me in the face as I found just the right temp.
While I washed my hair, I thought about how different life would be once the baby was here. No more time to myself. Finding time to study would likely be nonexistent. Closing my eyes, I stuck my head under the stream of warm water hoping to wash away some of my worries.
First, I needed to get this stupid calculus final over and done with. After that, I’d worry about the rest.
Clothes on, hair up in a towel, I shut the bathroom light off before I opened the door as it squeaked again. Frowning, I headed toward the light that was on in the kitchen. Had I woken Jake or Mom?
Turning the corner, I saw Jake at the coffee maker, pouring a cup for himself. “Morning,” he said, striding over to me for a quick kiss.
“It’s the middle of the night. Go back to bed.” I ordered him.
“Not how this works, Paige. You’re up, I’m up.” His words warmed my heart as emotion clogged my throat. I had to admit it was nice to have company. “You want toast now or later?” he asked, kissing my forehead then walking back to grab his cup.
“Later.”
“Okay, let’s get started, Miss Flores.”
Even after four more hours of studying I still felt ill-prepared for this final. The nerves in my stomach somehow fought the usual morning sickness I felt at this time of the day.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” Jake said, gazing over at me as he drove us to school. I had insisted we leave extra early. You never knew if there’d be freaky extra traffic, a flat tire or zombie apocalypse.
Was it weird I was kind of hoping for a sudden zombie apocalypse? Right now, it seemed like the easier option to deal with.
“What?”
“You’re not taking my exam.”
Confused, I asked, “Why would I not take your exam?”
Letting out a breath, he said, “Dean Miller said you’d have to take Professor Lee’s instead.”
Doing a double take on him, I tilted my head. “What are you saying?”
“Back when I got in trouble for—being a dick to you in class, he said you’d have to take the final with Professor Lee. I’m guessing it was his way of ensuring I’d have more of a vested interest in you passing if I wasn’t the one correcting your exam.”
Falling back against the seat, I groaned, “Are you kidding me? Have I even been studying the right material?” My head swam with questions.
“I’ve made sure you are.” His hand reached over, covering my knee.
“And you decide to tell me now, the morning of my final?” I raised my voice at him, unable to understand why he wouldn’t let me know this weeks ago so I could prepare myself.
“I didn’t want to worry you.”
My head fell forward. “Too late, Professor Richter.”
“You’ve had so much on your mind with classes and the baby.” He squeezed my leg until I looked up at him. “And us,” he whispered, the look in his eyes tugging at my heart. “You just barely forgave me. I didn’t want you mad at me again.”
Shaking my head, I rubbed my eyes, wishing for this day to be over. “You should have told me.”
“Paige, look at me.”
“No.”
He growled as I continued to ignore him, “You know this material. We’ve gone over and over it. You’ll be fine.”
Laughing in a rather sarcastic tone, I said, “I know maybe half of it.” Turning to the window, I muttered, “On a good day.”
“That’s not true and you know it. You’re going to do fine.”
We pulled up to the parking lot, Jake stopping away from the other cars. “You’ve got this,” he said, rubbing his hand on my back in gentle circles.
“You’ve got a lot more faith in me than I do.”
“That’s true. You need to believe in yourself. Can you at least try?”
His deep voice was soft and comforting. My eyes teared up at his tone and kind words. Gazing over at him, I said, “I’ll try.”
He leaned over the console, kissing me gently on the lips. “Good luck, I love you.”
You know the feeling when you want to pull your hair out, hit someone, and scream? That was me for the last three hours. If I had access to an incendiary device this test would be up in flames.
George was deep in thought beside me, occasionally sipping from her coffee. I was envious of her ability to look calm, cool, and collected at all times. Her red hair was already tied up in her signature top knot as she chewed the end of her pen.
Even though I was taking Professor Lee’s exam, all the calculus 100 students gathered in the same gymnasium at the same time to be tortured together. The sounds of hundreds of other students shuffling papers and coughing was even more distracting.
Looking at the clock on the wall, I realized I’d have to finish an entire page in ten minutes to complete the exam. That was not go
ing to happen.
Instead, I skimmed through what was left and chose what was easiest for me to do. If I’d had another two hours to finish and recheck my answers, I would feel much better about it.
Three questions later, we heard, “All right students, thank you. Pens down, papers turned over, please.”
I smiled an unsure grin over at George as I mouthed, “It’s over.” Resignation, relief, and total and utter exhaustion flowed through me right then. It really was done.
Months of work, hours of blood, sweat, and tears to get to this point. Pass or fail—I’d crossed the finish line. Blinking back tears, I practiced some deep breathing exercises. It didn’t take much for me to burst into a sudden fit of crying these days.
George’s movie star smile spread across her face as she nodded, taking one last sip of her drink.
When we were instructed to leave, she strolled over to me. “How’d it go?” Her comforting arm curved around my shoulders, giving me a side hug.
“I almost finished.”
She squished me harder. “Aww, kid, I’m sure you did just fine. Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it. It’s finally over.” Her head turned to me. “I mean I’ll miss seeing you every day but thank heavens that class is done.”
“I’m going to miss you, too,” I said, hugging her back.
“There’s still winter semester. You aren’t completely getting rid of me.”
“We don’t have any classes together, though. And then you’re starting grad school.” We stepped out of the door.
“And you’re having a baby,” she whispered, her voice hitching. “You need anything at all, you call me.”
“Thanks, George,” I said, stopping in the hallway to wrap my arms around her. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“You’d have done just fine, sugar. Now go find your handsome professor. Text me when you’ve got your results, okay?” She pushed away from me. I nodded, giving her a small wave before she turned around.