Ryan (Members From Money Book 16)

by Katie Dowe

  In spite of the gravity of her situation, Aaliyah had to laugh. “You have been watching too many Lifetime movies.”

  “Maybe,” she muttered with a grin. “You don’t look happy.”

  “I thought I could do this and not get involved with the baby I am carrying but it turns out I am.” She dug into her salad listlessly. “I wish I could keep him, Max, and I cannot.”

  “I told you,” Maxine said sympathetically. “You have a wide open heart, Aaliyah, and there was no way you could be carrying a child and not love it. What are you going to do?’

  “I cannot do anything. I have a piece of paper that says the child is not mine to keep. And besides I would not do that to them.”

  “Maybe the man will decide that he has fallen in love with the woman who is carrying his precious son and will tell his wife that he is no longer in love with her but with you.”

  Aaliyah stared at her friend in amazement and laughed again. “You need to stop watching that channel.”

  “Tell me about it. I am hooked.”

  “They are offering me more money because it is a son.”

  “And you said yes of course.”

  “I said no. The money has become like a rope around my neck.”

  “I should have such a rope hanging around my neck.” Maxine said dryly.

  “I just want it over and done with.”

  *****

  She did not notice the silver car parked a little distance from the house when she hopped out of the cab and had no idea he was there until she stepped into her mother’s living room. “Mom I am sorry I am late–” her voice petered away abruptly as he got to his feet. He dwarfed the room with his height and his presence and for a moment Aaliyah felt like flying into his arms. What did it say about her that she wanted to go into the arms of the man who continued to hurt her?

  “Honey you were not answering your phone and Mr. Sullivan was worried.” Her mother told her.

  “Please, call me Ryan,” he turned a charming smile in her mother’s direction and Aaliyah realized that he had never smiled at her like that. “Would you mind giving us a minute?”

  “Of course,” Agnes Cole passed her daughter and touched her briefly on the arm. Ryan waited until she had left before he spoke. “Your leaving without saying anything is not acceptable.”

  She shrugged and came into the room, avoiding him as she went to sit on the sofa. “I just wanted to get out for a bit. Now that you see I am okay and I am still carrying your child you can leave.”

  He sat on a single sofa opposite her and his eyes were drawn to her face. She had lost a little weight and it showed in the fine bones of her small pointed face. “I am not leaving you here.”

  “This is my home, Ryan, and you cannot force me to leave.”

  “I can and you know it, but I don’t want to do that.” He sighed. “Look Aaliyah, I went through a pretty rough relationship and the details I am not going to share with you. I am grateful to you for carrying my son, but I cannot and do not want a relationship.”

  She felt her heart splintering inside her chest but she lifted her chin. “You already said that. I want to stay here until it is time to have the baby, if it is all the same to you.”

  “The press–”

  “I don’t care!” she cried. “My life has been ruined already so what else can they do that you have not already done?”

  He sat there staring at her for a moment unconsciously admiring the blazing dark brown eyes. “That’s not fair,” he said quietly. “I admit that when I made love to you–” he bit off and looked down at his hands. “I cannot do that again, Aaliyah, because I should not have done it in the first place. There is no space for a relationship in my life and that’s the way it has to be.”

  “Why?” she asked him softly.

  “Why?” he looked at her frowningly. “I already told you why.”

  “How long ago did it happen to you?”

  “I don’t see what–”

  “Humor me.”

  “Ten years ago,” he said tightly as he got to his feet.

  “And you have stopped living since then?”

  “I am alive, trust me.” He said with a short laugh.

  She got to her feet as well and for the first time since she met him she felt hope. She came over and stood in front of him, her hands going up to his chest beneath the steel grey jacket suit. “What are you doing?” he rasped.

  “I am not giving up on you,” she said softly. She felt when he stiffened but continued. “I spent a lot of nights crying and wishing you would come to me. I am not going to give up that you will. I am ready to leave now but I want to speak to my mother first.”

  He watched her leave with a heavy frown on his brow and fear in his heart.

  Chapter 6

  She changed her attitude almost overnight. She started eating again and putting back on the weight she had lost. She no longer harbored the fear that she was going to lose her son and she was pretty sure she was going to end up with Ryan as his wife. She shivered at the thought. He was a very hard and bitter man not to mention ruthless and powerful, but she was going to look beyond that and think about her family.

  April flew by and they had settled into a kind of routine which she did not bother to mess with. He would call her and ask if she was okay even though she knew he got reports from the nurse and doctor and they would chat for a little bit until he hung up.

  It was the middle of May and she had just finished eating and settled down with a novel to read when she heard a sound at the door. Her eyes widened and her breath quickened when she saw that it was him. He stood there framed in the doorway with his jacket over his arm and his light blue shirt unbuttoned part way down. He strode inside and closed the door behind him. She did not say anything to him and just lay there until he came to the side of the bed. His blue eyes took in her thin lilac nightgown that exposed her nipples for him to see. Ever since he had decided to come to her he had started to have an erection and now seeing her lying on the mounds of pillows he felt himself hardened even more. He threw the jacket over a chair and took off his shirt, pulling his undershirt over his head. He took off his pants next, his eyes never leaving her face and then his shoes and socks. He left his underwear for last and stood before her with his penis pointing to her. She sat up and pulled the nightgown over her head and then took off her panties before going on her knees and reaching up to him. His hands palmed her breasts which had grown fuller during her pregnancy. He teased her nipples and she moaned softly. His hand reached between them and felt her mound before dipping a finger into her. Aaliyah gasped and arched her body against his. His body tightened as he felt the soft slickness of the inside of her and he started thrusting into her slowly at first. He bent his head and took a nipple inside his mouth. Aaliyah cried out and dug her fingers into his thick hair. She came quickly calling out his name and sobbing against him as her body jerked and moved restlessly. He lifted his head and took her mouth with his in a savagely hungry kiss that had her clinging to him.

  He released her and stepped back to look at her. “Turn around and go on your knees,” he rasped. She did so immediately crouching onto the bed. He came up behind her and entered her with a groan of torture as he went in deep. He did not move for a spell, he could not as he touched something so deep inside her that he feared he would not be able to come back out! He wrapped his hands around her belly tenderly and started moving inside her, picking up the pace as she pushed her bottom against him. He leaned forward and felt for her nipples, his fingers brushing over them lightly. Aaliyah gasped and pushed against him urgently, her body a hot molten flame. “Ryan!” she cried out beating her fists against the bed. “Please!”

  “Let go,” he urged her. He held her hips and lifted her against him. She turned her head, the tears glittering in her velvety eyes as she looked at him. He bent his head and took her lips with his, devouring her mouth while his fingers went to feel her mound. Aaliyah fragmented! She felt the orgasm tear th
rough her body and lifted her up until she thought she was going to die. She sobbed into his mouth, her movements edgy and delirious as his fingers toyed with the protruding flesh and his penis went deep inside her. No matter how long she lived she would never find someone who made her feel like this!

  *****

  He did not leave, but when he was finished he used his mouth on her sending her into a frenzy of passion that had her exhausted. She clung to him and prayed he would not leave. Her eyes drifted shut but flew open when she felt him move. “Go to sleep, I am not leaving.”

  She drifted off to sleep with her hands curled onto his solidly muscled chest.

  Ryan stared up at the ceiling and contemplated his next move. He needed a mother for his son and he had feelings for her. They had something and he could not deny it. He had been fighting the urge to come to her for a few weeks now and had finally given in to it and he did not regret it one bit. The passion! Christ! He had never felt so out of control with his body before not even- he put a brake on his thought and closed his eyes. He was going to ask her to marry him and be a mother to his son. He traveled a lot and at least she would be there for their son. He felt her stir against him and murmured. His arms tightened around her and he drifted off to sleep.

  *****

  He was dressed and sitting on one of the sofas with an IPad in his hands when she woke up the next morning. Her eyes flew open and she felt the tenderness in her pubic area and memories, glorious memories came rushing back! She felt for him and he was not there and then she saw him. He had put on his shirt over the white undershirt and left it unbuttoned. He had one ankle propped onto his knee and was looking down at the device. She glanced at the clock next to the bed and saw that it was only 6am. He looked up and saw that she was awake and put away the device.

  “We need to talk,” his tone was brusque as his eyes wandered over her nakedness. Shyness overcame her and she pulled the sheets over her.

  “Okay.”

  He got to his feet and wandered over to the window. He had instructed the grounds men to get the place ready for spring and was having the cover removed from the swimming pool. It was a very good place to raise a child. He turned back to her and braced against the window. “I think we should get married.”

  Her heart jumped at that but the expression on his face made her pause. “Why?”

  “I want a mother for my son and it might as well be you,” his tone was cold and unemotional and Aaliyah could not believe it was the same man who had brought her to the absolute edge of ecstasy a few hours ago. “It will be a marriage of convenience only. We will have separate bedrooms and we will share when we feel the need to be together. I will stay in my apartment in town and come when it is convenient. You will be my wife which means that you get the respect that is due to me. I will open an account with your name and you can start shopping for whatever you need. I have an account at Romano’s so I will give you a call. I do a lot of entertaining when I am around so you will act as hostess. What do you say?”

  Aaliyah had never heard a more cold-hearted proposal but he was marrying her and that was the first step to get him to fall in love with her! “When?”

  His eyebrows lifted at her simple question. “You are agreeing? Why?”

  “I want this baby,” she placed her hand over her belly. “And even if you had made the offer for me to be its nanny I would have accepted.” She looked up at him. “And the other reason is I want you Ryan.”

  He stared at her for a moment, his expression unguarded and then the shutter came down. “Don’t expect anything from me in terms of emotion. We are very good together, so I suspect I will be sampling what you have to offer frequently,” he said a little cruelly. “We will have a quiet ceremony with my mother and her husband and maybe my sister and also your mother. I will make all the arrangements.” He glanced at his watch for a moment and then continued. “I will have Romano’s send some dresses over for you to choose. Any questions?”

  “Will I be getting a ring?”

  The question threw him for a moment and then he nodded. “I will provide one.” He strode back to the sofa and gathered up his things. “I will have my secretary call you later and give you my itinerary for the week. Today is Friday and I was planning to attend a function at one of my hotels tomorrow.” He hesitated. “I think it is time you were seen with me.”

  “Good,” she inclined her head. “Travel safe.”

  He stared at her for a moment and then without another word he left.

  She dragged the sheets and wrapped it around her, hurrying off the bed and to her window to look down in time to see him opening his car door. He looked up and she did not move. Their eyes met and held before he climbed into the vehicle and made his way around the circular driveway and out onto the road.

  She drifted back to bed and placed her hands on her belly with a big smile on her face. Phase one completed, now for phase two!

  *****

  “I love him, Mom, you already knew that.” Aaliyah said quietly. It was some minutes after twelve and she had requested the car to take her to visit her mother. He was picking her back up later in the afternoon. His secretary had called and told her that she had sent the list to her. She had accessed her email by a very state-of-the-art laptop in what appeared to be a study. “He is not the easiest person to get along with but I am not going to stop until he is in love with me.”

  “Honey, I hope you know what you are doing,” Agnes said as she passed a glass of lemonade to her daughter. She had never seen her so happy and she hoped she stayed that way. Ryan Sullivan scared her and she knew what he was: a businessman who was much too powerful and ruthless. Her daughter had a very big heart and was an incurable romantic.

  “I don’t,” Aaliyah sipped the ice cold lemonade with the touch of mint appreciatively. “But he and our son are going to be my family aside from you and you know how much I want that.”

  “What if he does not love you?”

  “He will,” she said with a confidence she did not really feel. This was a world she was venturing into that was strange to her but she was determined to make it work. “I am going to supervise the decorating of the nursery come Monday and I am determined not to let anything dampen my mood.”

  “I am rooting for you,” her mother leaned forward and clasped her hands. “I really am.”

  *****

  “You are getting married?” Rosalie stared at her son in disbelief. He had stopped by on his way from the office again to tell them. He had not taken off his jacket giving the indication that he was not staying. “To the woman carrying the child?”

  “Yes.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and stood there looking at both of them. “It will be the first Saturday in May which is a week away and will be a small ceremony. She is due in June so we want to get it out of the way before then.”

  “She agreed to something like that?”

  “Something like what Mother?” he asked impatiently. “I need a mother for my son and she suits so that’s that. Will you be there?” he looked from his mother to her husband.

  “Of course,” Evan said hastily.

  “Good. I am going home to call Elaine to find out if she can make it.” He turned to leave and was at the door when his mother caught him by his jacket.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “No,” he said bluntly as he shook his arm free. “But it is the prudent thing to do. She understands. We will be making our first public appearance at the function at my hotel in mid-town. It would be nice if you and Evan are there so you can meet her.” She stared at him wordlessly hardly believing that he was speaking like that about something so important.

  “We will be there.”

  “Okay. See you then,” he nodded and left.

  “You never thought he would get married and he is doing so,” her husband said quietly behind her. Rosalie turned and looked at her husband. Her first husband had been a lot like her son: arrogant and hard but she had loved h
im and he had loved her. Evan was the complete opposite: quiet and compassionate. She took his hands and he led her to the sofa. “She ruined him and he is never going to be the same again.”

  “Maybe this girl is what he needs,” Evan said.

  “I hope so,” Rosalie said with a sigh. “I really hope so.”

  *****

  She finally told Maxine the truth over the phone. “You are kidding me!”

  “I am afraid not,” Aaliyah said wryly as she stared at the mountain of dresses that had been sent to her. She picked up a coral one with thin spaghetti straps and folds and pleats leading down from the neck to the ankles. It was beautiful and would suit perfectly. They had even sent over shoes and accessories along with underwear. “I had to keep it confidential because you know how the press gets.”

  “Actually I don’t know being only a store clerk.” Maxine said a little enviously. “You are getting married to one of the richest men in the world and carrying his child. How lucky are you?”

  “I love him,” she said simply. “He might not feel the same way about me but I love him and I have hope.”

  “Always the romantic. So where have you being hiding out?”

  “Some remote neighborhood where the neighbors are very far away. I am attending a function at one of his hotels in town tomorrow.”

  “So I get to see you in the papers?”

  “I suppose.”

  “When is the nuptials?”

  “The first Saturday in May.”

  *****

  A stylist had been sent over to her Saturday afternoon and the tall angular woman with the bright pink hair gave her a complete makeover. “Darling, who on earth have been cutting your hair?” she asked in a horrified voice as she examined the spiky natural hair suspiciously.

  “I am afraid you are looking at her,” Aaliyah told her with a laugh.

  “My Lord!” she said with a shake of her head. “You are not to touch a strand ever again!”