by Nicole Casey
I was getting way ahead of myself.
He saved me from having to decide.
“Would you mind if I come in, Kennedy? There’s something we need to discuss.”
I nodded quickly and stepped back, allowing him inside. My cheeks were on fire and I hoped he didn’t touch anything with his insanely expensive clothes. I couldn’t afford the cleaning bill.
I have to tell him about this kid. The baby deserves better than this.
But then I reasoned that I would never have known who this man—Julian—was if he hadn’t shown up on my doorstep. I was going to figure out a way without him before…
But now you don’t have to. Now he’s here and you have no excuse. You’re not asking him to help you, you’re asking him to help your baby.
“I’ve shocked you,” he said, closing the warped door behind him. “I would have called you first but I couldn’t find your phone number online.”
“You found my address?” I asked, stunned. God, nothing was sacred on the web.
“Well…that took a little more digging but it wasn’t that hard,” he confessed, looking around for a place to sit. “In any case, I didn’t mean to just show up like this. It’s really not my style.”
I was slowly learning what his style was exactly. I think I liked it but it was too early to tell.
I gestured for him to sit on the futon and he nodded gratefully.
“I’m sorry,” I apologized quickly. “I’ve been sick for a few days. The house is a mess.”
“It’s cozy,” he lied to my face. “And I’m the one who’s sorry for surprising you.”
I perched on the edge of a dilapidated armchair which had seen its best days in the early nineties sometime. I was lucky it didn’t have bedbugs when I found it on the curb a couple years back.
“I…uh, I don’t have much here. I need to go grocery shopping,” I stammered, lying through my teeth. I never went grocery shopping. I lived off Mr. Noodles and water. “Would you like a glass of water?”
His eyes narrowed pensively and he studied my face a little longer than necessary.
“Can I take you out for dinner?” he asked. “I saw a handful of places on the way over here from the airport.”
I blinked. It hadn’t occurred to me that he had come from the airport.
“Where did you fly in from?”
“Home. Miami.”
“Oh.”
I have no idea why that was surprising. He certainly didn’t seem like the type to live in Indiana.
“Were you here on business?”
He laughed, his ivory teeth flashing in the darkness. It was only then I realized that there were no lights on in the apartment. I rose and began to flick them on. I also saw that I still held the table lamp in my hands although Julian made no comment.
“I don’t have properties in Indiana,” he replied and my brow furrowed. I guessed that meant he was in real estate.
I was surprised to notice that I didn’t feel sick or sluggish. Maybe it was the adrenaline or maybe Julian simply had a calming effect on me.
“Well?” he asked and I stared at him curiously. “Can I take you out for dinner?”
“Oh.”
I considered his offer but I couldn’t imagine going somewhere while he was dressed to kill and I looked like the bride of Chucky. Not to mention I had no money to even pretend to split the bill.
“I’m really not hungry,” I replied. As soon as the words left my lips, my stomach growled loudly in protest. I knew he heard it.
He pursed his lips together in thought.
“How do you feel about ordering a pizza?” he suggested. “I hate to admit it but I’m starved and even my private jet has shitty food.”
I felt my back tense.
He had to mention his private jet, didn’t he?
“Sure, I can order you a pizza,” I replied tersely, trying to remember how much money I had on my credit card. I hoped enough to cover a pizza.
“Let me,” he replied, whipping out his phone. “I’ve got this great app which tells me all the local restaurants.”
I watched as he toyed with the buttons and a few minutes later, he grinned happily.
“Done!” he said. “Although they might be a while.”
I didn’t ask how he knew.
“You said you aren’t feeling well. Do you need me to get you something? I thought I saw a drugstore nearby also.”
My emotions were too close to the surface for his pleasantries and I couldn’t hold back the pressing question on the tip of my tongue.
“What are you doing here, Julian?”
His lovely aqua eyes seemed to darken.
“That’s a fair question,” he replied. “I’m not really sure why I came myself. I can’t believe you’re really real. I know I sound like a broken record but I really had convinced myself that I imagined you.”
I knew the feeling.
“I wanted to see you and…” he trailed off as if he caught himself saying something he shouldn’t. “I wanted to see you, Kennedy. I didn’t come here to upset you.”
“I’m not upset.” I wasn’t. Confused, yes. Maybe even elated. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t under the spell of his charms again. He was precisely how I’d imagined him but had I ever really thought I would see him again…?
“How much do you remember about that night, Kennedy?”
“Not much,” I replied. “I get flashes here and there but it mostly is blank to me.”
“Me too. I know we went shopping and I bought you a brand-new wardrobe which you never touched.”
“Sorry you wasted your money,” I sighed. “I wasn’t really in the soberest frame of mind that night.”
“Nor was I,” he conceded. “No need to apologize. Anyway, it wasn’t a waste. I still have all your items back on my island. I will have them sent to you.”
I smirked.
“As you can see, this isn’t really the place for Gucci and Prada. I’m sure you can return everything and get your money back though.”
“Then maybe you should come to Miami and wear them there.”
My face flushed.
He doesn’t mean that. He’s being gracious. It’s what people with money do. They make empty promises and let them hang in the air. This man certainly doesn’t want me anywhere near his chateau or palace or wherever the hell he lives. Probably a private island.
“Maybe one day,” I replied lightly, shifting my eyes away. I tried to imagine what Christine would say if I asked her to go to Miami for a week.
I’ll be lucky if I still have a job after I get over this morning sickness.
The reminder of our child growing in my womb caused me to straighten in my chair.
“Do you remember anything else?” Julian pressed and I suddenly realized he was after a specific aspect of the night.
Is he talking about the sex? Oh God, did he cheat on his wife or something?
That was a whole new thought which took the wind out of my sails. The second Julian left, I was going to be cyberstalking the hell out of him.
“Julian, no offense but I’m not really a big fan of Twenty Questions. What is it you’re asking me? I’ll be honest with you but you need to spit it out.”
A wry smile formed on his lips.
“Do you remember getting married?”
My jaw nearly touched the floor and I gaped at him.
“What?” I choked. “Getting married? To whom?”
“To me,” he continued conversationally. His tone was much too even and I got the impression he was joking.
“That’s not funny, Julian,” I told him sternly. “I was drunk but I would remember getting married.”
“It’s not a joke.”
He reached inside his jacket and removed a folded piece of paper which he handed to me. My eyes bugged from their sockets.
“No!” I gasped. “I don’t remember getting married!”
“Well, apparently, we are now man and wife,” he continued, sett
ling back against the futon. “Which brings us to the reason of my unannounced visit.”
My head was swimming.
I married the guy.
I was pregnant with his baby.
And I only learned his name thirty minutes ago.
“Kennedy?”
Concern laced his voice and I rose suddenly. Suddenly a loud rap on the door forced me to look away.
“Pizza delivery!” someone yelled but the world was spinning around me.
“Kennedy!”
It was the last thing I heard before the world went black.
7
Kennedy
The smell of cheese and pepperoni met my nostrils but when I opened my eyes fully, it was Julian’s face I saw.
“Oh Christ! You’re awake. I was just about to call an ambulance!” he growled. Just behind him, the pizzaboy stood, looking uncomfortable.
“Can I go?” the kid mumbled and Julian waved him away without turning around.
“Kennedy, what happened?”
“I think I fainted?” I guessed. “Like I said, I’ve been sick.”
“Here, let me help you up.”
I realized I was still laying on the floor where I’d fallen and I permitted him to help me to the futon. That’s when I realized how much food was in my apartment. There were mounds of pizza boxes and plastic containers filled with salads and breads.
“What the hell is this?” I demanded. “You could feed an army with that!”
“It’ll keep. I wasn’t sure what you liked so I got a bit of everything.”
I stared at him. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to impress me or if he felt sorry for me. I was still trying to wrap my mind around being married to the father of my child.
I need to tell him about the baby, the voice in my head told me but another voice assured me that was not the time.
“Let me make you a plate. I’ve got calzones, pizza, pasta, salad, garlic bread, chicken and veal parm…” he looked at me inquisitively. “What’s your pleasure?”
“Surprise me,” I sighed and he laughed.
“I wouldn’t think you would say that,” he chuckled but he pattered around the small kitchen and found some cutlery and plates to make me something to eat.
“As I was saying, “Julian said after a minute of unwrapping plates. “If I had known that we’d done that, I would have been in contact much earlier.”
I waited.
“So, how do you feel about this?”
“How do I feel about being married to you?” I demanded dubiously. “How am I supposed to feel? I’m stunned. I’m shocked. I’m…”
I had already run out of adjectives to describe my state of mind.
“Great, we’re on the same page.”
He presented me with an overflowing plate and I could barely hold it.
“Just eat what you want,” he chuckled when he saw my expression. He returned to the kitchen and fixed himself a plate also.
“I’ll give you a divorce,” I blurted out and saying the words aloud pierced my heart in a terrible way.
Julian jerked his head up and the hurt in his eyes was clear. More confusion enveloped me.
Isn’t that what he wanted? Isn’t that why he had come all the way over here from Miami?
“I see.”
“You see?” I echoed. “Were you thinking about making this marriage work?”
“I’m not sure what I was thinking,” he replied. “I know that you and I don’t know each other at all but I also know I felt a connection to you from the minute I laid eyes on you.”
A shiver of warmth touched my body and his words sent goosebumps over my skin. I had felt the same way but I also didn’t want to “try” and make it work with someone while I was hiding a pregnancy from him.
The problem was, if I told him about the baby now, he would undoubtedly insist on staying married to me, if only to do the right thing.
If he’s rich enough, the scandal of divorcing his pregnant wife would be terrible.
But I didn’t want him to stay married to me for that reason.
Christ, when did it all get so complicated?
“You look unsure all of the sudden,” Julian commented but before I could answer him, I heard footsteps racing up the stairs. There was a loud bang on the door before it flew inward and I was staring at Belle.
Shit! I had forgotten all about her.
Her brown eyes narrowed suspiciously and she looked around at the feast, a bag in each hand.
“Oh. So you’re not sick,” she grumbled. “It would have been nice to know you were blowing off work to get laid, Ken.”
“I have been sick,” I protested. “Julian just came by to see how I was doing.”
I shot him a warning look but it was probably unnecessary. He wasn’t going to say anything in front of Belle.
“Julian…” Belle stepped over the threshold and eyed him, puzzled. “Do I know you?”
“I don’t think so,” he replied but I noticed he turned away quickly. Belle continued to stare at him, dropping the soup on the coffee table.
“You seem so familiar to me…”
“Thank you for stopping by,” I told her quickly. “But I’m really tired. I think I’m going to go to bed.”
It sounded lame even to my own ears but I had to get rid of her so Julian and I could finish our conversation. Surely he had to get back to his business.
Belle’s mouth dropped open and she gasped.
“You’re Julian Bryant! You’re that Julian! Jesus Christ, Kenny! I had no idea you knew rich people!”
I blushed with humiliation.
“Please, Belle, I’ll call you tomorrow,” I urged. “Julian and I have something to discuss and I am really tired.”
Belle shrugged and reached for her purse.
“You can sleep in tomorrow,” she said brightly. “Christine told me to tell you not to bother to come back. I went to bat for you but I can see that she has a better nose for your bullshit than I do.”
Belle didn’t give me a chance to explain and she skipped out into the hallway haughtily.
“Oh and Julian, when you get tired of Miss Goody-Goody over there, have her give you my number. I’m way more fun!”
She winked and disappeared before either Julian or I could react.
And now I was fired.
“Is Christine your boss?”
“She’s a bitch,” I heard myself say and the uncharacteristic words didn’t faze me. I was far too overwhelmed to mind my Ps and Qs.
“There are labor laws,” Julian offered. “You can’t be fired for being sick.”
“I don’t care. I’m so sick of that job anyway.”
I was fighting back tears. I really did have no one. Even Belle, my fair-weather friend hated me.
I willed myself to keep my composure in front of Julian.
“Let’s just discuss what we need to do and you can go. I wasn’t kidding—I’m not feeling well.”
Julian didn’t respond but he did set down his plate and move toward me on the futon.
“I’m sorry I added to that for you.”
I wished he’d stop being so damned nice…and so damned near. I couldn’t resist looking up into his face and our gazes locked instantly.
There was a spark, a connection, one which we’d both felt from the minute we’d met. What are the odds that you find someone in a crowded spot and instantly take to them like magnets? How often does a chance encounter lead to months of longing on the part of both parties?
“I’m going to kiss you now,” Julian told me. I don’t know why he did—I had already known his plans. The heat of his lips brought on a flood of nostalgia and suddenly, we were back in his suite at the Palazzo two months ago.
Except this time, we were clear-headed and neither one of us would forget what would happen going forward.
My pupils dilated when his tongue touched mine. How could I ever have forgotten about this, questioned its truth. My senses came alive, my eyes stil
l fixated on his and he neared me, pulling me closer so I had no choice but to melt against him. Not that I wanted to fight him. I belonged there, in his arms. That much was clear. It defied any reason I’d ever known but I didn’t care. I only wanted the feeling to take me higher. My lids dropped slightly and I sighed, relishing the sensation of his kiss.
Julian pushed me back and my head fell flat against the mattress of the futon, legs parting to feel him on either side of me. His mouth moved against the soft skin of my cheek, latching onto my neck and another explosion of gooseflesh erupted on my arms and legs.
I was naked in seconds, my clothes discarded into various corners of the room, his dark crown of hair the only part of his face visible as he traveled along my body to sample every part of me.
Not an inch was left unexplored by him, his velvet tongue licking and tasting me until I was trembling to have him between my drenched legs.
He paused at my thighs, looking up at me through my shaking legs and I nodded eagerly as I clenched my limbs around him.
“You’re so beautiful,” he mumbled. “I didn’t forget that. I couldn’t.”
His words caused my swollen breasts to harden and he cupped the tender mounds before diving into my center without another word.
With long, sweet strokes, he lapped at me and a guttural moan escaped my lips. This was not a chore, not a pity fuck to keep a man interested in me. This was me giving myself to him, mind, body and soul. I didn’t understand it but I certainly didn’t question it at all.
My hips bucked upward and I realized then that my body had changed slightly, my waist was slightly wider than it had been and my breasts were certainly fuller. I could feel every pore of his skin against mine and I wanted him inside me but not just in the traditional sense but as a part of me, becoming me.
The heat was coursing through me, bringing me closer to my brink and I mewled softly, gasping in short rasps.
“Oh!” I moaned, shocking myself as I gushed over his full mouth and dribbled down his chin. His fingers closed tightly around my ass and he continued to suck forth each drop I spilled until I felt like I had floated away.