Love You, Baby

by Stacey Joy Netzel

  “Aw. You cried, didn’t you?”

  “I did.” She fanned her warm face and misty eyes. “I’m getting choked up just thinking about it now.”

  “Me, too,” Honor said, a little hitch in her voice. “And I don’t even know what he said.”

  “It’s the pregnancy hormones. Ian was worried I’d love the baby more, and Merit told him about his own brothers and sisters, and that they’re cool, and that things would be different, but I’d always love him as much as the baby.” She had to pause and swallow the emotion threatening to clog her throat. “And then he told him he could call him anytime he needed to talk.”

  “Wow.”

  “I know. I was not expecting to hear all that. My heart melted.”

  “Mine just did, too. I knew there was more to him than meets the eye.”

  She gave a soft whimper when she heard the approving smile in her friend’s voice. “You’re not going to tell me it’s a bad idea, are you?”

  “That’s totally for you to decide. It’s your heart, Mae. Listen to it.”

  “What if he breaks it?”

  “What if he doesn’t?”

  Her pulse skipped with a combination of fear and excitement. “I hate you.”

  “I love you, too. Bye.”

  Mae heard the disconnect beep before she could respond and tossed the phone aside with a low, frustrated groan. She closed her eyes while listening to the drone of the motor in the backyard.

  Sweet Lord, how she wanted him, but she didn’t have the first clue how to go about this—especially when she wasn’t buoyed by the wedding champagne courage. Should she give him subtle hints, or just come out and invite him to spend the night?

  That seemed too forward. Too…too much like the other women he dated. Or hooked up with. Or whatever the hell it was he did. She didn’t want to be like them. She wanted to be different.

  You are pregnant with his baby.

  Yeah. That was definitely different.

  Maybe she could offer to make him dinner as a thank you for the lawn. That could work. And then one thing could lead to another…

  She sat up and shot to her feet. She needed to change her sheets. Two steps toward her bedroom, she swung back when she remembered her pile of clean underwear on the coffee table. Those definitely needed to be put away. Ian’s, too.

  So, she loaded her arms and put all the laundry away, took five minutes in the bathroom to pull out her ponytail holder and fluff her hair, then hurried to her bedroom to strip the sheets. She was stretched across the bed to secure the far left corner of the fitted sheet when it dawned on her she didn’t even know what she had for dinner besides hot dogs and mac and cheese.

  The sheet slipped from her hand, and she collapsed onto her stomach. Sea Breeze Linen fabric softener filled her senses as a wave of exhaustion washed over her. She rolled over onto her back to stare at the ceiling.

  Who was she kidding? She wasn’t ready for this. She’d only worked up the guts to proposition Merit at the wedding because of the alcohol, but truth be told, she was so far out of practice—she wouldn’t be able to seduce her way out of a wet paper bag.

  Chapter 13

  Merit was almost done when he felt the first couple raindrops on his arms. He squinted at the gray clouds overhead, then gauged what was left of the yard to cut. Only three more passes. He was getting the sucker done.

  He picked up his pace and made it halfway across the width of the lawn again when the skies opened up. After the warmth of the day, the cold rain was a shock, especially when he was drenched in seconds. The chill snaked down his spine and raised goose bumps on his arms.

  A bright flash followed by a ground-shaking boom made him duck. Fucking A, that had to have hit something. He darted his gaze around the yard, expecting to see a tree going down somewhere—hopefully, not on him.

  “Merit!”

  Or Mae’s house!

  He jerked around to see her standing at the patio door—unharmed, thank God.

  “Get in here!” she yelled.

  Didn’t have to tell him twice. He jogged the mower toward the backyard gate so he could head around front and put it away in the garage. Mae met him at the gate to hold it open, and by the time he passed her, she was soaked to the skin right along with him.

  He shut off the machine and turned around to find her standing a few feet away, peering out at the downpour.

  She flinched as a jagged bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, and seconds later, thunder shook the house. “Wow, that’s loud.”

  “And cold.”

  She rubbed her arms as she glanced his way. But then she kept looking, her gaze sliding down the length of his wet body as water dripped from his hair to roll down his face. And just like that, he was warming up from the inside out.

  She gave a tiny head shake, averted her gaze, and moved past him toward the house. “Come on. I’ll get you a towel.”

  “Thanks.”

  Merit followed her inside, through a small, cluttered kitchen, past a dinky living room, and into a cramped hall with three open doors. She disappeared through the first one, and he halted at the doorway of the bathroom to watch her bend down to reach under the sink.

  The sight of her wet denim shorts stretching across her heart-shaped backside had him hard in about three seconds flat. When she straightened and turned around with two towels in hand, she pulled up short at the sight of him in the doorway.

  She clutched the towels to her stomach, her blue eyes darkening as her pupils dilated. He was about to step closer when she thrust one of the towels at him.

  “You’re as bad as Ian tromping through the house with dripping wet clothes.”

  He absently took the towel while glancing down to see water droplets all over the hardwood floor. Raising his gaze, he met those gorgeous eyes of hers framed by rain-spiked lashes and her blond hair plastered to her forehead, cheeks, and neck.

  “Want me to take ‘em off?”

  Her eyes widened, and he heard that sexy little hitch in her breathing when she was excited. At least, in his experience, she’d been excited every time he’d heard the arousing sound escape from her lips. The confines of his wet jeans became more uncomfortable by the second.

  “Sure. I can throw them in the dryer.” Her voice was a little high. “I mean, if you want.”

  Oh, God, yes, he wanted.

  Merit set his still folded towel on the counter, fished his cell out of his back pocket to set on the towel, then reached for the hem of his shirt. She turned away when he peeled the wet cotton off his torso, dragging it up and over his head. As he plopped it on the counter, she kept busy drying off her face, chest, and arms. But he was well aware of every peek she snuck in the mirror.

  When he undid the button on his jeans, her movements slowed, until she rested her towel on the counter and watched his reflection. He saw her throat muscles work as her gaze followed the downward slid of his zipper. At the sight of her tongue darting out to wet her lips, an involuntary groan escaped his.

  The sound jerked her head up. Time stood still, the only sounds their uneven breaths, the rumble of thunder, and rain drumming on the roof as they stared at each other in the mirror.

  Merit moved in behind her, his chin clearing the top of her head by a good two inches. He kept his attention on her face while he grasped the hem of her wet tank top.

  He didn’t ask permission, only paused long enough for her to stop him if she wanted to. Without a word, she raised her hands up above her head in clear invitation, gaze locked with his the entire time.

  It was the sexiest fucking thing he’d ever seen.

  Agonizingly aware of her shallow breathing in sync with the throb of his erection, he complied with her unspoken request. His hungry gaze devoured every inch of skin he exposed in the mirror, committing the vision of her lush body to memory. The moment her top cleared her arms, he dropped it to the floor and stepped in close enough for his front to brush against her back.

  He raked h
er hair away from her throat and leaned forward to lick the raindrops she’d missed at the curve of her neck where it met her shoulder. She tipped her head to the side and closed her eyes, giving him all the access he wanted. As he opened his mouth against her cool skin to taste her, he slid his hand from her hip to her stomach, flattening his palm over the tiny swell beneath her bellybutton.

  Knowing his baby grew inside her was a turn-on like he never would’ve thought possible. A husky groan escaped his throat as he gave her a gentle little bite, then soothed with his tongue. Her sharp inhale drew his gaze to hers in the mirror, and his pulse leapt when he saw she’d opened her eyes to watch him. He continued to kiss her neck, sliding his lips up until he could nip at her earlobe.

  She reached with both hands to thread her fingers through his hair, the move making her breasts threaten to spill over the cups of her wet bra. He slid his hand up from her belly and met it with his other one to release the front clasp. Her perfect, creamy mounds spilled free to fill his hands. He squeezed and kneaded, then brushed his thumbs over the hard tips.

  Mae pressed back against him, her breath coming in short pants as she whispered his name. His pulse skipped and then raced in anticipation. He’d waited months to hear her say his name again. Just like that.

  Needing to do more than touch, he spun her around and then boosted her up onto the counter for easier access. He cupped her breasts again, lifting them as he bent forward to take one in his mouth. One glance up into her hooded gaze, one glimpse of her glistening bottom lip caught between her teeth, and he changed course to seal his mouth over hers instead.

  Merit leaned into the kiss, pressing her back, slipping his tongue into her mouth to stroke against hers. She spread her legs and hooked her heels around the back of his thighs to pull him in closer.

  The storm outside faded into the background as the kiss raged hot and deep. He continued to caress her breasts as her hands moved from his shoulders, over his chest, then slid lower to the waistband of his unzipped jeans.

  She cupped his length through his boxer briefs, and he throbbed against her hand. She rubbed up and down, then slipped her fingers under the elastic of his briefs and reached around to push them down over his hips. When the wet denim refused to cooperate, she growled in frustration.

  He grinned against her mouth and reached down for her hands. “Need some help?”

  “I need you inside me. Now.”

  Fuck yes, his body agreed as he murmured, “Geezus, Mae. Keep talking like that and I’m going to come before I can even get my pants off.”

  “You better not,” she warned as she squeezed his butt with both hands.

  He laughed. “I’ll do my best. You got condoms in the bedroom?”

  She stilled. “No.”

  He eased back a few inches. “Seriously?”

  “What do you mean, seriously?” She pulled her hands out of his pants and leaned back on the counter to frown at him. “I’m a single mother of a six year old boy, and I don’t date. I have absolutely no reason to have condoms in my house.”

  “Until now.”

  “Well, clearly this wasn’t planned.” Her brows remained pinched together as she dropped her gaze to his chest, then even lower. “Don’t you have any? I would have expected you to be prepared for anytime, anywhere.”

  That last bit sounded a little like an accusation, and he was surprised by an instant surge of anger. A loud boom of thunder underscored the emotion.

  He braced his hands on the edge of the counter and leaned in nice and close. “Contrary to popular belief, Mae, I don’t have sex anytime, anywhere. In fact, other than the night of the wedding, I haven’t been with anyone since two days before Honor’s bakery opening in January.”

  He heard her gulp as her gaze rose to meet his. “That’s very specific.”

  “Yep.” Probably too specific, but what the hell.

  “Why?”

  “Why haven’t I been with anyone, or why so specific?”

  She seemed to consider which one she’d like him to answer. “Both. Either.”

  A brief smile broke free before he went serious again. “The answer’s the same for either question. The day of the bakery opening is when I found out the sexiest woman I’d ever met had a son, not a boyfriend.”

  She stared at him for a long second before she scoffed and averted her gaze. At the same time, she crossed her arms to cover her bare breasts as if suddenly embarrassed to be naked with him. “Yeah, right. What about that girl from the coffee shop?”

  “That was a mistake,” he insisted, his voice gruff. “Nothing happened.”

  “But it would have.”

  He shook his head. “You showed up about ten minutes before her. I thought you were her, and you want to know what my first reaction was?”

  “To strip half-naked.”

  “I took my shirt off because I was about to take a shower after working out,” he explained. Working out to get her the hell off his mind. “When the doorbell rang, and I thought Lyssa was early, I was annoyed. I knew then it had been a mistake to call her, and if it had been her instead of you, I’d have told her I changed my mind.”

  Her lashes lifted, her gaze searching his.

  “I swear, that’s the truth, though I can’t prove it.”

  “No. I guess you can’t.” After a long moment, she reached out one hand to hook a finger in the waistband of his briefs. “You told me you didn’t need proof to believe the baby is yours.”

  “I don’t.”

  “Then I believe you, too.”

  The truth of her words shone in the clear blue of her eyes and the unexpectedly shy smile tugging at her lips. He reached up to cup the back of her neck while leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers, a hard lump in his throat.

  “If you still want to do this, I will run and grab some condoms.”

  “Okay,” she whispered at the same time she reached her other hand up to the back of his neck and lifted her chin to kiss him. Her mouth opened beneath his, and she sought his tongue with hers.

  Thrilled he could go back to touching, Merit slid his hands to her waist, then up along her spine as he wrapped his arms around her to crush her close, bare chest to bare chest. Renewed heat surged through him, making his erection throb against the juncture of her thighs.

  He blindly groped for his T-shirt, and the moment his fingers clenched in the wet material, he muttered against her lips, “I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

  He stepped back and wrestled to put his shirt on.

  “Merit.”

  Something in her voice made him pause with his arms halfway through the sleeves and his head through the neck.

  She slid off the counter to stand in front of him, naked to the waist. “I was thinking…it’s not like I can get pregnant again.”

  He froze as his gaze sought hers.

  “I mean, if there’s nothing else to worry about…” The flush in her cheeks deepened as her lashes lowered. “It’s only been you, and Ian’s father all those years ago.”

  He should not be so ridiculously pleased to have that confirmed. But he was. And he knew that made him a complete hypocrite, but still.

  He lowered his arms until the wet cotton stretched between his forearms rested against his stomach. “I get regular check-ups. There’s nothing to worry about.”

  “Then don’t go.”

  He swallowed past the lump that had returned to his throat. “You’re sure?”

  She answered by reaching for the front of her shorts. Mesmerized, he watched while she unbuttoned, unzipped, and then shimmied them and her panties down past her hips to land with a soft plop at her feet.

  Chapter 14

  With her heart pounding so damn fast she had a hard time catching her breath, Mae straightened and kicked her shorts aside to stand completely naked before Merit. She’d told him earlier the baby was only the size of a lime, but she could already see changes in her body and wondered if he did, too. Did he even remember enough fro
m their one night to notice the differences?

  Merit slowly lifted his gaze, all the gold in his irises eclipsed by the intense desire dilating his pupils. As if coming out of a daze, he blinked, ditched his shirt, and stepped forward to cup her face with both hands. He tipped her chin up while lowering his head to slant his mouth over hers and plunge his tongue deep.

  Hungry, sensual strokes turned rising desire into primal need. She skimmed her hands over the hard muscles of his back, down to his jeans again. They were still wet, and she discovered it was still impossible to push the stubborn, clingy denim past his hips and down his thighs.

  “Need help with these,” she muttered.

  His hands found hers and guided them up around his neck. “Patience.”

  Then he dipped at the knees and reached to grip her thighs while hoisting her into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her out of the bathroom.

  “Which bedroom?”

  “The one on the left.”

  He strode to the open door and crossed the room to lay her on the bed with the freshly changed sheets. Mae braced herself up on her elbows to watch him wrestle with his pants. When he lost his balance and barely caught himself from falling over by grabbing for the edge of the bed, she bit her lip to hold back a laugh.

  “It’s not funny,” he groused with a sheepish grin. He flipped around to sit on the bed while shoving to get them past his muscled thighs. “Wet jeans are the worst.”

  Rising up on her knees behind him, she pressed her face into the crook of his neck while skimming her hands around to the front of his ridged stomach. He’d mentioned working out, and judging by his washboard abs, he exercised a lot. And holy hell, he smelled frickin’ amazing. He always did.

  She’d battled nerves earlier, now she was back to wanting him inside her so bad she ached.