“Declan?” she asked, her eyes bright and a wide smile on her face. I tried not to scowl at her interference.
“You must be Lisa. It’s nice to meet you. Listen, I’m sorry Nancy gave you the wrong impression, but I’m actually seeing someone, so it would be ungentlemanly of me to lead you on in any way,” I rambled.
Her face fell and I felt like a jerk. I’m going to kick your ass, Kevin. But, I didn’t have time to dwell on it, Juliette was fast disappearing. “I really am very sorry, Lisa, but you’ll have to excuse me.” I stepped around her and started after my woman. She turned a corner and I plowed through the crowd, determined to get to her.
I found myself in a darkened hallway and exploring a little farther in, I discovered the doors for the restrooms. Two women were just exiting and both stopped whispering as they walked by me. I ignored them and slammed through the door they’d just exited. Juliette was standing at the counter, her hands under the faucet, her eyes shocked and wide as she stared at me. A woman at the other end was in much the same position, and I glared at her. “Out.”
She frowned at me, but she must have seen the murderous look in my eyes, because she grabbed a stack of paper towels, along with her purse, and scurried out of the room. Once she was gone, and it was clear the other stalls were empty, I flipped the lock on the door and stalked towards my sweet Juliette.
The room was plush and fancy, gold wall paper and fixtures, red carpet, and the thing I was most interested in, a red, velvet couch. I casually walked over and took a seat. “Juliette,” I greeted.
She patted her face with water, then dried it and her hands before turning to face me. “Declan, how nice to see you.” Her words were stiff and she wouldn’t look me in the eyes. “You’re being awfully rude to your date; don’t you think?” She finally looked at me and I was temporarily lost in the turbulent purple orbs.
I raised a single eyebrow. “Date?”
She huffed, “Yes, your blind date with one of the other dancers. Holing up in the women’s powder room seems quite the poor date etiquette.”
I grinned when I realized what her attitude was all about. “You’re so cute when you’re jealous, Jules.”
Her jaw dropped in surprise, but her cheeks tinged with pink. I stood and prowled over to her, cupping her face and brushing my lips along hers. “You look fucking incredible, Juliette. How did you get more beautiful?”
Her face flamed, the pink deepening to a red flush over her upper body. The off the shoulder, silky peasant blouse she was wearing showed off a great deal of skin, and I was mesmerized by the color stealing over it. My eyes dropped to her cleavage, and I growled at the low cut of her top. But that was an argument for another time.
“Why were you running from me, baby?” I asked softly.
She shook her head and her shoulder jumped in a little shrug. “I didn’t want to interrupt your date and I didn’t know if”—she paused and looked everywhere but at me, until I forced her face back to mine, so close our gazes where locked—“if you’d be happy to see me again. I mean, we were a one-night stand and—”
I cut her off with my mouth crashing down over hers. I took advantage of her stunned state and pushed my tongue into her mouth. A ragged groan reverberated from deep in my chest. I felt as though those four months had been an eternity, and though I’d never doubted my decision, it was still a confirmation that she was made for me. That I couldn’t live without her.
“Of course I’m happy to see you. And, I’m not on a date, so I don’t have to feel guilty for this.” I kissed her again and my hands found their way to her ass, lifting her so her legs wrapped around my waist, then stumbling back to drop onto the couch. She straddled my lap and her skirt bunched around her upper thighs. All that separated us was my pants and the thin layer of her panties.
“You taste every bit as amazing as I remember,” I mumbled against her lips. “I bet you’re just as wet for me too.” I slid my hands up her sides and she tensed for a moment, but relaxed when I cupped her tits. I pulled back and looked down at the globes, something was different. Using my index fingers, I tugged down her top and stared. Juliette’s modest breasts were a delicious mouthful, but small enough that she could easily go braless. So, I was taken aback to see them spilling out of the lacy cups.
“I’m not seeing things, right?” I queried absently. “Your tits are bigger.” She froze, and I worried that she thought I had a problem with it. “Not that I’m complaining,” I hurried to assure her. “You’ve filled out a little and it’s sexy as fuck, baby.”
“You—um—you’re not so bad yourself,” she said, her pink blush returning.
“I love the way you blush, Jules. It’s like pouring strawberry syrup over my favorite dessert. All I want to do is eat you.”
She moaned and my already hard cock grew, threatening to rip through my pants to reach her heated pussy. I could already feel the pre-come leaking from the manly instinct to breed my woman.
I reached around her to unhook her bra, but she pushed my hands away, making me growl in frustration. Four months. Four fucking months I had waited for her and my ability to go slow was slim to none.
“I think we should talk before this goes any further.”
“After.” My mouth chased hers, seeking a taste, but she played a mean game of keep away. I sighed and sat back. “What would you like to talk about?”
She cleared her throat and squirmed a little, rubbing her pussy over my erection. I grabbed her hips to keep her from moving any more. If she wanted any chance to keep my attention while she ‘talked,’ I needed her to remain still.
“Go ahead, baby. I’m listening,” I murmured. Leaning in, I placed my lips on her collarbone, nibbling, licking, and leaving little bites all over her neck.
“Well, I found out—um—that’s very distracting, Declan. This is important.”
“So is this, Jules.” I kissed my way down her cleavage while she sputtered for a response. Tugging down her bra, I kissed each rosy nipple, encouraged to take one in my mouth when she moaned again.
My hands drifted down, intent on touching her everywhere. They landed on her stomach and it was my turn to freeze. I felt all around the area, finding it odd she would gain weight in such a concentrated area. Except, I knew that wasn’t what I was feeling. Pride and an abundance of love burst through me, hoping I was right.
I glanced up and she had her hands over her mouth, her eyes filled with frightened tears. Was she not happy about this? I gripped the hem of her shirt and pulled it off over her head. Then I dropped my eyes to her belly and sure enough, there was a little bump. The most beautiful little bump in the world.
I met her violet gaze and there was wonder in my voice when I asked, “We’re having a baby?”
3
Juliette
Was this really how Declan was going to find out I was pregnant? In the women’s restroom of a restaurant while I was topless and sitting on his lap? This was even worse than I’d imagined when I pictured myself surprising him at his apartment to tell him the news.
I started to scramble off his lap, but when I glanced down, my eyes were riveted by the sight of his hands on my belly. I never thought I’d feel his hands on me again. Not during any of the months I’d been gone. Not even after I found out I was expecting his baby from our one night of passion. And certainly not when I saw him at the door and knew he was the blind date Lisa had been prattling on about—something I’d managed to forget when his lips had landed on mine.
It wasn’t something I could ignore any longer, though. I jerked away from Declan, grabbing my top from the floor and pulling it back on. After a couple deep breaths, I turned around and faced him. “Yes, I’m pregnant with your baby.” His eyes jumped from my belly to my face, and I could have sworn they were filled with happiness, but it had to be wishful thinking on my part. I tended to babble when I was nervous, and this was no exception. “I literally just found out, barely more than an hour ago. I swear I was going to come see you
tomorrow and try to explain how this all happened. After I figured out what to say, that is. I wasn’t going to keep the news from you, but I’m not sure I’m ready to talk to you about it yet. Not here. Not right now. I really wasn’t prepared to see you tonight, let alone on a date with another woman.”
“I already told you I wasn’t on a date,” he growled, uncoiling from where he sat on the red velvet couch and stalking towards me. “I’m not going to let you use a stupid misunderstanding as an excuse to avoid talking to me tonight. I’ve waited four long months for you to come home, and my patience has officially run out.”
He waited, what?
“I’m sorry Lisa was mistaken about my reason for being here tonight. I didn’t come for her. I came for you.” He yanked me towards him, tilting my chin up with one long finger.
“How is that possible?” I whispered. “I didn’t even know I was going to be here until this morning.”
“My best friend’s wife is friends with Lisa. She’s been trying to set us up for months. I wasn’t the least bit interested in her matchmaking efforts and barely paid any attention to her, but when she mentioned the reason behind the party tonight, there wasn’t anything that was going to keep me away.”
“Lisa seemed to have missed that memo,” I grumbled.
“She’s clued in now. Before I hunted you down in here, I made it extremely clear to her that I’m already seeing someone and have no interest in dating anyone else.”
“You’re seeing someone?” I croaked, feeling sick to my stomach at the thought.
“Fuck, baby. Have you not heard a word I’ve been saying?” His hands gripped me around my waist and tugged until I was flush against his body, his hardened length pressed against my stomach. “Yes, I’m fucking seeing someone—you, the woman who’s carrying my child.”
Ah, right, the baby. I guessed it made sense that Declan would want to attempt to build a relationship with me now that he was aware I was pregnant with his baby. I only wished he’d been this keen to try for one before letting me go four months earlier. The logical side of me knew it had been a long-shot, considering I hadn’t even known him a full day before I left for Europe, but my heart had yearned for him to ask if we could try the long-term thing while I’d been away. Only he hadn’t, and this was the first time I’d heard the word ‘relationship’ from his delicious lips. Although, he had said I was the only reason he’d come to the party in the first place, so that had to be a good sign.
Seriously, I was going to drive myself crazy over him. Right about now, I really wished I’d spent a little less time focused on ballet and a little more time interacting with guys who weren’t my dance partners. Straightening my spine, hoping to find the strength to resist him, at least for the moment, I tried to step away but he didn’t let me go far. Strong hands gripped my waist and held me in place.
“Now that we’ve gotten that ridiculousness out of the way, I’d like to focus on what’s truly important—you being pregnant with my baby.” I dropped my head against his chest as tears filled my eyes. Stupid hormones. “I know you’re probably scared, but I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
If he kept up with this sweetness, I was never going to be able to resist falling into his bed again. Even if he’d been an ass about the pregnancy, I still probably wouldn’t have been able to hold out for long. Sniffling, I breathed in the masculine scent I’d missed while I’d been gone. Part of me wanted to kick myself for falling into his bed so easily, but I couldn’t truly regret the most magical night of my life. All it took was one touch, one kiss, one smell and I wanted him. So much so that I had no idea how I’d ever be able to protect my heart when we were going to be connected for the rest of our lives because of the baby.
“Hey!” a feminine voice shouted through the door, interrupting my musings and startling me. “This is a public restroom, you know. The only one for women in this place, and some of us have to go. Like right now.”
“Maybe we should take this conversation to somewhere a little more appropriate,” I mumbled into his shirt.
“It’s probably a good idea, since the last thing I need is to be arrested for indecent exposure from being caught in here with you,” he chuckled. “The hospital would not approve and it wouldn’t exactly be a story I’d want to share with our children later on.”
“You look pretty decent to me,” I sighed, stepping away from him and sweeping my gaze up his body.
“If you keep looking at me like that for much longer, there’s no way in hell either of us will make it out of here with all of our clothes intact.”
Kaboom! There went my panties. Seriously, they were drenched and of absolutely no use to me any longer—which only proved he was right, damn him. This time when I tried to step away, he let me go but took hold of my hand as he walked with me towards the door. With a flick of his other wrist, the bathroom door was unlocked and I was mortified when it flew open and revealed several gawking faces as they caught sight of Declan and me. I couldn’t really blame them since there were rumors swirling around the company that I might be a nun in the making because I never date.
He ignored them all and hurried me out of the restaurant and into a waiting cab. The ride to his place was different than the last time, but also the same in a way. The chemistry between us still sizzled, and we were just as silent, but there was none of the kissing I’d enjoyed. Instead, Declan kept me cradled against his side while he stared down at his hand resting on my lower belly. It was just as sexy as the way he’d devoured my mouth when I’d last found myself in a cab with him. Then again, anything he did was bound to be sexy since he practically oozed sex appeal from his pores. I was no less susceptible to it tonight than I had been four months earlier, which might not bode well for me since it felt as though we were retracing our steps from that fateful evening as he led me into his building.
My legs trembled as I stepped into the elevator, remembering the way he’d practically taken me against the wall the last time I’d ridden it with him. He rubbed my back in a soothing gesture, but I barely felt it as I stared at the other side of the elevator and remembered how incredible it had felt to be wrapped around his muscular body with the heat of his erection between my legs.
Barely a minute or two passing before we reached the top floor where Declan’s penthouse apartment was located. By the time the doors opened into his foyer, I was trembling with need, my doctor’s warning about increased sexual drive during the second trimester playing over again in my head. This time around, it was me who led him straight to the couch and urged him onto the cushions. “This is all your fault, and you’re damn well going to take care of it.”
4
Declan
“My fault?” I laughed. I let Juliette push me down onto the sofa and was more than happy to accommodate her when she straddled my lap.
“It’s the stupid pregnancy hormones! I need you, Declan,” she pleaded.
Holy shit. If this was what I had to look forward to during a pregnancy, Juliette would be finding herself knocked up for the foreseeable future. Of course, I wanted a big family anyway, and she’d mentioned the same when we talked on our night together. So, it was going to happen either way.
I wanted to do as she asked, in fact I was really liking the idea of making her beg me. My cock was more than ready to give her exactly what she wanted after the four-month wait. Jerking off was a poor substitute for sinking inside her silken heat, but it was all I had while she was gone. Waiting even one more minute was the last thing my body wanted, but it was exactly what I needed to do for our relationship—which meant I was forced to turn in my man card for what I had to do next.
She went in for a kiss, and I wrapped my fingers around her toned biceps to hold her slightly away from me. Hurt flashed across her face and I couldn’t stand it, so I shifted my hands up to cup her face and kissed her, releasing a fraction of the passion still pent up inside me.
As soon as she began to try and get closer, to press her heat a
gainst the bulge in my slacks, I set her away again. Now she just looked confused, and maybe a little dazed from lust. There was a flush on her skin that was so beautiful, I was tempted to fuck her first, then talk later. Luckily, I was able to talk myself off the ledge. I didn’t want anything hanging over us when I finally took her to bed. I wanted hours to worship her from head to toe, no interruptions, and no questions hanging over us.
“Baby, I promise, I will take care of you. Always. But, we need to talk first.”
Her cupid’s bow mouth turned down in an adorable pout, and I had to kiss it. She sighed and it sounded like a combination of exasperation and desire. Something so simple, and it did me in.
I captured her lips in a deep kiss and ran my palms up her thighs to her center. I brushed a finger across her panties and it was soaked right through. My groan was swallowed up by the tangling of our tongues.
“So wet. I’ll take the edge off for you, baby. Okay?”
She moaned and her head dropped back, her eyes closing when I slipped a finger underneath the fabric. It was in the way, so I curled my finger around the center strip and ripped it, leaving her pussy bare. She gasped and arced her back. I ran my finger up her slit and brought it to my mouth, proceeding to suck it inside and lick it clean. She tasted so fucking delicious. I needed more.
With my hands on her waist, I encouraged her to get up onto her knees, then to her feet, so she was standing on the couch. It was the perfect fucking height. Pun intended. I tucked her long skirt into its waistband and drank in the sight of her pink, glistening sex. I licked my lips and then glanced up to see Juliette watching me with lust darkening her eyes to a deep purple.
I took her hands and placed them on either side of my head, so she was gripping the back of the couch. “Hold on tight, Juliette.” Grasping the cheeks of her ass, I tugged her forward and buried my face in her pussy, inhaling and becoming almost delirious from her potent scent. My tongue plunged inside her and then ran up her center to circle her sensitive clit. “Ride me, baby,” I grunted raggedly. I licked and nibbled her into a frenzy, forcing her to lock her legs as she fucked my face.
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