The Perfect Guy: A Romance Novel

by LaCarro, Maria

  James thought about it for a few seconds and then smiled. “That’s reasonable, I guess, but I have one question for you.”

  “All right, shoot.”

  “I know we haven’t slept together yet, but would you mind sharing a bed with me as the date gets closer? You know, in case you go into labor at night. I really want to be there for every second.”

  I hesitated. “Do you mean every night? Because I don’t know what my dad will think of that. It’s his house after all.”

  James chuckled. “I was thinking more like the last week. I don’t want to give the Chief a heart attack.”

  I joined him with a giggle. “I’m sure we can arrange something.”

  “Good,” he replied and then leaned down to kiss me as if it sealed our deal.

  CHAPTER 32

  MOVING FORWARD

  My breath escaped me quietly when his lips closed around my nipple but transformed into a loud moan when his hand slid down my body before it reached its goal between my legs.

  “Oh god,” was my very intelligent response to his heavenly touch, and mere seconds later, I could feel that familiar coil tense up in my lower abdomen. It had been so long since I had this kind of intimacy with a man, so I had known beforehand that it would take very little for me to explode.

  I was correct in my assumption when the coil sprang loose, and I arched my back as the waves of pure pleasure crashed through my body violently.

  My eyes flew open, and I gasped in shock as I quickly realized that it had only been a dream.

  It had felt so real; I wanted it to be real.

  I could feel the effect the erotic dream had on my body, and I had to take several deep breaths in order to calm down—it had become a routine of mine since it wasn’t the first time I had a dream of the like. I had at least one each night now, and I knew I would keep having them until James and I scratched the itch that continued to grow every day.

  I felt so aroused all the time, but I had also begun to feel self-conscious. I couldn’t be very attractive at the moment, and I kind of wanted to look as hot as possible when we finally acted on our sexual feelings for each other, but I also knew that after Baby was born, there was a time frame of at least six weeks where all sexual activity was banned.

  I wasn’t sure if James and I could wait that long.

  It didn’t make it any easier that I was now spending every night at my parents’ place.

  I kind of regretted that decision whenever I woke up from my erotic dreams, but I only had myself to blame for that, so I wasn’t exactly entitled to complain.

  Apart from the ever growing sexual frustration I felt, things were actually going pretty great between me and James. We were together every day, and he asked all kinds of questions about the pregnancy.

  When I told him about the donor, he pointed out that the guy sounded like him, physically, and he even made a joke about it, saying that Baby could possibly be biologically his. I had stared at him with wide eyes until he told me that he had never donated sperm in his entire life, so the possibility was non-existent.

  However, we both agreed that it would definitely be easier in the future if Baby resembled James just a tiny bit. It wouldn’t raise as many questions with other parents.

  I hadn’t really thought about it, that my baby daddy did in fact have the same features as James. Maybe it had been an unconscious choice when I picked him out. I had always had a weakness for James’s green eyes, and his unusual hair color just made them stand out even more.

  It was just a tiny bit freaky that James did in fact have Scandinavian ancestors, but that had been way back in the nineteenth century, so that didn’t really count.

  It was now only ten days to my due date, and we had made the arrangement so that James would spend the night with me starting this week. Dad had first opposed and fought the whole thing tooth and nail, because even though he didn’t technically have anything against James right now, he didn’t like the thought of his daughter sharing a bed with a questionable man underneath his own roof.

  Sue had, although reluctantly, agreed when James had presented the reason as to why he wanted us to do it this way. It had softened Sue that it was because he wanted to make sure that he was there for me the entire time and not because he wanted to sully me in my parents’ home.

  My phone vibrated on the nightstand, and I reached for it, already knowing who had texted me.

  Breakfast at home or do you want me to pick you up so we can eat together?

  James and I had planned a day to buy the last of the necessary things for the nursery. All the heavy furniture and décor was already in place, but I had kind of put off the clothes and baubles shopping for last minute.

  I had a stock full of diapers, several sizes of bottles, formula, blankets, lotions, powders, and other baby essentials, but those small personal items where still shining with their absence. I needed to buy pacifiers and since I was a sucker for stuffed animals, I needed to buy a few fluffy teddy bears as well.

  Unlike Renée, I wouldn’t deny my child a security blanket—I had quickly understood that I had to hide it and always left it at Nana’s and Pop’s after the first time Renée took it from me—but I wanted my child to choose it themselves, so I planned to go on a trip when the day came and see what called the most.

  I heard Sue clanking with pots down in the kitchen, so I replied to James that I would eat at home since we would have lunch together later in the day, and then I made an attempt to roll out of bed without falling over the edge. I really couldn’t wait until I would once again be able to move properly.

  The smell of freshly baked scones and eggs invaded my nostrils when I descended the stairs, and seeing Sue hand my dad a plate with the goodies on it, made me all emotional. This was truly how I’d always imagined it should be in a family, and I was just up-in-the-clouds happy that Dad had finally found it.

  I briefly wondered how things would have been if Dad had divorced Renée sooner, maybe even when I was still a little girl—before Nana and Pops died.

  I would never have started dating George; I probably would have been a more confident person without Renée around, always belittling me, and the PPP would still be a school I’d merely heard about, which in turn would have made me more trusting of men.

  In fact, if Renée had disappeared from my life earlier, I would never have felt the need to please her by being with George, and I probably would have found a man to settle down with a long time ago. Maybe I would have already had a family of my own like Sam and Lilly.

  But then again, without all of this, I would never have met James, not that I would have missed him since I wouldn’t have known him, but now that he was in my life, changed into this new man, I couldn’t see my life without him anymore.

  Sure, I wish we could have had a more pleasant start without all of the manipulating and scheming and lies, but I doubted we would ever have crossed paths without it. Yes, we belonged to the same upper class social circles, but while he had enjoyed and thrived within it, I had shunned it.

  We were, essentially, two people completely opposite of each other, but we had somehow found common ground, and we worked together.

  After his confession about his deep feelings for me, I had made an effort to be more open-minded and accepting of his public displays of affection, something I had kind of waved my hand at before. I also tried to reciprocate more often in hopes of sparking my own feelings of love, and while I knew that I had fallen for him hard enough to want him in my life, and I cared about him a lot, but I didn’t know if I could stretch it so far as to call it love.

  In fact, I had absolutely no idea how romantic love was supposed to feel. I had never experienced it with George, and my boyfriends before him had been flings and rebellious acts toward Renée who hadn’t approved of a single one of them.

  They had come from too poor families, been too academic, or too much bad-boy; I’d been with them all.

  When I met George when I was twenty-thre
e, I had calmed down considerably as I’d come to realize that playing around didn’t give me any sort of satisfaction—especially since I only dated those guys to spite Renée—and I believed for a long time that our meeting had been coincidental.

  It wasn’t until four months before his proposal that I found out it had all been staged. By then, I had given up on fighting Renée. She wanted me to be with George, and I was desperate for her approval, and that was the only reason that I even said yes.

  It was an understatement to say that my life today, without Renée in it, was the best yet.

  I had my parents, my real parents, and siblings, I had the best job, a baby on the way, and a…I guess I could call him my boyfriend. He had called me his girlfriend, so apparently we were going with labels now.

  It was the easiest way to define mine and James’s relationship anyway.

  I sat down by the breakfast table and gave Sue a kiss on her cheek when she gave me a plate of food. Baby gave a small kick to my right side, and I rubbed the spot gently. Only a few more days, I thought and couldn’t contain my smile.

  “When is James picking you up?” Dad asked with a mouthful of food which caused Sue to hit his arm. He looked at her questioningly, and when she gave him a pointed look, he went back to his plate, looking down sheepishly. He then looked up at me and saw how I tried to contain my laughter. “Don’t laugh at domestic abuse. It’s a serious problem.”

  That did it for me and I exploded in laughter. Both Sue and Dad joined me and it took several minutes for me before I could answer him.

  “He will probably be here any minute,” I eventually said.

  “Call him and ask if he’s hungry. There’s enough for him as well,” Sue said, and I smiled. It felt really good that they had both accepted James’s presence in my life.

  I sent a quick text to James, but he replied that he had already eaten. He would, however, love to join us for dinner tonight.

  I rolled my eyes at that because it had already been decided that James would eat dinner with us before he would drive to his place and get together a bag for the nights he would now spend at this house.

  I was a bit nervous because it would be the first time he and I shared a bed. We had both decided that nothing sexual would happen between us tonight, though, because it would feel pretty awkward that our first time occurred when my parents were in the house.

  “He already ate,” I told Sue, and the next second, I received another text.

  I’m pulling up now

  “He says he’s here.”

  We all heard the tires in the driveway and then the slam of the car door. Dad got up from his chair and was already at the door when the first knock echoed through the house.

  “James,” I heard him greet in the hallway.

  “Chief Braun,” James replied, and that was when the last thing I ever expected to happen happened.

  “I do believe it’s about time you start calling me Charlie, James,” Dad said, and I almost choked on the eggs I’d placed in my mouth. I exchanged a look with Sue and she just shrugged at me with a pleased smile on her face.

  I left my breakfast and went out to the men in the hall. Dad had one of his hands on James’s shoulder and the other still gripped his hand in greeting. James was looking at him rather shocked, but soon got himself together.

  “Thank you, uh, Charlie. Uhm, is Jenn ready?”

  “Not quite,” I said and gained the attention of the two men. “I’m still eating, but I’ll just be a few minutes.”

  “Of course.” James nodded. “There’s no rush.”

  I smiled gratefully and went back to the kitchen.

  Dad and James came inside as well, and while Dad and I finished our breakfast, Sue stroke up a conversation with James. I only listened a bit, and I caught that they were talking about what things I already had versus what I needed to buy.

  Sue had already made a very detailed list of what I needed, and it had been what I’d been following. I had made a check next to each item I’d already bought, and I knew exactly what I needed now.

  James and I would be back home with time to spare before dinner.

  When I was finished, I put my plate in the sink and grabbed my purse and jacket. James followed me outside, but when I reached for the handle on the car door, he grabbed my wrist and spun me around.

  He gently cradled my face and then leaned forward to give me a kiss that made my toes curl. I was completely breathless by the time he pulled away.

  I knew he was trying to sweep me off my feet and hopefully evoke the dormant love inside of me, and let’s just say, I wasn’t complaining.

  We smiled at each other and then climbed into the car.

  CHAPTER 33

  READY FOR IT

  My heart was pounding loudly, and I felt it clearly against my ribcage as James and I climbed the stairs after dinner later that evening.

  It didn’t matter that we would only sleep together. I was still nervous because when it came down to it, we would be closer together than we’d ever been before. Sleep clothes didn’t exactly provide a lot of coverage.

  Our movements were rather mechanic as we both took our turns in the ensuite bathroom, and I knew he acted this way out of consideration for me. He could probably barely wait for us to lie down.

  I had let James get ready first, because I knew I had a dilemma I would have to work out in the bathroom.

  I stared at the two garments feeling incredibly torn.

  Normally, I slept almost completely in the nude. I only wore panties to bed as I thought nightgowns and shirts felt constricting and twisted around my body uncomfortably as I had a tendency to move around during the night, but I knew I could not sleep like that tonight.

  I needed to cover myself somehow, but would I go with the ragged t-shirt or the more fitting tank-top? I didn’t own a single silk nightgown so I was only glad I wouldn’t have to feel panicky about wearing something like that to bed.

  I knew that I would probably be more comfortable in the night if I chose the tank-top because it would stay in place more so than the t-shirt, but the t-shirt offered more coverage for the time before we fell asleep.

  I groaned inwardly and then just grabbed the goddamn tank-top. I wouldn’t be able to sleep with the t-shirt, so I would just have to accept the top.

  The top stretched against my protruding stomach and the fact that I wasn’t wearing any sleep shorts, only a pair of simple cotton panties, made the size of it even more obvious. I frowned at my whale-like image, and then walked out into the bedroom.

  James was leaning against the headboard, reading something, and to my surprise, he was wearing a pair of glasses.

  “I didn’t know you had glasses,” I said, and he looked up from his book. His eyes widened infinitesimally and his jaw went lack. I truly hoped it was because he thought I was attractive and not because he thought I looked bigger with fewer clothes on.

  “Uhm, I don’t…I mean…” He blinked as if to clear his mind. “I didn’t used to. I’ve only had them this last year, and only at night.”

  I nodded and tried to ignore the silence that stretched after.

  I made my way around to my side of the bed and gently climbed in. James was still leaning against the headboard, but I was rather tired so instead of sitting up with him, I lay down on my back and looked up at the ceiling.

  James immediately put away his book and turned out the light before he, too, lay down on his back.

  “Why is this so awkward?” I voiced my thoughts out loud, and I felt the shift in the mattress as James shrugged.

  “Probably because we haven’t had sex yet,” he replied, straight to the point. “Normally, couples have sex before they share a bed for the first time.”

  “I guess.” I turned my head toward him and when he felt my eyes on him, he did the same. “Maybe we should try being a bit closer?”

  He nodded and started to move so that he was lying on his side right next to my body. The heat emanating from
him caused tingles inside me, but I pushed them down, because it didn’t matter if this was the first golden opportunity we’d encountered. We had already said that we wouldn’t have sex tonight.

  I turned over to my side and held my breath as I felt James line his body up to mine. His body heat was everywhere, and his bare chest pressed against my partially covered back. When he snaked his arm around me and settled first on my hip, and then on my stomach, I just felt that I could relax and breathe again. It was a funny feeling that I could relax once he was completely flush against me, but not when he was getting into position.

  “Are you comfortable like this?” he asked, and I nodded. I was comfortable. It was actually very nice to have him pressed against me.

  We didn’t say anything after that—not even to say good night. We just slowly got used to being so close to each other, and then drifted off into a restful sleep.

  “I want to take you out tonight.”

  “I don’t know. My feet are always killing me at nights. I really don’t feel like going anywhere.”

  “We don’t have to go anywhere. We can go to my house. I can cook you dinner, and we could just spend the night there. I really want to be alone with you.”

  James played with my fingers gently as we were just lounging in our bed. The sun was streaming in through the curtains but it was still too early to be up and about so we were just taking it easy.

  Another two days had passed and I was now a mere week from my due date. James really wanted to take me out because we both knew date nights wouldn’t happen for a while when Baby was born, and as he had told me, he was quite desperate for having me by himself.

  He had nothing against my family, but living with them wasn’t exactly his dream come true. He always felt on the edge with my dad even though things between them were easier now.