The tight T-shirt hugs his abs and pecs while accenting his magnificent biceps. When he sits in the chair next to my bed, I run my hand over one of them and moan a little.
“This morning was the last chance we had to make love before the baby comes and then it’s six long weeks without it,” I say.
I’ve been worried about him going without sex for that long. I haven’t seen him do a thing to make me think he wants anyone but me, but those doubts flutter through my mind now and then.
“Don’t worry,” he says as he stands up and makes me lean up so he can fluff my pillow. “I can wait. I can see that look on your face, you know. I can almost read your mind, pumpkin.”
“I’m sorry for being distrustful, I really am. I’m trying, Jason.”
A little tightness moves around my back, then across my stomach. He looks at the machine that maps my contractions. “You had one. How was that?”
“Not bad at all. I think I can handle this just fine. Maybe I’m a natural, like Maddie.”
“Maybe you are,” he says with a grin and a kiss to my forehead.
***
JASON
Nine hours later and many contractions into her labor, my wife is begging for a C-section.
“No more! I can’t take anymore, please, Doc!” she begs as she holds onto her doctor’s arm.
With a shake of her head, the doctor says, “You are virtually minutes away from having this baby, Brittany.” She looks at me. “Where is the focal point she should be focusing on, Jason?”
“She won’t listen to me,” I say as I plead my case.
“You have to make her.” She pulls her arm out of Britt’s clutches and leaves the room. “I’ll be right back with an epidural.”
“Thank God!” Britt shouts. Then she starts breathing all hard as she motions for me to come to her.
I do what I’m supposed to and give her my hand. It’s kind of bruised already, but it’s my job, after all. “Okay, buttercup. Let’s just breathe through this thing. Relief is on its way.”
Her eyes go wide as she looks up at me and screams, “Something’s happening!”
The nurse who’s been standing in the corner watching the machines looks at Brittany. “What is it?”
“A burning down there. A very bad burning,” Britt yells.
The nurse pulls back the sheet and then I go a little dizzy. “That’s a lot of blood.”
“Crap!” the nurse says. Then she looks at Britt. “I need to get the doctor. Do not push!” She gives me the stink eye. “Don’t let her push.”
“Okay,” I say, but there’s not an ounce of conviction in the word.
She grips my arm and looks at me with a sternness in her face. “Don’t let her push!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
With that same look the nurse gave me, I look at my wife. “Britt, now you listen here …”
Her mouth goes into a circle as she lets out a horrible noise. “I have to push, Jason! I have to!”
Sitting on the bed, looking at her, I place my hand on her stomach. She looks at it like she’d like to rip it out of the socket and possibly beat me with it. “Britt, you can’t. Wait for the doc. Then this is all going to be done.”
“You don’t know, Jason. I need to push.” She closes her eyes and I snap my fingers in front of them to make her open them again.
“You look right here, baby.” I point to my eyes. “I got you. Do you hear me? You just keep your eyes right on mine. Okay, good. Now do you remember when we were in Bora Bora and you needed to listen to me about that shark?”
“There were two of them,” she says as she pants like a puppy who’s just run a mile.
“I know. And I got you out of the water safe and sound, didn’t I?”
She nods and grits her teeth. “And that dumb lady was giving us a biography lesson all the while.”
“Yes, she was,” I say as I watch sweat pour down her face. “And you were so brave. You are so brave, Britt. And you’re about to bring our son into the world. I’m so damn proud of you, baby. Do you know that?”
She looks like she’s about to cry. “And I’m damn proud of you, Jason. You’re the best husband ever. I know you’re going to take good care of me and Levi.”
“Garret,” I correct her. “Remember we decided on Garret?”
She groans a loud groan. “Ow! It hurts not to push!”
Her eyes close, so I touch her cheek and she opens them again. “But you have to wait. So when did Garret get thrown out?”
“A little while ago. I forgot to tell you. Levi is his name now.”
The machine next to her is going crazy as it records a very long contraction. I glance at it for only a second and see some high marks on the piece of paper. It has to be a bad one.
“Well, Levi is a great name, pumpkin butt.”
The door opens and the nurse and doctor come in. Both are pulling on gloves as they come in. The doctor says, “What do we have here?”
One look has her draping another blue sheet over Brittany. Several more people come into the little room and Britt looks at me with scared eyes.
“You got this, baby. You do,” I say then kiss her forehead.
“You can push, Brittany,” her doctor tells her. “With the next contraction, you can push.”
“Thank God!” she says, then her face goes red as she looks at me.
The way she squeezes my hand lets me know she’s having a lot of pain. But she just makes a loud groan and pushes hard.
“Okay,” the doctor says. “Probably two more, then he’ll be out. He’s a little bigger than I thought he was.”
The nurse mumbles. “Ten pounds, easy.”
I look at the doctor. “You said eight.”
She nods. “I did. That’s not the case, though.”
My hand is squeezed again and I look back to find Brittany going red again as she pushes. “You are doing so great, baby.”
Relief spreads across her face. “It’s almost over. I feel it.”
The doctor looks up with a smile. “Shoulders are out!”
The nurse adds, “One more push, Britt.”
My wife’s eyes go glassy as she says, “I love you, Jason. I always have and I always will. I love you more than you’ll ever know.”
“I love you more than you’ll ever know.” I kiss her hand as she goes red again and makes a growl. Then I hear a weird slurping sound, followed by a loud cry.
“He’s here,” I tell her. “You did it!”
The doctor holds up our son and I laugh like a crazy man as I see how big he is. Brittany’s eyes go huge. “That came out of me? I carried that little linebacker around inside of me.”
“You did,” I say.
I find tears falling out of my eyes and my nose is running and I’m crying as I look at our son as he cries, too. Then I look down at Brittany and find her crying too.
Seems we’re a bunch of crybabies!
BRITTANY
I’m not sure when I knew I loved Jason. It seems like I always did. There isn’t an exact moment in time that I realized it. He moved right on into my heart with such ease, it felt natural.
That’s how it was with our son, too. He seems to have always been a part of us. Like he was always there, lurking around somehow. Little Herbert is crawling now and finds his way all over the ranch house with ease.
We knew that was his name the moment he looked into our eyes. We said it at the same time, and I swear that baby smiled when we did.
Our little family is just beginning, but most of my fear is gone. There’s still some, but it’s not in the forefront of my mind. It’s back there in the recesses, where I’ll make sure it stays and doesn’t threaten our here and now.
Watching Jason follow our son around, I know we’re the two people who have his heart. That’s enough for me. That’s enough to keep me happy and feeling safe with what we have.
Sometimes things start out hard and end up easy. I suppose that was our course in this life. What
ever the reason, I’m glad we found each other again. And I am never letting him go.
I think we’ve found our happily ever after, after all.
The End
Unforeseen Treasure
A Single Daddy, Billionaire, Navy Seal Romance
Michelle Love
Lieutenant Commander Damon Saunders was caught off guard when I met him at Lanesborough Hotel in London. He and I had business to attend to. But our business was pushed aside quickly.
Always the consummate professional, I was shocked to find my inner woman clambering to the surface, stuffing the professional in me down as far as possible. The man was abnormally hot and muscular and turned me into a puddle of desire with just one look.
I was worried my self-discipline would become compromised. And I was right. That man compromised me nine ways to Sunday.
I was left wondering if it could really turn into something more, something that could last …
I went to London with the expectation that I was about to be had. But it turned out just the opposite. I had to have the gorgeous woman who’d ordered me to come to her.
When I met Liv Tillman and found her to be the hottest little American spitfire I’d ever seen, well, the real dilemma began.
She was practically drooling over me after all. Or was it the other way around? I have a hard time recalling the whole thing as my cock was kind of running me. All I could think about was getting her naked and underneath me, which I did many, many times.
Then duty called and things happened so fast. There’d be no stopping the rollercoaster our lives were on …
Damon
Waking up in a cold sweat, out of breath, and nearly falling out of my bed, I grasp the certified letter off the nightstand and read it once more.
Lieutenant Commander Damon Saunders,
Your presence is required at the Lanesborough Hotel in London, England at noon on May 25th. You will report to suite 407. A private jet will be sent to you at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, where you are currently stationed. You will be met at the Heathrow Airport by a driver who will have a sign with your name on it. Go with him. He will bring you to me. Accommodations for the period of five nights have been purchased, along with all the meals for that duration of time.
Do not underestimate my ability to find you wherever you are, anywhere around the globe. I will speak to you, no matter what you may want.
This doesn’t have to be unpleasant. It’s all up to you and how you decide to accept the consequences of your actions.
Yours in sincerity,
Livacious Tillman
“Who the hell could this be?” I ask myself as I put the letter back down and get out of bed. “I need a drink.” Laughing, I realize just how much I’ve been talking to myself since the letter arrived three days ago.
There are three days until I need to depart fromFlorida, making my way to London on a jet I have no idea who’s sent to fetch me. I know I should blow the whole thing off. The idea that anybody could find me anywhere in the world is insane after all.
But there’s just enough crap in that letter to make me think I should go. The consequences thing has me curious. I’ve done some major shit in my life. A career in the Navy has seen to that.
I’ve been on a Seal Team for the last six years, and I’ve done more in those years than my entire life put together.
But who could hold me responsible for anything I did with the Seals? And why would they only target me? And why the hell is London the place I have to go to?
The last time I was in London was about five years ago. I took a short R&R after one bitch of a mission had me nearly wiped out. I’d started out messing with random chicks, then settled into a five-night sex-fest with one woman. She was nuts!
She would only tell me her name. Her first name was Jennie, and she told me nothing more than that. It was all about the sex. And that was cool with me. I wasn’t into having a relationship at that time, and she didn’t seem to be about that either.
Maybe it’s her who’s wanting a rendezvous?
“Nah, can’t be,” I say to myself. “I didn’t give her more than my first name either.”
With nothing more than one tap on the door, my buddy, Jim, opens it and has a piece of paper in his hand, waving it at me. “You have an order to make a phone call, my friend. And who is Liv Tillman?” He’s fully dressed in his uniform and I’m still in nothing but my skivvies. An eternity in the service has left us both none too shy about the lack of clothing on my part.
“An order?” I ask as I take the note out of his hand and read it out loud. “Mr. Saunders.” I stop and look at Jim. “Mister? What a jerk.”
“Sounds like he’s one for sure,” he comments.
“Wait, he?” I ask as I look at the name on the note. “The certified letter was signed by a Livacious, but this one says Liv. Liv sounds like a girl’s name, doesn’t it?”
“Might be,” Jim agrees. “Either way, major asshole for not calling you by your rank. You’ve worked hard as hell to get to where you are. You deserve to be called by your title, not a minor title, like mister. And who is this person anyway? They have no problem ordering you around. Not cool!”
“Not at all,” I agree, then keep reading the note, “Mr. Saunders, you’ve yet to respond to my certified letter. I was expecting a prompt response from you. You are expected in London in no less than three days, and I need to know if I’m wasting my time with trying to talk to you civilly or not. Please give me a call as soon as you get this message. I can be reached at 44-20-9024-5462. I expect your call shortly. Liv.”
Jim grins as he slaps his own ass. “Well, you better pull that cell out and give the lady a call, Lieutenant. You don’t want to get into trouble with little Liv, now do ya?”
Taking out my cell, I decide to call this bossy person in front of a witness. “I am going to make this call. And you’re going to listen to every word we exchange. I’m beginning to worry this might be a scam of some kind.”
“Sounds like one. Who’s this pushy in real life?” Jim asks as he takes a seat on my unmade bed.
“I’m about to find out. I’ll bet you a hundred dollars I get some kind of a recording or end up talking to some call service.” I dial the number and wait.
There’s a series of beeps then the sound of ringing. “Hello?” An American-accented female voice answers.
“Hi, I’m Lieutenant Commander Damon Saunders. You’ve sent me a note …”
“Oh, yes! Mr. Saunders …”
With a quick interruption, I correct the misinformed woman, “No, not Mister. Lieutenant Commander Saunders is what you may call me.”
“That’s a mouthful, but if you insist. Lieutenant Commander Saunders, will you be coming to London as I’ve directed you to?”
“And why should I?” I ask as I give Jim a nod and puff out my chest.
“Because you have one of two choices. Meet me in London as I’ve asked or meet me in court. It’s your choice. I do have to tell you that you’ll like coming to London so much better. But it’s all up to you.”
“And why would I be meeting you in court, Liv?”
“Liv? I prefer Miss Tillman if you’ll be so kind as to comply with my wishes, Lieutenant Commander Saunders.”
Jim rolls his eyes and says, “She’s only doing that because you did it first.”
With a nod, I agree with him. But I don’t give two shits why she’s doing it. I just want to get to the bottom of things. “Okay, Miss Tillman, why would you be meeting me in court?”
“That’s confidential. I can’t speak about this over any phone line,” she quips. “So, will you be coming or not? I really must know.”
“Does this have anything to do with the military?” I ask her, as I’m stumped about what she could possibly want with me.
“No,” comes her quick answer. “It’s purely personal.”
“And you don’t want to give me even the slightest hint as to what you want from me?” I as
k, then think for a second. “Is this about sex?”
“God, no! Mister, I mean, Lieutenant Commander …”
“You know what, just call me Damon. This whole thing is stupid, Liv. Now tell me what you want, or I won’t be coming.” I’ve put my foot down and now let’s see what this woman does.
“You’d be a fool not to, Damon.”
My name sounds good coming out of her mouth. She has a slight Southern accent, and her voice lilts a bit. I wonder what the hell this chic looks like. She sounds young. “How old are you, Liv?”
“Not that it matters one iota, but I’m twenty-six. And you, Damon, are ten years older than I am.”
“And how do you know that?” I ask her as I lean back on my desk, crossing my legs at the ankles.
“I know more about you than you do, Damon. Come to London. Please.” She waits a moment, then adds, “It is in your best interest. I can assure you, you’ll be surprised.”
“Pleasantly?” I ask her as Jim looks at me and gives me a wink.
“I hope so.”
Looking at Jim, I see him nodding and tend to agree with the man who’s been my right hand since I enlisted in the Navy when I was fresh out of high school.
“I’ll be there. And I’ll meet you exactly where you told me to. Liv?”
“Yes?”
“Where are you from?”
“Atlanta. That’s my home base.”
“And you’re in London just for me?”
“I am.”
The mystery is killing me. Why in the hell would a young woman from Atlanta go to London and want me to meet her there? It makes no sense at all. Me going makes no sense at all.
But I sure as hell am going to do it anyway!
Liv
As a recent graduate of Harvard Law School, I was more than a bit surprised when I was sent a letter from a woman in England, asking for my help with setting up custody papers for her young son. His father was an American citizen, and she wanted to be sure all American laws were followed, as well as English law.
The Surgeon’s Secrets Page 83