It was crazy. Even while it was happening, he knew it was crazy. He hadn’t been so desperately aroused since…he didn’t even know since when. Probably since he was in tenth grade and Nadia Sinclair let him unfasten her bra, beginning a lifelong fascination with female breasts.
As his mouth fastened over Penny’s tight nipple through the fabric of her dress, he couldn’t help but think that Nadia had nothing on Penny McCord. And then he wasn’t thinking about anything but Penny.
Somehow, they made it down the hall to his bedroom. Her dress was on the floor, along with a couple of pieces of skimpy satin and lace that probably deserved more attention than he’d paid to them in the few seconds it took him to strip them away. But he paid a great deal of attention to the long, lean, completely naked and very sexy body that was stretched out across his king-size mattress.
They’d been moving toward this moment for weeks. But even so, he hadn’t expected to be so frantic and needy. And if her moans and sighs were any indication, she was as desperate for their joining as he was. He shed the last of his clothes and joined her on the bed. Her arms came around him, drawing him close, closer.
He was teetering on the edge of no return when he pulled back. His breathing was harsh and ragged, his body screaming for release inside of her.
Her eyes flickered, opened, revealing that deep green, dark with desire, clouded with confusion.
“What’s wrong?”
What was wrong was that he wanted to plunge inside her hot, wet body more than he wanted to take his next breath, but caution—or maybe it was a finely honed self-protection instinct—had managed to pierce the sexual haze that clouded his brain.
“I wasn’t prepared for this,” he admitted, inwardly cursing himself for the oversight. But he’d never expected things to go so far so fast. Yeah, he had plans for the weekend, and he’d hoped those plans would lead to this moment. But not before he had a chance to stop at the pharmacy, which he was going to do on the way home from the club. Except that they’d never gone out to the club, and he’d never expected to want her so much.
“Please tell me you have some protection?” It was a plea, heartfelt and desperate.
She blinked, uncomprehending.
“Condoms,” he clarified.
She shook her head, then ventured, hesitantly. “I don’t…sleep around, Jason. I’m…safe.”
Which he’d assumed to mean that she was on the pill or using the patch or some other form of birth control. And since he hadn’t had unprotected sex in more than a decade because he cared more about his long-term health than short-term gratification, he trusted that he wasn’t putting her at risk….
Obviously, he’d been wrong. And while the details had yet to be determined, the one thing Jason knew for certain was that the baby Penny carried meant they were now bound together in ways he never intended.
He’d always expected that he would marry and become a father someday, and though he hadn’t expected it to happen so soon, he wasn’t bothered by the acceleration of his plans. After all, it wasn’t as if he’d been waiting to fall in love. No, he’d been there, done that, and had no intention of repeating that painful experience again. But he did care about Penny, and he was confident they could have a good life together.
Of course, the biggest challenge would be in convincing Penny to marry him. He’d seen the look on her face when his father mentioned a wedding date, and he knew she wouldn’t want to get married simply because she was pregnant.
But a baby needed two parents—he didn’t think that belief was old-fashioned so much as it was practical. And he wanted to be involved in every aspect of his child’s life, which meant being there when his child went to bed at night and when he or she woke up in the morning. He was a little less enthused about the prospect of midnight feedings and dirty diapers, but he was willing to share those responsibilities, too.
In fact, he was willing to do almost anything to make Penny his bride.
Anything but open up his heart to a woman who already meant more to him than he’d ever intended.
Chapter Six
Penny picked up the raw piece of McCordite and turned it over in her hand, watching the subtle shift of shimmery colors. It was a truly unique gem, and she was thrilled to have the chance to play with it, to experiment with designs and metals to show it to full advantage.
Images swirled through her mind like pictures on a carousel. Her pieces would be the latest rage, worn by the wealthiest women with the most discriminating tastes: the wives of old fortunes and new entrepreneurs, the mistresses of European royalty, the names that topped Hollywood’s A-list.
She never lacked for inspiration in her designs, and she could already picture elegant pendants and jewel-studded chokers, dangling earrings and thick, chunky bracelets. There was so much she could and would do with the stone, but her first task—and undoubtedly the most difficult one—was her sister’s engagement ring.
It was part of her usual process to meet with a customer prior to the design of a custom piece. She believed it was important for a gift of jewelry to reflect something of the person who would wear it, of the relationship between the gift giver and the recipient.
She shouldn’t have to interview her sister or have her sister’s fiancé complete a questionnaire, but she couldn’t deny that she was…well, blocked seemed the most appropriate word for what she was feeling. She was trying—really she was—but every time she closed her eyes and envisioned Travis sliding the ring on Paige’s finger, her own eyes filled with tears, blurring the image, so that the inspiration she sought remained elusive.
It was shamefully obvious to Penny that she was envious of her sister. She was genuinely happy for Paige, thrilled that her dreams were coming true. And though she didn’t know Travis well, it was readily apparent that he adored Paige. Yes, Penny was happy for them—even if, right now, she was feeling absolutely miserable, because she so desperately wanted what they had found.
She set the rock back on her desk and wiped at the tears that had overflowed and slid down her cheeks. She wasn’t a crier, not usually, but lately it seemed as if the littlest thing could set off the waterworks. She knew it was the pregnancy that was responsible for her hormones being so completely out of whack, but that knowledge didn’t assuage the ache in her heart.
The ring of the phone jolted her back to the present, and she grabbed for the receiver, grateful for the reprieve from the dangerously seductive memories—until she heard Jason’s voice on the other end.
“I just wanted to give you the number of my hotel in Denver,” he told her. “In case you needed to get in touch with me while I’m away.”
She waved a hand in front of her face, trying to cool her suddenly heated skin. Yeah, those pregnancy hormones were definitely running rampant, when just the sound of his voice made everything inside her quiver.
“I’m not going to need to get in touch with you,” she assured him, her tone carefully neutral. “And if I did, I have your cell number.”
“Oh. Right.”
“So why did you really call, Jason?”
“Would you believe I just wanted to hear the sound of your voice?”
“No.”
His voice dropped, the low, intimate tone sending shivers down her spine. “I have missed you, Penny.”
She steeled herself against the weakness that washed through her. She didn’t know what game he was playing now, but she wasn’t playing it with him. Not this time. “You saw me yesterday.”
“I wish you were here with me now,” he said. “Just the two of us.”
She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the seductive words, reminding herself that it had never really been just the two of them—that Jason’s hidden agenda had always been with them. “I have to go.”
“Wait, Penny. Please—”
She couldn’t wait, because she didn’t trust herself not to respond to the plea in his voice.
Instead, she hung up on him.
Jason stare
d at the buzzing receiver in his hand.
She’d actually hung up on him.
His first response was disbelief, then annoyance, which was ultimately followed by relief. Because he knew that Penny wouldn’t have disconnected so abruptly unless she was feeling confused and uncertain, unless she was worried that he might talk her into something she didn’t want to be talked into. Something like…marriage?
Not that she was a pushover by any stretch of the imagination, and not that he’d ever had to talk her into anything. In fact, looking back on their brief relationship, he was hard-pressed to determine who’d been the pursuer and who’d been pursued. Yes, he’d been the one to approach her at the Harcourt-Ellsworth wedding, and he’d been the one to initiate the follow-up contact a couple of days later. But ultimately, she was the one who had seduced him.
Not that he’d resisted her seduction. Why would he, when he’d wanted her as much as she’d obviously wanted him? But the forthrightness and the passion she’d demonstrated that first night in Houston had created a sensual fog around his brain that kept him in the dark about a couple of key points—most notably that she was a virgin and that when she’d assured him she was “safe,” she hadn’t been referring to birth control.
That was the night their baby was conceived. He was certain of it, because he’d made a trip to the pharmacy the next morning. And though he’d resented the barrier he’d purposely put between them every time they made love thereafter, he’d never balked at doing so, because he didn’t want to put her at risk.
Obviously, his precautions had been too little too late.
And now…
He blew out a breath as he pulled out a suitcase and began to pack for his trip.
Now he couldn’t blame her for being angry and wary.
He was the one who should have known better. He should have taken more care. And he should have let her know how much he cared, before everything blew up in his face.
Penny ignored the ringing phone. She didn’t want to talk to Jason or about Jason or her baby, and she just wished everyone would leave her alone until she figured out what she was going to do.
If she had a choice, she would cut all ties with Jason Foley. But while she recognized that might give her a certain amount of satisfaction in the short term, it was hardly a viable solution for the long term. Because, as hurt and angry as she was over his treatment of her, there was a much more important consideration: her baby.
Jason’s baby.
Her hand automatically went to her tummy, to the slight swelling that was already evident there, proof of the tiny life growing inside of her.
All of the pregnancy info she’d read on the Internet claimed that first pregnancies usually didn’t start showing until the second trimester. Of course, most women lost a few pounds in the early months as a result of morning sickness, but Penny hadn’t experienced any nausea, except when she was hungry.
So it seemed that she’d been eating almost constantly, and instead of the three to five pounds she should have put on by this stage of her pregnancy, she’d put on three plus five pounds. It was enough that she might have wondered if she was farther along in her pregnancy than the fourteen weeks she’d assumed, except that she’d been a virgin until fourteen weeks ago.
Because Penny was healthy and in good physical condition, the doctor had been surprised but not overly concerned, though she did warn the expectant mother to be careful as to how she satisfied her hunger. Apparently, chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream wasn’t a pregnancy-approved breakfast food.
And now, here she was, eight pounds heavier, twenty-six years old, unmarried and pregnant.
Well, she could change the “unmarried” part if she wanted to. But Penny didn’t want to marry a man who only wanted to marry her because he felt responsible. Maybe she’d been naive and idealistic to dream of falling in love and being loved in return, but she wasn’t ready to give up on those dreams yet.
She felt the tears well up again and tried to blink them away. She’d never cried so much as she’d cried since the phone call from Paige that had decimated all of her hopes for a future with Jason. Because the future he was offering her now wasn’t the one she wanted.
This time, when the phone started to ring, she glanced at the call display, frowning at the unfamiliar number. Even the area code wasn’t one that she recognized. Out of state, she assumed, and the pieces clicked into place. Jason was in Denver. He called three times already from his cell phone—a number that she recogized—and she’d opted not to answer any of those calls. She just wasn’t ready to talk to him, and she wasn’t going to let him badger her into doing what he wanted when she still didn’t have a clue what she wanted.
The phone finally stopped ringing when the answering machine picked up, and Penny held her breath, waiting. There was a pause, then a click, as the caller hung up without leaving a message.
She left her room and made her way to the kitchen.
Though she still lived at home and still slept in the same room she’d occupied while growing up, she’d never felt the urge to move out on her own, the need to experience greater freedom and independence. Maybe because her mother had always seemed to respect her space and never imposed unreasonable rules or curfews. Or maybe because the house was big enough that ten people could coexist peacefully without tripping over one another.
It occurred to her that she might have to rethink her living arrangements now that she was going to have a baby of her own. But right now she wasn’t going to worry about anything, except what to have for dinner.
The phone in the kitchen was ringing when she made her way there, the same number showing on the display. Either Jason was trying to reach his father now or hoping to catch her on the main line. She waited for the ringing to stop, then took the receiver off the hook so she could have her dinner in peace.
She took a moment to study the contents of the refrigerator. As always, it was well stocked, but nothing really appealed to her. She opened the freezer, hoping for better prospects there, and found a tub of her favorite chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.
She’d had the strangest cravings since she’d gotten pregnant—most notably, wanting ice cream at eight o’clock in the morning, every morning, salt and vinegar chips during a morning coffee break, oatmeal raisin cookies in the afternoon. Spinach salad was another new favorite, and while that was at least healthy, she didn’t seem to be eating enough of it to counteract the effects of all the junk food. In fact, her pants were already feeling a little snug around the waist.
After only a few spoonfuls of the ice cream, she forced herself to put the tub back in the freezer and take out a box of fettuccine Alfredo with chicken and broccoli. Though JoBeth, the McCords longtime housekeeper, frowned on prepackaged meals of any kind, she did keep a stock of them in the freezer for Paige and Penny, for the nights she was off, of which tonight was one. It wasn’t that the sisters couldn’t cook, it was just that they rarely bothered to do so.
Penny nuked the pasta in its box, then dumped it into a bowl and sat down at the table. She was just finishing up her dinner when she heard footsteps in the hall. Since Eleanor had gone on a business trip with her new husband, and Paige had been staying with Travis at the ranch, Penny figured she had the house to herself.
She was surprised—but also grateful—when Paige came through the door. She could always count on her twin to distract her from her worries; and right now, she desperately needed a distraction from thoughts of Jason.
“I didn’t really believe you were unconscious on the kitchen floor or trapped under a heavy piece of furniture,” Paige said to her.
“Sorry to disappoint you,” Penny said.
“Of course, I wouldn’t have had to come all the way over here to prove it if you’d answered the phone.”
“Did you call?”
“I tried, but the line was busy—” Paige arched a brow as she replaced the receiver on the wall “—and your cell went right to voice mail.”
>
“I didn’t want to talk to anyone,” Penny said, feeling more than a little guilty at the thought that her sister had left her fiancé to check on her. “Did you come from the ranch?”
“I should let you think that I did,” Paige said. “But I was coming into town anyway for an early meeting tomorrow.”
“So why are you giving me such a hard time?”
“Because Jason has been trying to get in touch with you all day,” her sister told her. “He was worried.”
“Worried that I won’t fall into line with what he wants,” Penny muttered.
“You’re pregnant,” Paige said, as if Penny needed to be reminded of the fact. “You weren’t answering your phone. Mom and Rex are out of town and JoBeth’s not here. Is it so unbelievable that the father of your child might be concerned about you?”
“Is it so unbelievable that I might have been busy? Maybe I had errands to run—or went to see a movie.”
“For five hours?”
Penny felt another twinge of guilt as she realized the first call she’d ignored had come more than five hours earlier, but her willingness to talk to Jason hadn’t changed in the time that had passed since then. “Maybe I had errands and then went to a movie.”
Paige’s cell rang and she flipped it open. “Yeah, I found her,” she spoke into the phone. “Relatively unscathed. So far.”
Penny deliberately tuned her out and dumped her empty pasta bowl in the sink. “If you only came over here to nag me, you can go now,” she said, when Paige had ended her call.
Her sister sighed. “I know you’re dealing with a lot of stuff right now—”
“Not really a lot,” Penny denied. “Just one really big thing.”
“I can’t imagine what you’re going through,” her sister admitted. “But if there’s anything I can do, or even if you just want to talk, you know I’m here for you.”
“I do know, but there isn’t anything. Unless you want to run interference and keep Jason out of my life while I figure things out?”
The Texas Tycoon’s Christmas Baby Page 7