The Baby Shower

by Tasha Blue et al.

  Roman slipped off the boat unnoticed and headed for the house, his mind whirring in consternation. Thoughts of Amanda's words and their cold meaning crept through his mind. He knew that he had no room to be angry with her; he'd slept with another woman and as a result, was now a father, but in all the years he had been married, it had only happened once. The way that Amanda spoke, it sounded as if it was a regular occurrence for Denise. If it was true, the thought made him sick. She hadn't so much as touched him in any intimate fashion in ages, yet it seemed that she was willing to sleep with other men.

  He wondered at all of it. How many other men? When was she with them? How could she be regularly unfaithful to him like that and ignore their own marriage bed? He thought about how she had turned so cold to him and moved into her own bedroom, and wondered if that was when she had begun cheating on him.

  He almost had himself worked into a traumatic state by the time he got home, when he realized that Amanda was probably lying just to get into bed with him. He was often the subject of feminine desire for many women, but he hadn't had an experience like the one he'd had with Amanda, not since he'd been married.

  He was fairly ruffled when he went into the house. He showered and went to bed. He let his thoughts go to Emma, and just in doing that, all the worry and stress of his day washed away, and he fell into thinking about her and how their life would be together as father and daughter.

  Chapter Four

  Three days after the party, a new week had started and Allen had been talking with Edward and Carmen. They wanted to see the boat again, and Edward was keen to visit Jonathon. Allen walked into Roman's office and sat at his desk to talk with him about another trip to the boat with the Senator.

  "Allen, you've done great work with him and I appreciate it. I think if you continue to help him the way you are, he may very well buy that boat from us. I do want you to know, though, that Denise is headstrong about spending time with Edward and Carmen as well. She's bent on being Carmen's new best friend," Roman told him with a sorry sigh.

  Allen glowered slightly. "I know. They left the party because Carmen was so annoyed with Denise."

  Roman nodded. "Yeah, I figured that. I think you should know that Denise is planning to have a dinner on the boat with them. You aren't the only one contacting them. She's been hard after them to meet up with us again, and we're going to have to work with her to make it happen."

  Allen bit his lip and shook his head. "That's why..." he said softly, as if he was realizing something.

  Roman tilted his head and looked at the man before him curiously. "That's why what?"

  Allen looked up at him. "That's why they have been torn between seeing the boat again and waiting on it. I think Edward is the one who is bent on getting to the boat, but Carmen is delaying their visit because she doesn't like Denise. I don't think she wants to see her again."

  Roman leaned back in his chair and sighed. "She better not ruin this for us." He rubbed his forefinger over his lip thoughtfully. "Listen, let's do this. Plan a lunch on the boat for Edward, Carmen, Jonathon and us, and have all of the details ready to go. Tell Edward that we're going to have a meeting here at the office and ask him to bring Carmen.

  “Don’t tell him that it's on the boat until the morning of the lunch. Then we say that we have moved the meeting to the boat at the last minute. Then maybe we could have him there with his wife and my wife won't find out about it in time to join us."

  Allen sat up straight and clapped his hands together. "Perfect! I'll get right on that." He left Roman's office, and Roman hoped that his plan would work. He called Janine in and she sat down in front of him to talk with him.

  "I wanted to ask you how things are going with Cami? Did you find a place for her? Is she getting taken care of?"

  He had been texting Cami now and then, and he had talked to her on the phone once since she was in his office. He was trying to navigate the waters of reformed friendship with a woman who was his lover and consequently the mother of his child, and it was awkward at best for him.

  Janine grinned. "I did find a place for them; they're moving in this week to a condo and I got her a nice car and some pieces of furniture that she didn't already have. I put an appointment in your calendar to go with her tomorrow to open bank accounts, and I have your accountant taking care of all of her bills."

  Roman nodded and smiled at her. "You're the best, Janine. I really appreciate it. Thank you."

  Janine stood and walked to the door, then turned and looked at him. "You are a lucky man to have Cami and Emma in your life, however they are in your life," she said and winked as she walked out. He knew it was true, and he felt a warm happiness spread through him just thinking about them.

  The next day he picked Cami and Emma up from their hotel and took them to the bank. He opened checking and savings accounts for them both, as well as some investment deposit accounts, adding a healthy amount of funds to all of them.

  Cami was quiet and relieved. She felt as though he didn't need to do as much as he was doing, and she had told him so. He absolutely wouldn't take no for an answer, and it was honestly a great weight lifted from her. She agreed to it, and was truly grateful for everything he had done for them.

  They would be moving into their new home the next day, and she was excited for that.

  She was anxious to have all of the transition between Los Angeles and San Francisco finished soon, as it was beginning to wear on her. She could tell that it was wearing on Emma as well. Everything around them seemed like it was constantly changing and unfamiliar, and she wanted a stable environment for Emma.

  They finished at the bank and Cami asked Roman to come up to the room at her hotel so he could feed Emma. He jumped at the offer, anxious to help with his daughter, and a half hour later, they were walking into Cami's room at the hotel.

  He looked around at her room, pleased. "I see Janine had you moved into one of the suites here. This is nice. I'm glad you're in a bigger place. I couldn't stand to think of the two of you in the smaller rooms for an extended stay." He walked from room to room. It was essentially an upscale apartment, by all rights. She went to the kitchen and pulled a small bag of breast milk from the freezer, and began to warm it up. "I like it here. It was really nice of you to help us with this suite, but I am ready to be in my own place again." She laughed and shook her head. "I'll miss the maid service, though. It's nice not having to do the sheets and towels."

  She winked at him over her shoulder and for a moment, his heart turned over in his chest. The light in her eyes and the glow of all her inner happiness warmed him so much when he was with her. It was like a night and day difference from the world he was so used to, every day.

  He did his best to keep thoughts of his time with her out of his mind, thoughts of their intimacy, the feel of her arms around him, her lips pressed to his, and her body connected to his. Those thoughts had to be pushed away. So did the feelings that bubbled up in him when he spent too much time looking at her beautiful face or listening to her soft sweet voice and her lilting laugh.

  He walked over to the sofa and sat down with Emma, who smiled at him and patted his face with her little hands. Cami brought him a blanket and helped him situate his daughter in his arms. Emma was excited to be fed and wiggled quite a bit as he lifted her bottle to her mouth. She took to it hungrily and they stared at each other as she ate.

  He could not take his eyes from her, loving her beautiful face and incredible sweetness. She drank quickly at first and Cami tried to help Roman slow her down, but she was anxious to eat, and her appetite didn't slow until she reached the end of the bottle.

  Cami took it from him and said, "She needs to be burped now. I'll go get you a burping cloth." She got up from the sofa to take the bottle in the kitchen and Roman picked Emma up and laid her on his chest, rubbing and patting her back.

  Just as Cami was coming back into the room, Emma threw up all over Roman's shirt, and though Cami rushed to take the baby from him and ha
nd him a towel, it was too late by the time she got to him.

  He groaned a little and laughed, and Cami bit her lip. "I'm so sorry!" she said, taking Emma and cleaning her up. "Sometimes she eats too fast and then it comes back up. Poor thing." She got the baby situated and nursed her from her breast just a few minutes longer, as Roman looked on, watching them incredulously.

  "It's okay. I'm not worried about it." He shrugged, and he tried to clean it up. Emma fell asleep at her mother's breast, and Cami put her down in her little bed and then walked over to Roman, who was failing at cleaning his shirt.

  "Come on,” she said, waving him into the kitchen. "You'll need to get that rinsed quickly."

  He followed her into the kitchen. She dampened a cloth and handed it to him, but he only seemed to make it worse as he rubbed away at it, and finally Cami shook her head and said, "Take your shirt off. I'll wash it for you. Come on, before it dries."

  He paused a moment, looking up at her from the mess all over the front of him, and hesitated before unbuttoning his shirt and pulling it off. She looked away from him as she filled the sink with warm water and soap. She took his shirt and washed it out for him as he stood there watching her.

  Roman was unaccustomed to having anyone take care of him, and it was refreshing to him. Standing near her was more than refreshing; it was warming, almost as if he was standing in sunlight on a cool day.

  She soaped up his shirt well and then wiped her hands on a towel and looked down at the shirt sitting in the water in the sink. "We'll let it soak for a few minutes, just to be sure. Then I'll rinse it out and blow dry it for you."

  He nodded and she turned to look up at him. Her thoughts vanished from her mind as she stood beside him, looking at him standing there with no shirt on, so close to her. His brown eyes were holding hers in a steady gaze, and her heart flipped over as the scent of him took her back to their time on the boat together.

  "Thank you for spending this time with me and letting me help you take care of her," he said quietly, watching her. His eyes were focused on hers, but it felt like he was being pulled into her, and he didn't want the feeling to stop.

  "Sure," she answered in a similar soft tone. "You were wonderful with her." She smiled a little at him and his eyes dropped to her lips. His heart began to speed up and he could feel blood rushing through him.

  "I'm really sorry about your shirt, though,” she almost whispered, feeling the air between them warming considerably.

  He shook his head imperceptibly. "It's no big deal,” he replied, his eyes moving from her lips back up to her eyes again.

  They gazed at each other for a long moment, not breathing, their hearts beginning to pound and he felt as if gravity was pulling him further in toward her. He let it. He began to lean toward her face, close to her mouth, but just as he was about to reach it, she drew in a sharp breath and turned her head away.

  "Can I get you anything? Would you like a drink?" He closed his eyes and turned his head from hers, breathing deeply and trying to slow everything in him down just a little.

  "Water would be nice." he said, his mouth feeling a bit dry. He looked toward the living room and took a deep breath. Nothing he did slowed any part of him. She pulled a glass from the cupboard and filled it, and turned to hand it to him, just as he turned to take it from her.

  His fingers closed over hers on the glass and heat spread from their fingers to each other. She held her breath and felt her chest tighten sharply. His eyes were locked on hers again as he took the glass from her and drained half of it before setting it on the counter.

  She meant to look away from him. She tried, but his body was so close to hers, and she knew just how it felt to be in his arms, to taste his kiss, and to feel him deep in her. The knowledge of all of that kept her rooted to the spot, and locked on him.

  Her steady gaze inflamed him considerably and as he set the glass down on the counter, he knew before he touched her that there was just nothing for it, no way he could be so close to her and not reach out to her. He lifted his hand to her cheek and a tiny gasp escaped her lips as he stroked his thumb over her skin.

  She turned her face slightly toward his open palm and let her lips brush his thumb, her mouth opening slightly as she did so. It was enough to send a shockwave through Roman, and he didn't think at all, but only reacted as he turned her face to his, placing his other hand on her cheek and lifting her chin.

  His mouth caressed hers softly at first, barely touching her skin, and she gasped again and closed her eyes. He pressed his lips gently against hers and kissed her, feeling as much amazement with her as he had on the boat. Her tongue touched the edge of his lips and she kissed him back, slowly and sensually as he drew her nearer to him.

  Cami's hands closed on his hips and moved up his bare back as he opened her mouth with his and kissed her deeply. Fire began to spread between them, and everything inside them rushed and crashed as they wrapped their arms around one another and held on tightly in passion's embrace, tasting their lover's kiss and losing themselves in the pleasure of it.

  An ache began to spread in Roman's groin and he felt himself grow hard with need. It was no time at all before Cami felt his body solid with desire against her, and she drew in a sharp breath as he pressed himself firmly to her and moaned.

  Neither of them had been intimate since they were last intimate with each other, and between the long period of time without physical affection and the memories of their long past passion burning brightly in their hearts and minds, their bodies were ravenous for what they felt together.

  Her hands wandered from his strong back to his muscled chest, and then she slid them up around his neck and held him close as his hands moved to her waist and pulled her tight against him. Their hungry kisses wanted more than just lips, and they moved their mouths over each other's cheeks and necks. Roman's tongue and teeth left a slow and torturous trail up her neck and to her ear before reclaiming her mouth again.

  They drove each other further and further into heated passion and their hands began to touch and feel each other in need. Roman pressed her against the counter and moved his hips firmly against hers, making a soft cry of pleasure escape her as his hand curved over her hip and squeezed her.

  She burned with need for him, and her heart beat wildly against her chest, pushing blood through her veins with such force that it drowned out the sound in her ears and the sense in her mind as it warmed her body from her core.

  Roman felt as if he hadn't breathed for the whole year he'd been apart from her, and now he was suddenly high on the oxygen of being in her arms and holding her so close to him.

  "Cami..." he whispered her name as his lips moved over her skin and his body yearned for hers. “God, I want you!" he said, almost helplessly.

  She opened her eyes and pulled her lips from his, looking up at him with need and pain in her eyes. "Stop... Roman, please... we can't do this." She tried to make herself stay back, but then she leaned in and kissed him once more and it ignited the flames in her again.

  He kissed her hungrily for a long moment, and then he pulled away from her and whispered hoarsely, "No, you're right... we can't do this." He looked as if he was in pain as well, as he forced himself to take a step back from her, letting his arms fall away from her and closing his eyes to the feel of her hands as they slid down his chest and stomach, and then left his body.

  He backed away until he was leaning against the counter opposite her. They stood and stared at each other, their chests heaving breathlessly as their bodies tried to slow down.

  "I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to..."

  She nodded and looked away for a moment. "I know... me, too. I was going to keep things completely platonic between us, but you were just... so close... and it's just..."

  He waved his hand between them. "No apologies. None. We both were taken up in a weak moment; probably just the situation and our proximity to each other... it was just an oops. We know we need to be careful around each othe
r and just try to build on our friendship and leave this kind of thing... alone,” he said, with a sorrowful tone.

  She nodded. "I agree. We have a daughter to raise together and none of us can afford to be confused about what we are doing or how we are doing it. We'll just be more careful in the future. That's all." She managed a small smile at him and he returned it.

  "Okay," he replied, watching her and wishing in his core that they hadn't needed to stop.

  She turned and pulled his shirt from the sink and let the water drain away, then rinsed it off. He walked into the living room and stood beside Emma's little bed, looking down at her, as Cami walked past him and took his shirt to the bathroom. He heard the blow dryer come on and run for a long while.

  He didn't know how they had fallen back into each other's arms the way they had, but he knew for their delicate situation to work, it could not happen again. Cami, running her hair dryer back and forth over his shirt, was thinking precisely the same thing.