The Oilman s Baby Bargain

by Michelle Celmer

  He heard a noise coming from the first floor, the screech of the kettle whistling. He sat up in bed. Though normally boiling water wouldn’t cause him alarm, he knew Lexi could find a way to turn even making tea into a disaster of biblical proportions.

  He jumped out of bed, threw on his robe, and headed down to the kitchen to stop her before she set something on fire. What was she doing up at 1:00 a.m. anyway?

  When he got to the kitchen, the flame under the kettle was off and Lexi was opening and closing cupboards. She was wearing that same long silk gown she’d worn in Greece, and all he could think about was getting her out of it.

  “Looking for something?” he asked.

  She spun around, startled. “What are you doing here?”

  Her breasts swelled enticingly against the sheer fabric and he could see the rosy outline of her nipples. Maybe it was his imagination, but her chest looked fuller than it had just a week ago.

  “Last I checked, I live here,” he said. “What are you doing?”

  “I couldn’t sleep, so I came down to get something to drink.”

  “Were you looking for something?” he asked.

  “Herbal tea,” she said. “Sometimes it helps me sleep. I thought I might make a cup. Do you have any?”

  “In the narrow cupboard above the coffeemaker.” He watched, mesmerized once again by the sway of her hips under that silk as she crossed the kitchen and opened the cupboard. “Top shelf in the back.”

  She stretched for it, but even on her tiptoes she wasn’t tall enough. She turned back to him and said, “I can’t reach it.”

  He knew even before he took a step that he was going to regret this, but he couldn’t stop himself. He crossed the kitchen, caging her into a corner, and to his surprise, she didn’t object or try to move to one side. She smelled fantastic and she was giving off enough pheromones to bring a football team to its knees.

  Resting one hand on the counter beside her, he reached up with the other to grab the box of tea bags. He told himself that getting this close to her without an audience was a bad idea, but the message was getting scrambled in his hormone-drenched brain. Instead of backing off, like he should have, his body was telling him to move closer.

  Lexi’s breathing sounded labored and he could feel her trembling. He wasn’t sure if she was scared or excited, or a little bit of both.

  “We shouldn’t be doing this,” she said, but she didn’t try to stop him, didn’t push him away.

  “I know. But I get the feeling we’re going to, anyway.” He didn’t just get the feeling, he knew for a fact.

  She opened her mouth to speak, probably to tell him to back off, but since that was the last thing he wanted to hear, he lowered his head and kissed her instead. With his tongue in her mouth she wasn’t able to do much but moan. Which was exactly what she did. Her arms went around his neck and she tunneled her fingers through his hair. If she’d been planning to stop him, she had obviously changed her mind. At this point, they were both too far gone to turn back, and he only felt slightly guilty for using her this way. Wasn’t it Lexi who had said that they both had needs, and suggested that since they were stuck with each other, why not have a little fun?

  At that moment, he couldn’t think of a single reason he shouldn’t take her advice.

  “Tell me you’re not wearing panties under this,” he said, gripping the silk in his hands.

  She gave him a fiery smile. “Why don’t you look and see?”

  He pulled it up over her head. Nope, no panties. And damn did she look good naked.

  “How about you?” she said, eyeing his robe. “Are you wearing anything under there?”

  He grinned. “Why don’t you look and find out?”

  She undid the belt and shoved the robe off his shoulders, smiling when she realized he wasn’t. For an instant, he considered carrying her up to his bedroom, but honestly, he didn’t think he could wait that long. He wanted—needed—to be inside her. It hadn’t even been a week since they’d last made love, but it felt like years.

  Not love, he reminded himself. This was sex.

  He lifted her up and set her on the counter. Without hesitation she hooked those long, shapely, perfect legs around his waist. He was inside her, buried just as far as he could go, before he even thought about using a condom.

  But why bother? It wasn’t as though he could get her more pregnant than she already was, right?

  He wanted it to last, but she was so hot and wet and tight. The sensation of skin against skin had him hovering on the edge of a precipice, struggling to keep his balance, but Lexi was moaning and writhing and sinking her nails into his back. Then she gazed up at him with a look that was caught somewhere between shock and ecstasy, and her entire body started to tremble. Her muscles contracted around him and he couldn’t have held back then if his life depended on it. He came so hard his knees nearly gave out and he had to grab the edge of the counter to hold himself up.

  Lexi clung to him, her forehead resting on his chest, breathing hard. “We really shouldn’t have done that.”

  “No,” he said, his own breath coming in short rasps. “We probably shouldn’t have.”

  He could always say the alcohol had impaired his judgment. What was her excuse?

  She lifted her head and gazed up at him. “Now that we have that settled, you want to do it again?”

  Eleven

  L exi woke the next morning at six-thirty and immediately felt that something was different. Something other than the fact that she was in Mitch’s bed and she was curled up against his side while he slept soundly.

  She lay there for several minutes, trying to put her finger on the change, then realized she didn’t feel sick. She should be bolting to the bathroom by now, losing last night’s dinner.

  She lay there for another minute or two, sure that any second it would hit her, and still nothing.

  Maybe she had to move a little, jostle her stomach, to get the ball rolling. She untangled herself from Mitch’s arms and slowly pulled herself into a sitting position, waiting for that overwhelming wave of nausea, for the cold sweats and the abrupt rush of bile to her throat. Instead she felt something else in the pit of her stomach. She felt…hungry.

  She usually couldn’t choke anything down until closer to lunchtime, yet here it was not even seven and she was famished.

  The doctor had told her chances were good the morning sickness would ease up, but she’d had no idea it would end so abruptly.

  Mitch touched her back and in a groggy voice, asked, “Are you okay?”

  “I think so.” She had warned him last night, when he refused to let her get up and sleep in her own room, to expect her abrupt departure from bed.

  He peered up at her through sleepy eyes, his hair adorably mussed. “Should I get you a bucket?”

  She gave him a playful shove, even though she liked that he was worried about her. “I don’t think that will be necessary. I actually feel pretty good. Like I could eat breakfast.” Which meant he would have to make it since he’d asked that—until she started those lessons—she please not cook anything. Although she had managed to boil water last night without incident.

  He looked over at the clock and groaned. “It’s too early to eat.”

  “Don’t you have to get up and get ready for work, anyway?”

  “Since someone kept me up half the night, I was planning on sleeping in and going in late.”

  “I kept you up?”

  “You were insatiable. I feel so…used.”

  She wasn’t the one who kept dragging him back under the covers every time she tried to go back to her own room, or kiss her awake when she would start to doze off from sheer exhaustion. “You just keep telling yourself that,” she said. “But we both know what really happened.”

  He grinned up at her. “Since you’re not sick, how would you feel about it happening again, right now?”

  She huffed impatiently, and said in her best exasperated voice, “I suppose breakfas
t can wait.”

  When he finally let her out of bed it was closer to lunchtime. She showered and dressed, and when she went downstairs to the kitchen to find him, he was fixing them something to eat. She had expected him to be in a suit, ready to go to the office, but he was dressed in casual slacks and a polo shirt.

  “Don’t you have to go to work?” she asked.

  He shrugged and said, “They’ll manage without me one more day. Besides, I promised you a driving lesson.”

  She had just figured, since he’d been intoxicated at the time, that he would have forgotten about the driving lessons. The thought of actually getting behind the wheel of a car, especially with Mitch watching, had her heart skipping a beat. “Maybe we shouldn’t.”

  “How else will you learn?”

  “What if I do it wrong?”

  “You probably will at first, but that’s all a part of the learning process.”

  “What if I do something terrible, like run us off an overpass or something?”

  “I promise I’ll keep you on solid ground until you get the hang of it.”

  She chewed her lip, wondering what she could say to talk him out of it without sounding like a total chicken.

  Mitch reached over and took her hand. “Have a little faith in yourself, Lexi, and you’ll do just fine.”

  That was the problem. She had been taught to believe that she couldn’t do things on her own, but he was right. She had to stop being so afraid of everything, so willing to depend on other people. It was time she started living her life, and not just sitting back and watching the world pass by around her.

  She took a deep breath and blew it out. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

  “After we eat, we’ll take you out for your first lesson.”

  At least this way she didn’t have to ask Tara to do it.

  Mitch’s cell phone rang and he unclipped it from his belt to answer it. “Hey, Mark, what’s up? Did they accept our offer?”

  Lexi’s heart jumped when she heard the real estate agent’s name. She held her breath while Mitch listened quietly, his expression hovering somewhere between curiosity and concern. He’d all but said he would do anything to get the house, but what if the owners changed their minds and refused to sell it?

  “I understand,” he said. “I’ll talk to you later.” He hung up and clipped the phone back on his belt. “That was Mark.”

  As if she hadn’t already figured that out. “What did he say?”

  “He heard from the seller.”

  “And?”

  A slow smile spread across his face. “They accepted the offer. The house is ours.”

  Lexi screamed and threw herself into his arms. She had been so afraid that something would go wrong, she hadn’t let herself hope it would really happen. Now she was so excited she could barely contain herself.

  Mitch laughed and hugged her back. “I guess I don’t have to ask if you’re happy.”

  “I am,” she said, resting her head against his chest, squeezing him tight. For the first time in a long time she was really, really happy.

  Something had happened last night. When he took her hand and they walked into that party, something in their relationship had changed. She was sure of it. They could say that this marriage was nothing more than a business deal, but she knew it wasn’t true. He was the man she’d spent that amazing week with in D.C., the one she had fallen in love with. And despite a few rocky patches, she knew that deep down she had never really stopped loving him. And he loved her, too, even if he hadn’t said so.

  “We close in a week,” he said.

  “We?” she asked, looking up at him.

  “It’s your house, too.”

  Her house. The idea made her almost giddy with excitement.

  Everything was perfect. Even better than perfect.

  Except for one thing. She still hadn’t told Mitch the truth.

  Lexi had assumed her lunch at the Cattleman’s Club café would be just her and Kate, but when Tara dropped her off at the club and the hostess led her to the table, she saw that they were being joined by Summer Martindale, Cara Pettigrew-Novak, Alicia Montoya, and Rebecca Huntington.

  Lexi wondered if she was walking straight into the lion’s den. Kate had been incredibly sweet the other night at the party, but what if that had been an act? What if she resented the fact that Lexi had been engaged to her husband and she’d lured her here to humiliate her?

  Kate saw Lexi approaching and rose from her chair, a huge smile on her face, and said, “Hey, sister-in-law!” Then she proceeded to wrap Lexi up in one of those warm and affectionate hugs.

  Well, that was unexpected.

  “Sit down,” Kate said, gesturing to the empty seat beside hers. “I think you know everyone here.”

  As she sat, the women smiled and greeted her warmly, and Lexi began to think that maybe this would just be a friendly lunch with the girls after all. Which for her would be a totally new experience. She hadn’t been allowed to have many friends or associate with people who weren’t the top shelf of society—she couldn’t have contact with anyone who could be a potential danger to her father’s political aspirations. He never would have approved of a friendship with someone like Kate, a lowly assistant, or a dancer like Cara. In fact, there wasn’t a single person at the table, besides Rebecca Huntington maybe, whom he would deem acceptable. And for the first time in her life, she didn’t care what he thought. Lately, the past couple of days especially, she’d been feeling rebellious and independent, and she liked it.

  A waitress appeared at their table to take Lexi’s drink order. Lexi saw that everyone else had an alcoholic beverage, and boy did she wish she could have one, too, but she ordered an iced tea instead. For a second, she worried someone might question her choice, but no one said a word.

  “We try to meet at least once a month,” Cara told her, “so we can discuss all of the latest gossip.”

  Lexi wondered if she had ever been the topic of conversation.

  “Today we’re also celebrating,” Summer said, and all heads turned her way.

  “What are we celebrating?” Alicia asked.

  Summer held out her left hand, so everyone could see the enormous diamond ring and diamond-encrusted wedding band she was wearing. “Darius and I eloped!”

  Excited squeals and congratulations followed.

  “I’m so jealous!” Rebecca said. “It seems as though everyone is getting married but me.”

  “Marriage is hard work,” Cara said, then added with a smile, “but well worth it when you finally get the gears running smoothly.”

  The waitress brought Lexi’s tea and set a basket of fresh bread and rolls on the table. Lexi was absolutely famished—the last few days it seemed as though she was constantly eating—so she dove right in and grabbed a roll.

  “What’s the latest with the refinery fire?” Rebecca asked Summer, and Lexi couldn’t help noticing that everyone glanced at Alicia. At first she wondered why, then remembered that it was Alicia’s brother Alex who was being looked at for the arson.

  “Is Darius any closer to finding out who did it?” Kate asked.

  Summer shrugged apologetically. “He doesn’t say too much about his work.”

  “I know what everyone thinks,” Alicia said. “But Alex would never hurt a soul. He didn’t set that fire.”

  “I believe you,” Rebecca told her. “Alex is a good person.” Lexi noticed that the woman looked at Rebecca with surprise. “Based on what I’ve heard, I mean,” she added, blushing slightly.

  “What about the rezoning in the Somerset district?” Kate asked. “I heard Alex was behind it.”

  “He is, because someone had to do something to pick up revenue. I know that no one wants to believe it, but the town is in trouble,” said Alicia. “With Alex’s help, I’m working on a project to create an ‘Old Towne’ tourist attraction downtown. It will bring jobs and add tourist revenue to the city, not to mention preserve history, which, as curator of the museum, is im
portant to me.”

  “Sounds like your life lately has been all work and no play?” Cara asked with a strange smile on her face.

  “Well, not all work,” Alicia said cryptically.

  “Did you meet someone?” Rebecca asked excitedly.

  Alicia flashed them a smile. “Maybe.”

  “Girlfriend, are you holding out on us?” Summer asked.

  “Let’s just say I’m afraid I’m going to jinx it. But I will say that I have a date this Friday. He said he wants to take me somewhere special.”

  “You have to come to Sweet Nothings,” Rebecca insisted. “A special date deserves sexy underwear.”

  Alicia laughed. “I could spend my entire salary in your store, Becca.”

  “You’re one of those people who can eat anything and still stay pick thin, aren’t you?” Cara said. Lexi was surprised to find that Cara was talking to her, and mortified when she realized why. While everyone had been chatting, Lexi had almost wiped out the bread basket by herself.

  “Sorry,” she said, setting down the roll she’d been devouring. She could feel her cheeks turning pink. “I skipped breakfast.”

  “I just have to look at food and my butt gets bigger,” Rebecca said.

  “I hate to think what I’d look like if I weren’t dancing all the time,” Cara said.

  After that, Lexi was careful not to draw attention to herself. She ordered a salad with the dressing on the side, then only ate half, even though she was hungry enough to eat three times that much. Maybe the next time they met—if she was even invited next time—she would be able to tell them about the baby.

  It was getting to the point where she had to tell Mitch the truth. She had almost said it the other day after they found the house, but she’d chickened out at the last minute. She knew, though, that it was time. She’d begun to believe that now he would be thrilled to learn that the baby was his. Because even though he hadn’t said it out loud yet, Lexi was convinced that he loved her. He showed her every day in a hundred little ways. Most of them in the bedroom.

  Though she knew better than to mistake sex for love, she was sure that this time it was different.