His Secret Virgin A Forbidden Romance

by Michelle Love

  “And loved?” I asked. I wanted her to feel that most of all.

  Her smile was brilliant. “And loved.” She leaned up to kiss my cheek. “And I hope you feel loved too.”

  Turning to catch her lips, I gave her another kiss. “I do feel loved. I would’ve said it sooner, but for some reason it never slipped off my tongue. But now that it has, prepare yourself to hear it often.”

  Taking Emma out of that dorm room, I put her in her car so she could follow me home. I’d told her to call her father to let him know she was fine, and that she would see him and her mother at home the next evening to explain everything.

  On my way home, I’d called my daughters and told them to meet me there because I had big news. I imagined they thought I was going to tell them that I would buy them that island they wanted. If so, they would be in for a real disappointment.

  I parked my car in front of my lake house with Emma pulling up right behind me. Getting out, I hurried to reach her before she got scared and drove away. Opening the door, I took her by the hand. “Come on, baby.”

  “I feel like I might pass out, Christopher. I’ve never been more afraid of anyone’s reaction in my life.” She held on to me so tightly her nails dug into my arm.

  “It’s going to be okay. I’ll take care of everything.” I brought her into the home that we would now not only be sharing, but raising at least one child together in. “Don’t expect any congratulations from them, but expect me to shut down anything ugly they might try to say.”

  “Okay, I can do this,” she whispered as we went through the foyer and into the great room. “My goodness, this place is spectacular, Christopher.”

  “Thank you. I had the interior designed to fit my personality. I’m glad you like it.” I was very proud of my home. It was the only home I’d ever considered all mine. But now, I wanted Emma to think of it as hers too. “Now that you’ll be living here, we can hire the decorator to add some touches of you to our home.”

  “Christopher, this is all too much. I’m reeling here.” She looked up at me warily.

  Everything was moving too fast for her, and I could see that. “Okay, one thing at a time, baby. No problem.”

  She was reverting back to that shy young thing again, clinging to me like I was the only lifeline she had. I hated that she felt insecure, but I could see she was fighting it. I was proud of her for trying, and with time, I hoped to help her get back to being the secure woman she’d grown into in the last few months. The fact that our relationship had been a secret hadn’t stopped her from making huge strides in her self-confidence and esteem. I hated that this pregnancy and coming clean about our love seemed to be setting her back.

  The sounds of high heels clicking on the tile echoed as both my daughters came down the hallway. “Daddy?” Lauren called out. “Are you home?”

  Emma’s legs began to shake, and I helped her sit in a chair. I held her hand as I stood next to her. “Don’t worry.”

  My daughters came into the great room, and both stopped in their tracks as they saw me holding Emma’s hand. Ashley’s mouth gaped. “Who’s she?”

  “And why are you holding her hand?” Lauren added.

  “Take a seat, girls,” I nodded toward the sofa, “and I’ll tell you everything.”

  Lauren glared at Emma, shooting daggers with the blue eyes that looked so much like her mother’s. “If you think this is going to be easy, you’re wrong.”

  “Do not threaten her,” I barked at my oldest daughter. “I won’t allow that.”

  They took their seats with stunned expressions on both their faces. I hadn’t been firm with them all that much throughout their lives. But I wouldn’t let them torment Emma, and I knew I would have to be firm now.

  Emma looked up at me with a weak smile. “Thank you, Christopher.”

  “You’re welcome, baby,” I said then turned my attention back to my children. “This is Emma Hancock. She and I have been in a relationship for the last couple of months.”

  “So, you were with her all of those weekends you were away, weren’t you?” Lauren asked me. “You’ve been lying to us.”

  “If take a look at how you’ve been behaving, and how you’re acting now, you might understand why I chose to keep our relationship from the two of you.” Their attitude wore thin with me, and I jumped into the meat of the conversation. “Let me cut to the chase, girls. Emma and I are having a baby. She’s moving in, and if you don’t like any of this, you are free to leave our home.”

  Emma shook her head. “No, please don’t call this our home, Christopher. This is your home and theirs. I don’t want them to feel like I’m coming in and taking anything away from them.”

  “But you are,” Lauran snapped. “You’ve snuck around behind our backs and gotten knocked up by my very wealthy father so you could take what’s rightfully ours. Don’t act innocent with me.”

  “Lauren, I will not let you talk to her that way.” I let go of Emma’s hand to walk closer to my daughters. I wanted to let them know that I would not tolerate that kind of behavior. “The fact is I’m happier with her than I’ve been in a very long time. And I’m happy to be having another child. If I have my way, she and I will have many more children. As many as she’ll give me. Do you understand me?”

  Wide eyes looked up at me with quivering lips, making me feel like some kind of a monster. Soon, tears started falling down my daughters’ cheeks.

  “She’s fooled you. She’s a gold digger,” Lauren whispered. “She did this on purpose. I can see it written all over her plain face.”

  My hand itched and I wanted to slap my daughter so badly. I’d never hit either of them in my life, and I wouldn’t ever. “I’m sorry that you feel that way. You can pack your things and leave now. I won’t have Emma, the mother of my child, living in an atmosphere where she feels threatened or unwelcome.”

  Turning my back on my children, I joined Emma again. If they wanted to be in my future, they would have to accept the fact that Emma would be there too, and so would our child.

  Chapter 24

  Emma

  The talk with Christopher’s daughters had gone just about the way I had thought it would. They looked at me with hate in their brilliant blue eyes. They thought I’d gotten pregnant on purpose just to get their father’s money. None of it surprised me. But it hurt, nonetheless.

  Christopher took me to his bedroom afterward. He held my hand as he opened the door to the giant room. “And this is your new bedroom, Emma.”

  Masculinity being the central theme, the room had dark brown leathers combined with creamy fabrics that covered the furnishings. The oversized four-poster king bed had a thick coffee-colored comforter and four long fluffy pillows. “This is nice.”

  Pulling me inside, he closed the door behind us. “I want you to add your own touch in here, too, baby. Add some of yourself to our bedroom. You know, like you’ve done with our cabin in the woods. I guess we don’t need to rent that anymore, now that I’ve got you home.”

  A leather sofa set in one corner looked inviting, and I went to sit down to try to figure out what I needed to say to him.

  He wasn’t wasting any time, trying to make me feel at home. “I’ll introduce you to the part-time staff that works here. Twice a week, three maids come to clean the inside of the house. The gardeners come once a week to take care of the outside. Three times a week the cook comes in. She takes care of buying the groceries, and the maids restock the bathrooms. You really don’t have to lift a finger around here if you don’t want to. And if anything doesn’t work for you, or makes you uncomfortable, we can change things around.”

  “See, that right there is the problem, Christopher. That’s the way your daughters have been raised. My appearance in your life, and now our baby, threatens their lifestyle.” I knew that was the main reason they didn’t want to see their father with anyone, much less a fertile young woman who would conceive more heirs, cutting their inheritance down by millions.

 
He took a seat right next to me and intertwined his fingers with mine, holding our clasped hands on top of his leg. “They will have to get used to that fact, Emma. After all, the baby is already in existence. Nothing will change that now.” He kissed my hand as he looked at me with determination in his hazel eyes.

  “They will never accept me. I’m younger than they are. It’s not going to be a pleasant experience, trying to be a family.” I felt overwhelmed and under-experienced. “By the way, you should know that I don’t have any idea of how to take care of a baby. Not a clue.”

  He laughed and then let my hand go to put his arm around me, pulling me close. “You can learn.” He kissed the side of my head. “And we can hire a nanny, if you think that will help.”

  “She better be old,” I said as I thought about some young woman living in our home, helping with our child.

  Christopher saw right through me. “Jealous? How sweet.” He kissed my cheek. “You’re adorable, Emma.”

  “I’m also quite uneducated about pregnancy.” I was as unprepared for that as I was for a baby.

  “So, we’ll get educated about it.” He had an answer for everything. “I don’t know a hell of a lot about it myself.”

  “I don’t see how; you’ve had two kids,” I mumbled.

  “Lisa didn’t let me have much to do with her when she was pregnant.” He looked away as if the memory was uncomfortable. “This is going to be as new to me as it is to you, I bet. I’ve always wanted to be a more hands-on dad, but Lisa never let me be that to our daughters. I’m very excited, Emma. Very excited.” He kissed my cheek then pulled me around until I was straddling him, sitting on his lap, facing him.

  For a moment, we just looked into each other’s eyes. Then I leaned in and placed my lips on his. I’d given myself to him over and over again and never made him take me. I wanted that man more than I’d ever wanted anything. And with the baby I now carried, I did feel like he was mine in almost every way imaginable.

  Having this baby won’t ruin anything.

  Life would be very different now, though. I would live in a mansion. Drive fancy cars. Wear expensive clothing. In a year, I probably wouldn’t recognize myself. And it had all started with giving myself to the man who’d stolen my heart.

  The next day would be equally as brutal, as we had to tell my parents our news. But for now, we could relax and just be us. I suddenly became very excited about the future. If we could just get through the meeting with my parents, things might actually be more normal for us. No more stolen moments. No more hiding. No more sneaking. No more lies.

  We had a few battles to fight. But for now, we could just make love and gather the strength to fight the next one.

  Or so I thought.

  Christopher’s cell phone rang, and he eased his mouth away from mine. “I better see who that is.” He pulled the phone out of his breast pocket and frowned at the name on the screen. “Your father. I better take this.”

  I climbed off his lap, feeling weird being in that position with my dad on the phone. “Remember, I’m not here.”

  He laughed then answered the call. “Hey, Sebastien, what’s up?”

  “You’re one big piece of shit, that’s what’s up, Christopher Taylor,” came my father’s snarled reply.

  Our eyes met, and I scooted closer to him as he asked, “What is that supposed to mean, Sebastien?”

  “I got a call from your daughter Lauren,” Dad said, making my heart freeze. “She told me they put two and two together when gave Emma’s full name. Lauren called me to make sure I knew what was going on—I gave your kids my number when you had us over for dinner, and thank God I did! Lauren told me that you and my little girl have been seeing each other in secret for the last couple of months. She said that you got my little girl pregnant!”

  “She’s not a little girl, Sebastien,” Christopher was quick to point out. “She’s of age. And your reaction is exactly why we kept things secret.” He took my hand. “We’re in love.”

  “You make me sick,” my father growled. “Send her home right now. We’ll take her somewhere and deal with this pregnancy.”

  “The fuck you will!” Christopher snapped back. “You’re not in charge of her, Sebastien.”

  “Neither are you,” Dad shot back. “My wife and I want the chance to talk to our daughter. We want to know if you coerced her in any way. And may God help you if she tells us you have. I know Emma never would’ve pursued you on her own. You are one sick fucker. Do you even realize how sick you are?”

  I couldn’t stand it. Christopher had stood up for me, and I wasn’t about to sit there and let my father speak to him that way. Grabbing the phone out of Christopher’s hand, I had to let my father know I wouldn’t stand for this. “Dad, you stop talking that way right now. I love him. I’m moving in with him. And we’re raising our baby together.”

  “Emma?” Dad asked in a soft voice. “Baby girl, come home and talk to your mother and me. We can fix everything. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. But you need to know that Christopher has used you. He’s too old for you, and he should’ve known better, but there’s something wrong with him, baby girl. Come home and let me and your mom help you. We’re not mad at you, honey. Only him.”

  “I can make my own decisions, Dad. I’ve made my own decisions. I wanted to be with Christopher from the moment I first saw him. He didn’t trick me. He didn’t do anything I didn’t want him to do.” It was never my intention to share with my father anything so personal about my sex life, but I didn’t want my father thinking badly of the man I loved. “And Dad, I did make the first move. Each time, I was the one who made the advances.”

  “He’s made you think that, Emma. It’s not the truth.” I hated how confident he sounded—like he would know better about anyone on this topic than I would.

  “Dad, I’m not coming home. I refuse to talk to you and Mom about this if you’re going to be unreasonable. I’m a grown woman. I know you don’t see me that way, but in the eyes of the law, and in my own eyes, and in Christopher’s eyes, I’m an adult. And as an adult, I can be with whoever I want, regardless of their age. You’re going to have to get used to that if you want a place in my life and the life of your grandchild.” I handed the phone back to Christopher. “Hang up the phone.”

  “Wait!” Dad called out.

  “No,” I shouted. “Christopher, please end the call.”

  But Christopher wasn’t ready for the horrible call to end just yet.

  “Sebastien, you and I should meet and talk about this. Your friendship means a lot to me, and I don’t want to take your daughter away from you guys. I know you and Celeste love her more than anything.” Christopher closed his eyes. “This is killing me, man. I swear I never meant to hurt you or your family.”

  “A fat lot of good your words do now,” Dad said. “The fact is you’re destroying my family, and I won’t let you do it, Christopher. I will get my daughter back and I will make her see that this is a mistake. Why would she want to be with an old man? She’s young with her whole life ahead of her. And you’re, well, you know you’re past your prime; you have no business raising a baby at your age.”

  I was shaking with anger at those insults. I was so mad that I couldn't speak. But my father’s words were having a different effect on Christopher. He was full of guilt, remorse, and I could tell he just wanted to make things better.

  “Sebastien, having you as my friend has made such a difference in my life. I regret that I’ve done something that’s hurt you so badly. I hope that we can get past this one day. I am the father of your grandchild; that’s never going to change. And I am the man who loves your daughter nearly as much as you do. I will take care of her for as long as I live—however long that might be.”

  Tears stung my eyes at the torment I heard in Christopher as he poured his heart out to my father. Grabbing his free hand, I brought it to my lips, and Christopher’s eyes met mine. “I love you so much, Christopher. You have no ide
a. Nothing will get in the way of our baby and us. I promise you that.”

  My father wasn’t done yet. “I promise you both that I will not stand for this. I will do what I have to do to save my little girl the heartache you don’t seem to care about, Christopher. I’ll be moving out of your house as soon as I possibly can. And I no longer wish to work for you. I’ll turn in the company car in the morning.”

  The look on Christopher’s face told me this was torture for him. “Please don’t do any of that, Sebastien. Please give yourself some time. Take all the time you need. You’ll have paid leave for as long as you need it. I understand this is upsetting to you and that you need time to process it all, but don’t throw away your career and this opportunity.”

  My father didn’t bother to answer, hanging up on us. Christopher and I just looked at each other.

  What have I done?

  Chapter 25

  Christopher

  Checking the time, I sat up, rubbing my sleep-filled eyes. The fact that Emma lay next to me making small snoring sounds filled my heart in a way nothing ever had.

  She’s home.

  I had to wonder how things could feel so right for both of us, but not for anyone else who loved us.

  It wasn’t as if I’d never come up against the occasional hardhead or prejudiced type before. I’d spent decades negotiating deals with a number of characters who exhibited those exact traits. It looked liked I’d just have to step up my game with Emma’s parents and my daughters. This woman and our baby were the most significant part of my life now. I had to make our families understand and accept that fact.

  Getting up at five in the morning wasn’t my usual routine, but I knew Sebastien was an early riser. So, I left Emma to sleep while I got up to go give Sebastien and Celeste a surprise morning visit. I might have to take one to the chin from my old friend, but if it would make him feel better, then I’d gladly take it.

  Leaving a short time later, I kissed a sleeping Emma on the forehead, being careful not to wake her. If she knew what I was up to, she’d ask me not to do it, or worse, demand to come with me.