Her Best Friend's Baby

by Teona Bell

  Leith’s comebacks were always swift. “Didn’t you know? I am acting my age. As a man, I don’t have to be serious until at least thirty-five.”

  “Idiot.” She laughed and then sobered. “Listen about what I said. You—”

  “I’ll do it.”

  She gaped at him. “What?”

  He stood up. “I’ll do it. I’ll be the father of your baby.”

  “Why? I mean, you don’t have to. I think it was crazy for me to even suggest you.”

  “No, it wasn’t.” He ran his hands down her arms, a comforting gesture he’d used many times when she drew close to freaking out. “I can’t think of a man worthy of the job. You’re right. All of your previous lovers were assholes. I can’t let you give them the privilege.”

  “You can’t?”

  “No, I can’t. So I will do it.”

  “Leith, maybe you should think about this and get back to me. I sprung it on you out of nowhere, and I don’t want you to regret it later. We can even talk to a lawyer and get him to draw up papers that say you won’t have any obligations.”

  He turned and walked to the door. “I’m not willing to give up parental rights to my child. I may not have another. If that’s not okay with you, then we call it off. I’m going to sleep at my house tonight. We can talk about this later. Two days, you said?”

  She trembled so much at that moment, words stuck in her throat. “Yeah.”

  “I’ll take off early, and you do the same so we can have plenty of time.”

  Lightheadedness had her gripping the couch’s arm. She swallowed, knowing what they would need to do. Sure she’d asked him, but the reality of him saying yes blew her away and stole her ability to think straight.

  “Okay,” she said, her breath a whisper.

  He nodded and disappeared out the door. Zaierra spent the next hour with her knees pulled up to her chest, trying desperately not to imagine her and Leith naked and locked in each other’s arms.

  Chapter Three

  What am I doing, what am I doing? Zaierra rung her hands and paced. She’d just come out of the shower and lotioned down her body as well as put on a bit of spritz to highlight her natural scent, but if she didn’t calm the hell down, she’d start sweating like an animal. Was she even doing the right thing? Would sleeping with Leith screw them up? She wasn’t sure, and worse, down right afraid. Leith told her he’d be over in an hour, and it wasn’t like she could put this thing off for a few days. The test she purchased from the drug store confirmed her own calculations—ovulation. Today and tomorrow were it, or they would need to wait until next month. She didn’t think she could handle the stress if she delayed that long. Better to get this first time over with and then move on from there.

  She walked to the mirror and dropped her towel on the floor to survey her body. A bit hippy and thick in the thighs, she didn’t look too bad. Turned to the side, her belly poked out less than it did a few weeks ago when she’d taken up doing crunches every morning. Two hundred at her last count, her strength and ability had increased, so she couldn’t complain. Still, what would Leith think? Maybe they should do it in the dark. Yeah, that might be a good idea.

  “Damn!”

  Zaierra spun around to find Leith standing in the doorway of her room, and she with not a stitch of clothing on, froze in place.

  Without shame, Leith entered the room, eyes taking in her nakedness from head to foot. Zaierra’s heart beat out of control, making her feel like she’d have an attack at any second. She licked her lips and put a hand to her hip, trying for an unassuming pose. The quiver in her limbs gave the lie to her movements. “It’s nothing you haven’t seen before, and I thought you said an hour.”

  “I’ve never seen you when you didn’t dart behind something so I couldn’t see clearly.” He stepped closer. She resisted retreating a pace. “You have big breasts. My baby will be well-fed.”

  “Leith!” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Will you stop? I’m embarrassed enough as it is. Who says I’m breastfeeding? And get out so I can put something on.”

  He dragged her hands down to her sides. Under his scrutiny, her stupid nipples puckered. She cursed her body. If she didn’t get a grip quick, he would figure out how much she wanted him.

  “Why would you want to put something on when we’re going to fuck?”

  “Stop saying it like that.” She shut her eyes and sucked in a breath when he moved so close his chest skimmed her rigid peaks.

  “If it will make you feel better, I’ll get undressed too.”

  Zaierra panted.

  “I think we’ll enjoy ourselves. You know how much I love sex.” His lips brushed her neck. When had she tilted her head back?

  “Leith.”

  “I’ve known you were beautiful from the start, Zai. Why do you think I wanted a black woman so badly? Now I get to test out fantasies of being with you. We can both get it out of our system and enjoy ourselves in the process.”

  Somehow his words hurt, but she swallowed the emotions and nodded. This was about getting her pregnant, so she needed to forget everything else. To let go enough to enjoy herself probably wouldn’t happen, and it didn’t matter anyway. It’s about the baby. Remember that, Zaierra, and you’ll be just fine.

  The rustle of clothing signaled that he followed through with his plan. She told herself to keep her eyes shut, but she couldn’t help it. Leith’s body was sexy, and if she had the chance to check it out up close and personal, she had to take it. When she opened her eyes, she took in his bare chest. With his shirt half way down his arms, she followed his movements, loving the way his biceps strained against the material. Those things should be declared illegal. Zaierra licked her lips and forced her gaze in another direction. Unfortunately, it skittered on his abs. Not even thinking about what she intended to do, she ran her fingertips over his skin, amazed at the tautness and the plains and valleys. One could get off with feather touches all over his body. At least she thought so.

  “You like that?” he asked, and she almost choked.

  “You’re okay.”

  He chuckled. “If nobody else knows, you know how hard I work to stay in shape.”

  Did she though. Even when he slept at her apartment, Leith woke early to get in his exercise regimen. How could he possibly like her extra curves when most of the women he dated were the tiny kind that could blow away with a moderate wind?

  Leith placed her hands on his belt buckle. “Help me with it?”

  Her throat went dry. “Sure.” The squeak in her tone pissed her off. Leith would think her a virgin, but she’d had her share of lovers over the years. Just like he dipped into women outside his race, she’d been with black and white men. Some hot, some not so much. Despite that, Leith seemed to be in a whole different league.

  “Hey, hey,” he whispered and pulled her closer to give her chaste kiss. “Don’t be so nervous. I promise I’m going to make you feel good. There’s no reason for us to do this and not like it. We’ll still make a baby together.”

  Her heart thundered in her ears. How could he be so calm about it when she felt like she would fall apart any second? She managed to get his belt undone and unbuttoned his pants and lowered his zipper. With a burst of determination, she stuck her hand inside his pants and lost the ability to go farther when her fingers touched his erection. Leith’s huge palm covered her hand, and he forced her to rub him from base to tip. Her mouth watered. She’d seen him several times, but his length and thickness still made her head spin.

  “Am I big enough?” he teased.

  She looked up and rolled her eyes at him. “You know you are.”

  He leaned in to press his lips to her ear. “Tell me you’re so tight I have to squeeze in.”

  Zaierra grasped his arm to keep from falling on the floor. “You’re too full of yourself. You know that?”

  “So I’ve been told.” He smirked, and Zaierra saw her best friend in his eyes, the man who’d been by her side through thick and thin for
a long time. He was a typical male, but he listened too. He let her cry on his shoulder, and even though he never shed tears, he came to her and leaned on her when he needed to. She knew him, and he wouldn’t have agreed to this plan of hers if it disgusted him or he thought he would hurt her. Knowing all this calmed her nerves and helped her look past her fears.

  Zaierra pushed his pants over his hips and down his strong thighs. She was so tempted to go down on him, but that would be a waste. She loved pleasing her man that way, and for it to be Leith, that went beyond any of the others. Staring up into his eyes, she ran her fingers over his legs to his hips and to his tight abs. Desire made her step close to him to feel his erection poke her stomach. Leith caught her in a strong hold, lifted her off her feet and brought her closer. She gasped when his shaft pushed between her thighs but didn’t go in. The grumble of need that rose in his throat raised goose bumps on her arms. He kissed her lips and parted them with his tongue. Zaierra didn’t stop the moan that escaped her and tasted Leith as much as he tasted her. His lips, his tongue, everything about him intoxicated her. She snaked her arms around his neck and lifted her legs to lock around his waist. Leith’s fingers dug into the flesh at her hips when he dragged her tight to his body, grinding against her. Wetness pooled in her heat, her entrance eager for his invasion, but before that happened, he put her down.

  “What’s wrong?” she almost whined.

  He grinned. “I need to take off my shoes and kick off these pants before I trip and we both go down.”

  She laughed. “You do that. I’m going to be over here.” She spun on her heel and strolled toward the bed. A whistle sounded behind, and she knew where Leith directed his gaze. When she climbed onto the bed, she made sure to give her back an extra arch so her butt rose, the movement parting her nether lips. Leith appeared from nowhere behind her with is hands at her waist and pressed against her rear.

  “Stay like that,” he ordered. “I love taking a woman from behind.”

  “Leith.”

  “Mm, do you know how much you’re turning me on right now, Zai? I need to be inside you.” She felt his shaft brush her opening and shut her eyes. Every bit of willpower kept her still rather than shoving back on him.

  Leith stroked the tip of his shaft from top to bottom of her folds and then parted them. She whimpered in pleasure as the first inch sank slowly inside of her. Just as he hoped, her walls stretched to accommodate him, her muscles contracted. She knotted her fingers in the sheets and waited out the slight ache. What kind of scrawny dick men had she been with that Leith felt so big yet so right?

  “Mm, yes, all of it. I want all of it, Leith.” Zaierra shoved a finger between her teeth to keep from saying more. Words she never expected to say trembled on the tip of her tongue. She blanked her mind and pushed into her best friend’s thrust. Inch by amazing inch sank deeper inside her, and she took it all the way to the hilt.

  Leith began a slow, steady pump. “You like that, baby?”

  Her heartbeat quickened. “Yes.”

  “You want to go faster?”

  “Yes, please!”

  He thumped harder and faster into her snatch, pounding until she thought she’d lose her mind. Zaierra pushed onto his staff, loving the feel of being full of him. Every time he withdrew, desperation took hold of her for him to shove it back in. She reached behind her to grab his leg. Her nails scraped the skin, but Leith didn’t flinch. The sting must have spurred him on because he yanked her back with one arm and drove his hips forward at the same time. She screamed his name, and an orgasm exploded over her being. The sensations ricocheted from her core outward, seeming to hit every erogenous zone in its trajectory. Zaierra would have collapsed if Leith hadn’t held her up. Long moments after she came, he took his pleasure from her heat, sinking himself inside again and again.

  At long last, a small exclamation left his lips, and he stiffened. His seed shot up her channel seconds later, and another mini orgasm came over her. The two of them panted through it until Leith had emptied himself, and then he pulled out and dropped to the bed. Zaierra stretched out beside him. To her surprise, Leith tugged her to his chest.

  “Come here. You need to come again,” he said.

  “What?”

  He pushed a hand between her legs and grabbed hold of her stiff bud. She clutched his shoulders. Leith pinched the delicate flesh between his thumb and forefinger and gave it an easy stroke. Zaierra threw her head back. Her jaw went slack, and her eyelids drifted closed.

  “Leith, what are you…”

  The sentence went unfinished when wonderful vibrations rolled over each other in her core. Her limbs shook while she clung to her lover. Leith whispered encouragement as he played her body like an instrument he knew all too well. When she pleaded with him not to start up another round, he let her rest. He drew her head to his chest, and she lay there unmoving but loving every second she spent in his arms.

  Oh no, what’s going on with me? This can’t be happening. I…I love him. No! I’m in love with my best friend!

  She didn’t know how she hadn’t recognized it for what it was. Of course she’d written it off as simple attraction to Leith. What woman wouldn’t want a sexy man like him? Yet, the fact that her feelings went a lot deeper was something she kept buried even from her own consciousness. Lying there with him, becoming one physically, robbed her of the ability to hide, and if she had sex with him again, even once, he would know. Leith’s perception, his ability to always sense what she needed, entered their conversations at least once every couple of months. She didn’t want to have the discussion about why she let herself fall in love with the one man she would die to lose as a friend.

  “Give me a few minutes, and we can do it again,” Leith promised. “I can take breaks and do it as many times as you need me to.”

  She stared at him but was too scared to say anything. Instead, she lowered her gaze and gave a small nod. She remained stiff in his embrace, but Leith didn’t address it. As far as he was concerned this was just sex, something he enjoyed often with various lovers. She lay there wondering what to do and decided she needed to be honest. This was a mistake, and it couldn’t happen again. The right father for her baby was out there, and if it meant going to a sperm bank, then she would have to lay aside her fears, do thorough research, and get it done.

  To her relief, Leith dozed long enough for her to sneak out of bed, shower, and get dressed. Like the chicken she was, she left him a note and decided to get out for a while. She would explain her decision in more detail later, but for now, it was enough for him to know she couldn’t go through with it. Now all she had to do was hope their friendship hadn’t already been ruined by this one round of delicious sex.

  Chapter Four

  “Zai, you’ve been avoiding me for three weeks,” Leith growled into the phone.

  “I haven’t. You know the mess that’s been going on at work,” Zaierra explained. “I’ve scarcely had time to breathe let alone pick up lunch. I’m glad they decided to treat us today, or I’d be passed out on the floor right now from hunger.”

  Leith didn’t appear to be convinced even if he did work for the same company and knew what was going on. “What about at night? I’ve come to your place a number of times, and you either weren’t home, or you were already asleep and refused to wake up.”

  “Long hours. They’re wearing us all out. I hear it will die down in a few days. Then we can go out to lunch or dinner and a movie.”

  Leith grunted over the phone line. He seemed about to say something when she heard someone in the background. She leaned back in her chair and spotted the big boss in Leith’s office doorway.

  “Guess you gotta go. I’ll talk to you later.” She hung up the phone before he could say more. Okay, he was right. She avoided him. Other than their brief talk about her decision not to pursue getting pregnant by him, she’d stayed out of his way because he refused to accept what she said. His concern, he’d told her, was the safety and wisdom of choosing so
meone she didn’t know, or trusting that the sperm bank was as thorough as they should be in choosing their candidates. Since she’d made no move on gathering information in that direction, she couldn’t dispute his thoughts. Leith kept pressing to understand why she backed off, so her last resort had been to duck him out until she came up with an excuse he would accept.

  She shuffled the papers around on her desk and yawned. The sandwich she’d only half eaten didn’t appeal, and she frowned at it. Zaierra hadn’t been lying when she told Leith she’d been keeping long hours. All this planning and crap the company was going through drained the life out of even the assistants, and she couldn’t wait until it died down to normal. Running a hand over her eyes, she resisted stretching out over her desk and catching some Zs. That would not look good.

  The clock on her phone read one thirty, and she groaned. The day was only half over, and yet the upset stomach and dizziness she’d experienced since that morning hadn’t let her go. Giving up on comprehending her next task, she shoved her chair away from the desk and stood. Tiny five-minute naps sitting on the toilet had gotten her through many a day over the last few years, and it would help today.

  She grabbed the handicap stall since no one on her floor needed it. The extra space and the handle on the wall made napping easier. No sooner did she prop up her elbow on the handle and lean her head into her palm did she drop off. Voices startled her awake, and she shifted positions. Her arm brushed her nipple through her clothes, and she winced at the soreness. Damn, her period was coming soon. Sensitive nipples didn’t happen every month, but it annoyed her when it did. She gave up on sleeping and headed to the stall’s door. A thought brought her to a cold stop. What if this wasn’t a prelude to her period? What if she’d gotten pregnant after sleeping with Leith just once?

  Oh hell!

  She had already missed her period! Why hadn’t she noticed? Wait, this wasn’t a big deal. She sometimes swung later and earlier and didn’t always hit a twenty-eight day cycle. Then the fact that she’d been ill this morning when she woke came to mind and the extra tiredness. Perhaps that couldn’t all be attributed to long work hours. Either way, she would not jump to conclusions. Since her lunch break neared the end, she would need to go to the drug store after work to buy a pregnancy test.