Her Best Friend's Baby

by Teona Bell

  “And good luck focusing on work now,” she muttered to herself as she returned to her desk.

  The day wore on with Zaierra getting little done. She perfected looking busy, and no one bothered her. Several times, she caught sight of Leith on the way to and from meetings. He fixed her with his sharp gaze and appeared to start over there in her direction, but someone grabbed him each time, calming the rising panic in the pit of her stomach. Twice Leith looked at her as if he knew something was wrong, but she’d forced a smile and waved. At last, the day ended, and she hurried off to buy what she needed.

  At home in the privacy of her own bathroom, Zaierra read the packaging on the test. “As early as five days before a missed period. Damn.” Two tests were in the box. She planned to use them both. In two minutes, the results appeared on the strip, and Zaierra bent over, her head spinning. “Plus sign. Oh crap, I’m pregnant. I’m having my best friend’s baby! Leith’s baby.”

  She shut her eyes, and tears rolled down her cheeks. On one hand, it thrilled her to be having the baby she wanted, and to have his or her daddy be Leith, the man she now knew she loved, was a bonus. At the same time, her heart broke knowing there could never be anything between them. She could not put this burden on him since she’d said she would take full responsibility. Even still, she knew if he ever wanted to be, Leith would make a great dad.

  Her decision to tell him made, she stood up, showered, and put on fresh clothes. Just like Leith had a key to her place, she had one to his. She knew he had a business meeting tonight, and if he weren’t back from that yet, she’d let herself in and wait for him. There was no danger of finding a woman there, of course. Leith might like to sleep around, but he never brought any of them to his house. Well, none except that skank Jenna. She’d been the one to grab such a tight hold of him, Zaierra had wondered if he’d end up marrying her. When she learned it was over between the two of them, she’d been delirious with relief. Leith deserved worlds better than that ho.

  A short while later, Zaierra let herself into Leith’s house. She wasn’t lying when she said it was a mansion. He had five bedrooms, and the entryway extended up two floors. The winding staircase across from the foyer said money, and Leith lived in this awesome place alone. Yet, he spent more time either at a lover’s house or at her apartment. She wondered if he felt lonely here. That thought led to her to considering if he would come home at all. Maybe she should have texted him to let him know she waited over here.

  Just as she pulled out her phone, voices reached her from one of the rooms. She frowned. She hadn’t checked the garage for his car, and the door had been shut. He usually watched TV in the basement not in what she called the fancy music room. As she approached, the voices became clearer.

  “And I’m telling you I’m pregnant,” Jenna snapped. “With your baby.”

  Zaierra’s stomach plummeted as if she were descending the rails on a roller coaster. She grabbed hold of the back of a dining room chair. Her throat dried. She wanted to turn heel and escape, but the strength to do so abandoned her.

  “I can’t believe you’re springing this on me now,” Leith growled. Zaierra imagined him running a hand over his hair, making it a mess. He always did that when something agitated him. “How do I even know it’s true?”

  Jenna swore. “I thought you would say that, so I brought this. It’s the test from my doctor’s office.” Paper rattled. “You can see it right there plain as day, and that’s the doctor’s printed paper and his signature down below. You can even call him.” Her tone went from all business to whiny. “Come on, Leify, you should be happy about this. I am. We can be a family like we always wanted.”

  Zaierra slapped a hand over her mouth. Leify. What a stupid name, and she was willing to bet Leith hated it. At last, Zaierra found the ability to walk, and she turned to leave. She stumbled and knocked against a small table and jostled the vase on top of it. The noise made her suck in a breath, but she kept moving. Before she reached the door, Leith stood behind her with his hand in hers.

  “Zai,” he whispered.

  Her chest constricted. Her friend needed her. She turned slowly, trying to hide the pain and hurt. Leith stared in her eyes, but seeing the expression in his, she guessed he couldn’t see past his issue with Jenna right now. The bitch stood some feet behind him, and Zaierra took her in. She might not be lying about being pregnant, but Zaierra had never trusted her to be faithful to Leith. After being with him herself, she couldn’t imagine why any woman wouldn’t be wrapped around him like a second skin, no other man able to do it for her from here on out. What she did doubt was that the baby Jenna carried was Leith’s. At least she didn’t want it to be. Why now? The very fact that Jenna announced her news took away from Zaierra’s. She couldn’t slam him with hers too.

  “I’ll call you, Jenna,” Leith told her. “After I’ve had time to think about this.”

  “What’s there to think about? We—”

  “I said I will call you,” he pushed between gritted teeth.

  Jenna flounced by him and Zaierra, still not more than a size two, but she did seem to be a pinch thicker in the waist. That might be Zaierra’s wishful thinking. Zaierra’s wouldn’t be far behind, but she didn’t mind the changes that meant her little one grew healthy. Well…she didn’t mind yet.

  When they were alone, Leith tugged Zaierra into a hug, and they stood there in silence holding onto one another. She stroked his back and waited for him to speak. When he raised his head, he caught her by surprise kissing her lips.

  She broke the connection. “Leith, what are you doing?”

  He turned her chin toward him and lifted it to capture her mouth again. His tongue parted her lips and explored before wrapping around the tip of hers. She moaned, and his embrace tightened. He dragged her closer, crushing her breasts to his chest. When his hand slid lower to cup her ass, moisture pooled between her legs. This had to stop. He wanted to forget the news he’d just gotten by using her body. Zaierra shoved at him and managed to get free.

  They both panted for a few minutes before he spoke. “You’ve been avoiding me.”

  “I won’t anymore. I’m sorry.”

  He stared at her, and she lowered her gaze. Leith, more than anyone else, had the ability to see through her. “I feel you slipping away from me right now, Zai. Did I offend you by making love to you? Did you hate it so much?”

  He must be insane. “Of course not.” The fact that he described it as making love this time weakened her resolve to put distance between them. “I just—well with all that happened and now this with Jenna, you don’t need to deal with me. I got it. I’m okay.”

  “You come before her and her baby.”

  Zaierra glared at him. “Don’t talk like that! It’s your child too, and you should love him or her. It’s not the baby’s fault his mother is no good. You should be the one decent thing in his life, and I don’t even want to hear that you’re going to shirk your responsibilities. You laid down with her, so you should be there.”

  “What about you?”

  She had a moment of panic thinking he’d figured out that she was pregnant. “Like I said, I’m fine. We had an agreement. I said you don’t need to be involved if…um…” She couldn’t straight out lie to him and say she didn’t conceive.

  He stepped closer to her and ran the backs of his fingers down her arm. Tingles raced over her skin, but she resisted moving out of reach. Leith appeared about to grab her again, but he remained where he was. “It would be better if it was you and not her. I had no intention of ever letting you raise my baby alone, and I will be a father to her child.”

  She shut her eyes. Stop being so damn wonderful!

  “Th-That’s good, so there’s nothing to talk about. I should go.” She turned to leave, but he wrapped his arms around her from behind. Her ass brushed his thigh, and she thought she’d lose it. One time in bed with Leith could never be enough.

  “Stay the night,” he whispered.

  Longing stirre
d in her belly. “We both have work in the morning, Leith.”

  “You have a couple of outfits here in case of emergencies.”

  “I—”

  “I’ll cook one of my specialties for dinner.”

  Zaierra laughed. “You only have one specialty, and it’s not all that special. I’ll cook dinner. Okay, fine. I’ll stay.”

  She knew she made a mistake staying, but how could she resist him. His touch, his scent, even the sound of his voice drew her in until she had no resistance left. All she wanted was to be with him, and the fact that these emotions surfaced after they made love confused and terrified her.

  No, this isn’t new. I couldn’t get Leith out of my mind for a long time now. I just didn’t want to face the truth.

  Zaierra stood at the stove cooking the meat to go in the chicken enchilada wraps. Leith sat at the table keeping her company. Even though she didn’t want to say anything, she needed to tell him about what he faced dealing with Jenna’s pregnancy. Pain licked at her insides when she thought of her own situation. Eventually she needed to tell him, but not now. He’d been hit with a lot, and hers didn’t matter so much for him because she refused to tie him down for something she’d wanted.

  “She’ll start having monthly appointments with her doctor, which will get closer together toward the end of the pregnancy. Our…I mean women’s hormones get all whacked out when they’re pregnant, so expect her to be a real bitch one minute and a crybaby the next. It’s almost as much of an emotional roller coaster for the father as it is for the mother.”

  Leith tapped the saltshaker on the table, his beautiful green eyes staring off into the distance. “So in other words, nothing new?”

  She laughed. “Oh it’s new. Something tells me Jenna never cried for real in her entire life. Every instance was probably a ploy to get what she wanted.”

  “No doubt.” Leith frowned and turned to look at her. “I don’t have to spend time with her to be there for my child. I will support him or her financially, and when he’s born, I will have visitation. That doesn’t include spending time with Jenna.”

  “Wow, you’re really over her, aren’t you?” Zaierra had trouble keeping the happiness out of her voice. Leith stood up and crossed the massive kitchen in a few strides. He stopped in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. A thumb flicked her chin up so she had to look into his eyes.

  “Jenna was never anyone I loved.”

  Zaierra trembled from head to foot. He sounded like he meant she was, but she refused to jump to conclusions.

  “Dinner ready yet? I’m starving.”

  He broke the spell. The damn man probably didn’t even know he cast one, and she spun away. “Yeah, it’s done. Let’s eat.”

  They curled up next to each other in the basement family room, eating and watching TV. Leith brought in a couple of beers, which she was known to drink here and there since it wasn’t her favorite. Rather than refuse it because she thought it too obvious, she pretended to sip from the can.

  Around midnight, Leith rose and stretched. Zaierra sat admiring his muscular physique, remembering how every contour felt beneath her fingers and her lips. He reached down to where she sat on the floor and hauled her to her feet. “Bedtime.”

  She rolled her eyes at him and grinned, then began cleaning up their mess. Before she could grab her full can of beer, Leith got to it. She gritted her teeth when he cast her a curious look.

  “You could have said you weren’t in the mood.”

  She shrugged. “Whatever.”

  In his room, Zaierra hesitated, taking in the king size bed. She licked her lips. They’d shared it the few times she slept here rather than him at her place, and she couldn’t believe how close they’d been and never once got frisky. What fantasy world had they been living in all this time? What best friends of opposite sex were as tight as they were?

  “I think I should sleep in the guest room tonight,” she announced.

  He walked in behind her and guided her forward. “You can after if you want.”

  Her throat dried. “After?”

  His hand slid from her shoulder to her belly and then lower so that his fingertips skimmed her sex through her clothes. “After we enjoy ourselves. You can’t convince me you don’t want it, Zaierra.”

  “But I…” She started to say she wasn’t ovulating, but to get into that conversation meant she would lie to him rather than just put off telling him she was pregnant. Once again, she couldn’t go that far. “We don’t have to do it anymore.”

  “Have to,” he repeated and picked her up and tossed her into the center of the bed. Zaierra squeaked in alarm when he landed beside her. He had already removed his shirt, so his bare chest tantalized her, but then he tugged at the button on his pants, and all of a sudden, she hungered to get her hands on his shaft.

  “Leith, I’m not sure—”

  “Let me convince you.” He cupped the side of her face and slanted his mouth over hers. All of Zaierra’s protests died away when their tongues curled together, and she tasted him again. How could it feel so good, so right? She craved more and scooted closer to him. Her nipples pebbled beneath her blouse and bra, and Leith must have felt it because he jerked her top up and dragged her bra down to free her breasts. His fingers pinching her sensitive peaks set fire to her body, and she fell back as he leaned over her.

  Leith deepened the kiss, all the while driving her insane with his fingers. He left her tortured breast to trace a finger down the middle of her belly to her snatch. When he shoved the skirt she wore up and flattened his hand on her sex, her panties were not nearly enough to hide how wet he made her.

  Her friend broke the kiss but didn’t move more than a quarter of an inch from her lips. “You want to convince me you don’t want it?”

  “No,” she breathed. “I can’t lie. You’re hot, and you know it.”

  “Takes one to know one,” he teased with the old saying she used to say as a kid. The words were funny coming from him.

  Zaierra smirked at him. “Oh yeah, I’m hot, and you better remember that. I can have any man I want.” She rolled so her back faced him, intending to rise and remove her clothing, but Leith’s arm shot out, and he ensnared her in a grip that meant no escape. He dragged her backward, and she almost came with the feel of his thick shaft pressing against her ass.

  Leith shoved his pants and boxers down and moved in again. He pushed his stiff member between her legs and pumped it back and forth across her sex. “There’s no other man who can please you like I can. You remember that.”

  His anger took her by surprise. Leith knew her well enough to know her confidence didn’t go so high that she thought she could seduce any man. That statement would have sounded more real if it came from him, although he never spoke that way. Had she not known him so well, she’d suspect him of jealousy but dismissed the absurd notion. If Leith had wanted her, he would have made the initial proposition instead of her for the sake of having a baby.

  “Remove the panties now, or I’m going to rip them off,” he growled in her ear, and Zaierra shook with desire.

  “Maybe I want you to rip them off.”

  His eyes almost glowed when she peered at him over her shoulder. “Do you have some to wear to work tomorrow? I mean I don’t mind imagining you naked under your skirt, but I suspect I’ll get nothing done all day.”

  “Pervert!” She laughed. “Fine. If you let me go, I’ll take them off because it’s for damn sure I’m not walking around the office with none on.” Of course that meant she had to wash them out. Note to self, bring panties over to Leith’s house. No, I’m not doing this again.

  “Why, because fantasizing about me will get you wet?”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’d like to believe that.”

  “I know it.”

  “How does your head fit in the door?”

  Leith pressed her tight to him and slid his shaft across her folds once again. Zaierra just cut off a moan. “My head will fit
just fine in your door.”

  Zaierra tugged at her panties, but they didn’t get very far before Leith thumbed the material aside and thrust his erection into her channel. She screamed in ecstasy and arched her back to get him deeper. Leith curled his body around hers from behind and locked his arm at her waist. He pounded deep and hard inside her, until she felt faint. Pleasure and need mingled. The more he gave her, the more desperately she wanted him. Curving a leg over his hip, she reached for his thigh to pull him forward. They moved together grinding and moaning until an orgasm began to build in Zaierra. Leith seemed to sense it coming. He raised them both up to a sitting position, Zaierra on his lap. He tugged her legs wider and held her in place while he thumped his rod into her sex. Zaierra held on riding his shaft to abandon. She came hard and loud within moments, but Leith kept thrusting into her until he too reached his limit. He drove deep and stilled with his arm like a vise around her middle. His forehead dropped to her shoulder, and he grunted in satisfaction as he came.

  They lay together in his bed, and soon Zaierra drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Five

  Early in the morning, Zaierra cracked her eyes open and remembered she had slept with Leith at his house. She eased out from under his hold, trying not to wake him. As soon as she sat upright, nausea assailed her, and she stuff a hand over her mouth. No, no, no! He can’t see me like this.

  She struggled to her feet and stumbled into the bathroom. With the door locked, she dropped to the floor beside the toilet and dry heaved. The fact that her stomach was empty meant nothing to the horrible impulse that wouldn’t loosen its grip. A knock on the door made her jump, and she held her breath with difficulty.