The Virgin Cowboy Billionaire's Secret Baby

by Lauren Gallagher

  “Yeah.” She smirked. “It’s a thing where I want to drink myself senseless because of all the bullshit, but I can’t because…” She gestured at her stomach.

  “Ouch.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  He eyed the cup in her hand. “Are you supposed to be drinking caffeine?”

  “In moderation.” She sipped it carefully. “Hey, if this kid’s going to make me worship the porcelain god more than I did in college, then he’s going to put up with a little bit of caffeine now and then.”

  Matt cocked his head. “He?”

  “Or she. I don’t know. I just felt weird calling him ‘it’.”

  “Somehow I don’t think it’ll mind at this point.”

  “No, but ‘it’ makes him seem more like some sort of parasite or something, and I don’t want that image in my head once I can feel him moving around.” She shrugged. “Or maybe I’ve just watched Alien too many times.”

  Matt laughed. “Knowing you, that’s probably it.”

  “Yeah, probably.”

  Their eyes met, and though they both laughed, it took some effort on his part and sounded like it did on hers too. Then they broke eye contact, and he sipped his coffee while he searched for something to say.

  Dara cleared her throat. “Why are we standing around the kitchen? Come on. Let’s go sit in the living room.”

  He nodded and followed her into the living room, where they took seats on her sofa. He guessed this was where they’d start unpacking today. It would be his first choice, anyway—nothing made a house feel more like home than a living room where a person could actually relax without being reminded of all the work still left to be done.

  But before they started cutting open boxes and breaking a sweat, they needed to do something about this lingering silence.

  “So, um.” He muffled a cough. “About our conversation. Last night.”

  Dara’s cheeks colored. She stared into her coffee cup. “Yeah. I wanted to talk about that too.” All that playful confidence she’d had last night had vanished. Was this what some of their classmates had felt the morning after prom? Like what had made sense in the dark was a mistake in the sun?

  “What do you think?” he asked quietly.

  “I’m…” She sighed. “I keep going back and forth. I really do want to show you what it’s like, but I don’t want to make things weird between us, you know? We’ve just gotten back in contact. There’s the baby to contend with. I don’t want to put us back where we we’ve been for the last ten years.”

  “There’s no going back to that,” he said.

  “No, but we can make things weird in a hurry if we don’t play our cards right.”

  Matt studied her, thumbing the handle on his coffee cup. “Does it have to get weird? I mean, call me naïve, but why does it have to change anything if we sleep together?”

  Dara kept her gaze down.

  “We both know what this is,” he said. “We’re friends. The sex would be just sex.”

  She exhaled. “I know. And it only needs to be as weird as we make it. I’m just afraid we’ll make it weird.”

  “Why would we?”

  “Because sex does weird things to people. I mean, I’ve had casual sex before, and it was fine, but something…something changes, you know?”

  “Can’t say I do know, to be honest.”

  Her eyes flicked up to meet his for a second. “Fair point. And I don’t know. Maybe I’m overthinking it.”

  “We probably both are. But to be completely blunt and honest, I really want to. And I don’t just mean that like hey, I have an opportunity to get laid. I want to with you.”

  Dara swallowed but didn’t speak.

  “Look, I really liked how it felt when you kissed me last night. And I’m curious how it would feel to go further.” He paused, his cheeks heating up. “And the more I think about it, the less I can imagine anyone I’d trust more for this.”

  Dara was quiet for a while, and then set her coffee cup on the end table and finally met his gaze. “Will you promise me one thing?”

  Matt nodded.

  “If things change.” She chewed her lip. “If they get weird, or if you have any second thoughts, that—”

  “I’ll tell you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Will you do the same?”

  “Absolutely.” She held up her hand, pinky finger out. “Promise.”

  Chuckling, Matt hooked his pinky around hers. “Promise.”

  She didn’t let go of his hand, and he didn’t let go of her gaze. His heart sped up. Sitting beside Dara and thinking about sex—about sex with her—was still strange, but it was getting easier by the second. He did trust her. And the more he thought about it, especially as they slowly went from pinky-promise to lacing all their fingers together, the more he realized he wanted her.

  She glanced down at their hands. “Would you think less of me if I said I’m not really sure where to start either?”

  “Not at all.” He moistened his lips. “We could, uh, pick up where we left off last night.”

  “Hmm. I don’t know.” She smirked. “Your sister’s barn is a bit of a drive from here.”

  Laughing, Matt rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean.”

  “Yes. I do.” She slid a little closer. “And you’re probably right. That was, um, a pretty good start.”

  “I agree.”

  They locked eyes, and his heart was going crazy, even more than it had when he’d been a teenager working up the nerve for his first kiss.

  He took a breath. “Would you think less of me if I said I’m nervous as hell?”

  Dara smiled, and she touched his face. “I’d be worried if you weren’t, to be honest.”

  “I don’t know if that makes it better or worse.”

  She laughed, sliding her hand into his hair and drawing him closer. “For the record, we can take it slow. We don’t have to just jump into bed and go for broke.”

  “Play it by ear?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Works for me.” He inched toward her, thankful they weren’t standing right then. His knees would’ve been useless.

  With their lips nearly touching, they stopped, hovering in that zone between this is going to happen and there’s still time to call it off. Matt’s nerves threatened to get the best of him, and he was sure Dara was going to come to her senses. But he didn’t pull away. She didn’t pull away.

  To hell with it. He hadn’t gotten anywhere in his life by waiting for someone else to move.

  He cupped the side of her neck and pressed his lips to hers.

  And just like that, the nervous spell was broken. Oh, he was still nervous, still uncertain as hell about everything they were doing and everything they were going to do, but his body got the message. They held each other close, and she took the lead, parting his lips with the tip of her tongue and deepening the kiss. She ran her fingers through his hair, so he did the same to her, and was rewarded with a soft moan. Feeling a little braver, but still uncertain, he slid a hand over her thigh.

  She grasped his wrist, and for a second, he panicked, thinking he’d overstepped some bounds, but she drew his hand higher, up onto her hip. He’d always thought the curve of a woman’s hip was sexy, but actually feeling it in his hand was beyond hot. Now he wanted to know how every curve and angle of her body felt. What her skin felt like. Tasted like. What it felt like to be inside her.

  That thought gave him goose bumps. He didn’t want to rush, but damn, with every touch and kiss, he wanted her more.

  Dara broke the kiss and shifted around. She straddled him, and by the time her knee came down beside him, his pulse was through the roof.

  “This—” He gulped. “This is taking it slow?”

  “Is it too fast for you?”

  “Uh
…no? I mean, I don’t think so.”

  She frowned. “We can stop.”

  “No, I definitely don’t want to…” As he trailed off, he let his gaze drift over her, taking in the sight of her, how her hair tumbled over her shoulders and how sitting over him emphasized the beautiful curve of her waist. How had he never looked at her like this before?

  “Matt?” Dara rested her hands behind him on the couch. “Is this too fast?”

  “Uh. No. No, it’s not too…” What was the question? Christ, she was gorgeous. He’d always been pretty, but had she always been this hot? The smooth curve of her waist, the slight swell of her hips—and it probably didn’t hurt that her breasts were noticeably bigger than he remembered. Weren’t they?

  Of course they were. Wasn’t that a side effect of being pregnant?

  Oh God. She is pregnant, isn’t she?

  He laughed and covered his face.

  “What? What’s so funny?”

  “Just this whole situation. It’s crazy.” He lowered his hand, still chuckling as he met her eyes. “I never thought I’d be losing my virginity to a woman who was already carrying my kid.”

  Dara threw her head back and laughed. “Oh my God. I never even thought about that.”

  “This is crazy.”

  “Isn’t everything we do crazy?”

  “Good point. Carry on.”

  “Don’t mind if I do.” She laughed again and leaned in to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around her again, and as she kissed him, she took his wrist and guided one of his hands lower. Down the back of her blouse. Over her belt. Right onto her ass.

  Without thinking, he squeezed gently, and she pressed her hips against him, rubbing his cock through his jeans. He put his other hand on her ass. She ground against him. He barely had enough breath to keep kissing her, and she was breathing hard too, but he wasn’t stopping for anything.

  She broke the kiss, though, and sat up. As she peeled off her shirt, Matt’s heart jumped into his throat. When she reached behind herself, he thought he heard himself cursing, and when her bra went slack, he breathed, “Fuck.”

  She took off her bra and tossed it aside. “Something wrong?”

  “No. Uh. No. Nothing’s wrong.” Except there’s a half-naked woman in my lap, and I have no idea what to do. “I’m kind of following your lead here.”

  “That’s okay.” She grinned. “You can touch. That’s the whole idea.”

  He hesitated. Then he slid his hands over her waist. God, he wanted to touch her all over, but…nerves. So fucking many nerves.

  “I’m not gonna break.” She guided his hands to her breasts. “Promise.”

  Well, you might not…

  He still didn’t quite know where to start, but just feeling her breasts in his hands was mind-blowing. They were firm but soft, and he couldn’t get over the crazy, terrifying, exhilarating feeling of touching her this way.

  We’re really doing this. We’re really—

  He brushed her nipple with his fingertip, and she gasped.

  Matt jerked his hands back. “What? Is it—”

  “It’s okay.” She brought his hand back to her breast. “They’re just really, really sensitive right now.”

  “Sensitive, like they hurt?”

  “K-kind of. But also…not.”

  “So should I stop or—”

  “Don’t you dare.” That hint of breathlessness made his pulse jump.

  He definitely didn’t stop. When she squirmed, she rubbed against his cock, and holy fuck, the soft little moans and the way her breath caught drove him wild. This was what he’d been nervous about? This was easy! And hot. So, so hot.

  He couldn’t resist and drew her in a little so he could close his lips around her nipple.

  “Oh God,” she murmured. He gently circled her nipple with his tongue, and the shudder that went through her made his cock even harder, so he did it again. Dara dug her nails into his shoulders. “Holy fuck. Keep…k-keep doing that. More.”

  More? He did it faster. A little harder. She put his hand on her other breast and put his thumb and forefinger against her nipple, encouraging them to pinch. He pinched slightly, and she shivered again.

  “Jesus Christ.” She was grinding hard against him now, her clothed pussy against his cock, her hand in his hair as if to keep him from pulling away from her breast, and her breathing kept getting faster and faster. “Don’t stop. I think…fuck, I think you’re gonna make me come.”

  The words damn near made him come. He didn’t stop, and her thighs pressed into his, and she ground against his cock, and she arched, and gripped the back of his neck harder—he couldn’t have released her nipple if he’d wanted to, and he definitely didn’t want to.

  And suddenly, she cried out, and her whole body seemed to tense and relax all at the same time. “Oh my God!”

  Abruptly, she released a ragged breath and gently nudged him back. Then she sat back a little, her eyes wide and her face flushed. “Well, that was new.”

  “New? How so?”

  “I’ve never come just from that.” She shivered once more. “Maybe these stupid hormones are good for something.”

  “Aww, damn. And here I thought it was beginner’s luck.”

  “We’ll call it both.” She kissed him, then slid a hand between them. She said something, but the words were lost on him—all he could think about was her hand over his cock, pressing just right to make him groan.

  “Don’t you agree?” she asked.

  He forced his eyes open. When had he closed them? “What? Sorry…”

  She grinned. “I said, I think I should do something about this.” She squeezed him through his jeans. “Don’t you?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “Asking so nicely.” She started on his belt and added, “Such a gentleman.”

  He might’ve had a witty remark, but it disappeared when she drew down his zipper. The pressure was finally off his erection, and he closed his eyes and exhaled.

  Dara wrapped her warm fingers around his cock, and his eyes flew open again. She grinned. “Oh. Honey. It is a travesty that no one’s ever been fucked by this.”

  “Huh?” He was so distracted by her hand, he could barely think, let alone speak. “W-why?”

  “Let’s put this way.” She stroked him slowly, turning his brain to liquid, but somehow he understood as she said, “I was excited about sleeping with you before. Now? Oh my God…”

  Before he could formulate a response, she started moving. She nudged the coffee table back and then knelt on the floor between his legs.

  With her tongue, she drew a slow circle around the head of his cock.

  And Matt just about came unglued.

  He reached up and grabbed the back of the couch, and even that wasn’t enough of an anchor as she made another slow, hot circle. The barrage of brand-new sensations drove him insane. Her lips and tongue teased nerve endings that had never been touched except by his own hand. He was almost overcome by the urge to lift his hips and fuck her mouth, and then she was doing it for him, bobbing her head and taking him impossibly far.

  “Fuck…” He stared down at her, disbelieving this was really happening.

  Oh, but it was.

  She closed her fingers tightly around his cock and started stroking, her hand following her mouth up and down his dick, and a fleeting thought—so that’s why everyone likes blowjobs—flickered through his brain, but one flutter of her tongue and it was gone along with every other thought.

  His head fell back against the couch. His back arched off the cushion. There was no stopping an orgasm this strong, so he didn’t fight it, and with a groan and a violent shudder, he lost it, and she kept right on stroking him and teasing him, drawing his climax out until the world went white.

  As Matt’s vision cleared, Dara pushed herself
up, wiping her mouth as she did.

  “That was insane,” he breathed.

  “In a good way, I hope?”

  “Uh, yeah. In a really good way.” He licked his lips. “So much for…for…”

  “Fucking?”

  “Yeah.” He nodded, still breathing hard. “That.”

  “We’ll get there.” She grinned. “What kind of woman would I be if I didn’t leave you wanting more?”

  “One who isn’t a horrible tease?” As soon as he said it, he laughed and rolled his eyes. “And why am I not surprised at all that you are one?”

  Dara laughed. “It’ll be worth it. Promise.”

  Letting his gaze drift over her half-naked body, skin still tingling from her lips and tongue, he had no doubt she’d be true to her word.

  She rejoined him on the couch and kissed him lightly. “In all seriousness, let’s stop here.” She reached for her shirt and bra, which had somehow wound up on the coffee table. “Once the dust settles, we’ll see if it made things weird, and if it didn’t…” She winked.

  Matt shivered.

  Chapter Ten

  Dara sat in silence at her parents’ kitchen table. She and her mother had finished eating lunch, but they were still sitting there quietly. Uncomfortably quietly.

  Mom hadn’t said much today. She’d invited Dara for lunch, and Dara had needed a break from work anyhow, but her mother had given her no indication over the phone that this would be one of those long, silent meals.

  Avoiding her mother’s eyes, she studied the familiar pastel wallpaper and the faded blue curtains that had framed the window above the sink for as long as she could remember. The pastures beyond the window were overgrown now, the little three-stall barn starting to fall into disrepair. So many memories in that place—what a shame.

  And that train of thought wasn’t depressing at all.

  She pulled her gaze away from the barn and back into the kitchen but still didn’t look at Mom. That probably wouldn’t help matters, though. Her pregnancy wasn’t showing yet, but her guilty conscience probably was—her mother could tell at a glance from a hundred paces if Dara was hiding something.

  And, oh boy, was she hiding something. She wasn’t ready to tell her mother she was pregnant. The divorce had been difficult enough for Mom to swallow; one thing at a time. And not just for Mom’s benefit, either. By Matt’s own admission, Dara’s parents weren’t as difficult to deal with as the Coolidges, but that was like saying morning sickness wasn’t as difficult to deal with as food poisoning or chemo—it didn’t make her wish for death, but it still sucked.