by Lee Rose
“Oh, sweetheart. You are so loveable. You are bright and so beautiful my heart aches just looking at you.” His voice broke with emotion. “You have a great sense of humor and a big heart.”
“I was talking about the baby,” she cried, wiping the tears from her eyes. If she was so loveable, why didn’t he love her?
“I’m tired. Maybe you should show me to Noah’s room.” She didn’t want to watch a movie with him. She didn’t want to pretend everything was okay.
He stood up and pulled her with him. He led her down a hallway and opened a door. The room was dark, so he turned the light on. A huge bed was placed against the wall. A dresser with a TV was against the opposite wall. Otherwise it was blank.
“Wow, that bed is huge.” She smiled. She sat down on the cushioned edge.
“Noah is a big guy.” Adam chuckled with amusement. “You might get lost in there.”
She felt needy and clingy. She hated feeling like that. It always reminded her of her childhood. But for just one night she wanted to be held. “Will you sleep with me?”
Her cheeks heated up and she looked down at the floor in case he said no. She felt him sit next to her on the bed. She worked up enough courage to look at him.
“I wasn’t asking for sex.” She corrected herself. “Some nights the loneliness is just so huge, I feel lost.”
“I wish you were asking me for sex, Faith,” he told her. “I would say ‘hell yeah.’”
She looked at him with surprise. “But I look horrible, Adam.”
“You look fragile but beautiful. My cock is as hard as a rock and you gave me no encouragement in that department. It always happens when you are nearby,” he said bluntly. “I always felt like this every time I went into your shop. I would get tongue-tied and my mind would go blank. I should have realized I was falling in love with you, but like the stubborn ass I am, I made excuses and told myself it was a crush.”
Her mouth opened but no words came out. How do you respond to that? She craved his touch, but it would hurt when he turned against her in the morning, reminding her of his lost love.
“Adam. You are just dealing with the aftereffects of the fire. When it fades, you will go back to loving Josie. If you loved me, you wouldn’t have hurt me the way you did. I am glad you’re getting used to the idea of us sharing a child. I know how horrified you were at first.”
He frowned and ran his hands through his loose hair. “I’m sorry for that, Faith. I just panicked and I should have been more mature than that. I wasted a lot of time stuck in the past because it was safe and comfortable. I was scared of what I felt for you, so I denied it.”
“I didn’t bring anything to wear.” She changed the subject. Her mind was overwhelmed already. She didn’t want to have this serious conversation. What if she fell for it and he changed his mind again?
He got up and went to the dresser. He took out a T-shirt. “I keep a few shirts in here so I don’t always have to run upstairs to change. You can sleep in one.”
She grabbed it and stood up. She took off her baggy shirt and put his on. It was loose and long. She slipped off her pants. He had already seen her naked, so there was no reason to be bashful. She got under the covers. “I need maternity clothes. Nothing fits.”
He stripped down to his boxers. “I’ll take you to Austin on my next day off.”
Adam slipped under the covers and pulled her close. She laid her head on his chest. He placed a hand on her stomach. It was slightly rounded, but not a lot yet. “I can’t wait to see you all round.”
She giggled. “Like I swallowed a beach ball. Ugh, that is not a good picture.”
“It is to me,” he whispered against her cheek.
Faith closed her eyes. He cared about the baby. That was obvious. Maybe he was confusing his newfound feelings for their child and projecting them on to her. If he had any love in his heart for her, he would never have treated her the way he had. She had to stay strong and resist him. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Sometime during the night, she felt all warm—so warm she smiled. Her stomach had that tingly feeling it always got when Adam was around. She must be dreaming again. She heard Adam’s voice whispering his love for her and she smiled. This was a nice dream.
He was caressing her breasts with his hands and kissing her neck and collar bone. She felt her nipples tighten into hard little beads.
“Mmmm.” She moaned softly. “It feels so good to be touched by you.”
His hand wandered down between her thighs and she automatically opened them wide. She felt hot and needy. He moved her panties aside.
He inserted his finger inside her wet pussy and she felt the moisture gathering in a pool between her legs. He swiped at her clit back and forth and whispered erotic words into her ear. This was definitely a dream. Adam was never this tender with her. She rocked back and forth as his fingers played with her swollen clit.
“You are so beautiful, Faith, so sexy that you are all I think about.”
She smiled. “Me too, Adam. I wish this was real.”
She heard a soft laugh in her ear. “If you would open your eyes, you would see this is as real as it gets.”
Faith gasped and opened her eyes. Adam leaned over her with a wicked gleam in his eyes, his hair loose and wild.
She felt her cheeks heat up. She slowly closed her legs but he wouldn’t let her. “Oh my god. I thought I was dreaming.”
“Dream of me often?” he teased.
If only he knew. She was glad it was too dark to see her blush.
She saw the need and the desire on his face. She let out a breath and relaxed. Why shouldn’t she enjoy this? This was all he could give her, desire, so she might as well enjoy it. She reached up and caressed his shoulders.
“I am so desperate to feel my cock sliding into that wet pussy, baby.” His voice was rumbly and she felt more moisture leak out. He removed her panties and his boxers. “If you don’t want me, now is the time to let me know.”
His tip was poised at her opening. “Are you crazy? I always want you, Adam.”
He slipped into her an inch at a time. He groaned. “I love how you clamp down on me. What an amazing feeling.”
She was too heated up to reply. She had her eyes closed and was concentrating on how good he felt inside of her. He started thrusting back and forth and she wrapped her legs around his hips. She heard his rough growls and knew his control was gone, just like hers. She shivered with delight at the fast speed he was going. She lost all ability to talk or think. All she could do was feel. Feel how hard and thick his cock was inside of her. How fast he drove into her as if he couldn’t get enough. She liked that thought, so she was going with it. Tomorrow they could go back to awkwardness and regret, she was enjoying the now.
She dug her nails in his back and heard him mutter yes. She placed kisses on his chin and over to his shoulder as he kept up the rhythm of pumping in and out of her. He kept the fast pace for minutes. Her stomach muscles tightened with need.
Her body tingled from head to toe until she screamed out his name and let her orgasm wash over her. He kept going for a few more minutes. His answering roar accompanied his seed spilling inside of her.
It took several minutes for her breathing to slow down. Adam had moved off of her but kept her in his arms.
She waited for him to move and leave her, but he stayed still. His body was relaxed and not tense at all like the last two times.
“This is the part where you remind me not to get my hopes up. You had your one true love and you lost her,” she whispered in the dark. She blinked back some tears.
His hold tightened on her. “I was wrong, Faith. I did love Josie, but it wasn’t that I couldn’t love again. It was that I was scared of the heartache and pain if something happened to you. I was too scared to take another chance. Please tell me it’s not too late for us.”
Faith sighed. “You love the baby now that you are getting used to the idea of being a father. I am so glad about
that, Adam. You don’t love me. You just had a scare, that’s all. It will fade in time.”
Adam stayed quiet for a minute. He leaned over her and she could barely see his face in the shadows. He caressed her cheeks and leaned down to tenderly place a kiss on her lips. “In time you will believe me. I’m counting on that.”
Faith didn’t reply to his statement. He was confusing her. She closed her eyes and went back to sleep. Why was love so hard and confusing?
Chapter 15
“Women are confusing as hell,” Adam muttered, wielding the axe down on the log of wood. He was helping Noah cut some branches off of a tree in Noah’s backyard. Spring was finally here. The sun was warm and he was glad for the physical labor. He needed to take out his frustrations on something.
“I take it you are talking about Faith?” Noah said in amusement.
Adam didn’t see anything funny in the way things were between him and Faith. She had stayed with him a few days before finding a small two-bedroom house within walking distance to the coffee shop. Holly had opted to stay on with her friend from school. After the night they shared, Faith was friendly but she built a wall between them as if she was scared to get to close to him. He understood, but it was still frustrating as hell. He thought he was making progress, then she would pull back and avoid spending any time with him.
They talked easily with no arguments. He had even bought her some maternity clothes that Alana had helped him pick out for Christmas. She had cried and hugged him, admitting she never received gifts except from Holly. He had vowed to himself to shower her with gifts from now on. She had gone to Austin with Holly to spend Christmas Day with her mother. Her mother had no idea Faith was expecting. He had wanted to tag along, but he gave her the space she needed and kept quiet.
“Yes. I knew it was going to be hard to get her to believe I love her, but I guess I did a good job of convincing her I’d never get over Josie. She says she doesn’t want to be second best to a memory.”
Noah frowned. “Damn, that’s rough. You’ve been going with her to her doctor appointments?”
Adam nodded. “Yes. We talk about the baby easily, but she still thinks I don’t love her. I am at my wits end on how to convince her that I was just being a stubborn ass before.”
Noah picked up a branch and threw it in the metal bin. “We Blakes sure know how to mess up things with our ladies. Dad would just shake his head and ask if we learned nothing from him.”
Adam chuckled. “Every time he argued with Mom, the roses and candies would start being delivered.”
“Then they would disappear for days,” Noah finished. “Mom always came back so happy. Don’t give up, Adam. I know what you’re feeling and it’s frustrating as hell. I was tempted to just pick up Alana and take her somewhere for days until we could work things out. Luckily she gave in before it got to that point.”
Adam grinned wildly. An idea popped into his head and he felt excitement bubble up in his gut. “That’s it. Great idea, Noah.”
“Huh?” His brother looked confused.
“I will kidnap her and prove to her that I love her and not just the baby.” Adam grinned with excitement. He knew a great cabin outside of town that was private. He rented it before just to get away by himself. It was his private haven. What a better way to prove to Faith that he was for real than to share his special place with her?
“Um, I didn’t hear that Adam. I am the sheriff of Red Hook and last I heard, kidnapping was against the law.” Noah snorted. He kept on working.
Adam laughed, feeling so much better. This had to work. “Let’s get busy, Noah. I have a kidnapping to plan and your wife is going to be my accomplice.”
“Great,” Noah muttered. “At this rate I will never get re-elected.”
* * * *
Faith put her feet up in a chair and rubbed her stomach. It was finally round and her pregnancy was obvious to everyone. People were kind, offering her their congratulations. Thanks to Adam’s speech at the Garcia restaurant, everyone knew he was the father. Nina still gave her dirty looks when they saw each other, but she no longer made snide remarks.
Thinking of the baby always made her think of Adam. He was so nice to her now. He went to every appointment with her and took her out to lunch afterwards. He treated her like a fragile piece of glass. He hadn’t made love to her again, but he took every opportunity to touch her or caress her. She felt like she was in a constant state of desire and confusion.
He and his brother Liam had painted the nursery yellow for her. She didn’t have any furniture yet, but she knew she had to do that soon. Alana was talking about giving her a baby shower, but she told Alana that she had no friends besides Alana and her sister Alicia. She always had such a habit of keeping to herself even on her days off work.
She was five months along now and finally she could eat and not get sick.
Her cell phone buzzed and she took it out. It was a text from Alana. She wanted to know if she could drop by later. She had some magazines of baby furniture to give her. Faith smiled and replied yes.
Alana had become a close friend. They often met for dinner. Noah was a great guy and loved his wife very much. She envied their relationship, but she shouldn’t complain. Adam was going to be a great father. She had no doubt of that. Plus her baby would have family, something she and Holly never had.
Faith yawned as she looked around the empty coffee shop. She was exhausted and knew she would sleep well tonight. It had been a busy night. At first it had been hard to adjust to living alone. Even though Holly was a busy person it had felt good knowing she would be home soon. She understood it made sense for Holly to share with a girl from nursing school. They could study together and carpool. But the house was so quiet and still. It got to her sometimes.
She heard a knock on the door and turned to see Adam standing outside. He was holding something in his hand as he waved.
She gave him a friendly smile and walked toward the locked door. Her pulse sped up and her heartbeat increased. It was so hard to keep a distance between them. Her resolve to keep her distance was getting harder with each passing day.
She loved spending time with Adam, but it was dangerous. It would be so easy to let the dreams in her imagination take over. Then she would end up hurting worse than she was now. It was better to stay strong and just be his friend.
She opened the door to let him in.
“Hey Adam. I was expecting Alana.”
He nodded. “She got held up at work, so she sent me over.”
He set the stack of magazines down on a nearby table. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired. Hungry.” She answered honestly. “I haven’t seen you in a while. Everything okay?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, nothing new except I got a three-day weekend.”
“Wow, three whole days,” she teased. “What are you going to do?”
He smiled at her. He looked so handsome and she was tempted to caress his cheek in a loving gesture, but she didn’t have that right. “Let me give you a ride home and I’ll tell you.”
She had been walking the four blocks to and from work lately. The weather was warm but not hot. It counted as her exercise. She grabbed her purse and he picked up the magazines for her. She made sure to lock up and followed him to his truck. She was glad he didn’t bring his bike. Her stomach would be in the way if she tried to hold on to him.
He started driving to her house. “I know of this small cabin by a lake an hour away. Quiet and peaceful. I rented it. I’ve been there plenty of times.”
She tried not to let him know she would miss spying him around town. They didn’t talk every day, but she often spotted him at the restaurant or grocery store. He texted her and called her at night just to talk about their days. They had settled into an easy friendship she enjoyed. She tried to not wish for more. “That sounds relaxing. Do you fish?”
“Yes ma’am,” he said in his Texas drawl. Faith laughed.
They pulled into her driveway. “H
ave fun, Adam. You work so hard and you deserve a relaxing few days.”
“Oh I will, because you are coming with me,” he announced, looking pleased with himself.
“What?” She gasped.
He pointed to the house. Holly was coming out of Faith’s house with a black duffel bag. Faith looked at Adam, confused.
He rolled down the window and waved at Holly. She grinned and handed him the bag. Holly looked at her sister with a happy expression. “Have fun, Sis, and just go with it. It’ll be a nice vacation for you before the baby is born.”
Holly went to her car and drove off. Faith felt off balance. She never expected this in a million years. Why would he spend his vacation with her and not one of his friends or brothers?
“I want us to have time alone,” he explained.
“But why, Adam? And what about my shop?” So many thoughts ran around her head, it made her a little dizzy.
“Jenny knows and Holly promised to come in and help. It’s only three days,” he assured her, playing with a strand of her hair. “I did everything wrong with you, Faith. I ruined our first night together and the moment you told me you were pregnant. I hurt you and I hate myself for that.”
She swallowed down her emotions. Her pulse went into overdrive. “We’re past all that, Adam. Aren’t we friends now? We haven’t fought in weeks.”
He leaned over and kissed her lips softly with tenderness. Her lips tingled from his light touch. It made her teary-eyed. “I want more than friendship, Faith. I want to start over and do it right. “
He started his truck and backed out of her driveway. “I’m hoping you see this kidnapping as romantic and give me a second chance at proving it’s just not the baby I am interested in.”
“Was this Alana’s idea?” she asked suspiciously. Alana made no secret of the fact she hoped her and Adam ended up as a couple. She brought it up constantly, along with her husband Noah.