by Lea Hart
Twenty minutes ago, he was hoping to spend a couple of hours with her. Now he had her for the rest of his life. Whatever happened next, they had a child to raise together. Leaning back, he figured at least their situation guaranteed him a couple of dates. Maybe even naked ones.
The sound of footsteps could be heard coming down the hall, and he looked up. Paige had on a pair of shorts and a pink T-shirt that outlined her bitty baby bump perfectly. Something primal roared to life in his gut and he felt like beating his chest in pride. He’d done that to her and for some reason, he felt enormously proud, which he would never say out loud. It was prehistoric and marked him as a caveman, a fact he was going to hide from her for as long as he could.
Plopping in a chair across from him, she stared at him. “You seem to be taking this really well. Why isn’t your brain exploding?”
“My brain hasn’t completely digested the news yet. When I drove up, I was hoping to go on a date. Now I’m guaranteed a least a few. Why don’t I take you out to breakfast?”
Fiddling with the tablecloth, she shrugged. “All right, I guess so…let’s go to Smoke. It’s not far from here, and I’m hungry for their brisket hash and drop biscuits. The gravy is to die for. They use spicy sausage and a Dr. Pepper reduction. It’s orgasmic.”
Throwing his head back, he laughed. “Guess it must be good.” Holding out his hand, he stood. “Come on, honey, let’s get you two fed.”
“Eating has become a full-time occupation lately. If I’m not actually eating, then I’m thinking about what I want to eat next or I’m taking a nap because I ate so much. I’ll probably be a whale by the time they roll me into to delivery.”
“I was twelve pounds when I was born, so if we’re having a boy, get ready.”
“We only have girls,” Paige responded as she walked to the back door and slipped on a pair of sandals.
Turning, he slid his hands on his hips. “Did you find out already?”
“No. I have an appointment on Wednesday. But there hasn’t been a boy in our family in three generations. Grammy has four sisters and they all had girls. Mama has five daughters, and my two older sisters each have three girls. This baby is a girl. I just know it.”
The idea of a daughter stole his breath. “A girl,” he said faintly.
Paige patted his chest. “Don’t worry. You won’t have to do a thing. I’m not expecting anything from you.”
His head snapped up and he frowned. “What the hell are you talking about? That’s our baby. You think I’m not going to be involved?”
“Blake, take a breath. I’m not going to ask you for anything. We had one night in a foreign country. That doesn’t mean you should participate. If you want to, then you’ll be welcome to have whatever role you want. But if you don’t, then I’m not going to hold it against you. I have a big family and I won’t be alone.”
He slid his hand up her arm and looked into her eyes. “I’m not going anywhere. And I will be in this baby’s life every day. So don’t fool yourself.”
“Okaaaay.”
Nodding his head, he walked toward the front door, opened it, and waited for her to walk out. “Okay is right.” Whatever crazy ideas were running around in her mind would soon disappear. They had a lot to discuss, and the first thing was why she hadn’t tried to find him when she found out. What if he hadn’t come to see her? Blowing out a breath, he tried to keep an open mind. Whatever the answer ended up being, he was going to have to accept it. After all, they couldn’t start this thing off being mad at one another.
***
Blake sat next to Paige and tried to keep a straight face. The woman was giving the poor waitress a headache. She had changed her order three times, and it seemed like she was about to do it again. Taking pity on the woman, he jumped in. “How about if you give us the first three orders? No need to make a decision. Whatever she doesn’t eat, I will.”
Paige was about to protest, but the waitress scurried away before she had a chance. “I wasn’t going to change my mind again.” Lifting her glass of water, she took a careful sip. “I’ve been so indecisive lately. I spent twenty-eight years knowing my mind, and now I can’t choose between sweet and salty. I tell you, it’s embarrassing.”
“It’s probably pregnancy hormones. I’ll bet after the baby gets here, you’ll bounce back to your former self.”
“And what exactly do you know about pregnancy hormones and bouncing back?”
Blake rubbed his ear and gave her a smile. “Just what I’ve heard from my friends.” He noticed the side eye she gave him and laughed. “I’ll read one of your books and then there won’t be a thing I don’t know.”
Patting his hand, she snorted. “So, what have you been up to since the last time I saw you? Did you stay in the Middle East or did you get to come home like you planned?”
He laid his hand on her stomach, and rubbed his finger back and forth. “Don’t you want to talk about what we made?”
“No, not yet. It’s too big a thing to start with. We need to ease our way into it.” She straightened her silverware and then shrugged. “Chitchat. Let’s try that.”
“All right. I guess we have some time to figure things out.” He covered her hand and looked out at the restaurant. He wasn’t real excited about reliving the last four months. But they had to start somewhere. “The day after your birthday, we left for Syria. We ended up being in country for three weeks. It was a rough one, but we all made it out. I got banged up, and it’s taken some time for the docs to put me back together. I have an appointment in a month for my final eval. My shoulder may not heal enough for me to be cleared for active duty.” Shrugging, he then lifted her hand and kissed it. “A new job may be in my future.”
“Oh, Blake, I’m so sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about. I’m damn lucky that I’ve lasted as long as I have.”
“It’s not over till it’s over,” she said firmly. The waitress delivered the first round of food and Paige clapped. “It looks delicious. Can we have two extra plates?”
“Sure. The rest of the order will be out soon.”
When the plates were delivered, Paige served him half of everything, then started eating. After that, he didn’t hear another word from her until the next round of food came. “How are you doing?” he asked.
Licking a finger, she stared up at him. “Fine. Why are you asking me?”
“No reason.”
“It’s best you see the real me.” She wiped her mouth and then rested her hands in her lap. “I wish I could tell you that witty, interesting me is going to return soon, but I’d be lying. Unfortunately, that girl is a distant memory and all that’s left is…this.” She waved her hand around and wrinkled her nose. “Witty and interesting disappeared a couple of months ago.”
Kissing her head, he laughed. “I look forward to getting to know you, whatever version you’ve got.”
“Sweet talker.” She kissed his cheek and sighed. “I’m kind of a sure thing, so you don’t have to flatter me. After all, it’s not like I can get pregnant again right now.” Leaning her head against his shoulder, she sighed. “I was thinking that I was going to have to wait a couple of years to have sex again, but with you showing up…well, let’s just say I have hopes that I won’t have to wait that long. My hormones are off the charts, so I’m praying you’ll help me out.”
His head was now going to explode. And he figured if that’s all that happened, he would be lucky. “Honey, we don’t have to wait another hour if you eat fast.”
“It can’t happen today; I have to get myself together.”
“You look perfect to me, so whenever you’re ready.” He kissed her head and remembered their night in Amman. “Tonight would be good.”
“We’ll see.”
Paige picked up her fork and started eating again, and he knew he was going to do everything he could to change the, “we’ll see,” to a, “hell, yeah.” Give him a goal and he always smashed it. This wasn’t going to be any different. He
’d hoped a naked date was a possibility. Now he knew it was a probability. Seemed knocking up Paige Bennett was going to work out.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Saturday Evening
Paige sat on the couch with Blake and dreaded answering the question. “I wasn’t trying to keep it from you.”
“Just tell me, Paige. We’re you planning on telling me about the baby?”
Straightening up, she crossed her legs. “I was going to tell you after she was born. I planned on asking my friend Ivy’s fiancé to look you up.” Lifting her eyes, she saw a thunderous expression cross his face. “There’s nothing for you to do before she gets here.” She heard him count to ten, and then he counted to twenty. “I had no reason to believe that you would want to be involved.”
He held up his hand and closed his eyes. “Please, don’t say any more. It’s just making it worse.”
“It was one night!” she yelled. Realizing her mistake, she took a deep breath and tried to slow her galloping heartbeat. Stress wasn’t good for the baby, so she needed to remain calm. Blake stood, gave her a lethal glare, and then picked her up. “What are you doing?” she squeaked.
“I need to have my hands on you so that I can calm down.” He collapsed back onto the couch and held her gently. “The last op I was on in Syria wasn’t a lot of fun. I can’t give you any details, but suffice it to say my platoon was going after some bad guys. It was as brutal and bloody as any battle I’ve ever been in.”
Running her hand along his arm, she rested her head against his chest. “What happened?”
He slid his hands through her hair for several moments before speaking. “There was a moment that I thought I lost my humanity. We were in the middle of a village and had just come out of a vicious gunfight. Adrenaline was pumping and I was primed for battle. I heard footsteps and spun around with my gun raised and the safety off, ready to shoot. I almost shot a woman holding a baby. I don’t know what stopped me—women and children have been used in this war more times than I can count. Somehow, I pulled myself out of the moment of battle, and I didn’t kill her and the child.” Shaking his head, he raked his fingers through his hair. “I’ve had a lot of challenging moments, but that one has stuck with me.”
“I’m so sorry, Blake.”
“It’s part of my job description. Making difficult choices minute by minute is what I’ve been trained to do. It’s hard to define the collision between an individual and the experience. Some things stick and others slip away.” Matching their hands together, he shook his head. “Do you know what I’ve held on to?”
“No, I can’t imagine.”
“The night we had together.” Tightening his hold, he kissed her head.
“Why?” She slid her hand under his shirt and rested it against his heart.
“It might have been one night, but you touched a part of me that I didn’t even know existed. I told you that night that you owned me, and it was the truth.”
“Blake, I’m sorry I was a coward.” Running her hand up and down his chest, she felt his heart beat solidly against her palm. “I didn’t think you would remember me.”
“Honey, you are the thing I held on to. Syria was a goat fuck, and I got hit a couple of times. When I was leaking and losing consciousness, I remembered our night together and thought…well, at least I had that.”
The clock on the bookcase ticked away, and she felt like it was marking the seconds before she accepted reality. Since coming home, she’d hidden from almost everything…the nightmares, her career, the pregnancy. It was time to deal with what was, and Blake was one of the many things she needed to deal with. No more hiding.
Sliding out of his hold, she swung her leg over his hip and faced him. “I’m so glad that you came home.” Framing his face in her hands, she ran her finger over his cheek. “Maybe one of the reasons you survived is that our daughter is going to need some protection from all those boys who are going to be interested.”
Groaning, he threw back his head. “That’s the first thing you’ve said that has me officially scared shitless. I have thirty years to dread the moment.”
“Sixteen. She can go on her first date at sixteen.”
His head snapped up and he frowned. “Over my dead, cold body,” he said firmly.
“Maybe we should table that for a later time.”
“Thirty,” he repeated firmly.
“Sixteen,” she answered. “Let’s talk about something more relevant. What are your plans?”
“After we get naked or before?”
“After.”
“I was planning on staying in Dallas for a couple of days, then heading over to Lubbock to see my family. I’ll call them and let them know that I won’t be there for a couple of weeks. You can come with me when I go and meet everyone, and they can get to know you. My mama is going to be excited about another grandbaby.”
“Oh, my gosh, I’m going to meet your parents…What if they don’t like me?”
Rubbing his hand down her back, he laughed. “You’re giving them a grandbaby; they’re going to love you.”
“So many things to consider. My head is spinning. I wasn’t planning on dealing with any of this for a long time.”
“Yeah, I know.”
There was no mistaking the hurt tone in his voice, and she felt awful. What had seemed like a good idea, in theory, wasn’t so great in reality. “I’m sorry, Blake. I see now that I took the coward’s way out by not trying to get in touch with you. I can make a lot of excuses, but the truth is that I made a bad choice. I hope you can forgive me.”
Tipping her head up, he kissed her gently. “I forgive you. I’m here now, so that’s all that matters. We’re a team, Paige. There’s a saying among frogmen: ‘One is none and two is one.’”
“What does that mean?”
“Two is better than one. And the two of us are in this together. One way or another.”
Taking in a deep breath, she nodded. “Okay, in it together.” The relief that swept over her was surprising. Maybe having him stick around for a while would work out. The fact that he seemed willing to sleep with her sure made it seem possible. “Did you get a hotel room or would you like to stay here?”
“I canceled my hotel room this afternoon. The conversation earlier made me think that you might like my company.” Rocking his hips, he grinned. “I’m ready, willing, and able.”
“That might be the understatement of the year.” Wiggling around, she immediately felt how true his words were. “Uh…”
“What, honey?”
“The last time you saw me naked, I was in the best shape of my life. I’m a little nervous about you seeing me four months pregnant. A lot has changed.”
Leaning forward, he tightened his hold. “Honey, I’ve been turned on since the second I saw you. I had a moment’s worry when I realized how much. Then I realized it’s my right and privilege to be turned on because I’m the one responsible for the way you look.”
He slid his hand under her T-shirt and slowly moved it over her bump. “I put this in you, and it’s freaking hot.” Sliding his hands further up her top, he kissed the center of her breastbone, right before he ran his fingers over the swell of her breasts. “So perfect,” he murmured.
Tipping her head back, she moaned as his mouth followed his fingers. “This is better than the memories I stored up over the night we spent together.”
“Honey, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve replayed that night.”
“Let’s make some new memories.” Moving away, she waited until he released his hold. “Come on. I’ll show you my bedroom.”
“Don’t have to ask me twice.” He stood with her in his arms and started walking down the hall.
“Why are you carrying me?”
“Faster,” he growled.
She let out a laugh and held on. It seemed that Blake was as interested in her as she was in him.
***
Paige looked down and admired the view of a very naked Blake sitt
ing on her bed. She ran her hands down his chest, trailing her fingers through the hair that covered his big pectoral muscles. He was one hundred percent male, and she wanted to enjoy every inch of him.
“Honey, what are you doing?”
“Something I didn’t get a chance to when we were in Jordan. I want to know what you taste like.” Sinking down in front of him, she ran her hands over his thighs, stroking the length of them and watched his body react. Leaning forward, she dragged her tongue over his sac and felt it tighten against her tongue.
The sound of a loud groan filled the room, and she met his gaze. A combination of restraint and desire crossed his features as she moved her mouth to his length. Sliding her tongue from base to tip, she felt his muscles cord tight. She repeated the move again and again until he was panting and completely under her control. Wrapping her fingers around his cock, she swirled her tongue over the broad head and licked up the drops of cum that had gathered.
“Oh, shiiiiit,” he hissed. “That’s so good, honey.”
With that kind of encouragement, she felt the confidence to lower her mouth over his shaft and take him deep into her mouth. Her hand followed her mouth in tight strokes up and down his length, and she ended each stroke by swirling her tongue over the tip. When he swelled impossibly thicker, she knew he was close.
“Paige, I’m going to come.” He tried to move out of her hold, and she held on to his hips. “Honey, please.”
Sucking harder, she squeezed his cock tighter, shocking herself at her own explosive need to have him come in her mouth. He suddenly tugged her head back and crashed his mouth against hers, kissing her hard.
Tearing her mouth away, she looked at him in confusion. “Why did you stop me?”
“Honey, I want to be inside you.”
“But…” The last of her sentence disappeared as he kissed her again and lifted her up. He laid her on the bed and came over her, his large frame blocking her view of anything but him. “I thought you liked it,” she said.