After a few moments, he reached down to cup my elbows and drew me to my feet, finding my lips with his as he attempted to work my jeans down over my hips. I toed my shoes off, and then helped him to get my pants down, then holding his hand, I laid down on the bench and pulled him to me.
He settled between my thighs, his iron hardness pressed against my molten center, and kissed me as I pressed my hips up, trying to position him to enter me. He drew back, looking me in the eyes, and dragged the tips of his cock down my slit, over my clit, sending a sharp stab of need through me, and placed himself at my opening, as if giving me a chance to change my mind.
There was no way that was happening though, and I wrapped my legs around him and pulled him towards me with my heels, needing to feel him impale me.
His broad head pressed into me slowly, giving me time to accommodate him without pain, but I was so wet that I pulled him in hungrily, his shaft invading me, stretching me, and filling me completely. I took him to the hilt and held him there, relishing the feeling of fullness he was giving me. He began to stroke into me dragging his entire length in and out of me in a rhythm that slowly increased until he was slamming into me and I was thrusting my hips to meet his strokes. Together we detonated, growling, panting and grasping at each other until the waves of pleasure receded, leaving us spent.
Chapter 7
It had been weeks since the reunion. I was laying in my bed trying to get motivated to get ready for the day. Work was starting in a couple of hours, and I didn’t want to be racing around in a rush. I wasn’t feeling myself lately, I was always tired. This morning was a little different. I almost wondered if I was sick. The wave came over me just then and I jumped from my bed to head to the bathroom. I hugged the toilet as I let out the lasagna I had the night before. I felt disgusting, as I sat on the bathroom floor, wondering if I was going to let out some more. It had been a very long time since I had been sick like this. I couldn’t even remember the last time I threw up. Although, in that minute, I felt like the wave in my stomach was making its own tsunami, and it had to come out. I leaned in one more time, and gave out a dry heave. Maybe I would feel better if I took a shower. I took off my robe and started the water.
As I got in the shower, I started to think about the night of the reunion. I hadn’t thought much about it over the last few weeks, as I was back in my daily routine. I wasn’t even sure why I was thinking of it now. I never saw Gavin after that night, but I didn’t think much about it. I also had not seen Janet after that night either. I wasn’t surprised in either case. Janet, no doubt, had a one night fling with Sam. I never saw them again after arriving at the reunion. Sam had been in on occasion to the restaurant, but I didn’t bring it up, and neither did he. After all, she was a married woman with children. It was something I’m sure no one would ever speak of again.
As for Gavin and I, that night was a surprise, as we had ended up in the back seat of his car shortly after our stroll. Now that I look back at it, I did have fun, and it felt good to be someone’s center of attention. I woke up the next day feeling like it had been a dream, a dream that sadly fading away as reality sank in, but I couldn’t believe how much I degraded myself as to end up in the back of Gavin’s Escalade. We were grown adults. Most people would have gone home, or to a hotel. We barely got to the car that night. It all seemed as though Gavin’s obsession had built up so much over all this time that words failed him and he needed to let it all out with his body before he exploded. After it was all over, we talked very briefly about our distance from one another. He was living in New York City, I had found out during all of this. It was inevitable that it was going to be a one night stand, but at the moment, neither of us really cared. I still didn’t. There was something different about this morning though.
As I finished my shower and started to dry off, it dawned on me, I hadn’t had my period yet. That was weird, since I have had a schedule almost to the minute since I was a teen. I was only a couple of days late, but my throw up show this morning had me worrying. I finished up and put on some clothes. I opened the vanity doors below the sink and dug around all of the essentials a woman needs. Way back in the back, I found the box I was looking for. I had purchased the pregnancy tests after my trip last year. I had a scare at that time too. I wasn’t one for birth control, so I figured it would catch up with me eventually. I opened up the box, scanning the outside of it for an expiration date. I was in luck, still good. I proceeded to do my business on the stick, and then I waited.
The minutes stood still as I waited for that little stick to tell me my fate. I looked at my phone, one more minute. I counted it down. The numbers seemed to start creeping by. That’s when the second line appeared. It was there in front of me. I was pregnant, and there was only one person that could be the father.
The subsequent months were a blur. I was still working just as much as I ever did. I hadn’t told anyone of my pregnancy, and I hadn’t started showing yet, so I still had time to hold onto my secret. A lot had happened since I found out I was pregnant, and my emotions were all over the place with my hormones.
My dad had been hospitalized as winter hit. He had come down with pneumonia, and with his age, it had given him a turn for the worse. I was pretty much running the restaurant at this point, but we had cut back on the hours of operation, since Brian was our only other cook at the time.
I was standing at the cash register on a cold November afternoon as the phone rang. I think that I almost felt a bad vibe from the phone before I answered it, although I don’t know how that was possible. My head started to spin as I picked up the phone, and I barely managed to get the words out, “Baxter’s Family Restaurant, can I help you?” My voice was hoarse and it cracked.
“Ms. Baxter. It’s Dr. Mitchell. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news this afternoon but we need you to come down to the hospital. Your father’s condition has worsened and he is in a critical condition. We are doing everything we can to help him, but I would advise you to come over and help him get his affairs in order.”
It was the worst possible thing that I could have heard in that moment. Everything went black and I was out.
Chapter 8
It took me more than a few moments of consciousness to figure out that I was lying in a hospital bed next to my father. I looked over at him, and he seemed to be awake, so in a very raspy voice, I tried to get his attention. “Dad, are you there?”
He turned over to look at me, I could tell he needed a lot of effort to do that. He gave a terribly weak smile, then spoke “Would you look at us? We should just let Brian take over the family restaurant.”
I gave a weak laugh, we were both a sight for sore eyes. “I’m pregnant, Dad.” His eyes opened wide, and he seemed to be in shock. I gave him another smile, telling him I was happy I was going to give him a grandson. He tried to speak, but he suddenly went into a spasm of coughs. He started to have trouble breathing and I gathered up all my strength to sit up and start shouting for a nurse. Just then he mustered all the energy he had to say one last thing, “Take care of my grandkid. Explore the world.” Then he deeply breathed out, and that was it. Dad was gone. Brian and Patricia had just shown up from outside, as they had drove me after I passed out back at the restaurant. When they realized what was happening, they started to cry. I was crying too. It was one of the worsts days of my life, as you can imagine.
“Teresa, may I speak with you?” Dr. Mitchell had entered the room. He looked concerned, and now that Dad was gone, I couldn’t begin to imagine what bad news he had to tell me now.
I looked at my Dad’s body. I didn’t want to leave his side just yet. “Can this wait, Doctor?” I asked, thinking whatever it was could wait.
“I’m afraid not, Teresa. Please come with me, this will only take a moment.” Dr. Mitchell turned and exited the room. It was obvious this was terribly urgent and confidential, so I got up and followed him with the little energy I had.
“What is it, Doctor?” I asked after findi
ng him out in the hallway waiting for me.
“Teresa, I didn’t want to say this in front of the others, but I have to let you know that the baby is fine. You had a very substantial fall this afternoon, and I want you to know that we did all the necessary checks, and everything seems fine. However, I highly recommend you take it easy. With the pregnancy, and your father, and the business, the stress might get to you. You need a break from this. You need to relax, or you are going to have complications with this pregnancy. Do you understand?”
Dr. Mitchell came over with his wife to the diner every other Tuesday and Thursday. He meant well as he spoke, and passed on his condolences as he left. I leaned against the wall, trying to take it all in. My mind was racing, and my tears were still falling. I felt heavy, and my weak body felt like it couldn’t handle anything at the moment. I hadn’t thought about the baby’s condition since I came to, and after what had just transpired, all I could think about was being with my dad on his deathbed. I had thought about the phone call and the news that made me pass out, and now the doctor was reminding me that I had this pregnancy to worry about. Thank goodness Dr. Mitchell didn’t ask who the father was. I had managed to keep all of this a secret up until now. I didn’t need the entire population of this little town knowing that I was carrying a bastard child. I had to find a way out. My father’s last words echoed my mother’s last wish. I needed to get away or I would lose my mind, or worse, my child. I made up my mind in that moment that I would leave town after Dad’s affairs were wrapped up. I was going to build a new life for me and my unborn child.
Everyone was in the diner. Brian had come up with the idea of having everyone over after the burial to honor the memory of my Dad’s legacy, so everyone came. It had been a long while since the diner had been this full. None of the faces were unfamiliar, but everyone preferred coming in on their own days, at their own time, according to their own frequency. This was a rare moment in which they all had to come over at once.
Brian wanted me to take it easy and rest a little, knowing I had just come out of the hospital but I couldn’t rest, we were at a full capacity. I had to help out.
“Order up!” it sounded so peculiar, hearing Brian say it and I felt like it was further confirmation that I had to leave this place.
I immediately stood up and tugged on my uniform. I hadn’t gotten around to ordering any new uniforms, life had simply been too fast paced for me, and now I feared my baby bump might start to show. I wouldn’t be needing that new uniform anymore, so I brushed the thought to the back of my head. This was technically my last working day at Baxter’s Family Restaurant.
I grabbed the two plates out of the window, where Brian stood behind with a worried look on his face. I wondered how he would take the news when I told him I was leaving, but I quickly brushed it to the back of my head, one problem at a time. Brian had recreated Dad’s Masterpiece Meatloaf for the day’s special board, and the sample I had was pretty close to Dad’s recipe. I told Brian that my Dad would be proud, and it wasn’t just to flatter him, it was pretty honest. I turned around with the plates in-hand and headed to the table.
It was Dr. Mitchell, and he was with his wife. The glare he gave me suggested that he disapproved of me working in my current condition, but the look Mrs. Mitchell gave me suggested he hadn’t acknowledged the doctor-patient confidentiality I thought we had entirely.
“Here’s your order,” I said as I placed the plates in front of them. “Enjoy your meal, this was Dad’s special!” I gave them a smile, and quickly started to make my way back.
“Teresa!” the voice that called me stopped me in my tracks. I turned to where the voice had come from and saw who it was. It had come from table seven, the Martin’s favorite table in the Restaurant, and for the first time in years, they had shown up with Gavin. I gulped, nervous, and made my way to their table.
“Hello everyone,” I greeted them all. “How may I help you guys?”
“Oh we’ve already made our orders. I think Gavin here is just a little bit impatient and wants to talk to you,” Phyllis said, giving me a knowing smile. I looked at Gavin, and all he could say was, “Guilty as charged.” With a cool smile. I could not believe how insensitive this guy could be in such a situation. Why was he back in town? Was it for the funeral?
“Oh, okay. I’ll have to see you a little later, I’m kind of busy right now.” I said, gesturing to the entire restaurant.
“Oh, sure. No problem, I’m around until tomorrow and I just felt that we should catch up. I am staying with my parents and I figured I could see you later on. My condolences, by the way.” He offered.
“Thanks. I’m sure we can figure something out.” I said, and practically ran away. It must have been the hormones again, or the fact that my father had just been buried, or the fact that this was my last day at a restaurant I had spent my entire life at, and that I didn’t even know where I was going and what I was going to do when I got there, or the fact that I was a single mother and my baby daddy was in the restaurant and wanted to ‘hang out’ later, but I ended up in the bathroom stall crying for a long time.
Chapter 9
“Why do you have so many tattoos?” I asked. It was later on in the day and my hormones and emotions had calmed down. Okay, they hadn’t really calmed down, but they were flaring up in an entirely different way now. I was back home, and Gavin was with me.
“I don’t know, I got one when I was younger and I went into a sort of phase and ended up getting a lot more,” he replied, but the way he suddenly looked away while talking made me feel like he was holding something back. A secret about his past maybe.
“Thanks for helping me close up the restaurant and everything. It’s been a really a long day,” I said, forking at the meat loaf I had taken home from the restaurant, courtesy of yours truly, Brian.
“Don’t worry about it, it’s not like I had anything better to do with my time.” Gavin said. His choice of words offended me a little, it made me feel like I was something he does when his bored, not because he was compelled to. We hadn’t communicated at all since our last encounter, and now the air was thick with unspoken words. I hadn’t told him about the baby yet, I didn’t know how to and I didn’t even know if I wanted to tell him. I had a lot of decisions to make about the baby and where we were going to end up, but I felt like if I told him, he would throw himself at us and I would find myself right in the middle of a life I was unsure of. I had to find my own footing first, maybe then I would feel comfortable telling him.
I was in an awkward place as things were. I was suffering from the post-funeral syndrome, where everyone was gone and now it had just had to be you and your thoughts of your lost loved one. I couldn’t bear to be alone in that moment, and so Gavin’s next words were golden. “Listen, if you don’t want to be alone tonight, I can hang around. My flights tomorrow and I won’t get in your way at all, I could even sleep on the couch.”
“I would love that.” I said quickly, looking him straight in the eyes. I hoped I didn’t come off as needy, but I really couldn’t bear to be alone just yet. I needed some company. “I mean, if it isn’t a bother to you.” I added, looking away.
“Of course it isn’t,” he said, moving closer to me. “I know you must really be hurting right now and it isn’t good for you to be alone.” We readjusted our sitting positions and I found myself with my head on his lap.
The feelings I started to experience made me feel rather guilty, as we made small talk, all I could think about was how amazing our sexual encounter had actually been. I had never felt the way Gavin made me feel that night, never in my entire life. If anything could distract me from my thoughts right now, it would be his touch, but I felt self-conscious having buried my father only hours earlier, and the baby in my womb would add to my worries, but don’t pregnant people have sex in safe positions? I would have to limit him to a few positions, tell him I wasn’t feeling well. Why was I thinking like this? What if he wasn’t even feeling the same way?
We were groping at each other furiously and shedding clothes at record speed. In no time we were naked and wrapped around each other, desperate to be joined together, unable and unwilling to slow down to savor the moment. He used his mouth to nip at me and kiss his way down my body until he found my swollen clit, lashing me with his tongue until I was drowning him in my juices as an orgasm pounded through me, leaving me hoarse from my cries of ecstasy.
Then he rose up between my still trembling thighs, his face still glistening with my honey, and impaled me with his cock in one smooth stroke, tearing a gasp from me. Like animals we rutted, my fingernails scoring his back and buttocks, and his fingers digging into my hips as he thrust into me. He filled me so completely with every thrust, stretching me around his thick base that I was pushed immediately to the brink of another earth shattering orgasm. Simultaneously we screamed out our release, and collapsed in exhaustion, his weight pressing me into the cushions of my couch, and we slept that way, holding each other the rest of the night.
Chapter 10
As I stood outside the boardroom, an overwhelming rush came over me. What was I doing here? How could I ever think, as a forty year old, pregnant, single woman, that I could try to enter the world of Corporate America after all of these years, and without any kind of experience? And why did I choose New York to enter this life, instead of gradually moving up from the small hometown I had loved? My sink or swim attitude had done this to me. I had to stand beside my choices. I had done my best to prepare, but the days leading up to this meeting were not forgiving enough for me to learn an entirely new career. I had to go with what I had, and that was unnerving.
Stranded: A Mountain Man Romance Page 41