Kate laughed. “Spoilsport, but you've got a point.” She looked at the blue sky and then back at Shelly. “I best get back to work, but I should be finished in about an hour."
Shelly said dryly, “I'll be here."
Kate poked her gently in the abdomen. “I know, I mean where could you run to logging that weight around?"
Shelly looked at her stomach and sighed. “I can't wait to be thin again."
"You look beautiful, kiddo, pregnant women always do."
"Yeah, right,” Shelly pulled a face, “You're just saying that because you've never been pregnant."
Kate stuck her tongue out and for a moment they were girls again. “I'm cooking a roast for dinner with dumplings and a nice bottle of red wine."
Shelly said dejectedly, “I can't drink the wine."
Kate grinned. “I'll drink it and you can eat."
Shelly said drolly, “What, so I end up looking as large as a jumbo jet rather than a whale?"
Shelly was still smiling as her sister, laughing merrily, left the garden, her uncomfortable feeling that Guy had been there quite forgotten.
* * * *
Guy had been up before the birds started calling. As he watched the first sunrays streak across the sky, turning it from black to pale grey from his bedroom window, he'd known that he had to speak to Shelly. He'd even accept her child if that was what it took to win her love. His life was empty without her. Somehow, he had to make her understand that he needed her, that he'd never hurt her and that deep down, she probably needed him too. Trying to talk reasonably and to force her hadn't worked, but maybe another tactic would. He smiled as something she'd said on the Maldives came back to him. Perhaps humor would work?
"Hi."
Shelly froze. Petrified to turn around from the kitchen table where she'd been preparing a quick bite to eat and face that husky voice she knew so well.
"I hope you don't mind me just barging into your kitchen unannounced, but a good friend of yours—” He coughed as if needing a moment to search for the right words. “A good friend of ours gave me a key so I'd have an opportunity to say what I've wanted to for the last half of a year."
Shelly didn't utter a word of response, she couldn't. She'd dreamed of this moment, hearing Guy's deep, gravelly voice so much over the past few months, she was terrified to turn around and realize it was all just one big figment of her imagination.
"Please look at me, angel.” There was a soft touch on her shoulder, like a hummingbird, and Shelly shut her eyes tightly and ignored it. “I heard that there was going to be a birthday party later, here, tonight."
"Let me guess,” she laughed awkwardly. “Claire told you, right?"
"She sure did."
Feeling betrayed, Shelly clenched her fists. “Honestly, I don't know why she's my best friend. She certainly doesn't act like it sometimes."
"Oh, but she does, she loves you, angel, and she's always got your best interests at heart, that's why she, along with your sister, told me about the party."
Shelly exclaimed, “Kate's in on this?"
"Don't be angry with her, love, she knows I'll not hurt you that's why she gave me the key."
"I bet she does,” Shelly's shoulders shook with quiet laughter, remembering Kate's conversation from the garden. “Let me guess you're the bastard whose balls she should have cut off?"
"The one and only, but thankfully, your sister relented when she saw that I'm madly, truly, deeply in love with you."
Shelly felt his energy, all coiled muscle and testosterone, which always surrounded him in an aura of hormones and heat, sizzle forth and scorch her skin, even before he placed his hands gently on her shoulders. “Will you accept my gift? I came a long way to deliver it to the birthday girl in person."
Shelly shuddered. His touch, gentle as it was, awakened all the lustful passion the man seemed to ignite in her. Heavily pregnant as she was, she was nevertheless in that moment, extremely horny for him.
His next words came unbidden, without permission. “I've missed you everyday.” He looked down at his fingers. “Funny, I never knew that you were missing from my life, until I met you. Since then, nothing has felt the same.” He gave a short laugh. “Crazy, isn't it?"
Shelly shivered. His hands on her shoulders seemed to be searing her skin. “Guy, what are you trying to say?"
"Let's leave it for the moment.” He gave her shoulders a quick squeeze and asked. “Will you accept your birthday present?"
"Oh, I suppose so.” Shelly sniffed. “What is it?"
"You will have to turn around to see.” She could hear the laughter in his voice.
Slowly, she turned to face him. “Guy! Where ... where did you find this?” she asked, stroking the arm of his jacket. Of all the things she had expected as a gift, this hadn't been one of them. “I can't believe you found a real pirate suit."
"Neither can I. It took four hours on the Internet and a really quick trip to Birmingham this morning, but I've got it—probably the last surviving purple pirate's suit on the planet.” He clasped the false sword at his hip. “Do you like it?"
"Well it's a bit purple,” Shelly admitted, wiping at her eyes with some kitchen cloth. “But I love it,” she said sniffing. “But why?"
Guy looked at her. She seemed relaxed but her eyes were guarded. “You told me on the Maldives, remember? That pirates got you hot. I've got a present for you too, look,” he said, pointing towards the countertop.
She looked, she saw.
And she laughed her head off.
"You bought me a stuffed parrot, as a present?"
He gave her an endearing boyish grin. “I couldn't get a real one to go with the suit at such short notice. And no pirate is complete without his parrot."
Shelly wiped away a tear from her eye.
"I love you, Shelly Blake,” Guy told her. “Marry me?” He'd beg in a minute if he had to, but he hoped that he wouldn't need to.
"Do ... do I get to keep the parrot if I say no?” she asked him, because if she didn't say something silly, she was going to cry a never-ending flood of happy tears.
"Nope, we're a package deal, I'm afraid. There's something inside."
"What? A false pistol, perhaps?” Shelly asked, lifting the stuffed toy and peering at it closely. “I can't see anything."
"Look, harder. Try its beak,” Guy said standing close beside her.
And there it was, sitting in the parrot's yellow beak, a small, green velvet case.
"Oh, Guy,” Shelly said, taking out the box but not opening it.
"The green velvet matches your eye color perfectly. See? Go ahead, open it."
"No, you open it,” Shelly said, handing him the box. “I'm afraid I'll drop it."
Guy did as she asked. Removing the ring, he slipped it on her finger. Through her tears, she saw it as only a mass of rich gold and a sparkle of diamond that she could swear lit half the room.
And then he went down on one knee, right there in the kitchen, dressed in the awful pirate's suit—and kissed her hand. “The stuffed parrot's yours—and the ring, too. I want to marry you, the baby and all. Will you marry me?"
How can I tell him now? Was Shelly's first reaction. How can I admit that the baby I carry is his? He'll probably be angry and then he might leave again. I don't want him to leave; I never have from the first minute I looked into his pale blue eyes. I love him utterly, but does he love me enough to accept the truth without walking out of my life? It is by far easier to accept another man's child, which you can cast off should the relationship go bad, and quite another to find out, by law, that you have eighteen years of responsibility before you.
Guy couldn't stand to watch her worry her lip between her teeth any longer, so he blurted, knowing it not to be the best proposal in the world. “Christ, woman, I have to know this minute, now before I draw my next breath, will you marry me?"
As Shelly looked upon his handsome face, constricted with his need for her answer, it was like a weight lifting fr
om her shoulders. Suddenly, she knew that everything was going to be all right, Ted was her past and Guy was her future, and my what a rosy future that was going to be, she'd personally make sure of that.
"Angel, well, is it yes or no?"
"Yes. Oh yes. I'll marry you. I'll marry all of you, but—"
"I'm terrified to hear any buts,” he admitted sheepishly.
Shelly smiled. “Oh, I hope you will like this one. You see, the baby that you so generously want to take on is yours, Guy. You're going to be a father."
She held out her arms to him, longing for him to stand up, for him to hold her, but he stayed where he was. He raised a finger and said, “When?"
Awkwardly, due to her heavily pregnant belly, Shelly knelt down and slid her arms around his neck. “Remember on the Maldives, when the condom burst?"
Guy nodded. “I thought, I mean, I was sure the baby belonged to Ted. That he must have had the vasectomy reversed or something. I never even considered that I could be the father. I hate to ask this, but are you sure?"
She nodded wildly. “Yes, I never slept with Ted."
Guy expelled a pent-up breath, looking relieved. “I tortured myself, you know, after that morning, I kept seeing you in his arms. It was enough to drive me nuts."
"I know.” Her hair bounced against her shoulders as she nodded again. “I kept imagining your arms around me and I just ... just couldn't be intimate in that way with him."
He curled his arms around Shelly's shoulders and kissed her lightly on the brow. She was beautiful, she was his, and in a few short weeks, she'd give him the most precious gift that a woman could give a man. He couldn't give her the world, but he'd sure as hell try his damnedest to please her every second of every day. He'd give her that and all the love he could give her. Both in his heart and in the bed they would hopefully soon share.
"I love you, Shelly,” he whispered, nearly overcome by emotion.
She turned her soft green eyes up to gaze at him. “Are you happy about the baby?"
"Are you kidding? I'm over the moon, it makes us a real family."
She leaned into him. “Good, because I was thinking about maybe increasing our little family. Three is such an uneven number."
Guy chortled warmly. “Junior's not even here yet and already you're thinking about the next."
Shelly leaned her cheek against his hard chest and smiled up at him. “It might be a girl."
He grinned just the way she loved best, and her heart flipped over. “Nope, it's going to be a boy."
"We'll see,” was all she said.
"Aren't you going to open your other present?"
For the first time, Shelly noticed the other parcel, wrapped in purple paper sitting on the table “What is it?"
His blue eyes held a mischievous twinkle as he said innocently, “Open it and see."
The paper wrapping fell easily away. “Guy, it's a vibrator.” Tentatively, she picked up the nine-inch Willy. “Why on earth did you buy me a vibrator?"
He smiled sexily. “I thought we could use it tonight, in the bedroom."
She placed a hand on her stomach. “Isn't that too risky, with the baby?"
"Trust me, I'm a doctor.” He pulled her close and kissed her passionately. “It doesn't have to be risky, angel."
Shelly so wanted to believe him. “No?"
"Uh-uh.” He forked his tongue into her ear. “Darling, you've got three holes.” Gently he kissed her mouth. “One here and...” He cupped her mound. “One here and...” He gripped her ass. “One here. I didn't say which one I was going to play with now, did I? Perhaps I'll just play with one right here."
He pulled up her maternity dress and grabbed her distended abdomen. For a moment, Shelly worried that he would find her unattractive and fat. But the blazing desire in his eyes and the swollen erection beneath his trousers soon quieted her fears. When he parted the folds of her pussy and stuck several fingers inside, her body flamed up at his touch. One by one, he removed his fingers and licked off her sticky, creamy desire.
"Oh, God, Shelly! You have the most wonderful pussy in the world!” he moaned into the tawny curls of her pubic hair, his blue eyes burning with an exhilarating combination of love, desire, and lust.
"So this love of yours is just for my pussy? Yes?” she teased.
"No. I love everything about you, Shelly. Your long blonde hair, your green eyes, your tiny, pale body—"
Shelly looked at her swollen abdomen that cocooned their baby. “I'm not so tiny, now."
Guy stood and kissed her on the lips, “You're beautiful.” He freed his cock from his trousers; the large swollen head was dripping tons of clear sexual lubricant. It had been so very long since he'd last buried himself in her flesh—too long. Running his hands across her breasts, he grinded his cock against her thigh. “See just what you do to me, angel."
A shudder rocked Shelly's body at the feel of the solid warm organ. “Mmm ... Let's go to bed then and not waste it."
"Wait, I have a special request first,” he said, his hands working her big nipples, darkened with her pregnancy, while the other slipped deliciously between the folds of her pussy. “I want to know if we can serve spaghetti bolognaise at the reception."
Perplexed, Shelly asked, “Why do you want bolognaise, of all things?"
He gently tugged a lock of her hair. “Because it'll serve as a reminder that if I annoy you, I may very well end up wearing my dinner in our marriage."
Shelly flushed remembering how she'd dumped a plastic container of steaming bolognaise in his lap so long ago. Then she laughed. It was a happy, joyous sound.
Hearing it, Guy's heart swelled with love. Huskily he said, “And I want to know if I can wear this blasted pirate's suit to the ceremony."
"The pirate's suit's awful."
He grinned again. “I've grown quite partial to it."
"Oh, Guy, you can wear what you want, I don't care,” Shelly said and pulled him towards her for a kiss. “Because I love you."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
For Heather, writing is like the oxygen she needs to breathe. She loves books in every genre, from horror to romance and fantasy. An avid reader, with her own private book collection, numbering at over a thousand, she woke up one day with the passion and drive needed to write—Tempting Escape is the result.
Her second novel, French Kiss, will be coming out in January 2006 from Whiskey Creek Press.
When she's not writing, which isn't very often, Heather loves to reread a well-read romance while drinking a glass or two of red wine. Being born in the heart of William Wallace country, in Scotland, she now lives with her husband of six years in Germany, on the Swiss border, which she hopes to incorporate into her new World War Two romance novel she only just started writing.
A true romantic at heart, she hopes her erotic novels add excitement, and bring a little pleasure and spice into your life. Heather would love to hear from her readers. She can be reached by e-mail at: [email protected].
For your reading pleasure, we welcome you to visit our web bookstore
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