by Tawny Taylor
“I’m sorry if I took that away from you.” Moving closer, he reached for her hand. “I apologize for that much. But I won’t apologize for giving her the chance to know what the hell she was getting into by marrying me.”
“You’re happy she broke the engagement.”
“Like I said last night, I wanted to marry you from the start.” His fingers curled around her hand.
“Well, don’t count your chickens yet, buddy. I didn’t say I would marry you.”
His gaze flicked to her stomach. “But the child. You have thought about the child, haven’t you?”
“Yes. The child deserves to grow up in a home that is safe and happy.”
He tugged on her hand, coaxing her back toward the bed. “With two parents, a mother and a father,” he continued for her.
She planted her feet. There was no way he was going to get her back in that bed. No fricking way. “Safe and happy doesn’t necessarily mean with both parents, together. I’m not sure you and I can live together without killing each other.”
“Then why don’t we give it a trial run?”
She laughed. “That’s a stupid idea.”
“No, it’s not. Millions of couples move in together before they get married, to make sure they can live together.”
“Not this girl. I don’t shack up with men. No.”
Tage audibly sighed. He went to the bed, sat. His dick wasn’t at full staff anymore, but even at its current state, it was impressive. “Come here.”
“I would rather not.”
“Please.”
“No.”
He tipped his head and gave her a pleading look, and she bit her lip. Damn, did he have some compelling come-hither eyes. “I promise I won’t touch you. I just want to talk.”
Her willpower was weakening. Not to mention, she was getting tired. It was sometime in the middle of the night. Her internal body clock was reminding her of that fact.
“Fine.” She grabbed the blanket before shuffling over to the bed. When she sat, she made sure there was a safe distance between them.
He shoved his fingers through his hair. As he did that, his shoulder and arm muscles flexed. They were really nice. He was a beautiful man. Beautiful, but also more than a little overbearing. Controlling. Could she spend the rest of her life with him? She honestly couldn’t say.
“You are pregnant with my child. Maybe I haven’t presented myself as the most stable and dependable man to you. I did that because I wanted you to know what to expect. I’m not perfect. Actually I’m as far from perfect as a man can get. But I am trying to do the right thing. For you. For our child.”
She pulled the blanket tighter around her. “There are so many things about this situation I don’t understand.”
“I get that.”
“Do you really?” When he nodded, she asked again, “Really?”
“Sure. From your perspective I probably look like a complete ass.”
“Well . . .” At his don’t-lie-to-me look, she confessed, “Okay, yes. Why did you ask me to marry you, then turn around and ask Angela practically the next day?”
He stared down at his hands for several minutes. “I need to get married.”
“Need to?” That explained him going to Angela after she refused. But it didn’t explain everything. “Why?”
“It’s a family thing. There are certain expectations my brothers and I must abide by. One of them is to be married. My two brothers have both taken wives. I’m the youngest, the last.”
“This sounds like the plot of a fairy tale or a romance novel,” she said. “What happens if you don’t? Will you lose an inheritance?”
“The consequences are a little more serious than that. To be honest, if they weren’t, I would have been willing to wait for you.”
She didn’t know what to make of this. He had to marry someone for some reason. And quickly. “What consequences?”
“It’s complicated.”
He wasn’t going to explain it all, but she had the gist. “So what you’re saying is if I don’t marry you, you’ll marry someone else.”
“No, I’m saying that somehow I have to convince you to marry me. Angela was easy. She wanted money, stability. That was something I could promise her.”
“Well, that’s going to be one hell of a challenge. Because I won’t marry just for stability. I want more. I want everything. Companionship. Friendship. Affection. Love.” She yawned, blinked. Her eyes were dry and scratchy, her body heavy.
“That’s okay. I’m up for the challenge.” He flashed a heart-stopping smile as he scooted back until he was reclined against the headboard. He patted the pillow next to him. “But I think you need some rest. Come here. I promise I won’t wake you again.”
She sent him a squinty glare. “I don’t think I trust you.”
He chuckled, and the way her body responded to that sound made her question whether she could trust herself. “I swear I won’t lay a hand on you.” He yawned. “I’m tired, too.” Reaching up, he turned off the lamp. Then, not waiting for her, he slid down under the covers.
She sat there in the dark for a few minutes, listening to his slow, steady breathing. The longer she sat there, the better that bed looked. Finally, she could deny herself no longer. She crawled up to her spot, pulled the covers back, marveled for a moment about the gorgeous hunk of manliness lying next to her, then covered herself up and closed her eyes.
His warmth felt so good. Comforting. The sound of his deep breaths lulled her to sleep.
Yes. At last. He had her where she belonged. His Michelle. His wife. His.
He inhaled deeply, drawing in the sweet scent of her skin. He had promised he wouldn’t touch her. Impossible. But he would wait until she was asleep.
She whimpered, and a flash of heat ignited deep inside his body. Damn, he hoped he could wait until she fell asleep. His palms burned. His blood simmered.
She was right there, within reach. Her silken hair. Her smooth, satiny skin. Her soft, warm little body. What man could resist?
His hand stirred. He slid it across the sheet and let a single fingertip graze her arm.
“Do that again, and I’ll kick you so hard, you’ll be singing soprano for a month,” she snapped.
He swallowed a chuckle. His wife was a fiery little thing. If someone had asked him a month ago whether he liked a woman like her, he probably would have denied it. But now that he had gotten to know Michelle, he couldn’t imagine her being any other way. She was perfect. The perfect wife. The perfect mother for his children. Stronger than he’d thought. Independent. Determined.
And committed. To her beliefs. To her morals. And soon to him.
When her breathing grew slow and deep, he pulled her little body against his. Yes, she fit there perfectly. His cock hardened. His balls tightened. He bit his lip, closed his eyes, and prayed she would sleep for many hours.
18
Birdsong.
The scent of a man, fresh out of the shower.
The cool, smooth sheets caressing her skin.
The mouthwatering smell of bacon.
Mmmmm, bacon.
Michelle stretched. Her body was still stiff and heavy. She dragged up her eyelids and checked the bed first. Tage was gone. Where he’d been sleeping the sheets were now cool. His pillow still had the indentation where his head had been resting. She grabbed it, pulled it to her chest, and cradled it to herself.
Last night had been so strange. She’d gone to an engagement party, thinking she would be celebrating her friend’s marriage to the father of her child. Instead, she’d vomited. In front of him. Then he’d more or less kidnapped her, left her at his place and returned to the party, returned and fondled her as she slept, then somehow convinced her to not only stay the rest of the night but actually consider marrying him.
She’d gone insane.
Hormones. It had to be the hormones.
She needed to touch base with reality.
Her stomach rumbled. Saliva flood
ed her mouth.
After she ate some bacon.
Once again, she stretched her stiff, sore muscles as she sat up. Then she scooped up her clothes on her way to the bathroom. Ten minutes later, she’d vomited, showered, brushed her teeth, did what she could to make herself presentable, and dressed in last night’s clothes, minus the used panties. Those she tucked into her purse.
She headed downstairs feeling pretty decent, well rested . . . and hungry. She was roughly halfway down the staircase, when Tage rounded the corner. He looked up, saw her, gave her one of those grins that made her knees weak, and bounded up the steps, taking three at a time.
“How are you feeling?” he asked as he caught her arm as if she was about to collapse.
“I’m fine.” Her stomach rumbled loudly, and she clapped a hand over it. “Starving.”
“Good. I have breakfast.” He wrapped an arm around her waist. It was odd, having someone treat her like she was so frail. She halfheartedly tried to move away from him, but he tightened his hold.
Together, they slowly made their way to the kitchen. It was empty.
He motioned to the French doors at the rear of the kitchen. “Your breakfast is waiting for you outside. On the deck. I thought you might enjoy some fresh air.”
“That’s very thoughtful. Thanks.” Letting him steer her with a hand on her waist, she meandered through the spacious kitchen to the doors. Outside, the sky was a brilliant blue, cloudless. Birds chattered in a nearby tree. The deck was large, multilevel. The table sat at one end, covered with a wood gazebo structure. And a wall of trees circled a well-manicured lawn. At the back of the property shimmered a pond.
It was, in one word, gorgeous.
He pulled out her chair for her.
Sitting, she took in the spread as he circled around to sit across from her. Bowls of fruit, platters of bacon, eggs, and toast sat on the table. At her place sat a glass of orange juice and another of water. “This is some breakfast,” she said.
“I read that you will feel better if you eat a good breakfast. With lots of protein.”
She giggled. He was trying hard to please her. That was for sure. Clearly he was determined to prove that he was good husband material. One breakfast would only go so far. But it was a good start.
He immediately grabbed the platter of scrambled eggs and started loading up her plate. “The doctor will be coming by the house at eleven. And Rin and Lei would like to take you shopping later. I thought you might like to spend some time with them.”
There they were again, Rin and Lei. The sisters did seem nice, if a bit reserved. They didn’t have a lot to say last night when she’d briefly met them at the party, which made her a little uneasy. “That’s very nice, but I don’t see any reason why I need to see a doctor this morning. The nausea is nothing, probably a little bug I caught. It’s too soon for morning sickness. I’m fine. I have an appointment with my own physician in a week. Plus, I would like to go home, change my clothes, shower.”
“You can shower here,” he offered. “While you’re cleaning up, I can run over to your place and get you some clothes.”
“Why would you do that? I mean, that’s nice of you to offer, but I was assuming I would be going home this morning. I have things to do—”
“What things?” he asked as he dropped several strips of bacon on her plate.
“I need to do laundry.”
“I’ll help you. You shouldn’t be carrying anything heavy.”
“I can manage a laundry basket. It isn’t that heavy. I don’t own very many clothes. And none of them are made out of plate steel or anything.”
“I don’t mind helping.” He spooned some fruit onto her plate.
She touched his wrist, stopping him from putting any more food on her plate. It was loaded enough. “It isn’t necessary, Tage.”
“Okay.” He dumped some eggs on his own plate, a big mountain of them. “How long will it take for you to finish?”
“Why?”
“Like I said, I thought you might like to go out with the girls. And I wanted to take you to lunch first.”
She was feeling a smidge crowded. Holding up her hands, palms facing him, she said, “You’re getting too pushy.”
“Oh. Damn. Okay. I’ve got the message.” He stared down at his plate for a moment. “I thought you’d appreciate the thought.”
Was he pouting? No. Disappointed? Yes, that was it. Disappointed.
“I’m sorry. I have a routine. I like my routine.”
“No reason to apologize. I’m the one invading your life,” he said to his plate.
“You aren’t invading it.” Actually, he kind of was, but she couldn’t stand seeing him look so sad.
His lips curled slightly. “I’m glad you feel that way.” He tipped his head toward the table. “Finish up, and then I’ll run you home.”
“Thank you.” She took another bite of bacon. It was crisp, just the way she liked it. Salty. So good. She took another. And another. And several more until she couldn’t eat another bite. Leaning back, she placed her hand on her stomach. “That was insanely delicious. Please tell whoever cooked it I enjoyed everything immensely.”
“You just told him yourself.”
“You cooked all of this?”
“Yes.”
She just might be in love. “Wow, I’m impressed. I never would’ve thought a man like you would know his way around a kitchen.”
“A man like me?” His smile amped up to full wattage. “What kind of man is that? I’m curious.”
“A man who works a lot, makes good money, doesn’t have to cook for himself.”
“Hmmm. You’re in for a few surprises, I think.”
“Good ones, I hope.”
“All good.” Standing, he set his hands on the back of her chair. “Ready?”
“Yes. I just need to grab my purse upstairs.” As she stood, he pulled her chair out for her. Then he led her through the house and, once she had collected her purse, outside to the car with a hand resting on her back. Like a gentleman, he opened her door for her, then waited until she was seated, before slamming it and rounding the front of the car to take his own seat. The sun was climbing quite high in the eastern sky as their car turned onto the road, roaring toward her house.
She stared out the window most of the drive, watching the world hum by. Businesses, schools, houses. As she sat there, she wondered what her life would be like in a year. By then she would be a mother. A mother. A little quiver of panic raced through her.
She was going to have a child.
Her life was about to change, whether she married Tage or not. And that change was going to be huge. Another wave of panic crashed through her.
What if she wasn’t ready? What if she didn’t know what to do? What if there was something wrong with her baby?
And what about work? What if she had complications and couldn’t work for a while? Disability wouldn’t be enough.
“You’ve been very quiet,” he said, glancing her way as they sat at a traffic light. They weren’t far from her place now. Within a mile.
“I’m just... a little tired. Someone woke me in the middle of the night,” she said, smiling to let him know she was teasing. A part of her couldn’t wait to be home, alone. She needed to think, to make plans, to consider all her options.
The other part, the scared part, wanted to tell Tage to turn the car around and take her back to that big house in the woods. It had been so peaceful there.
She’d felt safe. Protected. Cared for.
As he pulled up in her parking lot, she unclipped her seat belt and hugged her purse to her chest. “Thank you,” she said. “For breakfast.”
“You’re welcome.” He motioned for her to stay put, then hopped out of the car and jogged around to her side. As she climbed out, she turned to step away from the vehicle, but he moved, blocking her in. Smiling up at him, she repeated, “Thanks again for the delicious breakfast. And for taking care of me last night when I was sick.
I wasn’t happy you basically kidnapped me, but I can see now that your intentions were genuine. Nobody has ever done anything like that for me before.”
He cupped her cheek. “Come back to my place.”
“I will. Sometime. Soon.”
“No. Today. Now.” His gaze flicked to her mouth.
“I can’t.”
He leaned closer, angling his head until his mouth was so close to hers, his sweet breath warmed her lips and her head spun. If he kissed her, he just might convince her to go back to his place. He might convince her to do a lot of other things, too.
She placed her hands on his chest, intending to push him back. He didn’t budge. “Tage, I need some space, some time.”
“You need rest,” he suggested, his mouth still hovering dangerously close to hers.
“That, too, yes.”
“You can rest at my house.”
“For some reason, I don’t think I would get much rest there.”
He looped an arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him. “I guarantee you wouldn’t leave my bed.”
A blast of heat rocketed through her at the flames she saw flickering in his eyes. “Yes, but that doesn’t mean I would get any sleep.”
“True. But can you blame me?” He angled his head lower, letting his mouth gently caress hers. The light touch sent another wave of erotic need raging through her. He growled. Literally. The sound was low and rumbly and made her knees wobble. “I want to do things to your sweet little body. So many things. Some things I shouldn’t want to do.”
The air left her lungs. A flurry of images flashed through her mind, all of them bone-meltingly hot. “Tage,” she heard herself mutter.
“Tell me to leave,” he said as he sprinkled kisses along her jaw.
She opened her mouth but all that came out was a whimper.
“Tell me to leave now.” One of his hands skimmed up her torso, fingertips grazing the side of her breast. Her spine arched, pushing her breast against him.
A growly groan vibrated against her neck as he flicked his tongue over the sensitive skin just below her ear.
Ohmygod, she wanted this man. A moan slipped from her lips, and she felt her bones softening. Heat was pounding through her now, waves of need. She curled her hands into fists, gathering the material of his shirt in them, and tried to summon up the strength to push away.