by S. J. Bishop
“Well, since the guest room turned into a nursery, I thought we could share a bed. Is that a problem?”
“No… I just didn’t expect you to want to sleep with me.”
I took her face in my hands and looked into her eyes. In that moment, I realized how truly beautiful they really were. There were a million things I wanted to say to her, but I kept quiet, pressing my forehead to hers. Soon, our lips collided, communicating everything in a silent language we both understood.
18
Lauren
The passion in our kiss continued even weeks after Frankie was born but it never ventured further than that. I could tell that it was hard for Franklin to keep his hands off me but he was trying, waiting for the moment when I’d be ready.
I was thankful for that.
Childbirth wasn’t easy and it took time for me to get back in order down there.
But, tonight I was ready.
And, I wanted him.
After nearly three months, it was finally time to quench this desire.
With a smirk, I jumped onto the bed, crawling on top of him, fingers around his wrists, pinning him into place.
“Oh…?” He looked up at me, tilting his head in question.
I silenced any further questions with a kiss, our lips coming together like a couple of magnets.
This kiss was different than all of the others. There was a passion – a fire – that burned behind his lips. As his hands roamed my body, there was a desperate need that motivated his fingertips to dance over my flesh. I melted into him, letting my inhibitions melt away.
It didn’t matter that this didn’t make sense. All that mattered was that my heart was beating so fast, and I wanted this – no, I needed it.
My skin tingled with excitement. My heart was beating a mile a minute, threatening to explode out of my chest at any second. I couldn’t believe this was happening. This couldn’t be real, and yet, it was.
Slowly, he leaned up and kissed the side of my neck.
Electricity shimmered into a burst of pleasure that rolled through my entire body. I tilted my head back, exposing my neck.
He took this opportunity to leave behind a trail of kisses that lead all the way to my collarbone. His teeth nipped against the skin, decorating it with subtle love bites.
I shivered with pleasure, giving myself up to this man. Never in my life had I imagined myself in a situation like this, but at the same time, it felt oh-so-right. This was meant to happen – I was sure of it.
Soon, his lips ran out of real estate when he reached the hem of my shirt. His eyes gleamed with lust before he flipped us over, taking control. Without an ounce of hesitation, he ripped my shirt off, letting it fly across the room.
My skin prickled with goosebumps now that it was exposed to the drafty air.
Franklin quickly remedied the situation. His hands roamed my body like as if couldn’t get enough. It didn’t take long for his fingers to find the clasp of my bra. He snapped it open and pulled the garment off my body with a flick of his wrist.
His eyes burned with lust as he looked at my chest. There was a carnal hunger written on his face just before he leaned down and took one of my nipples into his mouth. He sucked on it greedily, his tongue flicking back and forth, making it hard and sensitive.
As he toyed with my nipples, one of his hands crept down to my pants, unbuttoning them with ease. He shoved them to my knees, exposing my panties. They were nothing special, and in a way, I was embarrassed to be wearing them during our first time together.
He didn’t pay them any attention, however, because in an instant, he hooked his thumb into the waistband and ripped them right off my body. With a smirk, he held up his prize before throwing it to the ground.
Throughout this sexy little scene, neither one of us said a word. We were letting our bodies do all the talking.
And my body wanted more. I bucked my hips, thrusting them against his.
His smirk deepened, and in a desperate flurry, he stripped down until he was completely naked.
I was taken aback by how sexy he really was. His muscles danced underneath his skin. His shoulders were broad. He had a six-pack that was well-defined and looked rock-hard. Unable to help myself, I ran my hand along his body, all the way down to his massive member. I took him in my hand, struggling to wrap my fingers around his thick girth. Already, his tip was purple with excitement.
He moaned as I started to stroke him, taking my time, wanting to prolong this moment for as long as I could. Part of me never wanted it to end.
Franklin, however, could not take the teasing for very long. Suddenly, he pounced on me, pinning my wrists above my head. He growled, shoving one of his fingers inside me. He was met with a flood of wetness. I blushed. I had never been this horny in my entire life. It was like my body had finally found the one.
He fingered me for a few minutes, adding a second after a few pumps with the first.
I moaned, throwing my head back into the pillow. If his fingers felt this good, I could only imagine what his cock would feel like. I squirmed and bucked my hips, desperately wanting him inside of me.
He seemed to be reading my mind because he abruptly pulled out his fingers, replacing them with his cock. His length plunged into me so suddenly that it took me a moment to react.
I screamed his name, a surge of pleasure exploding inside of me, threatening to overwhelm me.
Franklin was quick to start pumping in and out of me, his pace quick and dirty. His balls slapped against my pussy as I started to moan louder and louder.
He covered my mouth with his hand. “You don’t want to wake the baby…” he whispered. “Or Gina…”
With this in mind, I tried to keep down my moans, but the pleasure consumed every recess of my mind. It was the only thing that I could focus on.
Franklin continued his assault, going faster and faster with each passing second.
My body started to shake. I knew I was close. Very close. Franklin seemed to know it too.
He became almost animalistic as he pounded into me. The bed creaked with our efforts.
My pussy tightened around him as my orgasm took over, rippling through my body before transforming into a cyclone of energy. By the time I came down from my high, Franklin had cum inside of me, coating my womb in his hot, sticky cum.
He collapsed on top of me, pulling me into his arms and holding me close.
I snuggled into his shoulder and fell asleep.
19
Franklin
I held her close for a long while, running my fingers through her soft hair. Her features were relaxed and angelic. I knew, in that moment, that there was nothing evil about her. She could in no way be involved with Dean Moss.
Still, I wasn’t completely at ease. Regret was starting to settle in my heart. I thought about my late wife. What would she say about my actions? Guilt tightened around my chest, making it hard to breathe.
Through the baby monitor, I heard Frankie start to fuss. I grabbed it and turned down the volume so that it would not wake Lauren. She deserved to sleep.
Quickly, I put on my clothes and walked into the nursery. There, I found Frankie wiggling about, looking up at me with his bright blue eyes. At first, the color had roused my suspicion, but the doctor assured me it was common for babies to start off with blue eyes. He said they would most likely change when he became a little older.
But, even at three months, they still sparkled with their ocean hue.
I’d just have to be patient.
“What’s the matter, little buddy?” I asked him, gently picking him up. “Are you hungry, or do you need a diaper change? Both?” He didn’t respond, but he did manage to hit me in the nose with his tiny mittened hand. I laughed, kissing his nose. He giggled, this time hitting the side of my head. “Why do I get the feeling that you’re going to grow up to become a boxer? I’m going to have to start calling you mini Mike Tyson.”
As I spoke with my son, I changed his diaper, re
membering all of the times I had done the same for Gina. It was strange, in a way. After Sabrina’s death, I’d assumed I would never have more children. After all, who would be able to replace my wife? And yet, I had just slept with a woman I barely knew – one who had carried my child for seven months without me even knowing she existed. It hurt my head to even think about it.
Gina crept into the room. “Daddy?” she called out.
I turned and looked at her. “Yes, sweetie?”
She didn’t respond. Instead, she crept forward, hands clutched around the crib railing, looking down at the baby.
“What do you think of your new baby brother?” I asked her.
She was quiet for a moment, thinking it over as she studied his face. Eventually, she looked up at me with a smile. “I like him. He’s cute. But, is he really my brother?”
I nodded.
“How?”
I bit my lip. Crap. I didn’t want to have this conversation with her right now. “Um… the stork?”
Gina looked at me, lips pressed together, hand on her hip. She didn’t believe me.
“Um…”
“It’s okay, daddy. I’m just happy that I have a brother!” She giggled. “Because now I’m a big sister, right?”
“That’s right, pumpkin. It’s a lot of responsibility. Do you think you’re up for it?”
“Yup!”
“Alright, so you don’t mind feeding the baby, then?” I asked, raising an eyebrow in question.
Her eyes widened. “You mean, I can help feed the baby?” “
“Of course. Go sit in the blue chair.”
With a giggle, she did as she was told.
“What have you been up to?” I asked, wondering how long Lauren and I had spent together. All notions of time had escaped me. I no longer knew if it was day or night.
“Coloring.”
“Sorry Daddy couldn’t color with you. Things have been busy with the baby, but it doesn’t mean that I love you any less.”
“I know,” she said, holding the bottle for her brother. “Is Lauren going to live with us all the time now? Is she going to be my mommy?”
Her question took me by surprise. I honestly didn’t know how to answer.
Even though Lauren had been living with us for the past three months, I had yet to make a solid decision. I kept putting it off, too scared to let go and too scared to hold on.
“I’m not sure. It’ll be up to her, I suppose.” The thought of her leaving, however, pained me. Even though I felt guilty about what we had done together, I didn’t want her to leave.
“I don’t want her to leave. I like her. She’s nice.”
I kissed the top of her head. “Don’t worry about it, pumpkin.”
She just nodded and focused all of her attention on feeding Frankie. Just then, the doorbell rang.
“That’s Uncle Cruz and Auntie Amelia. Do you think you can handle Frankie for a few minutes?”
“Yes!” she exclaimed, eager to take on the role of a responsible and capable older sister.
I smiled and jogged for the front door.
Cruz immediately pulled me into a hug, congratulating me. Amelia smiled, holding a casserole dish in her hands. Hunter hid behind their legs.
“So, where’s the little guy?”
“In the nursery, with Gina.”
I led them down the hall. As soon as Amelia saw the baby, she started to coo and make a fuss. Frankie giggled happily.
Relieved of her burden, Gina jumped down from the chair and started to tell Hunter all about her baby brother. She was rambling about a mile a minute, her voice filled with excitement and glee.
“So, when are you going to have one of your own? Or is taking care of your nephew enough for now?” I asked Cruz.
“Soon. We certainly tried during the honeymoon.”
I chuckled. “I can imagine. Those poor, poor cleaning women. I hope you gave them a good tip.”
“Of course I did. I very much appreciated the clean sheets every night.”
“Every night, for three months? Damn.”
Cruz smirked. “What can I say?” He puffed out his chest in a prideful manner.
I glanced at Amelia. “He’s not being serious, is he?”
She shrugged, grin playing on her lips. “Maybe, maybe not.”
“You guys are nuts… do you even have any nuts left?”
“Where’s Lauren?” Amelia asked, interrupting.
“Sleeping. She was exhausted.”
“So what do you make of her? Do you think she has anything to do with all of this?”
“I mean… it’s possible, but I don’t think it’s likely. She just doesn’t seem like the kind of person that would work for Dean. After three months, I think I would have figured it out. ”
“Looks can be deceiving. You have to admit that all of this is pretty suspicious.”
Cruz had a point.
“But don’t worry, we’ll get this all sorted out. Although you do have to come down to the office after dinner. I think Ned found something, and he wants to have a word with you.”
I groaned. “Are you really going to make me go to the office on your first day back?”?”
“Do you want to catch this bastard or not?”
I sighed. He was right. I had put this off for long enough. It was time to take him down once and for all. We were done hiding.
20
Lauren
I was enjoying a pleasant dream when Franklin woke me. I blinked, a little disoriented. “What is it?” I asked, my mind still groggy.
“My friend is here with his family. They brought dinner. Get dressed and join us.” There was a strange coldness in Franklin’s voice that I couldn’t quite comprehend. Had I done something wrong?
From what I could tell, the sex had been amazing. We had both seemed to enjoy it. Yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. He was looking at me with this strange look in his eyes.
“Okay.” Slowly, I rolled out of bed and slipped into the bathroom. I freshened up a bit before throwing on an outfit and following him into the kitchen.
There, the table was already set, and a steaming dish of shepherd’s pie looked so good that I nearly started to drool. It was only then that I realized how hungry I was. When was the last time I had eaten?
Taking care of a baby was an all-consuming task - no wonder people hired nannies.
“Cruz and Amelia, this is Lauren… my…” Franklin hesitated. At the hospital, he had so easily called me his girlfriend, but now, there was something holding him back. “Well, it’s complicated, but in any case, she’s the mother of my child.” The mention of the word child instantly made me perk up my head and look for Frankie. He was swaddled into a bouncing chair that rocked him to sleep. Again, I tried to figure out how Franklin had managed to remodel the guestroom and buy all the baby stuff during the time I was in the hospital. A part of me felt like I didn’t deserve all the attention he was giving us. I had done nothing to help him…
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Cruz shook my hand with a firm grasp. “Sorry I couldn’t drop by sooner. Amelia and I have been on our honeymoon, and since we’ve been back, it’s just been one thing after another. I’m sure you know how it goes.”
“Oh, congratulations.”
“Thank you.” He nodded.
Amelia watched me with a curious eye before pulling out her phone and typing furiously. I wondered what on Earth she was writing, and I prayed it wasn’t about me, but I had a hunch it was. Great…
“Well, let’s eat.” Franklin clapped his hands together and started to dish out equal portions to everyone.
Chatter filled the kitchen table.
By the end of the meal, Cruz kept looking at his watch. “We should get going.”
“Where?” I asked, a little afraid of staying home by myself. My kidnapper was still out there somewhere, and even though the house was guarded, I still felt a pinprick of fear creeping under my skin.
&nbs
p; But, deep down, it wasn’t the fear of being left alone - it was the fear of seeing Franklin leave. He had been by my side every single minute since I left the hospital, for three whole months. I don’t know if we got closer during that time, but I could feel a fondness growing in my chest.
I cared about him… and maybe much more than that.
“I have to do some work. It shouldn’t take long.” Franklin squeezed my hand under the table. “But don’t wait up for me.”
“Sorry for whisking him away, but this is something that needs to be taken care of.” Cruz placed his hand on Franklin’s shoulder. “Do you want to come with us, Gina?”
She glanced at Hunter and nodded.
“Alright, let’s go.”
Before I knew what was going on, they had all filed out of the house. I was now all alone with my baby. To soften the edge of loneliness, I took him into my arms, cradling him into my chest.
The doctor had told me that I’d be unable to breastfeed. My milk just didn’t produce the required nutrients to keep a baby healthy. This had saddened me. I had pictured myself sharing that special bond with my child, only to have it ripped away from me.
Formula would just have to make do.
I held the bottle, watching him suckle it with zest. I had no doubt that he would grow up big and healthy.
When he was done, he burped almost instantly. I smiled down at him and started to tickle his feet.
In that moment, everything felt perfect. There was nothing that could get between me and my son.
Soon, we both fell asleep on the couch. I had my arms wrapped around his tiny body, keeping him safe and sound.
When I awoke, Frankie was still asleep, a peaceful look on his face. Gently, I picked him up and carried him to the nursery. There, I tucked him into the crib.
I thought about watching some TV, but I didn’t want to leave him alone, so I sat down on the big blue chair and started to read some of the children’s stories on the bookshelf. I imagined myself reading them to him when he got a little older. My mind quickly traveled into other fantasies, some far into the future. I knew, deep down, we would have a happy life together.