Second Chance for Love

by April Zyon

  “Yeah, I think that we all are in shock.” She watched him and chewed her nails

  “If you need to, you can go and curl up on my bed and take a nap,” Brant told her.

  Oh, the poor man had no idea how appealing that was to her. To sleep in his bed. Before she could think about it, she asked, “And will you nap with me?” She flushed when she realized she had just blurted out the question that was in her mind. “Sorry. That came out and I so shouldn’t have asked that.” Who was she kidding? “And thank you for the broth and being so considerate of my stomach.”

  He was looking at her. “If you wanted me there, I would be,” he said quietly. “I’m not going to press you to do more than you are comfortable with, Mercy. If you want a nap, here and in my bed, with me there holding you, I will. Gladly, actually.”

  “I would like that. A lot,” she told him with a smile. “I slept with your pillow for a week. Well, the pillow you used that night. I know, dorky.” She was blushing again. “And coming from someone that doesn’t like relationships or having someone close to her, that says a lot.”

  He slid the mug into the microwave, set it to run, then came toward her. When Brant reached her, he crouched down in front of her. “Hey, we’ve both been burned. We both have our own issues. That doesn’t mean we can’t figure out a way for whatever we want this to be between us to work. We just have to be open, honest, and not play games. I trust you, Mercy, which for me is a huge thing. I don’t trust easily, not after all I’ve been through and seen. In my line of work, trust is a priceless commodity, but you’ve had it from the start.”

  Mercy slid out of her chair and into his arms. She hugged him tightly. She could only nod and hold onto him for several moments. “I agree.” She pulled back slightly and looked at him. “No games. I don’t do games. That’s why I came as soon as I was sure what had happened,” she whispered with her forehead to his. “I have no idea what’s going to happen between us, but what I do know is that I care for you, a lot. I know that you are very important to me, and yes.” She pulled back to look at him again. “I trust you. Which, like you, is huge for me.”

  He smiled at her. With a surge of muscle, he stood, with her in his arms, and sat in the chair she’d just vacated. Settled in his lap, his arms around her, they sat for a time. “It’ll be okay, Mercy. We’ll work this all out because we both want this to work out.”

  “Agreed.” Mercy rubbed her cheek to his shoulder. When the microwave beeped, she smiled. “Okay, feed me and then let’s take a nap? I’m assuming since you were off and working all morning that you could use a nap as well?”

  “Absolutely.” They switched places and he went to collect the mug. He passed it to her before disappearing through a door only to reappear with a box of Saltines in hand. “Josh is a fucking slave driver with all of the work that he had me doing today. If I’d been able to lift my arms, I’d have smacked him around to remind him who the older brother was, but I couldn’t.”

  Mercy accepted the Saltines from him and grinned. “Well, he’s just reminding you that he does this job all the time. Or something like that?” She shrugged. She took a sip of the broth and sighed. “Oh man, this is so good.” It hit her stomach just right. She took a Saltine and crunched on it with a sound of pure happiness. “Goodness, I think I might have to live on this for the next little while.”

  Chuckling, he sat in the chair he’d been in earlier as she ate. “Told you it was good. There’s plenty more in the fridge, as well as a couple containers frozen, so you can eat it whenever the need hits you. Though, if you’re anything like some other women, you’ll probably do the bigger meal in the evening, next to nothing in the morning, and then a light meal in the middle of the day. Another reason to get you on the prenatal vitamins quickly. You likely won’t be taking in all you actually need for yourself, let alone a baby, for the first while. Hopefully this only lasts the one trimester, though.” It was clear that someone had done a bit of reading in his life. A man who truly had wanted children and would be there with her through every step of the pregnancy.

  “I can only hope so. That’s pretty much been me. I’ve not been able to eat in the mornings, but by dinner time, I’m starving. If I’m lucky, this won’t last much longer, but you are right. Prenatals would be good so that we can ensure that our child is healthy. That’s what’s most important. How do you know so much about pregnancy? Did you do a great deal of reading about it?”

  “Because I actually had hopes of having a child one day, I read everything that I could find on the subject,” Brant admitted with a slight blush to his cheeks. He let her eat in relative silence, making idle conversation now and again, but nothing pressing. When she’d finished the broth, he went to clean the mug and put on the kettle. Once the water boiled, he made a cup of tea. “Come on, let’s take this upstairs. You can get comfortable, drink some of this down, then you can hopefully get some sleep.”

  “Sounds good to me.” She stood and slipped her hand into his when he offered it to her. “And I’m sure that I will get some sleep. I didn’t sleep well last night, and this morning I’ve been buzzed with emotion, so I’m more than a little exhausted.” Plus, she would have him at her side.

  He squeezed her fingers as he led her from the kitchen. They went up the stairs, down a hall, and into a room that was all his. Not so much the stuff, but the scent that was his alone. It surrounded her as soon as they entered. “Bathroom’s right there,” he said. He was pointing to a door just to his right as he closed and locked the bedroom door. “Do you want something to sleep in besides those jeans?”

  “Can I sleep in one of your T-shirts?” she asked. “If you don’t mind, that is. Because it would be better to sleep in something comfortable instead of something so constraining.” And her shirt wasn’t exactly loose, so a shirt of his would be nice. Actually, naked would have been better.

  “Anything you want,” he told her. “The dresser has a bunch in there, or you can hit up my luggage for ones from this decade.” He chuckled as he set the cup of tea on the nightstand. “Everything in the dresser’s a little outdated. Mostly stuff I’ve left here from visits over the years. It all mostly fits still, it just isn’t the height of fashion any longer.”

  “Since I’m only sleeping, there won’t be anyone who will see what I’m wearing other than you. Unless your family just barges into the room and whatever.” She frowned. “But the dresser is fine.” She opened a couple of drawers before finding shirts. She grabbed one and looked at him. Part of her wanted to strip there in front of him, but in the end, she went to the bathroom to change.

  When she came out, she was dressed in his shirt and her hair was taken out of the pony tail she had it in earlier. “Naptime.” She rubbed her hands together and smiled. “You have no idea how much I’m looking forward to this.”

  “Drink your tea,” he said with a firm look. “It’ll help you sleep, It’s all natural, and decaffeinated too, so it’s good for you. I’ll hit the bathroom real quick, and then we’ll sleep.” He grabbed something from his bag, something she didn’t get a good look at, and went into the bathroom.

  Mercy sipped at the tea, leaning against the headboard and finishing it when the door opened. Holding the cup after she was finished with it, she watched him walk out. Her mouth watered at the sight of him. His chest was bare and his muscles seemed to have muscles. Goodness, he was a beautiful, beautiful man. “Naptime?” she asked hopefully, looking forward to him wrapping his arms around her.

  He gave a nod as he tossed his stack of clothing onto the top of the dresser. Clad only in a pair of sweats, barely held up on his hip bones, he walked to the bed. When she held the cup out to him, he took it and set it aside. “Scoot over,” he ordered. Only after he drew the heavy drapery did he join her on the bed.

  She scooted over, but not enough to have a huge space between them. Turning to her side, she felt him moving into the bed and closed her eyes when he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Her back t
o his front, she relaxed fully. “Good rest, Brant,” she whispered softly, and yawned again. “Thank you for wanting to be part of this adventure with me, for being part of our child’s life, and mine.”

  He didn’t say anything for a time, and his silence seemed heavy around her. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be, Mercy,” he told her finally. “I don’t know where this is going to lead, how this will all work out, but I’m not going to let you go through this alone.”

  “I’m glad because I really don’t want to do this alone,” Mercy admitted with another yawn. She couldn’t keep awake any longer. Before she knew it, she was sliding off and into sleep, warm, relaxed, comfortable, and safe in Brant Carver’s arms.

  Chapter Six

  When Mercy woke, it was to a large hand on her belly, stroking her and teasing her, which made her moan. She shifted in the bed, turning so she could face Brant. She lifted a hand to touch his face lightly, almost lovingly. Without words, Mercy leaned in and kissed him. She lifted a leg to wrap around his hip and pull her closer, her need clear in her actions, her desire and want. Her hands moved from his face and down his chest, touching and memorizing each inch of his flesh she could reach. She wanted him. God help her, but she needed him inside of her and wanted to know just what it felt like to make love with Brant Carver without drugs, and without the haze of uncertainty between them.

  “Did you sleep well?” he asked softly. His hand was up on her hip now, squeezing gently as she touched him. He wasn’t pushing her for anything, and he wasn’t pushing her away either. Brant seemed to be waiting to see what she was about before doing much of anything.

  “I did, actually. I think that I truly needed that nap.” She moved so that she could rest against him. Poor man, she had all but attacked him when she woke. Not good. At all. Rubbing her cheek to his chest, she sighed. “I should likely get up, though. I’m sure you have a hundred things you need to do, and I should go home, right?” All it would take would be a move from him and she was his, but already, she had pushed too far and knew it. Damn, she hated having a conscience sometimes.

  “You don’t need to go anywhere yet, do you?” he asked softly. She felt his lips brushing over her cheek gently, a feather light touch that moved toward her mouth. “If you have to leave, I suppose I could let you up. If you don’t need to leave, then I think you should stay right here for a little while longer at least.”

  “I think that I would like to stay a bit longer. I have nothing to do and nowhere to be. The only thing that I should do sometime before five p.m. would be to make the doctor’s appointment.” She rubbed her hands up and down his back, her cheek to his chest. “What do you want to do in the meantime?”

  “Well, I was thinking,” he started. His hand slid around to her back then down. She felt the brush of his fingertips to her thigh before he began to lift the shirt. “I cannot, for the life of me, no matter how hard I’ve tried, remember just how we created this little miracle. I can’t remember what you look like without your clothing on. I can’t remember your taste, the texture of your skin, nothing. I was thinking that, perhaps if you were of a like mind, we could recreate the original event.”

  “I think that would be a wonderful idea.” Mercy looked up at him and smiled. “I would really love to know just how you feel and taste as well.” She shivered when he touched her bare skin and smirked. “Surprise.” She was naked under his shirt. Yep, she had been horny before the nap, and was even more so now.

  “Not really a huge surprise,” he said quietly. “I may have, possibly, more than likely, slipped a hand up under your shirt earlier. Not far, but I was curious. It definitely didn’t help with my sleep at all. Damn near took me a bloody hour to fall asleep.” He lifted the shirt further until it caught under her breasts and arms. “Off, now.”

  She shifted so that he could tug the shirt fully off of her body. She was shifted to her back now and looking up at him. “I think you should lose the sweats as well,” she told him with a grin.

  He didn’t appear to hear her, his attention fully on her body. His hand was on her upper chest, sliding ever so slowly down between her breasts to her belly. “Beautiful,” he said softly. Looking up and meeting her eyes, she saw he meant what he said.

  Mercy felt her heart melt. Good lord, she had never felt anything close to what she was feeling right now. “And here I was just thinking that you are exceptionally handsome.” She stroked her fingers over his chest and licked her lips. “Now, pants?”

  “What?” he said. He had a frown on his face until she pointed down his body. “Oh, right.” He chuckled and rolled to push them off. Unfortunately, the blankets hid anything she really wanted to see, and then he was rolling back over into her body. She might not be able to see his cock, but she sure as hell could feel it against her leg.

  Mercy lifted her leg and rubbed her inner thigh to his outer thigh. “God, I love how you feel. I could become addicted to you, Brant.” Which was terrifying for her. “You feel so right. So hard. So…God, so perfect.” She wanted him to be hers, but they had both been hurt. She trusted Brant, and what’s more, she wanted and needed him in her life. First, she needed to get over her past heartache, something she knew she would be able to do with Brant there with her.

  Moving over her slowly, he settled his weight between her legs, his chest brushing hers as he braced on his arms. “Hardly, Mercy. Of the two of us, you’re closer to perfection than I’ll ever be. No, I’m not going to argue the point, woman.” He smiled at her. “I’m right, so deal with it.”

  Mercy laughed and nodded. “Okay, you are right.” She gave in without fighting over it. She knew that for him, she was perfect, and he was perfect for her. “How about you kiss me again and show me just exactly how the creation of our miracle started?”

  “Well, this will only be a guess, but I figure it might have started something like this.” With a light touch, Brant brushed his lips slowly over her throat, pausing a moment to nuzzle her skin, and working his way up to her ear slowly. A light nip of his teeth to her earlobe was just the start of his sensual assault.

  Mercy shuddered. “Oh that’s a very, very good way to start. What else do you think might have happened that night? I want full details, with hands-on teaching, please.”

  His breath was warm on her jaw as he nibbled from one side to the other, nipping at her other earlobe. “I’d hope that I might have made you half-crazed with need. Slowly tempting you, and driving your need higher.” Brant’s lips were on her cheek now, working steadily toward her lips.

  “Oh, I’m sure.” She was already half-crazed with need. She shifted again, her foot catching against his ass and tugging him closer. “I can only hope that I made you just as desperate as you made me, though.”

  He ground his cock against her pussy, letting out a low growl. “If you were there, you drove me fucking insane, woman. I can feel how hot, how wet you are on my cock. Damn, Mercy.” He hissed out her name. With a sharp nip to her lip, he lifted his head to stare down at her.

  She whimpered and lifted closer to him. “I need you inside of me,” she begged him. “Already pregnant and clean. No one has ever made love to me without a condom. Please?” She trusted him enough that she wanted him naked inside of her body. She needed to feel the slide of skin to skin.

  His hard cock slid against her clit, back and forth. “I’ve never been with anyone but you-know-who without one. I’m clean too, Mercy. We’re tested every six months as part of the job.” A kiss to her lips then his mouth was gone, open on her throat as he nibbled a path down to her chest.

  “Then you need to be inside of me,” she demanded, and pulled him tighter to her pussy with her heels to his ass. “I want to move with you. I need you to fuck me.” She wanted him to make love with her, fuck her. God, she wanted everything with him.

  A rough chuckle had his hot breath teasing her breasts a moment before his tongue slid over the curve of one. “Are you always so demanding, sweetheart?” he asked, his tone lazy. He nibb
led down her breast, his breath brushing over her nipple as he paused there.

  “I think that with you, I will be,” Mercy said with a grin and lifted her body once more. “But that’s only because you are teasing me so much,” she added with a laugh. “Oh God.” She lost all smiles when his mouth closed over her nipple. She hadn’t realized just how sensitive her breasts had become, but they were, and she sobbed. “Again,” she begged. “That feels so good.” Her hands were at his head and holding him close.

  He nuzzled at her other breast a moment before he latched onto her neglected nipple. He suckled on it gently, enough pressure to have her squirming, but not so much that it hurt her. The slide of his hands over her skin was amazing, another point of contact, another sensual sensation.

  Mercy moaned, the sound low and desperate. “Brant.” She bit her lower lip and let her nails bite into his shoulders. She grinned. “I had hickeys for a week.” Bruises on her hips and had never felt so right in all her life than they had that next morning, even though she couldn’t recall the night.

  He lifted his head to look at her. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I never meant to hurt you, sweetheart.” He was keeping his touch really light, ensuring that she didn’t have any other marks on her likely.

  “Don’t be sorry. I loved it. It meant that we both enjoyed ourselves, a lot.” She wanted that wildness again. “I like that I wore your marks on my body for a week. You have no idea how often I would touch them and just smile. I knew we had enjoyed each other, and that was what was important.”

  With light fingers, he caught her chin, shifting enough to press a kiss to her lips. “As long as you weren’t in pain. I hate not knowing what we did that night, especially given I marked you like that.” He slid a hand down her leg, lifting it up higher on his waist as he pressed the head of his cock to her pussy. “Later, I want to taste all of you, Mercy. Now I need you too much to take the time, but later, I’ll make it up to you.”