ROMANCE: BAD BOY ROMANCE: Basketball Daddy (BWWM Alpha Male Billionaire Pregnancy Romance) (African American Unexpected Pregnant Contemporary Romance)

by Ava Walsh

  “What is the meaning of this, Steve?” Teresa was the one to ask. She was standing between the two men and glaring at Steve, shocked and surprised by what she had just witnessed.

  “I’m just looking out for you, Teresa. Only because you’re my old friend’s daughter. You wouldn’t want to be made into a laughing stock, would you? This man cannot be trusted,” Steve said in one breath, and then turned around to jump back into his car.

  Teresa remained standing where she was and stared at him as Steve drove away without a wave or a goodbye.

  “What an absolutely ghastly man,” Rose said, and Teresa whipped around to find Derek staring at her. His expression had changed from furious and narrowed to wide and apologetic. He looked like a man who wanted to apologize but didn’t know what the words for it were.

  “What was that about, Derek?” Teresa asked him, as softly as she could. She knew Rose was on the porch, eavesdropping.

  “Don’t mind him, Mr. Mason. We all know he has a bone to pick with you because of your father,” Rose spoke up again. Teresa looked up at the old lady and breathed in deeply.

  “Rose, would you excuse us for a minute please?” Teresa tried to be polite. She knew Rose was only trying to help.

  “Yes, of course, but you both should come in quickly. It’s mighty hot outside.” Rose smiled and turned around to hobble back inside. Teresa waited until the door had shut behind her to look back at Derek, who was looking away from her now.

  “Derek? What was that about?” she asked him again, but the look which he had had earlier when he seemed to be looking for the right words to say had disappeared. He was back to being expressionless again.

  “Nothing you have to worry about,” he said after several seconds of silence, and looked at her. His eyes were blue, his jaw was squared and Teresa noticed a light stubble on his cheeks.

  “Of course we haven’t signed any papers yet, so you can take the Mayor’s advice if you like. I’m not forcing you into anything. That’s not what yesterday was.” Derek spoke confidently, and without waiting for a response turned around to start walking towards the bike.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Teresa called out to him as he reached the side of his bike and swung his leg over it. She felt a jolt of memory from the previous day at the sight of that, the way he had roughly pushed her against it, clutched her butt and thrust into her. She felt a shiver run down her back.

  “You’re not the only one who can walk away without an explanation,” Derek replied, and quickly put on his leather gloves. Teresa watched him, watched his rugged, tanned hands. She knew how they felt, rough and big against her skin.

  She watched him ride off without a look in her direction, and she suddenly felt the prick of hot tears in her eyes, at the back of her eyelids.

  “Did Mr. Mason leave?” Rose opened the door to ask. Teresa turned on her heels and tried to smile at the old woman.

  “Yes. He had some business to attend to,” Teresa said, but she had a feeling that Rose didn’t buy it.

  “The Mayor hates him because of his father. They had some fall out during the elections a few years ago. That’s all it is. It isn’t about you, dear.” Rose spoke gently as Teresa climbed the stairs.

  “Rose. Why did he leave Austin and move to Klaire?” she asked, as she came to a halt in front of Rose. She was looking into the eyes of the older lady directly.

  “I don’t know, dear. You’ll have to ask him, I suppose. I don’t think anybody knows.” Rose wiped her hands on her apron and then turned to walk back into the house.

  The loud roar of Derek’s bike engine had started to fade away now and Teresa turned back to scan the desert skyline to see if she could still spot it. Derek on his bike looked like a speck of dust in the distance, but she could still see where he was, riding fast down the winding road to somewhere. It looked like he was going out of the town. Where was he going? What was he running away from?

  Teresa felt a knot in the pit of her stomach. She was curious about him. About why he smiled so suddenly sometimes, why he was a loner, what it was about him that made her behave so inappropriately. What did he think of her now that he had taken her like a passing object of desire? She was breathing heavily as she watched. She couldn’t even see him anymore but Teresa knew at that moment that there was more to Klaire than she had imagined. Her time here was going to be as eventful as her life in New York, if not more so.

  Chapter Six

  Teresa stepped out of her car outside the front gate and walked over to push the wrought iron gates open. It was a long driveway from the gate to the front door of the Miller Mansion, made up of cobblestones and neatly outlined by bright green hedges. Unless Derek had his own gardener, he was definitely someone with magical green fingers. On either side of the driveway, thick bushes and beds of flowers grew, designed creatively into patterns. She was surprised that so many flowers even grew here in Klaire, which was otherwise surrounded by dry, desert soil.

  As Teresa walked, she could see the hint of vast expanses of farmlands and a distant ranch at the back of the mansion, hidden from view from the front. Her smooth, dark skin, which she had inherited from her mother, was beginning to tan in the harsh Texan sun, she thought, especially now that she had forgotten to lather herself with sunscreen. She’d borrowed an old, straw hat from Rose, though, to match her yellow summer dress, so at least that was some protection.

  Teresa was taking a chance. She wasn’t sure if Derek was at his house, who else lived with him at the house, or if she was interrupting anything. Rose had not been able to provide her with much information when she had asked.

  She couldn’t see his bike parked anywhere in the driveway, so it was highly likely that Derek wasn’t home. Rose had informed her earlier that the Miller Mansion was large, but she still hadn’t been prepared for the size of the estate. It was sprawling, with acres and acres of land. What did he want with her family estate? It would be like a drop in the ocean for him.

  Teresa heard hooves and, when she looked up, a majestic, chestnut horse came into view from behind the house. Derek was riding it. He came to a sudden halt near the front of the house, although Teresa was still a good distance away from him. She noticed a small, white terrier come bounding up behind him as well.

  “Hello, Derek,” she called out to him, clutching the top of her hat with her hand.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked, jumping off his horse and patting it on the side of its face.

  “I wanted to talk to you. Is this a bad time?” Teresa was trying to be polite with him, and she walked towards him unhurriedly, watching him take a few steps towards her. He looked like he was unsure of her, as if she might just pull out some blazing guns and shoot him.

  “And who might this be?” She bent down to pat the dog on its head. It had come charging towards her and was now circling her feet, wagging its tail.

  “Whisky,” Derek said, crossing his arms in front of him. She could see the hint of a smile on his face as he watched Teresa bonding with his dog.

  “I didn’t think you’d be a dog person. You on a horse, I could imagine,” she said with a laugh, and Derek smiled.

  “This is Florence.” He introduced her to the horse as Teresa came to a halt in front of him. Whisky was still circling her feet and eventually she hunched down to pet him properly.

  “Don’t pamper him. He’s plenty pampered already. Whisky, go bring your toy!” Derek said, and before he had even finished his sentence, the dog had gone running away back behind the house.

  “I usually hide it somewhere where he can’t find it easily. That keeps him busy for a couple of hours. Sometimes I dig a hole in the ground and bury it.” Derek was smiling as he spoke and Teresa couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Does he always find it?” she asked.

  “Without fail,” Derek said, running his hand through his hair. His hat was missing today, and Teresa could see his glittering, blonde hair in all its glory. She bit down on her lip and looked
away.

  “Are you here to hash it out again? I don’t know what I can tell you about the Mayor other than that he’s a bit of an ass,” Derek said, turning away from her to fix the harness on Florence’s back. Or maybe he was just pretending to busy himself.

  Teresa gulped; she had decided to be confident, hold her ground and find out some answers to her questions about him. But he had thrown her off, and her resolve was quickly dissipating.

  “It’s not just about him, Derek,” Teresa began. He wasn’t looking at her anymore, so it was easier for her to talk, “Why did you leave Austin and come here?” she blurted out. Derek was stroking Florence’s mane, and he slowly turned to look at her from under his lowered eyelids.

  “Why do you want to know?” he asked. She was suddenly afraid of him, afraid of herself. She was reminded of the way he had picked her up from the bike and placed her on the ground, turned her around and fucked her. She was afraid that she wanted him to do it again.

  “Because…I’m curious. I’m selling my family property, which has been in my family for generations. I want to know who I’m selling it to,” Teresa managed to say, hoping that he wouldn’t see right through her. Derek leaned against Florence gently and ran his hand through his hair again.

  “Like I told you, I’m not forcing you to sell it to me. We haven’t signed anything yet.” He suddenly brushed past her.

  “I want to sell it to you. Why won’t you just tell me a little more about yourself?” she whipped around to say. He had walked over to the side of one of the hedges now and dug his hands into the pockets of his pants. He was looking out at his flowerbeds like a proud parent.

  “Why do you want to sell it to me then, Teresa?” he asked, and she gulped again. She didn’t know the answer to that question. He turned to look at her, and she could see a grin forming on his face. He was enjoying her discomfort.

  “Why do you want to sell it to me even though the honorable mayor has advised you not to?” Derek asked, taking a step towards her again.

  “Rose told me why he dislikes you. Because of a tiff with your father,” she said, trying to hold his gaze.

  “Why do you want to sell it to me when you know nothing about me?” he asked, taking another step towards her now. Teresa knew she should be backing away from him, but her feet remained planted to the ground. She didn’t have a response.

  “Is it because you can’t get away? You want to keep seeing me?” He had walked right up to her so that now their bodies were barely inches apart. She had to crane her neck up to look at him, while his face was downturned facing hers.

  “Why, Teresa? Why are you here?” His voice was smooth and deep. It shut out everything around her. She didn’t know if it was night or day, or where she was. Her focus was on his eyes and his moving pink lips.

  “Because nobody else wants to buy it,” she blurted out, relieved immediately that she had been able to say something coherent even though she physically felt like her breathing had stopped.

  A short, quick laugh escaped Derek’s lips, and before she could step away from him, he had caught her with one arm and pulled her to him. Teresa fell, crashing on his chest, placing her open palms on his shoulders to support herself.

  “That is very true. Maybe the Mayor wants it. Maybe that’s what it’s about,” Derek said, too close to her now. She could breathe him in. If she moved an inch, her lips would graze his. “Which means you’ll have to sell it to me, whether I tell you more about me or not.”

  She could feel his grip on her waist grow tighter. She didn’t know what she wanted. She didn’t want to repeat her actions from before, fall so foolishly for his blue eyes and his voice that made her body ache. But it was like her physical being was protesting against her brain. She was frozen.

  “You could just be polite and tell me,” she managed to say, and Derek laughed again.

  “Nobody taught me how to be polite, unfortunately.” He was laughing as he said it. His body shook as he laughed and she shook with him.

  “Doesn’t mean you can’t learn now,” she said, trying to narrow her eyes. She was acutely aware that she was in his arms, and he was holding her tightly, watching her closely.

  “And you want to teach me?” he asked. The smile hadn’t left his face. His dimples were deep and childish and Teresa had a sudden urge to kiss him. Her palms were itching to touch his bare skin, to rip his shirt apart and run her hands over his chest.

  “I’m only advising you on what’s polite,” she said curtly, and gulped again. She wasn’t sure how long she would be able to keep up the charade.

  Derek let go of her suddenly and she swayed back, away from him. He turned from her again and walked up to Florence.

  “You have to be careful, Ms. Fontaine. That was a close call.” The laugh had disappeared from his voice now. She couldn’t see his face and her heart was pounding. Why did he keep doing this to her? She felt like she was going to have a panic attack every time she saw him.

  “From that first time I saw you at the gas station, all I’ve wanted to do is rip your clothes off,” he said, without turning to look at her. He had a harshness in his voice that she recognized as anger. He was angry with her because he wanted her. She wanted to run up to him, wrap her arms around his neck and tell him she felt the same way. But she didn’t know this man. She had no idea who he was, and he didn’t know her either. That was just not a practical thing to do.

  “You got what you wanted, Derek.” She spoke in a flat tone and he whipped around to focus on her again. There was definite anger in his eyes, and she flinched at the sight of that. She could see his jaw clench.

  “My body doesn’t seem to think once was enough. So you better stay away from me, Teresa,” he said, and she turned away from him. She wanted to run, run away from him as fast as she could. It felt like a rejection. She hadn’t pushed him away when he had grabbed her and pulled her to him. But now, for some inexplicable reason, he was asking her to leave, almost threatening her to leave.

  “That’s the general advice for everyone,” he said, and she stopped in her tracks to listen. “To stay away from me.” He finished and she resumed her hurried walk.

  She rushed towards her car down the driveway. With Derek Mason, it felt to Teresa that they were constantly leaving each other’s presence in a storm. That is what their relationship was. She wanted to leave Klaire, and get out of this town where everyone knew each other’s business, where the Mayor meddled in your personal affairs. No wonder her father had left. She wanted to get away from Derek more so than anything else, get away from the increasing addiction, from her need to see him over and over again, even though each time she was in his presence it felt like he was slowly breaking her heart.

  Chapter Seven

  It had been over two weeks since Teresa last spoke to Derek. She had seen him around town, riding his bike silently and disappearing over the horizon. She had taken days to get to know the locals instead. Most of them remembered or had grown up with her father, and all of them knew her family.

  She wasn’t quite sure what she was still doing in Klaire. She should have left for New York two weeks ago, but she could feel something changing in her. There was a pull, some sort of tug to the town that still kept her there.

  She also knew she was in love with Derek. A man she didn’t know at all, an enigma, who had taken her by the side of the road, defended her honor in a moment and then pushed her away.

  She was being foolish, she knew she was. He wanted nothing to do with her anymore, her purpose to him had been fulfilled. Yet every time she heard the engine of his bike roar she turned to catch a look. He always looked at her too, but she was the first one to look away. He wanted to rip her clothes off, he had said so himself, but she wanted more. She wanted to know who he was, and he was unwilling to share that with her.

  ***

  When she woke up one morning, dizzy on her feet and clutching her belly as she rushed to the bathroom in the hall, she knew she wasn’t sick from so
mething she ate. Rose was standing at the end of the hall, spatula in hand for the eggs she was cooking. They exchanged looks silently, Rose had seen enough pregnancies in her lifetime to know morning sickness when she saw it.

  “Is it Mr. Mason?” Rose asked quietly, when Teresa joined her at the table, her robe tightened around her body. She hadn’t bothered to change yet. She was too nauseous for it. Teresa stared into her cup of coffee silently and then slowly lifted her eyes to the old lady.

  “It happened just after I arrived. It was very foolish of me,” she said, and Rose’s eyes softened.

  “You should tell him,” Rose said, pushing a plate of scrambled eggs towards Teresa.

  “I haven’t spoken to him in weeks. No, Rose, I can’t tell him. I have to go back to New York.” Teresa was staring out of the window.

  “You can’t go back to New York without telling him, dear. You can’t go back to that place all by yourself. You don’t have a family there anymore.” Rose reached over to squeeze Teresa’s hands.

  “I have friends there. I’ll be fine.” Teresa spoke in a daze.

  “Stay with me, dear. Let me help you. More importantly, tell Mr. Mason. He would want to know.” Rose was speaking passionately and Teresa suddenly stood up.

  “I don’t want him to know. He wouldn’t want this. Besides, this could just be a false alarm.” Teresa walked over to the sink to pour herself a glass of water. A wave of nausea washed over her again and she felt dizzy.

  “Teresa…” Rose began to say.

  “I’m sorry, Rose. I have to leave. I’ll sign the papers. You can get Derek to sign them and let him do whatever he wants with this place. As long as you are taken care of.” Teresa sipped her water cautiously and paced around the room, ignoring the mounting feeling of wanting to throw up.

  “You can’t just leave like that, dear. The ghosts of your family will come back to haunt me if I don’t take care of you now.” Rose cried, she was genuinely afraid. Teresa couldn’t help but smile and she lunged forward to wrap her arms around the woman she had grown so fond of.