by LS Anders
Rayna laughed and shook her head in disbelief. “What?”
Tegan dropped to one knee and began fishing something out of his front pocket. Her brow creased at the twinkling bobble he held up for her inspection, unsure of what to make of it. Realization stole her breath.
“I know I’m not officially divorced, and I promised I wouldn’t hound you, but it’s been weeks since I tattooed the question on my arm, and I never actually said the words out loud.” Tegan’s ribs expanded to hold the deep breath he had just inhaled. “Will you marry me? I love you more than anything. I know I fucked up when I pushed you away. I don’t blame you for keeping me at arm’s length, but just know that I want you and the baby to be my family, and I will do anything you ask of me to prove it to you. Please, give me the chance to show you that I’m worthy of your trust.”
For the love… how could she say no to that?
“Yes,” she said without hesitation, “and I love you back.”
Popping up off the floor, he pulled her into his arms for a tight hug before placing the ring on her finger.
Looking at what he had slipped onto her hand, she exclaimed astonished, “It’s pink!”
“Yeah, the jeweler said pink diamonds were rare and the universal color for romance or some shit like that. It reminded me of you when I saw it. Is it alright? I can have it switched for a regular one if—”
She didn’t let him finish before she was holding his face in both her hands and kissing him for all she was worth.
Pulling back, she held her hand up turning it this way and that, causing it to sparkle in the early afternoon light spilling in through the large window at the end of the hall. “I love it! It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. But, we better go before we get caught by the owners. Looks like they’re working pretty hard to get the place ready to move in.”
Reaching in his back pocket, he handed her a folded paper, announcing the unbelievable. “You are the owner.”
Taking the paper from him, she looked at the words but wasn’t able to comprehend the meaning of what was written.
“Tegan, I don’t understand.”
“It’s just a copy, the deed is at the title company waiting for your signature in front of their notary before the place can be transferred over to you.”
“Not to sound ungrateful, but how… how did you manage this?” she asked, still shaking her head.
Her eyes continued to grow larger, and her jaw had reached the newly stained floor by the time Tegan finished with the how and Vehn’s never ending charity.
“Are you sure?” she asked, astonished.
“I’m sure. I want our child to have more than I did growing up, and I don’t want to be like my father. If you said no to my proposal, I thought I could sway you with this.”
“Pfft,” she imitated him, jesting, “you thought to buy me with this amazing property?”
“No,” he chuckled. “I would have given it to you even if you’d had said no. I was only joking.”
“I know,” she laughed. “You don’t have a deceptive bone in your body. I’m adding you to this, though. It just doesn’t seem right for my name to be the only one on here.”
“You do what you want with it. It belongs to you, but wait until my divorce is final. I don’t want this to accidentally get mixed up in my divorce.”
Nodding her agreement, she looked down at the copy of the deed and spun in a slow circle. She took in the hall she was standing in through a fresh pair of eyes. This place was really hers!
Wandering into the baby’s room first, she was afraid to touch anything it was so perfect. “So, I’m guessing you agree with Avie’s prediction that it’s a girl.”
“Yep. I’ve got this… creepy feeling that she’s right.”
“Me too,” she beamed at him. Looking into the crib, she smoothed her hand over the feminine comforter.
“Listen. If you don’t like it, we can go pick out different stuff. I’m not much of a decorator.”
Her head whipped around in his direction. “You? You decorated this room by yourself?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“I love you. I love that you went to so much trouble for me. You decorated all this by yourself. How did you have time to paint and refinish all the woodwork?” Her eyes were huge as she looked around, trying not to miss a single detail.
“Pfft, I had plenty of nights to myself. Instead of lying awake thinking about you, I would come here and work most of the night… and think about, well… you, while I sanded down the floors.”
As if seeing him for the first time, Vehn was right in what he had said about his longtime friend, Tegan really did have a thick marshmallow filling hidden beneath his rough exterior. He truly had a heart of gold, and he would never treat her the way Brent had. Tegan worshiped her. He had been given an enormous amount of money and he had spent it on her, without hesitation. He had taken care of her, soothed her when she cried, held her hair back when she puked, cooked for her. He was nothing like Brent.
That smell of distrust was evaporating fast and she knew in that moment, staring into the vulnerability reflected in his wintery blue eyes that he would never betray her. That he was hers, and his love would be unconditional.
“Let me show you what all I’ve done so far,” he said, taking her hand and leading her from room to room. “So, this floor is done, except for the claw foot tub in the master bedroom. I’m having professionals come in next week to refinish the porcelain. I promise, it’ll look brand new when it’s finished. The downstairs is taking a little longer than I thought since I ripped the plaster off that one huge wall. There ended up being a lot of clean up to the brick. I’m hoping we can move in next month or once the upstairs is finished. I don’t want you and the baby around any fumes from the polyurethane I use to finish the floors.”
“How do you know how to do all this?”
“Um… I don’t know. I guess I’m just good with my hands.”
“Yes, I know. That’s how I got pregnant.”
It was such a shock when Tegan threw back his head and laughed. The one time she had seen his uninhibited smile paled in comparison to what she was witnessing now. So much joy was pouring out of him, she could see the protective barrier he hid behind evaporating before her eyes. His radiant glow took years off his face, making him appear almost boyish. This was the real Tegan. This lovable, wonderful man.
Sobering, he hugged her to him and headed for the stairs, “Just wait until you see the garden.”
“Can I give you a blow job?”
“Pfft, like I’m stupid enough to say no?”
“Since I’ve never actually given one before, I thought I’d warn you beforehand,” she said, chewing nervously on the inside of her cheek.
“Lay it on me, woman. I’m game.”
They had just flipped off the lights and were cuddling waiting to fall asleep when her unexpected question floated over to him in the darkness. Tossing back the covers, his belly filled with anticipation as he helped her remove his pajama pants. He cock was already standing at attention as it bobbed free.
He could just make out her delicate features in the dim lights from the city that filtered through the filmy curtains.
Brushing her hair to one side, she wrapped his turgid flesh in her hand causing his breath to catch. The heat from her mouth as she ducked her head into his lap had his dick throbbing before her tongue even touched the tip. The velvety pad lapped at him like he was an ice cream cone leaving behind a hot wetness that cooled in her wake. He hissed when she closed her mouth around his head bucking his hips against the immense pleasure.
He couldn’t remember the last time a girl had done this to him. Tracy was rarely ever lucid enough to have sex much less give him a blow job.
“I’m doing it wrong, aren’t I? Did I hurt you?”
Giving her cheek a gentle caress with his thumb, he admitted, “Kitten, if you did it any more right, I won’t last another second.”
�
�Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
His encouraging words must have boosted her confidence, because she opened her mouth wide and swallowed back half his shaft before licking her way back up and down to his balls.
Gritting his teeth, she sucked out a primal groan from the bottom of his gut. Throwing his head back, he tried concentrating on the lacy pattern of shadows dancing across the ceiling from the headlights off of the constant traffic on the street below. It wasn’t working. She had increased and found a rhythm that was driving him hard towards an explosive release.
“Rayn…,” was all he managed to say before his balls squeezed up tight to his body, shooting his load into her mouth. He hadn’t meant to do that, had wanted to wait and cum inside her, but there was no holding it back.
She was making little feminine yummy sounds as she lapped up his mess, sucking the last drop from his sensitive tip. Unable to take another moment of her curious tongue, he rolled her onto her back and didn’t waste a moment removing her panties. Driving his tongue in deep, he was pleasantly surprised at how wet she already was.
Bending her knees, she held her legs high and wide apart giving him full access to her beautiful center.
Running the flat of his tongue through her wetness, he latched onto her hardened clit and pushed two fingers inside her swollen flesh. She moaned for him, pushing her knees farther apart with her hands. Spread out before him, he took full advantage of her splayed position. Wetting the thumb on his other hand in her juices, he gently pressing inside her rectum.
Keeping his thumb at a gentle rhythm, his fingers set a faster pace as he worked out her slippery center. Easing back on the suction he had on her clit, he could feel her getting close to orgasm. He wasn’t done playing with her. He wanted her to wait a little longer before she exploded, but he was looking forward to getting doused with her enthusiastic response. His cock was already beginning to twitch back to life at the thought of her wrapped around his hardness.
Her breath caught as she came, drenching his fingers. Before she was through convulsing, he replaced his fingers with his rigid length, slipping easily inside her too tight channel. Holding himself above her on outstretched arms, she continued to pulsate around him as he pumped into her. He was careful not to be as rough with her body now that she was carrying his baby, but damn her pussy felt so fucking good.
Trying to stave off his own pleasure until he could make her pop again, he increased his rhythm to one he knew she couldn’t resist. He might suck at saying and doing the right thing, but he had gotten to know her body as well as he knew his own and making her cum was his specialty.
Barking out a curse when her feminine muscles began to squeeze around him, she raised her hips and arched her back, pushing him deeper inside as he emptied himself inside her gushing heat.
“Why do you always feel so good?” she moaned.
He could hear her smile in the darkness of the room and wished he had turned the light on before they had gotten started, so he could see more of her sweet face.
“I’m glad you think so,” he said, lying on his side and arranging her body so her back was flush up against his chest. Snuggling back against him, he could feel her begin to fidget with the edge of the sheet.
“What’s wrong, Kitten? Do you need me to get you anything?”
“No. I’m just worried about tomorrow.”
“You have nothing to worry about. You’re gonna do just fine. Just stick to the story. Everyone at the shop has your back.”
“I know. I just don’t like to lie. I shouldn’t have punched Andrea in the face. It was such a bad day for me, and I was so tired of her bothering me.”
“Listen,” Tegan began. Raising up on an elbow, he pulled back on her shoulder, turning her so he could peer down into her face, “you have nothing to worry about. You’ve got the best criminal defense attorney in the state, plus you’ve got Judge Satterfield in your corner. Just do what your lawyer said, and you’ll be fine. Alright?”
Her hair rasped against the pillow as she nodded her head in the dark. Finding her lips with his, he placed a gentle kiss before slipping his tongue inside to meet hers.
“Now get some sleep before I molest you again.”
Waking to the rich smell of brewing coffee, Rayna rolled over onto her back and inhaled deeply of the wonderful aroma. As the scent hit the back of her throat, her stomach rolled in that awful way it sometimes did since she had become pregnant. She had hoped for a reprieve this morning.
No such luck.
Bolting from the bed, she rushed out of the bedroom, barely making it in time to empty the bile from her stomach into the toilet down the hall. Large hands gathered her hair back, and a cold wash cloth was placed on the back of her over heated neck.
“I’m calling the lawyer. You’re not going today.”
“I have to. It’s only morning sickness. I’ll be fine in a minute,” she tried reassuring him.
She was intentionally leaving out the part about how nervous she was about court today. Tegan would find a way to postpone the hearing, and all she wanted to do was get it over with as soon as possible. It loomed over her like a black cloud, absorbing the joy she should be feeling.
She wanted to concentrate on being a mom and future wife to Tegan, not constantly worrying about possible jail time.
She had dreamt last night, that she had given birth to a beautiful baby girl, but before she could hold the baby, she was whisked away and Rayna was left all alone behind bars. She shivered wildly from the terrible dream that had seemed so real.
“You’re sure?”
Rayna had her eyes tightly closed, but she could hear the worry in Tegan’s voice and sensed him as he dropped into a crouch behind her. His warm palm began rubbing large circles onto her back, soothing away the tension in her muscles. He always knew what to do to make her feel better. He was her dark angel that had fallen directly from heaven just for her. She was convinced of it.
“I’m sure,” she tried for a smile, but her stomach pitched and emptied again.
For the love… why did it seem as if she was always throwing up in front of him?
Once her nausea subsided, she leaned back on her heels and dropped to her bottom onto the cold tile floor. She wasn’t surprised to feel Tegan still at her back.
“Let’s get you back in bed, and I’ll bring you some bland tea and toast to help settle your stomach.”
“That sounds amazing.” Standing, she couldn’t resist the urge to wrap her arms around his huge, muscular frame, hugging him tight. He felt so substantial when her world was anything but. “Tell me everything will be ok today. Tell me I’m not going to jail. I just don’t think I could deal with being locked up.”
Tegan hugged her tighter as she began to shake. “I’m positive you’re not going to jail. Remember what I told you last night. Do what your lawyer says and follow the plan. Trust your friends to help you out of this.”
Nodding her head, Tegan caught her under the knees and carried her back to bed. Reluctant to let him go, she wondered how long she could hide away in the crook of his neck under the fall of his ebony hair.
Pulling out of the hug, Tegan covered her with her favorite plush pink blanket before giving the tip of her nose a kiss and made his way back to the kitchen.
The instant he was gone, the room felt oddly vacant. She felt terribly lonely without him there, even though she could hear him moving about in the next room. Placing her hand over her belly, she tried to draw comfort from the fact that a part of him was with her, not only in her heart but in the form of a child they would share together.
Glancing over at the clock on his side of the bed, she had to grin. It wasn’t a typical clock. It didn’t tell the time, but ran backwards, counting down the ninety days Tegan had left until he was officially divorced.
She had worried for naught over his trip to Boston. He had called and texted like he promised. When he didn’t feel like talking, he would sit quietly with her on
the other end of the phone.
His day in court went as planned, and even though he had given everything up to Tracy, he was soon to be a free man.
She just hoped her day in court would go as well as his.
The morning had flown by at an alarming rate. All too soon Rayna found herself in the courtroom scarcely able to draw breath. When her name came up next on the docket and the word “assault” was read afterwards, she felt herself begin to list to the side. Her lawyer, Mr. Satterfield, touched her arm and whispered words of reassurance into her ear. She couldn’t have repeated back any of what he had uttered, she was so consumed with fear that her heart was pounding inside her ears. That tiny flutter she felt in her womb was sadly quiet today. This stress could not be good for the baby.
One by one, she watched as her friends and colleagues wrongfully recounted the incident between her and Andrea. She had become so numb from fear that they would get caught in the lie they had all helped fabricate, that she barely felt her body rise and move from her seat when it was her turn to take the stand. She had dutifully ignored Andrea’s presence so far, until she took the seat on the stand in front of the courtroom.
The girl looked fit to be tied after all the witnesses from Exotic Ink had told their version of the incident. How could she not be? Rayna had broken her nose and had to have a plastic surgeon reset it.
Looking quickly away once she made eye contact with Andrea, she wouldn’t be able to spout the bullshit story with any kind of sincerity if she had to look at the other girl while doing it. It was bad enough she was perjuring herself in court. Lying about anything had never set well with her, even if the reasons her friends recited were valid. Two wrongs never made a right.
She drew strength from the surge of anger and betrayal that flooded her every time she pictured Andrea and Brent together. What always set her blood on fire was remembering the morning that followed the first time Brent and Andrea had slept together. She and Andrea had met for coffee and a few laughs. The entire time Andrea was smiling in her face, she had a belly full of Brent’s jizz. The bile of betrayal percolated up her throat, flowing out the false tale she had recited a thousand times inside her head.