by Lucia Jordan
“No. I’m fine.”
He knelt down in front of her, his hands resting on her thighs as he was now eye to eye with her. Diligently he pushed the cool cloth against her forehead.
“Why are you frowning?”
“I pushed you too far,” he said sorrowfully.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said as she covered his hand with her own hand.
“I should have been more careful.”
“Stop it. I’m not going to have you ruining what just happened with your self-loathing. So stop that shit right now,” she said firmly.
He snickered. “Well, look at who decided to start speaking her mind.”
“I’m sick and tired of people treating me like I’m glass. I’m not going to break. I’m strong now and I’m not going to be treated as anything less.”
He smiled. “Okay then. What do you need?”
“I just want to go upstairs and sleep. You’re staying aren’t you?”
He looked down at her as if she were out of her mind for even thinking that he wouldn’t. “If you think I’m going to leave you alone tonight you’re sorely mistaken.”
She nodded once as he scooped her into his arms. “I can walk you know.”
“Damn it woman, I’m not sure if I like this new, stronger you business,” he said as he kissed her forehead and carried her up the short flight of stairs.
She told him where her room was and they stepped inside. Gently he placed her on the bed and tucked the covers up to her chin.
“Seriously?” she said with a smile as she quirked her brow. “It’s like eighty degrees outside.” She kicked the blankets off and stretched lazily before flipping over onto her stomach. The movement brought on another wave of dizziness so she carefully turned onto her side.
The bed dipped behind her as Landon slipped in and snuggled against her back. She was amazed at how well she fit against him. It was like they had been created to fit together. He was the missing half of her puzzle. For the first time in months she fell asleep without a worry in the world. The man she loved was at her back, her heart was full and nothing could go wrong.
So she thought.
***
The gray morning light slithered through the curtains. The sky was heavy with thick black clouds. During the summer, rain was a rarity in Arizona, but the thunder rumbling in the distance promised that there was going to be rain and a lot of it.
The soft snoring at her side caused Gina to turn. Landon was lying sprawled out, completely naked, in her full sized bed. His arm was draped protectively over her center. He was so beautiful. Her heart swelled with pride. She felt at peace.
Her eyes slowly traveled over the curves and planes of his body. His muscles relaxed in sleep still looked as hard as rocks. Faint red scratches were disappearing from his shoulders. She smiled. She tugged on her bottom lip with her teeth as she stared at his perfect ass. There typically wasn’t anything alluring about a bare ass, but that was not the case when Landon was concerned. His ass was rounded and very toned and her hands just itched to reach out and squeeze it.
“I can feel you staring at me,” he said, his voice gravely with sleep.
She smiled as she looked at his face. His eyes were still closed but a faint smile tilted his lips. Slowly he rolled over and revealed some seriously impressive morning wood. Her mouth began to water.
“How are you feeling?” he asked as he looked at her with concern.
“I’m feeling good enough to give this a little taste,” she said as she reached out and drew her hand up and down the velvety hardness of his shaft.
“You think so?” he asked as he placed his hands behind his head.
“Mmhmmmm,” she said as she sat up and climbed to her knees. Unfortunately, her stomach had other plans for her, as it turned and pitched violently.
Jumping from the bed she sprinted from the room and down the hall to the bathroom. She slammed the door closed and managed to get the lid on the toilet lifted just in time for the meager contents of her stomach to make an appearance. Over and over she retched until there was nothing left to come out.
“Gina?” Landon knocked heavily on the door.
“Don’t. Come. In. Here,” she gasped between heaves.
“Gina open the door,” he demanded.
After her body ceased its violence on her she flushed and stood up. On shaky legs she made her way to the sink and brushed her teeth. When she looked at her reflection she gasped in horror. She looked horrible. Dark circles were beneath her eyes and her face was covered in a thin layer of sweat.
What in the hell had made her so sick?
Then a thought struck her. She used her fingers to count and then, horrified, she looked up at her reflection.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Gina open this fucking door or I swear I will rip it from the hinges.”
With trembling hands she pulled open the door. Her wide eyes met Landon’s and his face blanched.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“What? Why? What’s going on?” His voice was full of panic now. “Damn it Gina, talk to me.”
“I think I’m pregnant.”
Lick Book 4
Landon stared at the shelves in front of him. Why were there so many different types of tests? “What the hell?” he muttered as a deep frown creased his brow. There were tests that could tell as soon as a woman was late. There were pink tests, blue test and a funny looking test with weird looking things sticking out the side of it. There were digital, two packs, four packs and plain ole two line tests.
Growing more frustrated by the minute he simply grabbed one of each and threw them into the basket. Then, as he was making his way across the store, a thought hit him—pregnant women like ice cream, right? So he ventured down the ice cream isle and plucked several different varieties from the freezer.
Satisfied with his spoils he began to make his way up to the front of the store. As he did, he passed the baby section and couldn’t help but to stop and look at some of the baby clothes. His heart did a little fluttering thing and it caused him to smile. Was he actually hoping that Gina was pregnant with his child? They barely knew each other. That small thing aside, the thought a little boy or girl with Gina’s brilliant green eyes and dark brown hair made his heart melt.
When he was with Lydia, he never once thought about having kids. Lydia was not a kid person, she couldn’t even keep a plant alive, and it made him shudder to think of a tiny human in her care. Definitely not a good thing.
Gina would be an amazing mom. She had so much love and passion in her and the way she smiled, it made him want to do anything and everything for her. You are so pussy whipped. He snorted at his inner thought. The day had finally come. His marriage with Lydia had been one of necessity and physical chemistry. He was going to pay dearly for it also.
As he made his way up to the front of the store a familiar voice sounded from behind him. When he turned he saw Bryan rapidly approaching.
Shit. Maybe he won’t see. Oops, too late. The thought vaporized when a mask of fury colored Bryan’s face as he looked up at Landon.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” he yelled. People around them turned and looked at them curiously.
“Not here,” Landon said through gritted teeth.
Bryan didn’t listen as his nostrils flared angrily. “You got my sister pregnant?!”
Landon had no idea what happened. One minute he was facing a very angry brother and the next he was sprawled out on the white tiled floor. The contents of the basket he’d been carrying were scattered all around him. He could taste blood blooming from his lip.
Slowly he climbed to his feet and picked up the tests and the ice cream. A crowd had gathered, circling the two men in.
Bryan’s face was red with anger as he breathed heavily. “You’re a dick, man. Do you have any idea what she’s been through?”
“Man, I respect you and all, but I�
�m not having this conversation with you. This is between your sister and me.”
“The hell it is.”
“You get one punch because she’s your sister and you’re allowed to stick up for her,” Landon said, rising to his full height and towering over the other man by a good five inches. “But make no mistake about it, you sucker punch me like that again and I will beat the hell out of you. Now, I need to go. When you’re ready to be civil, you know where I live.”
Barely able to keep his temper in check, Landon turned and made his way to the nearest check out. He didn’t blame Bryan one bit. If some guy had been doing with his sister what he’d been doing with Gina, then he’d be pissed too.
As he was checking out, his anger dissipated and he realized that he was actually rather excited about the thought of having a baby. There was nothing that could change his mood.
When Landon let himself into Gina’s house an hour later, he heard her yelling at the top of her lungs. Carefully he made his way into the kitchen, relieved to see she was on the phone. He placed the bags on the table and watched as she paced angrily from one end of her kitchen to the other. He had to admit, she looked cute as hell wearing a tee-shirt and a pair of black lace boy-shorts. His dick twitched.
Now is so not a good time.
***
To say Gina was irate would have been a gross understatement. At first she’d been anxious to talk to her brother, but when he began to yell at her and told her he punched Landon in the middle of the grocery store, she flipped. She typically didn’t have a violent bone in her body, but she could very well have skinned Bryan alive.
“You did what?! Bryan what the…” There was a long pause. “Don’t. You. Dare pull that shit with me. I’m not a kid anymore.”
Another long pause and then she scoffed harshly. “Are you seriously lecturing me right now on safe sex? Really? I have slept with all of two people in my life—not that that is any of your business. I so do not need a lecture from the professor who needs to have a revolving door installed instead of a front door.”
Gina stopped and stared at Landon. Her heart softened, but as soon as her eyes landed on the cut and the slight bruising around the corner of his mouth, fury surged through her once again.
“You know what? I don’t want to talk to you right now. What? It’s none of your business if he is here right now.” Gina felt as if her head was about to explode. “I swear if you come to my house today I will violently hurt you.”
She disconnected the phone and gently placed it on the counter, even though she wanted to launch it as hard as she could across the room. Taking a deep breath, she walked to the freezer and removed a frozen bag of peas and carried it back over to Landon.
Standing on her tiptoes she pressed the vegetables to the corner of his mouth. “I’m sorry,” she muttered.
Landon’s hand came up and covered hers and he pulled the bag away. “It’s okay. I would have done the same thing.”
“But still.” Her brows drew down in a deep scowl as she inspected the cut. She wanted to throttle her brother more than anything. He had a lot of nerve.
“Did you get a test?” she asked, desperately trying to focus on the problem at hand.
Landon nodded. “I wasn’t sure which one to get.”
Gina picked up one of the bags and peered inside. She giggled and looked back up at him. “So you got them all?”
Landon smiled sheepishly. “I’m not used to having to do stuff like that. Oh and I also got you…” He handed her the other two bags.
Curiously she looked inside and her heart warmed as a soft smile played on her lips. “You bought ice cream?”
He nodded. “Don’t most pregnant women crave it or something?”
“I don’t think I am quite at the craving food stage yet, but thanks.” Rising up on her tiptoes she planted a soft kiss to his bruise. “And thanks for not kicking Bryan’s ass, even though he deserved it.”
Landon wrapped his arms around Gina and pulled her into his chest. She snuggled against him and took a deep breath, taking in the clean smell of his skin and the fresh smell of laundry. After she’d come out of the bathroom panicked, he’d told her he would get the tests, but needed to go home and change. Since it wasn’t a life or death thing, she said it wouldn’t be a problem. It had given her a chance to get cleaned up. Her body was aching from the exertion the night before. Not to mention the slight discomfort on her ass from the spanking.
Taking the tubs of ice cream from him, she put them on the freezer and then grabbed the tests from the bag. “Guess we should probably get this over with.”
Landon nodded his head eagerly. She studied him and was surprised to find him calm and collected. She’d figured he would have been freaked out at the thought of her getting pregnant. After all, they barely knew each other.
Together they walked up the steps and she stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. She quickly did her business using three different tests. As she waited for the results, she nervously paced the bathroom. In all the years she’d been with Zane she’d longed for kids, but she’d given up hope when she’d never gotten pregnant. The doctors had sworn that there wasn’t a problem with her.
Are you seriously ready to be a mother? Boy, her inner voice was being kind of a bitch today, but she had to admit, it was a valid point. She was just now getting out into the world on her own. She was discovering her freedom. What if Landon wasn’t the man for her and Mr. Right was just around the corner?
She frowned at the thought. Not because of another man, but the idea of Landon not being the man for her. As soon as that notion hit her, there was a heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach that threatened to take her breath away. She’d discovered last night that she was unequivocally in love with him. The feelings she was having for him were nothing like her feelings for Zane. In fact, these feelings were something completely new and, in all honesty, absolutely terrifying. That’s how she knew it was real.
Okay, so her feelings for Landon were real, but did she want a baby so soon? Was she ready to be a mother? Her hands trembled. She was emotionally damaged and in some ways she wondered if she would ever completely recover from the emotional abuse from her past. Could she love a baby the way she needed too?
A heavy knock shook the bathroom door and nearly caused her to jump out of her skin.
“Are you okay?”
“Jeez, I didn’t know you were waiting out there.”
“Where in the hell else would I be waiting?” came his muffled response.
She took a deep breath and looked at the timer on her cell phone. Without realizing it, ten minutes had passed—seven minutes more than she really needed. Taking a deep breath she retrieved the three tests from the back of the toilet and stared at them.
The suspense was killing Landon. How long did it take to do one of those damn tests? He raked his hands back through his hair. His hands were on his hips when the bathroom door opened. Gina stepped out and her beautiful green eyes were watery with tears. She held the tests up for him to inspect. The minute she did, his heart stopped.
She watched Landon’s expression and held her breath. There was no way of telling how he was going to react. When she’d told him of her suspicions earlier he hadn’t really responded. There had been very little reaction. So she was curious as to how he was going to react now.
She stared up at his beautiful whiskey colored eyes as he stared at the tests in her hands. When his gaze lifted she sucked in a sharp breath. His eyes were shimmering with tears as a few slipped passed his lashes and down his cheeks.
“Say something,” she whispered.
“Are these right?”
“If it were just the one I would question it. But there are three. All with the same answer. All with a very big and clear positive.”
With a loud whoop, Landon grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into his chest, lifting her feet off the ground. He spun her in circles as he pressed his cheek to the top of her head. She
laughed with glee as he placed her feet back on the floor. He then covered her mouth with his as he kissed her with more passion than she thought ever possible.
He backed her into the wall and plundered her mouth until she had to push against his chest to come up for air. Her legs turned to jelly and her inner muscles clenched with desire for him.
WOW! What a kiss!
She chuckled. “So, you’re okay with all of this?” she questioned as she indicated to her midsection.
There was no answer as he collapsed to his knees in front of her and pulled her against him. Her hands sifted through his hair as he lifted the hem of her shirt and pressed a kiss to the flat part of her stomach. He lifted his gaze to meet hers.
“The day I saw you in that garage, I knew my life would never be the same. You were this timid little thing but I knew there was something else there. Of all the women in the world, there is not a single one of them I would rather have a baby with.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “Really?”
He pressed another kiss to her belly and rose to his feet. “I love you, Gina. I knew that first day. I knew the minute we were apart. The only thing I could think about was when I could see you again.” He gave her an impish little smile.
“What?”
“I have a little confession.”
She looked at him as a small smile ticked up at the corner of his mouth.
“Oscar doesn’t need a baby sitter. He’s probably the most well behaved dog in this state.”
She laughed. “So you lied?”
“Possibly.”
“Well, I guess I can forgive you this time.”
Gently, Landon slanted his mouth over hers. She sighed against him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“I love you,” she murmured between kisses.
***
Gina opened her front door and frowned. It had been a little over a week since she’d found out she was pregnant. A trip to the best doctor in the state confirmed it. She and Landon were ecstatic. However, as happy as she was, she was still pissed at her brother and, at the same time, she missed him.