“I’ve never wanted anything like I want this,” he whispered huskily as he increased the pace of his hips that ground into hers, and lifting hers to meet his next thrust.
And then, like always, everything exploded. Their minds. Their bodies. Wanting even more, he hooked the inside bend of his elbows behind her knees and lifted her hips higher, closer, as he drove one final time into her, knowing that at that very moment, if it hadn’t done so before, his seed had hit its mark. He could feel all the feminine muscles inside her body react, clenching, milking, pulling everything out of him, and the more she pulled the more his testicles seemed to produce just what she wanted and in the amount she wanted. That thought drove him over the edge and into an orgasm that rammed every nerve in his body.
And when he felt her body strain against him in her own orgasm, he recaptured her mouth, groaning deep into it when he felt the milking sensation of her body intensify as she demanded and got every single ounce of baby-making fluid out of him. He felt drained, then renewed, then drained again. It was as if their reproductive organs had minds of their own and they knew they had a job to do, and today, at that very moment, they were hard at work doing it.
When there was nothing left in his body to give, Christopher collapsed on Maxi, totally limp, languid, empty. He felt her breath on his neck then felt the moisture of her tongue as she licked sweat from his cheek. What they had just gone through had to be what some people called “mind-boggling.” He wondered if his brain would ever be able to function again. And he didn’t want to think about the lower part of his body that was still planted deep within her. Just where he wanted it to be for the moment. Just where he intended to stay…at least for a while yet.
A tired chuckle escaped his lips as he shifted their positions in bed, but keeping himself planted inside of her.
“What’s so funny,” she murmured, sounding out of breath.
He leaned down and kissed her cheek before answering. “I was just thinking that you were wrong. You function very well without your first cup of coffee.”
Putting the canvas bag on the desk in their hotel room, Maxi began pulling out the souvenir items she had purchased. Since they had missed lunch, she and Christopher had showered and gotten dressed and had gone to the hotel’s restaurant for an early dinner. Then they had taken a tour of Las Vegas, enjoying all the sights and sounds around them.
She watched as Christopher pulled off his shoes and stretched out on the bed. “I think I’m going to give Mya a call to see how she’s doing. I haven’t talked to her since Friday before I left for Atlanta.”
Christopher nodded. “I hope things work out for her and Garrett. They have been together too long to let something like this tear them apart.”
Maxi nodded in agreement. But then she also knew just how much Mya was hurting. Half an hour later after talking to Mya, she hung up the phone, troubled.
“Well, what’s the verdict?” Christopher asked her.
“Mya’s still bitter. She said Garrett was at church when she went today and they sat together, only because the boys left her no choice. She said that after church he suggested they meet with the minister to try and work things out, but that she refused him. I think it would be best if he gave her some time and space. Mya is going through a difficult time right now but I believe that once she thinks about it, she will come to realize that Garrett does love her.”
Tears pricked Maxi’s eyes. “It just doesn’t seem fair, Christopher,” she said, barely getting the words out. “Now I’m happy but she’s not.”
“Maxi.” He quickly crossed the room and pulled her into his arms. “Everything is going to be fine.”
“But it should have stayed fine, Christopher. She’s hurting and there’s nothing I can do. Garrett and Mya are two people who love each other. Everybody knows that. They shouldn’t be going through this.”
“Yes, but they are going through it. And because they are two people who love each other I believe things will eventually work out. As her friend the only thing you can do is be there for her if she needs you. But this is something Mya is going to have to work out for herself and with Garrett. Somehow, some way, she’s going to have to forgive him in order for them to get beyond this.”
Maxi nodded in agreement. “You know the boys must be confused by all of this.”
“Yes, I’m sure they are.” He kissed her lightly on the lips. Deciding to switch subjects, he asked, “How soon will you know if you’re pregnant?”
“In about three weeks.” Maxi pulled out of his arms and looked up at him. “Are you anxious to get rid of me and go back to your old lifestyle that involves all those women?” The thought of another woman sharing his bed after what they had shared for the past two weeks brought pain to her heart. But she couldn’t let him know that.
He smiled down at her. “No, I like making babies with you. And you haven’t forgotten our agreement?”
“And I like making babies with you, too, and no, I haven’t forgotten,” she said as the pain in her heart deepened.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Christopher was on his way home when he received a call on his cell phone. “Yes?”
“It’s me, Christopher. Tori.”
He lifted a brow. He hadn’t heard from her since their conversation nearly two weeks ago. Nor had he received any more photographs. “And what did you find out?”
“It wasn’t my husband who was having me investigated. It was my stepson. He thinks I’m nothing but a golddigger who only married his father for his money.”
“Seems he had you pegged right?”
“I wanted more than just money. I also wanted respectability.”
“A respectable married woman doesn’t commit adultery. My God, Tori, you hadn’t been married six months, not to mention that your husband is a well-known political figure. You should have been more cautious.”
“And I’m paying for my mistake, trust me. My stepson has threatened to give his father that photograph unless I file for divorce and leave quietly with only the clothes on my back.”
“Are you going to do that?”
“What choice do I have?”
“How about the truth? You can always go to your husband and tell him the truth. He might surprise you and be forgiving.”
“If I were your wife, would you forgive me?”
Christopher didn’t have to think long or hard for an answer. “No. But then I wouldn’t have been so trusting of you in the first place, so who knows, he might surprise you. I wouldn’t let your stepson have the upper hand if I were you.”
“I don’t know if I want to fight him. He’s hard as nails, and to make matters worse he’s a divorce attorney.”
“It’s your decision but I didn’t think you were the type of person to give in to anyone without a fight.”
“On what defense? I committed adultery.”
“Yeah, and you had me committing it right along with you, which I’m still pissed off about.”
“I’m sorry I got you involved.”
“I’m sorry you got me involved too. But as usual I learn from my mistakes.” After a long moment he said. “I hope things work out for you.”
“I hope things work out for you, too.”
After turning off the phone he swung his car into Madison Avenue as he headed for home. Once he got there he saw the light blinking on his answering machine and walked over to turn it on.
“Christopher, this is Maxi, please call me when you get in.”
He checked his watch before picking up the phone to return Maxi’s call. He hadn’t spoken with her since their weekend in Las Vegas.
“Hello.”
“Maxi? This is Christopher.”
“Christopher! We did it! I’m pregnant!”
Christopher couldn’t help but smile. “Are you sure? I thought you couldn’t find out for another two weeks or so.”
“That’s what I thought too, but the pharmacist told me that I could find out as early as one day after
a missed period. Since I was four days late already, I decided to give it a shot and it turned blue. Oh, Christopher, I am so happy.”
He was happy, too, and if the truth were known he was pretty damn pleased with himself. “When do you go see a regular doctor?”
“Not until next month. Would you like to come with me?”
Christopher hesitated. Hell, yeah, a part of him wanted to go, but this is where he was supposed to cut out and let her go solo. His part in her pregnancy was over until the baby came. Then he would begin providing support for his child the way the two of them had agreed on. “No, I’m sure you’ll do fine from here on out without me, Maxi. Just let me know when the kid’s born so I can start sending those child support payments.”
There was a quiet pause before she said. “All right.”
When there was another pause, Christopher said. “I’m happy for you, Maxi.”
“You made it all possible, Christopher. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. You deserved it. Take care.”
“I will. Goodbye, Christopher.”
Goodbye, Maxi.”
A little later Gabe dropped by and Christopher told him the news. “Congratulations, man. A baby. Hey, that’s deep.”
A part of Christopher didn’t want to think about just how deep he’d gone inside Maxi to plant that seed. That was the first and last time he would have unprotected sex with a woman and it had felt good only because it had been Maxi. He couldn’t describe the feeling he got exploding inside her.
“Have you thought of any names?”
Christopher took a sip of his wine. “That’s up to Maxi. I’m technically out of the picture from here on out.”
“That’s the way you want it to be?”
Christopher frowned. “Yes.” He leaned back in his chair and eyed his best friend, seeing his frown. “And why are you trip-pin’? You knew it was going to be this way with me and Maxi.”
“Yeah, but I thought you had changed your mind?”
“Since when?”
“Since the two of you started sleeping together. Especially after you told me about the great time the two of you had in Vegas. Can’t you see she’s different?”
“Yes, but Maxi’s always been different.” Christopher then thought about all those times they had made love. They had been explosive. “And whenever we made love it was to make a baby.”
“Oh, and you didn’t enjoy it?”
Like hell he didn’t. It had been the best experience of his life. “It doesn’t matter whether I enjoyed it or not. I have no intention of getting involved in any sort of a relationship with any woman and that includes Maxi.”
“Why?”
“You know why. The baby was a gift to her.”
“And you weren’t included in the package?”
“That’s right.”
“I think you were included, Christopher.”
Christopher stood and walked over to the bar and poured another glass of wine. “You think too damn much, Blackwell.”
“Possibly, but hear me out, will you?” he asked stretching his legs out in front of him. “You raced off to see Maxi in Savannah, a town you swore you would never return to, when you thought you would be involved in some sort of scandal. Why? To protect her from possible embarrassment if word got out that she was having your baby.”
“Yeah? So?”
“Yet, you’re letting her face having a baby alone.”
Christopher rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “She won’t be alone. She has family in Savannah.”
“But what about the baby’s father? What will the good citizens of Savannah think of her when word gets out that bad boy Christopher Chandler is the father of her unborn child?”
“And your point is?”
“My point is that most people, I imagine, will shake their heads thinking it’s a sin and a shame that for once you didn’t have the decency to do the right thing and marry Maxi and give your child a name. It will sound like history repeating itself to them.”
Christopher frowned. “My child will have a name; whatever name Maxi decides to give it. She wanted a baby and I gave her one. No one has to know I’m the child’s father. I told Maxi that.”
“Yes, they do. I get the distinct impression that Maxi isn’t the type of woman to deny any man the right to his child. And I refuse to believe you’re the type of man who will father a child and not want to play a major role in his life. I refuse to believe that you would treat your child the way your father treated you.”
Christopher glared across the room at Gabe before slamming down his glass of wine, spilling some of it on the floor. “It’s way past my bedtime. Feel free to let yourself out,” he said leaving the room.
Over the next couple of months Christopher tried not to let the conversation he’d had with Gabe get next to him but found it hard to do. He also tried to get back into his old routine but found that hard to do as well. Oh, the women were willing but he was beginning to find them downright boring as well as annoying. Such was the case with the woman who was presently in his bed. He had looked forward to their date all week and hadn’t been disappointed as far as sex went. But a part of him felt he was still missing something, something vital.
“So, that’s the reason I plan to quit my job and open my own printing company.”
“Hmmm,” he responded absently.
The woman, whose name was Barbara, turned over and gave him a hard nudge in the side with her elbow. “You haven’t been listening to anything I’ve said, Christopher.”
He glared at her. He would be royally pissed if he had a bruised side tomorrow. “I didn’t invite you here to talk, so why bother?”
Barbara sat up in bed and glared back at him. “Haven’t you ever heard of pillow talk?”
“I heard about it but never bought into it. Takes up too much energy. Energy I can use for other things.”
“Like screwing my brains out.”
He looked at her and wondered if that was the reason she was now acting like someone who had lost her friggin’ mind—since her brains were now missing. “Yes. You got everything you asked for.” He heard her deep sigh of indignation then felt the bed dip when she got out of it.
“There was a time you used to be a lot of fun.”
“And there was a time you didn’t talk so damn much.”
He heard another sigh of indignation. “I’m leaving.”
“Fine. I’ll call you next week.” Even when he said the words he knew that he wouldn’t.
“Why bother?”
“For sex. I like screwing your brains out and you like having them screwed out.” A few minutes later he heard his door slam shut with enough force to wake up the entire neighborhood. He got up to make sure she had locked the door behind her and wasn’t surprised to discover she hadn’t.
Going back into his bedroom he got back into bed and stared up at the ceiling, quickly forgetting about Barbara and thinking of Maxi. Had she told anyone she was pregnant yet? Was she showing? Had she listened to the baby’s heartbeat? Did she know if she was having a boy or a girl? Was it too early to find out?
He thought of her often, every day, in fact. He even thought about her during those times when he wasn’t supposed to be doing so, like tonight while screwing Barbara’s brains out. Barbara and other women had lacked something. To be totally honest there hadn’t been a woman who could hold a candle to Maxi in bed. With her it had been more than just sex. And it had been more than flexing their muscles and bodies to make a baby. He didn’t know of any other woman who could make him feel the way Maxi did both in bed and out. No other woman could look at him and make him feel that he was somebody special, someone on top of the world, someone she desired with a passion as well as trusted with her life. And because of it his mind, soul, and body craved her in a way that was downright abnormal. When they had shared a bed the more he made love to her, the more he had wanted her.
He wanted to see Maxi. He wanted to talk to her. And he want
ed to make love to her again, this time without a reason or purpose.
Because he loved her.
“Damn!” He ran his hand over his face wondering where that thought had come from. And then he knew. It had come from a place where Maxi had always been, ever since the first grade, and reinforced on the cruise. His heart. There was no sense being a fool any longer and wasting his time with other women. Maxi was and always would be the only woman he wanted. He wanted her and he wanted their baby.
An hour or so later he reached over and picked up the phone. He smiled when Gabe’s sleepy voice came on the line. Why should Gabe sleep when he couldn’t?
“Yeah?”
“I’m taking some time off, Blackwell. I’m going to Savannah.”
“It’s about time. I’ll handle things until you get back. And I suggest that you see the folks before you leave, especially if you’re thinking about getting married. Mom will be upset if you don’t. She feels it’s her God-given right to know every blasted thing. The last thing you want is to get out of her good graces. It can make life a living hell for both of us.”
“Good point.”
“I always knew you were a smart man, Chandler. Slow but smart.”
“Goodnight, Blackwell.”
“Goodnight.”
CHAPTER FORTY
Maxi dropped her mother off at home after the two of them had returned from church. Ever since she had told her mother about her pregnancy, Gwen Chandler had been on cloud nine knowing she had a grandchild on the way.
Maxi hadn’t had to tell her mother who the baby’s father was. The wise older woman had figured it out for herself, and assumed her daughter had gotten pregnant from Christopher on the class reunion cruise. When she had asked Maxi if she needed to plan a wedding anytime soon, Maxi had said no and Gwen had left it at that with no lectures and no disappointed or disapproving looks.
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