Christmas with Boss Brothers

by Amy Brent

“All right,” he said. “If that's what you need.”

  He sat next to her on the couch. She could tell by the look on his face that he was disappointed, but he didn't say anything about it.

  They ended up watching a movie on his big screen TV. Thomas had his arm around her the entire time, and she laid her head against his shoulder, pretending that this was just a normal Saturday with a normal guy. She knew what would have to come later, though she still wasn't in the mood. The obligation, the knowledge that there was only one real reason that he'd asked her here, made it hard for her to feel any arousal.

  After the movie ended, Thomas started kissing her. She tried to respond, but her heart just wasn't in it. He picked up on that pretty quickly and pulled away, hanging his head and sighing.

  “Listen, babe,” he said. “If you're not feeling well, we don't have to do anything today.”

  “I don't want to be a let down,” she said. Tears started to well in her eyes.

  He caressed her cheek and smiled at her. “It's okay. Really. We'll make up for it another time.”

  He gave her a gentle kiss, then she gathered her things and got ready to leave. Though when she got to the door, he still handed her the envelope with her payment.

  “But I didn't do anything,” she said.

  “Yes, you did.” He smiled at her and kissed her hand. “You showed me a good time. Maybe not in the usual way, but I had a really nice time today, just spending time with you.”

  She toyed with the edges of the envelope, torn between taking the money and giving it back. But he led her into the elevator before she could bring herself to return it.

  “I'll see you next time, all right?” he said.

  “All right.” She smiled at him, genuinely grateful for his understanding.

  She went home and spent the rest of the day relaxing. The next morning, she was feeling sick again. On top of that, her breasts were sore, which confused her since she and Thomas hadn't even done anything together. Though a cold realization slowly dawned on her as she considered a possible explanation.

  A home pregnancy test soon confirmed her fears. She'd been using birth control each time she'd been with Thomas, but she knew that such things were never 100%. She'd have to go to a doctor to find out for certain if the test was accurate, but as much as she wanted to deny it, she knew that it was true.

  She was pregnant. And there was no way she could consider raising a child together with Thomas. She didn't know what she was going to do.

  * * *

  As the next couple of months passed, Jillian encouraged Thomas to call on her more frequently. She was determined to reach the end of their “business relationship,” but she couldn't do so until she'd earned enough money to get out of debt. Raising a child would be expensive, but she'd run the numbers, and found that once she was debt-free, she would be able to afford to feed and clothe the child with the money from her regular salary. She just needed to get out of debt before the baby was born.

  For a while, Thomas gave no signs that he had any idea what was going on. She went to his penthouse each time he called. They ate, they danced, they enjoyed quiet evenings together, and she did her best to please him in bed. The more time they spent together, the more amazing their nights together started to feel. She found herself wanting to take her time, to linger with his touch. She even started spending the night again, in order to feel his arms around her all night long.

  One Sunday morning, after a long night of passion, Thomas laid in bed and watched her get dressed. Her envelope of money was waiting for her on the nightstand, as usual. When she finished getting dressed and reached for the envelope, Thomas reached out and grabbed her wrist.

  “Jillian,” he said, giving her a stern look, “when are you going to tell me?”

  “Tell you what?” Her heart hammered in her chest and her face started to feel warm.

  “Don't play games with me.” He shoved her hand away from the envelope and sat up in bed.

  Jillian took a few steps back. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

  “Oh no?” He stood up and pulled on his pants. “You don't think I can notice the signs? You haven't had a glass of wine with dinner for months. You're in the bathroom plenty of mornings, claiming you're not feeling well. And, well...” He gestured to her body. “It's starting to show.”

  Jillian looked at herself in the mirror, pressing her hands against her stomach. She had been hoping to be done with her arrangement with Thomas before the pregnancy started to show. “I...I just thought...” She sighed and shook her head.

  Thomas glared at her. “Who's the father?”

  Her head shot up. She stared him down, her face turning red. “What? How can you possibly ask me that?”

  “Well, what am I supposed to think?” He threw his hands in the air. “You only see me once, maybe twice a month. You've got a whole life that I'm not a part of. How am I supposed to know whether there's another man?”

  “You think I would do that?” she asked. “You think I'd cheat on you?”

  “Cheat?” He snorted and shook his head. “Is it cheating when I'm paying you?”

  She looked at the envelope on the nightstand, then grabbed it and threw it at him. It tore open and money scattered all over the bedroom. “Well, you can stop paying me now.”

  She stalked out of the room and headed for the elevator. Thomas followed her and grabbed her arm, spinning her around to face him.

  “Don't touch me!” she shouted.

  “Jillian, I'm not just letting you walk out like this.”

  “Why not?” she asked. She beat a fist against his chest as tears started rolling down her cheeks. “Isn't this what you want? For your whore to leave, so that you won't have to be burdened? You wonder why I didn't tell you? Because I knew it would never work. You don't want me as part of your life!”

  He pulled her against his chest. She struggled, but he was too strong. “Is that what you think?” he asked, looking deep into her eyes. “You think I don't want you in my life? Of course I do!”

  “Then why...why...?” Jillian choked on her words, tears falling down her cheeks. She didn't even know what to say.

  “I've been trying to find a way to talk to you about this,” he said, caressing her cheek and wiping away her tears. “To tell you the way I feel about you. I only kept offering you money because I thought that was all you wanted. That if I asked you to come see me, just for me, just to be with me, that you'd reject me.”

  She shook her head, a wry laugh escaping her lips. “You really think that? That I'd reject you?”

  “You did the first day we met.”

  Jillian held very still, thinking back to that first fateful encounter in her office. It was true, she had rejected him. But only because he'd been a patient. Now that he wasn't...

  “Jillian,” he said, running his fingers through her hair. “Babe. Please. Don't leave.”

  She looked at the door, then closed her eyes and laid her head against his chest. “But what about the money? And the baby? And...”

  He stroked her hair, whispering soothing noises into her ear. “Don't worry about that. About any of it. I can take care of you. I can take care of you and the baby. That's all I want to do.”

  She held him tight, her tears slowly fading away. “You mean that?” she whispered. She clung to his chest, savoring his warmth. She could feel his heart beating and she held her head against it, listening to the steady rhythm of his life. “You really want me? You want...us?”

  “Of course I do.” He tilted her face up towards his. “Jillian, I love you.”

  He kissed her, and for the first time when she kissed him back, it was without obligation, without any baggage attached. It was simply two souls uniting in a moment together, sharing the touch, the taste of each other. She held onto him, relief swelling in her chest. Her worries slowly faded, and she knew now that everything was going to be okay. Her baby, their baby, would have a wonderful life, and they would finally be t
ogether as a real couple, as a family. And it was more than she ever could have hoped for.

  THE SEAL’S SECRET BABY

  CHAPTER ONE

  Deacon Cameron left the range with his best friend Trevor James, walking back to his Range Rover to head out to lunch. They did this on Wednesday mornings when Trevor was home in Washington D.C. and enjoyed the time together since Deacon was no longer a Seal due to a knee injury received on the job three years ago. He missed the job more than he cared to admit, hiding that behind the interest he showed in Trevor’s stories as he pushed down his pain.

  One thing that hadn’t changed in his life was a schedule. Deacon had been smart enough to invest what he’d earned well along with the inheritance from his grandfather so that he could live well now without worry. He helped out with his brother’s security company part time just to keep busy, working long days whenever James needed the assistance as well as Thursdays and Fridays on a regular basis. He still woke early, something that would never change, using that time to hit the gym and keep himself fit and healthy with a regular trainer. After the gym, he’d run a short distance if he was still feeling restless near his house where there was a nice nature trail.

  Today, he’d done all of that early and his knee was hurting a bit as he started the engine of his car. He drove into the city, automatically heading to the diner that they always had lunch at as Trevor pulled a ball cap over his cropped blonde hair and laughed at him.

  “What’s your problem?” Deacon asked him, slipping on his sunglasses as the bright spring sunshine nearly blinded him.

  “We don’t always have to go to this place, D. I love it and everything but anytime you want to change up, it’s fine with me.” Trevor teased him, knowing how rigid his best friend was to his habits. “Shit, this place has been around for thirty years already.”

  “It has, and we’ve been eating here since high school.” Deacon replied, feeling a little contemplative as he pulled into the lot and parked the car. It was one thing that he could still hold onto since losing his job, his memories going back to friends and family as he ran a hand through his own cropped hair. Some of the guys he knew had let theirs grow out as well as growing beards, but Deacon still kept himself clean-shaven at all times. It was what he knew and what he’d seen the men in the family do before him. “I don’t know, Trev. It just means something to me to go here.”

  “I hear that. We have a lot of memories here.” The guys left the truck and went inside, sitting at their regular table and ordering the burgers before Deacon sat back and looked around. “How’s Tina doing?”

  “She started seeing her ex last week. I started seeing this girl Lorna now. Man, dating is fucking crazy.” Trevor shook his head as Deacon smirked. “When are you going to give it a go? You’re retired now, buddy.

  “Like I want a part of that crazy.” Deacon responded, shaking his head. “Ever since James got a divorce, I’ve watched him go through it. It’s insane.”

  “Don’t you want to settle down and have a family? I mean, now that things have calmed down a bit?” Trevor watched a stubborn look cross Deacon’s face as he shook his head, longing for it himself as he dated girl after girl to see if she’d be a good fit. Being a Seal made it difficult to work for his friends that were married with kids, but they were all happy and made it work.

  Something was holding his best friend back. Trevor looked up as their lunch was brought over, taking a bite of the ultimate comfort food as he smiled to himself. Someday Deacon would meet a woman that turned his whole world upside down.

  They parted ways after that, since Trevor had to meet up with his parents and Deacon headed to the large house that he’d bought himself five years ago. It was in one of the best areas of the city, offering a quick drive to most anywhere that he went and it was secure. The house was a two story brick structure that offered everything he wanted despite living in it alone. Deacon parked his car in the five car garage next to his red McLaren 650s and the Harley that he’d bought the first year he’d left the Navy to take a long road trip on. He glanced at both of them with a yearning in his eyes to take off again as he headed through the garage door into his kitchen. Deacon grinned as he heard his husky barking in his crate, going to unlock it as Tasha jumped up to greet him. “Down, girl!” Deacon told her, looking down at the pup that he’d brought home from Kuwait when he’d gotten hurt. “Want to go out for a while?”

  Deacon let her out into the yard and walked out to look over the large expanse of grass as he crossed his arms, considering building a pool now that he was home more. The summers got hot in D.C. and it would make things more bearable, though his mind wandered to other places in his job that had been much more intense as he stared forward blankly. He glanced at Tasha to see that she was playing with one of her toys on the lawn, wandering back inside for some water from the fridge.

  Once he’d let her back in, Deacon wandered to the office to check on CM Security using his laptop as Tasha came in to lay down on the floor with him. James had worked hard on building the company, using his part of the inheritance to start it and keep it strong and now his soon to be ex-wife Susan was going after him for part of the company. Deacon shook his head angrily, remembering the look on his little brother’s face when he’d confessed that she was cheating on him with a lawyer from her own job. Nobody was perfect and he knew that James had his issues, but he worked hard to make their life enjoyable and Susan had ripped his heart open.

  They’d hired a lawyer to protect him in court and Deacon watched as he started to date girls that were younger than his age of thirty. Finding someone to warm the sheets was understandable but James was taking it further than that, getting emotionally involved despite Deacon’s warnings.

  He sent a message to his brother via the messenger app they used, seeing how things were as he sipped his water again. James replied with the news that they would be hooking up a new business with their top package the next day, making Deacon grin. He also asked Deacon if he’d like to hit the local BBQ joint up for some dinner since a date had fallen through and neither brother cooked too much.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Deacon pulled on a button up shirt that matched the gray in his eyes, tucking it into worn jeans before he left his large bedroom. He slipped his feet into some chucks by the door and decided to take the sports car tonight for a change, heading into the garage to start it with a grin as he slid the garage door open. The two brothers were close since their parents were both gone following a robbery in their home town of Denver. Wrong place at the completely wrong time. The boys were only twenty-five and twenty at that time and Deacon was already in the military with the Seals, so James stayed with their Grandpa and went to the local community college. Once he died a couple of years later, James joined his brother on the east coast and they were both doing well, apart from the divorce issues and Deacon’s current state of unemployment from what he loved.

  Deacon pulled out onto the quiet street, keeping the speed safe as he headed towards the main road. The sun was setting and he looked ahead of him intently as he noticed the red light, hitting his brakes carefully. It was a gorgeous night out and he lowered the windows as he drove, paying no mind to the stares that he received as he passed the other cars.

  He and James were both good-looking guys with dark hair and the same eyes that could be bluer or grayer, depending on a few factors. They’d had their fair share of women over the years until James had gotten married and Deacon got involved in his military service, always keeping things casual and very short lived at that point. His job was his life and he didn’t want to settle down with the instability of where he’d be at any given time.

  Even since he’d stepped away from his career three years’ prior, Deacon still hadn’t really dated. He focused on getting his knee as healthy as possible so he could stay in the shape that he was accustomed to. That had turned into working out several hours a day until he started working with James and soon Deacon found himself with little free t
ime to even consider a relationship. Once James started dealing with his marital issues - that turned into more working hours so that Deacon could support his brother emotionally as well as helping him run his increasingly successful business.

  Deacon pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, seeing James standing beside his black Tahoe dressed for work and very similar to himself. They’d always leaned toward the same style and Deacon parked before getting out of the car and ribbing his brother good-natured as they headed inside. Deacon noticed a crowd by the hostess station and stepped forward to look over everyone to see a woman passed out on the floor. “Call 9-1-1.” He told the hostess, who looked terrified as she dialed on the phone. He made his way down to the floor carefully, feeling for a pulse as he took in her dark skin and caramel highlighted curls that framed her face, trying to figure out what was wrong. “What happened?”

  “She was picking up a to- go order and just fainted. It just happened,” a customer babbled in his ear as he nodded and realized that she was stable and breathing, still needing to get to a hospital. “She teaches my Art Literature class at the college…I just saw her today. She seemed fine.”

  Deacon glanced up to see that his brother was thinning out the curious crowd as sirens sounded over the loud music in the foyer of the restaurant. Flashing red lights filled the room as the door was pushed open and two guys rushed inside with a stretched. “Deacon...what did you do here?” Steven greeted him, taking in the situation. He’d worked with Deacon on a few volunteer shifts after he ended his career with the Navy.

  “This woman fainted getting her order. She’s stable but needs to be checked out.” Deacon told the paramedics as they loaded her carefully onto the stretcher and towards the bus as Steven glanced at him with curious brown eyes. Deacon looked at James who stepped forward and clapped his brother on the back.

  “You know that you like to see things through as much as I do. We’ll grab some grub after. Got room for two?” James asked Steven, who nodded as the men headed out with them. They knew James as well just from town and Steven moved next to the woman once she was secured inside as they brothers sat beside each other.