Just a Little Misgiving (Shades of Deception, Book 3)

by Mallory Rush

  "Yes," she whispered hoarsely.

  "Why didn't you answer me? I was worried."

  "I... Gloria's asleep."

  "But why was the house dark? I tried calling to let you know I'd be home late, but no one answered. "

  "I guess... I didn't hear the phone ring."

  She had to tell him. She couldn't. How could she ever push the horrid words past her lips?

  The nursery light suddenly switched on. Fearfully she looked at Myles.

  "Oh my God," he exclaimed as he gazed at her tear-streaked face. "What's wrong? What happened? Did the doctor find something bad?" he demanded as he closed the short distance between them.

  When she only looked at him, shaking her head, he took Gloria from her and laid the baby gently in bed.

  "Talk to me," he commanded. "Please, just talk to me. Tell me what's wrong."

  "Myles," she sobbed, falling into his open arms. "Oh, Myles. It's terrible. You don't want to know. You don't want—"

  "I want the truth. Just start talking and don't stop until you're through."

  She collapsed against him, and he picked her up. Sitting in her rocker, he held her head against his chest and whispered his love against her hair.

  Haltingly, she told him about her discovery, the words catching between dry sobs. "Our baby can't be yours. Please, tell me you don't hate me. Don't tell me you don't want us anymore or that you'll resent us every time you remember this."

  Looking up at his face, she saw his shock. He tried to speak, but no words came. Then he lifted her up and carried her over to the baby's bed. She could feel the trembling of his large frame.

  "I can't believe it," he finally whispered in a shaking voice. "I can't believe she's not mine. Because she is, Faith, and so are you. No matter what happened, you're both mine. But what tears me up even more than this hideous joke on the two of us is that you could actually believe I would love you any less or wish you out of my life. How could you have such little faith in me and the commitment I made when we took our vows?"

  "I'm sorry, Myles. It's just that I love you so much, it would kill me to lose you. And then I kept remembering what you'd said about your father."

  His expression hardened, and he said roughly, "That has nothing to do with us or our family. We were made for each other, and you'd better never forget that again."

  She had no answer but her own cry of relief, of gratitude to God that Myles did love her without condition, that his love had never been contingent on her giving him his own baby. He did love her, just for herself. Hadn't he told her so before? But then she'd never been able to fully believe it, had she?

  "Do you have any idea why Gloria would have done such a thing?" he asked as he leaned over the crib and studied the baby's sleeping face with such love and tenderness it made her ache.

  "I... I think I might have an answer. But it would be easier if I showed you something first. Something I should have shown you a long time ago." But she hadn't, and now she knew why. Without realizing it, she had waited for a signal, a sign that the depth of his love matched hers.

  "I want a promise from you first," he said. "We promise to each other our baby will never know about this. Well go to our graves with this secret binding us as tightly as the marriage vows we took."

  He slid her down his length, and they embraced, sealing their pact within a fierce kiss. Myles tucked the blanket around their baby before she led him down the hall and into the studio. Faith stopped at the last sealed box that held her secret.

  "Open it," she said. "Open it and look inside."

  Impatiently he tore the box open and lifted the heavy mound inside. It was still wrapped. Faith could feel herself shaking again, not with fear but with anticipation.

  He removed the layers of packaging, slowly unveiling the moment of truth. When it was done, he simply stared, disbelief and confusion etched into his features.

  "This is me," he finally said. "Why do you have a sculpture of me? And why didn't you want me to see it?"

  "Don't you know, Myles? Didn't you ever guess? I sculpted this before your wedding to Gloria."

  His gaze met hers, comprehension slowly dawning, before his eyes turned once more to the plaster bust.

  "You said he was married, the mystery man you loved who was the reason you moved away. He was—"

  "How could you think it was anyone else?" she whispered brokenly as she caressed the sculpture. "It had to be you."

  Chapter 14

  She waited, holding her breath.

  "You loved me," he murmured. "Even then you loved me."

  "I tried not to. I knew it was wrong because you belonged to someone else. But I learned that hearts have a way of making their own decisions. I didn't want to love you, but I did. And I do."

  "What did I ever do to deserve so much?" He placed the sculpture on her table. "No man has a right to all I've been given."

  Myles took her into his arms, his hands threading through her hair, tilting her head back.

  "I kept it covered except when I needed you. You were never meant to see it. Until now."

  He shook his head. "You don't know how this makes me feel."

  "Tell me," she urged, pressing as close as she could get. "Show me."

  His lips claimed hers urgently, fierce with demand.

  "This is what you make me feel. It isn't gentle or patient, but it's deep and intense and so full it can make my heart ache."

  "Then let me take the ache away." She slid her hand between them and curled her fingers over his groin. "Let me show you what you make me feel. Tonight it's reckless and desperate. I'm a woman who's craving to be consumed by her man."

  He strained against her while a growl rumbled up from his soul. Somehow they made their way to their bed. Then his hands were on her, and quickly they stripped the clothes off each other.

  With no baby between them, they fit hip-to-hip, hardness to softness, their bodies separated by only the thin sheath of protection.

  "Give me the man inside you," she whispered. "Untamed, uninhibited, wild."

  "You've asked for the beast and you've got him. The unwanted bastard stripped of the veneer he's spent a lifetime making others see. Aren't you afraid of him?"

  "No. He pleases me. Excites me."

  "But he's unpolished, not pretty or smooth."

  "He's beautiful. Perfect for his woman."

  "Then take me. Take the man who needs you more than he's ever needed you before."

  "I need," she whimpered. "I need too."

  He let her set the pace, and she knew she wouldn't be content with a gentle joining.

  Finally their hoarse shouts of raw ecstasy resounded against the walls.

  In the aftermath they stroked each other's faces, kissed with tender lips. They joined hands and rocked together murmuring over and over "I love you... I love you... I love..."

  * * *

  "Myles," she said against his chest in a sleepy voice, "the phone."

  "Ignore it," he muttered, clamping a leg over hers and managing to tangle the bedsheets tightly around them. "We already agreed it's just the three of us today. We don't need any visitors infringing on our time. They can call back tomorrow."

  "It could be important."

  "Ah, hell," he grumbled. "All right. But after this I'm unplugging the damn thing." He snatched up the phone and barked, "This is Wellington.... Oh, hello, Martin. Welcome back. You just interrupted some important negotiations, so I hope this is good."

  Myles suddenly sat upright in bed, practically tumbling Faith onto the floor. He caught her and immediately tucked her under the haven of his arm. She played with the hair on his chest, feeling the glow of memories from the night before. Their exhausting romp had given way to hours of shared affection and strokes of loving tenderness.

  "Okay... okay. Thanks for calling. We'll see you in another hour."

  "What is it?" she asked, more than a little curious about what had prompted her husband's about-face. Myles shook his head, his express
ion disturbed.

  "Martin's bringing over that certain something we've been joking about for months."

  "Did he tell you what it is?"

  "He did. And Faith, it's far from a joke."

  "What is it?" She sat up too, anxiously clutching the sheets.

  "A letter," he said, a frown creasing his brow. "It's from Gloria. She addressed it to us, in the event we ever married."

  * * *

  Faith rubbed her arms to ward the chill off her skin. She looked from Martin, who was holding Gloria and making an utterly lovable fool of himself, to Myles seated beside her and carefully fingering the sealed envelope. He looked at her in question, and she nodded.

  "Read it, Myles," she whispered. He broke the seal and unfolded a crisp sheet of paper. The handwriting was weak but undeniably Gloria's. He began to read aloud:

  Dear Faith and Myles,

  Since you are reading this, my wishes for you both have come true. You have found each other and married, as I know you were meant to. I must confess that in my hope to bring your destinies together, I lied to the two people I love most.

  Myles, you must have found the papers I planted! Hopefully it didn't take you long, since Faith needs you while she carries your baby. But she needed you long before that.

  Yes, Faith, I know. I know how much you love him and how you sacrificed your own feelings so that I could realize mine. The sculpture gave you away. I saw it years ago, but even before then any woman could have seen how deeply you felt, how much you cared for him. I could never blame you for loving him, Faith, especially knowing it had to be the reason you moved away and gave up everything you ever had or wanted out of love for me.

  Such selfless sisterly love deserves an equal measure. So maybe you can forgive me for telling you that if only I had a baby to live for, I'd find the strength to make it through. But the doctor had already broken the news that I was terminal, and in my heart I knew it was true.

  What I did wasn't very honest, but my intentions were good, and with my days numbered I was compelled to take the risk. If I didn't do something, you'd never tell Myles that you love him, and since he's as hardheaded as you, he wouldn't give himself the chance to find out that he could return your feelings because of his sense of loyalty to me. Unless you were carrying his baby. Ah, my grand scheme, it apparently worked! But then again, if I had thought it wouldn't, I never would have put you through this.

  Kiss your baby for me each and every day, and please, when he or she is old enough, tell your child about Aunt Gloria. And Martin, give him my deepest affection and gratitude for the integral role he took on to let me play Cupid. I couldn't have done it without him.

  Forgive me for any pain my deceptions may have caused along the way, because I've never loved anyone in the world half as much as you, my dear ones, my friends. Now you must love each other with all the fire that shines so brightly from your souls. You've warmed me with it and for that, I thank you. It is my dying wish that you spend the rest of your lives being happy, living fully. Remember me, but never with sadness. I don't want your guilt or your tears. Only your smiles and memories of shared love and affection that even the grave can never steal.

  All my love, eternally

  Gloria

  "She knew," Faith said, swiping at her flowing tears. "All these years she knew."

  "Gloria always saw what other people didn't."

  "I'm afraid I never gave Gloria credit for being so wily," Faith admitted with a small laugh.

  "She got us both," Myles agreed. "We were lucky to have had her in our lives. And lucky us to have each other."

  "And Gloria," Faith reminded him, nodding at the cooing infant.

  Myles looked at Martin with a puzzled frown. "But what about the cryobank? Gloria said the baby was ours."

  They both looked at Martin, who had stopped in mid "goochey-goochey-goo."

  "Of course the baby's yours," he said, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Why wouldn't you think it's yours?"

  Faith and Myles explained the crucial facts surrounding Faith's discovery.

  "Oh, cripes," Martin groaned. "I can't believe you found that out." He rolled his eyes heavenward and groaned again. "Gloria, you owe me big for this."

  Getting up, he handed the baby to his father. "Okay, Myles, you're the father, got that? Faith is the mother. I never dreamed I'd have to tell anyone this, and I made Gloria promise she wouldn't breathe a word, not even to Faith." Thrusting a hand into his hair, he began to pace.

  "Here's what happened. You both know Gloria and I were—are—this close." He held up two crossed fingers. "Lord knows why, because two people were never more different. Anyway, I could never refuse Gloria anything, especially when it meant the world to her."

  Martin slid a finger beneath his collar as though it were suddenly too tight. "There were two cryobanks she could possibly go to. Since time was of the essence, the perfect one that didn't require, uh, personal deposits, was too far away. There was only one way she could have a specimen frozen in time, and that was to use the clinic closest to your house."

  Turning a very bright red, Martin rushed on quickly. "She gave me Myles's specimen, along with some credit cards and his Social Security card. I went to the lab, disappeared into a room, waited five minutes, and went to the counter to hand over the specimen Gloria gave me. I told them my license was lost, and since it was for personal purposes, they accepted the ID I had and didn't question the forged signature.

  "They promised to freeze it immediately, and I got the hell out before my rising blood pressure put me in a coma. It was the most humiliating experience of my life, by far the most unethical act I've ever committed. It could have jeopardized my career. I wouldn't have done it for anyone but Gloria, and as wrong as it was, I'd do it again. My only regret is that the two of you found out."

  "Then..." Faith looked excitedly from Martin to Gloria to Myles. "She's ours? Really... ours?"

  "The real McCoy. The genuine article. I just played delivery boy."

  Faith bounded off the couch and threw her arms around her cousin's neck. Kissing him several times on both cheeks, she whispered, "Thank you, thank you. Oh, Lord, thank you..."

  "Hmmm," Martin mused, "If I'd known I might get this kind of reception, I would have come clean a lot sooner."

  They bid him good-bye soon after, with grins as wide as Texas.

  "She's ours." Faith laid her head against her husband's chest while she cradled the sleeping babe in her arms. Myles cupped her face in both hands and tilted it up until she looked into the piercing depths of his eyes.

  "She was always ours," he vowed. "She's sleeping." He nodded at the baby before his lips pursed suggestively and he tilted his head in the direction of the stairs.

  "Soundly, I hope," Faith said as they moved eagerly toward their destination.

  Gazing heavenward, she couldn't help but think how fitting it was that a new life nestled close to her breast while another smiled blessings from above.

  Blessings and miracles. Gloria slept peacefully as they laid her down and proceeded to their room.

  There they poured out their love, then lay replete in each other's arms. Whispering, cuddling, loving. A man and a woman making their own miracle... behind closed doors.

  The End

  Want more from Mallory Rush?

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  JUST A LITTLE SIN

  Shades of Deception

  Book Four

  Excerpt from

  Just a Little Sin

  Shades of Deception

  Book Four

  by

  Mallory Rush

  Bestselling, Award-winning Author

  "About Loren." Dee could only shake her head. "I apologize for her behavior. It was inexcusable."

  "No problem. She's at a tough age, but she'll outgrow it."

  "Not soon enough to suit me. If I survive Loren, it'll be a miracle."

  "You'll survive." He said it as if it were already a done deal.


  "How can you be so sure?"

  "Because I believe in miracles."

  Something warm and fuzzy and delicious seemed to spark in his eyes. Before she could deflect it, the feeling reached down inside her, filling up an empty place that life had hollowed out. She had a sudden urge to touch him, to discover if the feel of him was half as moving or good as the almost tactile sensation his gaze created.

  With difficulty Dee broke the visual bond and hoisted a large fern from the box on the porch.

  "Speaking of miracles," she said brightly, "I don't think they extend to boxes unpacking themselves. Thanks for coming by, Rev—Matt."

  Reaching up to hang the fern on a hook, she missed by several inches.

  When she stood on tiptoe and strained higher, Matt edged closer, his voice oddly tight. "I'll get that."

  Their hands brushed. White cotton met naked thigh.

  She felt a distinct ripple, a tingle, where they touched. Looking up at him, Delilah felt the earlier warmth inside spread. Just as sweet. Just as welcome. But intense.

  Chemical. Earthy. And something more.

  This time it was he who broke their locked gazes.

  Just a Little Sin

  Shades of Deception

  Book Four

  by

  Mallory Rush

  ~

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  Just a Little Sin

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  Bad Boy of New Orleans

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  Bestselling, Award-winning Author

  "Please leave."