I don’t even see how it happens, but Adrian’s on his knees in front of me in a flash, adding his hand to the mix. I’ve got three sets of hands on my body—two of them belonging to strangers. This is the most action I’ve had in months.
“How far along are you?” Briar asks. “If Sutton didn’t start rubbing you like a Magic 8 Ball, I wouldn’t have even known. You’re tiny.”
“Like twenty weeks. Now is when I’ll really start packing on the pounds, or so I hear.” It feels good to talk to people about this who don’t know me or my situation. They’re just genuinely curious and excited. Babies have a way of doing that to people.
Briar is the first to step back, and Sutton is next. Adrian lingers, gripping my bump like a basketball.
“I’m weirdly aroused right now, I’m not gonna lie.”
The room goes dead silent, everyone looking to each other, each expression a variation of did he really just say that?
“What?” Adrian asks, looking around, genuinely confused.
I’m the first one to break, unable to keep the full-on belly laugh inside. Dare snorts out a laugh, and like a domino effect, everyone else follows.
Just then, I hear the front door open. It happens in slow motion, the way I turn my head toward the sound, only to see a tattooed hand dropping a set of keys and said keys clanging to the hardwood floor. The way the smile melts off my face, and the way that brief, happy, carefree feeling morphs into horror.
Because it’s Cam at the door, staring right at my pregnant stomach, and Adrian’s hands that are all over it.
“Who’s the pregnant chick?” a guy who looks a lot like Cam says from behind his shoulder as he chews on what appears to be a breadstick. I realize now that he’s his brother, and he was at the bar that night. That must be why Dare looked familiar to me.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Cam barks, his eyes hard in a way that I’ve never seen from him before.
“I’m sorry,” I say softly. “I was going to tell you.”
Once again, the room is quiet, everyone seemingly confused—not excluding myself—but knowing something significant is going down.
“Okay,” Briar drawls, yanking a baffled Adrian up by the back of his hoodie. “This is our cue to leave.”
The guy behind Cam moves around him, with a pizza box in one arm, and everyone makes their way up the stairs, except Sutton, who hangs back for a minute.
“I didn’t know,” she says, sincerely, her eyes begging me to believe her. “I swear.”
“It’s okay,” I tell her, because this moment has been a long time coming. It might be a bit more dramatic than I’d have liked it to be, but it needs to happen nonetheless.
Once we’re left alone, Cam kicks the door closed behind him and walks to the fridge, helping himself to a beer. Weirdly, I wonder how close of friends he is with these people. Obviously comfortable enough to walk in without knocking and raid Dare’s fridge. What are the odds? And why me?
“I wanted to tell you,” I say again, not having any idea where to start.
“I don’t think there’s anything to say, really,” he says with a shrug.
My eyebrows cinch together in confusion. “Can you let me explain?”
“What is there to explain? You let me kiss you when you’re pregnant. Now, I’m not the fucking moral police, but that seems a little fucked up to kiss another man when you’re pregnant, even for me. I’m sure your boyfriend super appreciates it.”
What? Is that what he thinks? That it’s Tucker’s?
“Cam—” I try again, but he interrupts me.
“And not only did you hide it from me, but then I walk in to find my friend’s hands all over you. Just how many guys have you let have a piece of that pie, Mollie Mabey?”
I can’t begin to explain the anger that ripples through me in waves. In the short time I’ve spent with him, I’ve seen fun, cocky Cam, I’ve seen moody, guarded Cam, but I’ve never seen this mean side before.
“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” I seethe, walking past him to grab my sweater and stuff off the hook. “Sutton!” I yell. “I’ll be in the car.”
Mollie storms out of the house, slamming the door behind her. Unfuckingbelievable. How did I not notice it before? I think back to the few times I ran into her, and she always had a jacket or a loose shirt to camouflage her stomach. I think about how she always seemed to position her purse in front of her, and how she reacted the way she did in the lobby.
But why? Why did she care what I thought?
Mollie’s friend comes barreling down the stairs after her and stops in front of me, parking her fists on her hips.
“You and Mollie hooked up like four months ago, right?”
I nod my confirmation, as a sinking feeling hits my gut.
“Weird, because she’s four months pregnant,” she says, sarcasm dripping from every word. “Do the math, asshole. It’s yours.”
I stand here, feeling the color drain from my face. And then she’s shoving past me, too, shoulder checking me on her way out.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. The condom. It slipped off inside her, but she said she was on birth control. I remember asking, specifically. And she’s just now telling me? How long would she have waited if I hadn’t found out inadvertently? We never exchanged numbers, but she knows my name. She clearly knows my fucking friends. Tracking me down would be a no-brainer. Would she have told me at all? Would I ever know that I fathered a child? Is this even my kid? So many thoughts bombard me at once, and I drop down onto the bottom step, holding my head in my hands.
I hear someone coming down the stairs a moment later, and then Cord plops down next to me.
“Was she telling the truth?” he asks, probably having eavesdropped on the whole thing.
I blow out a breath, scrubbing a hand over my stubble. “I think so,” I admit. I can’t be sure, and I barely know the girl, but my gut tells me she wouldn’t lie about something like that.
“Then, what the fuck are you doing? Go,” Cordell says, jerking his chin toward the front door. Fuck. He’s right. At the very least, we need to talk.
“You good?” I ask as I stand.
“I’ll get a ride back. I might even crash here tonight.”
I give him a nod, retrieve my forgotten keys from the floor, and then I’m hauling ass through the snow back to The Pines.
After asking my friend, who happened to be working the front desk, which room Mollie was in, I dart over to the elevator, not wanting to miss it—it’s the kind that you don’t see for ten minutes once it’s gone—and my snow-slick boots slip against the hardwood flooring. I flail for a second, but I end up being able to catch my balance. The elevator went up without me, though, so I do what any normal person would do.
I take the stairs.
I fly up all eight flights of stairs, taking two or three at a time. I walk in the direction of her room number, the plush beige carpet muffling my footsteps—a stark contrast to the urgency I’m feeling inside. I raise my fist to knock, not having any idea how she’s going to react to me showing up uninvited. Either way, I’m not going anywhere until she gives me some answers.
Mollie opens the door, her doe eyes red from crying, and it makes the brown appear almost orange. Her wet eyelashes cling together, and her nose is red. Her heart-shaped mouth parts in shock, and I brace my right arm on the doorframe, leaning in closer.
“I’m going to be a dad?” I ask her, surprised to have to speak around the lump in my throat.
She nods, her bottom lip trembling, trying to hold back the tears. In this moment, I don’t care that she lied to me, that she kept it from me, or anything else. I don’t care about her fuck bag of a boyfriend. All I care about is this woman in front of me that is beautiful and carrying my child and mine.
Sliding my hand behind her neck, I crash my mouth to hers. She stumbles back, the hotel door hitting the wall, but I have her. I push her against the wall, and when her mouth parts on a gasp, I slide my
tongue into her mouth. She tastes like peppermint and hot chocolate. I bring both hands to cup her face, angling her head to devour her to the best of my abilities.
Mollie pulls back, panting. “Cam,” she whispers. “Tucker is here.”
Keeping my hands on her face, I slowly angle my head to the right, and sure enough, Tucker is standing there, and he sheepishly lifts his hand in an awkward, limp wave.
“Well, Fucker, you can leave now.”
“It’s Tucker, and you know it. Don’t talk to him like that,” Mollie snaps with bite in her tone that I’ve never heard before. “He’s been there for me through everything. He’s taken me to every single doctor appointment, and he’s held my hair while I puked for six weeks straight. He’s not my boyfriend, and he’s not your enemy. In fact, he’s essentially your unborn child’s uncle, so don’t fuck up your first choice as a father.”
“It’s not like you gave me that opportunity!” I yell, letting my temper get the best of me. “Don’t you think I would’ve loved to be the one to do that stuff for you? Do you think I’m happy about missing doctor appointments? No. But I’m trying not to hold that against you, Mollie, because the truth is, we didn’t know each other. Hell, we still don’t. But I’m not going to act like I’m happy that some other guy is over here playing daddy to my kid.”
“Tuck?” she asks, sniffling.
“You okay, Molls?” he asks, stepping forward, and I have to hand it to him. He doesn’t cower. If he’s intimidated, he doesn’t show it. He’s ready to protect Mollie, even if it means pissing me off. And I respect that. Reluctantly.
“I’m fine.” She nods, but her eyes are still on me. “Can you give us a minute?”
“Sure,” he says, swiping a room key off the dresser. “I’ll go to your brothers’ room. Call me if you need anything.”
“Thank you. I will.”
I eye him until he’s out the door, and then Mollie pushes past me to sit on the bed. She’s even more beautiful pregnant—her belly swollen with my kid and her lips swollen from my kiss.
“I’m sorry for snapping,” I say honestly, still trying to wrap my mind around everything. “Can we just start from the beginning? How did this happen?”
Mollie takes a deep breath, tucking her dark brown hair behind her ear.
“As you know, we had what I like to refer to as Condomgate. But, I thought we were fine. I was on birth control,” she says, corroborating my memory of how things went down, and I nod for her to continue. “Well, then my period was late. And sometimes that happens, so I didn’t freak out right away. But then it never came. I made an appointment, and when my doctor told me I was pregnant, I flat-out called her a liar.” She laughs, but it lacks humor, and then swipes her thumb under her eye to wipe away a tear. “I told her the situation, and she asked if I had been on any antibiotics. And that’s when it hit me. I was just getting over strep throat when we met, and I was still taking antibiotics.”
“And?” I ask, not sure how that fits into anything.
“And, antibiotics can interfere with birth control.”
I scratch the back of my neck and take a seat on the bed opposite from her, our knees almost touching.
“I wanted to tell you. So many times. But I was scared. I didn’t handle it well myself, so I couldn’t expect you to react well. I looked you up online and started writing to you several times, but nothing sounded right. How do you tell someone you hooked up with for one night that they’re tied to you forever? Or the next eighteen years, at the very least.”
“That all makes sense, but why did you continue to hide it from me after I saw you in the lobby?”
“Sutton told me you’d be in Aspen for the X Games, and then boom, there you were. I panicked. I wasn’t ready. I mean, how many women try to trap men? Especially professional athletes? Would you have even believed me?”
“I would have,” I say, and I realize it’s the truth. “We only had one night together, but I know you well enough to know that’s not your style.”
“I should’ve given you the benefit of the doubt.”
“And Tucker?” I ask, not completely sure where he fits into all of this.
“We dated…sort of. It’s mostly a show for his dad. He wants Tucker to be more responsible in other areas of his life before he gives him more responsibility at his firm. That doesn’t mean that we didn’t sleep together—we did. But we haven’t been together in that way since before I met you. I just don’t feel that way about him.”
Well, I guess that’s a relief, besides the part where they ever slept together. We’re both silent for a minute, not knowing what else to say.
“So, what does this mean for us?” I ask the only question I have left.
“What do you mean, us?”
“I mean, are you gonna be my girl, Mollie Mabey?”
“Your girl?” She laughs. “I don’t know, Cam. You live here. I live in San Fran. We don’t even know each other.”
“So, let’s get to know each other so we can stop fucking using that excuse. Listen, I’ve been with a lot of women. And I mean a lot,” I stress, but Mollie arches a brow and holds up her hand to stop me.
“I get it.”
“Anyway,” I say and then clear my throat. “The point is, we had chemistry right off the bat. You’re the one girl I didn’t want to leave the next morning. And when I saw you in the lobby, my gut reaction was to be glad that you were back. And the more time I spend with you, the more I fucking want you.”
I put my palm on her exposed knee, rubbing in small circles.
“Give us a chance,” I say, my voice thick with lust at one touch of her smooth skin. At one look at the way her dress has ridden up her thighs and the way it hugs her rounded middle.
“How?” she whispers.
“I don’t know. I’ll come down on weekends and court your ass. Hard.”
Mollie laughs, and I decide that I want to hear more of that. No more tears.
“You’d do that?” she asks doubtfully. “Because I have to stay there. My doctor is there. My insurance is about to lapse. I have to find a real fucking job,” she says, rolling her eyes, listing things off on her fingers.
“I’ll probably try to convince you to come live with me in River’s Edge every chance I get,” I warn. “But yes, I will. And, I’ll add you to my insurance.”
My palm skates up her thighs, and I pause when it lands right below her belly.
“Can I touch you?” I ask, tilting my head to meet her gaze. She nods wordlessly, and her breath hitches when I make contact. It’s firmer than I expected—a perfect little baby belly. It’s surreal, knowing something that came from me is inside her, that my hands are touching the result of our night full of fun and fucking. I don’t know what kind of man it makes me to be turned on by the thought of putting a baby inside her, but that’s exactly what’s happening.
“You know one good part about being pregnant?” I ask, my hand dipping between her thighs, rubbing her pussy through her clothes.
“What?” she asks, already breathless.
“I can come inside you, all I want.” And fuck, I want to. Need to. All night long, as long as she’ll let me.
“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” she says, but her eyes are closed in ecstasy, and she rocks into my touch.
“I think it’s the best idea I’ve ever had,” I counter, “and I think you want it, too.”
Mollie spreads her legs further apart, giving me better access.
“Is that a yes?” I slip my hand beneath her underwear, sliding it through her already wet lips. “Your pussy seems to think so.”
How did we get here? Twenty minutes ago, I was crying about Cam and how he treated me, and now, his hand is between my thighs as he tells me that he wants to be with me. My heart says be careful, my head says impossible, but my body…my body is screaming at me to let Cam show it magic again. Because that night with him was pure magic.
I know we should take it slow, but what’s t
he point? I’m pregnant with his child. The damage is done. If I’m going to sleep with someone, it might as well be the father of my unborn child.
Cam sees the moment I decide, and he gently lays me down on the bed. My pulse is jumping in my neck, my heartbeat erratic. Cam takes two fingers and drags them from my collarbone to my cleavage before sliding one side of my wrap dress open, exposing one of my breasts through thin, black lace. Cam lifts that, too, then swirls his thumb around the puckered tip.
My nipples are extremely sensitive lately, and I arch my back into his touch, wanting more.
“You like that?” he asks, uncovering the other one. Using both hands, he massages my nipples with just his thumbs, and I swear on my life, I’ll come like this if he keeps it up.
“These are puffier than I remember,” he remarks before dipping his head to take one into his mouth. “Fucking beautiful.”
Cam sucks on me, and my body jerks at the sensation, feeling it straight down to my core.
“Keep doing that,” I insist, holding the back of his head to my chest. His hands slide under my back and he holds me to him, feasting on me like I’m his last meal. He alternates between each breast, sucking and nipping and biting, and it isn’t long before I’m threatening to implode in his arms.
“Cam, I think—”
“You think you can come like this?” he asks, reading my mind. I nod frantically, not wanting him to stop for even a second. I reach for my clit, but he slaps my hand away.
“No cheating,” he says firmly before going back to work. He tweaks one nipple while he gives the other long, fat swipes of his tongue, and soon, the stimulation gets to be too much. My legs lock up, my core tightens, and my body breaks out into pinpricks as I come, long and hard, shaking, even after it’s over.
“That was the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever seen,” Cam says, laying me flat again and then pulling my dress and panties off. My limbs are listless, my eyes heavy. I feel drugged and sated. Heavy, but somehow weightless.
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