Hard Love (An Evans Mill Romance Book 2)

by Scarlett Brooks

  I slapped her ass. “Fucking fun.”

  “Then we can get back to fucking fun once I don’t pass out.”

  I lifted her against my chest. Annabelle’s legs wrapped around my waist. Her lips met mine.

  “What did you mean when we were in bed?” she asked.

  “About what?” I carried her to the kitchen that way, kissing and holding her.

  “When you said you didn’t know how long I could do ‘that’?”

  “Oh.” I deposited her on the counter and slid the plate toward her. “Just that when you know, you’re uhh, bigger, you know because of the baby, I can’t. We can’t have sex like that. You’d have to be in a different position.”

  Annabelle pulled off a corner of the sandwich. “I get the logistics of not being on my stomach during sex,” she responded. “That wasn’t the question.”

  “I don’t follow then.”

  “You think we’re going to be having sex when I’m big? That means in months. Many, many months.”

  “Why not?” I shrugged.

  “That sounds like a presumption of the future.”

  I stared at her. “We’ll just get creative.”

  “You are completely missing the point. We don’t even know each other. We know almost nothing about each other. Just because I’m pregnant doesn’t mean we’re suddenly together. It just seemed like you assumed we’re a couple or something.”

  Something pounded in my chest. “Annabelle.” My voice was deep.

  “Hmm?” She had sticky cheese on her fingers.

  “I let you run out of my office the first time. And that was a mistake for both of us.” I closed in on her, planting my hands on either side of her on the counter. “I’m not going to make that mistake twice.”

  “But, we know nothing about each other, except we like sex. Maybe we like sex with each other a little too much.”

  “Not possible.”

  She sighed. “And you’re under no obligation here. I can do this. I can raise this baby. I’m not asking you for anything. I wouldn’t do that.”

  I was close enough to her my nose almost touched hers.

  “I know you didn’t ask for my help. You didn’t ask me for anything. But you’re pregnant with my baby. And, yes when we’re together in two months we’re going to have sex. And when we’re together in four months, we’re going to have sex. I’m not going to stop taking you to my bed as long as your body needs and wants sex. And when you have our baby, I’m going to be there. I’m there for all of it. Not just the sex.” I winked.

  “Luke, it’s too much,” she whispered. “We don’t know any—”

  “Shh. You’ve already said that. We just have to change that.”

  “How?” She stared at me.

  “Move in here with me.”

  Her mouth opened. “Here?”

  “You said it was beautiful. There are three bedrooms. Plenty of room for you and me.” I held her chin between my fingers.

  “I’m having your baby, that doesn’t mean you get to control everything I do.” Her eyes narrowed.

  “I’m asking you, Annabelle.”

  Her pouty lips parted slightly and I leaned in for a kiss. She nibbled on my lips and I wrapped my hands around her waist.

  “You move in with me.” She broke free from my lips.

  “Downtown?” I asked as if she had suggested I move into a meat warehouse.

  She nodded. “It’s above my studio. It’s where I work. It would be too hard for me to drive out here every day.”

  “It’s five miles.” I eyed her.

  Her mouth covered mine again and she moaned when my hand slipped under the T-shirt. I was gentle with her breasts, but it didn’t take much to send her soaring. I loved the newness of her body. I loved it even more knowing she was carrying my baby.

  “Move in with me. Final offer.” She exhaled, when I lifted the shirt and eyed her perky tits. “This is not fair,” she moaned when my mouth descended on the first nipple.

  “Isn’t it?” I moved to the other side.

  She shook her head. “Negotiations closed. You can move in with me downtown or nothing.”

  My hand slid between her knees and I pried them apart, spreading her open on the counter.

  “Think of what we could do in this house, Annabelle. Out here. No neighbors,” I teased. “Endless possibilities.”

  Her eyes lit with mischief. She peeled the shirt over her head and threw it on the floor.

  “Think of what you could do if we were in the same place—downtown.” Her head hung back when I drew a line from her pussy to her clit and kissed her nipples.

  Fuck. She was absolute perfection.

  I stepped away from her. Her eyes blinked open and she stared at me. Quickly she closed her legs. “That’s it?” she asked. “Just like that? You’re backing out?” I saw the anger bubbling in her expression.

  I smiled. “Maybe you should show me your place,” I suggested.

  Her scowl turned to a grin. “Really?”

  I nodded. “Really.”

  She sighed. “This is crazy. You know that. We have no business moving in together. Or having a baby.”

  I lifted her in my arms and walked her to the couch.

  “I can’t wait to see your place. And the studio. I want to see all of it. But we can’t leave yet.” I stepped out of my shorts. My cock sprang free.

  “Oh thank God,” she whispered. “I thought I was going to die if you didn’t touch me again. You left me on the counter, just to torture me.”

  I laughed. “See? We already know each other so well. I would never leave you like that. I promise.”

  “I’m horny and pregnant. That’s not exactly a compatibility marker. All I can think about is sex. I don’t know if I can stop having sex.”

  “Maybe for now you’re going to have to be okay with that. Sex brought us together. Sex is fun. Enjoy it.”

  I turned her away from me, placing her hands on the back of the couch and her knees on the cushions. I leaned toward her ear and whispered, “do you want me to fuck you like this?”

  She nodded. I reached between her legs and groaned. She was so wet and eager.

  “This is more than compatibility, Annabelle.”

  “Is it?”

  “I’ll let you feel it.”

  She spread her legs wide as I positioned my cock to her pussy. She looked over her shoulder at me and wiggled her ass backward. I thrust in to her and we proved there was more to us than sex. More to this. Her body belonged to me. I had claimed her on my office floor and I was doing it now with my baby inside her.

  Annabelle threw her hips back, opening herself to me as I sliced inside her with a deeper angle.

  “Oh shit,” I groaned. It was the third time today, but as fucking incredible as the first two.

  She always did something new. Something amazing. Something surprising.

  Now that the lights were on and it was daylight there were no secrets. She had nothing to hide. She was free and exposed. I could admire her curves, hills, and valleys. The sexy spots I had only tasted in the dark.

  Her tits rested against the couch as she jostled back and forth with our rhythm. I didn’t think I could last much longer. I felt the tightening in my spine and I knew I was going to fill her again with my seed.

  “Luke,” she whimpered.

  She clamped like a vise on my dick and I lost it. I exploded inside her, grunting and grinding every drop inside her.

  Our releases mixed and collided in unison. There was nothing more perfect.

  Twelve

  Annabelle

  I waited in the living room while Luke toured my small apartment. I knew it was nothing like the house he had built with his own hands, but this was my space. My happy place. I wasn’t ready to give it up. No matter how fantastic the sex was.

  The truth was I was terrified to let him in. Everything was happening so fast. Too fast.

  He turned on his heels after he examined the bathroom.
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  “Pink tile, huh?”

  I giggled. “You’d look hot in a pink bathroom.”

  “Would I?” His one eyebrow arched higher than the other.

  “We don’t have to do this. It’s okay. Moving in together seems so rash. We could just talk about our options. Get acquainted. We don’t have to rush.” I said the words to convince myself it was the right thing to say. Someone around here needed to make sense.

  “And having a baby isn’t rushing things?” He folded his arms across his chest. I couldn’t help but stare at the mass of muscles that formed when he flexed.

  “Okay. Well, we could just take it slow. That’s all. I’m not asking you for anything. I said I wouldn’t pressure you and I won’t.”

  “Stop it, Annabelle.” His gorgeous lips formed a straight line. “You’re not doing this alone.”

  I blinked back the tears his words started. I’d felt nothing but alone for the past few weeks. The early morning nausea. The late-night headaches. The weird aversion to chicken. All of it had made me feel foreign in my own body, as if I didn’t know who or what I was anymore. It took me almost a week to build up the courage to place the orders for the tests and another two days once they arrived to take them.

  I had known for a while that I was carrying Luke’s baby and I’d felt utterly alone.

  “Tonight,” he stated.

  I blinked. “Tonight, what?”

  “I’ll pack my things. You know a toothbrush, my pillow. The basics. I’ll come back in the morning with a truckload. I’ll move in tomorrow.”

  “But don’t you have work? What about L&L?”

  He shrugged. “Josh wants me to take time off. I’ve been a hard ass on everyone at the shop and in the lumber yard. They need a break. I need a break. I’m going to take a break to make this happen.”

  “You want to move in here and leave your house?”

  He rubbed the side of his jaw. “Listen, I think you’d love it out there. So, I have an idea.”

  “I knew there was a catch.” I squinted at him, waiting to see how he was going to outplay me.

  “No. No catch. Hear me out.”

  I nodded. “Sorry. Go ahead. What’s your idea?”

  “Think about this. We can be here during the week while you work and I work and we can spend the weekends at my place. Like a retreat. Walks around the lake. Fresh Colorado air. Quiet. No nosey neighbors. And the rest of the week we live here. What do you think?”

  “Your house is beautiful. And there’s a lake?” I considered his proposal. I remembered fruit trees and sprawling acreage.

  “Yes. You can see the lake from the back porch. We didn’t make it out there.” He winked. “I need to show you the entire property.”

  “That could work,” I agreed. I did love it there. I felt a certain calm and serenity at Luke’s place.

  “Done.” He extended his hand to shake on it.

  I took his palm in mine. “Oh my God. This is happening. We’re doing this? Why are we doing this? Moving in together?”

  “Don’t think. Let me be here to help you.”

  I took a deep breath. Was it crazy that I wanted him here? That I wanted him to go to the prenatal appointments with me? That I wanted someone here at night in case something went wrong? Was I losing my mind? I wanted Luke.

  I nodded. “Thank you.”

  “I want to see the studio too.”

  “It’s kind of a wreck,” I argued.

  “I don’t care. Show me. I want to see your work.”

  “All right. There is a staircase through the closet I use.”

  “Seriously?”

  I giggled. “Secret escape when I need one.”

  I led Luke to the coat closet and revealed it was empty. There was a pocket door that slid to the side. I pulled it to and showed him the spiral staircase that led into my studio. He was close behind me as we descended the steps. We landed at the back of my studio. I flipped on the light.

  The equipment was on one side and an array of different back drop cloths on the other.

  “This is where I mostly do portraits,” I explained. I led him into another open room. “This is where I hope to one day have my own gallery. I’d love to be able to support more photographers in the area. I think it could be a perfect place for them to have a showcase.”

  Luke stared at the exposed brick walls. “This place is incredible. I don’t remember the shoe store looking like this.” He touched the bare wall. “It’s the original brick?”

  I nodded. “Yes. I did a little research when I bought it. It was built in the thirties. I want to keep as much or the structure as I can. Someone had put plywood paneling over the old brick. I ripped all of it down.” I was proud of my reimagining of the space. “I think it would be beautiful in a gallery. Look at the ceiling,” I instructed.

  Luke lifted his eyes. “Tin?”

  “Yes. I love it. All of it. There’s so much detail.”

  He shoved his hands in his pockets. “And what about the calendar?”

  “What?” My jaw dropped.

  “You know exactly what I’m talking about it. Where’s the library’s big money maker?”

  “You think I’m going to show you that? It’s top secret. No one in Evans Mill has seen it except the committee and me.”

  “Come on. You’ve at least got to tell me what month I have.”

  I bit my lip. “Okay. Maybe that one piece of information. But that’s it, and you are sworn here and now to total secrecy.”

  “Okay. Okay. Let’s have it.”

  “You’re Mr. Novwmber.”

  He stared at me. “That’s when you said the baby is due.”

  “Yes.”

  “And you didn’t plan that?”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “This is going to work out, Annabelle. I promise.”

  He pulled me into his arms, and I prayed he was right. Maybe this baby was a blessing.

  Thirteen

  Luke

  I piled the last box into my truck. There was no way I could pack everything I owned and move it into Annabelle’s apartment in less than twenty-four hours. For now, what I had would work. Besides, the weekends we would spend here. I didn’t have to give up my home. It was the best of both scenarios for us.

  I reached into my pocket when my phone rang.

  “Hey, man,” I answered.

  “I’m checking to make sure you’re alive,” Josh joked.

  “You got my text, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah. But when is the last time you took a day off? I didn’t believe it. Thought I should call you.”

  I stared at the sun overhead. “Things got complicated fast. I need to take care of a few things.”

  “It’s not your mom, is it?” Josh sounded worried. He had been there when my dad passed. He knew how hard it had hit my family.

  “No, Mom is fine.” I wondered how she would take the news I had knocked up Annabelle.

  “That’s a relief. You sure everything is okay?”

  “It is.” I wasn’t ready to tell even my best friend what had happened. Annabelle suggested we get through the first appointment before we made any more decisions. We were leaving in the morning for Denver.

  “All right. Don’t worry about L&L. I have everything covered here.”

  “I knew you would.” I grinned. As much as he had been riding my ass about my work habits, I always knew Josh had my back. Always.

  “Talk to you later, man.”

  Josh hung up and I surveyed the boxes in the truck. I couldn’t believe I was doing this. He wasn’t going to believe it either.

  One step at a time, right? That’s what I had tried to convince Annabelle ever since she barged into my office yesterday. We didn’t have to conquer an entire relationship at once. We didn’t have to be masters of parenthood. We only had to take small bites.

  I leaned against the truck, hesitant to leave the house. I’d always watched my parents. I saw how they admired each other. How
my dad looked at my mom. It’s what I always wanted. It was why I built this place on my own. I could picture all of it. Kids running through the yard. Throwing a football and a baseball just like I did with my dad. And I’d look up and my wife would be on the porch taking pictures and videos, catching every moment of it. A goofy puppy would run up with muddy paws and everyone would scream when she tried to get the kids dirty.

  I shook my head. I didn’t know if I was in the process of making that dream come true or if I had blown it all to hell.

  I walked around the truck, hopped behind the wheel, and started the ignition. I pushed down the lump forming under my ribcage when I pulled out of the drive. I needed to take my own damn advice, and not let the guilt or the fear get one ounce of space. One step at a time.

  I backed into the lot behind Annabelle’s studio so I would have easy access to the staircase. She had given me her only spare key. She had a meeting with the calendar committee at 10am. She promised she would be back as soon as it was over. I didn’t want her lugging boxes up the stairs anyway. An excuse to keep her away for a few hours might be enough for to unload the entire truck on my own.

  “Luke Lincoln?”

  I froze with an armful of boxes when I heard my name.

  “Yeah?” I peeked around the top.

  “What are you doing?” Victoria Jameson stood blocking my route to Annabelle’s apartment. We used to pass notes in senior Biology. That felt like another lifetime.

  “Moving boxes,” I answered. “How are you?” I wondered if I would be able to distract her without telling her what the hell was going on.

  “I’m the same. Why are you moving boxes exactly? I don’t see any lumber back there. It doesn’t look like a materials delivery.” She was wearing her apron from Roasters, the coffee joint next door. She must have been out on a break when I pulled in.

  I hadn’t expected to see anyone here. Annabelle didn’t have appointments with clients all day. For now, we wanted our situation to remain a secret. I knew there was a good chance Victoria and Annabelle had mutual friends. She could be a damn problem if I let anything slip.