Foolish Expectations (21 page)

But when she sighed against his lips, the breathy sound ignited a fever in him that couldn’t be restrained. Desire burned through him, fueling him to take her hard and fast. God, he wanted her. Wanted to feel her writhing beneath him as she came around his dick. And he needed to feel it right now.

Not bothering to pull out, he grasped her ass and rolled them over until she was flat on her back. She squeaked at the unexpected maneuver, but as he spread her legs farther apart and thrust deeper and harder than before, the sound turned into a moan. She arched her body upward, thrusting those pert little breasts into his face.

Nash closed his lips around one tight rosy nub, rasping his tongue across it as her body quivered in excitement. Her slick channel convulsed around him, warning of her impending climax. The moment she cried out her release, he pushed all the way inside her and held himself there, letting her contractions milk the orgasm from him. Grunting and groaning, he threw his head back and let go.

Depleted of all strength, he sank on top of her, instinctively angling his body to the side to keep from smothering her. “Jesus. You okay?”

“Mmm-hmm,” she answered, her hands roaming over his back as she lovingly caressed him. “Aren’t you?”

Nash blew out a breath. “I’m good.”

“Good, because I need to tell you something.” She played with his hair, combing her fingers through it. “I got my old job back at the restaurant.”

Nash shot straight up. “What the hell are you talking about? Since when?”

She paused, seemingly confused by his outburst. “Since this morning. I called to give them my forwarding address, and Danny offered to put me back on the schedule. I start my first shift tomorrow.”

“No. Absolutely not.” He crawled out of the bed, adjusted his underwear, flipped on the nearest light, and crossed his arms. There was no fucking way he was going to let her go back to work when she still hadn’t accepted she was no longer pregnant. “You aren’t going back to work.”

 “Why not?”

He couldn’t tell her why, but he had to give her a good reason. Something believable. Something to keep her from taking the job. “Because I’m your husband and I said so, that’s why.”
Oh, fuck. Where the hell did that come from?
The moment the words left his lips, he knew it was the wrong thing to say.

She blinked in shock, then her eyes flared with anger. “Excuse me?” She scoffed under her breath. “If you think that macho bullshit will fly with me, then you married the wrong girl.”

Damn it.
Now he had to tell her the truth to keep her from being pissed at him. But not knowing how she would react weighed heavily on his shoulders. “Bailey, just let me explain—”

“I don’t want to hear it, Nash. I married you, but you are not my keeper. I’m a grown woman who’ll make her own decisions, and if you don’t like it, then that’s just too damn bad. I wasn’t asking your permission. I was politely informing you of my plans. But I won’t have you telling me what I can or can’t—”

“Goddamnit, Bailey. Just shut up and listen.”

She flinched, as if he’d struck her, and the cool gaze she shot his way sent chills down his spine. Before he could even apologize, she rose from the bed and calmly walked out of the bedroom, wearing nothing but her panties and slamming the door behind her.

Fucking great.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Bailey couldn’t wait for her shift to end.

Not only were her feet killing her, but she was exhausted and unable to concentrate. No doubt it had to do with the miserable, sleepless nights she’d spent in the guest room after her argument with Nash. It’d been three days since she’d spoken a word to him.
That’ll teach him to tell me to shut up.

But the silent treatment was getting to her, too.

That first night, he’d tried to apologize, but she’d been so pissed that she’d locked the guest room door and ignored his pleas for her to open it. Even when he gave up and went back into the other room, neither of them had gotten much sleep. She’d heard him pacing in the room next to hers, then listened to the creaking of the bed as he tossed and turned almost as much as she had.

The next day, they’d avoided one another altogether. She’d started back at her old job, apparently against his wishes, while Nash had worked late into the night once again. Even though she’d left the guest room door unlocked that night, he’d passed right by it and never bothered to knock or open it. Bailey had cried softly for an hour, then spent the rest of the night staring at the ceiling.

But last night had been the worst of all. They’d sat at the kitchen table, eating dinner in complete silence. A couple of times, he’d looked like he wanted to say something, but hadn’t. So she did the same thing she’d been doing every night since the doctor told her she wasn’t pregnant. She went into the bathroom, turned on the water in the bathtub, and had cried until her tears ran dry, letting the sound of the running water drown out her sadness.

She couldn’t understand how they had been so happy, and then in one instant, their relationship had become stagnant and their marriage had taken a nosedive. But then again, this had never been a real marriage from the beginning. Not really. She had been a vessel, an incubator for his unborn child. At least, that’s what he’d believed when he’d married her. Now that it was no longer the case, maybe this was his way of telling her he wanted out of the marriage.

The thought alone stressed her out, so she shook it off. She had enough on her plate at the moment and didn’t want to think about it right now, anyway. She’d barely made it through the lunch rush without screwing up an order. All she wanted was to take her last customer’s order and then get the hell out of there. Even if the thought of going home and facing Nash left her feeling anxious.

She headed for the lone man in the dark gray suit who’d unbuttoned his jacket before sitting at the nearby table the hostess had shown him to. Occasionally businessmen came into Danny’s establishment, but this particular one seemed severely out of place. As if he had an air of sophistication or entitlement about him and wouldn’t normally be caught dead in a bar and grill.

“Hi, I’m Bailey,” she said with a smile. “I’ll be your server today. What can I get you to drink?”

He glanced up at her and one haughty brow rose before he gestured to the chair across from him. “Actually, I’d like a word with you, Ms. Hobbs. Or do you prefer I call you Mrs. Sutherland?”

Bailey hesitated. Though there was something awfully familiar about him, she’d never given out her last name to a customer before. Not her maiden name, and definitely not her married one. But then he flashed her a superior grin, showing off his perfect pearly whites, and she had no doubt about his identity.

Only Nash had that same lady killer smile, one he’d obviously inherited from his estranged father. “Does your son know you’re here?”

That earned her another quick smile. “No, I don’t believe he does.”

Bailey sat in the seat across from him and folded her hands on the table in front of her. “Do you plan on telling him?”

“Well, at the moment, my son isn’t speaking to me.”

“I’m sure he has his reasons.”

“Ah, yes, I suppose he does.” Aaron Sutherland leaned back in his chair, measuring her with his eyes. “Which is exactly why I came to see you.”

Her brows lowered over her wary eyes. “What does any of this have to do with me?”

“Well, it’s quite simple, really. I’d like Nash to take the position I offered him as the head of the legal department for Sutherland Industries, but he’s as stubborn as his mother. He just won’t listen to reason. But as his wife,
you
could make that happen.”

“I’m not going to ask Nash to take the job.”

He chuckled at her. “That’s not what I’m proposing.”

“Then maybe you should just spell it out for me,” she told him, trying to keep her tone even and failing miserably. “What exactly do you want from me, Mr. Sutherland?”

“I want you to persuade my son to talk to me, to hear me out. And I’m willing to make it worth your while.” Nash’s father pulled a check from his pocket and slid it across the table toward her.

She didn’t even bother to look at it. “No.”

“If it’s not enough of an incentive, I’m happy to make you a better offer.”

“I said no.”

Determination darkened his eyes with a controlled intensity. Like Nash, Aaron Sutherland didn’t like to be told no. But that was just too damn bad. She was on her husband’s side, and if his dad didn’t understand that, then the selfish bastard didn’t know the first meaning of love.

“I don’t think I’m making myself clear. I’m willing to pay you a considerable sum for your cooperation. But you only have ten seconds before I withdraw my proposal.”

“I don’t think I’m making myself clear,” she said, glaring at him. “I said no.”

“Maybe I should explain it a different way.” Nash’s father adjusted his sleeve and then pointed with the gold cuff link at his wrist, monogrammed with the letters
A
and
S
. “Do you know what I pay for these alone?”

“Apparently more than you should have.” Bailey leaned forward and shoved the check back to him. “But you don’t have enough money in the bank to buy me off. If you want Nash to listen to you, then maybe you should learn to do the same.” She stood up to leave, but stopped long enough to glance back at his custom-made cuff link. “By the way, you’re missing a letter. After meeting you in person, I am certain there should be another
S
at the end.” Then she marched away.

Bailey stayed in the back room until she was sure he’d left. Then she clocked out and headed home. She couldn’t believe Nash’s father would stoop so low.
The nerve!
No wonder her husband wanted nothing to do with him. Aaron Sutherland was an egotistical prick who thought his money and power could buy him anything he wanted…including his own son.

He hadn’t said he missed Nash, or even loved him. Only that he wanted his son to take his position in the family business. In fact, he didn’t seem to care at all about what Nash wanted. Because as long as Aaron got his way, that was all that mattered.

Bailey sighed.

She felt terrible that she and Nash weren’t on speaking terms because all she wanted to do right now was wrap her arms around his waist and tell him how much she loved him. Screw their argument. Forget waiting for him to get past the hurt of losing a child that was never meant to be. It was time he knew how she felt. And she planned to tell him tonight, the moment he walked through the front door.

Fifteen minutes later, Bailey pulled into the driveway of her home and got a pleasant surprise. Nash’s truck was already parked out front in his usual spot. She smiled. Maybe he was here to fix things with her as well. God, she hoped so.

She hurried inside and spotted him almost immediately. He stood in the kitchen doorway, staring silently at her, as if he were waiting for her to get home. “I’m glad you’re here,” she told him. “We need to talk.”

“Yes, we do,” he agreed, though his voice sounded a little off. “How was work?”

Bailey shrugged. “It was okay.”

“Just okay?” His eyebrow rose slightly. “Why? Did something happen?”

“No, nothing.” Guilt punched her in the gut, and she cringed internally. She didn’t like lying to her husband, but there was no point in hurting him by confirming something he already knew: his father was a pompous asshole.

He regarded her with wary eyes. “Are you sure? You look like something is bothering you.”

“I’m fine. I just don’t like it when we fight.” She reached for him, wanting to coil her arms around his waist, but he grasped her arms to stop her. The potent smell of alcohol assaulted her nostrils, and one glance at the half empty bottle on the table confirmed her suspicions. He reeked of whiskey. “Have you been drinking?”

“Yeah.” He released her arms and stepped back from her.

He must still be mad.
“Look, I’m sorry. I just wanted—” He looked away from her, fists clenching at his sides, but didn’t say anything. “Nash…? What’s wrong?”

A moment passed before he spoke. “I’m trying to figure out what you’re apologizing for.” The way he regarded her with a hard gaze concerned her, but it was the remoteness in his gruff voice that alarmed her the most. “Are you sorry about the fight…or that you lied to me again?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about your inability to tell me the fucking truth,” he snapped, making her eyes widen. He pursed his lips briefly. “Then again, I guess you’ve done nothing but lie to me from the beginning, anyway.”

“Nash, I don’t know what it is you think I lied to you about—”

“Bailey. Stop it!” His dark eyes wielded an anger she’d never seen from him before. He paced back and forth like an aggravated panther in an unreliable cage. “I know, all right? Earlier, I went by the restaurant to put an end to our argument, and I saw you meeting with my dad.”

Shit.
“I can explain—”

He scowled at her. “Right. Because I can believe anything that comes out of your mouth?”

“Nash, just listen to me.”

“Oh, I did. When you asked me to give my father another chance or fed me the bullshit guilt trip about how I’d regret not talking to him if something ever happened to him.” He shook his head. “No, thanks. I’m done listening to you.”

“Nash, that meeting with your dad wasn’t what it looked like.”

“Oh, yeah? Then explain this.” He swiped a folded newspaper off the counter and thrust it at her. “Look familiar?”

“It’s…my newspaper. So what?”

Nash groaned. “Don’t act stupid, Bailey.”

“Me? You’re the one playing guessing games. Why don’t you just tell me what this newspaper has to do with anything?”

He snatched the paper from her hand, flipped it over, and tapped his finger on the article on the other side that read N
EW
H
EAD
OF
L
EGAL
D
EPARTMENT
FOR
S
UTHERLAND
I
NDUSTRIES
. “This. You’ve been in cahoots with my father from the beginning, haven’t you?”