Tryst (19 page)

He sat on the side of the bed, using his finger to turn my chin toward him. “There’s something. Did they find something in your test results?”

I searched his eyes. I
didn’t know what I was looking for.

“Tell me
,” he urged. “The thoughts I’m having right now… Please don’t do that to me.”

I took a breath and whispered
, “I’m pregnant.”

The silence stretched on so definitively I started to think he hadn’t heard.

Just like hitting the play button on a screen that had been paused, he started to move. He pulled away.

“Does he know?” he asked, his voice slightly hoarse as he paced to the other side of the room.

“Who?” I asked, confused.

“That bastard you’re married to.”

He thought the baby was Blake’s.

I guess it wasn’t a stretch for him to think that. It’s likely what most people would assume. He didn’t know the pregnancy hormone in my system was low and just beginning to build. He didn’t know I hadn’t had sex with Blake in over six months.

He didn’t know this baby was his.

“No, I
—”

“How could you?” he said, low, spinning around to pin me
with anguished eyes.

“What?”

“How could you let him touch you like that? How could you let him tie you together for the rest of your life?”

“Gavin,” I said, wanting to tell him I wasn’t tied to Blake
. I was tied to him. The pain I saw in his eyes surprised me. It was almost like he wished this baby was his.

The door opened and Claire breezed in. “Guess who has release papers!”

Gavin and I both looked up at her. She froze. “Did I interrupt?”

“Yes
,” I said at the same time he said, “No.”

I cleared my throat. “We were talking. Can we have another minute?”

“Sure—”

“It’s not necessary,” Gavin said. “We’re done here.”

“Gavin, wait!” I called, but it was too late. He was gone.

Talie

The drive to Aunt Ruth’s seemed to take forever, just
like the wheelchair trip down to the car at the hospital. They wouldn’t let me walk, and I wasn’t about to make a scene, so I sat there while they pushed me to the car.

Claire knew I was upset
, but she didn’t press, and I was grateful. I wasn’t ready to talk about this with anyone. I just wanted to find Gavin. I wanted to make him listen to me. If, after he heard this baby was actually his, he still wanted to run, I wouldn’t stop him.

Gavin’s car was in the driveway at his house. As soon as Claire parked
, I got out of the car and went down onto the beach and up onto his deck. I knocked on the glass sliders, but he never came to the door. I peered into the windows, searching for him and even called out his name, but still he didn’t answer.

I spun around with a frustrated sound and looked down on the beach. In the distance
, I could see him, a guy in jeans and red T-shirt. He was wearing a hat, but I would know him anywhere.

He was walking along the shoreline, toward the house.

I didn’t think it would be a good idea to go running off down the beach after just getting released from the hospital (though I wanted to) so instead, I sat down in one of his deck chairs, willing to wait it out.

When Gavin got close, I knew he saw me because he stopped walking and stared up to where I was sitting. I stood as my heart bounced around and my hands quivered. I was afraid he might keep walking, that he might turn away again.

Instead, he started walking again, his long strides bringing him onto the deck.

“What are you doing here, Talie?” he asked.

“The baby isn’t Blake’s,” I said loudly, over the rumbling of the waves. “It’s yours.”

He stilled as if shock rendered him motionless. I gave him time to process, to make sense of what I said.

“That baby isn’t mine,” he said, pointing to my stomach. “It’s too early.”

“Which is exactly why I have to go back in a month. Because an ultrasound wouldn’t show anything. A blood test confirmed it.”

He still looked like he didn’t want to believe.

“I haven’t had sex with Blake in over six months.”

His eyes snapped to mine. I saw the hope there. He desperately wanted to believe. I nodded. “This baby is yours. Call Stitch. He’ll tell you how early I am.”

He shot forward so suddenly that I stumbled. But it didn’t matter because his arms were around me in seconds, pulling me against his body and claiming my mouth with his. I was gasoline and he was the match. We burst into flames that burned brighter than the sun. His mouth was demanding as he kissed me so deeply I had to cling to his biceps to hold myself in place.

Gavin’s tongue knew exactly where to stroke, the exact amount of pressure to apply, and exactly how to twist around mine. I groaned, fisting my hands in the fabric of his shirt, trying to get closer. I would climb inside him if he let me. There was no place that was close enough to him.

He broke the kiss just as suddenly as it started. His eyes looked like blue fire as he speared me with a look. “Six months?” he demanded.

I shook my head. “He hasn’t touched me in six months.”

He growled deep in his chest, the sound of an alpha male claiming what was his. He lifted me off my feet and carried me into the house, not stopping at the couch or against the wall like we usually did.

Instead, he carried me into his bedroom, into a room I hadn’t been before. The shades were drawn so it was dim and all I could make out was a large bed in the center of the room. Gavin placed me in the center of the mattress and stood at the foot of the bed, staring down at me possessively.

With one hand
, he yanked the shirt off his head and sent it flying backward, and then he reached for the button on his jeans. I pushed up to sit, scooting closer to where he stood. I climbed to my knees and pushed his hand away, reaching into the worn fabric of his jeans to cup the already rigid length inside.

In one swift movement
, Gavin pushed down his jeans and boxers, leaving him completely bare and at my eye level. His cock was swollen and proud, impatient for pleasure.

I wrapped my hand around him and squeezed, rubbing my
lip over his head. He made a guttural sound and I smiled, liking the power I suddenly had over him. Keeping my hand on him, I lowered down, deep-throating him in one long stroke. His body jerked like he’d been shot and his hands reached out to grip my shoulders.

I began to bob up and down on his length, using the moist heat in my mouth to make him slick. When his member began to quiver
, I pulled back, licking down his length and drawing the delicate skin of his balls between my lips.

He whispered my name, but it was barely decipherable. Gavin yanked out my ponytail and headband to delve his hands into my hair. I flinched a little when he bumped the knot on the back of my head
, but I ignored the sting of pain.

I tried to go at him a little more fiercely with my mouth
, but he wouldn’t let me, pulling me back while breathing hard.

He made short work of my clothes, throwing them places I didn’t even look. All my attention was on him and his hands, on only the pleasure he could give me. When I was at last completely naked
, we backed up on the bed, Gavin coming over me, making me feel small as his body blocked out everything else in the room.

He leaned down and kissed me, the kind of kiss that branded me forever his. Gavin’s lips trailed down my neck and across my shoulder
, sucking and licking as he went.

“
I don’t want anyone else to touch you again,” he rasped, his voice low and deep.

I made a sound as his tongue flicked over my puckered nipple. He pulled the flesh into his mouth and rolled it around
. The action felt so insanely good that I groaned and delved my fingers into his hair.

He rose over me and settled between my legs. Our eyes connected and emotion swelled up between us. It was so intense I was almost overwhelmed. Gavin pushed into me, my slick, swollen insides yielding to his satiny, rigid cock.

I cried out as my body tightened around him, every nerve ending in my entire body on fire. I couldn’t even think after that. My mind just sort of blanked because there was so much pleasure there was no room for thought. When he finally brought me to release, bright lights burst behind my eyelids and I called out his name.

We
lay tangled up in the sheets together, both of us breathing hard and trying not to crash from some insane high. Now that the adrenaline was draining from my system, I could tell my body wasn’t too thrilled with all the action I just participated in, but I didn’t care. It felt soo damn good.

“Talie,” Gavin said, resting on his side and gazing down at me.

“Hmm?”

“You have no idea the kind of shit I was going through when you told me you were pregnant.”

“I tried to tell you it wasn’t Blake’s.”

“I was beyond hearing. All I could think about was how badly I wanted that baby to be mine.”

I laid a hand on his cheek. “He is yours.”

“He?”

“Could be a she.”

His eyes glowed and he slid a palm over my flat abdomen, like he was holding the baby who was still barely formed.

“When Dani died, I thought that part of my life died with her.” He confided.

I placed my hand over his so that both of us were next to our child. “I could never take her place in your heart, Gavin
,” I said honestly. “I want you to know that I don’t expect anything from you. And I won’t keep this baby from you.”

His brows drew down. “Why would you say that?”
His hand moved a little so he could clutch my hip.

“I know you don’t want another relationship, and I understand why. I hope you will want one with this child.”

He made a choked sound. “I want this child.” His fingers tightened on my skin. “I want you, too.”

Hope unfolded in my chest like a badly wrapped gift. “I won’t be your obligation.”

He made a sound. “I wanted you before I knew about the baby. It’s why I followed you that night in the rain. It’s why I slept by your bedside in the hospital and harassed the nurses for the best care possible. I know I’ve hurt you, and I know I’ve done this all wrong, but I can’t quit you, Talie. I don’t want to.”

“You said you didn’t love me
,” I whispered, my heart crumbling into a million tiny pieces.

“I was angry and afraid. It’s scary to love someone after you know what it’s like to lose that love.”

“The timing of all of this is so bad.” I gave him a watery smile. “I’m technically still married.”

“You’re mine
,” he growled, pulling me right up against his body. “I don’t care what some stupid piece of paper says.”

“Jack told me he’d fast
-track the divorce. I can’t be married to Blake when I have this baby.”

He kissed me on the forehead. “We’ll make it happen.”

“I don’t think we should live together, not right away. What if you decide you don’t like me?” I worried.

He laughed, a warm
, rich sound that spread over me like butter on hot toast. “What if you don’t like me?”

“You do have a terrible junk food habit.”

“Woman, don’t mess with a man’s snacks.”

I smiled. “
I’m going to love you, Gavin. For the rest of my life.”

He frowned. Not exactly the reaction those words should withdrawal.

“I’m not going to be an easy man to be with.” He cautioned. “I’m going to be overprotective and over-watchful. Sometimes I’m moody, and I’m always going to want sex.”

“I think I can handle it.” I smiled, my toes curling into the blankets. Never in a million years did I think my life would ever lead me here. That a no-strings-attached tryst would end up being the best thing that would ever happen to me.

But it was.

Talie

Nine months later…

I never thought I would enjoy having to be in the hospital. And I guess I still didn’t. But the reason for being here this time made it all worthwhile.

I sat impatiently waiting in the bed, this time covered with nice blankets we brought from home. I stared at the door while beneath the blanket my foot fidgeted about a mile a minute.

“She’ll be here in a second, sweetheart,” Gavin said from beside me.

“You should have
gone with her.” I worried.

“
Her Uncle Stitch is with her. Besides, I wanted to stay here with you.”

“I’m fine, but
—”

The door opened and Stitch came in, rolling a little clear bassinet. I made an impatient sound and glared at him. “What took so long
?”

“We were only gone ten minutes.”
He laughed. “I wanted to take her down to the lounge for a soda, but I was afraid you might send the cops.”

“You can’t give a newborn soda!” I said, holding out my arms for my baby.

Stitch grinned mischievously and Gavin laughed. He reached down into the bassinet and picked up a little bundle wrapped in pink. At only six pounds, she looked tiny in her daddy’s arms.

“Hey there, darlin’
,” Gavin said to his baby girl, cradling her against his chest. She turned her face toward the sound of his voice, already familiar with it.

“Hearing test went great. She’s perfectly healthy
,” Stitch said.

For him not being a “baby doctor
,” he sure had been hands-on with my entire pregnancy. So much so that we asked him to be her godfather.

It was kind of sweet to see a “lady
killer” like himself finally succumb to the charms of a girl. And a tiny one at that.

Before Grace Danielle Palmer was even born
, she had a line of men already wrapped around her finger. Her daddy being first, of course.

She was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen (I’m not biased at all)
. With a little round head, pink cheeks, and wisps of blond hair, she already looked like a beach bum. Her eyes were the same beautiful color as her daddy’s.

Almost three months ago to the day
, I was granted a divorce from Blake. Jack kept to his word and handled everything. Right after my accident, I stayed at Aunt Ruth’s for another month before Gavin convinced me to move into his place.

So far
, we liked each other pretty good.

Oh
, who am I kidding? I’ve never been happier or loved someone more.

I rested my head against the pillow, looking up at him and his daughter, marveling in how much lighter he seemed since we met. He still mourn
ed Danielle, but his life was no longer ruled by it. Even still, I knew a piece of his heart would always belong to her.

But I was okay with that because Gavin had enough love in his body that I got more than my share. And now Grace would too.

“I want my baby,” I said, holding out my arms.

Gavin smiled down at her
, then gently handed her over, placing her in my arms. “Hey, peanut,” I said, and she turned toward me. Her wide, innocent eyes were incredible.

“I’ll see
you tomorrow?” Stitch said, looking at Gavin.

He laughed. “Not. You know I’m off rounds for the next two weeks. But feel free to stop by the beach to see your goddaughter.”

He grinned and leaned over me and the baby. “Bye, Grace. I’ll bring ya soda.”

I rolled my eyes.

“He’s a bad influence,” I said when he was gone.

“He loves her.”

“I know.”

“I love you, Talie
,” he said, easing down on the bed with us. “So much.”

“I love you, too.”

“After Dani died, I never thought I’d be happy again. If you hadn’t been so loud and annoying, I probably never would have stomped outside and fallen in love.”

“Well
, if you hadn’t been wearing just your boxers, I probably wouldn’t have fallen in love.” I sniffed.

He grinned.

“So,” he said casually. “I got you a present.” He produced a long, velvet box and held it in front of me.

While he held it
, I lifted the lid, thinking it was some sort of necklace with her birthstone.

I was wrong.

It was a diamond ring. An engagement ring. And it was lying in a bed of pink rose petals.

I gasped, more than surprised. “I thought we said we were going to wait.”

Marriage had come up once or twice, but given my very recent divorce and his gun-shy feelings about getting married again, we decided we didn’t have to be married to be together.

“We can have a long engagement if that’s what you want
,” he said, watching me. “But I want you and that’s never going to change. I want you to carry my name like Grace. I want people to know you’re mine. Being with you is more than enough, but marrying you would be perfection.”

I glanced down at Grace, giving her a little smile. “Think we should keep him?”

She made a little sound that I’m pretty sure meant she was hungry. But I took it as a yes.

“Score for
Dad!” he said, rubbing a hand on her little cheek.

“Of course I’ll marry you, Gavin. Nothing would make me happier.”

Pink rose petals spilled across the bed as he pulled the ring out of the box and slipped the one carat solitaire onto my finger. It was shaped like a heart.

“You brought my heart back to life, Talie
,” he said, kissing the stone I now wore on my finger. “It’s only fitting you should wear it.”

S
o I did.

And
I never took it off.

THE END