A Bundle of Joy 1: Baby Wanted (BWWM Interracial Romance) (4 page)

Why do I keep lying to myself? It has never been easy for me to ignore how totally hot Sean is.

Heather’s
eyes roamed over the curves and symmetry of his body.

She lifted up on her elbow, but as her breast grazed Sean’s cheek, he dipped his mouth and drew her nipple deep into his mouth again. Heather’s head fell back and she moaned. Her hand clasped his jaw and the stubble of his freshly shaved beard scraped her palm. Sensations exploded inside her. Her hand drifted down his face to touch the sweet curve of his shoulder. The muscle filled her palm and she turned her face to lick his skin.

Sean’s head jerked up and he blinked, lips parted and damp from kissing and suckling her. He looked stunned that she’d tasted him. She decided she liked surprising him when it came to his body.

Heather grinned and licked the outline of his shoulder muscle again. “What? You don’t get to be the only one having fun.”

He blinked. Then kissed her gently on the mouth. “How about if we take this up a notch.”

Heather scanned his face. “What does that mean?”

“I’m trying to go slow with you, Heather. But truth is, I want to devour you. Every…single…inch of you.” He punctuated the words with nips down her belly.

Heather raked her nails gently down his arm. “That makes two of us. When did you get so fit and sexy?”

He paused and she felt his grin against the tender skin of her belly. He kissed her. “Last night. I had a few extra hours.”

She laughed. This wasn’t going to be awkward.

This was Sean.

****

With every moment that passed, Sean still expected to wake from a dream. There simply was no other explanation for the last week of his life. And certainly no logic behind the fact that he was currently undressing the love of his life.

The wedding had been surreal enough, he’d not dared hope for a wedding night—or wedding afternoon, as the case was. Even knowing she was going through this only to have a baby, he’d figured that she’d prefer something sterile, involving syringes and
petri dishes.

Heather’s body was everything he’d dreamed it would be, and as his fingers and lips moved over her satin skin, it took every ounce of self-control he had to keep from ravaging her.

She purred beneath him and the vibration intensified his arousal until he could barely concentrate. Every time her fingers brushed his skin, his abs tightened. He undressed her, taking his time to reveal each new bit of skin. He’d seen her in shorts and skimpy workout tops, but there was something completely different about this time, about revealing the same curve of flesh at her shoulder and tasting the sweet swell of her bicep. There would be no turning back for him now, either physically or emotionally. Heather had seared her own spot into him and no one else would ever fill it for him.

He slid his hand over the curve of her hip and smiled at the fancy panties. They rode low over her hips, wrapping her like a sinful package that he desperately wanted to unwrap. He’d never pictured her for a daring underwear sort of woman. But he liked it.

Her fingers latched around his arm and slid up and down in a maddening rhythm. He tugged on them and held them to his lips, then let her settle them back on his body. He would never get enough of how his skin heated instantly beneath her touch. She roamed over his entire body like she couldn’t get enough of touching him. He hoped that was the case and this wouldn’t be the only time she’d explore his body. He hoped she wasn’t going to get pregnant on this first time. He wanted to do this every night for the rest of his life.

He kissed her belly and his hand roamed lower, over her hip, her thigh; he cupped her kneecap,
then drifted back north. He traced the inner line of her thigh, delighting in the quiver of her skin beneath his touch. Heather’s eyes sparkled, a sure sign she was enjoying the way he touched her. And even though his heart beat a million times a minute, like a teenage boy getting to touch the angelic body he’d dreamed of, he was glad he at least knew what he was doing so he could make tonight amazing for her.

His fingers grazed the silk of her panties then skimmed over the top of her hips and back to her stomach. Over and over he repeated the circle, loving how Heather tensed and trembled each time he got close to her sweet sex. His gaze drifted hungrily over her body. She’d closed her eyes and tipped her head back, exposing her entire body to him for the devouring. Like a starved man before a mile-long buffet, his mouth watered and he didn’t know where to start. Her perfect breasts swelled into his hands, the tight nipples cutting into his palm. He loved that she was so easily aroused. Every touch elicited a response from her and it didn’t matter how he touched her. Whether he brushed his fingertips across the dip of her cleavage, or if he tugged gently on her nipples, her entire body vibrated with arousal.

He licked her nipple, then down the center of her stomach, stalling out around her belly button as he dipped into the cavity, swirling his tongue around the rim and kissing the edges. Heather tugged hard on his hair and he fought the smile.

He pressed a hard kiss against the waistband of her panties, making her stomach jump beneath his mouth. He lifted up and repositioned himself between her knees. Lips against her stomach, he slid his hands beneath the silky fabric and tugged her last remaining bit of clothing off. He squeezed his eyes closed, terrified of losing control the moment he saw her entirely naked. He’d never dared imagine this moment, even in the dead of night when she invaded his dreams.

Sean slid the scrap of fabric down her legs, over the delicate curves of her calves and toes. As he tossed the panties over his shoulder he lifted her leg and nibbled her toes until she squealed. He scraped his cheek across the arch of her foot and kissed every delicacy of her leg as he traveled up the stairway to heaven. He tried to stall out at her inner thigh, but he couldn’t slow down. He needed to find his way home and when he reached the tops of her thighs, he finally opened his eyes. So much mahogany skin…he swallowed and his dick throbbed painfully against the zipper of his pants.

Heather reached for him and traced the outer edges of his ears. “Sean, you have too many
clothes on.”

Her voice tugged him out of his stupor, and he lifted his gaze to hers. Would she see his raw love for her plastered all over his face right now? If she did, it didn’t cause her to hesitate like he thought. She reached for the buckle of his pants and he swiveled his hips away from her grasp. If she got her hands on that part of his body, there’d be no control left for him. And right now, he needed to taste her before he got any more naked. He needed to leave at least one barrier in place or he’d last all of two more minutes.

“You really are beautiful, Heather.” He lowered his lips to her belly button again and then traveled lower until she squirmed.

****

At the first touch of Sean’s tongue, a jolt of intense arousal lanced through Heather. Her thighs turned to jelly and she gripped his hair for dear life. He slid one finger inside her and Heather gasped as her body clenched in anticipation. His tongue twirled around her button making it throb for more attention. His finger coaxed her arousal higher and Heather squeezed her eyes shut to try and stay grounded as spirals of heat exploded inside her. She moaned and panted and pushed her hips toward Sean, begging him to take her higher. Sex had never consumed her entirely like this before—body and soul were fusing together and she couldn’t keep her mind separate either.

Sean’s tongue swirled and drove deeper inside her, making her writhe beneath him with a need she couldn’t even quantify. She wanted more.
So much more. He slid another finger inside her and pressed upward into her G, stroking her toward an orgasm while his tongue sped her there.

Lights and colors swirled behind her eyelids and she clung to Sean, terrified that the intensity of this orgasm would send her beyond the realms of this now. He drove deeper, playing her with an expert perfection.

She arched her back and pushed into him. “Please…”

The world spun away from her as the orgasm exploded her body into a thousand spirals of light. Sean held her until her body quieted. He kissed her stomach from one side to the other, unbuckling his pants as he continued toward her breasts.

Heather scooted higher on the bed and Sean’s pants hit the floor. He rose up over her like a glorious beast set to devour her. Lust blazed in his eyes and Heather felt a thrill shoot through her. She was so glad that she’d asked Sean to give her this most amazing part of her life, that this would bind their friendship like nothing else. It didn’t hurt that he was a stunning specimen. Her heart pounded and she curled one foot around his calf, thrilled at the sensations coursing through her body. The rasp of Sean’s rough legs against the inside of her own added another layer to her swirling, throbbing need.

He settled between her thighs and rested his belly against her. His soft lips played at the base of her neck, nipping her skin gently before kissing away any pain. The hard and softness of him were like the perfect combination of salty and sweet. Heather hadn’t anticipated having so much emotion about the sexual part of the baby, but Sean saw to her every need.

His lips claimed hers as he pressed inside. Heather moaned and lifted her hips to meet him, to welcome him, to give her womb over, and as he pushed deeper inside her, Heather’s body clenched and tightened around him, rekindling her banked arousal.

Sean stroked her with a slow rhythm, building her own need until it matched his. Her hips quickened and she met each thrust. Heather’s fingers dug into his arms, his backside,
the side of his thigh where it pressed against hers.

She needed this.

She needed
him
.

They came together and as his warmth spilled into her, Heather clenched tight, her body holding to the sacred seed that would fill the loneliness that would finally complete her.

Chapter Four

Sean smacked the racquetball back across the court for the final score. He lifted his goggles off his face and grinned. Lately it seemed like nothing could go wrong.

“Good game, man.” He shook hands with Tyson and rubbed a towel over his damp face and hair.

“I was glad you called. You fell off the face of the earth, for a while.”

Sean grinned. “Yeah. Had some stuff going on.”

Tyson bent over to pick up the ball, and paused, twisting to look at Sean. “You look like the cat that swallowed the canary.”

“Do I?” He sure felt like it. He changed the subject before Tyson could probe any deeper into the reason. “How’s it going with the new lady?”

“Samantha? It’s okay. She won’t go the distance, and she’s not the one I want to bring home to meet Mom, if you know what I mean.”

Sean did, and that was troubling him. He
did
have one that worthy, but was so confused about what to do. Heather was more than worthy, but how far did he want to explain their bizarre situation? And was it even possible?

“Didn’t know you were looking for one to take home.
Are you thinking about settling down, then?”

Tyson shrugged. “I’m not getting any younger.”

“I hear that.” He caught the ball as Tyson tossed it. He bounced it once on the floor. “How do you think you know—when you’ve found that person?”

“Beats me.
Everyone says you just ‘know.’”

Based on the expansion of his heart every single time he saw Heather or heard her voice, Sean had always known.

Now if only he could get her to stay with him for more than a year.

“How’s your lady friend?”

“What? Who?” Sean’s head jerked up as Tyson’s question yanked him back to the court.

“There could only be one person I’m referring to.” Tyson chuckled. “I’m talking about Heather
Lovey. The love of your life, the woman who’s your reason for existing.”

Sean laughed, hoping it sounded like every other time Tyson teased him about how much he’d always had a thing for Heather. But before he could respond, shame welled up in his chest like a shark from the deep, hungrily devouring every other emotion.

So far, he hadn’t told anyone that he’d gotten married. Not his family, not his friends, not a single co-worker, not Tyson. During the six weeks of his marriage, he’d turned down a dozen offers for dates and set-ups. His excuses were going to run dry soon, and he needed to at least admit that he was dating someone. But then they’d all want to meet her, and have them over for dinner, and before long her belly was going to start showing and then he’d have to explain that, and the giant rock on her hand was going to take some explaining too.

From the moment she’d said I do, an immediate countdown had clicked on inside him and he felt every minute as it slipped away and rushed toward the end of the year. He didn’t want his friends to know that she was here so he wouldn’t have to explain her absence after she was gone.

But Tyson already knew Heather. Everyone already knew Heather. So maybe he could help him figure out what in the world he was supposed to be doing.

“Heather’s good.”

“You guys dating yet, or you still in the friend zone?”

Sean laughed, but even to his own ear it sounded strained. “Uh…”

Tyson’s eyebrows rose. “Spill it, man. Spill it right now.”

Sean lowered himself to the bench outside the court. “I asked her to marry me.”

“What! Are you a moron? You don’t ask things like that while you’re in the friend zone.”

“And she said yes.”

Tyson’s mouth opened and closed and Sean waited for his response. He didn’t know what he was thinking telling Tyson, but he needed to tell someone, and Tyson was it. True, Tyson was quite the ladies’ man, but he was brutally honest, and a man Sean could trust to keep his marriage a secret if he wanted him to.

“You better start from the beginning.”

Sean filled Tyson in on all the details, including Heather’s arrangement and reasoning and his lame excuse for getting married.

“Is there really a situation at work? You better tell her, man. That’s the kind of shit that comes back at the worst possible time.”

“Oh, and I’m supposed to say what, ‘Gee, Heather, you know that story I told you when you asked me to be your baby’s father, well it was a lie.’”

“Yeah.
For starters.” Tyson frowned. “And then you hope she doesn’t hit you in the head with a heavy object.”

Tyson was right. This was more of what had been weighing on him. He wanted to tell his family—and the entire world—about his marriage, but he wanted it to be legit. He wanted Heather to choose him not for a work reason or a baby reason, but just because she wanted to be with him.

“What if she doesn’t want to be married?”

“Well, you’d deserve that for lying to her. What the hell, man?
Heather’s good peeps.”

Sean hung his head. “I know. I just couldn’t think of any other way to get her to marry me.”

“Oh, I don’t know, ask her?” Tyson shook his head and stood, then stowed all his gear in his bag and slung it over his shoulder. “But you better come clean soon, before this all unravels and you’re stuck looking like the world’s biggest jerk.”

****

There were so many parts to pregnancy. Heather had anticipated the morning sickness and the exhaustion, but she hadn’t counted on the absolute elation at learning how much her baby grew every day. There wasn’t a pregnancy book she hadn’t read, and Sean had been sweet about reading them too.

Today she’d been stunned to learn that the first three months were the most precarious for the baby and when the most miscarriages happened—sometimes for no reason at all. That entire chapter about miscarrying made her sick to her stomach, but she’d forced herself to read it. Then she’d said a prayer that she’d make it through the entire pregnancy without a mishap.

As she breezed through the door of the waiting room, Heather tensed at all the waiting faces. Some of the women were massively pregnant, but a few were barely showing, if at all. Heather gravitated toward an empty chair in the far corner, glancing at her watch on the way. She’d arrived ten minutes early, which meant she had almost a half-hour before Sean got there. Magazines littered each little end table, but she was too nervous to read.

“I’m Tasha.” A slim black girl reached across the narrow aisle, hand outstretched in greeting.

“Heather.” They shook and Heather smiled. “You don’t look very pregnant.”

Tasha laughed. “Neither do you.”

Heather rubbed her belly. “I’m four weeks. Today’s my first appointment.”

“I’m six.
Ditto on the first appointment.”

Heather and Tasha fell into an easy conversation about the books they’d read and which parts terrified them the most. Before Sean showed up, Tasha got called in to her appointment. She waved at Heather and said she hoped to see her again. Heather wished her luck and settled back into the chair.

That was weird, she thought. Never in her life had she been able to carry on a conversation with a stranger, and never one that left her aching for more. She should have gotten her number… not that she’d have been able to come right out and ask for that.

Sean arrived just as the nurse called Heather’s name. He gave her a sheepish shrug and settled his hand on the small of her back as they walked through the hallway toward the exam room. Heather stepped on the scale; she hadn’t gained any weight yet.

As she slipped her shoes back on, Tasha peeked out from a neighboring room. “Oh good! Here.” She held out a folded piece of paper toward Heather. “I was going to sneak out to the waiting room and give you this.” She shrugged. “It’s my number if you want to call sometime and go grab a bit to eat or something.”

Heather hesitated and Sean gently pushed her forward until she stood next to Tasha. She took the note and smiled. “Thanks. I’d really like that.”

The nurse ushered Heather away, but she glanced over her shoulder at Tasha’s pretty face. Tasha waved and Heather returned the good-bye. Maybe this pregnancy thing was going to give her more than just a baby. Sean linked their fingers as they stepped inside the exam room.

After all, it already had.

The exam was simple and easy, with the doctor explaining what to expect and how often she wanted to see Heather. Sean was riveted on every word and that made Heather all tingly inside. And it gave her courage to ask the questions that she’d thought were silly.

“I know I’m not supposed to feel the baby moving, but I swear I can. Is that normal?”

“Perfectly. Some women feel it earlier.” The doctor smiled. “What other questions do you have? I know sometimes it can be a little daunting the first time around.”

“Well, I know I’m not really supposed to be eating for two just yet, but sometimes I crave the silliest stuff. Yesterday I was dying for a cream puff. Is it okay?”

“You’re in great shape, Heather. As long as you keep an eye on it and keep your cravings in moderation, I’m fine with a splurge every now and then. What I really want is for you to ensure that you’re eating enough fruits and veggies. Drink lots of water too.” The doctor turned to Sean. “Can you help her with those? Maybe cook dinner a couple nights a week.”

Sean sat up straighter in his chair.
“Absolutely. I can cook every night if I need to. Should she be off her feet at nights? Should she be resting more?”

“No.” She addressed Heather. “I want you to stay as active as possible, but don’t add any new exercises until we chat about them. What are you doing right now?”

Heather ducked her head. “Nothing. I walk to and from work. Oh, and we walk to restaurants for dinner, but otherwise, we’re pretty mellow.”

“Maybe add some longer walks after dinner as long as you’re feeling up to it. Everything you do now will help with an easier delivery. But don’t go overboard.”

Heather couldn’t think of anything else to ask, but she knew the moment she walked out her brain would remember a thousand things. “If I have questions between appointments, may I call you?”

“Of course.”
The doctor gave them each her card and stood. “I’m looking forward to spending the next several months with you.”

As they left the exam room, Sean was as glowing as she was and offered to walk her home.

“That’s silly. I’m only a few blocks from here.” He helped her put her jacket on. “I’d be even closer if you hadn’t made us get a new place.

“Can’t be married and not live together.”

She turned and straightened his tie. “We’re not really married,” she teased.

He grabbed her shoulders and
glanced frantically left and right. “Shh. Someone might hear you.” He wiggled his eyebrows and tried to look sinister. “But if anyone questions me, I have the paperwork to prove it.”

Heather couldn’t keep from laughing at his silliness. This had been the best decision she’d ever made.

They walked home arm in arm and Sean kept teasing her and making her laugh. At the house, she broke away and raced up the stairs. Sean chased her and Heather spun around but lost her footing. She braced herself for the fall but Sean’s strong arm caught her around her middle and pulled her upright.

The laughter evaporated in the air. Heather’s hand flew to her throat. “Goodness.”

Sean leaned his forehead against hers. “Be careful, love.”

Heather closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, chiding herself for not remembering that her balance would be affected by the pregnancy.

Thank goodness Sean had walked her home today.

****

Even though Heather’s birth and pregnancy classes weren’t supposed to start for several months, she’d begged the class administrator to let her start early so she’d be extra prepared—and in case she needed to double up on anything that she needed to remember.

Heather’s hand trembled on the door to the clinic. She was early, but wanted to get a good seat. As she entered the empty training room, she found a seat in the front row and tucked her purse and coat beneath her seat, then got out a notepad. While she waited, she thought about Sean and how cute he’d been during this first trimester. Heather had been so excited that they’d gotten pregnant on their wedding night and the countdown to her baby had started right away.

She rubbed her still-flat belly and her entire body warmed at the imagined flutter of the pea-sized baby growing inside. In the evenings when she lay on the couch at their new place, she lamented all the time lost. She should have asked Sean to do this for her years ago. But without his “work issue,” he might never have agreed to it. They’d never talked about what the issue was that made him need a marriage. They hadn’t attended any company parties or events, so it must have been something that he’d just been sharing with clients on an as-needed basis.

While Heather daydreamed, a tall woman with long braids came in, a slightly smaller version trailing behind her. Heather smiled and introduced herself as they took the seats beside her.