She held her breath. “Tell me.”
“I knew that there were women who couldn’t get pregnant from their partners or who wanted to be single parents. And I thought, what would be so terrible if I made sure that someone who would be a good mother would get my sperm? I mean, I’m healthy, and the woman just wants a healthy baby, so .…”
“You hacked into the computer.”
His gaze became wary. “Yeah. And I looked at all of the women who had applied for the artificial insemination program.” He leaned a little closer. “And I chose the best one.”
“Me.” When he nodded, she had to ask. “Why didn’t you just leave it at that? I would have never known.”
“That was my intention. But on the next mission, I nearly lost my leg. And while I was recovering, I had a lot of time to think.” He blew out his breath and put his hands in his back pockets. “About a month ago, I finally gave in to temptation and I found out that you had conceived. All I could think about was the baby.”
Chloe wanted to weep. This had never been about her.
“But when you walked into the clinic that day, I knew I wanted both of you.” His eyes zeroed in on her with defiance. “So, yeah. I’m a lying bastard. And I manipulated you into this relationship.”
He leaned forward with his arms on the table, the welts on his bare chest vivid reminders of what he would do to protect her. “And as much as I owe you an apology, if I had it to do all over again, I’d probably do the same damn thing. Because I’ve never felt this way. And my baby will be the luckiest kid in the world to have you for a mother.”
Chloe watched his blazing green eyes and didn’t know what to believe. He pushed the phone toward her. “Call your brother and tell him we’ll leave in about ten minutes so that I can drive you home.” He walked to the window, climbed through to the porch, and stood at the railing, a proud, defiant warrior, his bare back rigid, hating to admit he needed anybody.
Chloe sighed. She was such a sucker for a good man. And was she really all that upset that she carried the child of a man she admired, someone she cared for, rather than the child of a nameless phantom? The artist had probably not had much talent anyway.
She called Jay and spoke to him quietly for a few moments, then headed out to Dev. She settled into her chair and studied the night sky, which was lit by a half moon that was low over the horizon of trees. Frogs and cicada chirps drowned out the faint creak of Chloe’s rocker.
“Shouldn’t you be packing?” he asked, without turning around.
“There’s plenty of time for that.”
After a few more moments, he spoke again. “What time do you want to leave?”
“Morning will be soon enough.”
He turned around and studied her. “Can I go to sleep tonight and be certain you’re not going to drive a stake through my heart?”
She thought about it. “I’ve got something else in mind for you tonight.”
His eyes narrowed. “Tar and feathers?” He walked over to her rocker. “Are you gonna ground me?” His eyes glowed. “Spank me?”
She grabbed the waistband of his cammo pants and enjoyed the feel of the hair on his bare belly as she jerked him toward her, not bothering to be gentle or subtle or tentative. “You owe me big time, soldier.”
He looked at her with suspicion. “You’re not over this, are you?”
She stood and cupped his shaft, which showed a definite interest in the events at hand. “Not by a long shot.” She climbed through the window and walked to the bed, watching him as he followed her inside. Making sure she had his attention, she pulled her sundress over her head. She was naked beneath.
Chloe climbed up on the bed, lay back with her arms above her head and bent one knee. “Why don’t you take off your boots?”
Dev studied her for a moment with a puzzled look on his face, then his lips twitched. “I know I’m in trouble, here, but I figure any punishment that starts with you being naked can’t be all bad.” Sitting on the bed next to her, he silently unlaced the boots, then removed his socks. He looked up at her. “Pants?”
“Nope. Leave those on.”
He stood. “I was afraid of that.”
“I believe Plan B was called Worship-the-Fertility Goddess?”
“And?”
“Let the ceremonies begin.”
His eyes gleamed as climbed up on the bed next to her and lifted her legs. “Be gentle with me, sweetheart.”
An hour later, Chloe had lost track of her orgasms. She thought she’d just had number four, but whether it was four or five, she knew that Dev had to be more than ready for what she had in mind. After catching her breath, she reached for his head, pulling his short hair until he sat up and looked at her. It was dark in the cabin, but there was enough moonlight to see the gleam in his eyes and the way he clenched his teeth.
She patted the space next to her. “Come here.” He crawled up near her, rested his head on his elbow and lay down next to her on his side. The jerk licked his lips with a satisfied grin, which made Chloe feel no regret whatsoever for what she was about to do.
Chloe touched his nipple with her fingernail and grazed it back and forth. His grin evaporated. “There’s one more thing I need from you.” Running her fingernail roughly down his chest, she continued along the front of his pants, making him suck in his breath and swear. “I want you to open those buttons and show yourself to me.”
He hesitated. She could tell he didn’t much like being ordered around. It wasn’t something that came all that natural to her, but the man needed to learn something about trust. She let out her breath when he finally complied.
He was beautiful, thick and long and corded with veins that pulsed with life. She felt a spasm in her heated vagina. It was difficult not to reach for him.
“Now what?” he asked with a husky note in his voice.
She met his eyes. “Now I want you to show me how much you want me. I want you to make yourself come.” She didn’t look away from him as she put her fingertips to her nipples.
He closed his eyes with a look of pain upon his face, but his cock twitched and lifted high against his belly. When he looked at her, his eyes were blazing. “There’s not another soul I would do this for.”
And she knew what he meant. She was asking him to be vulnerable. She wanted him to repair the trust that had been broken. Of course that didn’t mean she couldn’t help him through this.
It was frankly quite a power trip to know she could affect him so strongly. “I’m supposed to massage my nipples to get them ready for breast feeding.” She purposely pouted. “I’ve been a bad girl, neglecting them.” She could feel herself blush, but she didn’t let her eyes waver from him. “Usually I use hand crème to keep them from getting dry.”
He looked at her breasts, which she held up for his pleasure. Then with a groan, his eyes returned to her face and his hand made a fist around his cock. He was much rougher than she had ever been, so it was a revelation to her to discover what he liked.
Her fingers drifted to her nipples, dusting them softly as she watched him pump. The head of his cock was thick and nearly purple and his balls lifted high in his scrotum. He moved his hand faster, breathing harder, staring at her breasts, which she moved closer to him by shifting in the bed and lifting for his use.
“God damn it!” he bellowed, while hot jets of semen spilled onto her breasts and nipples.
Chloe watched his face, tight with tension, his lips gasping for breath. When he finally opened his eyes, she used her hands to massage his warm semen into her nipples and around the skin of her breasts. There was only one problem. She was so aroused by watching him that the pooling and heaviness in her vagina was nearly painful. She was ready to tip over once again. “Dev?” she whispered.
Reaching for her with his hand, he smiled and whispered against her lips. “Allow me, goddess.”
A few minutes later, he encompassed her with his arms and spooned her backside against his chest. Chloe pulled his lower arm up between her breasts and intertwined her fingers with his. “I’m still mad, you know.”
“I know,” he answered. His arms pulled her even closer. “Not as mad as before, though.”
She could hear the satisfaction thrumming in his voice, but she was too tired and too satisfied to care. She snuggled into his chest, content and happy. Dev must have felt equally content because he lay relaxed against her back and trailed his hand absently over her hip, lulling her to sleep. Just before she dozed off, she thought she heard a whisper in her ear. “I figure that means you’re going to marry me.”
Chapter Five
Chloe twisted the simple gold wedding band around her finger as she sat with Dev in her obstetrician’s waiting room. She had been a married woman for five days.
Dev squeezed her hand then stood. “I need to give them the information for medical benefits.”
As he leaned over the front desk to speak with the nurse, every pair of female eyes in the waiting room zeroed in on what the man could do for a baggy pair of cargo shorts. It was down right criminal that he had not tucked in his red polo shirt to improve the view. When he reached into his back pocket for his wallet, she was sure that she heard a collective little gasp of anticipation.
Dev completed the forms for the nurse. When he turned around to return to his seat, at least twenty heads dropped down to magazine pages to study the pros and cons of cotton versus disposable diapers and the evils befalling infants who were not breast fed.
He sat back down and leaned close. “Why’s it suddenly so quiet in here?”
“Because everyone was staring at your butt,” she whispered.
He frowned. “Did I sit in something?”
She rolled her eyes. “Surely you know that you are major stud material.”
A slow grin appeared under his twinkling eyes. “If you say so, sweetheart. Just say the word and I’ll find us a corner so you can check out my front side as well.”
The nurse called Chloe’s name, so she ignored his suggestion and headed for the door with Dev on her heels. It was weird to be self-conscious in front of him, but Dev must have sensed her unease and stepped outside the exam room while she changed.
By the time the doctor arrived, Dev was back standing at her side as she sat on the exam table. “Chloe. You look well.” Dr. White looked at Dev expectantly.
He held out his hand. “Dev Gallagher. The father.”
The woman looked confused and met Chloe’s eyes. “I thought you used –“
“I did,” Chloe answered. “Meet the non-anonymous donor.”
“Hmmm. I foresee a very interesting board meeting at the fertility clinic this month. You’re okay with this?”
Chloe shrugged while Dev wrapped his large hand around her fingers. “Very okay,” he said. “We’re married.”
“Well, as long as everyone’s happy.” Dr. White motioned for Chloe to lie back while she felt her abdomen and listened to the baby’s heartbeat. The rapid little patter of beats on the speaker always gave Chloe a thrill, and by the look on Dev’s face, it was a mutual experience.
“Everything seems fine,” said the doctor. “Your blood pressure is normal. The baby appears to be growing at the expected rate.” She consulted a card in her pocket. “November fifteenth still looks good as a due date.” The doctor wheeled the ultrasound machine close and squeezed some gel onto the skin over her uterus. “Let’s give dad a quick look.”
Dr. White moved the probe over her belly as if it were a computer mouse. She used arrows and lines to point out the baby’s head, spine, arms and legs. Dev reached his hand up to the screen. “Is that what I think it is?”
There was a definite extra structure between the baby’s legs that was clearly not an arm or a leg. The doctor laughed. “Ultrasound is not completely accurate for determining sex, but I’d say you spotted a pretty suspicious sign of a little boy, Mr. Gallagher.”
Dev had taken her hand in both of his. He met her eyes and she could have sworn his green eyes looked misty. She squeezed his hand and asked for a print to take home, then handed it to Dev while she dressed.
It wasn’t until they had walked all the way to the car that Dev spoke. He helped her in the car door and stood with his hands on the roof and open door. “It’s as if every other thing I’ve ever done doesn’t matter.” He leaned down and softly kissed her. “Thank you. For everything.” He handed the ultrasound photo back to her.
She pushed it back to him. “That one’s yours.” Chloe had to fight her own tears as he walked around the car. This was starting to feel way too comfortable and it was going to hurt way too much when he left.
As they drove silently down the highway, Chloe knew she needed to do something to protect herself. Over the years, she had become an expert at being left by men, and in her considered opinion, it sucked.
During the last half of college at Emory, she had had her first serious relationship. But then Barry had gotten a fellowship to study painting in Italy, and there was no invitation issued to tag along. To be fair, money had been tight for both of them, and something had kept her from pushing the issue. She had taken a teaching job and stayed put.
Barry’s letters and emails had followed a pattern. They both became increasingly scarce. And then the inevitable message came --- he was in l-u-v with a fellow painter he had met at the art institute.
Ciao, Ciao
Barry.
Then when she was twenty-five, she went back for her masters in education where she met Bobby Joe Johnson. He had just finished his music degree and was playing keyboard and horns for a couple of local jazz bands. Their hours conflicted, but they managed to stay together for four years and had a lot of fun. Then he’d gotten a gig in New York City.
To Bobby Joe’s credit, he visited a few times, and she traveled to see him once. But on his last visit home, he told her he was moving to the Big Apple for good. No invitation came to join him. And once again, she didn’t push it. Her subconscious mind must have been telling her that it wasn’t meant to be, but that still didn’t keep it from hurting.
So as a wiser thirty-year-old woman, Chloe looked at Dev as he pulled up in front of her house. Here was a man who had told her up front that he would leave. Here was a man she was afraid she could love more deeply than she’d ever known. She knew she needed to pull back.