This could take forever. So she wedged the wood between two logs then got another stick and did the same. Finally, a fire started. She had done it. She jumped up and down and started to spin around in a little booty-shake dance. Her dad would be so proud. Heck, maybe even Mark would be. Wait until he got back and saw.
She went to wash her hands in the kitchen. A note was taped to the fridge, saying he would bring dinner home. Even though she’d devoured her calzone, she could definitely eat again. The joys of being pregnant. At least she hadn’t gotten sick in a few days.
A car door shut out front. She skipped to the front door, ready to show Mark her glorious fire. Throwing the door open, she found it wasn’t Mark on the other side. A woman waited with some sort of pie in her hands.
“Hi, can I help you?” Julie asked.
“Hi, I’m Cara.”
“Hi, Cara. Thanks for the pie. Are you welcoming me home?” Julie was being sarcastic. She couldn’t believe Claire had been right. This woman was so jealous of her that she had pranced over here dressed to the nines in hopes to dig her claws in Mark.
“Actually, I was bringing it to Mark. It’s his favorite.”
“That is so sweet of you. We will definitely enjoy eating this after dinner tonight. He’s out right now picking it up.”
She knew she shouldn’t be so rude, but her pregnancy hormones were kicking in. And, well, frankly, she just felt like being a bitch.
“Well, please tell him I stopped by.”
“I will, sweetie. And thank you for the pie.”
Julie shut the door and set the pie down on the coffee table. She sank down on the couch, realizing she was acting like a jealous girlfriend. And that wasn’t what she was. She’d only shared a few kisses with this man, and she was just as bad as Cara. When the truth was, Mark was in love with someone else. Someone she or Cara could never compete with. Could anyone ever really get over a loss like he had?
Before she knew what she was doing, she was entering his bedroom. She had to see what Annabelle had looked like. And the tiny child he’d only known for such a short time. On the dresser sat a photo frame. It was of the three of them. She picked it up and brushed her fingers across the photo. Annabelle was beautiful. She’d had long brown locks with a natural wave to it. Green eyes that looked as if they could see into your soul. She held a tiny, bald baby boy, who as swaddled up in a yellow blanket. Then there was Mark. His brown hair was a little longer than it was now. His arms were wrapped around Annabelle’s shoulders. But he wasn’t looking at the camera. His gaze was on his son. Even though it was hard to see his eyes in the photo, she could see in his expression the happiness and love he had for them.
Julie set the photo back where she had found it. She glanced around the room but didn’t see any other photos. This was the only one. She was half tempted to take a peek in his nightstand but knew that would be invading his privacy even more than she was doing now.
With one last look at the photo, she knew she needed to get out of his room before he got home. She headed back to his bedroom door. Just as she stepped out and shut the door behind her, Mark walked in the front, which had a clear view to his bedroom. Mark gave her with a questioning look. How was she going to explain this?
Chapter Nine
“Were you in my room?” Mark asked.
Julie bit a nail just as she always did when she was nervous. “Yes.”
Well, at least she was honest. But he still didn’t see any reason for her to be in there. He dropped the take-out he had picked up on the coffee table next to a pie. Pie? He wondered if Cara had come by.
“Is there a reason you were in there?”
“Not a good one.” He saw the tears building in her eyes.
Please don’t cry
. “I’m not really sure why I did it. I was feeling jealous of Cara and her pie, and then somehow I started to think about Annabelle, and I wanted to know what she looked like. So I went to see if you had a picture.”
“Did you find what you were looking for?” he said in as stern a voice as he could.
“Yes, she was beautiful. And so was your son.”
He was a little confused by what was happening here. Women were such a mystery. Somehow, Cara and a pie had made Julie think about Annabelle, which in turn caused her to sneak into his room. He supposed it sounded logical but not a whole lot.
“Well, I’d appreciate it if next time you asked.” Who knew what state his bedroom was in. He likely had dirty underwear in a corner somewhere. He really should invest in a hamper.
“You’re right, and I’m sorry.”
The tears were still in her eyes. He hated seeing her so upset. He didn’t even have time to get mad about it when all he could see were her eyes, ready to stream tears any moment. He motioned to her, and she walked to him. Wrapping his hands around her waist, he pulled her to him and kissed her. He’d been dying for an excuse to taste her again, and this seemed as good as any.
His fingers lightly tugged at her shirt until he was able to get it un-tucked, and his hands slid underneath to her warm skin. As he caressed her back, she arched into him, her hands gripping him by his hair, sending waves of pleasure through him.
Julie pulled away and glared up at him. “Make love to me.”
“Are you sure? The baby?”
She grinned. “You can’t hurt the baby. And yes, I’m sure.”
That was all the convincing he needed. He picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Now where to take her? He decided the other guest bedroom was a good place. That way it wasn’t his room or her mother’s.
As he crawled onto the bed, she was still wrapped around him. He gently laid her back onto the pillows.
“This is my old bedroom,” she whispered.
Looking around, he thought it looked as if it still belonged to a teenage girl. He’d never really noticed it before, but then again he’d never had a reason to come in here. This was, in some ways, kind of erotic.
“Does this bring back any memories?” he asked.
“Oh, no, I was a good girl. A very good girl.”
He laughed. “I’m not so sure about that.”
“Why don’t you kiss me again and find out how good of a girl I am.”
She didn’t have to say anything else—he was sold. He yanked the quilt out from under her so she wouldn’t get cold. But he planned to keep her plenty warm.
His lips trailed down her neck as he lifted her shirt over her head. He kissed his way down to her belly and worked on removing her pants. With just a few tugs, he was able to toss them aside. He took in her beauty. She had a killer body, and he was looking forward to exploring it.
Julie sat up and removed his shirt. Her hot mouth kissed his chest, and his eyes closed. She licked her way to his neck and let her tongue swirl around his earlobe then gently bit down. If he wasn’t already hard, he would have been then. She definitely was a good girl—with her tongue.
He pushed her back so she lay below him again. He nudged her legs open and brought himself between them.
“Are you sure?” he asked again.
She nodded. He removed his pants, making sure to grab the condom from his wallet he kept there just in case. Now he was thankful he had this one. After rolling the condom on, he teased her opening with a finger to make sure she was ready. He didn’t have to play long. As he entered her, he thought he might die from how good she felt wrapped around him.
Waves of pleasure spiraled though him. He had never felt this connected to anyone before. It was as if literal fireworks were going off in his body. As she panted under him, he hoped she was enjoying this as much as he was.
Her grip tightened on his back, and he could tell she was close. He sped up, and she cried out. He thrust harder, and now it was like the fireworks were erupting in her body. He screamed out in his own ecstasy then collapsed on top of her.
This wasn’t the wildest sex he had ever had, but it sure topped the charts at being the best. Being with her seemed to intensify his feelings for her and the connection. It really was like they had joined together as one.
Once he caught his breath, he rolled off of her, pulling her to him. “That was amazing.”
“I agree.” She smiled. “I could do it again.”
“We’re all out of condoms unless you have some.”
“I don’t. Guess tomorrow we’ll be making a trip to the drugstore.”
Just knowing she wanted to do it again made his heart swell in happiness. Julie was a girl who was easy to fall for and, at this moment, it seemed like he just might be. Frankly, he was okay with it. It felt good to feel alive again.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m starved.” He kissed her cheek.
“I stuffed myself at Luigi’s this afternoon, but I’m already hungry again.”
He let his hand rest on her belly and gazed into her eyes. She was no longer smiling but had a serious look on her face.
“That miracle inside of you can easily make you eat more than usual.”
He removed his hand and, before getting up, he planted one last kiss on her lips. As he found his clothes and handed hers to her. He would much rather stay naked, but it was a bit chilly, and there was a certain part of him that didn’t do so well when it got cold.
* * *
Julie sat huddled under a blanket with Mark enjoying the pecan pie and a cup of decaf coffee. They were just finishing up a movie. She yawned and knew, once this was over, it would be time to crawl into a warm and fluffy bed. She was thankful for the power and not having to sleep anymore on that hard floor. Thank goodness her mother had never put the hardwoods in like she’d talked about for years.
Setting her plate down, she then enjoyed the last few sips of bliss the beverage was giving her. Why had she never thought to get decaf? There was just something about coffee that made everything better.
Her cell phone rang. She glanced at the clock and wondered who would be calling at this time. On the screen, she saw Jeremy’s name. Fluttering started in her belly and not the good kind. She excused herself and disappeared to her mom’s room before saying hello. She didn’t want to air her dirty laundry in front of Mark.
“You finally answer,” Jeremy said on the other end.
“My phone was in the car for days, snowed in. A blizzard hit,” she explained and then wondered why she was. Ending things meant she no longer had to.
“I find that hard to believe. You always have your phone.”
“I’m on vacation.” Why did she answer? She was having a wonderful evening, and now he was ruining it. If she’d been smart, she would’ve let it go straight to voicemail. “What do you want?”
“We need to talk about our situation.”
“Okay, let’s see. We’re over. I’m keeping the baby, and that’s about it. Anything else?” she snapped.
“I don’t want to be a father.”
“Then don’t be.”
“You think I’m stupid? You’ll come after me for child support and everything else. I’m not supporting
it
until it’s eighteen.”
“I’m not having an abortion!” she said sternly.
“Well, you’re not keeping it.”
“Yes, I am.”
“If you do, I will make your life hell,” he threatened.
“What are you going to do exactly?” Her blood was boiling. To think, she actually considered marrying this guy.
“You know what, it probably isn’t even mine. You’re a slut, and I’ll let everyone know. You have been fucking everyone, and you don’t even know who the father is. That’s why you left me and ran home to mama.”
Her mouth dropped open, and a tear trickled down her cheek. “You. Are. An. Asshole.”
“You want me to stop? Get rid of the baby.”
Julie heard footsteps then Mark took the phone from her hands. “Leave Julie the hell alone, do you hear me? You’re a pussy of a man.” He sat quiet for a moment, and she could only imagine what Jeremy was saying back. “It doesn’t matter who the hell I am. Just do her a favor and sign away your rights. You would make a pathetic father.”
Mark hit the
End
button then tossed the phone onto the bed. Julie gazed up at him. She couldn’t believe he had just done that. Part of her was in awe that he’d stood up for her, but she was also afraid of how Jeremy was going to react. He was a jealous man and knowing she was here with another man now was going to be icing on the cake.
“I won’t let him do anything to you,” Mark assured her.
“I never knew he would be like this.”
“It’s not your fault. People can come across any way they want to.”
He was right about that. “I think I’m just done for the day. I’m going to turn in.”
Mark took her hand and pulled her into an embrace. “Can I spend the night with you?”
“I would love it.”
Taking a step back, she held his hand and led him toward her childhood bedroom. Once inside, she climbed into the bed, noticing it was still in an array from earlier. He had been an amazing lover. So thorough and kind, making sure her needs were met before his. A connection clung between them. It was something she had never experienced before.