A Baby for My Military Stepbrother 3 (4 page)

I leaned into his kiss, enjoying the way he felt. This was safe and perfect. This is what pure happiness felt like.

Ian's phone began to ring on his nightstand and he pulled away. He glared at the phone for a moment before answering it, giving me an apologetic look.

“Hello. Yes, this is Sergeant Jackson.” He sighed deeply. “Yes, sir. I understand, sir. I'll be there in twenty.”

With a fluid grace I wished I could copy, he stood from the bed. The pale light of the room reflected off the angles of his muscles and softened the hard edges into something that a painter's dream.

“I have to go to the base,” Ian said, reaching for a tan shirt. I loved watching him move, even as his beautiful skin disappeared under the fabric. “I'll be back later. Hopefully, this won't take all night.”

“It's okay,” I replied, sliding out of bed. As much as I'd rather stay in his room, I didn't want to be alone, surrounded by things that were his without him. It reminded me too much of what was going to happen in a month.

We dressed silently. I put back on my damp clothes as Ian put on his army ACU uniform. I loved the way he looked in it. Professional. Strong. Honorable. Important. It took everything I had not to push him onto the bed and have my way with him a second time, though I did make a mental note that we needed to have some serious uniform sex.

I never thought I was a girl who loved a man in uniform until I saw how good Ian filled his out. There was something about it that made me want him that much more.

I kissed him one last time in the safety of his room. It was a short kiss since he didn't have a lot of time, but it meant something to me. I could read that he was coming back to me. That this wouldn't be the last time we were together.

I followed him down out of his room and watched him get in his jeep and drive away into the night. I stood there, long after he had gone, just listening to the night. The crickets chirped in the dark and I filled my nose with the scent of rain cleansed earth.

With a contented sigh, I turned and went back into the house to wait for Ian to return.

“T
he sheriff called to let you know you can get your car this afternoon. They'll have the tree cleared off the road today,” Dad informed me as I entered the kitchen. He was at the table, reading the newspaper and drinking his coffee. “What were you doing out at Tiger Park in that storm anyway?”

I had to scramble for an explanation.
Trying to seduce my stepbrother into rescuing me so I could have his baby
wasn't exactly the answer my father was looking for.

“I have a photo shoot out there this week. I wanted to check some things and lost track of time,” I replied. It was close enough to the truth that it almost didn't feel like a lie.

Dad nodded, accepting my words. He set down his coffee mug. “I can take you there after work,” he offered, back to talking about my car.

“Or I can,” Ian interjected, speaking up as he entered the kitchen. I hadn't even heard the door, but there he was. He was still dressed in his Army gear. “The kids have practice this afternoon. I'll be out in that direction anyway.”

It took everything I had not to blush. Ian could certainly take me. In fact, seeing him in his army uniform, it was difficult for me not to want to take him right there. Even though he had been up all night, he still looked like sex on a stick.

“That okay with you, kiddo?” Dad asked.

“Definitely okay with me,” I assured him, hoping I didn't sound too eager. Ian flashed me a grin. His mind was on the same track mine was.

“I'm going to grab some sleep. See you in a bit,” he said, grabbing a bagel from the kitchen and heading back out toward his room. I grinned at his back for a second, already excited for this afternoon. More time with Ian is always what I wanted.

“Want some of my spinach shake?” I offered Dad, opening up the fridge. Dad made a disgusted face and I laughed.

I could already tell that today was going to be a good day.

***

I
spent the rest of the morning working on my computer. I didn't have any photo sessions today, so I spent the day editing and sending out proofs. It was a rather productive morning, even if I did look at the picture of Ian playing with the football team at least one every five minutes.

A knock on my door made me look up. Ian leaned in the door frame, wearing his coaching clothes. Even though I missed the uniform, a shiver of delight went through me. The last time he had come in my door wearing the coach outfit, good things had happened.

“You ready?” he asked.

“I'm always ready for you,” I replied, grinning wickedly. I loved the pleased smile that filled his face.

He held out his hand for me and helped me out of my chair. I grabbed my purse and we headed out to his car. Jenny and Dad were off at work or trying to avoid one another, so the house was quiet. I liked it, because it meant I got to hold Ian's hand all the way down the stairs.

The drive out was quick and painless. Ian spent the ride making jokes about his work hours and I laughed and made silly remarks that made him smile. It was pleasant and comfortable, and it felt like this was how life was supposed to be.

Ian had his hand on my thigh as we approached my car. The fallen tree was now off to the side of the road and my car was visible, but the sheriff was parked behind it. Ian's hand instantly vanished. Just because we were happy didn't mean the rest of the town would be. There were still a few major hurdles to us being together.

Ian parked on the side of the road and immediately got out to greet the sheriff. From the sheriff's hair cut and the way he held himself, I assumed he was another Army buddy of Ian's. Everyone in this town was tied to the military in some way or another. It was one of the reasons we had to be careful with our relationship.

Ian and the officer shook hands as I got out of Ian's jeep and walked over. “You two sure are lucky,” the sheriff was saying as I joined them. He shook his head at the groove running through the road just inches in front of my car. “That wood could have split you in two.”

I couldn't look at Ian. If I looked over at him, knowing that
his
wood did split me in two that night, I would laugh and be inappropriate. I knew Ian's mind would go to the same dirty thoughts and if we even glanced at one another, there would be giggles.

“You have no idea,” Ian whispered. He pinched my ass while the sheriff wasn't looking and it was hard not to respond.

“I'm glad no one got hurt,” the sheriff said. “Good to see you, Ian. You two stay out of the park during the next few storms.” The sheriff tipped his hat and went to his patrol car.

“I think I'm going to enjoy watching practice,” I said to Ian, waving as the patrol car drove away.

“No going on random hikes this time,” he replied, putting his hand on the small of my back. I made a sarcastic face at him, pulling out my keys and getting in my car to follow him to the parking lot.

I
sat on the bleachers with the parents to watch the practice. It was strange to sit with all the mothers and fathers, but not to be one myself. I imagined for a moment I was a mother, that a little boy was out there playing that looked like Ian, but with my smile. Warm, fuzzy feelings surrounded me. I wanted that future so badly.

I opened my eyes to watch Ian. He somehow had all the little boys following his instructions and behaving wonderfully. They all took turns throwing footballs, running drills, and running around. If anyone stepped out of line, all it took was a disapproving glance from Ian to get them back in line. He was such a good father figure and he obviously loved it.

He deserved a child of his own. One of these little boys should be his. Or a little girl. He deserved to have this kind of joy all the time, and I wanted to be the one to give it to him.

Practice ended all too quickly and the kids and their parents scattered. I waited until the last kid was waving goodbye to Ian before heading down to the field. The boys had “helped” pick up, but there were still footballs and equipment to put away and store in Ian's trunk. I helped him carry bags of balls to his jeep, noticing that the park was quickly emptying. With the storms we'd been having, I couldn't blame anyone for getting out of the area before the storms came.

Back on the field, we did one last sweep for missing balls. The clouds above us were still fluffy and white, but the park was empty save for the two of us and bird songs. We had the place to ourselves- our own tiny Eden.

“Catch,” Ian shouted, lobbing the last stray ball in my direction. I caught it easily and threw it back. He looked slightly impressed. “Pretty good spiral, I'm impressed.”

“Don't sound so surprised,” I retorted, sticking my tongue out at him. He threw the ball back to me.

“It's just that you're a girl,” he said with a shrug. “A pretty girl.”

“And girls can't play football?” I put as much strength into my arm as I could, making Ian step back a step as he caught it. “I played on the intramural flag football team at school. I was the second best player.”

“So proud of yourself. Who was the first best?” He raised his eyebrows and grinned.

“Not me,” I responded stubbornly. I wasn't about to get into a gender argument with him.

“It was a guy wasn't it?” Ian pressed, throwing the ball hard enough to make my fingers sting as I caught it.

“Yes, but that's not the point,” I told him, lobbing the ball as far up as I could to make him run for it. “I was the second best and still a lot better than the seven other men on my team.”

“Yeah, but not the best.” he said with a grin, as he caught the ball easily and tossed it back.

“I never said I was the best,” I told him, trying to stand my ground. He advanced toward me.

“It's because you're a girl,” he whispered loudly. I chucked the ball as hard as I could at his head, but he caught it easily.

“You suck,” I informed him, glaring at the ball that had refused to hit his head.

“No, you do,” he said, looking down at his crotch and thrusting suggestively against the ball. I rolled my eyes and he laughed as he threw me the ball. I barely had the ball in my hands before launching it at his crotch. He sidestepped it, barely escaping having it hit him.
At least I caught him by surprise
, I thought.

“Oh, that's it.” Ian lunged, his long, strong legs carrying him across the ground in seconds. His arms wrapped around my waist and he tackled me into the grass. Even with the violent motion, he still cradled my body with his own, protecting me from the fall.

I fought back, giggling and laughing as we struggled on the grass. Ian was so much bigger and stronger than me that I never really stood a chance, but he did a good job of at least letting me pretend I did. We rolled around on the empty field like two of his football players, laughing hysterically.

He finally pinned me to the ground, his hands on my shoulders and legs pressed into mine. I had nowhere to go as he leaned forward and kissed me. My hips arched to meet his and his weight settled on top of me.

His kiss was dominant, yet soft. He was in complete control, but he would never hurt me. He pulled back after a moment, leaving me breathless and grinning, before rolling onto his back. I nestled into the hollow of his shoulder and stared up at the sky with him.

White fluffy clouds were slowly starting to turn gray, but we still had plenty of time before the storm arrived. The sky was still blue above us, promising at least a few more minutes of heaven. Ian was warm and strong beneath me. I could hear his heart beating under my ear and every breath I took was filled with his alluring scent.

“Now what?” he asked. One of his hands played with a strand of my hair.

“What do you mean?” I closed my eyes, loving the sensation of his touch.

He shifted his weight so that he could look at me. His blue eyes were brighter than the sky and a million times more beautiful. “I want you to be mine, Hayley.”

A thrill rippled down my spine. “I am yours. All yours.”

Ian grinned and pressed a kiss to my forehead. I loved the light in his eyes and how happiness radiated off him in visceral waves.

“Does this mean that I can wear your letter jacket? Maybe you can pin me under the oak tree later,” I teased, unable to stop.

“Oh, I'll pin you all right.” His voice darkened with lust and desire crept into his blue eyes. My heart skipped a beat and desire flared in the pit of my stomach. He looked up as a bird flew overhead. “Now, the next question. How do we tell our parents? How do we explain this to people?” Ian indicated to our entwined bodies and I noticed the new hard-on he was sporting.

“Personally, I have no intention of explaining how we have sex to people,” I replied, reaching out to caress the bulge that I loved so much. “If you need to explain how sex works to your buddies, then you should probably get some of those sex-ed videos from health class.”

“Ha, ha, ha,” he replied sarcastically, but he didn't stop me from touching him. “You're hilarious.”

I sighed, knowing I needed to be serious. “We wait until you come home,” I said. Ian stayed quiet. His eyes were so blue and deep that I was afraid I might drown in them if I stared too long.

“I don't want to wait that long,” he said quietly. “I want you to be mine.”

“You leave in a month, Ian,” I said, hating the ache building in my chest. “Then, I'm on my own. I don't think I can explain it to everyone on my own. As right as this is, people are going to have a hard time with it. At least when you get home, Jenny and Dad's divorce should be public.”

He brushed a strand of hair from my face. “When I get home, then,” he agreed. “But I expect letters from you. Sexy letters. Letters with your perfume on them.”

“Are there any other kind?” I grinned.

“The kind with cookies.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “But, I'll accept those as well, actually.”

I stuck my tongue out at him.

“Be careful where you put that thing,” he warned, eyes darkening again.

“Oh, I'll put it places,” I teased, licking my lips. He grinned that cocky grin that I loved so much. The one that made me fall a little bit more in love with him every time.