Chloe's Donor (3 page)

He laughed as he gave her a hug, then stood back holding her hands. “You have the most interesting maternity clothes I’ve ever seen. Is this the abandoned waif look?”

“These aren’t maternity clothes. My neighbors brought me their cast-offs.” Chloe’s mostly lesbian neighbors looked after her like mother hens, a fact that Jay had probably anticipated when he’d bought this Candler Park house for her when he’d heard it was available. He claimed it was too good an investment to pass up.

“That outfit looks like your farmer neighbor across the street.”

Chloe looked down at the worn denim overalls that she had cut off into shorts. She liked them because they were loose around her waist, easy to take off during her frequent trips to the bathroom, and allowed her to skip a bra without attracting lots of attention. The men’s sleeveless undershirt beneath the bib was cool and soft against her tender breasts. And the way her chest had ballooned out, way outpacing her belly, she rarely got to skip the bra. Nothing under her full breasts but baby powder. It was heaven.

Chloe poured Jay a cup of tea, then joined him at the kitchen table. “Okay. Spill it. What did Robert find out?”

“Gallagher does security work in the army. No arrests or convictions. No outstanding parking tickets.” He sampled her tea and closed his eyes in appreciation. “How do you always get it to taste so good?”

“Patience.” Something she didn’t feel when it came to news on Dev Gallagher. She played with a strand of hair that had slipped from the clips holding it on top of her head in a pile. When Jay still didn’t speak, she played with the bent metal ear rings she wore for courage, and was soothed by the soft jingle as they bumped against the Indian silver beads that hung beside them.

She narrowed her eyes. “Jay. This is not the time to mess with your little sister. There has to be more.”

His brown eyes twinkled as they peeked over her china teacup. “Sorry. He was married once when he was twenty, it lasted two years.”

“That’s it?”

“He’s got a brother in the Atlanta area. Runs a small construction company. Good reputation.” He finished his tea. “Looks like Gallagher did a year at Georgia Tech before he quit to join the army. He blew out his SATs but apparently got bored with college.”

The fact that Dev was smart did not surprise her in the least. “Any artistic talent?”

“Nothing obvious, but I still don’t get your obsession with that.”

“Well, it doesn’t really matter anymore, does it?” She’d hoped that the family talent that had skipped her would somehow be passed on to her child with a little help from the donor’s genes. That way her child might get more of her parents’ attention than Chloe had ever managed. The folks drove her crazy but they were the only grandparents her baby would have – at least the only ones she knew about. Before she could dig for more details, the doorbell rang.

“Stay put,” said Jay. “I’m going to whisk him away to your back porch and have a little boys’ chat. I’ll bring him in when I’m satisfied.”

She had no idea how Dev Gallagher would react to Jay. “I’m not so sure that’s a good ...."

“Not to worry, Sis. I’ll have him eating out of my hand.”

* * * *

Dev was surprised and not a little pissed when a GQ guy opened Chloe’s door, but he relaxed when he saw the black hair and familiar brown eyes. “You must be Chloe’s brother.” He put out his hand. “Dev Gallagher.”

“Jay Simon.” Jay dropped his hand and walked outside. “Let’s mosey on out to the back porch for a little
tête
a
tête
.”

Dev squelched an unwelcome burst of nervousness.
Chloe is not your junior prom date, asshole.
When they sat in the bright yellow Adirondack chairs, Dev had to ask. “Is this where you threaten to beat the shit out of me if I hurt her?”

“Is this where you describe the ways you could whip my fairy ass if I try?”

Dev smiled and put his head back, staring at the hanging plants that surrounded the perimeter of the porch and the ceiling fan that created enough of a breeze to keep the area habitable. It felt great to prop his right foot up on the footstool and give his knee a break. He had pushed it too hard this morning.

“The only thing that interested me when you opened the door was that you weren’t competition,” said Dev, and then put in a quick addendum. “And that you weren’t an asshole terrorist. I could care less about your private life.”

“So, tell me, Sergeant Gallagher,
are
you going to hurt her?”

“Call me Dev. Or B.D.”

“Actually, I guess I shouldn’t call you Sergeant. I understand Operator is the preferred designation in Delta.”

Jesus. Dev slowly sat forward with his hands on the knees of his jeans. He removed his sunglasses and looked at Jay more closely. “You’re an artist. Oils. Pastels. Mostly landscapes.”

Jay raised an eyebrow. “Are you interested in commissioning a piece of work?”

“No. I want to know if you developed this fantasy from inhaling paint fumes.” Dev’s file was not available through routine army channels.

“First of all, you don’t want to peel off even the first layer of my fantasies. But it’s no secret that you and your men just left desert hills and hot canteen water.” He smirked. “For the record, though, the only sand in my fantasies involves balmy oceans and a
pina colada
.”

Before Dev could correct him, Jay continued on. “Secondly, the gay community is like a small town. And finding the best in certain professions .…”

“ ... like hacking?”

“ ... is not that hard. Besides,” Jay continued, “you have excellent hacking resources of your own,
n’est pas
?”

Now that was a subject Dev was going to avoid big time. “Let’s say for the sake of argument that your theories are in the ballpark.” He tapped his bum knee. “I may be looking at a career change.”

His knee would slow him down in Delta, which pissed him off to no end. But the real concern was whether he was too disillusioned and ...
face it, Devlin
...
too damn scared of dying
. When the fear had struck about a year ago, he had ignored it. He’d thought he’d mastered it. Toughed it out. His arrogance had nearly cost him his leg on his last mission. He hated the thought of leaving Delta, but he didn’t want to put himself or anyone else at risk.

Jay Simon stood up and pinched off a few spent blossoms on the red petunias exploding from a basket in front of Dev. “So tell me. Is Chloe -- and your baby -- a step along the path of this mid-life career crisis?” He picked up a spray bottle and spritzed the plants, then looked down at Dev. “Or are they the solution?”

Good fucking question.
He blew out his breath. “All I can tell you is as long as she’s with me, I’ll take care of her. I’d never hurt her. And I’ll always provide for the baby.”

“Providing is a nice fatherly gesture, but from what I’ve seen, I‘d say that being there is the number one key to success.”

“Yeah, well I haven’t ever done long-term.” Not that he hadn’t tried. When it came to inspiring extended devotion from a woman, Dev had clearly not acquired the proper skill set. He was fucking clueless.

Jay picked up a watering can with a big daisy on the front and moved to the corner of the porch to water a basket of impatiens. “I need to know how to get hold of Chloe while you’re gone.”

He’d thought about that. “I don’t hand out my address to too many people.”

“I imagine not. Perhaps a phone?”

“No cell towers nearby.”

“Would you suggest I contact your brother? Is his home or his construction business the best place to reach him?”

“My brother would be likely to give my GPS coordinates to Al Qaeda if I shared my location with him.”

“Ah. A close family. I knew we’d find something in common.”

“I’ll get you a phone.” The communications and Intel groups were going to go apeshit anyway over Jay’s ability to ferret out info. “A guy’s going to probably drop by and have a little chat about these theories you have about my work. I’ll have him bring a SAT-phone. He’ll have a number where you can reach me.”

Jay smiled. “I’ll have the welcome mat out.”

“Are we done here?” Dev hadn’t been handled this well by anyone since the psych interview during Delta Selection.

“Yes. I believe Chloe has some excellent decaf chai waiting for us.” He shooed Dev ahead of him to Chloe’s back door.

Dev reached for the door handle, then turned around and met Jay’s eyes. “About the guy I send with the phone. Introduce him around your small community here.”

Jay’s eyes narrowed. “Is this your idea of a sick joke or is he .…”

“I don’t ask,” interrupted Dev. “And he doesn’t tell.”

* * * *

Chloe got five steps inside the one room cabin before reaching a decision. “There’s no way I’m going to be able to stay here.”

Dev froze behind her, midway through the door, holding a couple of green duffels and a cooler. “I guess I thought you’d stick it out a little longer before you decided you couldn’t stand me.”

“If you tell me you have air conditioning, I’ll reconsider.”

He looked relieved, then let the screen door slam as he carried his load over to a counter with a few overhead cabinets that she supposed was the kitchen corner of the room. “It’s not that hot up here.”

“Said the non-pregnant half of the couple,” she muttered.

He started putting groceries away and threw his bags by the sole bed in the other corner of the room. “I’m going to get the rest of the stuff from the car.”

He was gone before she could answer. “Our first quarrel.” She trailed her fingers over her belly and took some deep breaths. “Your hunk of a daddy doesn’t listen too well, does he, sugar?”

She peeked out a window and was encouraged to see a screened-in porch on the back side of the cabin, but there was no obvious way to get out there. She tried to open a window, but it wouldn’t budge.

“
Freeze!”
Dev said harshly. She heard him hurry up behind her.

Holding her hands very still on the window frame, she tried to control her rapid heartbeat. He’d scared her half to death. “If this is your idea of sweet talking me into a favorite sexual position, your technique needs work.”

“No, damn it. I forgot about the booby traps on the windows.”

“Great.” A trickle of sweat dripped between her breasts. “That puts the heat problem into perspective.”

It only took him about thirty seconds to unhook some hidden wires, and then he moved her to the side and opened the window. Before she knew it, she was pressed against his chest. “Jesus, I’m sorry. I’m not used to having anyone here with me.”

That was good news. Pressed up against his body, his warmth and strength felt good in spite of the heat. He also smelled like a man should. Just soap and a little sweat. “Anymore little surprises like that?”

He blew out his breath, lifted her through the window and deposited her in a rocker on the porch. “Stay out here. I’ll make sure everything is safe.” He squatted down in front of her, wincing as he did so. “One more thing. I lied. Taking you from behind is definitely one of my fantasies.”

Chloe felt her nipples peak with interest, but shook her head. “Unless you can do something about this heat, soldier, you’re not going to get near me.”

He looked surprised. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“I’m pregnant. It’s July. It’s Georgia. There’s not a woman around who wouldn’t understand.”

“Hmmmmm.” He reached beneath her overalls and lightly stroked her right nipple, which, in spite of the heat, immediately hardened to nearly painful proportions. She parted her lips and took a shallow breath.

Dev met her eyes. “I’m hard. You’re hot. And I haven’t been with a woman since
last
July. There’s not a man around who’s more inspired than me to find a solution to the heat problem.” He kissed her quickly and climbed back through the window.

Fifteen minutes later, Chloe found herself trailing behind Dev on what Daniel Boone might have called a path, but was more like the unclaimed rainforest. Admittedly she was occasionally distracted from the oppressive heat by the fit of the faded green cargo shorts he now wore, not to mention his well-muscled legs and large feet encased in webbed sandals.

She wondered about the scars on his right knee and leg and the occasional limp in his stride. But all those thoughts were not enough to sidetrack her very long. If he thought this little hike was going to cool her off, she was stranded with a glass-half-full kind of guy. Optimistic but crazy.

Finally he slowed down, lifted a low tree branch and helped her move beyond it. Chloe found herself in a beautiful glade situated beside a small, shallow stream. Clear water tumbled lazily over and around irregular stones. Miraculously, the temperature was a full ten degrees lower.

Dev put his large backpack down and began to rummage. Soon a small canvas seat was in about a foot of water. He promptly stripped Chloe out of her overalls and sat her on the seat in her sleeveless undershirt and panties. The icy water covered her legs and nearly took her breath away. But it felt good. Damn good.

Dev took off his t-shirt and dipped it into the water, then drizzled some over her shoulders and breasts before gently wiping her face. “How’s that, Miss Chloe?”

“Heaven, Broderick Devlin. I just might survive more than a day up here.”

He gave her a quick, hard kiss, then waded back to the bank and started rustling in his sack. Chloe eventually heard hammering and turned to watch him work. The man did have a body. His tan shoulders were wide with back muscles rippling while he worked. The sight sent an annoyingly predictable shiver down Chloe’s back.

Those shivers told her she was close to the moment of truth. During the whole drive up, she had felt the blood pool heavily in her groin, smoldering like a banked fire, just waiting for a gust of wind to fan it into hot flames. The merest warm breath or the lightest touch on her clit would make her explode.