Chloe's Donor (9 page)

Her non-anonymous donor had not contacted her since his departing terse note last week.
Taking the painting.
That had flabbergasted her, but a little ray of hope that maybe the man cared also flared to life.
Left my cell number. Call if you need me.
Not bloody likely, even though she needed him for a whole lot of things.

“No, not yet,” Rick murmured into the phone. “I’ll finish up this evening and possibly head back tomorrow. It depends.” He turned toward her and winked. “I don’t have the details worked out yet.” Now he out and out laughed. “Too damn bad.”

He smirked. “My phone is running out of juice, so I’m only going to answer official calls.” His eyes narrowed. “I’d better not find myself called back onto the duty roster. Uh huh. Right back at you, slick.” He clicked his phone closed and reached for her hand. “Let’s go finish those windows, sugar.”

* * * *

“Mmmmm.” Rick threw his head back and groaned. “God, that was good.”

Chloe laughed as she cleared the bowls from the kitchen table. “They make this ice cream locally. This one was dark chocolate with fresh raspberries mixed in. I can’t stay away from it.”

Cupping his hands behind his head, he tipped the chair back and watched her as she loaded the dishwasher. She tried not to dwell on the way his white linen shirt stretched across his chest. Though it wasn’t covered with light brown hair for her to run her hands over, it was right up there in the buffest-chests-of-all-time catalog.

“In spite of your appetite, Chloe, you don’t seem to have gained any weight except where the baby is.” It was the first time either one of them had referred to her pregnancy. “Every where else seems just about perfect.”

“Perfectly bloated.”

She heard the chair legs hit the floor and sensed him behind her at the sink. He was an inch or two shorter than Dev, but he was still an impressive figure of a man to have hovering. “Chloe?”

“Yes?” she whispered.

“I know you and Dev were involved, or maybe you still are, but I’ve got to tell you.” His fingers dusted across the bare shoulders exposed by her loose sundress. “I find you to be one sexy lady.”

This was surreal. She was twenty-nine years old, pregnant, and only now did she meet the two most appealing men of her life, all within the space of four weeks. Only one had her heart, but the jerk had ripped it out without looking back. How the hell had she allowed herself to get so tangled up? She felt the tears well up, even as she leaned just a bit back into Rick’s strength.

He put his chin on top of her head and hugged her to his chest. But after a moment, he turned her toward him and noticed her tears.

“Ah, sweetheart,” he croaked. “You’re killing me here.” He gave her a lopsided smile that looked a little sad. His thumbs wiped the tears from her cheeks as he cradled her face in his big hands. “Is it my man, Dev?”

She nodded between sobs. “I wish he’d never found me.”

“Uh huh.” He took her hands and walked backwards until they reached her living room. “Tell Dr. Rick all about it.”

“He’s made me miserable.”

“I can see that.” He sat in her big recliner, lifted her onto his lap, and cradled her in his arms. “He’s an ass.” He rubbed her back and crooned into her ear. “Lower than whale shit in the ocean.”

She sniffed and wiped her face on his shirt. “He hasn’t called me or anything.” She leaned back. “And then he sent
you
.”

“Me? “ He looked insulted. “Why am
I
suddenly the problem?”

“Your perfect body. Your sexy smile. You’re too nice. Too charming .... “

He raised his eyebrows. “And those things piss you off?”

“Noooo,” she wailed. “It’s just, why couldn’t you have shown up before I met him?” Her hands gripped the cloth of his shirt. “Then maybe I wouldn’t be so wrapped up in the big jerk. So perfectly ruined for anyone else.”

“He’s a fucking idiot,” Rick swore. Then he mumbled under his breath. “I’m just fucked.”

“What do you mean?”

He smoothed her hair back from her face. “Well, here you are, all soft and rosy and more than any man could wish for.” He shifted with discomfort in the chair and she noticed his arousal, which she really did not want to think about right now. “And here I am, trying to do the right thing.” His hands skimmed down her bare arms. “And you’re thinking of Dev.” Rick’s thumb drifted across her lower lip. “And I’m thinking of him, too, and what I’m thinking is he’s fucked up the night for both of us.” He shook his head. “And the pisser is that the poor bastard’s probably more miserable than either of us.”

“No way.”

“Yes, way, though it pains me to point it out to you.” He shifted her so that her back was turned more toward his chest and took her hands in his. “He’s all alone, wallowing in misery, sitting in his butt-ugly apartment, staring at that painting of you. Trust me, his gut is twisted in twenty seven knots.”

He guided her hands down to her womb and molded her hands to her swollen belly. “You, on the other hand, have got junior here.” He pulled her hands up to his face. “And tonight, you’ve got me to hold you.” Rick tightened his arms for a moment. “And I’ve got about fifty kilos of heaven in my arms.”

She turned her head and looked at him, licking her lips. “But I can’t, um, I mean it’s tempting, but so soon after Dev, I can’t .…”

“Shhhhh. It’s okay.” He tucked her head onto his chest and continued to use her hands to dust up and down her body. “I’m just helping to soothe your soul.”

She closed her eyes as he crooned in her ear for several minutes, but she was startled from her reverie when she felt her fingers dust against the underside of her breasts. She realized that she was incredibly turned on, but she was a little uncomfortable with the situation and had to say something. “My soul,” she said, feeling it necessary to point out, “doesn’t wear a forty-two D.”

“Ahhh.” She heard the smile in his voice. “But I’m thinking your body could use a little solace, too.” Her hands were slowly brought up to her breasts again. “Give yourself a break, Chloe girl. I’m just here to guide you on your journey. Think of poor Dev, all alone, and what he’s missing here.” He moved her fingers lightly across her nipples. “He’s not here to appreciate the way your hair smells. The way you long for his mouth on your bare skin.” Her hands drifted below her womb and, intertwined with his, they began to drag her skirt up. “He can’t feel how you need him to fill you.”

Dev.
She was aching for him. She closed her eyes and saw his green eyes, tortured with longing, practically begging her to allow him to be with her at the birth. His whispered name drifted into the darkened room. The silence was broken only by the sound of rustling fabric and her own desire. Her fingers dusted across her moist panties and she moaned.

“That’s it, sugar. He needs you so much. And you need him.” Rick brought one of her hands to her lips and dusted a finger back and forth across the crease. “Open,” he whispered. As her fingers probed her mouth, her other hand dusted across a nipple. Her wet hand drifted down to her core and cupped her hot center firmly, then lightly dusted over her wet panties.

“Ahhh,” she whispered, longing to be filled, missing Dev, but some how reveling in the heat and nearness of the man beneath her. She was on fire and let go of her concerns. She was safe with Rick. She lifted her leg and set her foot on the arm of the recliner.

He sucked in a breath, then shuddered against her back. “So damn sweet.” Their fingers moved together and tickled at the edge of her panties, slowly working beneath them, pulling and pushing on her swollen lips as they were slowly exposed.

Her mouth was open, sucking the hot air down her dry throat, all of her attention on the need between her legs. “I can’t stand much more.”

“I know, sugar,” he whispered. “I think,” he continued as he kissed her ear, “you need,” his lips drifted down her neck, licking a soft trail, “to be touched,” he drawled, licking back up to her ear, “right ... here.” Fingertips, his and hers, indistinguishable from one another, pushed lightly at the wet entrance of her vault, while her other hand was simultaneously brought up to push down firmly on her clitoris.

Chloe arched her back and stiffened against him, forcing their fingers inside to be grasped and caressed by her hot center. With every slight shift of the pressure, her contractions continued to rack her needy body.

“Ah shit,” Rick hissed. His body lurched up against her soft bottom, cradling her between his thighs, growling between his teeth, arms shaking with the restraint he was exerting. “Don’t. Move.”

Chloe quickly snapped out of her heated stupor, ignoring the aftershocks hitting her body. She shifted and reached for his hard length, gripping him through his pants. Molding her hand to his erection, ignoring his hiss of breath, she put her lips to his neck, then firmly squeezed and drew her hand along his length. “Don’t you
dare
hold back.”

He groaned, but then pulled her tight and thrust against her hand until she felt him shudder and slump back into the chair. Call her wicked, but she was inordinately proud of the hot wetness that seeped beneath her fingers. “God, I’m sorry,” he whispered against her ear, pulling her close to his chest.

“I’m not,” she answered sleepily, content to lie in his arms.

“I know you’re Dev’s,” he said firmly.

“You’re right.” She was glad he didn’t misunderstand the situation. “But you’ve become a good friend to me, too.” She pulled her head back and grinned at him. “And you brought great comfort to my soul.”

He laughed and gave her a friendly hug. “Just call me Father Rick.”

“Now how about you tuck me in and then go get some sleep before your long drive tomorrow?”

He lifted her without effort and started for her bedroom. “Anything for a member of my flock.”

Chapter Eight

“Say that again.” Dev was stunned.

“That you look like shit?” When Dev shook his head, Rick sighed. “In spite of you being a major asshole, Devlin, and in spite of Chloe being turned on by having my superior buff body at her disposal, amazingly, she only wants you.”

Thank God
. Dev had done a lot of soul searching the past week and had finally admitted that the reason he was damn miserable was that he belonged with Chloe. And his baby. His drab apartment echoed with emptiness. He wanted–no, he needed to be around his woman, even if it meant taking a risk she’d tire of him someday. Suddenly being without her at all was a lot worse than the risk of
maybe
getting dumped.

Dev’s thrill of happiness took a minor dip, though, when he noticed that Rick looked a whole lot more relaxed than when he had left. “And how exactly is it that you know she
was
turned on?”

“You really don’t deserve her, you know.” Rick just shook his head and pulled his sunglasses down over his eyes from the top of his head. Dev’s reflection was the only thing visible in the mirrored lenses. “She was not interested in sleeping with me.”

Dev couldn’t help himself. “That leaves a lot of ground uncovered.”

“Christ, B.D. You ask me to try to seduce the lady, which was a shitty thing to do to your wife. And then when I put myself through the torture of snuggling up close to that delectable body, you complain.”

He wanted to do a lot more than complain. He wanted to pound Rick into a pile of dust. He wanted to know just how fucking close Rick had gotten. “You don’t look any worse for the wear,” he snarled. “Buddy.”

Rick took off his glasses and took a couple of steps closer. “Let me tell you this, asshole. If she would have had me, I ....” He punched Dev’s shoulder a little harder than a friendly tap would require, then shook his head and walked to the door. “Jesus. Be happy, why don’t you? You’re lucky you’ve got her.” He replaced his sunglasses, opened the door, and turned with a shit eating smile. “Of course, after she reads the note I left, that may all change.”

Dev rubbed his eyes. He had hardly slept since Rick had left, and he’d pushed his knee too hard on the weight machines. It was swollen again. “I know I don’t want to hear this, but what did you tell her?”

Rick smiled with the first real humor since he arrived. “I told her that you sent me to see if she was going to cheat on you.”

“Shit.” He’d never get her to trust him again. “Why?”

“Because she deserves to have you grovel. And you’ve put me through the fires of hell for the past week.” His smile dimmed. “Now. I am going to go get very drunk and very laid, not necessarily in that order. If I'm extremely lucky, I can accomplish both at the same time. Stay away from me for a while.”

“I’m sure you’ll think of a way for me to return the favor some day.”

“That’s the only reason you’re still on your feet.”

After Dev shut the door, he got a bottle of water and mulled over his options. He could grovel long distance and then travel to Atlanta. But then she’d be on the lookout for him and nail his ass the minute he got within a hundred yards. Jesus. She probably had a restraining order on him already. No, his way was much better.

* * * *

Chloe gradually awoke and wasn’t sure why, especially since it was still pitch black outside. There wasn’t any kind of unusual noise. She felt safe with her brand spanking new alarm system, which she could tell was still armed by the control panel she could see from her bed. The lack of barking from her neighbor’s attentive German shepherd reassured her as well. Still, something didn’t seem right.

She threw off the lightweight sheet that was the only cover she could tolerate, even with the air conditioning on arctic blast and the sub-hurricane gale from the two fans aimed at her bed. Grudgingly, she put on an oversized t-shirt just in case she ran into trouble. Of course, the t-shirt that said
Don’t Mess with a Pregnant Woman
was unlikely to intimidate even a weasel of a burglar.

At least she could take care of one of her twice nightly visits to the bathroom. After splashing a little water on her face, she padded in her bare feet into the kitchen to get a glass of ice water.