Compulsively Mr. Darcy (22 page)

Pepper spice. Elizabeth recognized the scent before she opened her eyes. Morning was not here yet; hazy darkness still shrouded the room. She sleepily reached behind her until she made contact with a warm, male body. Reassured that he was real and she hadn't dreamt his presence, she sank back to her soft pillow.

A short moment later, a hand inching along the underside of her breast stirred her awake. Cupped palm hovered indecisively a bare inch away. She lurched her chest forward to make contact. A sensual massaging of her breast began, serenaded by a deep, satisfied sigh behind her. Soft kisses brushed on her shoulder. “Good, you're awake. I didn't want to wake you.”

She let out a pleased sigh of her own. How had she survived these past months without the delicious sensation of his naked body spooning her? She'd even missed his snoring. Turning, she encountered his smiling eyes and rubbed his cheek, smiling at the fine sandpaper feel of his early morning stubble.

Exhausted, she had fallen asleep right in his arms after they had made love last night, after he told her she was the best thing that happened to him. She frowned; she hoped he'd still feel that way after hearing her big news.
Two
big
news! The two big news currently fluttering in her belly.

“No frowning allowed.” He moved on top of her. “A woman with beautiful breasts like these isn't allowed to frown first thing in the morning.” He bent and gave one nipple a quick lick then gently blew on it.

Surprised and aroused by the warm puff of his breath on her wet nipple, she moaned.

“Moaning is allowed,” he whispered. “Lots of moaning.”

She decided the big news could wait. He licked and suckled and fondled her. As he made love to her, he whispered incoherent words of love and appreciation for every part of her body.

When his pacing was too controlled, too slow for her, she turned the tables. With a few tricks she'd learned from him on how to speed things up, she managed to make him cry out, “Oh God, Lizzy, so sweet!”

“Naughty girl. You made me lose control. I wanted to take it nice and slow,” he murmured against her neck and tried to pull out.

Not ready to release him, she tightened her legs around him and grinned. “That was last night. I want it hard and fast now.” Tenderly, she brushed a lock of hair from his eyes.

“How could you even think any other experience I had with others in the past compared to this, with you?” he asked, his face serious.

For that, she pressed her lips to his. When the kiss ended, she ran her hands down his back and caressed him. He gave a big happy sigh, lifted himself off her, and sank back against his pillow. Expectantly, she watched him. She smiled when his eyes closed seconds later. He tended to become sleepy after he climaxed.

Propping herself up on her elbow, she examined him. He felt thinner to her. As his hands had, his body showed the physical signs of the stress of their separation. She turned her face away for a few moments, in case he opened his eyes and noticed her tears.

“I'm sorry I've been selfish,” she whispered, turning back and hugging his body tight.

Only even breathing and soft snoring answered her. Contented just to lie there quietly listening to the rhythms of his body, she let him sleep and closed her eyes.

***

The sun shone brightly through the gaps between the window's drapes when she awoke to the sound of loud knocking.

Richard's voice could be heard. “Darce?”

“Bloody hell!” William cursed and rolled off the bed and grabbed a robe. “This had better be good.”

She glanced at the clock and gasped. It was later than she realized. The wedding. She had forgotten all about her duties as best man. “The wedding, William. I have to go back to my room and get ready.”

William scowled and went to answer the door.

When she stood up too suddenly, nausea hit her hard. “Damn,” she cursed as she rushed to the bathroom. The nausea subsided quickly with sips of water. She waited for a few minutes to make sure it wouldn't come back before she showered.

When she came out of the bathroom toweling dry her hair, he was already dressed and had laid out her clothes neatly, on top of the now tidied bed. He blushed when she caught sight of her red thong in his hand.

She teased, “I'll trade you that for your shorts. I don't want to put on leather pants this morning.”

“Deal.” He handed her a pair of shorts and put the thong in his suitcase. He closed his suitcase as if it was a treasure box.

She shook her head, amused. Men and their fascination with thongs! While she dressed, she asked, “What did Richard want?”

“He wanted to make sure we're all right before he takes off to play golf this morning.”

“He's such a sweetheart.”

“He is not a sweetheart. I told him if he hadn't interrupted we would be in the middle of doing ‘all right.'”

“William!”

He pouted. “I was planning another make-up sex session this morning. I've never had make-up sex before now.”

“Never?”

“Never.” His face had a determined look. “I promise you there will never be another make-up sex session, since we're never going to fight.”

She almost laughed aloud. The crazy man was serious.

He pulled his shirt out of his jeans and unbuttoned it. “Since we're never going to break up ever again, let's not waste our precious make-up sex time on other peoples' wedding.”

“But—”

“No buts.” Grabbing the edge of her T-shirt, he pulled it off her. “The wedding is not until late this afternoon. Hussein doesn't need you right now. I do.”

She tried to still his hands. “William, there's something I must—”

“Shhh! No talking. We've talked enough already. I used up all my words last night. Back to action time,” he shushed and trapped her between the bed and him. He took off the shorts she'd just put on. His gaze roamed over her. “God, you're so beautiful, even more beautiful than I remembered.”

She gave up. His mind obviously was too clouded by lust now to listen to anything.

Lifting one hand over a breast, she let her thumb circle the nipple. His eyes darkened. She took a step back and brought her other hand up and did the same to the other nipple. His mouth parted. Encouraged, she began to uninhibitedly fondle herself and sensuously dance in slow circles. With an eager, anticipating gleam, his eyes tracked her movements. At one point, he had to unbutton his jeans but remained dressed, as if he was afraid to miss something if he took his attention away from her.

While laying on the couch these past weeks, she had watched hours of belly dancing on the TV, among other mindless shows. She duplicated some provocative moves she remembered. When she shimmied her behind at him, his eyes bulged. He visibly panted. Executing a few tiny pelvic thrusts, she moved closer and undressed him to his knees. When she touched his groin, his eyes rolled back and he almost stumbled.

She made him lie down on the bed. He tried to take his pants off but she shook her finger at him. Obediently, he lay back down and jutted his pelvis upward in invitation.

She gently sucked him. Animal sounds spurted from his throat. Her tongue flicked at the drop of moisture at his tip and his body vibrated and hummed in response. She closed her mouth around him and rolled her tongue. A growl turned into a purring from his throat. She sucked him harder. His hips jerked.

He pulled her head from his groin and positioned her atop him. In a frantic voice, he begged, “Please, I can't last much longer.”

Accompanied by his grunts and growls, she rode him. When she collapsed on top of him after her climax, she could feel the hotness of his release exploding inside her.

“You're going to be the death of me,” he wheezed underneath her.

She smirked against his neck. “Never underestimate the hormonal surge of a pregnant woman.”

He stilled.

Suddenly, realizing what she had just said, she stiffened. She hadn't meant to blurt it out like that.

“Elizabeth?”

Her body still connected to him, she kept her face buried against his skin and whispered happily, “Yes. I'm pregnant.”

“Is it mine?”

“How could you be in the dog house already?”

Darcy ignored Richard's question and kept his eyes on the stage where the wedding ceremony would take place.

Richard continued, “Not even a full twenty-four hours, and you've already messed up again. What exactly did you say?”

“Just something stupid.”

“Great. That's just great. After the trouble I went through last night reassuring that crazy Ninja sister you're a good egg, you go and say something rotten the next day. Do you know how this makes me look?”

“This is not about you,” Darcy snapped.

Other guests arrived and some of the seats around them filled, putting a stop to their conversation.

He didn't know why he had asked that question. Shocked at hearing she was pregnant, he had blurted out the first thing in his mind. She had jumped up and ran. By the time he pulled his jeans up and ran after her, she had locked herself in the bathroom. He heard retching noises and anxiously waited by the door. When he didn't hear any more sound, he asked, “Are you okay? Do you need any help?”

Wrapped in a towel, she came out and headed toward her clothes.

“I meant to say—”

“You've said enough. And no, I don't need any help, either; you've also done enough.” A pointed glance directed at his crotch. “And yes, I was always going to tell whoever the father was about the pregnancy. I was waiting for the right time and opportunity. That, and an appointment for a paternity test.”

Loud knocking again interrupted. She ignored it and continued to dress.

Irritated at the interruption and expecting Richard on the other side again, Darcy snarled as he opened the door, “What?”

Mary Bennet glared at him. “Hussein needs Lizzy to calm him. He's nervous.”

“No, he's not.” Elizabeth came to the door, dressed. “He probably wants to make sure I shaved and put some makeup on before the wedding.”

“That too,” Mary admitted. “He did mention something about that.”

Darcy gently touched Elizabeth's arm. “Please, we'll talk later, after the wedding?”

She nodded, though she still refused to meet his eyes. He was encouraged, however, when he bent to kiss her cheek good-bye and she didn't turn away. “I'll wait for you here after the wedding. I love you,” he whispered and tried to pretend he didn't see Mary eyeing him suspiciously.

He had spent the whole day in his room, beating himself up for being such a jerk and trying to distract himself by researching safe baby furniture.

A flurry of late-arriving wedding guests appeared. A woman, wearing a large hat, sat down in front of him and partially obstructed his view. He glared at her head. He had chosen this seat to have a good view of Elizabeth during the ceremony. The music began, signaling the start of the ceremony.

A tired Elizabeth came to stand next to Hussein.

Of
course, she's tired; she's carrying a child. Your child, you bloody fool! Why did you say that? You ruined what should have been a beautiful moment!
Disgusted with himself, he sighed louder than he had intended.

“Don't draw attention to yourself,” Richard hissed, “not until Caroline's hitched completely. She might think you're regretting her. Wait, what were we thinking, bringing you to her wedding? If she catches a glimpse of you now, she might change her mind about marrying her trophy doctor there. Slink down and hide.”

Darcy ignored his cousin. A moment later, after thinking it over, he hunched his shoulders and turned so that his face was hidden behind the rim of the large hat in front.

My
child
, he reverently mouthed and daydreamed of a dark-haired little girl. He saw himself teaching his little girl to ride a bicycle, with a titanium helmet on, of course. A green-eyed little girl wearing a pink tutu and dancing, just like her mummy. Well, perhaps not quite like how her mummy had danced this morning, he amended.

The music starting up again startled him. The wedding ceremony was over and he had missed it.

Skipping the reception, he waited in his room for Elizabeth. When he finally heard knocking, he leaped to the door. A stubborn expression on her face, Elizabeth stood on the other side.

Mary had accompanied her. With a warning glance directed at him, she handed him a suitcase, pushed Elizabeth gently toward him and left without saying anything. He wondered if the sister would ever talk to him, then he remembered her screaming voice and decided a silent Mary was a good thing.

“Why did you say that?” Elizabeth pounded on him the moment he closed the door. “How could you even think that?”

“I don't, I mean I don't really think that. It's just… it's just… Look, I'm an idiot. I just say things, stupid things. But to be honest most, if not all, guys think that. Even if they're on a deserted island with no other men around, the first thing that comes to their head is ‘Is it mine?'”

“What?”

“It's true. We can't believe that our seed could create something so precious as a child. It's a miracle to us. It's like being on top of the world and you can't believe you're there.”

“Of course you don't believe it. You men thoughtlessly scatter and sow millions of your seeds all over without ever thinking of the consequences.”

“I always think of the consequences.” He couldn't believe the direction of their argument. “And I don't scatter or sow my seeds all over. You may not believe this, but I have never forgotten to use a condom before you.”

“Oh, yeah, you and your extensive experience with condoms. Just because you did it with all those women, in dance clubs and all, grabbing their boobs and Lord knows what else, you think I'm like you. You think I slept around with other men because we broke up.” She ended up screaming the words at him halfway through her tirade. “You do! You think I did that!”

Flushing, he looked away.

She gasped. “Did that mean…” She broke off and started sobbing.

He swallowed. He'd made her cry again. Then he grasped her meaning. “No, no. Elizabeth, I've never slept with anyone else since we met. And definitely not when we were apart. In fact, I hadn't been with anyone else for well over a year before I met you.” Anxious to make her understand, the words rushed out; he hardly knew what he was saying. “I stopped carrying condoms around long before I met you because I didn't feel like having sex with anyone. You, only you, are the one woman I have wanted since I first laid eyes on you. And you think after being with you, I could look at another woman, much less touch her?”

“Then why did you think I might have done it?”

“Have you taken a good look at yourself? You're beautiful and sexy and just… just… wonderful.” He stepped closer. “I couldn't believe no other man had touched your heart or your body. And when you left me, I tortured myself with thoughts of other men and you. Your sister told me you had moved on and then I saw that picture of you and Jorge Cooley…”

“Who? What picture?” She looked genuinely puzzled. He explained to her about the picture and the caption he saw. Her eyes went wide. “I was in a tabloid? I was in a tabloid?” A delighted expression on her face now, she bounced and flapped her hands. “Wait until my mother hears about this. Oooh! And my sisters! Hussein will be so jealous! Which one was it? Do you still have it?”

He gaped at her reaction, though he was glad that she had stopped crying.

“What's the name of the tabloid? I want to know so I can brag to Hussein.” When he told her the name of the tabloid, she said, “Never heard of it. But I don't read those things usually. Well, except when I first left New York and found all those old pictures of you. You were such a playboy.”

His brain finally worked. She had mentioned him in dance clubs and grabbing boobs. Bloody hell, she must have found those old pictures of his partying days. She was just as irrationally insecure about him and other women as he was about her and other men. At least it now made sense to him why she had so readily believed his aunt. “Those pictures were taken almost ten years ago. I was young and wild and stupid. I'm sorry for thinking that you might… some women would during a breakup. I hurt you with my insensitivity in New York; I wouldn't blame you if you had,” he rambled, anxious to move past his wild past.

“Will you stop with the everything-is-Darcy's-fault blame fest? It's getting old. You can't control everything. You can't prevent everything. You're going to be a father, so you're going to have to let go of the illusion that you can control everything in life.” She narrowed her eyes. “And what would you have done had it been another man's child?”

“Taken care of the child and the mother and considered it a privilege,” he answered without hesitation, glad that he had spent that day thinking about this issue and could give her an immediate answer. Though he hated the idea of her and another man, he had decided he would treasure any part of her. And a child coming from her, whether his or not, would be treasured by him. Of course, he was doing cartwheels inside that she was carrying his child and the point was moot.

His answer must have done the trick because she smiled, then started crying again. She hugged him. He gratefully wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead.

“I'm not so sure I would be as generous if you had fathered a child with another woman while we were apart. I would have killed you,” she confessed. “I'm more jealous than you are.”

“I doubt that.”

She told him that seeing that one picture of him in a tabloid was what had made her sign up for Darfur.

“What? How crazy is that?” he shouted. “You put yourself at risk and took years off my life with worry just because you were jealous of a woman in a picture that's at least ten years old? And whose name and face I don't even remember?”

With a sheepish look on her face, she nodded.

“You'll be the death of me!” He wasn't done with shouting. “Will you promise to talk to me before you impulsively act? Didn't we go through this once before, in Vietnam?”

“I talked to you tonight even though I was mad. I came here with my suitcase to spend the night with you even when I wanted to kick your ass. And I didn't do anything impulsive or run away even though I was hurt,” she reminded him.

“Thank the gods for that. Now, are there any more things you need to ask or tell me? Any more surprises or shocks?”

“Yes. We're having twins.”