Maybe This Time (The Educators Book 3) (8 page)

“You showed an interest in her before we even met.”

“That won’t matter to her when she hears I’m carrying your baby. I expect her insecurity about your relationship with her will be magnified by the news.”

He sighed. “I guess. In any case, we’ll have plenty of time to talk about this.”

“What do you mean?”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Andrea not only took Stephanie home with her, she made reservations for the two of them to spend the next three days in New York.”

“Oh, I see. Is that good?”

“I don’t know, honey. But she has joint custody and Steph seemed fine with it. I got her alone to ask, and she said she didn’t mind getting out of town.”

“That’s an odd way to put it.”

“Is it?” He moved in closer. “You know what this means, don’t you?”

She thought she did. “We decided not to see each other, Gage.”

He placed his hand on her belly. “But that was before this little blessing.” Again he grinned. “And for now, these next few days, I hope, we’re going to be together. Just us three.”

She shouldn’t. She knew she shouldn’t. She hadn’t planned out this new turn in her life yet and for years she’d done nothing that wasn’t planned. Except sleep with Gage. (And look where that got her!) But she wanted to share this special time in her life so badly with someone, with him, and she was happy and God, she’d missed him. So she said simply, “Yes.”

With that, he slid a hand around her back, an arm under her legs, scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom.

Chapter 7

Her room was dim but not dark because the small light they’d left on in the living area cast a glow through the screens. He could make out the bed, a huge set of windows and other furniture that he didn’t take the time to notice. She was in his arms, snuggled close and for a few days, she was all his. Slowly, he set her on her feet, relishing the feel of her body sliding down his. She smelled of the outdoors and he wondered if she went walking before he appeared on her doorstep. He’d have to talk to her about going out alone now, at least until she was stable physically. Lifting her chin, he gazed into her eyes, which were shining. He brushed his lips over hers, once, twice, three times. “I missed this. Incredibly.”

“Hmm, me too.” She’d looped her arms around his neck so it was easy to draw her shirt over her head; she had no bra on. His whole body lurched at the sight of her bare torso. Still he was gentle as he cupped her breasts. Did they feel bigger or was it his imagination because he knew she was pregnant?

She moaned.

“Hurt?”

“No, it feels good. They’ve been itchy, tender. Must be they were waiting for you.”

Smiling with smug satisfaction, he licked one, then placed his mouth over the nipple and suckled softly.

She bucked toward him. Now that they’d given their bodies permission to react, she was on the edge. But that was okay because he was, too. Yet he went slowly. Kneeling down, he pulled her jeans to her knees revealing a thong that drove him wild. She wore more modest underwear in Atlanta. “Jesus.”

“You like?”

“Oh, I like.” He dragged that off, too, removing her shoes first, then the clothes. Instead of standing, he kissed her stomach and rested his cheek against her perfectly flat belly, which was toned but soft. “Hello, there, buddy. This is your daddy.”

Delaney didn’t respond to the
boy
comment. To anything, so he stood and when he saw her face, her cheeks were wet. “Why?” he asked rubbing a tear between two fingertips.

Overcome with emotion, Delaney stared at him. “I…I never expected to be pregnant. Or to have the baby’s father involved.”

“Your expectations are too low, sweetheart. We’ll talk about this later, but now we have better things to do.”

Drawing back the covers, he picked her up again and set her on the sheets. “I want to undress you,” she complained. She was lying on his bed like a naked Goya concubine and it made her feel weird. Nobody had ever taken his time with her like this.

“How about if I give you a little strip tease?”

“Cool.” More than cool. A little kinky. Who would have thought her conservative lawyer could color out of the lines?

Shedding his suit coat, he tossed it to a chair. His fingers went to each button of his shirt and he undid them at a snail’s pace, until he flung that off, too. His belt slid out with a snap, then his hands went to his zipper. “Ready?” he asked.

“I am so ready.” To accompany her words, she slipped
her
hand between her legs. “Come see.”

“Christ almighty!” His trousers, shoes and socks disappeared in a flurry and she giggled as he dove into bed next her.

Still, he took his time. He brushed his fingers down her arm, her hip, the outside of her thigh, raising goose flesh. His knuckles grazed her belly, went lower to the triangle between her legs, making her shiver.

“Gage, you’re missing the point, so to speak.”

His mouth against hers, he whispered, “If you insist.” Gently, but with intention, he ground his hand against her, making her startle. He parted her and found her wet. “Ah, nectar of the gods.”

“Forget about the damn gods. Come inside me. I’m about to—Oh….” She started to come when his fingers slid into her; soon she convulsed around him and orgasmed in a blinding flash of light. Pleasure shot everywhere in her body and she lost herself in it.

When she returned to consciousness, he had his elbow crooked, his head in his hand, watching her. “That was absolutely beautiful.”

“For me.” She reached over to his groin, found him hard as granite. “Let’s see something just as beautiful for you.”

“You don’t have to ask twice. The thong about did me in.” He drew her close, scissored their legs and slid into her.

“And don’t try to make it good for me this time…oh, wow, oh, God.” He thrust again and she felt every nerve ending, that exploded just moments ago, ignite.

“You were saying?” he whispered in her ear.

“Forget it.” She closed her eyes. “You feel so good inside me again, Gage.”

He said, “Ah, love,” and began to move.

Neither of them lasted long. They came together in another flash of light and sensation.

o0o

“This gives new meaning to the term
breakfast in bed
.” Delaney, sprawled out on a sea of pillows, currently had raspberries on her nipples while Gage was eating them off then replacing them. “Hmm, fruit never tasted so good.”

They’d awakened to the alarm they’d set but both of them had done the unthinkable and called in sick to work. “Let’s maximize the days, honey,” he’d said earlier, handing her the phone.

He could tell she was reluctant and he couldn’t remember that last time he played hooky, but they phoned in nonetheless. While she was dictating lesson plans to Brie Corelli, he’d found fruit in her kitchen, then ran out for pastries. When she finished, he served her. Or vice versa, from his perspective.

A bit later he picked up the orange juice. “This’ll be sticky.”

“Who cares? I can’t wait to see where you…oh, my God, Gage. Really?”

He licked the juice off her and the experience jump started him as well, especially when she came.

Lying on her back she began to laugh. “I can’t believe this is me, doing these things.”

“Why?” He nuzzled his face in her stomach. The silkiness of her skin and the scent of citrus filled his head.

“Because I’m never this, I don’t know, uninhibited in bed. I tend to protect myself.”

“I like hearing that.”

Putting aside the food, he slipped into her again.

Afterwards, they sat up and finished their breakfast. Delaney took a quick look at him and saw his hair disheveled, his beard framing his jaw—she felt it earlier abrade her skin—and satisfaction smoldering in his eyes. It made her feel powerful. Fruit, now gone, juice, really gone, they dug into the pastry and Danish he brought.

“Hmm.” She relished the sweetness of a chocolate croissant, gooey in the center, flaky on the outside.

He bit into an apple fritter. “Are you planning to watch your weight now?”

“Nope. I plan to eat right,” she held up the pastry “and minimize sweets, but I don’t care if I turn into a blimp. I’ve waited too long…”

She stopped. For the second time, when she was about to tell him something.

Finishing his food, he angled his body toward her and ran his hand down her hair. She loved the feel of his casual touches. “What, Delaney? Tell me why you want a baby so much. Biological clock ticking? Past experiences? Mostly I want to know why you thought you’d never be pregnant.”

“I…” she drew in a deep breath as if she was about to reveal state secrets “…I didn’t grow up like most kids. Oh, hell, my childhood and adolescence were terrible. Consequently, I don’t trust people easily. I’ve never trusted a man enough to have his kid.”

He cocked his head. “Were…were you ever pregnant?”

She swallowed hard. Bit her lip, trying to dull the pain of the awful memory. “Once. I was fifteen. I don’t talk about it. Can we change the subject?”

For a moment, he searched her face.

To distract him, she said, “Tell me about Steph. We tabled it last night, but you said it might not be good she went with her mother.”

 “Let me grab coffee and I’ll be right back. Want anything hot?”

As he climbed off the bed, she took an admiring glance at his naked form. Not too heavy, not too slim. Muscular but not ripped. “Just you, big guy.”

When he returned, he carried the coffee and a huge vase of pink carnations. Delaney felt her eyes mist. “Happy Baby,” he said placing them on the nightstand next to her.

She leaned over and inhaled their scent. Sweet, like him. “Thank you so much.”

“Oh, hell, don’t cry again.”

“They mean a lot.” She didn’t tell him this was a first for her. 

He slid back onto the bed next to her again and leaned against the headboard. She took his hand.

“Andrea has problems, as you know. The bipolar condition was controlled by medicine, but she still had eruptions of manic/depressive behavior. Her pregnancy was the worst because she had to go off the drugs, but we got through it. Unfortunately, bouts come back now, less intense of course, because of the lithium, but we never know she’ll go off for no reason. I had to drag this out of Steph, who contends it’s rare. Since the divorce, though, I assume the rants are about me.”

“Why did you divorce?”

“She had an affair.” He shook his head. “She said she did it because I was never home, but ironically, that was partly her fault, too. She has family money, but she wanted the prestige and power that went with being the partner in a big name law firm. I had to climb the ladder to give her that kind of world.”

“You would have stayed in Legal Aid. You said that the night we met.”

“For a while longer or I might have gone to the public defender’s office.” He shrugged. “It’s a moot point, anyway.”

“You could go back to that kind of work.”

“No. My chance is past.”

“If you want it to be.”

He didn’t respond to that. Then he said, “Should we talk about Steph’s reaction to this…” he waved his hand around. “To our…” he kissed her mouth “…wonderful news.”

“She’s so fragile, Gage. I’m not sure she can handle any upset in her life.”

“She has to know sometime.” He pressed his hand to her stomach, the tenderness of the gesture making her heart clutch.

But she needed to concentrate on Steph. “I won’t show for a while. Tell me why you think she said she wanted to get out of town.”

“You got me. You’d know more of why than I would.”

“I wonder if the Mean Girls are up to something.”

“I have no idea what that reference is, but I assume you’re referring to Schmooze—hell I still can’t get over that name—and her ilk.”

“I don’t know if they’re the cause of her behavior, but they might be. They’re dangerous, Gage. I can feel it.”

“Dangerous, how?”

“There’s frustration boiling inside of Schmooze. I know from the few encounters I’ve had with her and from what Steph tells me. We’ll have to deal with their friendship when Steph gets back from New York.”

“All right.” He sipped coffee and they were silent for a while. Delaney realized all this was hard for him to talk about--his divorce and Andrea’s problems. Not knowing what Steph was up to. He’d made himself really vulnerable and a sweep of gratitude went through her.

Were you ever pregnant…I don’t talk about this. Can we change the subject?

She glanced at the flowers and took a deep breath. “Speaking of Schmooze’s nickname, I knew somebody named Spike once,” she softly. Her heart started to hurt as soon as she spoke the name.

“You did?”

“He was in one of the foster care homes where I stayed.”

“Hmm.”

She faced him fully. “He raped me, Gage. It was the most horrendous experience of my life. I went to a clinic and had an abortion. I felt I didn’t have a choice given my age and circumstances.”

Setting down his mug, he tugged her close. She nestled into his chest, as if she belonged there, nosing into him, inhaling his scent for courage. “I’m so sorry. I understand totally the circumstance.”

He was the first person to say that to her because she’d never revealed this secret to anyone else. Not even Lisa.

Gage held her a while before he spoke. “Is it because you had an abortion that you felt you’d never have a child?”

“Elementary psychology, I know. But yeah, it was.”

“Well…” he kissed her head “…we’ve proved that wrong.”

“I hope so.”

“Nothing’s going to happen to you, honey. I’m going to take care of you.”

She stiffened.

“That upsets you?”

“It terrifies me. I’ve always taken care of myself.”

“Then, we’ll both take care of you.” He pressed his hand to her belly. “And my little slugger in here.”

“Or ballerina.”

“Whatever.”

Though neither of them knew where their relationship was headed—no promises or plans had been made—Delaney let herself feel safe and secure. If only for a while.

o0o

“Hi, guys, this is my friend Gage. “Delaney scanned the familiar faces at the Saturday Soup Kitchen. “He’s here to help out.”