The O'Conners: A Made for Love Novella (10 page)

“
Why won't you just tell me what's wrong?
”

Her strapless bra hits the floor the same time as my tank. We drop our underwear in unison.

“
Why can't you just be like a normal guy and take the
out
I'm giving you?
”
she demands to know, her voice rising.
“
I don't want to talk about it. Aren't guys supposed to be good with that?
”

“
Dammit, Avery
—”
I growl.
“
I
’
m not other guys. I'm
your
guy!
”

In a split second, I watch as she crumbles right before my eyes. She gasps, her face falls, and she chokes out a sob. I stand frozen
—
naked, shocked, and completely and utterly
frozen
. Then she launches herself at me. I catch her against my chest, her warm, naked body pulling me from my stunned state. When she kisses me, I feel hesitant to reciprocate.

“
Kiss me, Grayson,
”
she mutters, her lips still pressed against mine.
“
Kiss me. Hold me. Love me. I need you. My guy
—
my love. I need you.
”

The struggle is real
—
I
’
ve got two heads at war with each other. My brain is telling me that this is not normal behavior while my dick is reminding me that my woman needs me. Her tears have me flipping out while her sweet lips leave me yearning for her touch. I
’
m so confused right now.

“Sweetheart
—”

“
Please? Show me. Show me how you
’
re mine. I need you. Please.
Please?
”

Something tells me if I hesitate a moment longer, whatever
’
s the matter will get worse. I have no clue what
’
s going on in her head, but I
’
ll be damned if
rejection
gets added to that mess. With both my dick and my brain on the same page, I carry her to the bed and lay her down. When I prop myself on top of her, she lifts her hips
—
a speechless request. I know now that there will be no foreplay. This moment is for her. She can have whatever she needs.

“Take what you want, Shorty. I
’
m yours.
”

Her eyes bore into mine as she reaches down for my cock. She traces the tip along her entrance and up over her clit, coating me in her arousal. I flick my tongue out, tracing my own path around her parted lips. She whimpers before she guides me to where she wants me. I ease my way in, pressing forward until every inch of me is consumed. I then pull out even slower.

She frees an airy moan as I continue my slow pace. When she reaches up to sink her fingers into my hair, I follow her gentle tug until my lips are flush with hers. She devours my mouth and I know she
’
s trying to tell me something.

If only I knew what
…

Instead of trying to figure it out, I just enjoy the feel of the gorgeous woman beneath me.

“Oh, Grayson
—
I
’
m sorry
…”

“Sweetheart
—”

“No! Don
’
t stop
—
please don
’
t stop! I
’
m so close. Are you? I need you to be close
—
we have to do this together. Okay?
Together
. Everything
’
s better when we
’
re together, right? We can do
anything
together.
”

“Avery
—”
Her panic causes me to thrust harder, my way of reminding her that I
’
m here.

I
’
m right here.

“I
’
m going to come, Sonny
—
come with me!
”

I pick up the pace, needing just a little push to get me to where she is. As she squeezes me with her orgasm, calling out my name, I fall over the edge right along with her. I whisper against the soft, fragrant skin of her neck, each utterance a question.

When I
’
ve ridden out my release, I allow my body to collapse on top of hers as I take a moment to breathe. She holds me close, stroking her fingers through my hair. Then, without any further prompting, she speaks.

“I
’
m late, Sonny. My period
…
I
’
m late.
”
My head shoots up, my eyes seeking hers. Her big, brown irises are glossy with unshed tears.
“
I
’
m sorry I
’
ve been keeping it from you. I was just hoping
…”

My heart is beating so fast, it almost hurts.
“
How
—
how
—”
It
’
s suddenly difficult to breathe.
“
How late?
”

“Three
…”
Her lips tremble as she draws in a shaky breath.
“
Three weeks.
”

“So
—”
I shake my head, unsure whether or not my mind is chaotic with too many thoughts, or buzzing with the emptiness of not a single one.
“
So
—”

Barely above a whisper, she finishes my incomplete thought.
“
I think I
’
m pregnant.
”

He rolls away from me and he
’
s on his feet before I have the chance to mourn the loss of him inside of me. I watch as he frantically searches for his essential items of clothing, discarded carelessly only a few minutes ago. I sit up as he puts on his boxers, his dress pants and shoes. He skips donning socks and grabs the tank top he was wearing as he heads for the bedroom door.

“Sonny?
”
I
’
m barely aware of the tears streaming down my face, too concerned with the actions of my husband. He turns back at the sound of my voice and makes his way to the bed without a second
’
s hesitation. He kisses me. It
’
s not a long kiss or a passionate one. It
’
s hard, unforgiving, and over before I can get a breath. When he pulls away, he doesn
’
t say a word before he leaves the apartment.

I
’
m so stunned, I don
’
t know how long I look at the door wondering if it
’
s too much to imagine that he
’
ll magically reappear. I have no idea where he
’
s gone, half dressed with sex-mused hair. I have no idea when I should expect him back. Worst of all, I have no idea what he
’
s thinking.

I thought it was hard bearing the weight of the possibility of a baby all on my own. Now that my secret is out, my loneliness in this moment is heart wrenching. Not once over the last three weeks did I think this news would be easier to accept with Sonny being in the know. However, I
did
think that after the initial panic wore off, we
’
d at least have each other to hold onto. My heart is sure he
’
ll be back
—
isn
’
t that what his kiss meant?
—
but his current absence has left me feeling more lost and confused than I
’
ve been all along. The thought of what I
’
m supposed to do next evades me.

When I grow cold, I get up and reach for his wrinkled dress shirt. It
’
s a million sizes too big for me, but I don
’
t care. It comforts me to be drowning in his scent. I button up just enough to keep it closed before I ball the excess fabric of his sleeves into my fists. I make my way out of the bedroom and, for the second time today, I head to the window, looking for Sonny. I don
’
t dry my cheeks when I realize he has not yet returned.

I knew right away when the start date of my cycle had come and gone. I
’
m so incredibly meticulous about taking my pill every day as soon as I brush my teeth. It
’
s not that Grayson and I don
’
t
want
children. We do. It
’
s just that it was never in our plans to start a family anytime soon. When we first got married, we discussed whether or not we deemed it necessary to use the pill
and
condoms. In the end, we decided that our intimacy mattered more than taking double precautions to avoid me getting pregnant.

Even now, as I pace my way back and forth across the living room floor in my bare feet, I don
’
t regret our decision. Now, I
’
m simply desperate to know what Sonny is thinking. I
’
m guessing, considering his hasty exit, he wouldn
’
t be able to put it into words even if he tried. Part of me can
’
t blame him for that. I still don
’
t know what to think either. For the past twenty-one days
—
good God
—
I
’
ve been traveling through each day hoping and praying that my body is confused.  I
’
ve been waiting for the dreaded monthly inconvenience with more desperation than I
’
ve ever felt in my life.

Yet, while I understand his sense of shock, I can
’
t ignore the fact that his not being here hurts. I need him. Didn
’
t I make that perfectly clear before? How many times did I say the words after I
threw
myself at him? How could he just
walk out
like that?

Before my heart can latch onto those questions, Sonny barges through the door. I
’
m so relieved to see him that I burst into a fresh bout of tears. He rushes to me, dropping the bag that
’
s in his hands at our feet before gently grabbing hold of my face.

“Hey, don
’
t cry. It
’
s going to be okay. I promise, it
’
s going to be okay.
”
He seals his word with a loving kiss against my forehead and I wrap my arms around him tightly.

“Where were you?
”

He takes a deep breath and blows out a sigh as he dries my cheeks with his thumbs. Then he bends down and retrieves the bag I already forgot about.
“
It
’
s not enough to
think
you
’
re pregnant. We need to know, Shorty.
”
He pulls three pregnancy tests out and I pull my lip between my teeth.
“
Can I get you some water or something?
”