Clay (BBW Secret Baby Bear Shifter Romance) (Secret Baby Bears Book 4) (4 page)

“Really?” Gemma smiled, more genuine this time. “I felt so self-conscious for going to a sperm bank!”
 

Chloe laughed out loud. She was beginning to feel a little better, now that she was actually talking to reasonable adults. “I had my agent take me,” she said, glancing down. “And I wore sunglasses.”
 

Rock stared at Chloe. His eyes moved from Chloe to Clay and then back again. “So, you two-“
 

“Shut up, Rock,” Clay said good-naturedly. “We all need a beer. Who wants a beer?”
 

Chloe bit her lip. “Wine, please?”
 

Clay laughed and shook his head. “Nope, beer it is. Sorry, Chloe. You’re in the country now!”
 

As the night progressed, Chloe was surprised to discover how much fun she was having. Rock and Gemma were a sweet couple, and she and Gemma even exchanged numbers. Gemma wasn’t like any of her old friends, but she didn’t seem completely dissimilar, either. Deep down, Chloe hoped that she was making a new friend.
 

“How did you two meet?” Chloe leaned over the counter. Her skin felt hot and itchy and she was well aware that she’d already had too much to drink. The inside air of the bar suddenly felt stifling and hot, and she put a hand to her forehead.
 

Gemma blushed. “Well, I had a birthday party for my son Arthur,” she said softly. Chloe had to lean forward to hear her – Gemma was one of the most soft-spoken women she’d ever met. It was funny to see her with Rock, who was basically a louder version of Clay. They even had the same shaggy brown hair and golden eyes. “And Rock showed up. He basically saved the day,” she said, looking at her husband with clear affection in her eyes. “And he even brought Arthur a pet rabbit.”
 

“Aww,” Chloe cooed. “That’s so sweet! But how did you really
meet
?”
 

Rock and Clay and Gemma all exchanged looks. “Well,” Clay said carefully.
 

Rock held up a hand. “I had a feeling that Arthur’s party was exactly where I needed to be that day,” he said with a grin and a wink. “And once I saw Gemma, well, I was a goner.” He pulled his wife close and kissed her temple.
 

“When did you get married?”
 

Gemma blushed. Her left hand sparkled with a small, tasteful diamond and matching wedding band. “Well, about six months after we met,” she said casually.
 

Chloe’s jaw dropped. “Six months?” She opened her eyes wide. “That’s all?”
 

Gemma nodded. She smiled sweetly at Rock. “It just felt right,” she said with a shrug. “I couldn’t imagine not being Rock’s wife. And Arthur just loved him right from the beginning.”
 

“We’re a great family,” Rock said. He grinned at Gemma and Chloe felt her stomach twist. She swallowed hard, faintly aware that she was jealous for one of the first times in her adult life.
How is that even fair? They barely even knew each other and they got married and they look like they’re so in love! I’m never going to find anything like that!
 

“I can tell,” Chloe said honestly. Clay pushed another shot of tequila towards her on the table and she tilted her head back, swallowing all of the clear, fiery liquid.
 

“Sometimes when people meet, they just know,” Clay said. He gave Chloe a knowing look and she shivered. It felt like he was speaking about some hidden meaning, and although she didn’t know what he was getting at, she couldn’t deny the warm feelings of arousal and pleasure that were shooting through her body. Suddenly, all she cared about was being alone with Clay. She wanted to wrap her arms around his strong, muscular neck and pull his lips to hers.
 

“I get that,” Chloe said softly. She glanced down. “I’m just used to a different lifestyle.” She winked at Clay. “You know, most of my friends wouldn’t even date men they’d known for
years
!”
 

“What was the hold-up?” Rock leaned in close. “Are things really that different in the city?”
 

“Well, everyone does like to pretend they’re about twenty years younger than they actually are,” Chloe said dryly. “My friends never wanted to admit they were growing up. I was the youngest one to have a baby, and I had Noah when I was twenty-nine.”
 

“Wow,” Rock replied. “Well, things ain’t like that out here. Are they, Clay?”
 

Clay snorted. “Enough,” he said, standing up from the table. “Come on, Chloe. Better get you home before my brother embarrasses me any more tonight.”

Chapter Three

“My head,” Chloe whined as she leaned against the window on the passenger side of Clay’s car. “Ouch.”
 

Clay laughed. “I take it you’re not used to tequila,” he said in a smooth, low voice as he turned the key in the ignition. “Strong stuff, that,” he added. “I’ve had my fair share of nights feeling like shit over it.”
 

Chloe closed her eyes and winced. Her head was throbbing and she could still taste every shot of the liquid fire that she’d swallowed back at the karaoke bar. Talking to Rock and Gemma had been so much fun. It was the most fun she’d had since moving west from New York. Impulsively, she leaned across the seat and tried to press her mouth against Clay’s. For a moment, they were tantalizingly close. Clay’s breath washed over Chloe’s face and she shivered with lust. As her hot lips pressed against his, she moaned softly.
 

Then, Clay’s firm hands were on her shoulders and he was pushing her away. When Chloe opened her eyes, Clay was staring deep into her face.
 

“Whatever happened to not even dating people you’d known for years?” Clay’s voice was teasing, but Chloe could sense an underlying current of serious meaning beneath. Even in her drunk state, she felt embarrassed about the comments she’d made earlier in the evening.
 

“It’s just a kiss,” Chloe protested. She leaned in again but Clay gently held her off.
 

“It’s not just a kiss to me,” Clay replied. “I’m not that type of guy. I don’t hook up with women and then just forget about them. That’s never been my deal.”
 

Chloe felt a shiver of anticipation rip through her body. She pouted. “I understand,” she said softly. There was a moment of silence in the car, then Chloe hiccupped loudly and covered her mouth.
 

“You’ll be okay,” Clay said in a soothing voice. He handed Chloe a capped bottle of water. “Drink as much of this as you can, and when you get home, take some painkillers. You should be alright in the morning.”
 

Chloe obediently drank the whole bottle of water. By the time Clay had pulled up in front of her house, she was feeling much better When he got out of the car to open her door for her, she felt suddenly shy.
 

“Wanna come in?” Chloe unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to face Clay. “I have the sitter for another hour or two. You could have a coffee, or another drink.”
 

In the dark of the car, Clay’s golden-brown eyes seemed to glow. “Alright,” he replied. “I’ll come in. Just for a little bit, though. I don’t want you getting too worried that I’m going to try to marry you immediately.”
 

Chloe bit her lip. “Clay, I didn’t mean anything rude about your brother and Gemma,” she said. “It’s just, well, I’m from a different planet. You understand that, right?”
 

Clay laughed good-naturedly and again, Chloe wondered if there was some kind of hidden meaning in that sexy grin of his. “As long as we can understand each other,” he replied as he climbed out of the car. “That’s all I care about.”
 

Inside the house was quiet. Chloe could hear the TV on a muted whisper in the living room. She turned to Clay. “Well, coffee or a real drink?”
 

Clay licked his lips and Chloe felt another pang of lust. “What are you having?”
 

“A vodka tonic,” Chloe replied. She put her hand on her forehead. “I feel better,” she added. “I mean, I’m not going to be sick.”
 

Clay raised his eyebrows. “You got any beer?”
 

She shook her head and giggled. “Nope, it’s gonna have to be a girly drink. Let me pay the babysitter and I’ll join you,” she added, winking at Clay.
 

The two of them settled down in the spare bedroom, which Chloe was currently using as an office. Unlike the rest of the house, it was still cluttered with boxes and dust from moving.
 

“Sorry,” she apologized as they settled down on the carpeted floor. “Noah’s room is down the hall, and I don’t want to wake him up if we went into my room.”
 

Clay raised his eyebrows. “And just why would we do that?” He took a long pull from the cocktail glass Chloe handed him. “I mean, after all, we barely know each other.” He winked at Chloe and she blushed.
 

“So,” Chloe began. She bit her lip. “You probably think I’m a real mess, don’t you? Some stuck up city girl who had a kid because she wanted a family, yet couldn’t actually commit to a relationship.”
 

“Not at all,” Clay said smoothly. He leaned back against the wall and took another long slurp of vodka. “I think you’re probably feeling a little out of water around here.” He paused. Chloe waited for him to speak again, hanging on the edge of his words. Some of the effects of the tequila were leaving her body, and being around Clay again was making her skin feel tingly and excited.
 

“That’s probably true,” Chloe admitted. “It’s been hard for me to find people that are actually willing to talk to me around here.”
 

Clay chuckled. “I know you think everyone is pretty unaccepting of you, but maybe you should do some thinking about how you’ve treated everyone else.” His voice was smooth and calm, free of judgment. “Sometimes, people have gone through things that aren’t so readily apparent on the outside.”
 

Chloe nodded. She blushed slightly. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I mean, I’m sorry if I’ve somehow offended you.”
 

Clay shook his head. His golden brown eyes stared into Chloe’s green ones and she shivered again. “I vowed to spend my whole life as a bachelor,” Clay said. He stretched his arms high over his head and Chloe tried to avoid staring at his sculpted chest beneath his worn T-shirt. “I thought, you know, bachelorhood. That’s the life for me. No family, no responsibility, no heartbreak.” He paused. “And then I found out, pretty recently in fact, that I’ve fathered a child.”
 

Chloe gaped. “So….you’re not one of the class dads from Noah’s program?”
 

Clay shook his head. “Nope,” he said with a lazy grin that sent sparks of desire through Chloe’s body. “Can’t say that I am. When I saw you with Noah, I just knew that I had to talk to you. You looked so pretty, and so unhappy.”
 

Chloe looked into his eyes. “And now you probably think I’m horrible.”
 

Clay laughed. “No, stop saying that,” he teased lightly. “I don’t think you’re a bad person at all. I’m telling you that sometimes, big things happen to people and then we change. I always expected to be a bachelor, and then I fathered a child. Sometimes, things can change in an instant. Big things,” Clay said, spreading his hands around in the air. “Things that I had no idea would ever change.”
 

Chloe bit her lip and nodded. “I get that,” she said softly.
 
“But somehow I don’t think that’s going to happen to me.”
 

“You never know,” Clay said. His tone was light but serious and when Chloe looked into his golden-brown eyes, she saw no trace of laughter there.
 

“You’re right,” Chloe admitted. “It could happen. I just don’t necessarily
think
that it will.”
 

Clay got to his feet, brushing his hands off on his jeans. He handed the empty glass back to Chloe. “I should go,” he said, stifling a yawn. “Early day tomorrow.”
 

Chloe followed him to the door, her heels silent on the plush carpet of her house. When Clay’s hand was on the knob, she knew that she couldn’t wait anymore.
 

“Hold on,” Chloe said. She stepped closer. The air between the two of them crackled with intensity and lust. “Wait, I mean,” She added. “Please.”
 

Clay’s face wore an amused smile. “And why should I?”
 

Chloe leaned in and kissed him. It wasn’t like the kiss in the car. This time, it was a real kiss. Clay leaned in to her body and pressed his warm lips against her own. Chloe melted against his strong frame, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down.
 

“Will you stay?” Chloe whispered into Clay’s ear.
 

Clay shifted his posture. When he straightened up, he looked deeply into Chloe’s eyes. “If you consider having a relationship – a
real
relationship – with me, then yes, I’ll stay,” he replied. “If that’s not in the cards, that’s fine, but I need to know now.”
 

Chloe bit her lip. The lust storming her body made it impossible to think of anything other than Clay. “Yes,” she said softly. “Yes, this feels right.”