His Expectant Lover (9 page)

Once more, she was standing in the doorway to Antonio’s bedroom, feeling his presence more completely this time. She didn’t enter, but stood in the doorway trying to work up the nerve to do it. She would move her stuff into one of the spare bedrooms until she could figure out how to extricate herself and find another apartment. Maybe he’d been lying about closing down her old apartment but as soon as that thought popped into her mind, she dismissed it. Antonio was not only painfully honest, as she’d learned from her one weekend with the man, he was also so disgustingly wealthy that he probably just hired someone to do all of this maneuvering for him.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the room, taking tentative steps. Looking around, she wondered where her purse was because it definitely wasn’t on either side of that enormous bed.

She was just about to turn around when she heard a strange sound. Or not really strange, but unexpected. The shower had been running, but now it wasn’t. Who in the world would be showering in…?

Her breath caught in her throat as Antonio walked out of the bathroom wearing only a towel wrapped loosely around his waist with another in his hand, drying his hair.

When he saw her, he stopped as well and Andie quickly noticed that the towel could not hide his reaction. Her cheeks heated up and she felt her pulse pounding in her chest.

“Andie,” he whispered.

A moment later, he was standing in front of her, looking down into her brown eyes and she knew she should turn around and run but her feet were frozen in place. Her feet might be disobeying her brain to move but not the rest of her. She was trembling and hot, shivering with a heat she didn’t want to admit to.

“Don’t touch me,” she whispered, but she felt her body leaning closer to him. “I thought you’d gone back to your office.”

“I needed a shower,” he told her, and he completely ignored her command not to touch her. “You’re in my bedroom.” His hand slid up her arm, sending tingles of delight all over her body.

She licked her lips, trying to form words. “I was trying to find my purse and cell phone.”

His hand drifted higher. “And you found me.”

She reached up, intending to push his hand away but it veered off of her intended course, landing in the middle of his chest instead. “You’re cold,” she whispered, her fingertips itching to explore.

“I took a cold shower.”

Her eyes flashed up to his. “Why?”

Antonio groaned. “Because you’re here in my home, looking like a sexy goddess and I want you more now than ever.” His hand moved to cup her jaw, his rough fingers rubbing gently against her skin. “You look better now that you’ve been eating more.”

She shivered, her head leaning into his hand. When she realized what she was doing, she jerked backwards with a gasp. “We can’t do this,” she told him, her eyes wide because the pull of his body was strong. Almost too strong.

“Why can’t we?” he asked, taking hold of her wrists and pulling her back to him.

“Because…” she stumbled, her brain not working properly.

“Let me make love to you, Andie,” he growled, bending lower to kiss her neck.

She shuddered as his lips found that spot that made her trembling increase. “This isn’t right,” she finally stammered out.

“It is right. We’re going to be married. As soon as I can arrange it.”

Shaking her head, she stepped back out of his arms. “We…”

She started to say something, but it was too much. He was too much. She turned around and walked out of the room.

She was almost running in her need to get away from him, from the need his body created within her. She’d never felt anything like this, only with Antonio. She remembered this pull towards him the last time they’d been together but it was so much more intense now. And oh, how those memories swamped her mind and body!

She leaned into the wall, taking deep breaths and trying to get herself back under control. Andie had to remind herself that he didn’t love her. She was here, they were going to have a baby but he still didn’t love her. Not the way she…loved him - yes, being here, seeing him, she knew she still loved him - and it mattered! She wished it didn’t matter, but it did!

She heard him moving in his bedroom and hurried down the stairs. Back in the kitchen with the bright lights and the wonderful smells, not to mention Ms. Snyder being there, she felt safer. Safety in numbers, she almost laughed to herself.

“Oh, you’re just in time. I have a hearty stew and some thick bread ready for you. Would you like to eat in here or in the dining room?”

Andie remembered the elegant dining room and shook her head. “No, the dining room is too formal. And I’d love some company.”

Ms. Snyder smiled warmly as she ladled some stew into a large bowl. When she placed the meal in front of Andie, she had no idea how she could eat so much food. In addition to the stew and the bread, there was also a salad with lots of fresh veggies and a large glass of milk.

Andie ate the stew and salad, sipping the milk as she listened to Ms. Snyder. The kind woman was talking about her grandchildren and how she was going to visit them this weekend, the meals she’d prepared for the weekend and all of the cookies she’d baked for her grandkids, a stash of which were also in the kitchen pantry if either of them felt the need for a cookie break.

So it was no wonder she didn’t hear Antonio walk into the kitchen but she instantly felt his presence. There was something almost electrifying about the man that alerted her. She turned her head and her whole body fired up. He wasn’t even touching her but, with the look in his eyes, her body was tingling already.

He didn’t stop when he reached her. And he didn’t say a word. Instead, he took her hands and pulled her up out of the stool and right into his arms. She didn’t have time to protest before his mouth covered hers, his lips kissing her in such a possessive, commanding and awesome way that she had no choice but to hold onto his large, muscular body. It was either hold on, or fall to the floor. She melted against him, kissing him back despite all of the cautions she’d been giving herself. When he touched her, common sense seemed to fly out the window.

A long time later, he lifted his head and looked down at her flushed cheeks and kiss-swollen lips. “I’ll be home later,” he said, and gently touched her cheek.

A moment later, he was gone, striding out of the brightly lit, no-longer-safe kitchen.

Andie delicately touched her lips, still tingling, still aching for him to come back and finish what he’d started. She suddenly remembered that Ms. Snyder was in the kitchen with her and glanced over at the older woman, her blush intensifying as she saw Ms. Snyder’s secret smile.

“He’s certainly a handsome man, that fiancée of yours,” she said and turned back to the fridge, pulling out a plate of cookies. “Eat up. If that baby is anything like his father, you’re going to need to eat twice as much as a normal woman during pregnancy.”

Andie’s hand moved to cover her belly and she sank down onto the stool once more. It took several minutes, but eventually, she was able to start eating again. The stew didn’t taste as good as it did before because she was castigating herself for kissing him back, but she ate because of Ms. Snyder’s words. She was right, this baby was probably going to be huge and she would need to eat much more in order to protect the big guy.

Andie snuck into the kitchen, her whole body throbbing with an unexplainable need. Well, it wasn’t completely unexplainable. She wanted Antonio and she was pregnant. Her desire for him had been out of control before she’d gotten pregnant. But now, with hormones ripping through her, driving her half insane with sexual need, she understood what was going on. She’d read enough in the pregnancy books to understand that her hormones were crazy. She just refused to tell him about it.

She could get through this, she told herself. It simply required large amounts of ice cream and possibly pizza. And chocolate. Oh, and maybe some pickles!

No, not pickles, she thought as she tip toed into the warm, inviting kitchen that reminded her of Ms. Snyder’s fabulous cooking. Everything was clean now, but the scent of the chicken and risotto the housekeeper had made for dinner still lingered in the air, making Andie even hungrier.

She peered into the freezer, the light making her blink since she was used to the dark. But as her eyes adjusted, she caught sight of the ice cream. And ice pops! Oh, goodness, ice pops! Yes, she thought as she turned to the drawer behind her and grabbed a spoon, this was what heaven was made of - ice cream and ice pops. She took a spoonful of strawberry ice cream, then sucked on the lime ice pop, thinking that she’d just entered nirvana.

Who needed sex when she could just satisfy her urges with food? A pizza with extra cheese and pepperoni would be perfect right about now, but since it was after midnight, she wasn’t sure how many pizza places could deliver. Besides, how could she even get a pizza past all the security guards in this building?

She sighed with happiness as she spooned another mouthful of strawberry ice cream into her mouth, just standing at the counter because the stools were too far away and would require her to stop eating. As the creamy goodness went down, she sucked on the lime ice pop. The combination was perfect! Why hadn’t someone come up with a dessert made up of strawberries and lime?

The lights going on overhead startled her and she looked up, the spoon still in her mouth. Unfortunately, the sight that captured her attention made the ice cream and ice pop seem completely inadequate.

“What are you doing?” Antonio demanded, blinking his eyes as he walked closer to her. He was wearing only a pair of jeans but the dratted man hadn’t buttoned the top button on those darn jeans. So she could easily see the dark hair on his chest and all the amazing muscles that were normally hidden by his sedate, tailored shirts.

Andie looked down at the ice cream container, hoping she hadn’t dripped onto his shirt. She hadn’t told him that she had borrowed his shirt and she knew the exact instant when he realized what she was wearing. Thankfully, he didn’t say anything but she recognized that light in his eyes as humor. And desire.

“Ice cream?” he asked, his body reacting to her long, slender legs that looked hotter than anything else he’d ever seen as they poked out of his oversized shirt. Well, it was oversized on her, but fit him adequately. He hadn’t realized that any of his shirts had gone missing, but if she liked wearing them, he’d order a dozen, just so he could feast his eyes on her like this.

She swallowed the huge bite of ice cream, her eyes devouring his chest, as well as the rest of him. “Don’t judge,” she snapped out, diving down for another bite. “Until you are pregnant and dealing with all of this,” she waved her green ice pop in the vicinity of her protruding stomach, “then you have no right to judge.”

Antonio leaned against the counter. He hadn’t been sleeping so she hadn’t disturbed him. In fact, he’d been trying to figure out how to get closer to her. Moving around the counter, he stood behind her, a hand lying flat on the counter on each side of her waist.

“I’m not judging,” he replied in a low voice, his eyes moving to the V of his shirt. “I like your choice of sleep attire,” he told her, his dark eyes exploring the shadows and coming to the conclusion that she had nothing on underneath. “What’s the occasion?” he asked, grabbing her hand and taking the bite of ice cream she’d been about to consume.

“Hey!” she called out, her eye brows going low at his thievery. “Get your own ice cream.”

He swallowed and moved even closer. “Yours is better,” he told her. Then he saw her suck on the ice pop. “Lime?” he asked, astonished and more than a little horrified.

“Don’t judge!” she snapped at him again, pointing her ice pop in his direction.

“When did Ms. Snyder get ice pops?” he asked, taking the spoon from her hand and eating the ice cream.

Andie grabbed her spoon back but not before he could eat his spoonful of pilfered ice cream. “She got them today when I begged her to get them for me.”

His eyes lowered while his smile increased. “Your hormones are going crazy, aren’t they?” he asked, chuckling at his observation and good fortune.

Andie pulled back. “How do you know about hormones and pregnancy?” she demanded.

“Ever since I realized you were pregnant with my child and I started reading about what was going on with your body.” He leaned in closer. “Your body is crazy for sex right now, isn’t it?”

She was just about to suck on the ice pop when he said that and her whole body froze. “You’re reading about pregnancy?” she asked, astounded that he would actually take the time.

He grabbed her wrist. She had no idea what he was doing but he swung her around so that she was facing him now. A split second later, his mouth covered her lime ice pop. “Not as bad as it looks,” he told her.

She tried to glare up at him, but in this position, he was much too close. “Move back,” she ordered, leaning as far back as the countertop and her pregnant belly would allow.

In response, he put his hands under her arms and lifted her up, pushing her back onto the counter so she was sitting on top. “I think you should move back,” he argued and since he was bigger, he obviously won that argument.

“You’re a brute,” she said, still trying to glare at him but she gasped when his hands slid down her bare legs. “Stop that!”

He stopped when his fingers reached her knees, holding her gaze captive while his hands slid between them. Antonio could feel her trembling and knew that she was just as turned on as he was. “I don’t think I will,” he replied, his voice deeper and huskier now.

“This isn’t right,” she whispered back, her spine straightening when his hands pressed her legs wider so that his hips could move between her legs.

He kept her gaze captive while his hands and fingers teased and tantalized. “It feels extremely right to me.”

She shuddered as his hands then moved to her bottom, sliding her slowly forward. She should protest, she thought, but could barely breathe when his hands pushed her body, that dark, secret part of her body, right up against his erection.

“Your snack is melting,” he warned her. His hand moved from her bottom to her wrist again, pulling the frozen treat closer. His teeth bit off the tip of the lime ice pop and a split second later, his mouth covered hers. The cold of the ice compared to the heat of his mouth had her whimpering as he kissed her, unrelenting as his tongue dove inside to mate with hers.

She was so caught up in the sensuous kiss that she wasn’t aware of his hands unbuttoning the shirt she was wearing. It wasn’t until his mouth moved from her lips to her neck, then lower, his hard body pressing her back while his hands against her back pulled her forward, that she realized how exposed she now was. Her breasts, larger and fuller because of the pregnancy, overflowed his hands. His rough thumb came into play, tweaking her hard nipple and Andie cried out as sensations collided inside of her. She couldn’t handle that kind of heat, but he wasn’t relenting. His hand moved back to her wrist and took the ice pop from her limp fingers. With one hand, he moved the shirt out of the way. With this other hand, he moved the ice pop towards her chest.

Andie saw him, saw his intent in his eyes and shivered. She should stop this, she told herself over and over again. But instead, she waited, her body quivering with anticipation. She was almost disappointed when the cold ice pop touched her chest, moving right down between her breasts. But then his mouth moved closer and licked up the melted sweetness. When he was finished there, she watched in almost unbearable anticipation as he moved the ice pop towards her nipple.

She drew in her breath harshly when the cold touched her sensitized skin. But then his hot mouth closed over her nipple and she screamed out, her head falling backwards and her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him in place.

But it was too much. She could only take a few seconds of that kind of torture before her fingers wrapped in his hair, pulling his head away. Antonio was not one to be controlled though and he repeated the torture on her other breast. This time, knowing what he was going to do made it harder and she curled up against the man, her legs wrapping around his waist as the heat and every sensation pooled down lower.

She was screaming now, writhing in his arms. Gone were all thoughts about stopping him. In fact, if he stopped now, she would be furious.

That damn ice pop was her undoing. He slid the treat down her stomach and she hissed when the cold, melted liquid tumbled over her swollen stomach and dropped down lower. She’d been watching the ice pop, fascinated by the melting trail but when the drop disappeared, she looked up at Antonio. He had been watching as well and she quickly shook her head, trying to push against his shoulders.

The smile that grew over his handsome features tightened the muscles in her stomach as anticipation washed over her. She tried to scoot away, but Antonio only laughed at her ineffective efforts. His hands grabbed her hips, pulling her forward once more while his head moved to his new goal. She tried closing her legs, but his broad shoulders were already in the way. She gritted her teeth as she waited, feeling his breath in her most private area and she couldn’t stop the shudder that tore through her.

That was nothing compared to the scream that ripped through her when his mouth touched her core. She’d forgotten how expert his tongue and fingers were. The feelings were so amazing, so incredible and she wanted this to last, but he wouldn’t let her hold back. Within moments, she was splintering apart, her body arching against his hand and mouth as she writhed out through her climax.

When she slowly settled down and opened her eyes, it was to find him carrying her from the counter to the table, laying her out and unzipping his jeans. He didn’t even take the time to pull them off before he was sliding into her heat.

Andie arched once again, letting her body adjust to his size. But the first time he pulled out and pushed back into her body, she couldn’t handle the crazy sensations. It was too much and her body was just too needful of his lovemaking. Her hands ran up and down his arms, reveling in the bulging biceps and massive shoulder muscles that were flexing and bunching as he moved gently inside of her. She wanted him to move faster, harder, but he wouldn’t accommodate her wishes. And suddenly, she realized what he was doing. He was trying to be gentle, to be careful of the baby. Her hands reached up and touched his cheeks and he froze, looking down at her. She saw the intense focus, the beads of perspiration caused by his superhuman control.

“It’s okay,” she whispered, shivering as she reveled in how full and perfect she felt at this moment. “I won’t break,” she promised.

Antonio looked down at Andie, at her beautiful hair spread out on the table underneath her and her body that was sexier than he could have imagined. She looked so hot, so amazing but he didn’t want to hurt her. Or the baby.

“Just let go,” she said, and squeezed her legs tighter. “For me,” she begged.

That was all the encouragement he needed. A split second later, he released his control, letting loose with all of the pent up need for this slender, frustrating beauty in his arms.

And when he felt her body shiver with her second climax, he pounded into her once, twice more and felt his body convulse, his control obliterated. It was the most intense moment of his life, he thought.

When he could finally open his eyes again, he looked down at Andie. The look of complete satisfaction on her beautiful features told him everything he needed to know and he was relieved that he hadn’t hurt her.

“You aren’t supposed to be on your back,” he grumbled. He adjusted his clothing and kissed her belly tenderly.

Lifting her up into his arms, he carried her back to his bed, completely ignoring the room she’d been sleeping in for the past week. She was his and she would sleep in his bed from now on. Right where she belonged.

He laid her gently down on the mattress, then followed her down, pulling the covers over both of them.