The Russian's Pregnant Mistress (14 page)

As he stared down at the dogs, he had to smile. Trust Gabriella to choose the craziest dogs the county animal shelter could have on hand. “Why are there three of them?” he asked, still not moving even to bend down and touch them.

Gabby wasn’t sure how to read his reaction. Was he upset that she’d brought these guys into his home? Or did he like her surprise. “I probably should have gotten a pure bred, shouldn’t I?” she thought out loud, bending down to pet the rough fur of the German shepherd, pointer mix. The smallest one, which wasn’t even identifiable as to what breeds were in him but had to be part chihuahua because of his size, was actually the alpha dog. She should have remembered that and petted him first, but he took care of her oversight by nudging his way to the head of the pack. The other two patiently waited their turn once the smallest had enough of her petting, at least for the moment.

“Three…” she looked down at them, trying to figure out the best way to explain it. “Well…” she looked up at him, saw the patient look in his eyes and ruffled the fur of the middle sized dog. “I wasn’t really sure what size dog you might like so I….well….sort of got all three.”

“Nothing like being thorough, eh?” he suggested, trying very hard not to laugh at her bending down amidst the dogs, getting slobbered on by their enthusiasm. She looked like a Gainsborough portrait with her pink dress flowing out around her and the dogs eagerly accepting her touch. He knew how they felt and he had to laugh. Gabby had chosen animals exactly like she’d chosen him. She’d found the scruffiest, most ill-gotten animal possible and she gave all four of them her love and affection.

She laughed softly, but still looked worried. “Do you not like them?” she asked.

Damon watched the animals for several moments. In his world, he always wanted the best of everything. After having lived with nothing for the first eighteen years of his life, he refused to settle for second best. These animals weren’t second best. They were so far down the list that they probably didn’t even make the list. But something inside of him completely approved of these animals in his home. Only because Gabriella had chosen them and obviously had already fallen in love with each of them and they with her if their mutual affection was any indication. The fact that Gabriella had chosen three lost, wayward animals to love gave him hope. Each of these animals were so similar to him, being lost and homeless and being found by this incredible woman. They were made for each other.

“I like them,” he said and was rewarded with her relieved sigh and bright smile.

“I’m so glad!” she said, then stood up and threw her arms around him, kissing his neck and giving him a squeeze. “Thank you! They were living at a shelter that puts the animals to sleep when they’ve been there for too long. All three were scheduled to be put to sleep in a couple of days if someone didn’t adopt them so you’ve literally saved their lives.”

Damon looked down over her shoulder and spied all three of them looking up at him, tails wagging as they waited for their turn. “What are their names?” he asked as he shifted her to the side so he could see them more clearly.

Gabby understood that he was allowing her to keep them, but he hadn’t really accepted them. He wasn’t bending down and petting them like he would if he were truly excited to have them in his home.

“I wasn’t going to name them until we could do it together,” she said, feeling self-conscious because it sounded so sappy. “They’re really smart dogs though. They’ve already learned not to get onto the sofa and other furniture. They’re all house trained and I’ve asked your gardener to build them a fenced area where they can run around in and do their business without ruining the yard. Robert loves dogs so he was more that eager to help but I told him to hold off until you approved of having them.”

Damon wanted to laugh but didn’t want to hurt her feelings. He suspected she would have been devastated if he’d told her he didn’t want any animals in the house.

“Jane is okay with them as well,” Gabby said, referring to the housekeeper. “She was just as eager to see the animals when I came home. She’s already made a list of treats for the dogs.” She breathed a sigh of relief. “I was worried that she might not want them in the house, being as scruffy as they are.”

Damon sighed and pulled her around so she was looking up at him. “Gabriella, you understand that Jane and Robert work for you. Not the other way around. If they didn’t like the dogs, then they can leave and find other employment.”

Gabby knew he was right, but it still seemed wrong for each of the staff employees to bear an additional burden. They already worked very hard and were exceptionally kind and thorough. “I know,” she said, biting her lip to keep herself from making excuses.

He hugged her more closely before saying, “You’ll get used to it.”

“So what are you going to name these guys?”

Damon looked down at them and instinctively knew that he couldn’t call them Mutt 1, Mutt 2 and Mutt 3. Big, Medium and Little didn’t seem appropriate either. He threw it back in her court and said, “What do you suggest?”

Gabby looked down at each of them and shook her head. “I don’t know. How about if we try out different names during your birthday dinner?”

His eyes showed his surprise. “There’s more than just the dogs?”

She laughed and nodded her head. “Of course there’s more. I have steak and baked potatoes ready to cook for dinner along with asparagus. I have no idea what your favorite meal is, so you’ll just have to suffer through tonight. And there’s chocolate cake for dessert.”

They were walking towards the dining room, but the mention of a cake stopped his momentum. “You made me a cake?” he asked, stunned and touched beyond words.

She glanced back up at him and stopped as well. “Of course I made you a cake.” She waited for him to start moving again, but when he continued to stand there dumbstruck, she took his hand and guided him into the kitchen. The chocolate cake was sitting on the counter with thick chocolate icing covering the rich cake. She looked at him as he simply stared at the cake, afraid to touch it for fear that it might go away.

A thought struck her and she had to ask, as crazy as it might seem. “Damon, have you never had a birthday cake before?” she whispered.

He barely responded, only shook his head as he continued to stare, his jaw clenched and he held her hand as if she were some sort of lifeline. Gabby moved closer to him, putting her arms around his waist and her head against his chest, holding him with all of her strength. “How about if we start out with the cake? It’s your birthday, you can do whatever you want.”

His startled glance told her that he’d never thought of doing something so crazy. “Cake first?”

She laughed up at him, thinking that she could see the adorable little boy inside him when he looked at her like that. “Cake first, definitely.”

She took out a long knife and started cutting. She sliced a relatively large piece for him and a smaller one for herself and they sat at the breakfast bar.

He sat there with a fork in his hand, not doing anything other than staring at it in amazement. “Thank you. This is…..” Damon continued to stare at the cake, not sure exactly how to express his emotions.

She sliced a piece onto her fork, testing the texture of the cake and satisfied that it had turned out well. “What kinds of cakes did your mother make when you were a kid? Is there a traditional Russian birthday cake?” she asked as she took the bite of the rich, dark chocolate, licking the fork to get all of the frosting off as well.

Damon turned the fork in his hand and cut a piece. “I’ve never had a birthday cake before,” he said, then put the cake into his mouth, closing his eyes as he savored the incredible, rich flavor. “This is fabulous Gabriella.”

Gabby’s fork froze halfway to her mouth and she stared at him. “You mean there was a different way to celebrate birthdays in Russia?” She’d never heard of something like that, but was interested in anything he would tell her. He’d never revealed anything of his childhood to her and she was excited by this new revelation. Her heart was beating wildly and she wanted to jump up and celebrate, but tried to continue to be casual about his comment.

He shrugged and took another bite, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the chocolate flavor. “I don’t know if there’s a different way or not. We just never celebrated birthdays.”

That didn’t make any sense. Gabby looked down at her cake. “Is that something….”

Damon put his fork down and looked over at Gabriella. Her wide eyes stared back at him and for the first time, he actually wanted to tell someone about his background. But would he lose her? Would she run away, screaming in horror if she knew the truth about who he was?

“What’s wrong, Damon?” she asked softly, putting her gentle hand over his.

He stood up and walked several steps away. “Do you have any feelings for me, Gabriella?” he asked softly, not looking at her because he couldn’t stand it if she lied to him. He wasn’t sure what her reaction would be but he had to know. “And don’t worry about the baby. I’ll take care of you and our son no matter what your answer is. I just have to know. Even if you care for me just a little bit.”

Gabby took a deep breath, saw the tension in his broad, sturdy shoulders and neck and knew that this man was more vulnerable than she’d ever thought. She’d been living with him for months, was going to have his baby and was so crazy in love with him that she thought she might be losing her mind. She loved his gentle touch, the way he could drive her emotions higher than any other person with just a touch or a phrase. He had slowly become her life and she loved him dearly. She’d never thought she could love someone so deeply, especially someone she didn’t really know. But deep down, Gabby knew everything she needed to know about this man. He was kind, gentle, sensitive even though he tried to hide that part of himself from her and appear to be the macho, dominant type. He was generous to a fault and brilliant at anything he set his mind to.

And she was going to put herself out there for him. “I love you,” she whispered. “I don’t just care for you a little bit Damon. I think you’re the most fascinating person who has ever entered my life. When you left that last time, I hated you. It hurt so much and I thought you’d used me. And then you showed up and I really did hate you. In thirty-six hours, you turned my life upside down.”

His shoulders drooped and one hand went to the granite counter as if to steady himself. “How can you say that when you don’t know about my past. Once you know who I really am, you’ll be repulsed.”

Gabby laughed and shook her head. Standing up, she walked over to put her hands around his waist, hugging him closely even though her stomach was starting to get in the way. “Damon, I love you because of who you are now. Your past made you into this incredible man. I understand that you doubt my feelings for you. But if you’ll let me in, I know I can prove to you that I truly love you.”

He swung around, careful not to hurt her. “Then marry me,” he urged. He looked down at the ring on her finger and clasped her hand. “Set the date and tell me that you’ll marry me.”

Gabby stared at the beautiful ring, her fingers shaking as she touched the lovely diamond that she’d been wearing for the past week. “I love this ring and all it represents,” she whispered. “I love you,” she said as she looked into his eyes. “But I don’t want to marry you if you’re only doing this for the baby,” she said earnestly. “You have all the legal rights you need with this child, I won’t deny you anything but you don’t have to marry me, Damon. I want you to want me, not just the baby.”

He pulled her into his arms and she shivered from the heat of his embrace. “Gabriella, I’ve wanted you from the moment I saw you in the club surrounded by all those other women. You stood out like a beautiful angel calling to me. And then you walked out instead of taking up their challenge and I knew you were the woman for me.”

She laughed as the tears streamed down her cheeks. “You wanted me because I rejected you?”

“No,” he laughed. “Because you didn’t play their silly games. You stood by who you were and dismissed them. Not me. You’ve never played games, always telling me what you’re feeling from the heart and I’ve loved you for so long. I was just afraid that you didn’t care for me, that I’d ruined everything when I’d walked out that last time.”

She smiled up at him and shook her head. “You’re amazing.”

He stilled and pulled back slightly. “I’m not amazing, Gabriella. I can’t let you go on thinking that.”

She kissed his chest and hugged him. “Damon, I guarantee that there’s nothing in your past that could change my mind about you.” She pulled back and said, “You’re not a murderer, are you? Because that might scare me a bit.”

He shook his head, but didn’t laugh. He held her loosely, knowing that she might want to pull away from him as soon as she heard what he’d been and all that he’d done as a kid. “I never celebrated birthdays as a kid because we didn’t have the money to buy food, much less a cake.” He braced for her to reject him, but all she did was hug him closer and laid her cheek against his chest.

“Is that all you got?” she teased. “A poor background? You gotta do better than that,” she laughed.

He sighed and led her into the living room, sitting down on one of the overstuffed chairs and placing her in front of him on the sofa. “Gabriella, that’s only the good part.”

She reached out and covered his hands which were clenched in front of him. “Tell me everything. I’m stronger than you think.”

He took another deep breath, then gave her the information she needed to hear before she decided that he was the man for her. A part of him wanted to continue hiding his past from her, but the larger part, the part that wanted all of her and found her amazing, wanted her to know who he really was. “My mother was a prostitute who got pregnant from one of her customers. She had absolutely no idea who my father is and he could be any number of men she’d met with on the day of my conception. And she wasn’t one of those high priced ladies of the evening either. She worked the street, had her corner and defended it with violence when someone moved in on her turf. She was a street wise, curb side hooker who sold her body to whoever passed by for an hour or however long it took to provide the services they had paid for.”