If I keep looking at Maddie, if I keep remembering what it felt like when my tongue was against her cunt, when I was sunk balls deep inside of her, when all my world had narrowed to her scent, her taste, and her touch, then I would take her.

  The short flight lands at the airport where a rented private jet awaits. Mine is still in New York. Since everyone has been apprised that a pregnant woman is on board for safety precautions, a flight attendant comes down to the base of the stairs to help Maddie inside.

  I watch Maddie’s delicious ass swing back and forth as she climbs up the stairs. That ass is so fine, a cast replica should be hanging in the Louvre—or, at the very least, in my office. I start up after her when I feel a hand on my arm.

  Dr. Quay tugs on my jacket. “Before I check out your partner, I wanted to talk to you about prenatal care.”

  “Shoot.”

  “While sex with a woman who is in her second trimester is not inherently dangerous, too much activity can be problematic. Also, pregnant women may suffer from increased sensitivity and may not want to have intercourse.”

  The last bit of her advice has me squinting. “I’m not going to force myself on her, if that’s what you’re suggesting.”

  Maddie wanted me as much as I wanted her. It was a mutual desire—an intense, erotic feedback loop. The more we fucked, the more we wanted to fuck. I was in a permanent state of hardness for hours—from the moment I saw her in that hotel bar. We only stopped fucking because our bodies gave out, not because our lust waned in any way.

  “I never thought that you would,” Dr. Quay lies. Obviously, she has thought it or she wouldn’t have said anything. Oblivious to my irritation, she continues, “Pregnant mothers can be impulsive. They can want one thing in one moment and then be uncomfortable in the next. There’s a whole other being feeding off your partner, both physically and emotionally, so it’s important that you are as supportive as possible.”

  “Yeah, I get it.” And I do. I just don’t like hearing it.

  Dr. Quay gives me a satisfied nod and then proceeds up the stairs. I take a minute to rein in my need, silently tell my dick to stand down and prepare for four months of blue balls.

  Even smelling Maddie makes me hungry so I’m not sure what I can do but avoid her. How can I avoid her and still take care of her, though? I drag a hand over my face, down to my throat and squeeze until my dick deflates. All I can do is minimize the contact I have with Maddie until the baby is born. I’ll make myself available so that if she wants to climb on top of me, then I’m ready. Otherwise, I need to keep my hands and mouth and cock to myself. It’s an impossible charge, but one that I’ll have to keep. I don’t want to put Maddie in danger or our baby she is carrying.

  Inside the plane, I find Dr. Quay sitting next to Maddie on the sofa. Dr. Quay is asking questions. When was the last time she ate? When was the last time she voided? Has she had any symptoms of nausea or discomfort?

  Maddie denies any problems.

  “She was sick,” I offer, remembering her and Danielle yelling this at me.

  “Was,” Maddie says. “I was sick and I’m not anymore. It’s all good here.” She reaches down to pat her belly.

  My kid is in there, my mind screams. Does she know how fucking hot she looks right now in her yoga pants and oversized T-shirt? I could tear that shirt in half and suckle on her tits until she creamed all over my cock if the doc wasn’t here. But the doc is here and I’m not supposed to be panting over my girl like this. It’s bad for her health. Literally.

  Frustrated and turned out, I let out a helpless growl and walk to the back of the plane. I throw open the door and point. “Get in there,” I snap.

  “What?” They’re both surprised.

  “Both of you. In here for the rest of the flight. Let’s go.” I clap my hands to the attendants. “I want to be back in New York in five hours and can’t do it if you’re sitting on the sofa.”

  Maddie rises slowly but Dr. Quay catches on.

  “Let’s go, dear. You’ll feel better when you land.”

  When Maddie passes me, a sweet smell fills my lungs and weakens my knees. Once they are inside, I slam the door shut and lean on it. I’m so fucked.

  Chapter Nine

  Madeleine

  I sit on the edge of the sofa, wondering if I’ve made the right decision coming here. I think Oliver has more mood swings than I do and I’m the pregnant one with raging hormones. He’s gone from declaring that the baby and I belong to him to being a little more on the cold side. He’d gone as far as cuffing himself to me but now he can’t seem to get far enough away from me. Causing me to wonder what he did with those handcuffs. I might need them if he keeps acting this way. I’ll have to lock his ass to me now.

  I’d not only come here to get away in hopes that no one would know where I was but also to get to know my baby's father. So far all I’ve learned besides the fact that he’s great in bed is that he puts forth a killer cold shoulder. You’d think I had the plague now with the way he’s avoiding me. Who goes from kissing someone the way that he kissed me to not wanting to come within ten feet of them? He only graces me with his presence if he has to for some reason. As soon as it’s fulfilled, he is back to putting space between us.

  “Hungry?” Oliver comes strolling into the living room. I turn to look at him. He’s back in a suit. The few times I’ve seen him he’s always been in a suit or naked. Unlucky for me since he came back into my life, he always seems to be in the suit. Okay, maybe he didn’t exactly stroll back into my life; I’d describe it more as barged. It was kind of hot how badly he wanted me and claimed me as his. Not that it matters now because Oliver doesn't seem to want to go down that path with me anymore. What I still can’t understand is why the heck he would kiss me the way he did. As though he couldn’t spend another second of his life without me. I’m trying not to harp on it because I know it’s not good for the baby and that’s what matters right now. I remind myself not to be selfish and focus on what’s best for the baby for now.

  “Not really.” I turn away from him to go back to playing with my phone. I clear out the history in case he looks. I don’t want him to know that I’ve been looking him up online. I’ve obviously become a low key stalker, reading everything I can get my hands on about Oliver Gentry. Danielle wasn't kidding when she said he was named one of Forbes’ richest men. I hate reading about him being one of New York’s most eligible bachelors. But I did enjoy the part where it said he has never been seen out with anyone. It’s probably because he picks up random women from hotel bars and takes them up to his hotel room. My stomach turns again thinking about that part. Was I just another one-night stand that happened to get pregnant? Maybe he thought he wanted me when he came to get me but after kissing me, he realized that he only wants the baby.

  “Not hungry?” His words break me from my thoughts. He’s at my side in a second, forgetting the space that he’s been putting between us. He towers over me with his giant size. I have to tilt my head all the way back to look up at him.

  “You should eat. Did you throw up this morning? Why didn't you come and get me?”

  “I-”

  “We’ll both sleep in my room tonight. That way if you get up I’ll know,” he says before I can answer any of his questions. My stomach was fine this morning—with the exception of my emotions upsetting it. That isn’t normal morning sickness stuff, though. This time it’s something different. I’m honestly not used to men avoiding me. I normally prefer it but never get to experience it. There’s always some man thinking that he’s in love with me because he likes the way I look. Yet, the one man that I want doesn’t seem interested anymore. Go figure. I’m also not used to getting jealous over a man. I’d never experienced it before I met Oliver. So many nights I lie in bed thinking that he could have found another woman. The thought eats away at me that he could so easily move on from our one-night stand. Him being the most eligible bachelor and all probably means he’s used to having flings. The sucky part about that is it almost guarantees that he’s here only for the baby. That kiss, my mind screams again.

  “I’m fine.”

  “My sister told me to never believe a woman when she says she’s fine.” His face shows a mixture of concern and something else I can’t place. I shouldn’t even try to. I’m never going to get a read on him.

  “I’m sure I’ll get hungry soon.” I fidget in my seat as he keeps on staring down at me.

  “You can have anything you want. Just ask.” My nipples harden at his response. A small throb forms between my legs, making me wiggle more in my seat. The whole plane ride we took here yesterday, all I could think about was getting Oliver alone again. I knew we had a million things to talk about but my body was screaming for a repeat of the night we met. No matter how many times I tried to get myself off it never lived up to what Oliver did to my body that night. I thought a girl’s first time was supposed to suck. Pretty sure mine ruined me.

  “Did you really have a ring in your pocket yesterday?” I find myself asking. His jaw tightens as he takes a step back from me. My heart drops.

  “I do.” He pats his pocket.

  “We can’t get married because of a baby.” My eyes go to his pocket but drift shamelessly over to his crotch. He clears his throat. I look away, my face flushing. He so busted me checking out his dick. Oh God. A moment later a box appears in front of my face. I want to reach out and grab it, put the ring on my finger and make believe I am getting my happily ever after, but I’d only be lying to myself. I wouldn't get married for a baby. Oliver would grow resentful after time. Right now he thinks it’s the right thing to do but we can co-parent. With the way he’s been acting since we got off the plane it’s becoming clear he’s not as into me as he thought. I pull my hand back, not taking it.

  “We are getting married.”

  I roll my eyes at him, looking away from the box and out the window.

  “I don’t want to raise a baby here either. This is a bachelor pad.” The penthouse condo is bare and cold. It’s clean but simple. I know I’m being a brat and complaining about anything I can but I’m sexually frustrated and my emotions are all over the place now that he’s here.

  “I brought us here because the security is the best. I’ll get something worked out for us soon.”

  I nod so I don’t say something bratty again. I am in a freaking penthouse condo and bitching about it.

  “Did you say that we are finding out the sex of the baby soon?” I hadn’t said “we” but a warm feeling settles in my belly that he assumes he’s coming to the doctor with me. I want to tell him that I want him there not only because it’s his baby but because he wants to experience this with me and for us to be a real family. I yearn for him to say that he loves me and wants me to be his forever but I don’t say any of those things.

  “Yes” is the only reply I can manage as I keep staring out the window wondering where we go from here.

  Chapter Ten

  Oliver

  The atmosphere in my penthouse is tense. For the first time, I notice that when Maddie is unhappy her mouth turns upside down. I’ve only seen her in states of happiness, crazed lust and post-orgasmic satisfaction.

  I don’t like unhappy Maddie face. I want to wipe that away but she’s not telling me much. Not only am I not good at appeasing women, I’ve never dealt with a pregnant woman before. Every time I ask her a question, she deflects. It may be that she wants to be left alone but given that she has a tendency to run away that’s not an option for her.

  “No matter what you do, I’m not letting you go,” I warn.

  She scrunches her nose in distaste. “What is that supposed to mean? No matter what I do?”

  “It means no matter how many times you run away, or how hard you try to hide from me, I will always find you and bring you back.”

  This does not sit well with Maddie. Her face grows darker and her unhappiness is even more pronounced. To my panic, her lower lip starts to tremble. Is she going to cry? What do I do if she cries? I try to think of what my dad would do for my mother. I think he bought her things. I whip out my phone. Chocolate? Jewelry? Purses? Fuck it, I don’t know. I’ll get it all.

  Before I get anything ordered, a short melody chimes through the apartment, alerting me to a new visitor. As I’m walking toward the security panel, I see Maddie swipe at her eyes. Something hot like shame stirs in my gut. I’ve already made her cry and we haven’t even been together for 24 hours. I really suck at this. Maddie confuses me. She’s not like numbers on a balance sheet and there’s no analyst research paper on her that I can read. I could probably make her come in under five minutes, but I’m not supposed to touch her. Frustrated and angry at myself, I’m in no mood to let anyone into my penthouse.

  “What?” I bark into the intercom.

  Blossom’s smiley face appears on screen. “Did you find her?”

  “I found her,” I snap. Does everyone think I’m incompetent?

  “Why are you so irritable then? I thought if you found her you’d be in a much better mood. Is it someone else’s baby? Wait, just let me in. I don’t wanna talk to you through the door.”

  Because Blossom will not go away until I let her in, I unlock the door. My sister bounces in, pushes me aside and rushes over to Maddie.

  “I’m Blossom,” she cries, throwing her arms out wide.

  Maddie forces a smile to her face. “Nice to meet you. I’m Maddie.”

  “This is so awesome. As you might have guessed, I’m the nice one in the family. Oliver got all the brains, but I have the beauty.” She flutters her fingers underneath her chin. “And the good personality,” she adds. “So how far along are you?”

  “Five months.” The smile is looking less forced.

  “No way,” Blossom gasps. “You look tiny. I hope I look like you if I get pregnant.”

  That thought terrifies me. “You better not get pregnant.”

  Blossom sticks her tongue out at me. “Do you have any older brothers?”

  Maddie shakes her head no.

  “You are so lucky. Older brothers are terrible. I have two of them. Oliver, of course, and then Gunner. Between the two of them, I never had a moment’s peace. They went from tormenting me to taking my toys, to bossing me around.”

  “Did you come over to meet Maddie or to engage in character assassination?”

  “Why can’t I do both?” She perches herself on the side of the armchair Maddie has settled into. “I’m kidding,” she says after I glare at her for a long moment. “Oliver is pretty good, but he’s kind of awkward with people. If you were a report or maybe the financial news, Oliver could interact with you really great. But since you’re a person, he’s probably screwing things up, which is why I’m here.” She points to the door. “Oliver, there’s a bunch of stuff coming up in the freight elevator. Can you go get it?”

  In the freight elevator? What in the world could Blossom have purchased that would need to be brought up by the freight elevator? “Why?”

  “Because you’re having a baby. And you live in this thing. It’s soulless here, isn’t it?” She doesn’t give Maddie any time to speak but I can see some agreement in my woman’s face. “Oliver doesn’t spend much time in his penthouse. He practically lives at his office and if he’s not in his office, he’s somewhere overseas so he doesn’t really care what his apartment looks like. It will need a lot of changes since you’re having a baby.” Blossom swings her attention back to me. “You really should move. You can’t raise a kid in this place.”

  If I wasn’t watching Maddie so closely, I would’ve missed the immediate brightening of her expression at the idea of moving. She hates it here. Maybe that’s why she’s unhappy.

  “Great. I’ll move.”

  Blossom claps excitedly. “Ohhh! I love house hunting. Do you want to live on the Upper West Side or the Upper East Side? I’m starting to prefer the west side because it overlooks the river but all the best places to eat, the best shopping, the best spas are on the east. It can be hard to get over here because crosstown traffic is so awful.”

  “I live in LA. Traffic is a part of life,” Maddie says.

  I start to piece it together. She hates this high-rise. She wants to live where she can see the water. I can’t remember if her place overlooked the ocean because I was too busy staring at her, but if she wants to live near the water, then we’re living near the water.

  “Or you could even live in Connecticut or Long Island and have an actual acreage. That might be nice for you and the baby. What do you think?”

  Maddie sits up even straighter. “I didn’t, actually. I’ve just lived in different apartments in LA. Growing up, that’s all we were able to afford.”

  Blossom taps her chin. “There’s really nowhere in the city where you can have a big yard. Even the best places only have postage stamp size lawns and gardens, but there are nice parks here.”

  Maddie’s eyes had lit up at the thought of more land and dimmed when Blossom mentioned the size constraints here in the city.

  “Look at places in Long Island or Connecticut,” I order.

  “What about your businesses?” Blossom wants to know.

  “As long as I have a phone, I can run my business anywhere.”

  She nods. “Great. We’ll start tomorrow. You don’t wanna have your baby in this place. Plus you want to have some time to get settled into your new home. Oliver, don’t worry about taking the stuff off the freight elevator.” She takes Maddie’s hand. “We should really go out together and buy stuff.”

  I clear my throat. “I think I will be doing the shopping with Maddie.”

  Blossom makes a face. “I was just trying to be helpful. Besides, I’m so bored at work,” she confides to Maddie. “I’m his assistant right now because his last assistant quit on him. And it’s just the worst job ever. He’s really been an asshole for the last five—” She breaks off and clamps a hand over her mouth.

 

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