Текст книги "Sweet Seduction"

Автор книги: Maya Banks

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Chapter 12

Faith and Gray rode in silence. Uncomfortable silence. There was a lot she wanted to say, but she wasn't about to have such an important conversation when he couldn't even look at her because he was driving.

Every once in a while he glanced over, and she could see the worry, the confusion in his eyes. But she also saw resolve, as if he wasn't about to let her go without a fight. She took comfort in that. They could work this out and chalk it up to one of the many misunderstandings they'd no doubt have over the course of their marriage.

"Where are we going?" she asked, finally breaking the silence.

He reached for her hand, curling his finger around hers. "You'll see. We're almost there."

She recognized the area as an affluent neighborhood just north of Houston. They drove deeper into the residential area where the houses grew larger and more beautiful, the landscaping speaking of professional hands.

Then he turned into the circle driveway of a large stone house. The yard looked as though it hadn't been tended to in a while, or at least only a cursory hand had been applied.

"Come on," he said as he got out.

She met him around the front and he took her hand to lead her to the front door. To her surprise, he pulled out a key and inserted it into the lock.

“Gray?”

He drew her inside, and the smell of fresh paint quivered over her nose. The house was empty. No furniture, nothing on the walls except the gleam of new paint.

"This is where I've been spending so many evenings," he said gruffly.

She stared around at the foyer, the stairs and the open living room beyond.

"But Gray, we can't afford this house, I mean, we already picked out our house."

He smiled and pulled her through the living room. "I got a good deal on this one, and I knew you really wanted something larger, something we could grow into. When I saw it I just knew I had to have it for you. It was a foreclosure. Needed a lot of work. I've done what I can myself. Painting, new carpet, stuff like that."

She looked around, trying to absorb all he was saying. So many of her dream items were featured prominently in the house. The big fireplace, the big picture windows and a patio leading off from the living room through glass doors.

"Oh my God," she whispered. "This is really our house?"

He nodded. Then he hesitated. "That is, if there's still going to be a wedding."

Shame coursed through her. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to look at him. A tear trickled down her cheek to her mortification. Boy, when she screwed up, she went big.

He gathered her close, ignoring the stiffening of her body. He wrapped his arms around her and cupped the back of her head with one hand. His fingers wandered through the strands of her hair as he simply held on to her.

"Don't ever do that to me, Faith," he whispered. "You scared the shit out of me this morning. When I realized you'd canceled the arrangements, I went a little nuts."

She inhaled, holding and savoring his scent as she laid her head against his chest. "I'm sorry, Gray. I wish I could give you a reason. It was irrational of me, and I'm so sorry. It was stupid and childish, and I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to marry me after all this."

He leaned back and tilted her chin until she stared into his eyes.

"I only have one question, Faith. Do you love me?"

Her heart shifted and melted under his intense gaze.

"So much it scares me."

"That's all I need. You loving me. Nothing else matters."

"I do. So much," she said with an ache in her voice.

"I vote we leave the tour of the house for another time and go home so we can address more important matters."

His hand slid down to lay flat against her belly, his fingers splayed out. God, there might be a baby in there. A mixture of panic and awe coursed through her at the thought.

"Yeah, let's go home," she said around the knot in her throat.

Nathan sat across the table from Julie watching her eat. He watched her smile, how her eyes lit up in response every time she spoke. How she laughed with no reserve. Was it any wonder he was always so damn tongue-tied around her? Or that it had taken him months to work up the courage to ask her out?

He'd had sex with her. Twice, technically, and even then the idea of asking her on a date had left him with a raging case of gut rot.

He wanted to ask her why. Why had she given him a blow job and then fired him as her client? Why not just say she was interested?

Why hadn't he said he was interested?

"Tell me about you," she said as she leaned forward.

The motion pinned her breasts to the table, plumping them up toward her neckline until they mounded like two ripe melons. All he could see was her lying on the bed at The House, and all he could remember was the feel of so much willing sweet flesh in his arms as he slid into her over and over.

How the hell was he ever supposed to have a normal conversation with her again? Preferably one where his dick wasn't fighting for equal airtime?

"What do you want to know?"

"Well, all I know is what Faith's told me or what I've learned from listening to general conversation. She said you used to be in the army and went to work for Pop as soon as you got out."

He nodded. "Yeah, I joined up out of high school. There was no way Ma could have paid for me to go to college. At the time I only planned to stay the minimum and let them pay my way through college, but I enjoyed it so I re-upped. I'd probably still be in if an injury hadn't taken me out."

Her forehead wrinkled and her eyes lighted with sympathy. They were such a warm brown. Like chocolate.

"It wasn't anything serious," he said hastily. "I mean, I could have stayed in the army but I couldn't remain with my specialty. Just didn't seem like much point after that."

"Oh. Still, that had to suck."

He grinned. "I thought it did at first but I came home, licked my wounds. Pop gave me a job and here I am. It's great. I like the people I work with, I make good money and I'm close to my mom and my sisters."

"Sisters?"

"Yeah, I'm the only boy. Was hell growing up with all those women, let me tell you."

"You're so full of shit. You loved it and you know it. Your eyes are all warm and gooey just talking about them."

He grinned self-consciously. "Yeah, busted. It wasn't fun when they all had PMS, but they're a great bunch of women."

"How many sisters?"

"Three. Two are married but the baby is in college."

He could see the question she wanted to ask but was too polite.

"I send Ma money so Tracy can get her degree."

"That's awfully sweet of you," she said in a quiet voice.

He shifted uncomfortably, heat creeping up his neck. "She's a smart kid. I consider it an investment. She'll probably own the world in a few years and then she can support her big brother."

Julie smiled and put down her fork. "I just love a guy who blushes. It's incredibly sweet."

Fuck if his face didn't light on fire, and the heifer knew it. And why the hell was she talking to him like he was her big brother or something? Her mouth around his dick had certainly removed any possibility that they were going to be just friends.

Sweet? He frowned in disgust. Yeah, it was just one beat off her telling all her friends that he was just adorable. Next thing he knew, he'd be the guy all her friends considered their big brother. The one they all went to when they had guy trouble. Always the confidant and never the main event.

He had the sudden urge to beat his head on the table. Maybe he should be talking about dodging bullets or rescuing hostages from some hellhole in South America. Women went for that kind of shit, didn't they? Anything but sweet. Have mercy.

"You look like you just swallowed a bug," she said as she peered at him.

"You called me sweet," he said in disgust.

Her eyebrows went up. "You'd rather me call you an asshole?"

"At least asshole wouldn't make me sound like a pussy," he grumbled.

She looked incredulously at him. Swept over him with her gaze, up and down then back up again.

"You're the last man I'd ever worry about coming off as a pussy," she said, her eyes gleaming.

"Oh?" Now it sounded like he was fishing for compliments, but this woman's head was harder to get into than Fort Knox. How the fuck was he supposed to know what she was thinking at any given time? She was as erratic and helter-skelter as a drunk butterfly. Who knew what the hell she'd ever do or say next?

"Strong. Rugged. Sexy, even. A bit dense, but otherwise, very nice," she purred.

Now even his ears were red, he was sure. "I've been told I'm a man and it's my lot in life to be dense."

"Well, you have me there," she said out of the side of her mouth.

"So what about you?" he asked as he sat back to study her. "What's your story?"

She looked mildly discomfited by the question, and for the first time looked at a disadvantage. And to think he couldn't imagine this woman ever not on top of things. She exuded confidence. She was sure of her place in the world, and that, to him, was about the sexiest quality a woman could possess.

She raised her wineglass to her lips and took a long sip. Her perfectly manicured nails tapped a moment on the crystal as she seemed to collect her thoughts.

Then she grinned and set it back down again. "I would love to lie to you and tell you that I've traveled the world collecting men for my harem, or that I've rubbed elbows with the rich and famous, but the simple truth is, I'm a small-town girl who's never been out of the great state of Texas. Sad, isn't it?"

His brows drew together. "You could have fooled me. You seem so ... I dunno, knowledgeable, and I don't mean book learning as much as you just seem to have lived a lot of life."

"Well thank you, I think. That almost sounds like a compliment."

"It was intended to be one. You seem to have your head on straight. You're confident and beautiful. I imagine you could go anywhere you wanted and fit in."

She looked completely caught off guard by his assessment. For a long moment she just stared at him as if trying to figure out his angle. This was a cynical woman, and he could see the wheels turning in her head. She thought he was plotting his way into her pants. Flattery, pretty words, all the usual stuff.

The problem was, he sucked when it came to wooing a woman. And while he'd love nothing more than to go home and strip every piece of clothing off her with his teeth, he could wait. If she expected a full-on assault, then he was going to give her just the opposite if it killed him.

"You make me feel like a fraud," she finally said with a rueful smile.

"That wasn't my intention."

She shook her head. "Oh, I know. I'm beginning to think you're actually a sincere guy."

"You say that as if it surprises you."

Her eyes glinted with amusement. "It does."

"Okay, so tell me more. You've never been out of the state of Texas. Any plans to change that?"

She leaned back with a thoughtful look. "You know, I hadn't really given it any thought. I'm so busy with my salon. Don't get me wrong, I spend plenty of time dreaming, but I never really thought about making it a reality."

"What do you dream about?"

She blushed. Actually blushed. He had to snap his jaws shut to keep from gaping, because anything that made this woman blush had to be good.

"My dreams aren't up for discussion until at least the fourth date," she said with a cheeky grin.

He smiled and reached for his glass. "I'll keep that in mind."

He sipped at the wine and tried not to grimace. Anything more refined than beer was wasted on him. This entire restaurant gave him hives, but he figured this was a place that Julie would slide right into.

"You want to ditch this place and go get a beer?"

He blinked and stared at her over the glass that was frozen in midair on its way down to the table. Had she read his freaking mind? Surely he hadn't voiced his thoughts aloud.

"Not that I don't like where you chose for dinner," she said in a rush. "But this is way more Serena and Damon's speed. I'd just as soon head over to Cattleman's and have a beer and some greasy French fries."

Yes. Dear God, yes. He had to control the urge to scramble out of his seat and haul her out behind him.

"You sure?" he asked calmly. It sounded so much better than hell yeah!

She shrugged. "It's up to you."

He held up his hand to motion for the check before the words were completely out of his mouth. Beer and French fries sounded damn good to him. Even better, tasting beer and French fries on her lips later.

Chapter 13

Faith sat on the counter in the bathroom, her legs dangling over the edge. Gray stood between her knees holding the paper bag with the EPT test.

"Before we do this, I think we need to make a few things clear," he said in a husky voice. "Or at least talk about the possibilities."

She nodded as a flutter of panic scuttled higher in her stomach.

"How do you feel about the possibility of you being pregnant?" he asked gently.

She closed her eyes. Why couldn't he say how he felt first? Ah well, honesty and all that stuff. If her not embracing the idea upset him, then maybe . . . No, she wouldn't think about things like leaving the wedding called off. She and Gray were on the same page. She had to believe that.

"Terrified?"

His eyes softened, and he leaned in to press his lips to her forehead.

"You know I want children. Eventually. But Gray, I have to be honest. I'm praying so hard for this to be one huge false alarm."

"Me too," he admitted.

Her shoulders sagged in relief.

"Tell me, baby, is this why you called off the wedding? Did you get scared or think I might be upset if you were pregnant?"

"I wish I could say yes," she said glumly. "But the fact is, I didn't even think about the possibility of pregnancy until Julie mentioned it. My boobs have been tender, and I've been so hormonal. I was convinced you weren't interested in me anymore," she added in an embarrassed voice.

He stilled and then pulled away, his eyes narrow. He looked ... angry.

"Okay, maybe we should talk about a few more things before you take this test. What on earth gave you that idea? Are you not happy with the dynamics of our relationship any longer? You need to tell me if it's not working, Faith. We talked about all this before, but you're entitled to change your mind, you know."

Ugh. This was getting way more complicated than she wanted.

She reached up to touch him, needing that brief moment of contact before she went on. "I love our relationship, Gray. I haven't regretted ceding the power, the decision making, putting myself into your hands completely and wholly. I wanted to be taken care of, and until recently thought you did such a wonderful job of making me feel, well, taken care of."

When he opened his mouth, she placed a finger over his lips.

"I was an idiot, Gray. I swear I'm not usually so irrational. I just got scared. I'm not even sure what the hell happened. You've been wonderful, and I feel so unappreciative. I acted like a child sulking because she wasn't the center of attention. If I could take it all back I would. I just snapped."

"Snapped?"

He looked so perplexed she almost laughed.

"Yeah, uh I sort of had seduction in mind last night and when you didn't show up yet again after work, I got pissed, then I got overly emotional, and then I convinced myself in a fit of self-pity that you weren't attracted to me any longer and were avoiding me like the plague."

His mouth dropped open, and his eyes gleamed with silent laughter.

"Don't you dare laugh," she muttered. "It all sounds perfectly ridiculous now, but at the time I was convinced I was about to be single again."

At that his amusement vanished. He touched the tip of his finger to her chin, his eyes boring holes through her.

"You aren't the only one who screwed up, Faith. Yeah, my intentions were good, but how were you supposed to know that? I shouldn't have tried to keep the house a secret, and I damn sure shouldn't have spent so many nights over there with no explanation. In hindsight I'm lucky you didn't think I was cheating on you. All I can say is that it ain't ever going to happen. You're it for me, baby. And I sure hope to hell I'm it for you."

She sighed and nuzzled her cheek against his hand. "You are it for me, Gray. I guess we can be stupid screwups together."

He found her lips, kissing lightly, then deeper. "I love you."

She smiled against his mouth. "I love you too. Forgive me?"

"Of course. Now, we need to talk about this other matter between us."

He raised the paper bag between them so that they both stared at it. You'd think a snake was hiding in it with the way they eyed it so cautiously.

"If... if you're pregnant, we can do this," he said. "No, it's not how we planned it, but it won't be the end of the world. We'll adjust, and we'll be damn good parents."

Her lips trembled and she stared into his eyes, drowning all over again in love.

"I can't believe I almost did this without you."

"Don't make a habit of it," he growled affectionately.

"You going to watch me pee on the stick?"

"How 'bout I stand over here and study the ceiling while you do the deed. Then we'll embark on the longest five minutes of our lives."

She chuckled, and he lowered her down to the floor then moved away from the toilet. He leaned back against the counter while she tore away the packaging and concentrated on the instructions.

"Think we'll look back on this day and laugh ten years down the road?" Gray asked.

She pursed her lips as she turned the plastic tube the right way and then looked back up at him. "What if I am pregnant? I wouldn't want our child to ever know we sat here and prayed he or she didn't exist."

"First of all, who says we'll say anything? Second, I'm sure if you are pregnant, then we'll spend parts of the next eighteen years and beyond wishing he or she didn't exist."

She laughed, feeling some of the tension escape with each burst. "Okay, don't talk to me for a minute. I don't pee well under pressure."

He chuckled but fell silent as she wiggled and maneuvered until her underwear was where it was supposed to go and the plastic was where it was supposed to go.

"How do you keep from peeing on your hand?" Gray asked.

She froze and looked up to see a bemused expression on his face. Then she burst out laughing.

"Wouldn't it be easier to pee in something else first? That just seems to be an awfully small target," he said doubtfully.

Her shoulders shook so bad that she couldn't keep the test in place.

"Leave it to a man to make perfect sense of a female issue," she muttered. "But then a man probably invented the damn thing to begin with."

"Want a cup?" he asked with a grin.

"Please?"

Laughing he left the bathroom and a moment later returned with a foam cup.

"Not that this is likely to keep any more pee off my hand," she said as she eyed it.

Gray dutifully remained silent while she administered the test. When she was finished, she laid it gently on the counter and the two of them stared at it like it would go off after the allotted time.

She blew out her breath, puffing her cheeks as the air whooshed out. "Okay, so now we wait."

"Come here," he said, holding out his arms.

She slid easily into his embrace, pressing against his muscled chest. Her fingers idly brushed over where she knew the scar lay under his shirt. A reminder of how close she came to losing him. She closed her eyes, willing those memories away.

"You know we'll handle this, no matter what," he said.

She nodded. And she did know. It wasn't as if either of them had anything against children. She just wanted . . . time. Time with Gray. Time to enjoy it being just the two of them. Later when they were comfortable in their relationship, comfortable with each other and some of the new and shiny had worn off, then they could think about children.

"Here's what I suggest," he said as he pulled her away from his chest. "I think we should go out and celebrate. Dinner, some good conversation and then come home and make love until we pass out. The only unknown is what we'll be celebrating, right?"

She leaned forward and linked her arms around his neck. "That sounds absolutely wonderful. Especially the part about making love until we drop. I've missed you, Gray. As much as I love surprises, I don't like them at the expense of you being away so much."

He kissed her nose and then her cheeks and finally her lips. By the time he nuzzled a path down her neck, she'd forgotten what it was they'd been talking about.

"I have plans for you tonight," he murmured.

A delicious thrill ran up her spine and exploded at her nape. She loved it when he got all mysterious and brooding and sexy.

Then she frowned. If she was pregnant, they'd have to curb some of their sexual activities, wouldn't they? Not that Gray would ever hurt her, but the lash of a crop, a belt, sometimes a flogger ... A dreamy sigh escaped her lips as she imagined him stroking her skin, raising red-hot heat across her body.

No, she couldn't think that way. If she was pregnant, it would only be a temporary restraint on their part. But then she began to imagine sleepless nights, never being alone. No more kneeling in the living room as he fucked her mouth. No more lying over the arm of the couch while he fucked her long and hard.

With a groan, she buried her face in his neck, quivering with nervousness.

"Baby."

The single endearment stroked over her ears, soothing and quieting her worries. She was being selfish. Children meant change, and if she was pregnant, she certainly couldn't escape the inevitable.

She raised her head, disgusted by the sheen of tears hanging in her vision.

"I think it's been five minutes," he said softly.

She started to look over but he caught her chin, forcing her gaze back to him.

"I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered. "Think we should look now?"

He reached over without looking and snagged the test. His hand covered the result window as he pulled it between them.

"You look," she said.

Slowly, he opened his hand, staring down at the test lying on his palm. When he frowned, her heart dropped.

"What does it say?"

"You're not pregnant," he said softly.

Her eyes widened. Simultaneously relief and, oddly enough, disappointment swamped her. Why was she disappointed?

"That's a good thing, right?" she asked cautiously, still unsure of his reaction. He didn't seem happy.

He stared back down at the test. "Yeah, it's a good thing. We're not ready. You're not ready, honey, and I don't want you to have a baby until we're both sure it's what we want."

"I hear a but in there," she said gently.

He pressed his lips together in a rueful expression. "Would you believe that just for a teeny, tiny moment I was imagining what our baby would look like? Whether it would be a girl who was as gorgeous as her mama, or a boy who was as ornery as his father?"

Her heart ached just a bit too so she knew exactly what he meant. For a little bit she'd actually allowed herself to indulge in the fantasy of what a child would mean. And even though she knew without a doubt they'd escaped a kink in their relationship they didn't need, a part of her was disappointed.

"What it means is that you and I will make wonderful parents when the time comes," she said with a smile.

He cupped her chin and kissed her again. "We'll make a great mom and dad. In five years or so."

She laughed. "Exactly! Now, you and I have a date to go celebrate not being pregnant."

"You know," he said thoughtfully. "I have an even better idea."

"Oh?"

"Let's get married. Tonight."

She gaped at him. "But we can't get married tonight!"

He gave her a sly grin. "We can in Vegas."

A sharp tingle of excitement ran circles around her belly and then climbed up her throat.

"We could call Damon, who has already offered us the use of his jet. We go to Vegas, get married, spend a few days having really great sex and then we come home and move into our dream house."

"Oh, Gray," she breathed. "You really know how to present an argument, don't you?"

"I sure as hell hope so. Is it working?"

She gripped his hands in hers, the test still trapped against his palm.

"I should ask you if you still want to marry me."

"Of course I do. Oh gosh, do you really think we could do such a crazy thing? What about our jobs? I'm not sure Pop could spare us both. And what if Damon can't loan us the jet on such short notice?"

"Then we go book a commercial flight. If all else fails, we get in the truck and we drive. Come on, Faith. Let's get crazy and do it. I'm tired of waiting. I want you as my wife."

"Let me call Pop," she said breathlessly. "If he can spare us then yeah, let's do it."

"Tell you what. You call Damon. I'll call Pop. I'll need to smooth his feathers for upsetting his daughter anyway."

She kissed him exuberantly, letting all her excitement and passion bleed into that one kiss.

"Last one packed is a rotten egg!"

"Hi, Julie. I know you're out with Nathan and didn't want to bug you on your cell, so I thought I'd leave a message here. I'm not pregnant. God, am I relieved. Gray and I are both relieved. I mean, the test said I wasn't."

There was a long pause, and Julie could positively see Faith grappling with the sudden realization that tests weren't completely infallible. She grinned and shook her head.

"These tests are reliable, aren't they? Oh shit. Okay, well, I won't think about that right now. Anyway, I wanted to call to tell you that Gray and I are getting married. Tonight, I mean. We're flying to Vegas to tie the knot and won't be back for several days. Try not to kill Nathan while I'm gone. Give the man a break. He's obviously crazy about you. You and Serena try not to have too much fun without me. We'll catch up when I get back. And hey, thanks for the shoulder today. You're the best."

She made noisy smooching noises and then hung up.

Julie erased the voice mail and put the phone back on the kitchen table. The girl was certifiable. She'd called the wedding off, had a pregnancy scare and had eloped to Vegas all in twenty-four hours. And she had the nerve to call herself boring?

Clearly Julie needed to be taking lessons from her.

It was late, and Julie was tired, but she knew without a doubt she wouldn't go to sleep very easily. Too much occupied her mind, Nathan Tucker being the main distraction.

He'd surprised her tonight. He'd seemed alternately comfortable and ill at ease with her, almost as if she made him nervous. Was that why he'd never made a move before? His shyness was actually pretty endearing.

She had no idea where things were going with Nathan. He'd dropped her off without so much as a kiss good-bye. The tension between them had been palpable, but he must have the restraint of a saint because all he'd done is look at her with those gorgeous green eyes fringed with those too-long lashes. She'd melted into a puddle, and he'd simply told her good night.

She'd been plotting to jump him and drag him into her apartment while he could have been talking about the weather as calmly as he'd handled their farewell.

Maybe he just wasn't interested in her that way. But why go to the trouble of asking her out? Would she ever figure this guy out? He hadn't asked her out again. He hadn't given her the I'll call you line. He hadn't even said See you. Had the date gone that bad?

With an indelicate flop, she landed on the couch. Reclining, she put her head on the back and closed her eyes. Sexual frustration sucked. Men sucked.