Chapter 11
Trent was proud of his Oscar-worthy performance as the cool guy who was taking this gig in stride. He calmly put away the cleaning supplies and closed down the bar.
Then he escorted Brittany out the back door as if he hadn’t considered grabbing her and having barstool sex before they left. Or up-against-the-wall sex. Or kitchen counter sex. He didn’t need a condom so the sky was the limit.
But he’d controlled himself for fear he’d send her the message that sex was all he cared about. It wasn’t true. He’d spent the entire day focused on his upcoming role as a dad.
He’d started with the obvious, researching the best sexual positions for making a baby, which predictably had stirred him up. To cool off he’d downloaded three parenting books and skimmed one. Then he’d rearranged his guest room to accommodate baby stuff. He’d checked out cribs, highchairs, playpens and car seats online.
By afternoon, the bewildering number of options had turned into shelf blur, so he’d hopped in his truck and driven to town. Besides opening a college savings account, he’d strolled the aisles of the Baby Barn.
He hadn’t bought anything since hauling a teddy bear to work would be noticed. He could say it was for Ella’s baby, or Jess’s, since her second kid was due about the same time as Ella’s first. Still, why create a situation where he had to lie?
Bottom line, he’d ended the day completely stoked about having a kid of his own. He could hardly wait. Nine months would be an eternity. He’d wanted this way more than he’d admitted to himself.
But the minute Brittany had walked through the door of the Buffalo, all baby dreams had taken a back seat to some extremely adult fantasies. He’d always had to worry about birth control. Always. Now the possibilities were endless. He and Brittany could have sex anywhere.
Before he handed her into the passenger seat of his truck, he resisted the urge to coax her into the back seat. The idea wouldn’t go away. She wanted a baby ASAP. Might as well take every opportunity.
He tightened his jaw, closed her door and rounded the hood. Climbing behind the wheel, he laid his hat on the dash and winced as his cock protested being trapped in his jeans. He buckled up, determined to make it to her house and into her bedroom without succumbing to the lust surging through his body.
When he started the engine, the radio came on with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s Let’s Make Love. Talk about overkill. He reached for the power button.
She caught his hand. “One of my favorites.”
He turned his hand to clasp hers and brought it to his lips. “I want you so much I’m shaking.”
Her voice was husky. “Same here.”
“Music like this?—”
“Makes you ache?”
He brushed his mouth over her knuckles. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Me, too. But… like you said.” She took a quick breath. “This isn’t a science experiment. And the music?—”
“I’ll leave it on.” He lowered her hand to his thigh and let go. She left it there, the warmth adding to the pressure on his fly.
She was right about the music, though. It reminded him that he wanted more than sex from this lady. He wanted this baby, their baby, and he or she would be conceived with tenderness and love.
After he backed out of the parking space, he covered her hand with his. Her left hand. No ring. He hadn’t been conscious of that before. He noticed it now. This was a brave thing she was doing.
Faith and Tim serenaded them all the way to her house, which made it a little more than a three-minute drive. He concentrated on the emotional lyrics. The last time he’d made this trip he’d told himself to leave emotions out of the equation.
He didn’t have to do that anymore. Tonight he’d take the first step toward an experience that was all about emotion. Brittany had offered him a chance he’d thought was lost to him and he was grateful.
Was he also turned on more than ever in his life? Yep. That wasn’t a bad thing. He subscribed to the totally unscientific belief that enthusiastic love-making would give them a better chance of creating their baby.
Her house looked different as he pulled up at the curb. Then it hit him. “You left the lights on.”
“I did.” She hesitated. “I also… well, you’ll see.”
“You did something special for me? When you didn’t know what I’d decide?”
“What can I say? I’m an optimist. Mostly.”
She’d gone out on a limb, way out. He squeezed her hand before letting go so he could turn off the motor. “I’m glad I didn’t let you down.”
“I was prepared for that, too.”
“Oh, yeah? What was Plan B?”
“There’s a big ol’ bottle of my favorite wine sitting on my kitchen table.”
The thought of her downing that bottle all by herself tore a piece out of his heart. “But instead of drowning your sorrows, soon you’ll have to say bye-bye to your drinking days.” He reached for the door handle.
“They were over once I asked you to do this.”
He glanced back at her. “But we haven’t even….” He trailed off as he looked into blue eyes filled with eager excitement. “You think it’ll be tonight?”
“I do.”
His body tightened, especially the part below his belt. He was locked and loaded. “So do I. Stay put. I’ll get you down.”
“That’s incredibly gallant, but I can get in and out of this truck by myself.”
“I know, but I enjoy providing that small courtesy.” He smiled. “And in the months ahead, you may appreciate a helping hand.”
“Why?” Then she got it and a flush bloomed on her cheeks. “Point taken.”
She’d be an adorable pregnant lady—her big belly a smile-worthy contrast to her small frame. Would she let him see her naked when she was?—
“Are we going in or not?”
He snapped out of his daze. “We’re going in.” He hopped out, shut the door and jogged around to the passenger side, despite the pain in his crotch.
When he opened her door she swung to face him wearing his hat. “You forgot something.”
Cute as hell. He gazed at her, a warm squishy sensation in his midsection that had nothing to do with what was going on down lower.
“You look way better in it than I do.” Gripping her around the waist, he lifted her out. He’d hefted hay bales that weighed more than she did.
And just like that, he had a concern. “Listen, I’m a big guy and you’re a small woman. What if our baby turns out to be like me?”
She tipped her head back since the hat brim blocked her view of him. “I doubt that’ll be a problem.”
“Are you sure? I was more than nine pounds. I’m worried that?—”
“Nature has a way of working those things out.” Reaching up, she cupped his face. “You are a big guy. All over. And I handled you with no problem on Saturday night.”
Flames licked at his privates. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Let’s not buy trouble, cowboy. Come inside.” She held out her hand. “I think you’ll like what I did in the bedroom.”
He shoved the door closed and took her hand. “I doubt you can improve on what you did in there two nights ago.”
“That was lame, starting out in the dark and then switching to bright light.”
“I wasn’t talking about illumination.”
“You’re very kind. But I can do better.”
“So can I.” And he couldn’t wait to show this courageous woman how good he could be when he put his heart into it.