12. Closed for Business
Closed for Business
T here I was, just peacefully enjoying my banana and yogurt when it hit. Like a kamikaze meteor hurtling toward Earth, my stomach detonated. There was no cramping. No warning burble. Just complete and sudden anarchy.
“Oh God!” I bolted from my seat and rushed in the direction of the toilet.
“Rayne?”
There was no time to explain. I needed a vessel and the bathroom was too far! There was a demon inside of me, and it needed exercising!
I made it as far as the hall when Vesuvius erupted out of me. As my eyes bulged, I covered my mouth as my shoulders locked, but there was no stopping it, so I rushed to the umbrella stand and exercised that fucking demon all over Hale’s Swarovski umbrella.
A warm hand pressed against my back as I shivered and hugged the narrow umbrella stand. “Are you okay?”
I was in shock, shaking and fighting back tears. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. It happens. Can you stand?”
“I need a minute.” I’d puked before. I was a college student at one time. But I’d never experienced anything quite as sudden and violent as what just happened.
“Let me get you some water.” He disappeared and returned a moment later with an uncapped bottle.
I took the bottle with a shaky hand as he casually carried the bin of umbrellas outside. At least they were waterproof.
“Was that morning sickness?”
“That was…” I swallowed a small sip of water and wiped my mouth, fearful it might trigger another episode. That was unlike anything I ever felt before. And not in a good way. I was speechless. “I feel really weak.”
“Take my hands and I’ll help you up. Not too fast.” Hale wrapped me in his arms and ushered me to the sofa. Elara carried on from her high chair, trapped and irritated that we forgot about her.
“Just sit for a minute. Try to drink some water. I’ll find you a cracker to settle your stomach.”
The sweat on my skin chilled and I shivered, pulling the lap blanket up to my chest as I tipped onto the pillow and groaned. He helped Elara down from her tray and I heard him tell her, “Mommy needs a hug”, with a warning to be gentle. “Her belly hurts.”
She toddled over to the sofa, dragging Meep Meep in her wake, and stared at me curiously with a cocked head of curls, still wild from sleep. “Momma sick?” She climbed onto the sofa and nestled into the nest of my knees. “Baby?” She pointed to my stomach.
I smiled weakly. “That’s right. Baby.” Or a demon. The verdict was still out.
She frowned. “Mommy ouch?”
I didn’t want to confuse her, so I just said, “Mommy sleepy.”
She gave me Meep Meep, which was extremely high currency in the world of Elara. I cuddled him close to my cheek, breathing in the familiar scent of baby shampoo tinged with traces of milk.
“Thank you, Peanut.”
She scooted off the couch and kissed my forehead, returning a minute later with her baby doll. She showed it to me and then threw it on the floor. We had some work to do there.
Sounds of Hale hosing out the umbrella stand carried from the front door. We should probably keep more vessels around the house if this morning sickness crap was going to be an ongoing thing. Or maybe I should travel with those plastic doggy bags, just in case.
My stomach still felt unstable and sour, so I decided not to think about it until I was out of the eye of the storm.
Unfortunately, the morning sickness continued over the next few weeks. It usually struck before work and then again around two p.m.—not technically morning, but Mother Nature didn’t care much for man’s time constraints, so she basically did as she pleased, and apparently, it pleased her to torture me.
“Rayne?” Remington knocked on the bathroom door.
“I’ll be out in a minute.” The use of my first name showed his concern. I’d been hugging the toilet since lunch and it was now— oh, God—I’d been in the bathroom for over an hour.
“Would it help if Marta made you something?”
No doubt Marta hovered outside of the door with him. “Ni?a,” she said with great concern. “I can make you a nice broth with a little toast.”
The thought of any food turned my stomach. Even water was becoming hard to keep down during these challenging moments. “I’m okay. I just need a minute please.” I hated the idea of them standing close enough to hear me retch, and every word made me fear that it would happen again.
“Well, call if you need anything.”
“Mm-hmm,” I mumbled, holding back another explosion.
When I finally staggered out of the bathroom you would have thought I spent the night pledging for Greek life. Remington, Marta, and Miles stared at me with unblinking concern.
Remington rushed forward to take my arm. “Do you want Alphonse to drive you home?”
Even a five-minute car ride seemed dicey at the moment. “I just need to sit down for a few minutes.”
Stock market numbers played across the bottom of the television. His laptop and paperwork cluttered the coffee table, and his iPad hung from the stand to the left of the couch. Miles picked up the phone he’d abandoned to let the person on the other line know that Remington had stepped away and would return shortly.
“Just sit for a while. Find your sea legs.”
I groaned, not wanting to think about the sea. I pulled a blanket out of the ottoman compartment and curled into a ball. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. It’s easier to blame Hale. He did this to you.” I smiled because beneath his feigned anger was real concern. “Do you need anything?”
I was typically the one waiting on Remington, so this felt especially awkward. “Eating and drinking only make it worse. I just have to wait it out.”
“How about some medicine?”
I shook my head. “There’s not much I can take while pregnant.”
He frowned. Powerful men like Remington and Hale had difficulty accepting situations that rendered them powerless. “Well, lie down and rest. Miles will get you some water just in case.”
I pulled the blanket up to my chin and shut my eyes. “Thank you.”
I must have dozed because the next thing I felt was a gentle hand touching my hair, and Remington wasn’t touchy-feely with me.
“How long’s she been sleeping?” Hale’s voice roused my mind, but when I opened my eyes, I was confused to see my daughter on Remington’s lap.
The sun was setting and the sky over the pool was a vibrant pink. “What time is it?”
“Momma,” Elara slid off Remington and rushed over to me. She kissed my eye. “Look! Dall, dall, dall!” She held up a marble decorative ball that usually sat in a bowl in Remington’s foyer.
“Should she have that?” It could quickly become a weapon for shot put.
Hale took the ball away from her and handed it to Marta. Elara screamed and I winced.
“Come, Princesa , I have a treat for you in the kitchen.” Just like her mother, Elara toddled dutifully after Marta, wholly seduced by the idea of food .
Speaking of which, I was starving. I pushed myself into a seated position and folded the blanket. Remington closed his laptop and gathered up his work. He was flying out to see Odette tonight and wouldn’t be back for a few days. He made no comment about me missing an entire day of work.
“I can’t believe I slept that long.”
“You probably needed it.” Hale sat beside me and ran a gentle hand down my back. “Are you hungry?”
My belly felt hollow and achy. “I’m starved.”
“Do you want me to have Marta whip up something light like soup?”
“No. I want a pizza with black olives and meat. Slightly burned.”
He drew back. “You sure about that?”
“Yeah. Make it sausage. And see if they can put some of those banana peppers on it. The spicy kind.”
“Right.” He pulled out his phone and called in an order.
Remington made a quick goodbye before heading to the airport with Alphonse. The house was always different whenever Remington was away. Miles hung around and joined us in the kitchen, as did Raoul, Marta’s husband. As much as I was a part of the Davenport family, I was also a part of the service family, and I loved how easily Hale infiltrated that tight-knit group because he knew my work family was important to me.
I ate my pizza while everyone else enjoyed takeout sandwiches and appetizers. We laughed and told stories. Marta picked on Hale in that sweet, adoring way a grandmother would. Hale’s real grandmother, who was on his mother’s side, was in a home in New Jersey. She didn’t remember Hale anymore, so it was nice that he had this connection with Marta, who had been an employee of the Davenports for more than three decades.
When we got home, Elara was passed out. I wasn’t tired due to my long afternoon nap, so I showered and found Hale reading over work stuff in bed—something we generally forbade.
“Um, are you working? It’s ten o’clock.”
“I just wanted to look over this contract?—”
“Hale.”
He met my stare, reading the warning in my eyes, and shut off his iPad.
“Thank you.” I climbed into bed.
It had been weeks since we had sex, and I was beyond ready to put aside my procreating miracle status to return to moonlighting as Hale’s naughty little wife. I took my time moisturizing my growing body, taking special care to hit all the areas where stretchmarks were known to scar. Then I gave Hale the look.
“Goodnight, baby.” He kissed my forehead and shut out the nightstand lamp.
I frowned, unsure what just happened.
Did I smell? Was I not putting out the right pheromones? Maybe I was reading the room wrong. This pregnancy had me all jacked up.
Easing under the covers, I recalculated. Husband—check. Baby asleep—check. Showered and smelling fresh as a daisy—check. What the hell did I forget?
Rolling to my side, I faced him and dragged a seductive finger down his shoulder. “Hi there.”
He opened his eyes, smiled, and kissed my nose. “Sweet dreams.” Then he shut his eyes again
I frowned. “Hale.”
His eyes opened. “Yeah? ”
“Why aren’t we having sex? You haven’t touched me in weeks.”
He drew back, a little taken off guard by my bluntness. “That’s not true.”
“Uh, yeah, it is.”
“I touch you all the time.”
“Well, you haven’t been inside of me in weeks. I’m developing a complex.” Seriously, how was he managing it? “Since we started dating, you’ve always needed frequent sex. What’s going on with you?” It was his fault I was horny. Before Hale, I was content to never have sex—ever again. He conditioned me to be this way. “I have needs, too, you know.”
Oh, God. Why were my eyes tearing up?
I quickly turned away, but it was too late.
No, no, no. This wasn’t a crying moment. This was a strong, confident woman moment. I was doing the big girl thing and expressing my needs.
“Baby, I’m sorry.” I flinched when he touched me, but only because any show of gentle concern when I was leaking led to more leaking. “I guess I was just trying to give you space while your body adapted to all this?—”
“Gah! Don’t try to be all understanding, Hale! And can you not touch me right now?” I angled away from his comforting caress before I started sobbing uncontrollably.
“I’m confused. Do you or don’t you want to be touched?”
“Of course, I want to be touched. Just not…that way.” Did he ever hear of just fucking?
He sat up and turned on the lamp. “Rayne, I need you to be a little more clear. What do you want?”
“I told you to have sex with me, not get all comforting and sweet. Can’t you see I’m an emotional mess right now?” My voice pitched as more tears spilled. “God, this pregnancy has my hormones all over the place!” I snatched a tissue from the box and blotted my eyes. “And now I’m sad!”
“Baby, take a breath.”
“I can’t. My nose has been stuffy for weeks!” I blew into the tissue, but nothing came out. I just sounded like a dying elephant. “I’m the most unsexy woman in the world right now. No wonder why you don’t want to have sex with me!”
He drew back in horror. “That’s not true!”
“Of course it is. I’m always puking or crying or in the bathroom. My body’s getting all weird and I have no control over my emotions. This baby has completely hijacked my body and it’s taking over my life.”
“Rayne, honey, I happen to think you’re more beautiful than ever. You’re glowing. And I know you haven’t felt great with all the morning sickness, but you’re growing a human being inside of you. That’s amazing. Think about it. You’re completely stunning.”
I paused and glanced up at him, wiping snot on the back of my hand. “I am?”
He shook his head and smiled. “You’re adorable.”
I drew in a shaky breath and swallowed. “You really think so?”
“I know so.” He tucked my hair behind my ear. “If you’re ready to have sex, I’m more than willing. I just didn’t want to put pressure on you while you were so exhausted and adjusting to so many changes.”
I whimpered and lost my battle against the next sob.
“Hey,” he said, clearly unsure why I was still so upset. “Baby, talk to me.”
“I can’t.” I started to cry again. “Because when I say stuff you say stuff, but your stuff’s all sweet and nice, and I’m just this leaking puddle of hormones dripping all over the bed. Who wants to have sex with that?”
He chuckled. “Would you rather I was mean to you?”
“No.” I was a blubbering basket case. “I just want you to have sex with me. Just sex.”
“Just sex?”
“Yes. I need it.” While foreplay was great, at the moment, I just wanted to be ravished. Some no-kiss fucking was precisely what the doctor ordered, but I could never ask for that. I wasn’t like Hale. He could say whatever filthy thing crossed his mind. Me, on the other hand… Not so much.
“Okay…” He hesitantly leaned closer and laughed when I drew back. “Can I kiss you?”
“Why?” I dragged my hand under my nose, eyeing him suspiciously. “I’m all drippy and gross. Can’t you just…do it?”
“Rayne, this isn’t how I like to operate.”
“Hale,” I whined. “You’re making this harder than it needs to be.”
Frustrated, he threw up his hands. “I’m making it harder? You’re asking me to have sex, but you won’t let me touch you.”
“Do I have to spell it out? Fine! I just want your dick inside of me.” The faucet was now set to firehose. “Why can’t you just love me?”
“Okay, okay. Take a breath, baby.” He held his hand up, but made no contact. Instead, he sort of gave me an air-pet for comfort. “Whatever you want.”
“Thank you.” A jagged breath ripped past my lips. I had never been this level of unattractive, so I reminded myself that marriage was in sickness and health.
Hale pushed off his pants. “Should I just…”
“Yes! Just do it.”
“Yelling isn’t helping, Rayne.”
He spoke calmly, but you would have thought he raised his voice for how quickly I cowered and pouted.
He mumbled something under his breath and rolled on top of me. “Is this okay?”
I awkwardly stared at him. Since when did Hale ask if something was okay? Typically, he just took what he wanted and made me have orgasms. Where was that guy now?
When he reached between us, stroking himself, it occurred to me that he wasn’t even turned on, so I started to cry again. His horrified glare snapped to my face. “What’s wrong now? I haven’t even done anything. ”
“You’re not aroused,” I cried.
“You have to give me a minute, Rayne.”
“Forget it. If you wanted me, you’d be hard.” I pushed him off and clambered out of bed, rushing into the bathroom so I could sob in peace.
Hale cursed just as I shut the door, shutting him out. “Rayne?” He scratched at the door. “Rayne, I’m coming in.”
Sitting on the closed toilet, I wadded up some toilet paper to mop my face.
His figure appeared in the mirror as he stepped behind me. “Enough of this.” He turned me to face him, catching my face between his hands and planting his lips on mine.
At first, I tried to pull back, but he wouldn’t let me go.
“No.” His lips firmed against mine as his hand knotted in my hair. “The fact that you think I could ever not want you pisses me off.”
His fist gave a gentle tug, punishing me for doubting him. His other hand drifted beneath my T-shirt and possessively took hold of my boob. I gasped at how sensitive they’d become.
“Take this off.” He pulled me to my feet and stripped me out of my shirt, leaving me bare and shivering. Turning my body to face the mirror, he planted my hands on the marble counter. “Look how fucking sexy you are.”
His hands roved over my curves, cupping my breasts and teasing down the center of my stomach until his fingers disappeared between my thighs. His cock swelled and lengthened, sliding heavily against my ass.
He sank a finger inside of me, jerking me back to feel the fullness of his hard cock. “Do you see how much I want you?” His other hand dragged upward to cuff my neck. He held me by the jaw and tilted my head to kiss my neck in that place I loved. “Eyes open, Rayne. I want you to watch me fuck you.”
I nodded as he kicked my feet apart and pressed my chest to the cold vanity. “Eyes on me, baby.” The swollen head of his cock nudged into my body, and I gasped. He groaned and thrust, burying himself to the hilt.
Relief swept through me. This was exactly what I needed. No emotion. No talking. Just fucking. I shut my eyes.
“Open your eyes and watch, Rayne. I want you to remember this the next time you think about doubting my attraction.”
He drew back, practically leaving my body, then slammed forward. I reflexively moaned and stared at our reflection, my arms braced on the vanity and my breasts swaying with each hard thrust. He gathered my hair in his hand and kissed my shoulder. Then he bit me.
“Ah!”
“That’s what you get for accusing me of not wanting you. Does this feel like I don’t want you, Rayne?” He surged forward and I lifted up on my toes.
“No.”
“Does my dick feel soft now?”
“No.” It was so hard I found it difficult to keep my eyes open. “God, Hale, I love you.”
“I fucking love you too.” He cupped my sex, his hard length gliding in and out of my body as he strummed my clit. “Do you need to come, baby?”
“Yes.” It was so nice to finally feel something good where my body was concerned. Maybe that’s what this need was all about. I needed a reminder that I was still capable of pleasure. “Please, Hale.”
His hips pounded into me as his fingers worked their magic. I was panting and trembling as he possessively held me in that way they made me feel wanted and cherished and even a little bit sexy if I were being honest. My boobs looked fantastic!
When my orgasm tore through me, I reflexively shut my eyes. Hale slapped my clit and I gasped. “Ah!” My legs shook as another release started. “Hale, it’s too much.”
“Keep watching.”
My nose was stuffed, I was thirsty, and my legs were getting kind of tired, but it felt incredible, so I did my best. “Let me just…” I lowered to my elbows, but the vanity was damn hard. “Wait. Maybe if we…”
His dick slid out just as he was about to finish. “Rayne, what are you trying to do?”
“I don’t know. I… I want a bed.” Maybe I was getting too old for kinky bathroom sex.
He huffed and scooped me into his arms, carrying me back to the bedroom and dumping me on the mattress. The second I landed, he grabbed me by the ankles and dragged me to the edge.
This was much better— Hello!— back inside of me he went.
I had my fix of orgasms, so at this point, I just let him finish. I realized then that Hale had been incredibly thoughtful by not bothering me for sex over the past few weeks because this shit was exhausting.
“Rayne!” My eyes snapped open. “Are you falling asleep?”
“No,” I lied. “Sorry. Carry on.”
He groaned and pulled out.
“Where are you going? Are you upset?”
“No. Go to sleep.”
What man calmly accepted blue balls after delivering two mind-numbing orgasms? Hale, that’s who! If I hadn’t been so wiped out from the sex I’d probably cry again, because I did not deserve his level of understanding.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled, rolling to my side and shutting my eyes. He kissed my head and tucked me under the covers.
“You’re fine. Get some sleep.” A minute later the shower turned on and I imagined him finishing himself.
Poor guy.