Chapter 10
“Hey! Calm down.” Harry stepped behind her automatically to stop the dog from pushing her to the floor in his enthusiasm and obvious pleasure to see her again.
“He is fine. Hi Shep.” She doubled his delight by going for his weak spot, rubbing behind the floppy ears, sending him into a fit of pleasure that had him planting his front paws squarely onto her chest. “I missed you too.”
“Cut that out!” Harry ordered as Shep reared up to slobber all over her face. The dog dropped down immediately, reacting to the authoritative voice. “Go lie down somewhere.”
They watched the dog slinked away, a mournful look on his face.
“He was just happy to see me.”
“I don’t want him pushing you down. Speaking of which…,” before she could respond, he lifted her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.
“I’m not an invalid.” She protested.
He merely arched his thick brows and dumped her against the pillows. The linen was fresh and clean and smelled like lemons. “You were trying to protect me.” Sitting on the edge of the bed, he combed the hairs off her face. “There’s no need.”
“I don’t know what you’re referring to.”
“Uhm, hmm. How about some tea?”
“I’m all tea-ed out.”
“Is that even a word?”
“It should be. What are you going to do now?”
“ See to Shep. Take him for a walk and try to make up for the fact that I neglected him for almost two days.”
“And what am I supposed to do while you’re gone?”
His brows lifted higher and reaching for the remote, he handed it to her. “I am sure you can find something to occupy yourself. I’m told we have over a thousand channels available for viewing pleasure. Not that I would know.”
“Because you being the jock you are, only watch the sports and news channels.”
“Precisely.” His eyes laughed at her. Bending, he kissed her forehead, dancing when she would have wrapped her hands around his neck. “You need to rest. I cannot quite get the sight of you curled on the ground out of my head.”
“Bobby…”
“Uh nah,” he wagged a finger at her as he eased away, “get some rest, Janelle. I mean it.”
“I am fully rested,” she pouted.
Leaning down, he pressed a hard kiss on her lips. “Rest some more.”
Slumping back against the pillows, she watched him stride out of the room. Huffing out a breath, she picked up the remote. Deciding to delay looking for something to watch, she reached for her phone and placed a call to Michael.
“You’re an interfering man.”
“Is that any way to greet your best friend?” He asked….
“You cornered Harry in his own home?” She chuckled at the image. “I would love to have seen the look on his face when you called him a coward.”
“He told you that, then?”
“He did.”
“Well, someone had to!” He sniffed. “I was quaking in my six hundred dollars Italian leather boots. I almost peed myself when he started stalking me. But I stood my ground because I was determined to get through to him and have my say. He came to see you then?”
“Yes.”
“No wonder I was unable to get through to you. David was calling too.”
“Oh crap, David.” She closed her eyes briefly. “I have moved in with Harry.”
“Ah. Is he going to stick?”
“He’s trying.”
“Which means maybe…” Michael gave a frustrated sigh. “Darling you need constancy.”
“And he is trying. You don’t understand the hell he’s been through.”
“That’s the past and he has the present right in front of him. He has to try and put it behind him.”
“That’s not going to be easy. He loves me.”
“I have no doubt he does. But he’s commitment shy. And you need those babies to have a daddy who is going to be there.” He sighed. “But you love him to pieces and he’s the one.”
“That’s right.” She sighed too. “I have to be patient. I called to say thanks.”
“Take as much time as you need. I am assigning your clients to Martha.”
“Absolutely not. I will be all right come Monday.”
“You need…”
“I need to work.”
“Well technically, since you’re knocked up by a multi-billionaire, you really do not need the money,” he pointed out.
“Michael…!”
“Okay, fine. But what is the billionaire going to say about you working?”
She had thought of that but preferred to put it behind her for now.
“I’ll talk to him.”
“All right, darling. Take care.”
Hanging up the phone, she sat back and stared at the darkened screen in front of her. Michael was right. Harry was commitment shy. But she was going to have to leave it up to him to take the necessary steps. Doing anything else was going to run the risk of driving him away, no matter how much he loved her.
*****
He gave Shep his head and followed as closely behind him as he could. Darkness had descended, the light of the moon filtering through the leaves of the trees lining the path.
He was aware that he was doing his duties as the owner of a dog who needed regular exercise. He was also delaying going back to the house. He was in fact trying to burn off the energy and more specifically, the desire churning inside him.
Christ Almighty! He thought viciously as he skidded to a halt at the sparkling water of the pretty lake. What kind of animal would want to be with a woman who was suffering from ill effects of her pregnancy?
The passion, the lust inside him was burning him from the inside out. He was hard. His flesh was hot, and it felt as if he was suffering from a fever.
He had had to get away from her. Picking up a twig, he obliged Shep by tossing it a few feet away and automatically repeating it when he came charging back. Hopefully when he returned, she would be asleep. Perhaps, he should bunk in the next bedroom, but he wanted to be there in case she had an episode.
Was that what it’s called? He had no damn idea. He only knew he could not be far from her. He was going to have to suffer through his pain and passion, by lying next to her without touching. And she burrows. He smiled grimly. Her tight fanny would be up against his crotch before the night was over.
“Bloody hell.” He muttered. He was certainly not looking forward to the night.
A smile touched his lips as he recalled how she had jumped to his defense and the look in her eyes when he came into the salon. It was obvious they had been discussing him, but he had not wanted to know the subject and had not said anything to her.
Being inside his old suite had stirred up enough bad memories. Bad? He snickered at that. What a bloody understatement.
His mind drifted to the story his mother had told him. But only, it wasn’t a story, was it? It was real. His old man had taken grief to a whole new level.
He had taken it out on both of them, perhaps punishing his wife for loving his beloved brother. Why the hell had he even married her in the first place? How sick could he have been to marry his brother’s woman?
And he, Harry had paid the heavy price. The only Harry his old man ever loved was his twin. Christ! The entire thing was too bizarre and completely sick and utterly sad.
The shadow of his uncle had stood there inside the house for too many years to count. He stirred from the memories to see Shep staring up at him as if wondering what was happening.
“Just woolgathering.” He lifted his head at the sound of the wind whistling through the leaves.
“Figure she’s asleep by now?”
The dog let out a whimper as if he knew what was happening.
“I sure hope so. Okay, one more round with the stick and then it’s time to go. I’m freezing my ass off.”
She was asleep. Curled up on her side, her hands cradling her cheek. He had settled Shep for the night and lingered in the kitchen, fixing himself a half a glass of whiskey before venturing into the bedroom.
Standing next to the bed, he let his eyes roam over her face and felt the hard kick of desire nudging at him. It was going to be hell for him to go to sleep lying next to her.
But he was bloody well going to try. Sitting on the sofa, he tugged off his boots and rose to take off his clothes. Playing it safe, he went to the closet and took out a pair of sweats to cover his nakedness. Hopefully, this would serve as some sort of protection. He had his doubts, but one could always hope.
*****
He woke up the next morning, violently aroused. At first he thought it was the most erotic dream he ever had and was loath to wake up and discover that it was just that – a dream. Fingers were moving over his balls, slowly, drifting up to the incredibly hard length of him.
His eyes flickered open and he was so disoriented that he had no idea where he was, until those clever fingers circled the reddened tip of him with tormenting slowness designed to drive him crazy.
“Jan- Christ Almighty!” His head burrowed into the pillows, and he had to clench his teeth to stop from crying out. And that was before she took him deep into her mouth.
He started chanting. His fingers gripped the quilt to try and anchor himself. The top of his head was bursting and about to blow. He could not think. Everything had faded leaving sensations, feelings- passion flooded him like a raging storm.
His hips lifted and rotated and the sound of his heart pounding inside his chest was so loud, it drowned out everything else. He had to stop her. He was about to explode, and he had to stop her. His limbs were not cooperating. He was weak, his body one big mass of emotions that poured through him like lava.
Letting go of the quilt; he somehow found the strength to push himself up. Having done that, he clamped his hands on her shoulders and hauled her up. But he was not in control. With a determined look on her beautiful face, she pushed him back and straddled him.
Emotions collided, his eyes went dark and then blind as she covered his body and sheathed him completely. He went still, his heart beating so hard, his blood so hot, he felt as if he was boiling from the inside. He had been with many women – too many to count and sex had been an escape – one he had always been in control of.
His heart had been carefully shielded, with only his body involved. But never in his entire life had he ever felt like this. His breath was lodged somewhere inside his throat and reasonable thinking had fled.
His cock was so hard, he would not be surprised if the slightest movement from either of them would not break it clean in two. She made the first move, and it was so unexpected, he was driven further into insanity.
Cupping her left breast, she offered it to him. In a daze, he hauled himself up and took it, clamping the rigid flesh between his teeth. His control broke just then, and he started suckling like a man who had been denied a meal for months. He was going to hurt her, bloody hell! If he wasn’t going to.
He moved inside her when he transferred to the next nipple and by that time, they were both so carried away that they could feel nothing else. Think of nothing else. Sensations rocked them, spinning them off their axis, pitching them in its fury. Her nails bit into his shoulders, his back and dragged at his hair.
Harry tried to hold onto the sliver of reasoning. The voice inside his head was telling him to take it easy, reminding him that he had only just found her on the floor, as sick as a dog, but the passion was too strong.
The desire too dark. She had unleashed something inside him that he could not put back into the box or wherever the hell it had escaped from.
He wanted to devour, swallow her whole, he drove into her with the need to touch her very soul, to possess her, empty himself of the horror of his past. To make her his – she was his – she belonged to him, and he wanted her to acknowledge it. To own it.
Dragging his mouth from her sore nipple, he lifted his head, one hand clamping around her neck, his thumb pressing against the hollow there. His expression was fierce with passion, his eyes blazing with it.
“You belong to me.” His voice was thick.
“Yes.” She whispered huskily.
“Say it. Say the words. I need to hear them.” The madness was increasing, and he felt the climax building in their bodies.
“I belong to you!” It ended on a cry as her body bucked and shivered.
With a grunt, he reached between them. It took one touch of his fingers on her sensitive nubbin, and she was flying, crying out his name.
“Again.” He was ruthless and before she could recover, she was climaxing, the violence of it punching through her body like a tidal wave. It was only then he was satisfied to let go and when he did, he could not stop.
The climax punched through his body, taking everything, leaving him weak and shuddering as he watered her womb. Seizing her lips, he swallowed her cry or was it his – he could not be certain. All he knew was that he was completely shattered and over the edge and she was the cause of it.
Dropping back against the pillows, he brought her with him, his arms wrapped securely around her trembling body. His heart was still racing, and he was coated with sweat.
“I think I just died.” She whispered against the moist hairs on his chest. His chuckle warmed her heart and had her smiling. “I don’t think I can feel my anatomy – it’s gone to sleep. I cannot move my legs.”
“Want me to move?”
“Don’t you dare.” When she lifted her face to his, he stared at her and felt a quiver running through him. “Want to tell me what got into you?”
“Are you complaining?”
“No.” Lifting a hand, he brushed back her tangled curls. “Just need to know the source so that I can utilize it again in the near future.”
“I was horny.”
He laughed at the simple explanation. “I see.”
“No.” She grinned. “Not just horny. Super and intensely so. Since yesterday and when you were determined not to touch me, I decided to take matters into my own hands.”
His fingers caressed her cheek. “I made an excuse to take Shep out because of my raging desire. I did not want to hurt you. I prayed that you would be asleep when I came back and when you were, I crept in bed.”
“You could have slept in the other room.” She was intensely pleased at his confession.
“No. I did not want to leave you alone. I spent an hour turning and twisting with a hard on that would not go down.”
“You did nothing about it, so I decided to.”
He kissed the impish smile off her lips and let it lingered. She tasted musky and so bloody sweet, he had to prolong the kiss. Tearing his mouth from hers, he pressed his forehead on hers and took a breath.
“I think we should slow down.”
“Why?”
Lifting his head, he stared at her and smiled wryly. “Because if we don’t, we will end up killing each other. Not to mention the fact that you’re carrying twins. And it has me worried as hell when I think about you carrying that much weight inside you.”
“Why, darling, are you saying I’m fat?”
His expression remained sober. “I’m serious.” He pushed the hairs from her face. “I cannot get the image of you lying on the floor out of my head.”
“I am fine. It was just an episode.”
“One that’s bloody disturbing.” He waited a beat before continuing. “That’s why I think it’s best if you stopped working.”
Because she had been expecting it, she was not surprised.
“No.”
His eyes glittered at her succinct response.
“And before you hop on your arrogant and highhanded horse, I will tell you right now that I intend to play my part. You are not footing all the bills. I am going to have a say in the finances. You might have more money than…” She blew out a breath as it suddenly occurred to her how much he was worth.
She had always seen him as her Bobby. But he was Harry McGibbon, heir to a damn fortune. And her babies were probably going to have bodyguards. As soon as it reached the press that she was carrying the heir to that fortune, she was not going to have a moment’s peace.
“Janelle?”
He was staring at her curiously.
“You have a lot of money,” she said slowly.
“I do, yes.”
“It’s going to be a problem.”
His brows lifted. “I would have thought that not having money is a problem.”
“You’re not an ordinary guy.” A frown touched her brow as she continued to stare at him.
“I would like to think I am.”
“No.” She shook her head. “I’m just realizing what this means.”
“What does it mean?”
“I will be bombarded by the press.” She closed her eyes briefly. “I’m carrying not one, but two babies for you.”
“Yes.” He saw the genuine concern on her beautiful face. “What’s your worry?”
“My life is going to change.”
“It already has.” He pointed out.
“It’s going to change drastically.”
“What are you saying?”
“I don’t know. I was so caught up with the news that I am having twins and then worrying about telling you, that I didn’t…, just didn’t think about it.”
“And now?”
“And now I am.” She gazed at him, feeling the clutch of her heart at the gorgeous face. He might behave as if he was not a man of extreme means, but he was. He had money and looks. Staggeringly good looks. Yes, he loved her, and she had no doubt he did, but was she going to be enough for him?
Would he wonder one day further down the road that he could have done better? What does a man like him sees in her? She knew that he had been with many women, he had not denied it and that was troubling to her. Yes, the lovemaking was combustible, but how long would it last?
“Janelle? You’re officially scaring me.”
She tried to smile but could not quite pull it off.
“In perhaps a month from now, I will be huge. It is a fact. The doctor told me that I was going to be putting on weight to accommodate the fact that I am carrying two babies.
And I keep telling myself that I do not mind one bit. I am happy to carry the weight. My legs are going to be swollen, I’m going to go through so many changes – already going through them.”
She dropped her eyes to his impressive chest and toyed with the hairs spread over his tanned skin. “I probably won’t want to have sex. I will have gas, and I am peeing a lot. So much so that I’m tempted to go without underwear.” She lifted her eyes to see him watching her closely and wished she could read his expression.
“I don’t tolerate cheating.” She took a shaky breath. “If for some reason you get turned off and want to – to be with someone else. I would like to know. No.” She shook her head. “It would kill me to know. So, please don’t tell me, I could not stand it. Just…”
She bit her lip, and he had to struggle not to grin at the look of fierce concentration on her beautiful face. “Just – God! Just don’t, okay? If I’m not in the mood and you don’t find me the least bit attractive, just turn the lights off and I’ll try and accommodate you. Just please don’t cheat on me. I could not stand it if you were with another woman.”
“Are you finished?” He asked her mildly.
“Yes,” she nodded, “what do you have to say?”
Pushing her back gently, he covered her body with his, “let me show you how desirable I find you. I promise you that I will keep my libido in check. Even when you are disgustingly fat.” He whispered against her lips, laughing when her teeth sank into his bottom lip.