He lifted me onto the table and parted my legs then unzipped the back of my dress. The top had been secure enough that I didn’t need to wear a bra. With no further barriers to remove, my breast spilled out. He fastened his mouth over one of my tight nipples and sucked. It had been so long since I’d allowed him to touch me. I longed for it so much that I didn’t want this moment to end. I ran my fingers through his hair and inhaled his scent: fresh air, Irish Spring soap, and a faint hint of motor oil.
After paying special attention to each nipple, he trailed kisses up the side of my neck and to my earlobe. “I love you so much,” he said into my ear as his fingers slid my panties down my thighs. His mouth was on mine as he lined the head of his cock at my opening. I was already so wet and dripping with want that he was able to ease in with one smooth motion.
“God, Tayia. I wish you knew how good you felt. Never felt anything like it.”
I moaned as he pulled me to the edge of the table and rocked his hips back and forth. There were so many things I wanted to say. I wanted to tell him how much I loved him and how miserable I’d been without him. Instead, I let my body do the talking; it somehow felt safer that way. I was sure he knew how I felt; I didn’t need to say the words. I was also sure he knew why it was difficult for me to ever speak them again.
I ran my hand under his T-shirt and felt the muscles of his back as he thrust into me, allowing myself to enjoy the present and the way my body was on fire with his every touch. My breath quickened at the intense pleasure that was building every time his hardness stroked that spot—the one he knew so well. He pulled my legs higher around his waist as I tilted my hips in time with his movements. My moans grew louder as my breaths turned to tiny gasps.
“Blake, Blake. I’m gonna . . .”
“Yes, yes, baby. Come. Let me feel it. Show me what I do to you.”
“Ahh, oh God.” I threw my head back and cried out as my inner walls contracted and waves of pleasure consumed me. The feeling seemed to last forever as I pulled him tightly against me and my greedy pussy clamped down on him with raw need.
“Oh, fuck. Baby, I’m coming.” Then he roared as he spilled himself deep inside me, releasing every ounce of pent up desire we’d been withholding from each other for weeks. Our hearts beat rapidly in our chests as our tongues entwined. Neither of us wanted the moment to end. However, what we’d just done didn’t change anything. We were still divided, and until we came to an agreement, we could never be truly happy together.
Later that night, after I had showered and gotten into my bed—alone—I realized that was the first time he’d ever come inside of me.
Chapter Twenty
“Tayia Jones.” The nurse called my name as Brando and I sat in the waiting room of the OB/GYN office we’d found in Key City. I needed to confirm that I was pregnant and figure out what to do from there.
I closed the Parenting magazine I’d been mindlessly flipping through and tossed it on the table beside me but didn’t move.
“Tayia Jones?” the nurse called again as Brando nudged me. I didn't know who else to call.
“They’re calling you,” he whispered. “Here. She’s right here,” he called aloud and pointed to me. The nurse’s eyes settled on us and she gave me a warm smile.
“Right this way.” She gestured for me to enter through the door she was holding open. My legs felt wobbly as I forced myself to stand. I swayed on unsteady feet and Brando grabbed my hand.
“You okay, T?” His eyes were full of concern. I shook my head. He grabbed my hand more firmly and pulled me to where the nurse was waiting. “It’s all going to be fine,” he said in my ear. I desperately wanted to believe him.
Once the nurse had taken my weight, blood pressure, and had me provide a urine sample, she escorted us to a tiny room and instructed me to undress from the waist down and cover my lower half with a paper gown. Brando was visibly uncomfortable, so he stepped into the hallway. A short time later, I was sitting on the exam table, eyeing the stirrups warily and clutching the paper tightly around my waist. There was a light knock followed by Brando entering the room on the heels of a female doctor with a short salt and pepper pixie cut.
“Hello, Tayia. I’m Dr. Sonya Hillson.” She beamed while reaching out to shake my hand. Her palms felt incredibly soft and she smelled faintly of fabric softener. She stood no more than five foot and looked to be in her fifties judging by the crinkles at the corners of her brown eyes as she smiled.
Dr. Hillson sat at the portable computer desk against the wall and tapped a few keys while she spoke. “You came in suspecting you were pregnant and your results confirm your suspicions.” She winked. “Congratulations.” Brando and I exchanged glances, neither of us surprised by the outcome. I had already taken several tests, but it was helpful to have it officially confirmed.
Dr. Hillson’s gaze shifted knowingly to Brando, who was shuffling nervously in the corner behind her. “It’s okay if you want to have a seat, Dad.” Brando’s eyes grew to the size of saucers and he gulped a few times but didn’t correct her. Instead, he simply nodded and plunked down into the chair.
“Now,” she continued, “if you’ll lie back, we’ll see if we can get a couple of pictures of your peanut.”
Dr. Hillson prepared the sonogram machine. I lowered the paper so that she could have access to my stomach, but she explained that she wouldn’t be able to see the baby and that she would need to insert a piece of equipment inside my vagina to get a better picture. Mortified, I placed both feet in the stirrups and slid to the end of the table just as she instructed. Brando kept his eyes to the ceiling the entire time until the paper gown was back in place. The doctor reached over and lowered the lights just as splotches began to appear on the black screen. I couldn’t make out anything. Just grayish white lines, blobs that would appear then disappear. Dr. Hillson concentrated on the screen as she wiggled the wand around for several moments, and her face relaxed when she found what she was looking for.
“Ah.” She clicked something on the machine several times and tiny plus signs appeared in the screen as she zoomed in on an image. “There’s your
peanut, and that little blinking spot right there is the heart. A very strong heartbeat.”
All I could do was focus on the blob that actually did look a little like a peanut and the little pulsing movement of the heart. My cheeks grew warm, and my own heart began to beat in sync.
My baby.
Blake’s baby.
Our baby.
I felt a hand on the side of my cheek and realized that Brando was wiping away my tears.