Chapter 23
Lara
“Pizza? Chinese?” I asked Mason, who was lounging on the couch in nothing but his boxers.
“I’m up for anything,” he said, stretching lazily.
I laughed. “I know. You’ve proven what you’re up for more than once today already.”
He reached down and cupped his dick through his underwear. “I think we have time for a quickie before dinner is served.”
The man had proven just how virile he was today. The morning had started with a hot round of slow sex, and throughout the day, there had been more.
“I should probably put some clothes on,” I mumbled, noticing I was wearing nothing but his T-shirt.
“No need for clothes,” he said, looking at me with those serious bedroom eyes.
“I’m hungry, and I don’t think I should answer the door like this.” I gestured head to toe, demonstrating my lack of clothing.
“Looks good to me.”
“Chinese or pizza?” I asked again.
“You get cranky when you’re hungry, don’t you?” he said, sitting up.
“Yes, I do. You get cranky when you lose at Scrabble.”
“Only ’cause you cheated.”
I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t cheat. You’re a sore loser.”
He walked to where I was standing and put his hands around my waist and kissed me. “Want to play another round? Higher stakes this time.”
“Maybe after we eat. If you don’t feed me, I am going to eat you.”
The words were out before I thought about what I was saying. His smoldering look told me he would very much like me to feast on him.
“Eat me. Please.”
“Food, mister. Food. You need to get some groceries before you invite me over again,”
“I will,” he replied instantly.
It was the first mention of the future. We had been careful and kept everything in the now. No talk about tomorrow, next week, or down the road. We were enjoying our time together without any pressure about the future.
“Pizza it is,” I said, grabbing my phone and quickly ordering a large pizza from a local place. “There. Now, you said you would watch that movie with me. Do you still want to?”
He kissed me again. “I will. Can I kiss you while we watch? Or maybe do a little something else while it’s on?”
I kissed him back. “You can do anything you want.”
His arms went to the hem of the T-shirt and he pulled it up. I lifted my arms and it fell to the ground. I leaned my head back, giving him unfettered access to my neck and chest. I had a bit of whisker burn on my body, but I didn’t mind a bit.
“I could feast on you all day,” he mumbled between kisses across my collarbone.
After a day of sex, more sex, and then even more sex, I no longer had any shyness about standing in front of him completely nude in the middle of the day. He knew my body better than I did. He was insatiable and I loved it.
He took me back into his bedroom and made love to me in a slow, delicious session that was all about me. He was a generous lover, always giving and not taking his own pleasure until he was sure I was completely satisfied.
The doorbell rang, stopping him mid-stroke into my body.
“Ignore it,” I mumbled.
I was close and could feel he was ready to explode. The pizza would wait.
Mason looked down at me and pushed in deeper, bringing me to my climax a split second before he collapsed on top of me with his own.
“I better go get that pizza,” he said, rolling off me.
“Hopefully the delivery person left it at the door. I don’t want to have to chase someone down. I will do it, naked and all,” I joked.
I watched as he pulled on his underwear and a pair of sweats and headed for the door. It wasn’t long before the aroma of fresh-baked pizza wafted throughout the large apartment.
I walked naked to the living room, slid on the shirt I had been wearing, and took the plate with two slices on it that Mason handed me.
“Thank you.”
We gobbled down our pizza in silence with my movie of choice, Pitch Perfect, playing on his massive television.
“Are these people really singers?” he asked around a mouthful of pizza.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess they are.”
Snuggled into his side on the couch, I watched the rest of the movie. I had never felt so content in my life. My head lay against his naked chest, listening the steady rhythm of his heart as he casually stroked my arm and occasionally dropped kisses on the top of my head. It was the most romantic date possible. I didn’t need a fancy restaurant and lots of flowers. I only needed him.
“I should probably get going,” I said once the movie was over. It was close to seven. We had spent the entire day doing absolutely nothing except loving on each other’s bodies. It had been glorious.
“Let me get dressed and I’ll take you.”
He delivered me to the front door of my building. I firmly told him he didn’t need to walk me to my apartment door. There was no point in him going through the trouble of parking.
“Bye,” I told him with a kiss before getting out of the car and heading inside.
There were no promises of seeing him tomorrow or him calling me. I didn’t need that, and I didn’t think he did either. I loved how easy it was to be with him. At least for now.
I needed to call Kali. I had ignored her all day. I pulled out my phone and called her while I walked to my mailbox. Grabbing the mail, I headed for the elevator.
“Finally,” she answered. “I was beginning to think he had turned you into a sex slave.”
I groaned. “Please tell me my brother isn’t there?”
The last thing I needed was Brian hearing about my sex life.
“No. He left a while ago. Unlike the two of you, we didn’t spend all day banging.”
I had to laugh since that was exactly how Mason and I had spent our day. “Don’t be jealous.”
“I am jealous. Does this mean you two are a thing now? An official item?”
“I don’t know. It’s weird. I like being with him and I know he likes being with me, but how’s he going to feel if and when I get pregnant with another man’s sperm?”
“Awkward. What if you get pregnant with his sperm? You have been having a lot of sex,” she pointed out.
I cleared my throat, a little uncomfortable with getting into the details, but I did it anyway. “Well, I wasn’t ovulating the first few times, and this weekend he used protection. I was inseminated before I went out of town.”
“What!” she screamed. “You never told me!”
“I didn’t want anyone to know. I don’t know if Mason knows. I mean, he probably does, but I asked the nurse to set me up with a different doctor last week.”
“Oh my god. You could be pregnant right now!”
I fought back the panic those words incited. “Possibly. I go in tomorrow for a pregnancy test. It’s early, but the doctor told me if it took, we would likely know.”
“Wow. I can’t believe you actually did it,” she said, amazement in her voice.
“I know. I am a little freaked out. I mean, I wanted it, but it blows my mind to think I could actually be pregnant.”
“I’m excited for you. How do you think he’s going to react?”
“I don’t know,” I said, fighting back the sob that threatened to escape.
Deep down, I had a strong feeling that it would be too much for our relationship. I could admit it was completely bonkers to get pregnant by another man when I had a perfectly willing donor who wanted to be a part of my life. I knew that, but the irrational side of me was too afraid to think about a future with him.
“I’ll be here for you no matter what. I can be a good baby daddy,” she joked.
“I’m sure you will make an excellent baby daddy.”
There was a long pause as we both mulled over the changes that would happen if it turned out I was pregnant.
“Is everything okay?” I asked softly, sensing she wanted to tell me something.
“Everything is great. I’m really happy for you and Mason. I hope things work out for the best. I can’t say I know him well, but I bet he will stick by your side if you let him. Don’t be so quick to push him away. He isn’t Mitchel. You got a bad egg with that one, but Mason seems to be a good guy.”
“Thanks, Kali. I hope you’re right. I’m going to get busy. I need to shower and get ready for tomorrow. I have a stack of mail to go through,” I said, dropping the mail on the kitchen table.
“See you tomorrow. I can’t wait to hear the news!”
I laughed and hung up, equally terrified and nervous. I wanted a baby so badly, but I also wanted a relationship with Mason. I had put myself in a horrible position. If only I had the ability to use a little patience. I had gotten it into my head that I wanted a baby and there was no distracting me.
Picking up the mail, I started to sort through it. There was an official letter from Mitchel’s lawyer’s office. My stomach dropped. Intuitively, I knew it wouldn’t be good news. I scanned the letter and felt the color drain from my face. I pulled out a dining chair and flopped down and reread it.
No!
I grabbed my phone and dialed the number for the attorney’s office. I knew no one was there, but I was going to leave a message.
“Hello. This is Lara McCall. I’m calling regarding a letter I received on behalf of your client, Mitchel Brown. I need to speak with someone ASAP on Monday morning. Please call my lawyer and myself to arrange it. Mr. Brown will have a very serious fight on his hands. I will not change my mind. The judge has signed off on this divorce and I will not be railroaded by you or by Mitchel!”
I slammed the phone down on the table, my hands shaking with anger. Mitchel wanted the condo. How dare he! He was pissed because of a little paint on the walls and now wanted to renegotiate our entire divorce settlement. He actually thought he could scare me off. The man obviously didn’t know me well at all.
I would fight and make him pay through the nose. I had been generous in the first settlement, but I wouldn’t be if he tried to drag me back to court. The man would be paying alimony. I knew his income exceeded mine. I had sat at home and played the doting, supportive wife for years while he climbed the corporate ladder. He owed me. I would make him pay for this.
Stomping down the hall, I stripped off the clothes I had worn last night. I needed a shower. Mitchel was a thorn in my side. Why couldn’t he just let me be happy? I hated that I had been so stupid and naïve all those years ago. I never should have married him. I had nothing to show for it except a condo, and now he was apparently going to try to take that from me too.
I crawled into bed, exhausted from the stress of everything, and hoped tomorrow would be better. Fate couldn’t be that much of a bitch that she would deny me a baby, could she?