Chapter 23
Claudia tossed and turned for hours. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get comfortable. She opened her eyes to the dimly lit bedroom. From the skylight above the bed she gazed up at the gray sky. A snowstorm was on the horizon.
Brody wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back to his chest. “Rough night?”
“Sorry,” she whispered. “Go back to sleep.”
“I have an early meeting.” He kissed her neck. “I have to get up soon anyway.”
“It’s getting harder to stay asleep. I’m really uncomfortable.”
“Just try to relax today. You only have a few more weeks.” When he snuggled against her his very prominent morning erection pressed against her backside. “Would you like me to make you a cup of tea?”
“Maybe later.” She reached back and ran her hand over his hard cock, eliciting a low groan from deep inside his chest.
“I thought you were uncomfortable.” He slipped his hand inside her panties. Pregnancy caused her to get over-heated during the night, so she’d taken to wearing a tank top and panties to bed. Brody didn’t complain. Most nights he slept naked, so morning sex was pretty convenient.
“I’m up now.”
“So am I.” He laughed softly against her hair. “In more ways than one.”
“I can help you with this.” She continued to stroke his erection.
“What should we do about it? You want to shower together?” He slipped his fingers inside her slick heat. “Or should I just do this?” He ran his skilled fingers along her folds, pressing his thumb against her clit with each pass.
“That works.” She moaned as she took his length in her hand, running her thumb along his tip and spreading his pre-cum over the head.
“Fuck, woman.” His warm breath caressed her ear, sending chills down her back. He pulled her leg up over his hip, spreading her wide for him. She continued to pump him in her hand as he worked his magic inside her.
Her nipples brushing against her tank top created the most satisfying sensation. A thin layer of sweat built as their skin swept against one another. Her insides were on fire as the heat continued to spread throughout her body. She gripped the sheets beneath her and allowed her climax to take over, never stopping her movement on his swollen cock.
The sounds of his grunts and short breaths let her know he was close, but she wanted to watch his gorgeous face when he came. She quickly turned around to face him, her belly safely snuggled between the two of them.
“Hi.” He smirked.
“Hmm…” She took his shaft in her hand and picked up where she’d left off.
He twisted his fingers in her hair and moved his hips in time with her wrist. When he tightened his grip on her hair, she knew he was seconds from exploding.
“Claudia…” He let out a low, feral moan just before released between her fingers and down her wrist. She held his softening length in her hand and waited for him to come back to her. Despite his labored breaths, he managed to open his eyes and place a kiss on the tip of her nose. She giggled at his tenderness.
“You should have done that a few hours ago.” He grabbed the sheet and wiped her hand.
“I think we did.” She laughed. “Before bed, remember?”
“I never forget being inside you.”
“You’re going to be late for your meeting. I’ll get your coffee.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to.” She smiled. “Do you have a long day?”
“Not really. Why?”
“I thought maybe you could come home early, and we could cuddle by the fire and have dinner by the Christmas tree.”
“Like we did this weekend?”
They had spent the entire weekend decorating the penthouse for Christmas. Claudia had never seen such a big tree before. She didn’t want to leave it, so Brody set up a carpet picnic on Saturday and Sunday night. They listened to holiday music and talked about next Christmas. They’d have a baby and a new house. They had much to look forward to.
“Can we?”
“Sure. I have a meeting across town and then I’ll come home early. They’re calling for a snowstorm, so I’ll probably let my staff go a few hours ahead of time too.”
“You’re a good boss.” She kissed him.
“Some would say I’m a tyrant.”
“You’re a control freak. There’s a difference.” She laughed. “But I love you.”
“Good to know.” He got out of bed. “Shower with me.”
“My belly gets in the way.”
His lips curled into the cutest smile. “I love your belly.”
“Another reason why I love you,” she said as she followed him to the master bathroom.
* * * *
Claudia stormed out of Brody’s private elevator and headed straight for Gavin’s office. She’d stayed quiet long enough. Today she would put an end to all of the back and forth. The games had to stop.
Brody hadn’t been gone ten minutes when there was a knock at the penthouse door from a messenger with a letter from Gavin’s attorney. It stated that as soon as the baby was born, they intended to file custody papers with the court. Why would Gavin do this? She didn’t need this today. She was already out of sorts and wanted to spend a low-key day alone preparing the nursery.
“Claudia?” Autumn said as she exited Brody’s office. “How are you?”
“Good.” She lied because she didn’t want Autumn to know about the mess she’d gotten herself into.
“You look great. You’re close now. Brody is so excited.” Autumn hugged her. “What are you doing here? Brody had a meeting. He isn’t here.”
“I know,” Claudia said. “I need to see Gavin.”
“He’s in his office.” Autumn pointed down the hall. “Don’t stay in the city too long. They’re calling for a snowstorm, and Brody would freak if he knew you were out driving in it.”
“He’s a little protective.” Claudia laughed. “But you’re right. I just have to tell Gavin something and then I’m on my way back to the penthouse.”
“Okay, take care.” She headed down the hall. “I’ll stop by this week. I want to see the nursery.”
“I look forward to it.” Claudia walked toward Gavin’s office. She hadn’t seen him in a couple of months, but this meeting was overdue. She should have confronted him and tried to work things out with him long before today.
“I wondered if you’d show up.” He didn’t look up from his computer screen. He must have heard her talking to Autumn in the hall. “Come in.”
She entered his office, shut the door behind her, and then tossed the papers on his desk. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because Brody has left me no choice.” He dropped his pen down on top of the papers in front of him.
“Sending me papers threatening action once my baby is born was your only solution?”
“It will get my big brother to listen.”
“Why can’t you leave us alone? Does Mona know what you’re doing?”
“I haven’t told her yet.” He leaned back in his chair.
“You just hoped that letter would piss Brody off enough to make you a partner? And then what, you could drop this whole thing? Pretend like it didn’t happen?”
Gavin stared at her for a few moments. His silence infuriated her because she knew that was his plan. He used her baby as a ploy and it turned her stomach.
“You’re sick.” She threw her hands in the air. “I’m not going to let you torment Brody over this. You have him under a tremendous amount of stress. How do you expect him to run a company when you continue to harass him?”
“We were doing just fine until you came along. You’ve created so much tension between us.”
“Me? Are you kidding? You didn’t want anything to do with me until Brody wanted me.”
He rolled his eyes. “Brody gets everything.”
“Is that what this is about? This isn’t a competition. This is my life, and I won’t allow you to use my baby in some screwed up attempt to take your misguided anger out on your brother. He doesn’t know about that letter. Get your lawyer to drop this and we can forget it.”
“All this to protect my brother?”
“I’d do anything for him.”
“Can he say the same for you?”
“Of course.” Brody would do anything for her. He’d proven that too many times to count.
“Really.” Gavin shot her his signature smirk.
The same smile that had made her drop her panties nine months before. She hated her stupidity when it came to him.
“Last week I told him I’d sign my rights away. Did he tell you that?”
Brody had never mentioned that, but there must have been a good reason he kept it from her.
“He didn’t agree to my terms. Don’t you think if he wanted your baby that badly, he’d be willing to give me what I wanted? Think about it.”
“I would never ask Brody to give into your blackmail. He knows that so you need drop all of this.”
“I don’t think so, sweetie, I’ll be going through with my request for joint custody. Mona loves babies, and if my child is going to call your boyfriend daddy then the kid will have two mommies.”
“No.” Claudia couldn’t believe he’d stoop this low.
“That’s a double standard.” He shook his finger at her.
“You won’t win.”
“I’m pretty sure I will. Don’t tempt me to go for full custody. I’ll drag Brody through the mud. I’ll tell the board he tried to steal my child. They’ll never let that kind of scandal rock Callahan Industries. This has always been a family company, but I don’t think they counted on our circumstances when they meant all in the family. Brody will be out.”
“I won’t let you hurt him.” A sharp pain hit her lower back. “I won’t let you take my baby either.”
“It’s my baby.”
There was no way she was going to let him stake some phony claim on her innocent, little one.
“You were right, the baby isn’t yours.” The pain radiated down her leg and her stomach felt tighter than usual. “I lied.”
Gavin laughed. “Nice try, but you’re a horrible liar. In case you didn’t read all the details in that letter, you’ll have to submit to a DNA test. You can’t win. I know the baby is mine.”
“Please, Gavin.” She hated being at his mercy but once Brody found out about his custody suit, Brody would sign away his company. He’d be left broken and miserable. “Stop this before it hurts all of us.”
“You set all of this in motion when you went after Brody. You should have walked away. You knew he was my brother. What were you thinking?”
“That he was the brother I should have been with from the beginning.” She placed her hand on her back, but the pain nearly took her breath away. “I should never have fallen for you and your lies.”
“You loved every second of it, and if I would have accepted you and this baby, you’d still be in my bed, but instead you found the next best thing.”
“I found someone much better. You will never be the man Brody is.” She gritted her teeth in an attempt to get through the sharp pain. “I don’t blame him for not making a classless man with no integrity a partner of his. You’re not fit to be his brother. You’re not fit to be a Callahan. Your father would be so ashamed of you.”
“Get out.” He got up from his chair and came around the desk. She’d never seen him so upset. “You were a slut when I found you and you’re nothing more than a hired whore. People laugh at my brother for knocking up the housekeeper. He could have any woman he wants, but he slums with you. I knew better than to take you and your kid.”
“Shut up!” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Ouch.”
“You better go home and tell your boyfriend to gear up for the battle of his life. When I’m done with you, everyone will know exactly what you are. No way will you raise a Callahan. I’ll make sure of that.”
“Just leave us alone.” She ran out of the office and back through the corridor to the elevator. Excruciating pain consumed her. It was as if someone punched her back from the inside. She needed to go home and lie down. She’d be okay once she was away from Gavin. She should have let Brody handle this.
She stepped onto the elevator and crouched down, trying to take the pressure off her back. Her body was engulfed in a cool sweat and she couldn’t stop trembling. Once she got home, she could take a hot shower and a nap. That was all she needed.
* * * *
Brody and John stepped through the main entrance of Callahan Industries. The snow overtook the city faster than the forecasters expected. Brody wanted to get back to the penthouse and spend a quiet evening at home in front of the fireplace with his beautiful girl. Her face lit up over the tree and he wanted to see her smile.
“John,” Brody said. “I just have to grab a file and then we can go. The roads are getting bad, and I don’t want you to drive home too late.”
“Hey,” Autumn said as they approached her desk. “I sent everyone home about an hour ago.”
“Thanks, but what are you still doing here?” Brody asked. “You want us to drop you?”
“No, I’m good. I just wanted to finish up a few things.” She grabbed her bag. “Do you need me for anything else?”
“Can you get Claudia on the phone for me before you go? I’ve called the house and her cell but she’s not answering.”
“Oh.” Autumn looked concerned. “When was the last time you heard from her?”
“This morning before I left for my meeting.” He didn’t like the vibe he picked up from his assistant. “Why?”
“She was here earlier, but I told her to go home before it started to come down too heavy.” Autumn glanced at her watch. “That was about an hour ago.”
“What was she doing here?” Brody pulled out his cell and dialed her again. “She knew I wasn’t going to be here.”
“She said she wanted to talk to Gavin.”
“Why?” Brody wasn’t pleased when he got Claudia’s voicemail. “No answer.”
“I’ll try the penthouse.” Autumn picked up the phone on her desk. “I’ll buzz her through when I get her.”
“Thanks,” Brody said as he walked down the hall. “John, I’ll be ready to leave in a few minutes.”
“I’m going to see if I can track her with that fancy navigation system you had installed in her SUV,” John said. “I can call the service.”
Brody stopped and stared at him. He knew what John was insinuating. He was going to make sure Claudia’s vehicle hadn’t been in an accident.
“Fine.” Brody nodded. “Just find her.”
Brody went straight to Gavin’s office, barging in without knocking. “Why did Claudia come to see you today?”
“Nice to see you too.” Gavin hung up the phone. “Don’t you knock?”
“What did you say to her?”
“She did most of the talking.” He stood from his desk, walked around, and then leaned against it. “She didn’t give you all the details?”
“I can’t get in touch with her. Did you do anything to upset her?”
“Maybe she came to her senses and realized having one brother’s baby while engaged to the other brother is bad manners.”
“What did you say to her?” Brody’s patience wore thin. He had a horrible feeling something was wrong with Claudia. She would never ignore his phone calls.
“I tried to act civil,” he said. “She came here spewing all kinds of shit at me.”
“Why would she do that?” It didn’t make sense that Claudia would come to the office. There was no reason for her to seek Gavin out. “What did she want?”
“To tell me she received a letter from my attorney.”
“What?”
“I informed her that once the baby is born I’ll petition the court for custody.”
“You son of a bitch.” Brody lunged at Gavin, grabbing him by his shirt and pushing him against the wall. “Why would you do that?”
“You know why.” Gavin shoved Brody off. “It’s the only way to get you to do what I want.”
“I’ll never do what you want.” Brody pushed him, knocking him into the desk. “You are despicable. What kind of man uses his child to get what he wants?”
“What kind of man tries to steal his brother’s baby? If she’s gone, good riddance. We don’t need her.”
Anger took over. Something snapped because before Brody even thought about what he was doing, his fist connected with Gavin’s eye and then his jaw. As soon as Gavin hit the floor, Brody dropped down next to him. As he drew his fist back for a final blow a strong hand grabbed his shoulder and then he was pulled up into a standing position.
“Stop it, boss,” John said as he yanked Brody to the door. “You don’t want to do that.”
“Brody?” Autumn knelt down next to Gavin. “What’s going on?”
“He’s crazy.” Gavin sat up and motioned toward Brody.
“I’m crazy? You’re tormenting a pregnant woman.”
John turned Brody to face him. “You need to calm down.”
“I have to go.” Everything happened at a fast pace. “You need to get me home. I have to find Claudia.”
“I found Claudia.” John tried to lead him out of the office but Brody refused to move.
“Where is she?” Brody’s instincts told him something wasn’t right. “Did you speak to her?”
“She’s on her way to the hospital.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“She was in an accident. Her car skid off the road.” John motioned for the hall. “We need to go now.”
“Is she okay?” A knot formed in the pit of his stomach. If anything happened to Claudia or the baby, he’d be lost. “She was supposed to be home, putting away baby clothes.”
Gavin stood and walked toward him. “Brody, I—”
“Don’t talk to me.” Brody held up his hand using every ounce of control inside him not to hit his brother again. “It’s your fault she was out in this weather in the first place.”
“Brody,” John said. “We have to go right now. Claudia is in labor.”