Chapter Twenty-Five

Robyn called Alicia as soon as the morning checks were done and she was cleared for discharge. Alicia rushed over to the hospital, arriving just as Robyn signed the discharge paperwork.

 

“I’m not sure what I’m more concerned about,” Alicia said as she hovered near the bedside. “Avon’s dumb ass or your bed rested ass.”

 

Robyn snorted. Avon had stormed out almost four hours ago, and there was still no word from him. She’d called his phone twice, but decided to leave it at that. She wasn’t going to chase the man down. Especially if he was being as irrational as a middle school girl.

 

“The man can fend for himself. So I vote my bed rested ass.”

 

Alicia smiled at a nurse as she came in with a wheelchair to wheel Robyn out. “So he just bolted?”

 

“Like I had just confessed to murdering his dog,” Robyn said with a grunt as she pushed into the wheelchair. “I’ve never seen him so pissed.”

 

Alicia thanked the nurse and gathered Robyn’s things before pushing out of the room. On their way down the gleaming, quiet hallway, Robyn shook her head.

 

“It was our first fight, I guess. And now I see how he handles it. Totally childish.”

 

“Like most men,” Alicia mused out loud.

 

“Yeah. I guess I expected more from him.” Robyn bit on a thumbnail, contemplating the white tiles of the floor. “But maybe I was wrong.”

 

“You don’t think he’s gonna stay gone, do you?”

 

Robyn shook her head. “No. I think he’ll come around.” She swallowed hard, the whisper of doubt rearing up. “At least I hope so.”

 

Because if he didn’t, then her fears would have won. The voice inside her telling her from the beginning that Avon couldn’t possibly stick around. The voice telling her she was just living a fantasy, a lie.

 

Every part of her was hoping he would prove those voices wrong.

 

But what if he didn’t?

 

Back at the apartment, it was a quiet scene. It looked like Avon hadn’t come home… until she checked out the bedroom. Her heat sunk.

 

“Alicia, come here.” Robyn leaned against the doorframe, taking deep breaths to calm the upwelling of emotion. “He packed his shit.”

 

The dresser drawers hung open, and his side of the drawers was empty. The knapsack was missing from the closet as well. She swallowed a knot of despair, finding tears pricking at her eyes again.

 

“He can’t really be doing this,” she said, her voice shaking. “Not when I’m about to deliver. I have less than four weeks left until my due date.”

 

“Honey.” Alicia pulled her into her arms, rocking her gently back and forth. “Let’s not worry about any of that right now. He might have just taken some time to cool off. We don’t know what’s going through his head. Let’s just wait it out.”

 

Easier said than done. Robyn buried her face in her friend’s shoulder, letting out a sob. “But how could he do this to me?”

 

Alicia shushed her, leading her to the bed. “You should lay down. Bed rest, remember? Hey, you hungry? I’ll make lunch.”

 

Robyn sniffed, wiping the tears as she snuggled into her bed. Their bed. The one that Avon had shared equally with her. “Yeah, sure. That sounds fine.”

 

Alicia busied herself by pulling together lunch while Robyn stared listlessly at her phone. This whole situation wasn’t fair. Nothing made sense. And while the logical side of her whispered that Avon was just dealing poorly with grief, the rest of her feared that he’d left and meant it.

 

What if she never saw him again? What if he never met his baby?

 

The cycles of doubt and sadness plagued her all day, even as Alicia helped around the apartment and tried unsuccessfully to cheer her up.

 

When the front door opened at almost 9:00 p.m., every cell of Robyn’s body perked up. She heard Alicia’s voice from the kitchen.

 

“Well, look what the cat dragged in.”

 

Robyn covered her face with a pillow, not wanting anyone to see the spectrum of relief and sadness on her face. Avon’s boots clunked closer, toward the bedroom. She curled into a small ball facing away from the door.

 

Knock knock. His knuckles against the door frame.

 

“Sweets, can I come in?”

 

Happiness coursed through her, but she had to teach him a lesson. She frowned into her pillow. “Don’t call me that.”

 

Avon sighed. “Babe, I’m sorry.”

 

“I don’t care.”

 

His footsteps grew closer, and then she felt his weight at the edge of the bed. His warm hand slid over her hip, his familiar scent of leather and wood reaching her. It produced a calming effect that no amount of anger or rationalization could erase. “Can we talk?”

 

“I don’t want to.” It was a lie. She did want to talk. But she wanted to make him suffer first. “You didn’t want to talk earlier, I don’t want to talk now.”

 

Avon squeezed her hip. “Come on, sweets. I’m sorry. I was being an asshole. You were right.”

 

She softened at those words and turned slightly to face him. He must have known those words were the secret password to unlock any woman’s forgiveness. “Why’d you come back? I thought you packed your clothes and left.”

 

He worked his jaw back and forth. “I did. But I was hot. Not thinking straight.” He ran his thumb over his knuckles. “This whole situation with Matt has got me fucked up.”

 

She turned onto her back, propping an arm under her head. “Yeah, I know. And me too.” She gestured to her belly. “I mean, I’m on bed rest now from the stress. It’s not just you that’s been affected.”

 

“I know.” He brought her hand up to his lips, pressing a small kiss to her knuckles. “I forgot that for a little while today. I needed time to cool off.”

 

“Well, are you cooled now?”

 

He cracked a grin, dragging his lips over the back of her hand. “I am. I love you, Robyn.”

 

Any remaining vestiges of her resistance melted at the words. She sighed. “I love you too, you big oaf.”

 

He leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to her lips, which turned into a second… and then a third. When he pulled away, she could see the desire swirling in his eyes.

 

“I’m gonna tell Alicia to go home,” he whispered.

 

“Fine,” she said, “but remember – no sex until after the baby’s born.”

 

He paused, his mouth dropping open. “Fuck. That’s right.”

 

“Guess you’ll just have to be patient. Or pack your shit and leave again,” she cracked.

 

He frowned, bringing her hands to his lips again. “Trust me, that’s never happening again.”

 

Avon stood and headed back toward the living room where Alicia was. Robyn overheard their voices as he told Alicia everything was fine. She popped her head in a moment later.

 

“There we go, everything’s happy and nice again,” Alicia said.

 

Robyn laughed. “Or something.”

 

“I’m gonna head home, now that your big bad boyfriend is back.” Alicia flashed a grin. “Call me tomorrow, okay?”

 

Alicia blew a kiss and headed out. Avon filled the doorway a moment later.

 

“I’ve got to take care of my sweets on bed rest,” he murmured, toeing off his boots before coming over to the bed again.

 

“Unlike today, when you walked out on me,” she reminded him.

 

“How can I make it up to you?”

 

She tilted her head, thinking. “Foot massages. Daily.”

 

“Done.” He dragged his fingers over her forearm. “Anything else?”

 

“You cook dinner for the next week.”

 

“I was going to anyway – because of bed rest. What else?”

 

“Hmm.” She grinned up at him, dragging a finger under the hem of his T-shirt, tracing just above the line of his jeans. “I want dessert.”

 

His lips curled up at the corners. “Dessert?”

 

“Mm-hmm.” She tugged at his belt. Avon made quick work of the clasp and pushed his jeans off. His boxers were already tented, and she rubbed her palm over the bulge. “This is the most delicious thing I’ve seen.”

 

Avon laughed weakly, his eyes on her hand.

 

“It’s been so long, babe,” she murmured, fishing his cock out of his underwear. The cockhead was swollen and reaching. He sucked on his teeth as she traced her fingers around the bulging head. “And now that we can’t have sex, it’ll be even longer.”

 

“I know,” he said softly.

 

“But that doesn’t mean I can’t make you feel good,” she whispered, fisting his cock. She started jerking him, slowly at first, but then faster as she found the rhythm. Avon grunted, his lower belly tensing.

 

“That goes for you too,” he said, his voice coming out raw. “Doctors didn’t say orgasms weren’t allowed.”

 

She laughed, but it faded quickly. “This is my dessert, remember?”

 

“Whatever you say, sweets.”

 

“I want you to fuck my face.”

 

The words burst out of her. Surprise moved across his face. “Damn, babe. You know what you want.”

 

Avon was off the bed then, tugging off his T-shirt and pushing his boxers off. Totally naked, he climbed back onto the bed. She laid across the bed so he could straddle her face. She grinned up at the sight of his balls from below.

 

“Just like that,” she said, fisting his cock again. He sucked at his teeth again, his cock bobbing over her face. He dipped down, and she caught the tip between her lips.

 

“Ohhh, God.” His voice came out gravelly as she took the length of him in her mouth. He pushed himself in, then pulled out, her mouth making a pop noise.

 

“Just like that,” she said, grabbing his ass cheeks, guiding him back down. Her pussy tingled. This might have been a bad idea for how turned on it would make her; how desperate she would be to feel him inside her. But that was just one of the sacrifices of the pregnancy. “Give it to me, babe.”

 

Avon dipped down again, and she sought his cockhead with her lips and tongue. She pulled the length of him inside her mouth, and he groaned again, this time a fast, jerky rhythm emerging. She almost choked once when he dipped too deeply.

 

“Ohhh, Robyn,” Avon moaned out, jerking against her. “Your mouth feels so fucking good.”

 

She mumbled her reply from around his cock, but it came out muffled. Avon grunted, his pace picking up. She kept his lips wrapped around him, tongue swirling over the dip, loving the precum that oozed from the tip.

 

“I’m close,” he gasped out a moment later. He moved against her again, and then his whole body went rigid. A long, ragged moan escaped him, and suddenly her throat was coated with his seed. She fought to swallow it all as he unleashed round after round.

 

He sat back on his haunches after he’d come, his chest heaving. Robyn propped herself up on her elbows, swallowing the last of his cum.

 

“Mmmm,” she said, smacking her lips. She wiped the corner of her mouth. “Now that’s the dessert I was looking for.”