Chapter Ten

Blake

All eyes were on me as I barged through the office door.

“Out!” I commanded the moment I saw Hadley sitting there. Her focus jerked to Cat, as if to say ‘Help.’ “Now,” I growled. Cat gave Hadley an apologetic pat on the arm before scurrying for the door.

“Be nice,” Wayne whispered as he passed by me. The door clicked shut and we were alone.

Hadley stood up, as if planning to face off with me. Scanning her from head to toe, I thought about the fact that I would have never have known she was pregnant if she hadn’t shouted it to the entire neighborhood. That she’d kept it from me was unacceptable and I had to clench my jaw to keep from laying into her. As much as I wanted to, however, I knew that shouting at her wouldn’t give me the answers I was looking for.

“You’re pregnant?” I asked, still having a hard time believing it.

“I am,” she replied, barely above a whisper.

I stared at her stomach, as if trying to sense a baby inside. “How far along?”

“Almost four months.” Her shaky reply forced my attention from her trim waist up to her face, where I noticed her red-rimmed eyes and her quivering bottom lip. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, and the anger that had been burning inside of me slowly dissipated.

I took a deep breath before asking, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I wanted to...I tried to. I—”

“Really? When?” I cut in, because as far as I was concerned, she’d done just the opposite. Her eyes flashed with irritation, which only managed to stoke my anger back to life. “Let’s get one thing straight. I’m the one who’s been wronged here, not you.” Her face scrunched as she attempted to rein in her emotions, and I found myself wanting to smile, which was all kinds of stupid being that the situation was about seventy shades of fucked up.

“You’ve been...wronged?” she questioned on a huff. “If you recall, we sat at a table out there,” she pointed toward the bar, “and you told me that what happened between us just...happened. You then asked me not to tell Cat, because what would be the point? It didn’t mean anything. It just...happened, right? This was all before your girlfriend showed up and you both scurried to the office together. Excuse me if I wasn’t exactly jumping for joy to include you in my pregnancy plans after that, Blake.” Her words were infuriating and her reasoning ridiculous. She was glorious in her anger and at the same time so damn maddening, it wasn’t even funny. The desire to kiss her and shake the stupid from her overwhelmed me to the point that I actually took a step in her direction. Her brown eyes widened in surprise and she took a cautious step back.

“Let me enlighten you, Hadley, because someone sure as hell needs to. Did it ever occur to you that I was trying to make it easier on us both when I said those things? Clearly, you didn’t enjoy our night together, because if you had, you wouldn’t have taken off the next morning before the sun was even up. Three months later and not only are you back in Charlotte, but you’re now working for me. In order to prevent any awkwardness and without knowing anything about your situation, I addressed the issue as any professional placed in such a situation would do.” Again, I stepped forward and she stepped back. The knowledge that she was about to run out of space thrilled me to no end.

“Blake—” she stammered.

Ignoring her plea, I continued. “So you showed up in Charlotte with the intention of telling me you’re pregnant with my child, saw me with another woman, assumed she was my girlfriend, got pissed off, and what? Changed your mind? See, this is where it gets confusing. If the sex was so bad for you, then why do you care if I have a girlfriend or not?” Her breath hitched when I took another small step. All she had to do was step back and I would have her right where I wanted...trapped.

As predicted, she took a step back and gasped when her back hit the wall. Then, on an exhale, she exclaimed, “I didn’t say the sex was bad!”

Leaning my head down, I hovered my mouth over her ear and whispered, “Then why’d you leave?”

“Because,” she breathily replied.

“Because why?” I pushed.

“Because I’d never had a one-night stand before, and the one time I decide to go for it, I completely humiliated myself.” What the hell was she talking about?

Pulling back far enough to see her face, I asked, “How do you figure?” The sight of her tears made me want to wrap my arms around her. At the same time, they made me anxious. I was starting to feel that I was losing control of the situation.

While I was busy contemplating how to regain the upper hand, Hadley leaned slightly forward and dropped her forehead to my chest. In a voice barely above a whisper, she said, “The Spanish thing.”

“You’ve lost me,” I murmured as I gave into temptation and wrapped my arms around her. Pulling her in tight, I asked, “What Spanish thing?” Her back stiffened for a second before she melted into me. I hadn’t forgotten how good it felt to have this woman in my arms. I hadn’t forgotten one damn thing about her.

“You know, when I made you speak Spanish to me,” she mumbled against my chest. In order to keep from embarrassing her more, I bit back a laugh.

“Yeah, conquistador doesn’t really fit me. I see myself as more of an army general,” I teased. Her humor-filled snort reverberated through my chest and I couldn’t help but let the laughter fly. This...holding her in my arms...both of us laughing together...being here with her...felt right. Too right. For this reason alone, I released my hold and took a step back.

She inhaled and my eyes involuntarily dropped to her chest. I tried not to think about her perfect body or how damn good the sex had been between us. I tried but failed.

“Do you mind if I sit?” she asked. I did mind, but only because I preferred holding her in my arms.

“Sure. I’ll join you,” I offered.

Once we were seated, she asked, “So where do we go from here?” I thought about it for a moment. If she was carrying my child, which was something that still needed to be determined, then I wanted to be involved. To what degree, I wasn’t sure. We still had so much to figure out.

Misinterpreting my hesitation for disinterest, she said, “Look, if you don’t want to be involved, I understand. No, scratch that. I don’t understand, but I’ll just have to deal, won’t I?”

“Relax, Cujo. I was just thinking.” Her face scrunched with irritation. This time, I didn’t hold back my smile. “I have a question, but before I ask it, I want you to promise not to take it the wrong way.”

Her brow instantly furrowed. “How about you ask the question first. If I don’t take it the wrong way, then I’ll make you that promise,” she countered.

“Fair enough. Are you certain the baby’s mine?” Her eyes dropped to my groin.

“Well, being that you’re the only man I’ve slept with in the past year, I can, without a doubt, answer yes.”

“Will it offend you if I ask for proof of paternity?”

“You’d be crazy not to,” she replied without so much as a flinch, and I knew right then and there that she was telling the truth. “If it’s alright with you, I’ll call the doctor tomorrow and set up the test,” she offered.

“Just tell me when and where and I’ll be there,” I replied with a smile. See? I could play nice in the sandbox.

“Great, now it’s my turn to ask a question. Promise you won’t take it the wrong way?” she asked, her brown eyes dancing with humor.

“What works for the goose...” I replied.

“In your case, what works for the gander,” she teased.

I lifted my brow. “Your question?”

“Yes, well, in the week that I’ve been in Charlotte, I’ve seen you with two different women.” Her eyes dropped to my groin again, “I just want to make sure that you...uh...don’t have a problem...with that.” She nodded her head at my cock, which was starting to appreciate her attention. “Earlier today Cat tried to explain about alpha men and their libidos. In Alabama we call it ‘slutting around.’ No offense, but I’m kind of worried that your lifestyle is less than conducive to, let’s say, being able to properly parent a child.” Her eyes lingered for a second on my rising erection before shifting to my face. She chewed nervously on her bottom lip and waited for my response.

“Slutting around?” I asked with a half-laugh.

“Yes, that’s when a man can’t keep his willy in his pants,” she explained, as if I’d asked for the proper definition of the phrase. I opened my mouth to tell her where I wanted to put my willy, but at the last second reconsidered. It wasn’t what she said that bothered me as much as her thinking it at all. Clearly, she had a very low opinion of me.

“As I said before, Belinda and I aren’t together. What you witnessed this morning with Courtney was just a friendly kiss.” And cue the face scrunch.

“Your tongue was touching her tonsils, Blake.”

“I didn’t realize you were watching so closely.”

“I wasn’t,” she sputtered.

“I realize this isn’t exactly an ideal situation for either of us. What if we spend some time together. You know...get to know each other—for the baby’s sake, that is. Who knows, we might even become friends?” I suggested.

“I thought you didn’t need any more friends?” she countered. Damn, the woman was exhausting. There was nothing like having your own words thrown back in your face.

“Yes, well, since Zane and I are no longer friends, I have an opening. What do you say?” She let out a snort of laughter as I stood and held out my hand. Following suit, she stood. After a long pause, she placed her hand in mine. “To becoming friends,” I said.

“To becoming friends,” she repeated. The moment she uttered the words, I yanked her into my chest, cupped my hand on the back of her head, dropped my mouth to hers, and went in for the kill.

If I had anything to say about it, Hadley Jacobs and I were about to become very good friends.