The Sassy One

“That’s my point. So now it’s my turn. I want to help. I might not know much about raising kids or extended families, but I’m in security. I have access to some interesting databases. I’m sure I could find your brother.”



She drew back so she could stare at him. “You know how to do that?”



He grinned. “I’m the best.”



“And modest.” She considered the offer. “Let me check with my parents, before I tell you for sure, but I can’t imagine they wouldn’t want to get in touch with him. Now that he’s not a secret, he should be a part of the family.” She touched his cheek. “I don’t know how to thank you.”



He shrugged. “You don’t have to.” His tawny gaze locked with hers. “You know what? I think we’ve changed the rules.”



She swallowed. He couldn’t have guessed about her pregnancy, could he? “In what way?”



“Our uncomplicated, monogamous, sex-only relationship has evolved into a friendship.”



Oh. “I know.”



“You okay with that?”



“Yes.” Right up until he went ballistic when he found out about the baby.



“Me, too.” He leaned forward and brushed his mouth against hers. “More than okay.”



She felt the exact moment the tender kiss became passionate. Heat flared and his hug tightened slightly. Low in her belly, muscles tensed.



Despite the trauma, the questions, the knowledge that she was going to have to come clean, she couldn’t help responding to Sam’s closeness, his touch. There was a whisper of guilt, but she pushed it away with the promise that she would tell the truth in a few days. Just a few days of him still liking her, wanting her, and everything being the same between them.



“Francesca,” he breathed as he slid his hand down her back to her hip, then up to her breast. “Am I pushing you with this?”



His question filled her with warmth. Not the heat of passion but the comforting protection of tender concern.



Instead of answering directly, she covered his hand with hers and squeezed. His fingers closed around her breast.



“My bed is smaller than yours,” she murmured. “That means we’re going to have to be a lot closer. I hope you don’t mind.”



He sighed heavily, then pressed his mouth to her neck. “The sacrifices I make to satisfy you.”



“Every one of them is appreciated.”



He licked and kissed his way down to her collarbone. She arched her head back, giving him room, encouraging his attentions. At the same time he cupped her breasts and rubbed his thumbs against her sensitive, tight nipples.



The contact was exquisite. Fire roared through her, melting her from the inside out. Her panties were already damp, her body swollen. She wanted and needed with a fierceness that matched the first time they’d been together. Somehow she would have thought that intensity would fade some with time, but it hadn’t.



When he tugged at the hem of her T-shirt, she helped him. She was the one who unfastened her bra and pulled it off. Sam dipped his head and drew her sensitive nipples into his mouth.



The sensual tugging made her catch her breath. She clutched at his head.



“Don’t stop,” she gasped as her body clenched in pleasure.



Even as he continued to caress her breasts, he dropped his hands to her hips and urged her to straddle him. She moved over him, then settled her dampness against his thick erection.



Even through the layers of his clothing, she felt the pulsing need of his arousal. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. His rapid breathing told her, as did the urgency in his hands as he squeezed her and drew her closer. Suddenly he pulled away.



“Condom,” he gasped.



Her first thought was that they didn’t need to bother. Her second was there were other reasons to be protected. Her third was that she didn’t want to have that conversation right now.



Fortunately their decision to become lovers had propelled her to the drugstore, where she’d bought a box of protection. Just in case Sam ever visited.



“Get naked,” she said as she stood and hurried into her bedroom. She found the box in her nightstand and tore it open. Clutching a condom in her hand, she returned to the living room, where she found a very undressed Sam sprawled on her sofa.



She slowed as she took in the broad chest, flat belly, and impressive erection. Pausing only to slip out of her shorts and briefs, she tossed him the package, then waited until he had sheathed himself before straddling him again.



They resumed their positions, his mouth on her breast, her hands on his shoulders, his hands on her hips. But this time when she lowered herself, he slipped inside of her.



Her body shivered in pleasure, as the familiar stretching, tensing, filling brought her to the edge. That, combined with the gentle tugging of his mouth on her nipples, made her want to scream. It was too much and she never wanted any of it to stop.



“Oh, Sam,” she breathed as she raised and lowered herself. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tried to hang on to control. It would just be too embarrassing to come this quickly.



But she couldn’t stop herself. Everything felt too good.



The hands on her hips urged her to go faster and faster still. Friction increased, as did tension. And then she would have done anything, said anything, because when her body convulsed into perfect release she could only ride him, crying out his name until he stiffened and lost himself in his own orgasm.



The waves of pleasure slowed, receded, then faded. She leaned back, just as he looked at her. Neither of them smiled, neither of them spoke. The connection between them lingered, growing in the silence until she wanted to crawl inside of Sam and be as much a part of him as his heart or his blood.



She didn’t know what the feelings meant, and they scared the crap out of her. Still, when he rubbed his thumb against her mouth and asked if she would like to spend the day with him and Kelly, she could only nod mutely and hold him close.



Kelly sat in the front seat of the truck and glanced at Francesca from under her lashes. Francesca had been quiet all morning. While she always claimed not to be a morning person, she’d never been this out of it before.



“Are you, um, okay?” she asked at last.



Francesca glanced at her and offered a sad smile. “Sorry. I have a lot on my mind.”



Kelly thought about the angry conversation she’d overheard at the Fourth of July party nearly a week before.



“Is your family fighting?” She shifted uncomfortably. “I wasn’t trying to spy or anything, I just—” She sighed. “You know. We sort of heard.”



Francesca nodded. “I’m guessing everyone heard. Things got a little loud.” Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. “We’re okay now, but things were a little shaky for a couple of days.”



Kelly wanted to ask more, but knew it wasn’t polite. Normally being polite wasn’t a high priority, but she liked Francesca and was really trying.



“My folks started dating while they were still in high school,” Francesca said. “Neither set of parents approved.”



“Why?” Kelly asked. “Everybody in your family loves each other.”



“That’s what I thought. Apparently things were different before. Back then they faced a lot of disapproval. They refused to break up and started dating secretly. Then my mom got pregnant.”



Kelly caught her breath. “Wow. Her mom and dad must have been really mad.”



Francesca smiled. “I doubt they were happy. They ended up sending my mom away to a special place for pregnant girls. After she had her baby, he was given up for adoption. That was thirty years ago. We’ve been talking about the situation, and we’ve decided we’re going to try to find him and bring him back into the family. Your dad offered to help with that. Apparently security experts can also find people.”



Kelly was less impressed by her father’s abilities than what Francesca’s parents had done. “They gave their baby away?” She knew people did that sort of thing. Of course they did. But she’d never known anyone who was adopted or anyone who’d let their baby be taken away. The thought of it made her feel cold inside.



“From what my mom said, they didn’t have a choice. It’s sad for everyone.”



Kelly didn’t like to think about being abandoned. She wasn’t sure she’d ever spent one whole day feeling safe and wanted. Not with her mom and not now with her dad.



They pulled up in front of the ballet school. When Francesca turned into the parking lot, Kelly touched her arm. “You don’t have to stay. I’m going home with Cindy. Dad said it was okay.”



Francesca hesitated, then shrugged. “Okay. Have fun.”



“I will.”



Francesca watched Kelly as she headed for the side entrance. Despite being only twelve, the girl moved with a grace that made Francesca envious. When Kelly waved and disappeared into the building, Francesca backed out of the parking lot, then headed home.



Once there she flipped through her dissertation. Her mind raced with thoughts of her long-lost brother, the paper she should be working on, and her pregnancy. Nearly another week had passed. At some point she was going to have to come clean with Sam. And she would. Very soon. Just as soon as she figured out what to say.



She finally settled down to work about eleven. At three-thirty the phone rang.



“Hello?”



“Is Kelly with you?” Sam asked abruptly.



“No, she’s—”



He cut her off with a strangled growl. “If she’s not with you and she’s not home, where the hell is she?”



Francesca arrived at Sam’s place less than twenty minutes later. She walked into the house and found him pacing the length of the entryway.



“I haven’t heard from her,” he said, obviously furious and worried in equal measures. “Who is this Cindy person and why didn’t you get a phone number?”



Francesca wasn’t willing to take the fall on this one. “She said you had told her it was fine. I assumed you had.”



Sam had pulled off his suit jacket and tie and rolled up his sleeves. Even without all the trappings of success, he still looked powerful and angry.



“She told you I said it was okay and you believed her?” he asked, sounding incredulous. “We’re talking about a kid who thinks nothing of lying to get her own way.”



Francesca refused to be intimidated by his size or his temper. “When has she lied? To the best of my knowledge, Kelly is completely upfront about her wants and desires. Are you saying this morning she didn’t ask you about going to Cindy’s and you didn’t say it was all right?”



He opened his mouth, then closed it. Rage faded from his eyes.



She put her hands on her hips. Now it was her turn to glare. “What?”



He turned away and walked into the kitchen. “I was reading the paper this morning,” he mumbled.



She followed him. “So?” Then the pieces clicked into place. “Oh. You were reading and not listening. In fact, you can’t remember one thing your daughter may or may not have said. So for all you know she did tell you about going to Cindy’s. You might have even agreed.”



“Couldn’t you at least have gotten a phone number?” he asked, turning to face her.



“Couldn’t you have at least listened for thirty seconds?”



“I listened.”



“Obviously not. Kelly is your child and your responsibility.”



“You think I don’t know that?” he yelled. “I can’t take a breath without thinking about it. I didn’t ask for this responsibility, but I’m doing the best I can. Everything about my life is different, with no warning, no explanation.”



Francesca tried not to panic. Sam hadn’t actually come out and said he didn’t want his child, but he’d skated close to it. Close enough to make her press a protective hand over her stomach. This was not good.