“Nick, Beth, can you give us a few minutes please?” Gray asked.

She knew it would be childish to object as her sister and Nick walked to the other side of the garage as Gray asked. He looked down at her without touching her and Suzy noticed how tired he looked. There were lines of fatigue around his eyes that weren’t usually there and his shoulders were bent as if he were carrying the weight of the world on them.

“Baby, what’re you doing?”

Sometimes she hated being a girl because she was helpless to stop the moisture gathering in the corner of her eyes. “I don’t know, Gray. I just need to get away for a few days. I need to go back home where I can…breathe again.”

He leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes as he searched for his next words. “I’m so sorry about this mess. I still don’t believe that this baby is mine. I don’t trust Reva to even give me her full name without lying about some part of it.”

Suzy let her crutches fall back into the van as she put her arms around him and just held on. Her emotions were in complete turmoil, but she knew that he needed her right now as he never had before. Gray was a strong man, but he was floundering. Something like this was probably enough to knock the feet out from under even the strongest man.

“Gray, I love you.” As his head jerked up to look at her with wonder, she continued, “It’s because of that love that I have to leave now. If I stay here with you, you will be worried about me and unable to figure out what you need to do about Reva. I don’t know if that’s your baby she’s carrying or not, but I know you need to decide what you’re going to do.”

“Suzanna, you have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear you say those three words. I promise you that we will be ok. When this baby is born there will be a paternity test and if it does turn out to be mine, then I’ll support him or her financially, as well as be a father. I won’t be marrying Reva nor will she be living with me. It would not be fair to a child to live in such an environment. I just have a gut feeling that something isn’t right with this whole thing and I need to find out what it is.

Suzy had to wonder if it was a gut feeling he was really having or wishful thinking. The Reva that he’d described seemed very different from the emotional woman she’d met in the bar tonight.

Looking very vulnerable, he said, “I just need to know you will be here. I know that I’m asking a lot, but you’re my life and I can’t lose you now.”

Suzy tenderly caressed the face of the man she loved so much and was helpless to deny him the reassurance that he so desperately needed at this moment. “I’m just going home, Gray, I’ll be there when you finish here.” She could feel the relief rolling off of Gray in waves.

“Thank God. If you must go, please go to our house.” As she started to protest, he silenced her with a finger on her lips. “I bought that house for us; it is your home. I’ll be home in a few days and I don’t want to worry about you trying to navigate any stairs while I’m away.”

Suzy couldn’t find the strength to argue over this request. Gray’s lips took hers in a kiss so sweet and full of love that she felt her heart melt. At that moment, she didn’t think it was possible to love another as much as she loved him. She only hoped her heart would survive the fall-out if something happened.

Nick and Beth walked back up to them and Suzy was surprised when Gray told them what had happened with Reva. Nick swore violently, his face flushed with anger. “Gray, man, I know you aren’t going to just take her word for it. The woman is a nut and if she’s gotten herself pregnant, there is no way it’s yours. For one, I know you wouldn’t be that careless and she sure wouldn’t have kept that a secret this whole time. She’s ringing all of our damn phones off the hook daily for months and doesn’t say a word? She’d have taken out a banner ad right after she found out if that were true.”

Beth had moved close to her sister since recovering from the shock of Gray’s words. While he and Nick continued to discuss what was going on, Beth looked at her with a mixture of anger and sympathy. “Sis, how are you holding up?”

Suzy gave her sister a weak smile. “It is what it is, there is nowhere else to go but forward.”

“Is it very wrong of me to want to kick a pregnant woman’s ass?” Beth asked.

Unable to control her laughter, Suzy looked at her sister and held her fingers apart. “A little bit, but thanks for the thought.”

The men finally wrapped up their conversation and Gray pulled her close for one last bittersweet kiss. “I’ll call you tonight. I love you, baby.”

Suzy felt shy about saying the words in front of an audience, but she knew that Gray needed to hear them. “I love you too. Try to get some rest today.”

The breath left her body as he picked her up in his arms and deposited her into the seat. “I’m not taking the chance on you hurting yourself trying to get into my brother’s mini-van.” With a smirk, he looked over at Nick. “Nice wheels, bro.”

Nick’s simple reply of, “Piss off” had them all laughing.

Suzy’s heart broke as they drove away, and she looked back at Gray one last time and saw him standing there in the parking garage looking like the last man on a sinking ship. Was leaving him the right thing to do? Like him she had to go with her gut and that told her that he needed to be alone right now even if being in his arms was what she needed more than anything.

~~~

What a big freaking mess. There goes the woman I love who actually loves me back and here I stand in complete hell. Was it even possible to make a bigger mess than I have? My father always told us that our dick could lead us to our destruction if we didn’t watch ourselves. Well, no shit, Dad, no shit.

Gray stepped off the elevator and into his home. He walked into the bedroom not really knowing what he was seeking until he looked down at the bed still rumpled from Suzy’s earlier nap. As he collapsed onto it, her scent wrapped around him and he felt the first bit of peace that he’d felt since he’d held her in his arms earlier after they had made love.

He relived his conversation earlier with Reva. Gone was the conniving confident Reva and in her place was a clingy, needy, emotional basket-case. It had gotten to the point that he was actually starting to feel sorry for her before he’d left. Was this yet another act on her part or genuine? There was no denying she was pregnant, but was the child his? As he’d thought, and of course as Nick had pointed out, why would she have waited this long? He was the one who had contacted her to meet tonight, so was she ever planning to tell him? Sure, she still called constantly, but even she’d admitted that she hadn’t left a message concerning the pregnancy. Why would someone stalk him for months and not use the one weapon guaranteed to get his attention?

Nothing about the whole thing made sense. He was very good at reading people and he was certain that her emotional distress earlier wasn’t an act. He was going to check around to people he knew in her circle and find out if she’d been seeing anyone else. If the child turned out to be his, then of course it would want for nothing. Reva, however, would never be any closer to him than she was now. He’d be polite, but she’d never be the woman in his life. That spot was Suzy’s alone.

Reva said that she hadn’t told anyone who the father of her baby was. That also seemed strange to him. He was surprised that her parents hadn’t already been on his doorstep demanding he do the right thing. From what he knew of them, he couldn’t imagine that they were thrilled that their daughter was pregnant with no man in sight. Something was off, but damned if he had the energy to figure it out right now.

He smiled as he thought of Suzy finally admitting that she loved him. God, how long had he waited to hear those words from her? There had never been a time when he’d needed to hear them more. He missed her now, but he knew she was right. He was being torn to pieces trying to shelter her feelings while trying to figure this mess out here. As long as he knew she’d be there when he came home, he could handle anything.

Chapter Eighteen

Suzy walked in the door of Gray’s beach home. Nick followed, carrying her bags through to the bedroom. Even though she’d argued with them, he and Beth were insistent on staying with her until Gray was back. Since she’d be returning to work tomorrow, she didn’t really think it mattered either way. At least they had put their differences behind them and didn’t argue as much. Nick still called Beth ‘princess,’ but she just shrugged it off.

They had stopped on the way home for dinner and she’d managed to eat enough of her food to keep the two mother hens off of her back. “Guys, I’m beat so I think I’m going to go straight to bed.”

Beth looked at her as if assessing her condition and asked, “Need any help, sis?”

Suzy gave her a smile knowing that she was worried about her. “I’m good; I’ll see you in the morning. You better get some sleep too; I heard the bitch is going to be back at work tomorrow.”

Nick’s laughter boomed out, following her into the bedroom. She’d always loved her sister, but since her injury, they were closer than they had ever been. Nick had also wormed his way into her heart and he’d turned into the brother she’d always dreamed of borrowing leather from.

She sat on the edge of the bed, fatigue pulling heavily at her. Just as she was trying to find the energy to shower, her cell phone rang. She saw Gray’s name on the caller ID and felt a thrill run through her body as she answered the call. “Hey, slick.”

With a chuckle, Gray said, “Hey baby. I miss you.”

Suddenly the fatigue in her body was replaced by a rush of heat at the husky tone of his voice. She tried to keep the conversation light to take his mind off of everything that had happened earlier. “I miss you too and that hot body. Ohhhh the things I’d do to it if you were here.”

“Oh God, don’t say that while I’m so far away. You can’t imagine what I’d do right now to taste your sweetness and to feel you clench tightly around me as I drive into your beautiful body.”

Suzy could feel her body catch fire as the erotic words flowed over her. Her nipples puckered and her body hummed, desperate for his possession. She tried to keep the need from her voice, protesting lightly, “Hey, no hitting out of bounds, slick, no one likes a tease.”

“Ah honey, you’ll soon see that though I love to tease you, I always follow through on my promises.”

For her own sanity, Suzy managed to keep the conversation away from sex, because if Gray mentioned anything remotely sexy again in that low voice, she’d probably come right there holding the phone. They both carefully avoided any mention of Reva and her pregnancy knowing neither of them could handle anything more tonight.

“I love you, I’ll call you tomorrow. Be careful going back to work. Make sure that either Beth or Nick drives you and helps you all the way to your office, ok?”

Rolling her eyes, Suzy said, “Yes, mother.” When Gray’s laughter subsided, she quietly added, “I love you too.”

~~~

Suzy moaned as fingers caressed her sex, rubbing leisurely back and forth across the sensitive nub. Another moan was torn from her throat as a hand at her breast tweaked her nipple then tugged the peak between insistent fingers. Dimly she was aware that it was still night outside and apparently she was in the throes of one hell of a dream. When she felt an erection push against the curve of her bottom, she started to stiffen; surely she wouldn’t be lying here thinking she was dreaming if she actually was. My God though, it seemed like hands were all over her body, she was burning with arousal and suddenly as a finger thrust into her heat, Suzy knew in a moment of panic that were way no way she was dreaming.

Just as she started to scream, Gray whispered in her ear, “I’ve got you, baby.”

“Gray? What’re you doing here?”

“Shhhh, don’t talk, just feel.”

Suzy was powerless to resist as the heat continued to build in her body. Gray gently lowered her fully onto her back and came up on his knees never removing his finger from inside of her. He added another finger and she moaned, helpless to control the shudders rippling through her body. “Oh God, Gray, that feels so good.”

“Let go baby, I want to feel you come.”

Gray applied pressure to her clit with his thumb and increased the thrusts of his fingers. Suzy felt her body beginning to clench as her orgasm started to crest.. He thrust harder, his fingers riding out the storm and wringing every last ounce of pleasure from her.

Suzy thought she’d black out. Stars exploded behind her lids as she tried to hold on. When Gray finally removed his fingers, she slumped back against the bed in delicious fatigue. She felt skin on skin contact as Gray lowered his body against hers, careful to keep his full weight off of her. She felt light kisses teasing her eyelids and trailing down her neck as Gray whispered in her ear, “No sleep yet, baby, I came all of this way to put my ball back in bounds.”