Travis rocked the glider softly, looking over his kingdom with his woman snuggled up tight in his arms while she snoozed. Everything he held most dear was currently sleeping against his chest, and laying out beneath his feet. Life didn't get any better than this, he thought, smiling into the night. Looking down, he let his eyes glide over Harley's slumbering face. Dark long lashes quivered over glowing cheeks, her well kissed lips still holding a contented grin. She was abso-fucking-lutely breathtaking. The way her body molded perfectly to his, felt so soft and warm against his chest. He had fantasized making love to her out here, but he hadn't been prepared for how unbelievable it would truly be.
She'd been so giving...so uninhibited...it had been hot as hell. Closing his eyes, he remembered the silky way she clung to him, the way her voice had rose to the heavens when she moaned his name. If he listened hard enough, he could almost still hear it whispering on the breeze. His cock stirred to life, and he breathed in her sweet smell mixed with the scent of sex. He couldn't get enough of it...wouldn't get enough of it. He could spend the rest of his life inside her, and die a happy man.
He sighed. But, unfortunately, as wonderful as that sounded, all good things must come to an end. If he didn't get his naked ass off this glider, Addie would come home and shorten his life span. Exponentially. Burrowing his nose into Harley's hair, he nuzzled her gently before spreading light kisses across her forehead. She grumbled sleepily under her breath, her little brow folding into a tight frown as she wiggled closer.
Chuckling at her drowsy protests, he gave up trying to wake her, and lifted her off his lap. A tight groan hissed through his teeth as his cock slipped out of her wet warmth. With a little fancy finagling, he managed to situate her in his arms so he could stand, and carry her still warmly cocooned in the blanket. He didn't give two shits if someone spotted his naked butt hanging out in the wind, but he'd be damned if anyone else got the view he enjoyed when he looked at her gorgeous uncovered body.
Glancing down, he spotted their clothes strewn haphazardly across the porch. Obvious evidence of what they had been doing out here, but they would have to wait. He'd come back and remove any evidence before Addie got home after he tucked her back into bed. Carefully, he opened the door and carried her through the house. He almost got her in bed, when one lavender eye peeked up at him.
"What are you doing?" she mumbled, sleep making her voice soft and husky.
"Putting you to bed, sunshine."
Smothering a yawn, she frowned up at him. "Are you coming to bed with me?"
"No, I can't." He smiled at her pout. "Don't look at me like that you little temptress," he admonished with a chuckle, tapping her lightly on the tip of her cute nose. "Addie would have my hide if she caught us together."
She smiled up at him, one of those mega-watt smiles of hers that lit up the room, and always managed to make his pulse kick up like a Kentucky mule. "We wouldn't want anything to happen to that sexy hide of yours."
"I'm glad we can agree about that." Easing her back, he pulled the covers up to her chin. Covering her glorious naked body before he could get second thoughts. "I'll see you in the morning, sweetheart." Brushing her hair back, he placed a lingering kiss on her lips, but had to end it quick when she would have deepened it. "Hellcat," he murmured, grinning down at her mischievous smirk.
Clicking off the lamp beside the bed, he turned to leave. Which given the fact his dick was hard enough to pound nails, and sticking out like a divining rod, it wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do. In hindsight, he should have kept that fucking quilt and wrapped it around himself.
"Travis?"
His softly spoken name stopped him in his tracks. "Yes?" he kept his back to her, not wanting to turn around and give her a full frontal view of his erection.
"We...uh...we didn't use protection."
Her words pounded into his dense skull as if she had hurtled a brick at him. Shit! Tilting his head back, he cussed up to the heavens under his breath. Of all the stupid...he shook his head, scrubbing a palm across his face, wanting to slap himself silly. Glancing down, he noticed he no longer had to worry about turning around.
Slowly, he spun to face her. He could make out Harley sitting up, the covers clutched to her chest with one hand, while the other idly plucked at a loose thread. Her eyes refusing to meet his. Travis's shoulders sagged, and he walked back to the bed. Picking up the discarded quilt, he tossed it over his lap while he sat down on the edge of the mattress, and flicked on the light.
"Harley," he said gently. "Look at me."
Reluctantly, two very wide and worried bright eyes met with his.
"At the hospital, Dr. Archer asked if you might be pregnant, and I told him there might be a possibility you were." He blew out a breath, running an unsteady hand through his hair. "I meant to ask...but one thing lead to another, and...well...dammit. It's no excuse, I should have...I just..." Holy fuck! For an adult male who prided himself on his intelligence, he was bumbling through this like a nervous teenager who just found out the condom broke. He grimaced. Not like he had actually bothered to wear one of those.
"I'm not," she said quietly.
Travis's head snapped up. "What?" Had he heard her right?
"Well...I don't think I am. Not yet anyway."
He narrowed his eyes in confusion, trying to grasp what she was saying. "Yet?"
Now it was her turn to let out a shaky breath, and run her fingers through her silky locks. "I don't know. They drew blood, but it came back inconclusive." Her lower lip quivered, and she bit down on it. "I have to take another test when he removes the stitches. "But...but..." A large tear slipped down her cheek, and she ducked her head away from him as a sob broke from her lips.
The sound crushed him, piercing his heart. Quickly, he gathered her into his arms. "Don't cry, sunshine," he soothed, rocking her gently. "It's going to be okay. I promise." He gently nudged her chin up until he met her watery gaze. His heart lurched painfully in his chest at the sight. "Whether you are or aren't...nothing is going to change how much I love you." He cupped her face in his hands. "Do you hear me? It's always been you, and it will always be only you."
"You won't be upset if I am?" Those lily colored eyes searched his face in surprise.
"Good lord, woman. Is that what all these tears are about?" he asked, holding back a laugh of relief. When she nodded, he leaned in and kissed a salty droplet off her lips. "Harley, if you were pregnant, it would make me the happiest man on the planet." His hand fell lower against the quilt until it rested on her stomach, and an intense feeling of love and protection overtook him. "To think...my baby could be in here." Shaking his head, he fought back a few tears of his own. "There's no words I could use to describe for how pleased and proud I would be." Looking back up, he grinned at her trembling smile. "Besides, if I didn't want to have a baby with you, I would have worn a condom. I've never had sex without protection...until you. With you, none of that seemed to matter. Like I said before, this is it for me. You are all I want. You and whatever babies we are lucky to have together."
Her face turned serene as she gazed up at him. "Do you really mean that?" Her eyes glanced down to where his hand still lingered on her stomach, and she gently placed hers over his. "I know it's really soon...considering we haven't really known each other that long..." her voice trailed off, uncertainty clouding her face.
Travis stomach did an uncomfortable roll as a thread of fear wove through him. What if she didn't want a baby? He tried to push the thought out of his mind, telling himself he was being all sorts of ridiculous...but it refused to budge. Sucking a deep breath, he figured the only way to find out for sure would be to buck up, be a man and ask.
"It doesn't matter to me if we had been dating for two years or only two days." Removing his hand from her tummy, he reached up and brushed his knuckles across her damp cheeks. "Unplanned doesn't mean unwanted or unloved, sunshine. It just means life knew what we needed before we did." He swallowed hard, and tried to keep his anxiety from showing. "But, the more important question is how you feel about it. Are you okay with being pregnant with my baby?"
"Are you kidding, cowboy?" she said, her eyes popping wide and jumping to his face. "There's nothing I would want more in this world than to have a baby boy or girl with you."
The words came out in an exhilarated rush, filling him with relief. With a quick glance back down at her belly, she smiled that sunshine-goddess smile which had become the center of his whole fucking universe, and often had him wondering if he stared at it long enough, if it would be capable of turning him into a puddle of goo at her feet.
"Can you imagine having a little carbon copy of you running around? With those blue eyes and black hair? The Wolf Springs school system will probably sue us for all the hearts he's going to break," she teased with a soft giggle.
"As long as I get a little ray of sunshine who looks like her mommy, I'll take anything that comes our way."
"It's a deal," she answered with a yawn. "But be careful what you wish for, my dad said I could test the patience of a saint when I was little, and Bo still thinks I do."
Travis chuckled. "Sunshine, I wouldn't take you any other way." Leaning in, he placed a prolonged kiss on her forehead. When he pulled back, he stroked his hand against her belly, still slightly in awe a part of him may be tucked away inside. "For a moment there, you had me worried," he said softly.
"Oh?" Harley arched a brow slightly. "About what?"
"I thought you didn't want to...you know...be pregnant." He cringed as the words came out, hoping they didn't make him sound too pathetic. "Or that you thought..." he turned away and coughed to get the words to come out which suddenly seemed to get stuck in his throat. "I was too old." He could feel his ears burn, and for a man who claimed guys didn't blush, he knew he was doing a mighty fine job of it right about now.
Her mouth dropped open for a moment before she let out a bark of laughter, and then melted into a puddle of delighted peels of amusement.
"I'm glad you find my worries so humorous," Travis grumbled, frowning at her.
"I'm...I'm sorry," she hiccupped, still giggling. "It's just you were worried about me not wanting to have your baby, and I spent a lot of time worried you'd be upset I was...," her voice trailed off as she started to laugh again. "We're like one of those overdramatic couples in those romances I read!" she snorted between gasping for air. "We are a real pair, aren't we?"
Travis threw his head back and laughed. He couldn't help himself. For one thing, the tinkling sound of her mirth was contagious, and for the second, she was fucking right. He had twisted his nuts up in a wringer for nothing. "Darling, I would say we were a match made in heaven." Bending down, he intended to steal a chaste kiss from her lips, but it was obvious his little sex kitten had other things on her mind when she sank her fingers into his hair and kissed him for all she was worth.
"I love you," she breathed sincerely when she came up for air.
"I love you too, sunshine. I thank my lucky stars I decided to saddle up that day and found you dancing on the roof like some kind of sexy siren." Giving her a peck on the cheek, he pulled away and lifted her off his lap before she could haul him back in for another mind melting kiss. One more of those babies, and Addie be damned...he would never get out of this bed.
"I wouldn't trade that day for all the chocolate cream pie in the world."
"All the chocolate cream pie?" Travis cocked his head to the side as he drew the quilt up.
"Mmm...hmmm," she sighed, settling down against the pillows. "Travis Montgomery, you are the only man I would give up chocolate for."
****
Harley fidgeted on the paper covered exam table for the hundredth time, earning herself another displeased glare from Dr. Archer.
"If you do that one more time, I won't be responsible for where this needle lands," he growled at her, snatching the syringe away before he had a chance to administer the numbing agent. "You keep jumping like that, and I'm liable to stick this in your nose."
"I can't help it," Harley muttered. "I don't like needles." She eyed the one he held in his hand and shuddered.
"Then maybe you shouldn't go running into dangerous situations."
"Or ride motorcycles," Travis added, wincing slightly when she gave his hand a bone crushing squeeze.
"It's not very often I agree with Montgomery, but in this case...I will make an exception."
"There's nothing wrong with riding motorcycles," Harley snapped at the doctor. "I've been riding horses and bikes since before I could walk."
Travis's face crinkled into a disgusted scowl, and he shook his head sharply. "No woman of mine is going to be risking her neck on one of those chromed up death traps."
Harley's breath left her in a rush at the audacity of his statement, and her head whipped away from Dr. Archer's reach once more. "You need to remove those words out of your vocabulary right now, cowboy or you won't have to worry about having a woman," she hissed. "Nobody tells me what to do, got it? That includes you." They'd been having this same tedious argument since this morning when he spotted a text on her phone confirming the delivery of her new Harley. Needless to say, she was over discussing it anymore with him.
"The hell I can't!" Travis roared, standing up and pacing around the small exam room. "You could be pregnant with my baby, which gives me all the right in the world." He pointed a finger in Dr. Archer's direction. "The Doc here thinks the same thing."
"The only thing I'm thinking right now," Dr. Archer drawled, rolling the syringe lazily between his fingers, "is that I shouldn't waste this shot on your girlfriend's head. That, perhaps, it would be put to better use if I jammed it into your flapping lips so you don't continue to make yourself sound like a jackass."
Harley had to agree. In fact, she was pretty damn tempted to snag the shot away from him and cram it into Travis herself. Only the place she was thinking of putting the hypodermic needle was a lot more south from his lips.
"You just said..."
"What I said was I agreed motorcycles are dangerous, but even I, who has no particular skills when it comes to the opposite sex, knows better than to ever say the words no woman of mine." Dr. Archer glared up at Travis from his little rolling stool. "Let alone be stupid enough to utter them out loud in front of said woman."
"See?" Harley quipped, not able to stop from doing a little gloating at Travis's expense.
"And you, young lady." Dr. Archer spun on his stool to peg her with a hard, stern look. "Need to be more careful. Beings we are unsure if you are indeed pregnant or not, it may not be just your welfare you need to be concerned about anymore."
The smug grin gracing her face only a few seconds ago, disappeared in a flash as his words sunk in.
"Now, if the two of you are done wasting my time making me play referee instead of the doctor I went to school for, I would like to finish up here so I can go about my day helping people who aren't just this side of being crazy."
"You know, Doc? You are one frustrating guy," Travis grumbled.
"I'm not known for my upstanding bedside manner which is the reason I became a doctor and not a damn therapist."
Reaching up, he grabbed Harley's chin firmly, his green eyes boring into hers in a silent threat to keep still. Not wanting to have her eyeball poked out, she slammed her eyes shut and kept as motionless as possible as he jabbed the needle into her head around the stitches.
"There now? Was that so hard?" Dr. Archer muttered, tossing the used syringe into the bio-bin.
"No," Harley confessed on a grumble.
"Good, then you won't mind this one bit."
A cold swipe of something against her skin, had Harley opening her eyes, but before she could utter a peep, he stuck another needle into the crook of her arm and drew her blood.
"There. We'll send this to the lab and by the end of today, we will see if your motorcycle days are over." When Harley glowered at him, he rolled his eyes and added, "For at least the next nine months."
****
"Come on Janice! I'm starving, let's go already," Cyndi whined from her spot leaning against the lab door. She hated hospitals. They were depressing and smelled funny.
"Alright, just give me a second." Janice walked past her with a small tray with two vials of what looked like blood. "I just need to put these requests into the system, and then we can go. Are you feeling like Mexican food today? I could really use a cold margarita. Dennis has been an absolute ass today, and getting a drunk on is the only way I am going to get his annoying voice out of my head."
It didn't surprise Cyndi. If there was one thing Janice could be counted on, it was her desire to bitch nonstop about her boss. "Whatever," she sighed, shrugging her shoulder. "I just wanted to get out of the fucking house, it doesn't matter where we go." Strolling over to where her friend sat typing at the computer, she picked up one of the vials. Her eyes grew wide when she recognized the name. "What's this for?" she asked, shoving it under Janice's nose.
"Dammit, Cyndi! Put that down. If Dennis see's you in here touching shit, he's going to be all over my ass." Snatching the phial, she put it back in the tray.
"What's it for?"
"You know I can't tell you that."
"Why not?"
Janice let out a heavy sigh and rolled her eyes. "Patient confidentiality, duh."
Cyndi chewed nervously on her bottom lip. She needed to know why or for what that bitch was being tested for. If it was something bad, like say she had a nasty disease or something, she might be able to use that against her. Rumors could kill a relationship faster in this town than having an affair. Since Travis refused to fuck her, this could be her next best option to breaking them up.
"Come on," she coaxed. "Who am I going to tell?" She gave Janice an innocent smile.
Janice snorted. "Your sweet and innocent game isn't going to work on me. You forget I have been your best friend since the third grade. I know you, Cyndi, you will tell everyone in Wolf Springs and the tristate area."
"I promise, I won't. Cross my heart and everything." She made the motion over her chest. "Plus, you owe me one. Or did you forget I was the one who peed into your little cup so you could even get this job?" She crossed her arms over her chest, and glared down at her friend with one of her father's patented looks guaranteed to get results. "If it wasn't for me, you'd still be flipping burgers at that dumpy truck stop outside of town."
"I...I don't know..." Janice hesitated.
"It would be a shame if Dennis were to find out..." Cyndi let her voice drop off, knowing she didn't really need to finish her threat.
As she suspected would happen, Janice caved. "Fine, but this makes us even."
"Whatever." Cyndi waved her hand dismissively. "Just tell me what she's getting tested for."
"Swear it." Janice narrowed her squinty eyes up at her, setting her jaw stubbornly.
"Oh my God, you're such a pain in the ass. Fine, I swear. Happy?"
Janice nodded her head, and turned back to her computer. "It's for a pregnancy test."
"Pregnancy?" Cyndi gasped. "That little slut got pregnant already!" Cyndi couldn't believe her ears. A shiver of fear tripped up her spine, chasing her shock away. If her dad found out...she swallowed hard, not wanting to think what the consequences would mean for her.
"Shhhh...shut up!" Janice hissed under her breath, looking over her shoulder. "It's only a test. She may or may not be, we will have to wait and see what the med technician says." Reaching up, she gave Cyndi's arm a sympathetic pat. "But, if I were you, I would give up on Travis and move on already." She turned back to the computer screen. "Besides, he's old and nasty anyway."
"He's not nasty," Cyndi snapped.
"Maybe not, but he's still old." The phone rang in the lab, and she stood to answer it. "Stay here, and don't touch anything."
Cyndi watched Janice disappear around the corner to answer the phone. Once she was gone, she snatched up the vial with shaky fingers, her mind spinning a mile a minute. Janice didn't understand, she couldn't give Travis up. And now, if the stupid bitch was getting a pregnancy test, it could only mean one thing. Travis was the father. Her heart started thudding painfully in her chest. Knowing him the way she did, he would marry her before the ink on the test results could dry.
Fuck! She fought back tears burning behind her eyes. She had to stop this, but how? Her frantic gaze darted around the room, desperate for anything that could help her, but she didn't have a damn clue what half the crap in the room was for, let alone if it could help her or not.
For a moment, she was tempted to smash it on the floor. But that would only be a temporary fix, and wouldn't give her much time. Time. That's what she needed. Time to come up with a better plan. Her eyes moved to the other vial still in the tray. Picking it up, she saw it was for Mrs. Howell. Shit, she was surprised that old biddy was still alive. Just as she was about to put them both back, an idea formed in her mind.
Sneaking a quick peek over her shoulder, she quickly peeled off the names on the tubes and swapped them.
"Congratulations, Mrs. Howell, you're now pregnant and that stupid bitch has diabetes," she muttered under her breath, carefully slipping both glass vials back into the tray.
"What?" Janice asked as she walked up.
"I...ah...was wondering when we are going to eat," Cyndi said, placing herself in front of the desk, blocking the evidence of what she'd done. "Mexican food sounds fantastic. I wouldn't mind a margarita or two myself. If we hurry, we can still make it for happy hour."
"Great! I'll go grab my purse, clock out and we'll blow this joint." Janice bounced happily on her feet, running to go gather up her things. "What made you change your mind? I thought you hated Mexican?"
Cyndi shrugged her shoulder, looping her arm through Janice's and tugging her out the door. "I decided you were right, in a way. I need to move forward, and I suddenly feel like celebrating my second chance at doing that with my best friend and Jose Cuervo."
Author's Note:
Hello my lovelies,
Sorry about the delay in getting this out, but I have repair people running around, and it was a bit hectic trying edit with the interruptions. I hope you enjoyed this latest installment of When Roses Collide, and if you liked it, you will consider giving it a vote.
I love hearing from you and comments are always welcomed. I may not have the time to answer them all, but I do enjoying reading them in the morning with my coffee. :) It's a wonderful way to start my day and get the ball rolling.
If you don't see any updates here, feel free to check out my other works, Bending Steele, Steal You Away and FANGED.
As always, thank you for taking the time to read!
Sincerely,
K