"Ari, I am really sorry. I know I should have been there but this campaign just, I know I am a horrible friend."
Ariella sighed as for the tenth time she told Azalea that it was okay. Azalea was near tears. She understood the demands and hectic hours Azalea had to put in to gain some recognition in her field of profession. To top all the professional pressure were the problems at home. Kaden's parents were taking his sudden departure roughly and the recent picture of him that came up in the media wasn't helping either. The paparazzi were camped outside their house.
"Lea...let it be. I am not holding it against you. I love you"
"I love you more Ari. How are you doing now and how is the baby? Oh god, I am going to be an aunt and I heard you are staying with Dalton"
"Slow down woman" Ariella laughed and Azalea was relieved. She knew the hell her best friend had endured due to her brother and the recent news of him with another woman. It was one of the reasons she hadn't called Ariella immediately. She felt ashamed of her brother's actions. He was an idiot for leaving such a wonderful woman.
"I had an ultrasound today" Ariella continued "I will send you the picture. The baby is healthy and we will know the gender in the next ultrasound."
"How are things with Dalton? He is sort of...I don't know weird. He's like...doesn't talk much." Azalea said.
"Things are good with him." Ariella said, finding better words to start this with Azalea. She wanted to tell her.
"Oh crap. Look Ari I gotta rush. I have this meeting and yeah... I am sorry"
"Don't worry Lea. Talk to you later" Ariella said and hung up.
She got up from the couch and went looking for Dalton. She paused outside his study. She had recently explored the penthouse. Besides her bedroom which was the master bedroom and Dalton's room, there were two guestrooms, a gym and a study. Besides the two guest bedrooms, one room next to hers was locked and Ariella was intrigued but she didn't bother asking. She knocked lightly on the study door and entered.
"Hey, Dad. How are you?" Dalton asked as his father answered his call.
"I have had better days." He father growled as he snapped at someone to hurry the hell up.
"I seriously need to get better staff. These kids think just because they graduate from Ivy League, they own the world. Whatever happened to being punctual and actual manners?"
Dalton waited for Jayson to finish ranting.
Jayson sighed. "Anyway you were saying?"
"So dad, I was planning to come home for the next weekend. I have something to share with you guys. I will bring along Sienna as well."
"Oh, that is great son. I will inform you mother, she is talking to Annie outside. Though I am pretty sure what it is" Jayson laughed.
"Dad, please"
"Okay, I will let you have your moment. We will be waiting"
"Thanks dad. I will see you on Friday then"
"Kate! We are going to be grandparents!" Dalton heard his father yell to his mother before he hung up. Dalton smiled and shook his head; so much for an announcement.
He leaned back and stretched his arms overhead. After the doctor's appointment, they had gotten lunch. Dalton couldn't wipe the grin of his face. Ariella was falling in love with him and he was going to be a dad. They had come home and Dalton had tough time keeping his hands to himself but he had some contracts he had to proof read and Ariella wanted to call Azalea who had left several voice messages in the morning.
He pulled out the last contract and picked up his pen but was interrupted by knock on the door. He looked and smiled as Ariella poked her head in.
"Hey" She said
"Hey yourself beautiful"
Ariella stood there as she brazenly checked him out. He had unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He also had his glasses on. She got to know recently that he wore contacts. She had seen him in glasses, though not much, during school but she had never paid attention to it and a lot of guys did wear them as accessory.
"You look busy" Ariella said as she walked up to him.
"Just some contracts" he removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. They were red around the edges.
"What happened?"
"My contacts got irritating. Need to get a new prescription" He slid his chair back and Ariella sat on his lap.
"You look cute in these" She said as she placed his glasses back on his nose.
"Cute?" Dalton raised his eyebrows and grabbed her by the waist. The next instance she was straddling him.
He ran his hands up and down her arms. He leaned in a started a trail of light kisses from her neck up to her jaw and continued to her lips.
"Dalton" Ariella whispered as she weaved her fingers through his hair. Dalton heated up the kiss.
Ariella moaned as his lips travelled back down her throat and his hands roamed her body.
Her body was on her fire and lust surged through her veins. Her hormones were running wild, cheering on this event. She wanted him, all of him. She opened another button and splayed her hands on his chest.
"What are you doing to me?" Dalton whispered as he traced her lips with his fingers. He was enchanted by this grey eyes beauty.
"I want you, Dalton" Ariella whispered as she grinded against him. In that moment Dalton froze and his hands made a firm grasp on her waist, stopping her movements before he lost all sense of sanity.
"Ari..." He couldn't do this; it wasn't that he didn't want to. It was an effort like no other to stop himself from taking her right here on this table but he couldn't. She was pregnant with another man's child and moreover this pregnancy was already complicated due to her health. He didn't want to add to that. He wasn't going to make love to her till this baby was born.
"Oh" Ariella immediately got up from his lap and staggered away from him. Of course he didn't want her. She had realized she was losing her fit figure but wasn't this all part of pregnancy? She was filling out from her waist and her clothes were becoming a bit tight. She didn't realize this would make her unappealing to Dalton.
"Jesus Ariella! You think my love for you is that shallow?!" He growled and strode towards her. He knew from her expression that what she had presumed from his refusal. He mentally cursed Kaden for crushing her confidence.
He placed his hands on her waist and pushed her against the wall.
"Ariella Clark, I am concerned for your health amongst other reasons but you not being desirable enough is not one of them. You have no idea how badly I want this" he yanked at the hem of her top "Scattered on my bedroom floor but not until you safely deliver our child. I won't put you in harm's way."
Ariella gazed into his eyes and watched them turn almost forest green with lust.
"When the day comes, I will worship your body with my hands and you will be screaming my name until your voice goes hoarse" He whispered in her ear and a shiver ran down her spine. He tugged at her lower lip with his teeth as his hand wandered down her waistband. A few moments later Ariella was pushed over the edge into the spiral of ecstasy.
She gasped his name and threw her head against his chest as her orgasm racked through her body. She grasped his forearms as her legs went limp. Dalton gathered her in his arms and carried her to his room. He gently placed her on the bed and pulled the duvet to cover her and lay down on top of it. He kissed her forehead.
"I love you Ari" He whispered as he held on to her.
Ariella woke up in the evening and saw that Dalton was no longer next to her. She looked at the time and it was six in the evening. She blushed when she recalled the events of the afternoon, how just his hands had pushed her over. She got up and decided to take a shower.
Dalton was in the gym sweating it off. He wasn't a big fan of cold showers but he needed to blow the steam off. He stopped the treadmill, changed the music and picked up a set of dumbbells.
Ariella wandered into the living room. After the shower she had heard music coming from the gym and decided not to disturb him.
She saw Mrs. Kathy had bought in the groceries but she was not in sight.
She had just gotten comfortable on the sofa and picked up a remote when the elevator door opened and Sienna stepped out, looking like a train wreck. Her violet eyes were red and puffy like she had been crying.
"Oh god, Sienna. What happened?" Ariella rushed to her and hugged her.
"Is Dalton home?"
"Yes, he is in the gym. Do you want me to call him? Where is Aidden?"
"Please no, don't call him, he will kill Aidden. Can we go somewhere?" Sienna said looking around.
"What did that stupid brother of mine do?"
"I don't want to talk here"
"Don't worry, Dalton has the music blasting. Come on."
Ariella led Sienna to her bedroom and closed the door behind her.
"Now tell me what happened" Ariella said as she sat across from Sienna on her bed.
"I think I might be pregnant"
Ariella gaped at her but quickly composed herself.
"Think?"
"Yeah, I am already a week late and I am never late. Plus I had missed my pills during the last two weeks. The exams and the stress; I didn't realize."
"And when you told Aidden, he lost it?"
Sienna nodded and started sobbing.
"I don't know what to do. I mean we don't even know where we stand in our relationship and Aidden was on about how I was not responsible and" Sienna tried to continue but sobs raked her body.
"Shh...Aidden is an asshole; he always over reacts. Let us first make sure that you are actually pregnant." Ariella said as she wiped her tears and got up. She also made a mental note to teach Aidden some manners when it came to treating the woman in his life. This was unacceptable. He should be consoling her and not fighting with her.
"I will be right back okay? I am going to go to the drug store round the corner and get some pregnancy kits okay?"
Sienna nodded. Ariella pulled back the sheets and tucked her in. She decided not tell Dalton yet. Even if he did check on her, he would assume Sienna is her and sleeping, that is if he doesn't come too close. Ariella decided to take her chances. It was up to Sienna how she wanted to break the news to her brother.
Ariella made a quick trip of getting the kits. She got three of them just to be sure.
Sienna took the kits to the bathroom and did the necessary steps. She wrapped them in toilet paper and brought them back out.
Dalton wiped the sweat of his face and chest as he headed towards his bedroom. His thoughts were on deciding to wake up Ariella and shower with her then move her stuff into his room but he paused when he heard a sob and whispers from Ariella's room.
He halted at the door when he saw his sister crying.
"Sienna?" He called out to her. He watched as both of them looked up and color drain from their faces. He rushed to her side.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened---"He stopped mid sentence when he saw the pregnancy kits between them.
"SIENNA?! SIENNA!?" Aidden yelled from the living room.
"That bastard" Dalton growled and marched out of the room with Sienna rushing after him
"Dalton stop!" Ariella yelled as she grabbed the kits. All of them had the same result: not pregnant.
Ariella ran after them, hoping Dalton didn't restructure her brother's face, not that he didn't deserve it but Dalton looked enraged beyond hell. However Ariella was too late.
She skidded to a stop as she watched Dalton grab Aidden by the collar and throw him against the wall, crashing him against a framed piece of art.
"You fucking asshole!" he roared and landed a punch across his face as Sienna screamed and Ariella yelled out.
"Sienna is not pregnant!"
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