More Than He Expected

The comment startled Gwen into turning back to the woman beside her. Sabine’s gaze was focused exactly in Alex’s direction. Gwen had no claim to him, but the thought of him and Sabine together brought on a surge of jealousy that chased away the last of her confusing emotions. She opted to play dumb. “Who? Wade?”

“No, the guy who came late. Alex.”

“Ahh,” Gwen said, not trusting herself to comment further without sounding either bitter or jealous to the other woman’s ears.

“Pity for me, but I think he’s into you.”

That perked Gwen’s attention. Her head snapped toward him, but he had returned to his conversation. “Why would you say that?”

“Because he keeps watching you.”

“Maybe I’m just funny-looking.” She sighed.

“Nope,” Sabine said with certainty. “When you’re not watching, he’s looking at you like you’re the sweetest strawberry tart in the bakery window. He definitely wants a taste.”

Gwen subconsciously stroked her rounded stomach and shook her head. “I appreciate you thinking so, but somehow I doubt he wants to take a bite out of this.”

At that, Sabine cracked a crooked, knowing grin. “Oh, he does,” she assured.

“Well, even if that were true, my life is a little complicated right now. I’m not interested.”

Sabine laughed and shook her head. “I hardly think that matters. I’ve had my share of experience with those rich, cocky types. They get what they want, and they don’t care who they have to roll over in the process. If I were you, I’d let him have his way with you. And let me tell you something if you don’t already know. Between all the hormones and the increased blood flow, sex in the second trimester can be absolutely mind-blowing. I bet that in the experienced hands of a man like Alex, you can multiply that by ten at least.”

Gwen’s jaw dropped open, but she didn’t have the words to respond. Instead, she shifted her gaze back to Alex. This time he was watching her, and his obvious, heated appraisal was enough to send a surprising surge of desire down her spine.

Well, hell. She hadn’t counted on him still being attracted to her. That certainly complicated things.

Willpower, she reminded herself as she sucked in a deep breath and began fidgeting with her bracelet. She was on a man-break, and Alex was just the kind of man who had necessitated the break to begin with. Her attraction to him was nothing more than hormones and months of celibacy conspiring against her. But she could fight it. She had to. It didn’t matter what Alex wanted. He couldn’t just snap his fingers and get his way.

And yet, as she looked at him across the patio, Gwen was fairly certain her celibacy streak was on the verge of coming to a wild, passionate end.

Three

By the time Gwen had taken the last bite of her dinner, she thought she might literally burst. She’d recently regained her appetite, and everything tasted so good, she couldn’t help herself. She’d had a grilled chicken breast and a cheeseburger in addition to the array of sides Adrienne had prepared. She was stuffed.

At least for an hour or so.

Given that Alex was watching her with his predatory gaze the whole time, she probably should’ve curbed her ravenous appetite and picked delicately at her food, but Peanut would have her way. After a rough first trimester living on saltines and lemon-lime soda, the hunger and the ability to keep it down were welcome. Even if the extra pounds were not. The doctor said she was right on track with her weight gain, but after a lifetime of trying to get smaller, not bigger, it was hard to change how she thought about things.

After they were done eating, several of the ladies started rounding up dishes, and the guys went inside for what promised to be a rowdy and high-stakes game of poker. Gwen scooped up her plate and a nearby bowl of potato salad and followed the other women into the kitchen.

“What are you doing?” Helena chided, snatching the items away from her the moment she crossed the threshold into the house. “You need to rest.”

Gwen frowned. “I’m pregnant, not paralyzed. If washing dishes is hazardous to my condition, someone needs to tell me, because I’ve been doing it the whole time.”

“Of course not. But take the opportunity to relax for once,” Adrienne said, brushing past her with a platter and another bowl. “We can handle it.”

The cherry-and-granite kitchen was quite large, but even Gwen realized that the four women already in there were bumping elbows and dancing around to clean up. A fifth one with a protruding belly probably wouldn’t be much help.

With a sigh, she snatched one of her favorite peppermint candies from the bag she left on the counter, turned, and went back outside. The sun had set, but the sky was still bright with orange-and-red hues streaking across it. Beyond the pool and the expansive lawn that extended on both sides of the house, she spied the boathouse and pier that led out into the harbor.

A walk would probably help things settle, she decided. She slipped out of her sandals and kicked them to the side, then headed across the perfectly manicured lawn. The blades of grass were soft and cool, welcoming the bottoms of her feet to sink into them. It was a beautiful evening, one like she hadn’t experienced in a long time. Along the tree line, she could see the blinking dance of fireflies as they appeared for the night. The breeze coming off the water was warm and salty, mingling with the scent of freshly mown grass.

It reminded her of her home in Tennessee. There, of course, the water was the creek that ran behind her grandparents’ house, but the grass and the flashing lightning bugs were just the same. She had the urge to climb into the tire swing her Paw-Paw had hung for her and sway for hours, as she used to.

For a brief moment, Gwen was overcome with homesickness. She loved Manhattan—the energy, the excitement, the culture. But it had never felt like home to her. It made her wonder if she ever would’ve left Tennessee if it hadn’t been the only way to get away from her mother. Following a guy she barely had lukewarm feelings for wasn’t very smart, but it was a sure ticket out of her mother’s clutches.

In the end, she and Ty went their separate ways, but she had gotten what she wanted from him—about six hundred miles of breathing room and her very own apartment, albeit tiny.

Gwen reached the pier and opted to walk out to the edge and watch the water. The occasional boat would sail by and send a ripple across the surface, but for the most part, the water was calm and still this time of day. At the end of the rough, wooden planks, she sucked in a lungful of ocean air and sighed.

She enjoyed getting away from the chaos more than she’d expected. There was a serenity out here that seemed to sink into her bones and force her muscles to unknot. Even Peanut had settled down and stopped squirming around. It was a shame she wasn’t in the right tax bracket to live out here. She’d have to take a job as a live-in nurse for some old, rich Hamptons resident to do that. Unfortunately, caring for an entitled hypochondriac didn’t really work for her.

Perhaps, after the baby was born, she should give some more thought about going back to Tennessee. That would probably make it easier on everyone with no awkward, obligatory visits. Robert and Susan could just take their baby and continue life as it was before their accident, and Gwen could return to the life she knew and start fresh.

The black, still waters around her beckoned. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been in a body of water that wasn’t chlorinated, and she wanted to put her feet in it. Easing back, she sat on the boards and pulled her dress up to her knees. The water was cool and refreshing as she slipped her bare feet in to just above the ankles.