wouldn’t have the kind of family pictured on Christmas cards, but there could be more than what they’d had. And he’d wanted it. The thought had flashed through his mind almost as quickly as his heart had raced in his chest.
And then it was gone.
Alex would never tell another living soul about his moment of weakness. Nor would he admit that, when she’d said the baby wasn’t his, he’d felt a pang of regret and jealousy mingled in with the rush of relief.
What the hell was wrong with him?
Certainly he didn’t require a baby as an excuse to have Gwen in his arms again. That was a life-changing complication he simply didn’t need. But knowing that she was still single, albeit a bit preoccupied, meant his plans for this week hadn’t completely fallen apart yet. If she was interested, they could still have a little fun and, hopefully, this time he’d be able to move on when it was over.
Alex heard a familiar melody of a woman’s laughter from the patio. He strode to the window and pulled aside the curtain. Gwen had joined the others outside. She was standing near the sparkling turquoise pool, talking to Adrienne and another woman he didn’t know. He couldn’t hear their conversation, but Adrienne spoke and Gwen laughed again.
He had missed that sound. When Gwen was really tickled, she laughed wholeheartedly. No polite, uptight chuckles from her. He loved how she could let herself go. Whether it was laughter or pleasure, she allowed herself to just feel it and react without worrying what other people thought. As he watched, her head tipped back and she giggled in unrestrained amusement. Her eyes closed, her white smile flashing up at him. Her movement allowed the golden sunlight to highlight the creamy expanse of her chest and shoulders exposed by her dress.
Alex had been too preoccupied earlier to notice how Gwen had changed since he had seen her in November. Last year, long hours at the hospital and attempts to diet before the wedding had trimmed her petite frame to the point of being almost too thin, in his opinion. Women always worried too much about those last few vanity pounds. In his experience, a woman with curves and a healthy appetite was more fun both in bed and out.
Now, as he watched her from the window, he could see Gwen was obviously pregnant, but everything about her seemed to be softer and more welcoming. Her skin radiated a rosy, maternal glow. Her breasts were fuller and her hips a touch rounder. Pregnancy really suited her.
And him.
The fire in his gut that had been building since he had gotten into the car this morning returned. The shock of their previous discussion had dulled it, but now it was back with renewed fervor. The woman he’d fantasized about for months was here, looking more beautiful than he remembered. Standing in the sunlight with her long, flowing dress, she looked more like some ancient Greek fertility goddess than a nurse.
The tightness in his groin forced him to shift his stance uncomfortably. Alex was surprised by his visceral reaction to her. There was something primal piqued by her new, soft curves. Typically the sight of a pregnant woman threw up red flags declaring her off-limits. It was something he’d never considered, given he never planned to settle down and start a family.
But Gwen wasn’t off-limits. Her situation was unique and certainly complicated, but he didn’t see any barriers between them. If she could be coaxed into continuing their affair, they could spend another fantastic week in bed together. Alex wanted that week to start as soon as possible.
“Sworn off men, have you, Gwen? We’ll just see about that.”
Letting the curtain drop, he headed downstairs to join the party and begin his heated pursuit of Gwen Wright.
“About damn time!” Will shouted toward the house.
Gwen turned that direction in time to see Alex strut onto the blue flagstone patio that arched out from the house. The tall, white pergola that lined the back of the house was covered in clematis vines this time of year, and it shaded almost everything below. Patches of dark and light danced across his face as he approached the outdoor kitchen, where everyone had congregated.
“The party can officially start,” he announced, giving Gwen a brilliant smile before he bent down to pull a cold bottle of locally microbrewed beer out of the small refrigerator inset to the right of the grill.
The small gesture brought a wave of warmth to her cheeks that had nothing to do with the sun. Perhaps she’d worried for nothing. When Adrienne had first invited her up here for the Independence Day holiday, she’d had doubts. Her friend had promised her a relaxing vacation by the ocean with nothing but fun and friends. It sounded like a dream.
The time away from work would be a godsend, as would going a couple days without having to climb the four flights of stairs to her apartment. Her daily routine got rougher as each week ticked by. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like in the last few months. She needed this break more than she’d realized.
But she’d known seeing Alex again would be awkward. Her being pregnant made it doubly so. It wasn’t because they had parted on bad terms. They had both known it was nothing more than a little short-term fun. He’d had a business trip to go on, and it had seemed like the right time to end whatever they had going. But once he was gone, she’d been left with this restless, icky feeling she’d never felt before.
Eventually the complications of her life had put those concerns out of her head, but it had just confirmed some of the thoughts she’d been having about her choices in men. As in—she always made bad ones. Alex was no different. And it just wasn’t working for her anymore. The decision to take the next year off from dating was obviously a wise choice.
But Alex didn’t know how she felt about things. Their relationship had ended on a positive note as far as he was concerned. And given the firm arousal that had pressed into her back less than an hour ago, he’d arrived alone and interested in having another go at it.
At least he had. Until twenty-two weeks of belly had come between them. Now he probably thought she was as sexy as a beluga whale—or worse in Alex’s mind—a pregnant woman.
It was probably for the best. There was a reason why she’d planned her man-break to coincide with the pregnancy. It was built-in willpower. And lately, she’d needed it. The months of celibacy and the second-trimester hormones had done a number on her libido. If Alex was still interested, she’d be tempted to use him for a couple nights of hot sex, the way he used every other woman in his life. Turnabout was fair play, right?
But, fortunately, she didn’t have to worry. Alex would stay at arm’s length from her all week, and she wouldn’t need the strength necessary to turn him down. And she would have to turn him down. She’d done so well. She didn’t want to fall off the wagon, even for a guy like Alex.
“Alex, have you met everybody?” Adrienne set down her glass of tea on the table and began fulfilling her role as hostess by introducing her guests.
Gwen had heard it all before, but she listened a second time in the hope she would actually retain the information. First was Emma, Adrienne’s half sister of sorts. She was actually the child of George and Pauline Dempsey, who had lost their older daughter in the same wreck that had nearly killed Adrienne. They’d unofficially adopted Adrienne and let her take Emma shopping or on trips from time to time. Emma had just graduated from high school, and when she got home, she had to pack up and get ready for her freshman year at Yale.
Next was Sabine, a somewhat funky twentysomething who managed Adrienne’s boutique. She had a nose piercing and a bright purple stripe in her black hair, so Gwen wasn’t
