Baby Mistake: Alphalicious Billionaires Read online

  She blinked those huge green eyes and Ross’ belly did a flip. Suddenly it was hard to breathe and when Teela brushed past him, leading the way in his own house, he was glad. He needed a second to try and get his shit together. His heart wasn’t just pounding hard, it was absolutely racing in his chest. His blood felt like someone had just sewed up hot coals inside his chest.

  Ross couldn’t remember a single other time he’d ever reacted to a woman the way he did to Teela. And she’d done absolutely nothing to bring it on. She hadn’t even flirted with him.

  Maybe he was just being a guy. It had been a while since he cut himself off women after all and that meant zero sex. Or was it possible he had a completely inappropriate crush on his unconventional, totally surprising, wildly unplanned, basically immaculately conceived baby’s mother?

  CHAPTER 11

  Teela

  Ross’ place was nice. Not in that rich person, I have everything, I’m going to flaunt it, kind of way either. The house was understated and older. It was probably built in the sixties or seventies and the neighborhood was one of those older ones that young families often moved to because the houses were so much less expensive, but the area was still safe. Judging from the flowers at the house down the street, a few cute little old couples still lived there, probably from the sixties, in their first home. Or maybe it was their second. They’d raised their kids there, become empty nesters, and welcomed grandchildren.

  At least she imagined it was that way. But maybe some young man just really liked gardening. It was a nice house though. Older, but meticulously maintained.

  Ross’ hadn’t always been that way. The stucco and paint on the outside were too new. The inside was too modern. Everything had been freshly renovated, hinting at the fact that the house needed more than just a fresh coat of paint to bring it up to date.

  “I like it,” she said shyly. “The house. You did a good job. Or- or someone did.”

  Ross turned. They’d just entered the living room. The whole house was painted in a light grey with a white ceiling. The popcorn stuff on the rooms had been scraped away to reveal smooth even surfaces. The windows were new, with fresh white frames. The window coverings looked expensive, those fabric blinds that you tugged down from the top with your hand. Or lowered with a remote. They were mysteriously sheer to let light in, but people couldn’t see through them. She only knew that because Ross said so.

  The furniture in the house looked new. A crisp white sectional bordered a black and white area rug which took up most of the floor. The hardwood was dark and the pops of black here and there- the coffee table, a few lamps, the TV mounted on the wall, the black and white pictures framed to the side, seemed to pull everything together.

  “I did most of the work myself,” Ross said. He glanced around the room like he was seeing it for the first time, just like she was. He looked a little embarrassed at her compliment. “My parents helped me. I had trades come in to do the things I would have screwed up so badly myself. The kitchen, mostly. The cupboards and the granite. The tilework in there and in the bathrooms. My dad and I put the hardwood down and we all pitched in with the painting. I could have paid someone to do it all, but I wanted to feel like I’d accomplished something.”

  “And your mom picked out the furniture and art?”

  “She did.” He winked at her and her breath hitched in her lungs. “Do I really look that inept?”

  “No,” she rushed on, before she realized he was joking. “I- uh- no. Of course not. It just seems like something she’d enjoy. Or- I don’t know. Maybe she wouldn’t. I don’t know your parents at all.” Her hand flew automatically to her belly and when she realized what she’d done, she dropped her hand back to her side and kept her gaze on her feet. Which were bare. She cursed herself for wearing sandals and not bringing socks. It was probably rude and gross to walk around someone’s house in bare feet. “Maybe they won’t like me.” Teela nearly jumped out of her skin when Ross’ scalding fingers- which were probably in reality just normal temperature, caressed hers before falling away.

  “Of course they’ll like you,” he assured her softly. Her eyes flew up to meet his. “They like everyone. They’re not those stuffy, hard to get to know, over-privileged, rich, have high standards for their son that are impossible to meet, kind of people.”

  “But- this is different. I- how are you going to tell them that we don’t even know each other and that I’m pregnant? I- I didn’t think this through. I could cost my friend her job if people find out what happened. I haven’t even told my family yet. They don’t know anything about this.”

  Ross hesitated. “Well- if no one knows then it really leaves it up to us to forge whatever path we want.”

  “Uh- like- just- just lie to everyone?”

  Ross’ lips quirked up. “I was thinking more like make something up so that your friend doesn’t lose her job and we don’t get looked at like we’re crazy. We can say that we had a one-night stand. We were buzzed.”

  “That makes us sound horribly irresponsible.”

  “Okay, so we were horny and we hooked up and this was the end result.”

  Teela’s face heated up a thousand degrees. Her va-jay-jay just happened to be on board with that whole getting hot routine, because suddenly she was hot and shivery in all the wrong spots. Just because Ross said horny. Who says horny anymore? That heat is not my fault. He’s the one talking dirty. How the hell am I supposed to respond? It’s just biology. Just basic biology. Nothing else.

  “Uh- that still sounds incredible irresponsible.” She glanced around and finally took a step towards the couch. When she sunk down, she felt a little better. Not so unprotected, hovering in the middle of the room. Not so- hot- since she was able to slam her thighs together to keep the heat from spreading.

  “No one is going to ask us anything about that. Uh- protection- fails all the time.” Surprisingly, and a little endearingingly, Ross’ cheeks turned a little pink. He ruffled his hair, which was obviously a nervous gesture, but god, it was sexy when it was mussed. It was sexy un-mussed too.

  Okay, so now she was thinking about protection. And Ross. And them using protection. And everything that entailed. That heat was back, so fiery hot it consumed her entire body and no amount of pressing her legs together was going to help. Her who-ha was singing a happy song, a very happy song, a very happy inappropriate song. Her nipples tightened. They were practically cutting right through her shirt.

  “Uh- okay- well- once we get over the embarrassment of living that down, I guess your plan could work.” She rearranged her hands in her lap so she didn’t have to look at him. It was hard to get the words out of her too-dry throat. “I- my parents will die of horror and then they’ll die of happiness. My mom wants grandchildren and my sister isn’t going to give them any anytime soon.”

  “I’m my parent’s only hope,” Ross admitted. “I was pretty much their miracle child. My mom had given up on having kids. She had me when she was forty-two. I was, uh- I guess I still am, one of those horribly spoiled single child kind of person.” He laughed softly and that velvet rich sound had Teela’s insides clenching and unclenching. There may have been certain spots- spots she pointedly ignored- that got a little damp too. Or a lot. Too much. Far too much.

  Teela shook her head. She still didn’t look at Ross, who was standing in the middle of the living room. She was afraid what would happen if she did. “So- everyone will be happy then?”

  “Probably. Even if we don’t know each other, it would cover for everything. My parents will like you. I promise.”

  “Even though you’re their only son and all their hopes hinge on you?”

  He laughed softly again. He really, really needed to stop that sexy chuckle because it was dangerous. “Especially because I’m their only son. They both know that I’m dead set against ever being in a relationship again and that pretty much meant a no-go on having grandkids. I think they thought that I’d come around eventually, because they’re optimi
sts at heart, but I had zero plans on ever finding someone to build a family with. They’re going to be over the moon because really, no matter how that baby got up in there, it’s their grandkid and that’s all that matters.”

  Ross laughed softly again, probably because he’d just said up in there and it created yet another flood south of the border. He must have perfected that laugh over the years. Being an only child, he probably knew just what it took to get what he wanted. His easy charm was totally infectious, and it had taken Teela about three seconds to go from hating the guy to actually… what? Liking him?

  Teela took a fortifying inhale. I have to stop reacting like this. “How- how did you change your mind anyway? About- about this? One minute you didn’t want to believe me. You didn’t want anything to do with this baby and then- then the next you were knocking at my door at midnight, telling me you’d changed your mind.”

  When Ross didn’t immediately answer, Teela dared to glance up. He was studying her, a hint of a smile turning up his lips. His eyes shone and he was so… so- so handsome, so panty-melting, ovary combusting, dangerously charming kind of handsome, that she had to look back down before that look on his face got her pregnant a second time. Was it possible to conceive two babies- twins at different times? Probably. Teela thought she actually remembered reading something like that somewhere, but it was within days of each other, not months. Still, she was sure she wasn’t safe.

  “I…” Ross trailed off. He seemed like he was fighting for the right words.

  She had to look up, and when she did, she was hit with those gorgeous blue eyes that never failed to send shivers up her spine and turn her inside out. Her heart started a wild thumping- or rather- kicked up a few more notches from the crazy beating it was already doing.

  Ross took a step forward and then another and one more. Teela froze. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t get up and run away like she should have. She was trapped and then Ross was sitting right beside her and she had absolutely no walls built up to defend against him and those damn eyes and that look on his face, all tender and soft, like he had no walls either, or that they’d crumbled somehow, in the past few minutes.

  He reached out and set a hand on her knee. The heat from his touch went right to the juncture of her thighs. Something wild and unknown spread through her veins.

  “Because you only have one chance to do the right thing. If I didn’t, I knew I’d regret it for the rest of my life. I might not have expected this. I might not have wanted this- exactly- but- but it happened, and I had a choice. I knew I had to man up and make the right one. Not everyone in the world is out to get me. That baby in there, in you, it’s innocent. It’s mine. It’s my son or my daughter and I couldn’t turn my back and walk away from my own child. No matter what.”

  “Well…” Teela said breathlessly. “I guess- that’s- as- as a good a reason as any…” she trailed off because Ross was looking at her and the look was so intense it stole her breath and made her palms sweat. It felt like her boobs were sweating. Like everything was sweating.

  And then his hand shifted up from her knee, up to her jaw and time stood still. The world around her stopped. No guy had every looked at her that way. She’d never seen anything close to whatever was burning in Ross’ eyes. He looked at her like he actually saw her. Not through her. Not for what she could give him. Not as a thing, as an object, as something to be taken and conquered and broken.

  Electricity sizzled in the air between them. She forgot all about steaks and BBQ and SUV’s and whatever else, including the reason she was there in the first place. It was just Ross. Ross and her and his carved cheekbones and his chiseled jaw and his beautiful lips. It was just the tension between them, thick and charged with desire and temptation.

  It was just the humming in her veins, anticipation.

  Before she even fully realized what was happening, Ross tilted her chin up and he brought his face down and then he was kissing her, claiming her, capturing her mouth with his in the first real, true, honest to god kiss she’d ever had in her lifetime.

  CHAPTER 12

  Ross

  He’d kissed a few women in his lifetime. Okay, it was more than a few. He was on the more experienced side of the spectrum, but he’d never felt anything like that kiss before.

  Kissing Teela was like being hurtled into another universe. His balls drew up so tight they nearly cut off his air supply and his groin was on fire and his cock was tenting his jeans, so hard it was like a steel rod in his pants.

  Teela pulled away. “Uh- that was…” her eyes were wide and shiny and her voice as raspy and sexy and breathless.

  “Not very good?”

  “Yeah,” she breathed. “Definitely not good at all. You probably shouldn’t ever kiss me again. You shouldn’t kiss anyone again.”

  “But practice makes perfect.”

  “Not in this case. In this case, you’re hopeless.” Her bow lips arched up into a perfect smile and god, he needed to kiss her again. He needed to do more than that. Her eyes were heavy, her lashes sweeping low and the look on her face said that she wanted to do it again too.

  He was no knight in shining armor but hell if he was going to leave a lady in distress. His hand curled around her delicate shoulder and the heat of her skin burned into his palm sending shivers skittering up and down his arms, his spine, his legs, his cock. He brought his lips back to hers and suddenly he was kissing her again and she was kissing him back and the world was spinning out of control.

  Life was supposed to be about ruts. It wasn’t supposed to be about explosions and sparks and a violent throbbing pain threatening the life of his balls and his dick. Life was about finding someone you could live with. It wasn’t about keeping the magic alive.

  He’d firmly believed that, because he’d never felt that mysterious magic that movies and books and mushy romantic people talked about. Ross never felt it once. It was like a unicorn for him. Sex was like a- a trance or something. Like a routine. He found someone because he was horny, and everyone said you were supposed to find someone because that’s how life went. He’d take that someone out, have a good night, fork over ex number of dollars for a good time, bring things back to his place, or maybe hers, scratch the itch, and move on. Sometimes that played out on repeat until things went south and got shitty and made him sorry he’d ever made an attempt at it in the first place. He’d hold out, tell himself he learned his lesson, before he repeated the process all over again. Eventually, it happened so many times, the whole jaded thing set in and he’d decided to break from the cycle once and for all.

  And then, Teela.

  She wasn’t some stupid cycle. She wasn’t like anyone he’d ever met. Her lips were so soft and her body was so responsive, leaning into his touch and he was palming her breast, and god, she had the most amazing breasts, and she tasted like paradise and mint and what the heck was she doing with her tongue to his tongue?

  Ross’ heart was pounding out of his chest and whatever Teela was doing with her tongue made his cock hurt because he was so fucking hard already and suddenly he was settling her back against the couch and he was leaning over on top of her and his shirt had disappeared and she was running her hands down his chest, breathing hard.

  “How are you so sculpted?” she rasped, and that question made his ego- and a few other choice places- do the happiest of happy dances.

  His happy stick jammed into her thigh and since she was wearing leggings, there was little doubt as to the shape or feel of him, even through his jeans. Her hips arched upwards and he should have used his brain and done some thinking because letting her fumble with the button on his jeans while her hips ground into him wasn’t going to help anything between them.

  He should have done some thinking but his jeans were open and Teela’s warm hand was reaching into his boxers and she was squeezing his shaft and running her fingers up and down his length and holy shit, she was good at what she was doing and he was done with thinking.

  He wante
d what he wanted. It had been a damn long time and never like this.

  Lightning only struck once, and he’d never been struck before. He might never be struck again.

  Teela’s hand did things to his body that should have been illegal, it was that good.

  The warning bell going off in his head was shut right down when her hand dipped a little lower and cupped his balls.

  “We should stop,” he managed to grind out, though it took a massive amount of effort.

  Teela’s hand shifted from his balls back to his shaft. She caressed him and he saw stars. “You’re right,” she panted. “You’re probably not very good at this. It would probably feel terrible.”

  “Terrible?” He was almost irritated before he realized she was joking. Her wry smile let him know that she had a devious side, and damn, he liked it. “Is that a challenge?”

  “No. It shouldn’t be.” She kept right on stroking his cock. “I just haven’t done this in a long time. I was done with men, but people have urges and I swear these hormones only make it worse.”

  She pumped his cock and damn it, he was going to last like half a minute more if she kept on doing that. Desperate to get under her skin the way she’d got under his, he slid down, away from her hand before he went off like a bomb and peeled her leggings and her panties away. She let out a little gasp, but instead of kicking at him to get him away from her, which would have likely been better for them both, because what the hell were they doing anyway, she kicked out of her leggings and spread her legs and sweet every curse word in the language, she was gorgeous. Her pussy was perfect. The most perfect pussy on the planet. She was smooth and glistening and so ready for him.

  “You’re probably one of those people who doesn’t make a sound. Who comes internally and leaves a guy wondering if you even came at all.” He hooked an arm underneath her knee, spreading her further apart while he dropped his head right to where he wanted to taste her. He’d always thought foreplay was overrated, but this- this was the real deal.