Lone Rider (38 page)

             
“They needed an efficient way to get ore to the mills.”

             
Tess shook her head. Grey was a member of one of
Pennsylvania
’s finest families. And one of the wealthiest. Yet he didn’t act like...

             
She cut off that train of thought. There was no comparing Grey to anyone else she’d ever met.

             
“Will my family tree impress your mother?” he asked.

             
“Undoubtedly.”  But Tess had no intention of telling her. At least not right away. If she knew Grey’s background, Madeline would switc
h from pressing for an abortion
to demanding a marriage.

             
Grey tugged her to a stop. “You’re the only one I care about impressing, Tess. I hope you know that.”

             
He lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. The raw emotion she saw frightened her. And beckoned her.

             
For a sparkling second Tess wanted to throw caution to the wind, live for the moment. She’d been fighting a growing desire for Grey ever since seeing him again. And being this close made it worse, fanned the longing, the hunger. She wanted to feel his lips on hers, feel his hands on her bare skin. She wanted to see him naked again, feel him harden in her greedy hands. He was the only man who’d ever made love to her...

             
He was also the only man who’d ever seen her naked, though she wasn’t so sure she wanted him to see her that way right now. The changes her body was going through, well...she looked different. And she hadn’t accepted those changes herself yet.

It was just one more reason to say
no.

             
Grey saw the struggle in her eyes and secretly rejoiced. For a second she had looked ready to pounce on him. Then just as quickly she’d banked the passion, listening to her self-doubts.

             
It was all he needed to know. His hands were already on her shoulders and it was easy, natural, to pull her closer. When she didn’t resist he lowered his mouth and captured her lips. Sliding his hands through her hair, he grasped her head, slanting it slightly as he deepened the kiss. His tongue delved into the sweetness of her mouth, stealing her breath, giving his own in its place.

             
She swayed in his arms, releasing the softest of moans. Small, hungry sounds that enflamed him.
             
             

             
She was standing between his spread legs, her body pressed fully against his. Her hands tightened at his waist, her fingers fidgeting, trying to loosen his shirt, then moving forward to tug at his belt. She made an impatient noise, her hand drifting lower.

             
He felt himself harden, knew that if she so much as touched him
there
,
he’d shoot off like a firecracker with a short fuse. Grey pulled back first, stepping away from her.

             
“I promised myself I wouldn’t push you,” he whispered hoarsely. “But I can’t take much more of this. I want you too damn bad.”

             
He pressed a kiss to her forehead
, then stepped away
. “We need to head back. Don’t forget we’ve got an appointment with Elise tonight.”

             
Tess had forgotten. That’s what his kisses did to her. It was darn right scary. She’d felt Grey’s erection the moment he’d pressed against her and for a wild moment she’d wanted him right there, right then, in the pine needles on the forest floor in front of God and all the squirrels.

             
But what about later
? When Snake and Bogen were recaptured and the trials were over? Would the passion burn as brightly without the fuel of constant excitement? She needed to know it would always be like this. She wanted guarantees.

             
Unfortunately, if she’d learned nothing else in this lifetime, it was that life offered no guarantees.

             
Even tomorrow wasn’t guaranteed.

             
They walked back to the cabin in silence. “Go on in
,” he said.  “
I’ll bring in some firewood for later.”

             
Tess watched him saunter off, torn between wanting him and being afraid. Afraid she couldn’t keep him.

             
Except...

             
They had just shared one hot kiss. And Grey had been as affected by it as she was. After leaving
Montana
she told herself that she’d imagined their affair being so sensational, so intense. It had been part and parcel of the overall drama. Nothing was
that s
pectacular.

             
But it was
.

             
She closed her eyes against the memory of his body over hers. Hot. Hard. Grinding. Grey was a demanding lover, greedy, but not selfish. Her nipples constricted at the thought.

Oh, it would be good. Damn good.

             
For a time.

             
Until the dawn, perhaps. And then?

             
Then...nothing.

             
The bottom line remained unchanged. She and Grey were once again drawn to each other in extreme circumstances. Circumstances where she was weak and he was strong. He rescued her, he slew dragons.

             
And once the dragons were dead, he’d move on. And take her heart with him.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

             
After they ate, they headed to
Chapel Hill
. They were scheduled to meet Elise at seven. Grey arrived twenty minutes early and circled the entire town twice, or so it seemed, before finally parking in the alley behind Elise’
s
clinic.

             
Elise was as vivacious as ever. “How did you like the cabin?” she asked. “Is it as nice as promised?”

             
Grey nodded. “Better. You and Kevin definitely need to plan on spending time there.”

             
Elise tugged Tess down a corridor. “Come on, I’ll show you to an exam room. While you get undressed, I’ll show Grey the nervous daddy room.”

             
When Elise joined Tess a few minutes later, Tess was bursting with curiosity. “What’s the nervous daddy room?”

             
Elise grinned. “A room lined with a series of posters showing the various stages of pregnancy. Most men freak out their first time in. It’s pretty cool. We have books and videos on every conceivable subject. Grey said he’ll pick some for the two of you.”
             
    
Tess nodded, unsure. Her knowledge of pregnancy a
nd children was practically non
existent. “Can nervous mommies go in the nervous daddy room?”

             
“Of course.”  Elise grew quiet as she checked Tess’ vital signs. “Good. Fever’s gone. And your blood pressure’s  normal.”

             
For the next few minutes Tess answered yes or no to questions regarding her and her family’s health.

             
“Will you ask Grey the same questions?” Tess asked after they’d completed her medical questionnaire.

             
Grey’s medical history was yet another part of the man she didn’t know. He looked perfectly healthy, but were there any family predispositions to asthma? Heart disease? Allergies? Elise probably knew more about that stuff then Tess.

             
“Yes. In fact, I thought we’d do it right after the sonogram.”  Elise set her pen down and pushed back in her chair. “I don’t mean to pry, but how much of a part do you plan to allow Grey to play in
your pregnancy
?”

             
The question caught Tess off guard. “I haven’t given it much thought. It’s all so new and so much has been happening. Our circumstances--”  Her voice faded as she searched for an explanation.

             
“I understand that the two of you did not plan for this to happen. And I applaud your decision to keep the baby.”  Elise leaned forward. “But still...I sense something between the two of you. A personal tie, besides the baby. He’s a good man, Tess.”

             
She nodded. Elise was right. Grey was a good man. And he’d probably be a great parent. Perhaps even better than she. He didn’t seem nearly as insecure with the idea of a baby as
Tess
did. She hadn’t even known about different baby bottles.

             
Elise patted her hand. “Of course, it’s your choice, but most new fathers want to hear the baby’s heartbeat and see the sonogram. It’s their first contact with the little alien and they usually fall hard. Although I suspect in Grey’s case it will be a short trip.”

             
Tess smiled, then immediately began crying. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me anymore. The tears always seem just below the, the...surface.”

             
“It’s not you. It’s your hormones.”  Elise handed her a box of tissues. “Your system’s overloaded with them right now and even under ideal conditions they bring emotional ups and downs. The fact that you’re also under a lot of external pressure doesn’t help. My best advice is to take extra good care of yourself and just roll with it.”

             
Tess blew her nose. “That’s easier said than done.”

             
“How is Grey dealing with this? Is he being supportive? Understanding? Men can be the most insensitive creatures.”

             
Tess rushed to his defense. “I don’t think he even realizes I’m having mood swings. He probably thinks I’m always like this.”  New tears filled her eyes. “I hope he doesn’t think that. I try to keep it to myself. I don’t want to be a bother.”

             
“Honey, you’re entitled to be a bother right now. You’re pregnant.”  Elise looked at her closely. “And I think he’s more aware than you give him credit for. I can tell Grey’s crazy for you
,
and unless I’ve read you totally wrong, I’d say you feel the same way. Do you love him?”

             
The direct question surprised
Tess
. She knew the answer. And it wasn’t admitting it that bothered her so much. The question was what good did it do to admit it? It changed nothing between them.

             
“I don’t know that it’s the right kind of love,” Tess hedged.

             
“Love is love. I think you’re overcomplicating the issue by trying to make it fit in a neat little square, which true love rarely does. Why not follow and see where it leads?”  Elise squeezed Tess’ hand. “You could do worse. And when you hit the horny part of pregnancy you might be glad to have him around.”

             
Tess sniffed. “The horny part?”

             
“It’s not real scientific, but I find most of my pregnant patients fall into two groups. The hungry ones and the horny ones. The first group can’t get enough food. The second group thinks about sex constantly. Since you haven’t gained a lot of weight, I’d guess you’re one of the horny ones.”  Elise giggled. “Uh-oh. The look on your face confirms it.”

             
The news relieved
Tess
. So it was the pregnancy making her crave Grey? Sex hormones? “I was beginning to think something was wrong with me.”

             
“Nope. As you’ve probably already discovered it does no good to ignore it. There’s only one cure. And as your doctor I can assure you it’s perfectly safe to have sex -- even the hot, hard, kind -- during pregnancy.”  Elise glanced at her watch. “Now let’s get on with your exam so we can move on to the fun stuff.”

             
“Fun stuff?”

             
“The sonogram. It’ll blow you away.”

             
Tess moved onto the examining table. “I think I would like Grey to be here for that part. If he wants to, that is.”

             
Elise snapped on a pair of latex gloves and smiled broadly. “Oh I’m sure he’ll want to.”

             
Oddly Tess did not feel self-conscious when Grey entered the examining room a short time later. Elise had already given her a thorough exam and declared her and the baby fit. Grey winked at her after hearing the news.

             
“Now let’s see if we can find an itsy
bitsy
heartbeat.”  Elise pulled a stool close, motioning for Grey to sit beside the examining table on Tess’ left side, while she moved to the opposite side. She held out a specially designed stethoscope with two sets of earpieces. “You can both listen at the same time.”