Pregnancy Plan (2 page)

He grabbed her arm and spun her around. “I’m
glad you think this is funny, but I don’t. I know you’ve always had
a thing for Jason, but he’s taken.” The angry set of his mouth
reflected how seriously he viewed the matter, and his stern glare
nailed her with disgust. “I won’t let you ruin his happiness.”

His unyielding attitude only heightened her
laughter. How could anyone seriously believe she could steal Jason
away from Kelly? The lady was absolutely gorgeous, and brilliant as
well. The notion delighted Jillian, but then she caught sight of
Derek and sensed danger. He wanted blood—her blood.

She tugged free and sank onto the corner of
the bed. Her composure melted every time she ventured a peek at
him.

Hands on his hips, feet slightly apart, face
devoid of expression, he stood ready to attack with the slightest
provocation. “This isn’t funny. I don’t want you messing around
with Jason. Don’t take your anger at me out on him.”

A cold shower of depression washed over her,
instantly killing her amusement.

“
Derek, I realize this looks strange.
But...” Jillian tried to banish the hurt while she worked to gather
her thoughts. “There is nothing going on between the two of us.
He’s an old friend, and my brother’s best friend. I’m not trying to
get back at you. In fact, this has nothing to do with
you.”

Frowning, he sat down next to her on the
bed. His thigh brushed hers. She quickly scooted over, physical
awareness zipping along her spine.

“
Then why did my brother want to know
if you were pregnant?” In his normal high-handed manner, Derek
refused to let the subject go.

“
Because of a conversation we had
after my father’s funeral.” She patted his arm, hoping she could
calm him with a soothing touch. “He’s a little concerned I might do
something stupid.”

“
Like what?”

Jillian didn’t want to discuss her plan with
him and stood. “Look, this really isn't any of your business. I’m
not sleeping with your brother and I’m not pregnant with his child.
That’s all you really need to know.”

His nearness and arrogant attitude
frayed her nerves. She walked to the dresser, creating distance
between them
. Stay focused,
she silently admonished her image in the mirror and stared at
her fire-engine-red cheeks. Her brown eyes were bright with unshed
tears of mirth. Her breasts tingled under her white button-down
oxford shirt.

Don’t let him distract
you.
She twisted her index finger around a strand of
hair and glanced at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes
narrowed.

“
I don’t like this, Jillian. Explain
what’s going on.”

If he hadn’t looked ready to explode, she
would’ve thought this whole conversation ludicrous. But his entire
body radiated volatile energy that revealed he didn’t find this set
of circumstances humorous. Jason had warned her many times not to
fool around with Derek’s temper. Taking note of the fierce,
fighting warrior under the soft-knit sweater and faded jeans, she
decided she needed a diversion.

“
Okay, look, I just got into town and
I’m starving. Why don’t I order us a pizza? Then if you’ll behave
and quit trying to bully me, I’ll give you the details of my
discussion with Jason.” At his nod, she hurried to the nightstand
and located the phone book. “What do you like on your pizza?” She
found the number of the pizza place she liked near the hotel, and
then glanced at Derek for his answer.

“
Personally, I like an all meat pizza.
But whatever you want will be fine,” he narrowed his gaze as if
expecting an argument.

A carnivore. It figured he would want all
meat.

The sexual energy burning from him ignited
the hairs on her arms, provoking them to stand at attention. Her
pulse danced a Cotton-Eyed-Joe.

Jillian finished the call, and turned. Derek
lay on the bed behind her, his arms folded under his head. An old
fantasy flashed through her mind. What would it feel like to have
his powerful body under hers? He appeared ready, willing and able
to please her every desire.

Shaking her head to rid herself of the
erotic images, she spotted the ice bucket. They could use something
to cool them down.

“
Why don’t you go get us some ice for
our drinks?” She wanted a minute alone to decide how best to
explain the situation to him so he wouldn’t go ballistic or call
her insane.

“
Trying to get rid of me?” He rose and
grabbed the ice bucket from the dresser before he stalked to the
door. His footsteps rustled quietly over the carpet, a rarity for a
man of his size.

“
Would it work if I did?”

“
No, but I can’t blame you for
trying.” He flicked the security bar out, so the door wouldn’t
latch when he left. With a wink in her direction, he walked out,
leaving the door slightly ajar for his return.

****

Derek found the ice machine, shoved the
bucket under the dispenser, and pushed the button. The loud thunk
of the ice cubes hitting the plastic container barely registered
while he reviewed the situation.

Not pregnant, according to her message, but
she claimed she wasn’t sleeping with Jason either. Could he believe
her? He’d always suspected she had a thing for his brother.

Why didn’t I call and ask him after I got
the message instead of rushing over here?

He pictured her--curvy hips, the cute tilt
of her eyes when she laughed, the blush of her cheeks. Her racing
pulse beneath his fingers while he held her wrist.

Ice hit his fingers. He released the button
and stared at the frozen cubes.

Jillian Wilson is hot.

The first time he’d met her at his brother’s
birthday party, he took one look and had fallen hook, line, and
sinker. The way she filled out her tight jeans and the twinkle in
her eyes spoke to him. He wanted to make love to her on the
spot.

Of course, that was until his brother and
Michael had reminded him about the dangers of his job. Coupled with
her old-fashioned values, both represented two very good reasons to
stay clear.

And they’d been right. While they’d dated,
she had been unbending in the marriage- before-sex department,
making the current situation even more perplexing.

Why was Jason worried about her being
pregnant? Was she sleeping around?

His mind jumped to another possibility. Was
she here to meet a man?

That thought sent him into a tailspin.

No way.

His determination stiffened.

When he’d arrived at her hotel room earlier,
he’d been ready to tear her apart for playing around with his
brother. Then when she’d opened the door, looking as sexy as ever,
his thoughts of tackling her had turned to lust rather than anger.
Her doe-brown eyes had greeted him with suspicion. Her body
displayed an off-limits sign. Yet, her sassy red lips and curvy
hips teased him with unfulfilled promises. He’d wanted more than
answers. He wanted her soft and willing beneath him.

If she needs a man, I’ll be more than happy
to apply for the job.

****

Shut the door and lock
it!
screamed Jillian’s survival’s instincts. Who was
she kidding? Derek would just start pounding on it
again.

The conversation she’d had with Jason six
weeks ago had made sense. She’d felt lost and alone after her
father’s funeral.

Now it’s different.

Derek would never understand.

Wrestling with her conflicted emotions, she
sorted the should-dos from the want-to-dos, and concluded that she
didn’t care. He had dumped her over a year ago anyway. Who cared
what he thought? She didn’t need his approval. She could do
whatever she wanted.

Walking into the bathroom to retrieve the
cups from the vanity, she stared at her flushed face in the mirror.
How could she get through this evening with some dignity?

“
Jillian?”

She strolled out of the bathroom. “Did you
think I flew the coop?”

He turned and set the ice on the dresser.
She handed him a cup.

“
Well, the thought did cross my mind.”
His hand briefly touched hers, and they both pulled
away.

Jillian edged past him. The room had shrunk
with his return. “Look, Derek, I told you I would explain and I
will.” She filled her cup with ice and turned to get some water
from the bathroom.

He blocked her path.

“
Okay, why don’t you get started?” He
covered her hand with his, and exchanged her cup for an empty one.
Examining his long fingers, she envisioned those hands on other
parts of her anatomy.

When he released her, she drew in a deep
breath and glanced into his eyes. Something dark and mysterious
flickered in their depths. Not anger, yet something just as
dangerous. She shivered. “What do you want to know?”

His left eyebrow arched. “Why don’t we start
with the conversation you had with Jason several weeks ago?”

He turned and stepped toward the bathroom.
She filled the empty cup in her hand with ice. “Well, as you know,
my dad died several weeks ago from a heart attack. Jason attended
the funeral.”

“
Yes, he told me about it. I’m sorry,
Jillian. I really liked your father.”

“
Yes, well, after the funeral, I was
tired of being surrounded by people and I needed to get away.
Michael had a reservation at the local motel because we had so many
overnight guests staying at our house.” Emotions bombarded her as
she remembered that day’s events. The house so full of people, yet
the one voice she had wanted to hear had been absent.

“
Anyway, Michael suggested I use his
room so I could leave. Jason was staying at the same hotel, so I
rode over with him.”

She turned. “Jason's room was right next
door.”

Derek sat on the bed, his back against the
headboard, his arms folded over his chest as if he had no plans of
leaving anytime tonight.

“
The two rooms had a connecting door.”
Jillian passed him on her way to the bathroom to fill her cup. She
continued with the explanation upon reentering the room.

“
When we got there, I decided I didn’t
really want to be alone so we opened the dividing door and I went
into Jason’s room to talk.”

She paced across the tan carpet to the far
wall and gazed out the large picture window. Traffic crawled on
LBJ, each car holding a lone individual encased within its shell.
Their drivers imprisoned inside, with their wants and needs hidden
by the car’s shiny exterior, were oblivious to the pain experienced
by the passengers inside the neighboring cars. Stuck in suspended
animation, stifled by pressure from every direction, each was
stranded in the knot of passage.

She closed her eyes and fought the heartache
of never hearing her father’s laughter again. Her voice cracked as
she continued. “We talked about the future, what we wanted out of
life. Jason explained how he planned to ask Kelly to marry him,
where they would live, and how many kids they would have.” Jillian
glanced at him to see if he understood. “You know, the kind of
stuff people talk about when they’re planning their future.”

His intense gaze burned hotter, but he
nodded his agreement without saying a word.

“
Anyway, I started talking, and by the
end of the night, I had a resolution for my personal problem. I
called it my pregnancy plan.”

She stopped and looked back out the window.
How should she explain her plan? Developed in the heat of the
moment and based on solid logic, the plan had merit, but the
subject matter wasn’t easy to discuss or accept.

“
A pregnancy plan?” His words rang
from directly behind her. She could feel his breath on her neck,
his heated gaze on her back.

“
Yes, a plan on how to get pregnant.”
Frustration and anger bubbled inside her like they had that night.
She wrapped her shaking hands around her cup and willed them to be
still. “Look, I don’t mean to sound rude, but it really is none of
your business what I do. I’m not involved with Jason.”

She turned and his unwillingness to
cooperate showed in the slight narrowing of his eyes. “You can rest
assured I have no plans to break up Jason and Kelly.” After
glancing back out the window, she sipped her drink. “And what I do
is none of your concern.”

Derek laid his hand on her shoulder and she
jumped. “What are you afraid of?”

Jillian turned and stormed past him, not
wanting nor needing his sympathy. The short length of the room
quickly evaporated, and she pivoted on the heels of her Nikes. “I’m
not afraid of anything. I know what I want and I have come up with
a plan to get it.”

The girl might think she wasn’t afraid, but Derek
recognized fear when he saw it. Her rigid body and rushed words
proved it. He wanted to ease her anxieties, hold her, make
everything right. But, as skittish as raindrops on the hood of a
car in late July, she bolted every time he stepped near her. The
ice in her cup tinkled in her shaking hand.

“
All my life I’ve wanted to have
children. But society dictates I should be married to have them.”
She plopped her cup onto the dresser and spoke with her hands.
Darting through the air, they emphasized her agitation. “In
small-town America, if you don’t follow the rules you are
considered an outcast, a scarlet woman.”

Her bright eyes flashed, reflecting her
passion, which drew him like a moth to flame. “For years, I have
followed these guidelines, not wanting to bring shame on my
family.” She rocked back and forth onto her heels, like a fighter
dancing in the ring.