Bittersweet Chocolate (33 page)

The day of her obstetrician appointment had arrived.

Ecstatic, she whispered a prayer thanking God for the restraint that kept her from maiming Tristan. He’d been driving her crazy with his solicitous attitude. It had been hard to contain her laughter and her irritation. Tristan, of course, didn’t find the situation the least bit funny. He insisted on going to the doctor with her.

“We’ll take separate cars,” he commented. “I have a meeting this afternoon, so I have to go to work when we’re done.”

“Not a problem.”

At the doctor’s office, the nurse called her name, she stood to enter the examining room, and Tristan tried to follow her. The doctor had to come out and tell him no, and she had to get emphatic. Somehow, Tristan must have misunderstood the nurse’s no. He fought the good fight, and talk about embarrassing, yet way too funny. To reassure him, Doctor Carey promised to discuss everything with both of them after Marissa’s preliminary exam.

An hour passed before the doctor summoned Tristan into her office. “Mister Corbett...may I call you Tristan?” the doctor asked. At his nod, she continued. “Marissa is in fine health.”

“How many months, any special instructions, shouldn’t she stop working?”

“Tris, uh, slow down.” Marissa couldn’t control her laughter.

He gave her a sidelong glance before turning back to the doctor. “Shouldn’t I take her home and put her to bed?”

“Tris, chill!” Marissa growled. “I’m fine.”

“Tristan...” the doctor cut in. “Marissa is slightly anemic. I’ve prescribed vitamin and iron tablets. Taking age and past physical trauma into consideration, barring future complications, she can work until the day she goes into labor, if she wants,” she explained. “No special treatment needed.”

Marissa smirked.

They left the doctor’s office―Tristan in a daze, and Marissa beaming while patiently trying to reassure him.

“Tris, relax, or you’ll be a basket case before the baby arrives,” she teased. “I’m a little over three months pregnant, which leaves six months to go. It will be all right, promise. I’ll take good care of myself and the baby.”

He gave her a long, searching look. “Okay, I’ll try to lighten up.” He didn’t sound convincing. “Do you feel up to going out tonight to celebrate?” he asked as they walked toward their cars.

“Sure.” She opened her car door and turned to him.

“Will you be all right if I go to work?”

“Go to work, Tris. I’m going to work today.”

“Are you sure?”

“Tristan.”

“All right!” He grinned. “Just take it easy, will you?”

“Promise.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed the corner of his mouth.

* * * *

His luck was holding.

Imagine going to the same realtor management company where Marissa had her house listed for rent. He’d have to play this right. Appointments to see the house were during her working hours only. That was perfect. He only needed one visit to get what he needed.

* * * *

She walked into her outer office. “What’s up, Megan?”

“Boss! Good to see you, glad you’re back.” Megan scrambled out of her chair and hugged Marissa.

“Thanks.” Marissa returned the hug. “How’s it been around here?”

“Everything’s fine, Hal left a message. He wants to see you as soon as you get in.”

“Hell. I’ll go see what he wants, and then we can go over things.” It surprised her to have a message from Hal. He seldom left messages.
It must be something critical.
She didn’t need that, not so early in the day. She put her purse away and headed for Hal’s office.

“Marissa, glad you’re back. How are you?” Hal asked.

“I’m fine. Anything I need to know?”

“It might interest you to know I’ve decided to retire in a few months. I’ve conducted several interviews while you were away,” he said. “But I haven’t made a final decision. Whoever I choose will come in to learn the ropes the month before I leave.” Hal smiled. “I hope you’ll stay on and give him the same loyalty and support you’ve given me.”

“Well, I’d like to meet him and get to know him before I make a commitment. We might not like each other, or his methods of working might differ dramatically from yours and mine,” she stated. “I’d like to reserve judgment, leave my decision open.”

Hal nodded. “That’s fine. I wouldn’t expect, or ask for more than that. Is everything okay?”

“Everything is fine.” She decided not to tell him about her pregnancy. It was too new and she wanted to keep it in the family, so to speak, for a while longer.

Marissa returned home exhausted, kicked off her shoes, didn’t even attempt to make it to the bedroom, and headed for the sofa. Back at work for one day and wrung out, and her pregnancy had just begun.

The phone rang. She sighed and picked up. “Hello.” No reply, but she could hear breathing on the other end. “Hello.” Too tired to play games, she replaced the receiver and plopped down on the sofa, intending to relax for a minute.

Coming awake with a start and the eerie feeling of someone watching, she sat up, glanced around, but everything seemed normal. “Tristan.” No answer, so she shrugged, figured she’d had another dream episode. Too tired to give it any consideration, she gaffed it off, reclined on the sofa, and closed her eyes.

“Rissa, are you okay?”

She opened her eyes and saw a smiling Tristan bending over her. He sat beside her, leaned forward, and kissed her.

“Honey, you need to be more careful when you’re here alone. The front door was unlocked when I came home.”

Marissa bolted upright and stared at the door. “I came in through the garage, no reason to unlock the front door.”

“Hmm, strange. Maybe I forgot to lock it.” He laid a hand on her stomach. “After leaving the doctor’s office, I had to come back and pick up some papers, but I could have sworn I locked it. Perhaps the realtor came by, didn’t lock up.” For a moment, his gaze remained riveted on the door. “Never mind, forget that for now. You look tired. Are you sure about going to work? You don’t have to. We can survive on my salary.”

“True, but think about it. First day back after vacation, pregnant or not, I would’ve been beat. As long as there aren’t any complications, I want to work.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t go out tonight.”

“Do you mind?”

“No, but what in the world can we do at home, all night?” Grinning and wiggling his brows, he lowered his head. Mouth to mouth...she nipped his tongue. “Whoa, someone’s hungry.” He moved out of reach.

She watched him prepare dinner, but her thoughts were on the unlocked door, positive it was secure when she lay down for her nap.

“Rissa.”

She flinched. He stood in front of her with food on a tray. Damn. How did he get that close without her noticing? “You like this, don’t you?”

Expression decidedly casual, he queried, “Like what?”

“You know what, treating me like I’m helpless. I’m pregnant like thousands of women.”

“True, but indulge me, I like doing this for you. You’re so self-sufficient. This is probably the only time I’ll get to pamper you. Relax and enjoy it.”

After dinner they cuddled together on the sofa and listened to music. Her tastes were eclectic, Tristan preferred jazz and classical, so they compromised―old school for her, jazz for him.

“Rissa, have you thought about names?”

“Not really. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the concept of being pregnant.”

“I hear you. However, I’ve given some thought to a name for a girl, if we have a girl. Could we name her Kristen, with a K?”

“Hmm, named after your oldest brother, huh?”

“Do you mind?”

“Tris, this is your baby too. Just don’t think we have to go all ethnic because I’m black,” she teased. “I like the name Kristen. I remember you mentioned you and your oldest brother were close, but what about a middle name?”

“I’ll leave that up to you.”

“I like Alexis?”

“Hey, I thought you said you hadn’t considered any names?”

“Well...” She grinned. “If it’s a boy, we could name him Korey, with a K?”

“I like it. What about a middle name?” She hesitated. “Come on, Rissa, what?”

“How about Stephen?”

Eyes narrowed, he stared down at her for a few minutes. She looked away. “I think his middle name should be Graham,” he stated.

Marissa turned and threw herself into his arms, a sob escaping her. “How did you...I didn’t want you to think...”

He pressed two fingers to her lips to stop her from continuing. “Come on, Rissa. It’s only right. Graham and his child were a part of your life. We can’t pretend it didn’t happen,” he stated. “Your Graham deserves the recognition.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “Baby, don’t cry, and let’s not have any more secrets.” Using his thumbs, he swiped away her tears.

“That’s not to say Stephen isn’t a nice name,” he teased. “Besides, we have time to consider all possibilities and combinations.”

“Thanks.” She snuggled closer, and with the mellow strains of music in the background, they listened in amiable silence, until Tristan interrupted the serenity of the moment.

“Rissa, will you marry me?”

She sat up and gawked, speechless. They had talked long-term commitment, but considering her history with men, never in terms of marriage. Damn. Pregnancy was adding new meaning to their relationship. “What about the families?” she asked. “Though it’s just my mother with the problem.”

“I want to marry you, not your family.” He snorted. “And my family sure as hell isn’t up for the warm and fuzzy in-law award.”

“Come on, you know what I mean. We’ll be adding fuel to the fire...” Her voice trailed off. The idea of agitating their families had appeal. “Yes, Tristan, I will marry you.”

“Whoa, trapped in a déjà vu moment,” Tristan joked and Marissa raised an eyebrow. “The night we met, I asked you to dance, your hesitation.”

She chuckled. “Oh yeah, sorry.”

Tristan grabbed her chin, tilted her head, and kissed her. “With that settled, we can ask Vi, and maybe Craig to be our witnesses. How about two weeks?”

“Definitely Vi, but Craig, not a good choice,” she replied knowing how Craig felt about her. She could be a cold individual, but she wasn’t intentionally cruel, when unwarranted. “And yes, two weeks works for me. How about we do the deed in Las Vegas, stay over for a couple of days?”

“Whatever you want, but ask Vi to help with preparations. Don’t want you tiring yourself.”

“Okay.” She kissed him again.

Hand resting on her abdomen, he said, “I believe we’ve been blessed. Could Doctor Carey explain how this happened when the original diagnosis implied you couldn’t get pregnant?”

“She could only speculate. Her conclusions didn’t differ from what I suspected. Consider this. During the rape, the bastards literally ripped me apart. Medical science wasn’t as advanced as it is now. The damage found at the time, led to their prognosis.”

“Why would medical professionals tell you something like that if they weren’t sure?”

“They said it was unlikely. The ambiguity of medical prognosis, they didn’t want me to get my hopes up.” She shrugged. “Doctor Carey said I had a lot of scar tissue, but that didn’t explain the other doctors’ conclusions, or why I never became pregnant before. I’ve never used birth control. Perhaps the body’s natural ability to heal itself repaired the damage.” Eyebrow arched, she teased, “Or you’re more potent than medical science.”

Smile quirky, he said, “I think you’re tired. Let’s go to bed.”

“Yeah, I’m beat, and I need to get to work early tomorrow. I have a lot of catch up to do.” She stood and stretched. “Oh, by the way, Hal is retiring in a few months. His replacement will start the month before he leaves.”

“That’s quite sudden, isn’t it?”

“Not really.” She headed down the hall, leaving him to lock up. “He’s been threatening to retire for years.” Stripping out of her clothes as she passed through the bedroom, she entered the bathroom and started the shower.

* * * *

Tristan headed straight to the shower, undressing as he went. Stepping into the enclosure, he sat on the seat and turned her to face him. “Let me just look at you.”

He ran his hands over every inch of her toned upper torso. Cupping her breasts, he thought he could detect more fullness. Hands gliding across slick, soapy skin, they came to rest on her abdomen. There were no discernible changes yet, but he could envision her swollen with his child. Considering her age and medical issues, he intended to relish each change in her body, every step of the way, because he didn’t think he’d get another chance.

He stood, revealing he wasn’t as impassive to his examination of her body as he tried to appear.

* * * *

Noticing his predicament, she stepped closer, her pulse quickening. “Tris.” He kept his hands on her breasts, kissed each eyelid, and trailed kisses down to her mouth. But he was too tame and she took control, intensifying the kiss. His moan echoed within their mouths. His hands shifting to her ass, and he lifted her up against him.

She straddled his body, legs wrapping around his hips as she squirmed against his erection already leaking pearly drops of natural lubricant as it eased deep inside her. He backed up, sat down on the seat, and let her take charge. Arms coiled around his neck, forcing the pace, she countered every electrifying thrust, her nervous system alive with a rush of unbridled sensations.

“Easy, baby, I don’t want to hurt you.”

She ignored his request, urging him on, he tensed, and a tormented groan escaped him as the pulsating, hot tide of wave after wave of semen flowed into her. Fingers entangled in his hair, she rode out her climax, unable to utter a sound. Collapsing against his chest, she couldn’t have moved if her life had depended on it. How long they stayed positioned as they were, she’d never know.

Tristan recovered first. “Rissa, come on, the water is getting cold. Let’s get you washed up and in bed.”

Marissa climbed off his lap and stood between his legs.

* * * *