Fall for Me (Danvers #3)(7)
“Oh, gross! Please don’t go there; leave me with some of my ignorance.”
“What are you bitching about? I’m the one who is going to have to tear the damned counters out of my kitchen because I’ll never be able to use them again without wondering if your butt cheek was on that section.”
“Touché, sis. You’ve got me there,” Beth agreed.
“When do you plan to tell Nick about the baby?”
“Well, obviously before it’s born.” When Suzy elbowed her, Beth sighed. “Probably tonight. He’s supposed to come over this evening, so after we, um, well you know, then I’ll see if I have the energy to tell him.”
Luckily, she was saved from Suzy’s comment when Gray walked hesitantly into the room. He looked as if he was prepared to dive for cover at any moment.
Beth took pity on him. “It’s okay, Gray. I’m getting ready to leave.” She took advantage of the distraction that Gray offered and quickly grabbed her purse. She gave Suzy a fast hug and smiled at Gray as he insisted on walking her to her car.
He reached for her door handle, but instead of opening it, he turned to look at her. “Beth, are you okay?” he asked quietly.
She was touched to see the look of concern in his eyes. Suzy had hit the jackpot when she met Gray, and a part of Beth couldn’t help but feel a little envious. She might be sleeping with a Merimon brother, but he was as different as night from day from Gray. Smiling reassuringly at him, she said, “I’m fine, Gray, really I am. I hope Suzy doesn’t give you a hard time about Nick. He isn’t the bad guy in all of this. If anyone is, it’s me.”
Beth could see that she had surprised Gray yet again. He gave her a shrewd look and said, “Be careful, Beth. Whether you mean to or not, you’re giving my brother something that he won’t be able to resist: a challenge. I doubt he has ever had a woman walk away.”
“I don’t know what you mean. Both Nick and I know where things stand between us. I bet he’s blowing the dust off his little black book as we speak.”
With a tired sigh, Gray said, “All right, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He leaned over to kiss her cheek and then opened the door for her. “Be careful driving home and, um, tell my brother I said hello.”
Chapter Three
Suzy laid her head back on the couch, trying to come to terms with everything she’d learned from her conversation with Beth. Apparently, the quiet ones were always hiding something. She almost felt sorry for Nick. She was fairly certain that her sister had seduced him right out of his pants. This whole thing might be kind of funny if not for the baby.
She opened her eyes to see Gray standing in front of her, visibly braced for her assault. She held her hand out to him, suddenly more thankful than ever to have such a wonderful man in her life. He took her hand and settled in beside her. She laid her head against his chest and snuggled back into his arms.
“What’s going on, baby?” Gray asked quietly.
With a sigh, Suzy said, “Beth’s pregnant and Nick’s the father.”
She felt Gray stiffen against her. This was all hitting too close to home for them. Just months ago, their relationship had almost been destroyed by a woman from Gray’s past claiming to be pregnant with his child. If not for Reva’s sudden attack of conscience, they may well have lost each other. She knew that it was a hard blow to Gray, but she also knew that he would support his brother and Beth no matter what.
“Ah, shit. Does my brother know?”
“No, I think she’s going to tell him tonight. God, Gray, how could I have been so blind? I never suspected anything was going on between them. I was so desperate for them to stop arguing that I even pushed them together at every turn. I might as well have bought them a set of handcuffs and some Cool Whip. I practically made this happen.”
With a chuckle Gray said, “Well, I don’t know about the handcuffs, but a box of condoms might have come in handy.”
Suzy smacked his chest, but couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her lips. “Well, if I had thought my sister was getting busy with someone, you bet I would have covered that base. It wasn’t Nick, though. Apparently, he tried to be good for once. I never thought I’d be saying this but supposedly my sister seduced your brother. The only person who can drop Nick’s zipper faster than him seems to be Beth.”
“Wow,” Gray murmured. “I just never imagined Beth . . . I mean, um . . . wow.”
Groaning, Suzy said, “Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. I don’t even know how to process this. Things were much easier when I thought my sister was the innocent little wallflower seduced by your gigolo brother. At least then I would have a clear course of action. Kick his ass and then help her pick up the pieces. Now I’m in the uncomfortable position of feeling like I need to protect Nick from my cougar sister.”
Gray gave her shoulders a squeeze and laughed. “Trust me, baby, my brother has never been innocent a day in his life, so don’t make him the saint here. He might have been swayed the first time, but unless Beth had him chained up somewhere, he’s been sleeping with her all this time of his own free will.”
Suzy turned and wrapped herself around Gray. When his lips settled onto hers, she felt the world slip away, as it always did whenever he touched her.
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