Just that thought alone should have been enough to make him jump from the chair and run, but strangely it only filled him with joy to think of this woman with his child in her womb. With a chuckle he ran his hand down her smooth back and said, “Baby, if I died right now, I’d have no regrets. I lo…” Before he could get the words out, Suzy put her hand over his mouth.
“Don’t say it Gray. I know you mean it, but it just seems wrong right now. I can’t sit here and talk about love when we are going to meet your stalking ex-lover.” She started to edge off of the chair, needing to put some distance between them. Gray helped her to stand before she hurt her ankle in her struggle.
Her averted gaze broke his heart. If not for the lip she was chewing on, he’d have thought she was indifferent to the pain her words had caused. He pulled her back against his body. “It’s gonna be alright baby, just hang in there with me please.”
Suzy kissed him lightly on the cheek and took her crutches from the couch. She walked back to the bedroom, and as she was shutting the door, she saw Gray still standing in the same spot looking at her with pain-filled eyes.
~~~
As she shut the door, she slumped back against it. What had gotten into her? She’d gone to Gray, naked no less, and had made love to him within an inch of their lives. Then when he wants to tell her that he loves her, she balks? She had mixed signals flying all over the place. Was it any wonder that he looked hurt and confused? He probably thought she was just using him to scratch an itch. In truth, she’d desperately needed to join her body with his before their meeting with Reva tonight. It was almost as if she was trying to imprint herself onto him. What’s next, raising your leg to pee on him so you can stake your claim? Maybe writing your name on his notebook?
Ugh, she had to stop this saying one thing and doing another. If she didn’t want Gray to talk about love then she needed to stop putting it out there. She knew how he felt about her so it was almost as if she was teasing him by running hot and cold. She couldn’t help it if she was like a moth to the flame when he was near. She just wanted all of this to go away so that she could get past the overwhelming fear of losing him. She’d known when she met him that her life was never going to be the same again, that was why she’d run for so long. Surely they hadn’t come this far only to fall apart.
Suzy gathered some clean clothing and headed for the bathroom. It was time to get on with this stalker meeting and then get back to their lives. Maybe they could even stop off on the way home for some Cool Whip. Her body tingled as she imagined licking it off of Gray’s body later. Mmmm, now that’s what I’m talking about!
Chapter Seventeen
Gray was sweating bullets by the time he and Suzy parked at Sorin’s Pub. The drive over had been quiet, both of them it seemed were nervous about this meeting. His gut-feeling was that this was a mistake. He should never have brought Suzy; he knew how vicious Reva could be. What in the hell had he been thinking? Oh yeah, bring the woman you love to meet the woman you used as a replacement for her. Greatttt idea buddy. Is this the best that a successful businessman can come up with?
He stopped to brush a kiss across Suzy’s lips before he opened the door for her. Sorin’s Pub was an upscale bar in the Battery District that was popular with the locals. It wasn’t so loud that you couldn’t talk, but was loud enough to offer a certain amount of camouflage when you didn’t want to be overheard. Gray quickly scanned the tables looking for Reva. Just when he thought they must have made it before her, he spotted her sitting at a table in the corner anxiously scanning the crowd.
Reva hadn’t seen him yet since Suzy was partially blocking his body. As they approached her table, she finally saw him. She looked at Suzy in annoyance, obviously thinking she was trying to pick Gray up. Her annoyance turned to confusion at the possessive arm that Gray placed around Suzy’s shoulders as they stopped at her table.
“Reva, thanks for meeting us. This is Suzanna, my girlfriend.” Shock crossed Reva’s face followed by a look that made him cringe.
Reva pushed her chair back from the table and Gray felt Suzy tense and the world tilt under his feet. Reva extended a hand towards Suzy and said, “Well what a surprise, I’m Reva, the mother of his unborn child.” All eyes dropped to the hand she laid against her swollen stomach.
How long they all stood there he’d no idea. “Reva, what in the hell is going on?” Gray realized they were all still standing and starting to get some curious looks. He pulled out a chair for Suzy and propped her crutches against the wall. Reva made a big production of settling back into her chair. He took Suzy’s cold fingers under the table, trying to offer her some reassurance that he was far from feeling.