The Plan (Off-Limits Romance, #4)

I see my mistake reflected on his face: the way his features fall wide open and his cheeks lose all their color. His hand comes up to his face, and I feel ill with shame.

“It was an accident,” I say, meaning I’m not sure what. “I’m sorry.”

His face is blank now. Flawlessly emotionless. “You should go. Go back to your place, Marley.”

“I’m so sorry. That’s not why I had the idea. Having a baby has been the focal point of my life for a lot longer than the last few days. But by the way, your ex is a real cunt.”

He laughs—or at least, his face does. Then he’s shaking his head, looking at me like I’ve sprouted horns. “What am I going to do with you?”

“I could leave.” I swallow hard, imagining all the things he used to do to me. All the delicious things. “Or you could punish me. I’ve been so bad, Gabe. Very, very bad to come and tempt you like this. I can’t seem to stop invading your space in this house we’re sharing. What am I but a menace?” I smile like a vixen, and am rewarded by his flashing eyes.

“You are a menace. Do you know how many times I fucking hear you up here? I can’t go four hours without hearing your footsteps. I changed my run time so I wouldn’t see you. Then you take a shower when I do, you stumble home wearing that fucking bug suit.”

“Alien,” I murmur.

“Does it have an opening in the back?”

“Of course it doesn’t,” I say primly. “Aliens are chaste.”

“I can’t imagine what could make you want this,” he says softly. “Who was he? The older man?”

“My ex? Nothing awful happened. I’ve been just fine single but…I really want a baby. It’s what I want the most in life. I never thought about you until I saw you in the bed just now. Your chest,” I whisper.

“What about it?”

“It looks virile.” I laugh. “And I thought about what’s under the sheets.”

“What did you think about?” he asks darkly.

“You, Gabe. You between my legs.”





7





Gabe





Marley has never been a normal girl. When I met her, that’s what I loved about her. Unlike other girls who slapped you in the face with rebel bad girl sentiments, Marley appeared normal. Just another girl. Except you’d talk to her and you’d find that she wasn’t. She used to say that when she died, she wanted me to leave her in a grassy field so animals could eat her. So she could be “part of the energy of things.” When she grocery shopped, she used to calculate her total expense as she dropped things into her buggy. She would add it all up in her head, just as a game. When I fucked her that first night in Vegas, she lit me up like the motherfucking Strip; she cleaned my clock like a fist in a cage fight. Marley burned out what was in me and made me feel cleaner. Lighter.

At the time, I’d never felt so free before. And so I married her.

What happened next—how we unraveled—was not her-specific. We fell on the swords of youth and my addiction. My not-normal girl was maybe needier than normal. She wanted more than average, while I was capable of giving so much less. It was like math, what happened. We just didn’t add up. Marley removed herself from the equation.

“You want me between your legs?” I ask her now. “You want my cock inside your cunt?”

I wait for her to flinch at my crass language. When Marley nods slowly, I can’t hold back a groan.

“You can’t just say that shit.”

“I’m not just saying it.” She straightens her spine, and I see her for the first time, maybe, as the woman she is now.

“You want to fuck me,” I say slowly.

“Yes.” Her cheeks redden for a moment. “That was never our problem, was it?”

Fuck sure wasn’t. But still… “You want me to knock you up? You really want to have a baby that you made with me?”

Her blush is darker this time. “I could go to a sperm bank, but c’mon, Gabe. This is such a good idea as far as logic goes. I know you’re not a psychopath or serial killer. You don’t have diabetes, cystic fibrosis, something like that.”

“Not diabetes. Marley, you’re my fucking ex.”

“Is that a ‘no’ then?” Her face locks down.

“Would you share this baby? Child?”

“Yes. We could offer him or her a mom and a dad. Who once were married.” She grins, shaking her head. “See? It’s almost normal.”

“And if I want to tie your arms?” I step closer. “And plug your ass? And make it ache? Is that what you have in mind, Marley? Do you want to get down on your knees for me? Because that’s all I want. That’s what I’d want from you.”

I see my harsh words make their mark, but then I watch her face take on a sterner look. “I liked the other day. It was better than I’d had in years. Since you. I don’t have to be your friend to enjoy you in bed.”

My cock hardens so fast, I have to grit my teeth to keep a moan in. “You can’t tell me that.”

Her mouth twitches. “That’s why I did.”

“Oh, Marley. What are you doing?”

“Making you an offer.” She smiles sweetly, and I know for sure she’s not as reckless as she seems. I’ve been a dick to her since she moved in, and Marley probably doesn’t trust me as far as she could throw me. But she doesn’t care about that. It doesn’t matter that we have this history. Hell, she may not have a shred of feeling left for me. I’m a means to an end, for her. A stepping stone on her path to what she wants, which evidently is a baby.

She shrugs. “Think about it.”

Then she turns and disappears through her door. She’s closing it behind her when I push it open.

My balls ache as I say, “Go sit on the couch.”

I see her eyes flare with surprise. To my delight, she does exactly what I ask, sitting on her couch with her hands on her knees, still wearing her ridiculous alien jumpsuit.

“Take the costume off.”

I watch as she unties it at the neck and peels the top part off, exposing smooth skin and creamy breasts that strain a black lace bra. She stands to step out of the lower half, revealing black panties and legs that look exactly as I recall: sinfully voluptuous, with just a hint of definition and a lot of fucking curve. There’s never been a body like Marley’s.

When she’s finished, standing mostly naked in front of me with her head tilted and a sly smile on her mouth, she does a wink thing and says, “Your turn.”

Jesus Christ.

She’s peering up at me with lust-drunk eyes as I lower the sheet around my waist.

I tug my throbbing cock. “You want this?”

She reaches for me, and when her hand closes around my head, my eyes shut. I let Marley run her smooth, soft hands over my cock, tracing a vein down to the base, then cupping my balls.

“I could make it really good for you,” she whispers. I grit my teeth as she strokes the hot spot at the underside of my head. “It would be kind of a trade,” she says. “My body for your sperm.”

I groan as she starts pumping. “Marley,” I breathe. “I’m an alcoholic.”

She tightens her grip on me, making my feet arch. “So what? Everyone has something.”