More Than He Expected (9 page)

Actually, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever seen Gwen look happier,
and he was glad that he was partially responsible for it. There was a part of
him that needed to make her smile. His father had always made a point of giving
him anything he ever wanted growing up. That was just how he related to his son.
When Alex was older, he did the same, giving expensive gifts to women instead of
real affection.

With Gwen, giving her gifts was not enough. He wanted to see
the joy in her eyes, not just the excitement of greed that other women had. It
was important to him in a way he didn’t understand and didn’t want to really
consider.

Glancing away, he noticed a group of older women coming down
the sidewalk toward them. They’d been shopping, as evidenced by the variety of
bags in their hands. One of the women, a slight little lady about Gwen’s size,
was watching them with the twinkle of an excited grandmother in her eye. He
wasn’t surprised when she stopped and leaned over to Gwen.

“How far along are you, dear?”

Gwen smiled. “Five and a half months.”

“My youngest daughter is six months along. It’s going to be my
first granddaughter.” She held up a bag slightly overflowing with what looked
like pink fabric and lace. “Five grandsons so far, so I’m very excited. Do you
know what you’re having?”

“It’s a girl.”

“Little girls everywhere! How wonderful. I apologize for
interrupting your lunch, but you’re just glowing, and I couldn’t help but stop.
With such beautiful parents, I have no doubt that baby is going to be a little
heartbreaker. You’d better watch out, Daddy.”

Alex smiled appropriately and waved as the lady joined her
group and continued down the street. Explaining the reality of their complicated
situation to a little old lady on the street was unnecessary. And she was right…
. They would have very attractive kids. With his golden hair and her curls.
Gwen’s dark eyes and his smile. It wasn’t hard to picture a little boy and girl
running around playing in the grass of their front yard.

When he turned back to Gwen, she was pensively stroking her
stomach and staring off down the street. There was a slight frown on her face
that snapped him back to reality. While he was daydreaming about blond children
playing in a yard they didn’t have, she seemed to have taken her thoughts down a
darker path. One that focused on the fact that the baby wasn’t theirs and the
“daddy” was just her on-and-off, commitment-phobic lover.

That made him frown, too. What the hell was he thinking even
entertaining the idea of what their children would look like? That was the kind
of fantasy a smitten teenage girl would concoct while thinking about her crush.
He was a grown man. One determined never to even have children. What was it
about Gwen that made him think such bizarre, unproductive things?

Alex shook his head irritably and threw enough cash on the
table to cover their check. “Are you ready to go?”

Gwen turned back to him, snapping out of her thoughts and
nodding. The frown was gone, but he could still see the worry puckering her
eyebrows beneath her sunglasses.

He wanted to say something, but he wasn’t quite sure what. With
the precariousness of their relationship, many things could be interpreted
wrong. There were still a few days left of the trip. Saying the wrong thing now
could make the rest painful at best.

Alex reached out his hand to help her from her chair. “She was
right about one thing. You are glowing,” he said once she got to her feet.

Gwen searched his face for a moment, then shook her head
dismissively. “Of course I glow. I just had a very expensive and thorough facial
and sea salt scrub.”

“True, but you’ve had a rosy, maternal radiance this whole
time. Today’s treatments only made you relax.” He leaned down and placed a kiss
against her exposed shoulder. “And even more silky soft, if that’s
possible.”

He took Gwen’s hand and led her through the tables to the
sidewalk. They walked silently back to the car and didn’t speak during the drive
to the house. When Alex turned into the driveway, he noticed the other cars had
returned. He stopped the convertible, not wanting to end his wonderful day with
Gwen on such a somber note.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

Alex shifted the car into Neutral, engaged the parking brake
and turned in his seat to face her. “I hope you had a good time today.”

Her dark eyes widened for a moment before the corner of her
mouth turned up just slightly. She looked down into her lap as though she were
embarrassed. “I did. You don’t know how badly I needed a little TLC. Thank you,
Alex. It was very thoughtful of you.”

“You don’t seem very happy now. Did that woman at the
restaurant upset you?”

“No,” she said. “She just made me think about things I’ve been
trying to ignore.”

“Like what?”

“Like what life is going to be like after the baby is born.
After this vacation ends and you’re gone again. In that woman’s mind, I was just
starting out on the wonderful adventure of parenthood with you by my side. The
truth is that in four months, I’m going to be alone with nothing to show for the
last year of my life but some oversized clothes.”

Alex didn’t know what to say. He wouldn’t insult her
intelligence by attempting to comfort her with the empty promise of his staying.
The baby wasn’t hers to keep. Her worries about him and what he could offer were
valid. So he didn’t say anything. Instead, he leaned over and wrapped his arms
around Gwen, pulling her to his chest.

There was no heat in his touch. Only comfort. She accepted it,
snuggling against him and burrowing her face into his neck. They sat that way
for several minutes. He could feel a cool dampness sinking into the cotton of
his shirt and realized she was silently crying. He didn’t say anything, just
held her tighter and waited for the tears to dry.

At last, Gwen spoke, her voice almost too quiet for him to hear
it. “Come to my bed again, tonight.”

He nodded against her, brushing a bit of her hair back to press
a kiss to her forehead. “I will.”

Eight

T
he following day included a group
excursion to the beach. Their stretch of harbor property was a little too rocky,
so they loaded up the Land Rover with chairs, umbrellas and coolers and left
midmorning in their usual caravan of cars.

Adrienne pointed out an empty stretch of white, sandy beach,
and they pulled the cars off the road to claim it. With so many people, it
didn’t take long to get everything unloaded. Gwen tried to help, but Alex just
frowned at her and insisted she make herself comfortable in the lounge chair
he’d set up for her. She didn’t argue, carrying her bag over and settling in to
stay out of everyone’s way.

Will and Alex set up a large umbrella just behind her to shade
a couple of the chairs. Except for Helena, who had a dark, Italian glow to her
skin, the other women were all extremely fair and would burn even with
sunblock.

As the others unpacked and set up, Alex brought Gwen a bottle
of citrus-infused water and a can of SPF 75 sunscreen spray. “Be sure to drink
as much water as you can and keep plenty of this on today. It’s hot, and I don’t
want you getting dehydrated.”

He had been fawning over her since they got home yesterday.
Almost like a man would pamper his expectant wife. Crying in his arms had
probably been a bad idea. It felt good to get it out of her system, but now he
probably thought she was both emotionally and physically fragile. He’d even
handled her a bit more delicately in bed last night. It was wonderfully
passionate and romantic, yet she didn’t remember Alex being a particularly
tender lover before.

Gwen took the water and the sunscreen from him and noticed
Adrienne watching them as she unpacked a few beach towels from a tote bag. “Stop
fussing. It’s not exactly subtle,” she said.

Alex shrugged. “I’m more worried about the welfare of you and
the baby than anything else, including being found out by the relationship
police.”

For a brief moment, the expression on his face was serious and
concerned. No smirks, no winks, no grins. He was honestly worried about her. She
wasn’t quite sure how to respond, especially when the charming smile returned
and he wandered off to help Wade and Jack unpack a few bagged chairs. He was so
confusing.

After the last few days, her confusion was only getting worse.
Alex was the fun guy, the exciting guy. Not the caring, relationship guy. And
yet, since they’d been in the Hamptons together, that was almost how it had
felt. The wild, passionate nights were paired with conscientious and thoughtful
days. If Alex was any other man, Gwen might start to wonder if something more
was going on between them.

But tigers didn’t change their stripes.

Instead of worrying too much about something she couldn’t
control, she decided to do as he’d said and start rubbing in sunscreen. She
could already feel the warmth on her skin that was a certain precursor to
burning. Fortunately, today she’d opted for her one-piece suit so less skin was
exposed. It was black and purple, and she tied a multicolored sarong low on her
hips. After applying the lotion to every inch she could reach, she set the can
aside and eased back into her chair with the water he’d brought her. Now that
she was protected from burning, it was easier to relax and let the heat sink
into her bones.

She’d spent another wonderful night with Alex. Combined with
yesterday’s massage, there were parts of her body she didn’t even know could
hurt, but she couldn’t regret it. Being with Alex was a welcome distraction from
reality. This trip, this place, this romance… It was all a fantastic dream she
would wake up from the moment Will’s car crossed back into Manhattan.

She’d tried not to let yesterday linger on her mind. She and
Alex had had such a good time walking around and having lunch. His spa surprise
had been a spot-on choice. She couldn’t think of a single thing he could’ve
bought her that she wanted or needed more. He really did seem to have her
figured out. Or maybe he just understood women in general. What woman wouldn’t
appreciate a day at the spa?

Gwen had thoroughly enjoyed the tiny glimpse into what life
could be like together. The sweet lady’s comments at the bistro had simply
snapped her out of the romantic reverie she’d drifted into. It wasn’t her fault
that in that moment, Gwen wanted so badly for it to be real. That they were a
loving husband and wife vacationing. Expecting their first child together.

It had taken a while for Gwen to admit to herself that was part
of her problem. She was falling for this fantasy they had going. It had lulled
her into the idea that having a husband and family was something she
wanted—something she
had.
Gwen’s hand went to her
stomach, stroking the curve through the stretchy black fabric of her suit. But
she didn’t have anything. It was not her baby. It was not his baby. She needed
to keep telling herself that.

She couldn’t help but glance up to where the guys were now
playing Frisbee in the sand. Alex was wearing only a pair of fire-engine red
swim trunks. He moved quickly, snatching the disk from the air and immediately
firing it off in Wade’s direction. She admired the athleticism and grace of
Alex’s movements as his strong muscles flexed beneath his tanned skin.

He was not hers, either. Gwen sighed and took a sip of her
water.

Gwen had been thinking the strangest things over the last few
days. She wasn’t sure if it was the baby, being around happy married couples,
hormones, or having Alex’s warm presence in her bed at night, but it made her
want more. For the last eight months, she hadn’t been able to target what she
really needed in her life. Maybe it was because she’d labeled the thing she
needed the most with her mother’s ugly stigma and couldn’t see past it.

Love and marriage and family.

If that was what she wanted, certainly she could do it
differently, right? It was such a huge leap for her, to want the one thing she’d
always told herself she didn’t need. But she wanted to try. If it didn’t work,
she could always go back to the way she’d done things before.

If she was going to start entertaining the idea of marriage and
family, okay. Gwen was more open to that than she’d ever been before. But to
have it, she needed to start with the basics—a man who loved her and wanted to
marry her.

Yes, and all she needed to buy her own tropical island was a
couple million dollars. Easy fix, right?

Gwen turned to watch Adrienne spread out a beach towel on the
chair beside her and settle in with her own drink and a paperback to read. She
looked adorable in her hot-pink bikini, her dark brown hair swept into a
ponytail. There was no need for her to cover any of her curves with a wrap like
Gwen had. She set her items on top of the small cooler that separated them and
started applying sunblock to her legs.

“I thought you’d sworn off men,” Adrienne said casually,
slathering on the thick white cream.

“What?” Gwen looked up and followed Adrienne’s line of sight to
Alex. “Oh.”

“When were you planning on telling me?”

Gwen gave a quick glance around to make sure no one else was
within earshot. For now the coast was clear. “How did you find me out? Was it
the fussing? I saw you watching us.”

“Not really. That was just the latest of a hundred clues. You
two are both ignorant if you think that kind of sexual attraction can be
disguised. Even a ten-thousand-square-foot house on three acres is too small for
people not to notice something is going on. So… Tell me what’s going on.”

Gwen shrugged dismissively. “Not much to tell really.”

Adrienne turned to her, a curious arch to her eyebrow. “I find
that hard to believe.”

Her best friend was too intuitive for her own good. But short
of the torture of thumbscrews, Gwen wasn’t going to admit to anything more than
a fun fling. After all, that was all they’d agreed to. All that it was supposed
to be, regardless of how it might feel. “I’m sorry to disappoint. But you know
Alex and his track record with women well enough to realize there isn’t going to
be more to this story than some good sex.”

“Good?”

“Okay,” Gwen admitted with a sly grin. “
Great
sex. He has most certainly earned his reputation with the
ladies.”

Adrienne smiled and started smearing the sunblock into her arms
and shoulders. “How long has this great sex been going on?”

“Two days. If you don’t count the two weeks after your
wedding.” She said the last sentence quickly, following it with a swig of water
from her bottle as if she could slip the shocking news past her friend. From the
look on Adrienne’s face, it didn’t work.

“So, what…eight months?”

“No. Eight months sounds like it’s something. Eight months with
a nearly seven-and-a-half-month gap in between is clearly nothing.”

“But you’ve kept it a secret from me for that long. If it was
nothing, you could’ve told me.”

“I know.” Gwen winced at the admission. “But I knew you would
get spun up about it. If something went wrong, it would make things awkward,
with us being friends with you and Will. It was just easier this way. I don’t
want this made into any more than it is.”

“Great sex,” Adrienne said flatly.

“Yes. I have to say I hadn’t come up here intending on picking
up anything with Alex. I turned him down several times. But a combination of
pregnancy hormones and that damned seductive smile of his changed my agenda
pretty quickly.”

Adrienne nodded sympathetically. “Alex’s charm is hard to
ignore.”

Gwen looked back out toward the water. Sabine and Emma had
waded out into the waves with boogie boards. The guys were still playing
Frisbee. As though he could feel her eyes on him, Alex turned to Gwen and shot
her a smile before turning back to the game.

“Indeed,” she agreed. Every nerve in her body had responded to
him in that instant. Even after a long night of thoroughly exhausting
lovemaking, she wanted more of him. And not just his body.

It was a dangerous thought, because that was all Alex could
offer her. At best, she would walk away from this week with some fond memories
and a fabulous day at the spa. If she let herself get too involved in this
fantasy, she would walk away with a bad case of heartache. Either way, one thing
she wouldn’t have come next week was Alex.

Frowning, Gwen quickly scrambled into her bag for a magazine
she’d brought with her. She needed a distraction. Anything to keep her brain
from the train of thought it was determined to take. She’d just told Adrienne
this was nothing and now, seconds later, she was sitting here thinking the exact
opposite.

Flipping open the magazine, she thumbed through a few pages
until she found an article on something completely unrelated to sex or love.

“Just do me a favor, though.”

Adrienne’s words pulled Gwen from the details of this fall’s
hot hairstyle trends. “What’s that?”

“I know that you’re not really into the long-term thing, so it
might be a moot point. But don’t let yourself fall in love with Alex. I’ve only
known him a few years, but it doesn’t take long to realize that behind the charm
and the money is a man running from something. Plenty of women have wasted time
and energy trying to chase after him only to find themselves empty-handed. I’d
hate for you to be one of them.”

“Of course,” Gwen said, turning back to her magazine with a
forced smile on her face. “I’m not stupid.”

But inside, she knew the truth. If she wasn’t careful, she
would be on track to becoming the stupidest woman on the planet.

* * *

Alex clutched his drink in one hand and the deck railing
of the ship with the other as his stomach lurched. He hated boats. Dinghies,
canoes, yachts, cruise liners… It didn’t matter. Even the most expensive
stabilization systems and motion sickness pills couldn’t keep him from getting
nauseated. It was ironic, really, since his family owned a multimillion-dollar
yacht and he hadn’t set foot on it even once in the ten years since his parents
bought it.

This boat was harder to circumvent. Will and Adrienne had
chartered a dinner yacht to cruise out into the water at sunset. There was no
avoiding it, especially when he saw the light of excitement in Gwen’s eyes when
she found out about their plans. It was a lovely, romantic idea in theory. He
popped a couple Dramamine and hoped he could keep the meal down. Throwing up
over the side of the railing was a definite mood killer.

So far, so good. Dinner had been an excellent New England
clambake-style spread. He could forget where he was while gorging himself on
perfectly cooked seafood and spicy seasoned vegetables. Fortunately, the wind
had died down. The water was relatively calm, with the reflection of the full
moon dancing across it. But every now and then, they’d hit a larger wave and
he’d seriously regret the chocolate lava cake they’d had for dessert.

After dinner, the ship was set to cruise around for an hour
with a fireworks display before returning to the pier. The deck was decorated
with colored lights and music was piped out through speakers all over the ship.
Everyone seemed to be happy to talk and laugh, sipping their drinks and watching
the lights from the shore twinkle in the distance. It really was a perfect night
to be out sailing. If you liked that sort of thing.

Alex had quietly asked the bartender for some ginger ale in a
lowball glass and moved away from the crowd not long after dessert. He found a
quiet corner of the ship where he could take a moment to breathe deeply and let
his dinner settle. If anything went awry, there would be no witnesses. No one
knew about his issue with boats, and he preferred it to stay that way.

The wind picked up, ruffling his hair, and before he knew it,
the up-and-down movement of the boat went from almost tolerable to
gut-wrenching. His stomach churned and he broke out in a cold sweat.