“You need to understand this real quickly, Mr. Titan,”

She said with sarcasm, “I will not marry you, ever,” she finished and tugged at her arm again. He

wasn’t hurting her in any way but the grip was firm and he didn’t seem to be in any hurry to let her go.

“You didn’t call me Mr. Titan when you were screaming out my name in passion,” he said to her,

taking more offense to the formal name than any of her other words. She narrowed her eyes further at

him. She didn’t need to be reminded of how she’d behaved on that island. There must have been

something in the water because she’d done things there she’d never even begin to think about doing in
the real world.

“I didn’t know that was who you were there,” she told him.

“You’re seriously the most frustrating woman I’ve ever had to deal with,” he almost shouted at her.

“Then stop dealing with me and go away,” she yelled back.

They glared at one another, neither willing to back down. They were both breathing hard as the

silence drug on. Drew suddenly pulled her up against him and crushed his lips down on hers. She was

too shocked to react at first and stood like a rag doll, as his tongue rubbed over her lips, looking for a
way to enter.

When she came out of her shock, she pushed against him for about three seconds, before the heat

started to pool in her stomach and thighs. She hadn’t been kissed like that for five months and her

hormones were all over the place with the pregnancy. Her anger quickly changed to an all-consuming

passion as his lips continued to stroke hers, while his hands rubbed up and down her back.

THE TYCOON’S VACATION

Copyright © 2011 by Melody Anne

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in
whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system,

is forbidden without the written permission of the author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the

author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead,

business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Books by Melody Anne

*The Billionaire Wins the Game

*The Billionaire’s Dance

*The Billionaire Falls

*The Billionaire’s Marriage Proposal

+The Tycoon’s Revenge

+The Tycoon’s Vacation

+The Tycoon’s Proposal

See Melody on Facebook at facebook.com/authormelodyanne

Prologue

“You don’t know what you’re missing out on Drew. I’ve never been so happy in my entire life. I love

you and Ryan like brothers, you know that, but there’s something completely satisfying about having a
wife and children. It fills a void you don’t even know is there until you finally are with your true

love,” Derek said as the two men sat by the pool, having a drink.

“You know, I think Jasmine is about the most perfect person in this universe but marriage just isn’t for
me. I’m a confirmed bachelor. Why would I want to settle down with just one lady, when I can have a

new one on my arm every single night?” Drew said with a wicked smile. He said the words but even

he didn’t believe himself anymore. He’d watched his newly married cousin with his wife and felt a

tugging for something more in his life. He wouldn’t admit that out loud, though. He had a great life and
he refused to even think about changing it.

“Yeah, well you know I felt the same way until Jasmine came back into my life and now I just think of
all the wasted years we could’ve been together,” Derek said with pain in his voice. His cousin had

married his childhood sweetheart but circumstances had kept them apart for ten years and Drew knew

it pained Derek whenever he thought about all the years lost.

“I think I’m so restless because I need a vacation. I’ve been working non-stop for years now and I

think I’m going to pick one of my resorts and just go soak up some sun and lounge around. I’m sure I

can find a few pretty ladies to enjoy the time with me,” he said. He was well known as a playboy.

The women he got involved with knew the score and were looking for nothing more than a night with

him, so there were no hurt feelings between the couples in the morning.

That had always been enough for him, so he figured the restlessness really was just the fact he was

working too hard. The old saying seemed to be quite fitting, all work and no play.

“What are you boys up to out here?” Jasmine asked, as she walked out, with her beautiful baby girl.

Drew immediately held out his arms to take her. She was the most adorable thing in the world and he

could imagine himself with a few someday. He had to shake the thought off, since he couldn’t have the
babies without having a wife. He’d been raised far better than that.

“Oh, you know Drew, he’s talking about all the pretty ladies,” Derek said as he grabbed his wife

around the waist and settled her onto his lap. She giggled before bending down to kiss him, making

Drew a bit uncomfortable. He cleared his throat, just to remind them he was still there.

He’d never been so head over heels for a girl he forgot everyone else in the room. He was starting to
wonder what that would be like.

“Sorry Drew,” Jasmine said a bit sheepishly, as a pretty blush stole over her features.

“Want to babysit?” Derek said. He wasn’t in the least bit sorry. Before Drew had a chance to say

anything, Derek rose from the chair, with Jasmine still in his arms and carried her off through the

house. He could hear her weak protests as they got further away.

Britney was looking up at him with her big blue eyes, which he couldn’t resist. He blew some

raspberries on her tummy, which made her giggle and pat his face.

“I know your parents are a bit nutty but you have to love them, anyway,” he said to the baby. He
didn’t feel foolish at all talking to her, even though she had no idea what he was saying. He found
himself

alone for a very long time before the happy couple came back down to join him.

He raised his brows at his cousin, who just shrugged as if to say, he couldn’t help himself. Jasmine

apologized for her husband’s behavior and took Britney back, so she could get her ready for bed. He

reluctantly handed her over.

“I’m going to take off now, since my presence here is obviously not needed,” Drew said with a huge

smile.

“Hey, you know you’re always wanted here,” Derek told him, truly meaning it.

“I know. That’s why I keep coming back. I’m going to take everyone’s advice though and go on a

vacation. I’m sure once I get away for some fun, I’ll feel much better and can get back to normal,” he
said.

“Don’t stay away too long, you know how quickly Britney is growing up,” Derek said, as he walked

him to the door.

“I can’t believe how quickly she’s growing. I’ll be back in a week or so. I’m thinking it’s time to start
slowing down. I’m realizing traveling isn’t holding the same appeal it used to and whenever I’m
away

I’m anxious to get back. I think it’s your wife’s cooking. I swear I’ve put on twenty pounds,” he said,
while rubbing his incredibly flat stomach.

“I understand. I’m going to have to go to the tailor to let all my pants out,” Derek agreed, while

rubbing his own impressive stomach. Both men looked more like they should be on the cover of

magazines, than sitting behind a desk. They shook hands and Drew took off.

He called his pilot and had the jet readied and headed straight for the airport. He knew some sun and
surf would wash all his worries away and hopefully the weird thoughts of marriage and children as

well. He simply wasn’t the marrying kind, not like Derek was. Heck, he could tell when they were

still teenagers Derek would be the first to marry and make a ton of kids.

Once he was airborne, he sipped on his drink and laid his head back against the seat. He could feel

himself relaxing. Yeah, he thought, this is what I needed. He’d refuse to work for a couple of days and
everything would go back to normal.

Chapter One

Trinity laid down on the oversized towel, letting out a sigh of total ecstasy. She could feel the sun
shining down on her closed eyelids. She was so relaxed, she felt as if she could float off in the crystal
clear water, only a few feet away from her.

This was the first impulsive thing she’d ever done in her life. She’d always been the responsible,

stable, reliable person but after being walked all over for the hundredth time, she packed one bag,

hopped on a jet and ended up on a secluded island off the North Coast of Spain. The last portion of

her trip had been on a small charter aircraft, with spectacular views of the Mediterranean Sea. It was
unlike anything she’d ever seen before. She’d been unable to take her eyes away from the window, as

the aircraft circled the island and landed in paradise.

She’d spent every last dime she so strictly saved over the last ten years, on the mega expensive, all-
inclusive resort. As she lay there, soaking up the sun, she knew every penny of it was worth eating

ramen noodles for the next year, once she got back home.

Her life had been flipped upside down a few days ago and she’d finally snapped, like many people

had predicted would one day happen, if she continued to let people abuse her good nature. She’d

always been the people pleaser in her group of friends and in the few romantic relationships she’d

been in.

Her last relationship was the reason she was now soaking up the sun and flat broke. Her mouth

stretched out in a pleased grin. She was starting to get too warm, so she stood up and started walking
towards the inviting water. She was trying really hard not to think about her ex but the man invaded

her thoughts, which caused a frown to pucker her brows.

She had been with her supposedly straight-laced boyfriend for six months and really loved him, or at

least she thought she did. She’d decided it was time to take the next step in their relationship and had
gotten all dressed up, planning on waiting for him to get home from the office.

She didn’t really understand his job. She just knew he owned some business that developed software.

He tried talking about it to her and she’d nod along, as if she understood but in reality, it had bored
her to pieces.

She had the key to get into his place, from when he’d been on a business trip the previous month and

she’d gone over to water his plants. She’d forgotten she even had the key but was very grateful,

considering she was going to plan a romantic evening for them.

It was such a cliché because of course she’d opened the door, with nervous anticipation, only to find
the stupid creep in bed with his secretary. He had, of course, begged her not to leave and promised it
was a one-time thing, that he’d temporarily lost his mind.

Trinity smiled as she thought about his moment of groveling. As she’d walked out the door, she

vowed she was done with businessmen for good. She was tired of being their perfect girlfriend, who

did their laundry, cleaned their places and anything else they asked. She was done being the girl

everyone could depend on. She was done always playing it safe. She was certainly done with being a

doormat.

She dived into the water and swam out until her arms started to ache. She turned around, surprised at
how far she’d gotten from the shore. She wasn’t worried about it though, as she was a strong

swimmer. Even if she did get tired, she could float on her back for hours. She began the long trip back
to shore and continued thinking about those life changing days.

Trinity had driven back to her boring, beige apartment and started searching the internet for exotic

resorts. She’d found a new place on an island, off of the coast of Spain, booked her ticket and went to
the mall to purchase a few sundresses and a new bikini. She’d slept incredibly well that night and

was off to the airport first thing in the morning.

She landed yesterday and had wandered the beach as she watched the most spectacular sunset she’d

ever seen in her life. Tears had fallen down her face from the sheer beauty of the colors splashed

across the sky. She was exhausted as she climbed back up to her room. She was also feeling better

than she had in a very long time.

For a few seconds after she woke up that morning, she’d been confused about where she was. She’d

sipped a few too many margaritas in the outdoor bar. Once it all came back to her, she couldn’t keep

the smile from her face. She slipped on her most daring bikini and headed towards the incredible

beach, where she lounged for hours, until she finally dove into the crystal clear sea water.

Trinity snapped back to the present, as she continued to swim closer to the shore and she felt nothing
but the warmth from the sun and the coolness of the glorious water. There was no stress, no feelings

of regret and no doubt she’d made the right choice. That’s all she felt, until something smashed into
her head. There was a shooting pain and then she felt blackness surround her. Her last thought, before
she started sinking beneath the surface of the water, was her room was non-refundable.

Drew was lying on his board, swimming out to catch a wave. He’d arrived at his resort earlier that

morning and felt good. He’d told his staff they were to pretend not to know him over the next seventy-
two hours and then he’d hit the beach. He could certainly get used to being a tourist, he thought with a
laugh.

The day had been relaxing so far and he could feel his stress fading away. As he paddled out further

into the sea, he suddenly felt a thump and turned his head, to see a body start sinking into the water.

“What the hell?” he yelled, before diving off his board to retrieve whoever he’d just ran into. No one
was ever out in the water this far unless they were surfing. He supposed their board could’ve gotten

away from them but he didn’t see one floating around anywhere without a rider.

He caught the person before they sunk too far, realizing it was a woman. He threw her up on his board
and quickly paddled back to shore. He immediately began CPR and let out a relieved sigh, when she

choked up some water and started to breathe.

She looked up through blood-shot eyes and groaned, reaching for her head, where he could already

see a large lump forming. He was surprised by the clenching in his gut. She was spectacular, in an

understated girl next door way.

She had long blonde hair, which was currently plastered over her face and emerald colored eyes.

He’d never quite seen that shade before. They had a sparkle to them, holding his attention. They were
surrounded by long lashes, which were quickly blinking up at him.

Her body was lithe and far to pale, to be so unprotected on these beaches. He could already see a tint
of red all over, which was going to bother her in the morning if she didn’t get plenty of lotion on her.

He felt his body tighten, at the thought of rubbing lotion all over her smooth skin. Her curves were

perfect, neither too small nor too large. He was picturing his large hands running all over her body.

He had to shake his head to clear the inappropriate thoughts. He’d almost drowned the poor woman

and now he was ogling her like a piece of candy. He really needed to take more time off.

He reached down and scooped her up in his arms. She needed to get some medical attention, so he

could verify she’d be okay. As he walked across the beach, with her in his arms, he could feel her

soft heat wash through him. The scent of her hair was causing more erotic images to pop into his

mind. Her tiny bikini wasn’t hiding much from him and he wanted to move the top aside, those last

couple of inches, to see if her peaks were pale, like her skin. He groaned out loud, as he tried to think
of anything but devouring the stranger in his arms. He didn’t normally undress a woman with only his

eyes. His partners were usually chasing him down; they didn’t look at him with wide, innocent eyes.

“What happened?” she asked him, in a scratchy voice and then winced. He was sure her throat was

pretty sore. His guilt over hitting her, at least took his mind off of his inappropriate thoughts.

“I ran into you with my surfboard, I didn’t see you out there. We’re going to the first aid station, to
make sure everything is okay,” he answered her, as he entered the air conditioned building. She

immediately began to shiver and his eyes were drawn to her beaded nipples, making his breath come

out in short pants. What the hell was wrong with him? He’d knocked the poor girl out, almost

drowned her and to top it off he was lusting after her. He seriously needed to take some time for a

date, one that ended with them in his bed.

He reached the first aid station, laid her down and quickly found a blanket to cover her up. It was
both for her benefit and his. The doctor was there within minutes, as people tended to come running,
when

it was the owner of the place who needed service. She couldn’t seem to keep her eyes open though

and fell asleep before he could begin his examination.

“What happened, Mr. Titan?” the doctor asked with concern, as he headed toward the girl.

“I was paddling out and ran into her in the water. I hit her pretty hard in the head and had to perform
CPR. There wasn’t much water in her lungs, thankfully. She was only under the water for a few

seconds,” he explained.

The doctor examined her thoroughly, before turning back to Drew. “She will be just fine. Her head is

going to hurt pretty badly but other than that, there’s no permanent damage. She shouldn’t be alone

tonight though, so if no one is with her, I strongly recommend she stay here overnight,” the doctor

said. “She also needs to rub this aloe lotion on her skin, or she’s going to be hurting pretty badly,” he
finished.

The resort’s biggest medical issue was always sunburned clients. They weren’t used to the intense

heat of the island and never protected themselves enough, even though there were signs all over the

place and the resort provided free sunblock in every room.

“I’ll make sure she’s taken care of,” Drew said and shook her awake. She partially opened her eyes,

as if it took real effort.

“What’s your full name?” Drew asked her.

“Trinity Mathews,” she squeaked at him. “I’m on vacation,” she added with a smile. Her small smile

lit up her face, making his breathing shallow once again. He was trying to shake off the dizzying effect
she was having on him.

“Are you here with someone?” he asked and found himself holding his breath. He’d noticed she

wasn’t wearing a ring but that didn’t necessarily mean anything.

“No I’m here on my own,” she answered. “My head really hurts,” she added with another wince of

pain.

“The doctor gave you a shot for that. It will work much faster than pills. It should kick in soon,” he
told her. She lay back down and drifted off to sleep once more. Drew sent a staff member out to get

him the information he needed on Trinity. She came back quickly and confirmed Trinity was there

alone and staying in one of the smaller rooms in the hotel. Well, he thought, Ms. Mathews just earned
herself an upgrade to his nicest suite in the building.

He called in a bellhop, “move Ms. Mathew’s possessions to the executive suite,” he said. He then
had

to wake her back up again.

“Trinity, the resort is going to move you to a suite,” Drew said to her. She smiled at him, as if she
was only half listening to what he said. Drew picked her back up in his arms, leaving the blanket on

her and trudged through the hotel. A few employees tried to approach him but quickly backed off,

after one look.

He made it to the elevator and rode it to the top floor. There were only a few rooms on that level and
you had to have a special room key to even get up there. The doorman was waiting when he

approached the door and held it open for him. He carried her inside and laid her down on one of the

huge beds.

She snuggled down into the feather mattress and sighed. The doorman left and he found himself all

alone with the gorgeous female. He shook her awake again and she glared at him. He had to suppress

the smile that wanted to break out on his face. It was obvious she was getting tired of his

interruptions.

“Trinity, I’m sorry to wake you but the doctor said you need to get this lotion on, or you’ll burn badly
and hate life even worse, come morning,” he said to her. The drug the doctor had given her must have

also been a sleep aid because her eyes closed again and she was out cold.

Drew groaned, as he realized he was going to have to apply the lotion himself. He looked skyward

and wondered how much he could take of touching her supple body. He sang out loud, as he poured

the lotion into his hands and began rubbing them together. He didn’t want to shock her, with cold

lotion, on top of everything else. Once he rubbed it around his hands for a while, he began applying it
to her legs.

He figured if he started with her legs, it would be easier on his libido. He was wrong, so very wrong.

By the time he got the lotion all over her incredibly beautiful body, he had a throbbing erection and
was breathing like he’d just run a marathon. On top of that, he had sweat dripping off his brow.

He walked out of the room and quickly jumped into a very cold shower. He stayed there until his skin

started turning blue and his goose bumps had their own goose bumps. He got dressed and took out his

laptop to start working on some business. If he was stuck indoors, he may as well get back to work.

Trinity woke up and her first thought was how famished she felt. She smelled something delicious

drifting towards her and laughed as her stomach growled very loudly. She noticed she was in the

softest bed she’d ever slept in and then looked around her. This wasn’t her room. She began to panic

as she looked around. She vaguely remembered everything that had happened.

She’d been swimming and the next thing she remembered was the sexiest guy she’d ever seen in her

life, leaning over her, with panicked eyes. Those eyes had been the same color as the gorgeous sea

behind him and his uncovered chest had been dark and muscled. She tried to keep her eyes open and

listen to what he was saying. She hadn’t known men that gorgeous really existed, beyond a

Hollywood movie or one of her romance novels. She was thinking it must have all been part of her

delusions because men that hot certainly didn’t exist in real life.

The next thing she remembered was the throbbing headache. She had been really irritated when

someone kept waking her up because then she had to endure the pain. She reached her hand up to her

head and felt around. There was a large lump on the side but the headache was gone. She could

vaguely remember a doctor giving her something. Whatever it was had worked magic because she felt

really good.

She climbed from the bed and looked into the closet to see her few clothing items were there. She

slipped a sundress on and followed her nose. The man from the beach was sitting at a table, in an

enormous room, removing lids from what looked like a very good salad and seafood pasta. He

spotted her and immediately jumped up. She had to blink twice to make sure she was really seeing

him. She couldn’t believe he was real. She came really close to asking him to remove his shirt, so she
could see if his chest and stomach were really as gorgeous as she remembered, while delirious.

“How are you doing, Trinity?” he asked her, with concern.

“I’m fine. Where am I and why are you here?” she asked with curiosity but not really caring all that

much. She wanted the food that was on the table, though. He saw her gaze focused on the food and

laughed, before he led her to the table and removed some more lids. She grabbed the bowl of salad

and started shoving bites into her mouth. It was the best thing she’d ever tasted. She actually groaned,
before she could stop it, then laughed.

“I’m sorry but I don’t know when I ate last,” she said and gobbled up more food. She couldn’t

remember ever being as hungry as she was right then.

“It’s fine really; I was getting ready to wake you up when you came out. You have been asleep for

fourteen hours. The doctor said he’d given you a pretty large dose of pain killer and I was checking

on you often but still, I was beginning to worry. He also didn’t want you alone, so I volunteered to

take care of you,” he finally answered her earlier question, or at least half of it.

“Where am I?” she asked him again.

“The hotel upgraded you, since you went through such a bad accident,” he said with a shrug.

“That’s so great. My old room was pretty spectacular but come on, look at this room,” she said with

excitement. He looked around, trying to see it from her eyes. It was really nice but he’d gotten so used
to luxury rooms he tended not to notice them anymore.

“So what exactly happened? I was swimming one minute, then all I know is I felt this horrible pain in
my head, then blackness, till I woke up to see you above me,” she asked him, as she continued eating.

“I was out surfing and didn’t see you. I ran into you with my surfboard,” he said, afraid she was going
to get angry. She surprised him when she started laughing. He stared at her, like she really did have a
concussion and maybe he should call the doctor.

“Sorry, really I am but you have to admit, it’s pretty funny. I’ve never had a vacation before, ever in
my life. I’m always the good girl who does everything right and always plays it safe and then on my

first day of vacation I take a swim and get whacked in the head. It’s pretty amusing,” she said still
laughing.

He had expected her to get angry or even worse, to know exactly who he was and threaten to sue but

no, she was laughing like it was no big deal. He began to relax, which could be dangerous.

“I really am very sorry,” he tried once again.

“Seriously it’s not like you went out there on purpose and thought to yourself, ‘ hmm I think I’d like
to hit someone today, ’ so don’t worry about it. After all, I did get this amazing suite and that’s worth
a nasty headache,” she said with sincerity. “I actually feel a bit guilty about it because they could rent
it to someone else. I’ll tell them it’s no big deal tomorrow,” she said, in a matter of fact tone.

“I’m sure they are more than happy to let you stay here and recuperate fully. Why not enjoy the nice

room and have a spectacular vacation. There are some amazing things to do here,” he told her. She

wrinkled her brow, as if she really had to think about it.

“I’m too tired to even think about moving at the moment, so I’ll have to think some more on it. What

time is it anyway?” she asked

“It’s about five in the morning,” he said with a yawn. “You slept the rest of the afternoon and most of
the night,” he finished.

“Wow that’s a bummer. I wasted an entire day of vacation. I’ll just have to make up for it today,” she
said with a shrug. He could think of ways of making the vacation pretty great. He hadn’t wanted a

woman so quickly in too long to remember. He was starting to hope they could benefit each other.

“I’d love to be your tour guide, if you’d let me,” he offered her.

“Are you here on vacation too?” she asked.

“I am for now,” he told her. He was telling her the truth, partially. He’d come for a vacation but it
was only supposed to be for a few days, then he had to get to work. He decided right then his vacation
was extended.

“Well in that case, I’d love to have a tour guide,” she said and then she looked up at him with

suspicion. She took in his surf shorts and t-shirt with a frown. “What do you do for a living?” she

asked him suspiciously. He knew it was a test of some sort but he didn’t know what the right answer

was. He knew he didn’t want her to know he owned resorts because she’d figure out quickly this one

was his. He also didn’t want to stray too far from the truth because once you started weaving lies, it
was really hard to break free from them.

“I work for the resort,” he answered her. It was the truth, as he worked nonstop at the varying resorts.

“Oh, you work here. But you said you’re on vacation,” she said, with a wrinkle back in place. He

needed to be really careful not to chase her away.

“I’m off for a few days, which is always a vacation, when you’re in paradise,” he answered her. His

answer seemed to be the right one because her face lit up and she went back to eating. He was blown

away with the amount of food she was shoveling in. He had no idea where she was putting it.

“Well in that case, I could most definitely use a guide, especially one who knows the area but I don’t
want to take you away from your other activities,” she told him.

“Spending time with a beautiful lady is never a hardship,” he said and gave her his most heart

stopping smile. He’d been told by more than one woman, his smile stopped them in their tracks. He

wasn’t above using everything in his arsenal to seduce Miss Trinity Mathews.

Trinity thought she may melt right through the chair when he looked at her like that. Her first reaction
was to withdraw and say goodbye but hadn’t she just had a huge pep talk with herself about living life
to the fullest. Why not spend time with the adorable local guy and see where things led on her short

vacation. She’d soon be back in the real world, where she could be sensible once again.

“I just realized I don’t know your name,” she said and waited.

“My name is Drew and it’s my pleasure to officially meet you,” he said and stuck out his hand. She

grasped it and felt some sparks shoot down her arm. She had to suppress the shiver of need rolling

through her. Her vacation had certainly become far more interesting since she had decided to go for a
swim.

Trinity finished her meal and headed to the bathroom to shower. Drew got on the phone and called his

staff. He told them no one was to approach him with any business, he didn’t care if the place was on

fire. He was officially on vacation and didn’t want his guest to know he was the boss. They were

incredibly loyal employees and he had no doubt they’d keep his secret.

Right after he hung up the phone, it rang again. He saw the number was from his attorney and

answered. He wasn’t happy when he hung up. His attorney was faxing papers over and wanted to

make sure Trinity signed them before the day was out. He was worried there would be a huge lawsuit

if she found out the person who had mowed her over was the owner of the resort. Drew really hated

politics and lawyers.

He once again called his staff and asked the manager to handle the paperwork. He made sure they

were going to comp her room, all meals and any activities she did for the rest of the week. Ms.

Mathews had earned an all-inclusive, free vacation. He had the manager upgrade her return tickets to

first class and the hotel was giving her a ten thousand dollar settlement as well. He had a feeling she
was going to balk but he’d be there to talk her into it, of course as a friend and not the owner of the
resort.

He prayed she didn’t find out the truth because it wouldn’t go over well. In the meantime he was

going to give her the vacation of a lifetime. She got out of the shower and they headed downstairs.

The manager called her into his office and presented his offer to her and her reaction was exactly as
Drew thought it would be.

“I’ll sign your papers, promising not to sue but you really don’t need to give me all this extra stuff,”

she said. She wasn’t used to taking any kind of hand out and felt greedy even considering the generous
offer. It would be nice to take the money and enjoy a free vacation but it wasn’t their fault Drew ran
into her. It wasn’t even Drew’s fault. It was just one of those freak accidents.

“Trinity these corporations make massive amounts of money and can afford it, besides its most likely

coming out of the insurance anyway. Why don’t you just take what is being offered and have an

incredible vacation. Just think of all the spa services and playing you can do,” Drew said, with a trust
me smile on his face.

“You really think so?” she asked and he nodded. She then turned to the manager, who was nodding his

encouragement, while holding out the pen. She finally took it and signed the papers, with reluctance.

“We’re sorry your vacation has been interrupted and hope this will make up for it. Please take

advantage of all our services and fully enjoy your stay,” the kind man said.

“It really wasn’t bad and you’ve been very kind. Maybe I’ll use the money to go to one of your other

resorts,” she said, like the idea really excited her.

“That would be excellent Ms. Mathews,” the manager said. “If you decide to do that, give us a call

and we’ll make sure you get the royal service, for a fraction of the cost,” he finished. She knew she’d
be far too uncomfortable to take anything else from them but she nodded her head.

She and Drew left the room and headed out, just as the sun was rising over the ocean. Even though it

was very early in the morning, it was still pleasantly warm outside and the two of them sat down in

the sand to enjoy the view.

Drew pulled her in front of him and wrapped her in his arms. Trinity knew she should pull away, as

she barely knew the man but it felt so good to be with him. She caved in to her own desires and laid

her head against his chest. Her first thought was the man was truly as hard as a rock. She’d never had

such a desire to run her hands up a male torso before. She could feel heat pooling in her stomach, the
longer she nestled close to him.

Drew was fighting his own urges as he held Trinity. When she finally relaxed and laid her head

against his chest, he had to fight the urge not to lay them both down on the sand and love her, as the
sun rose over the ocean. Her presence alone was enough to send his body into overdrive. He didn’t

think he’d ever be able to look at a sunset the same way again.

“So, what would you like to do next?” he asked her.

“I told you earlier this is my first vacation, so I’m going to leave it up to you. Whatever you think
would be fun and adventurous, I want to do,” she told him. He had to fight a groan once more because

there was only one fun and adventurous thing he really wanted to do and that involved them being in

the bedroom, day and night.

“Okay but be prepared for the consequences of leaving it all to me,” he said. He then stood up and

helped her to her feet. Their hands seemed to slide together as they walked down the beach. For once

in Trinity’s life she was in no hurry. She wanted to enjoy her week in the exotic place and forget all
about the real world. She was off to a really good start.

Chapter Two

The next few days flew by in a whirlwind for Trinity. She was having the time of her life with Drew

and didn’t want the vacation to ever end. She’d invited him to use one of the spare rooms in her suite,
not wanting him to leave. The cautious Trinity would’ve never done that. She was having a hard time

not asking him to share her own room. She couldn’t be that bold, though. The only reason she was

being brave was because she knew she’d never see him again after the week was over.

They were taking a late swim, in the heated pool and Trinity was actually a little bit frustrated. She
had never in her life been so flirtatious with a man and he was either completely clueless, or didn’t
desire her. She decided she only had two days left and it wouldn’t hurt her to put herself out there a
bit.

She was tired of being the good girl and always being cautious. She was going to throw caution to the
wind and see what happened. If he still didn’t make any moves, then she had her answer and could

still call the vacation a success. She’d be unsatisfied but at least she was relaxed.

“Mmm this water is heavenly,” she purred, as she swam up close to him. The man looked so

unbelievably good in nothing but a pair of swim trunks.

He’d been trying for two days to keep his hands to himself and each moment he was with her, it was

becoming harder and harder. He almost laughed aloud at his own thoughts. That was certainly not the

only thing becoming harder.

Trinity was quickly losing her bravado. She wished she could be one of those bold women who could

make the first move and just lock her lips to his. She didn’t think she’d ever have that kind of courage.

She was now hanging onto the side of the wall, thinking it was time to get out of the pool, when he

closed those last few inches and pressed their bodies close together. She inhaled a quick breath of

air, as her breasts brushed against his chest. She could feel the heat instantly pool in her stomach and
her nipples hardened in anticipation of his touch. If he pulled back now she’d lose all function of her
body and sink to the bottom of the pool. She turned to jelly and the man had done nothing more than

press up close to her.

Drew looked into her desired filled eyes and growled low in his throat, pulling her more tightly

against him. There wasn’t one part of their bodies not touching. She could feel his obvious arousal

pressed against her and wanted the clothing out of the way, so he could plunge inside of her.

She watched in wonder, as his eyes dilated, seconds before he lowered his head to hers and brought

their lips together in the most passionate kiss she’d ever received. She’d never been kissed so

erotically and her body was quivering in excitement.

A deep moan escaped her throat, as his tongue traced the contours of her mouth. Her hands lifted up

around his shoulders and her fingers tangled in his hair. It was breathtaking. Her body continued to

shake as his hands rubbed up and down her bare back. She was grateful for the tiny bikini that didn’t
hide much of her skin from his hands but it still wasn’t enough. She wanted more.

Trinity lost all ability to think as Drew ran his mouth down the smooth column of her throat and

sucked the skin in at her pulse point. He continued caressing her neck and reached the vee between

her breasts, making her breath hitch in anticipation.

She didn’t realize they were moving, until she felt a cool sensation of water rushing over her head, as
he pulled her underneath the waterfall at the end of the pool. They were suddenly enclosed in a cave,
with the waterfall hiding them from any prying eyes.

Drew unlatched her bikini top and tossed it aside while he continued exploring her body. As his lips

traced the top of her soft mounds of flesh, she couldn’t stop squirming in pleasure. When he finally

latched on to her aching nipple, her back arched forward, wanting more.

He wanted more light, so he could finally see the color of her beautiful, hardened peaks but the taste
of her body was sending him quickly over the edge of sanity.

He untied her bikini bottom and it floated away to parts unknown. She didn’t care; all she cared about
was him uniting their bodies together. She needed him more than she needed air. He brought his lips

back to hers and she grabbed ahold of him like she was starving.

He pulled her legs up and she wrapped them around his waist, while her stomach continued quivering

with need, as she realized he was uncovered and pressing against her opening. She moved her hips

forward, needing him inside of her. He obliged her body’s request and with one deep thrust, buried

himself inside her core.

She cried out as he filled her up. She’d never been filled so fully before. Before she had time to catch
her breath, he was gripping her hips tightly, as he moved in and out of her moist heat. She threw her
head back and cried out. Drew traced her collar bone, sucking on her pounding pulse, as he moved

faster in and out of her folds.

She felt heat shooting from her core and through her limbs, as he continued to move quickly in and out
of her. She could feel her muscles tensing, the faster he moved. Suddenly it was too much and she

jerked in his arms, as her body tightened convulsively around his engorged staff.

Drew shuddered as her already tight body, started convulsing around him and he couldn’t hold off any

longer. He thrust deeply inside her body, not leaving any space between them. He released his seed

deep inside her womb, while his body shook from the power of the orgasm. He was very grateful for

the ledge they were leaning on because his legs could no longer hold him up, let alone the both of

them.

Trinity stayed wrapped around Drew, as her breathing started to return to normal. They were still

connected together intimately and she didn’t want to let go. After a few minutes of being wrapped

together in the water, she started to shiver. They were no longer making love and she realized she
was naked in a public pool. She was grateful Drew had thought to drag them to privacy because she
hadn’t

been thinking of anything but her body’s intense need.

“I don’t know where my bathing suit is,” Trinity finally said and was grateful for the darkness

because she could feel the heat in her face.

“I’m sorry about that,” Drew said but the huge smile splitting his face didn’t seem very apologetic.

Trinity saw the humor in the situation and started to giggle. If only her friends could see her now, they
would certainly not recognize the bold woman she’d just been.

“Hey, who’s in there?” they both heard someone calling. Her laughter instantly stopped and she was

mortified someone knew she was in the secluded cave and most likely knew what she was doing. She

began to look around with real panic. She spotted her top and put it on but couldn’t find her bottoms.

“I’ll go find them, wait here,” he said, still sporting the same grin. He quickly disappeared, back out
to the main pool and she stayed in the privacy of the cave, shivering with cold. She heard Drew

speaking with whoever was out there but couldn’t tell what they were saying.

He came back through the waterfall and she was incredibly grateful to see her bottoms in his hands.

He handed them over and she struggled to put them back on under the water.

“I knew the night guard out there and he’s gone now. Let’s sneak out of here and go back to the room,”

he whispered, when she finally had her suit situated. She nodded and followed him out of the cave.

She looked around nervously and there was nobody around. She climbed out of the pool, quickly

wrapping a towel around her shaking body.

Drew grabbed her hand and they headed through the back hallways and stepped onto an elevator.

Trinity didn’t breathe fully until they were safely inside the luxurious suite.

“I can’t believe I did that,” she said, as she stared up at the man who had just rocked her entire

universe. She was shocked to realize she didn’t feel any guilt over the incident. It had been amazing
and she’d carry the memory with her on those long, cold, rainy nights back home.

“Believe it or not I’ve never been so hungry for a woman that I lost my head,” Drew replied with a

look of disbelief on his own face. She felt better knowing he didn’t do that with all the tourists. She
knew it was just a vacation fling but still, every woman wanted to feel special.

“I’m going to take a shower because I’m freezing and can’t quit shaking,” she told him and headed

toward the shower.

“I’ll join you, to save on water,” he said with a wiggle of his brows. She’d already thrown caution to
the wind and decided to enjoy her last two days of vacation. They made love once again, under the

warm water streaming over their bodies. Trinity didn’t think she’d be able to see water again without
her stomach quivering with need.

They crawled from the shower and straight into bed. Drew pulled her tightly into his arms, caressing

her back, which made her want to purr. She had to be careful because she could feel her heart

swelling.

Drew felt more relaxed than he had in too long to remember and thought he could lay there with her

until the end of eternity. He didn’t think he was going to be able to let her go in two days. He tried to
say the words aloud and didn’t know where to start. If she found out who he really was, she was

going to be angry but they couldn’t possibly continue to see each other under false pretenses.

He didn’t understand how he’d gotten himself into such a bad position. He needed to figure out how
to fix it. Hell, he built billion dollar resorts visited by royalty. He could certainly figure out how to
work things out with a woman.

He fell asleep, still trying to work it out. He reassured himself he had a couple of days left to do it.

He’d done more difficult things, with far less time.

Trinity stepped out of the elevator, with Drew by her side. It was her last day in paradise and she had
to keep reminding herself her time with him was a one-time thing. She allowed herself to be

impulsive for the first time in her life and she was trying to convince her mind it was a great vacation
and that was all it was.

It was taking everything in her, to not ask for his number. She couldn’t call him once she left, or she’d
just be going from one relationship to another and besides, long distance relationships never worked.

“Where do you live in the states?” Drew asked her, as they entered the restaurant for breakfast.

“If I tell you, then the magic of our time together starts to fade,” she said jokingly.

“I make it there sometimes and would love to come see you, if I’m in town,” he said.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. This has been unbelievable and if we try to stay in contact the real
world will break in,” she quietly told him.

“You don’t have to tell me exactly where you live, just a state and if it’s meant to be, we’ll run into
each other at a romantic little café, on a rainy day and realize we can’t stand to be apart,” he said,
with a wicked smile. She realized even if she told him the state, the likelihood of him actually finding
her was slim to none.

“I live in rainy Washington,” she finally replied. He seemed to tense for a moment and then relaxed

and plastered his easy smile back on. She most likely imagined the moment, as Drew never seemed to

get stressed.

He couldn’t believe his luck with her living in Washington. Here was the most perfect woman he’d

ever met and she lived in his home state. What were the odds he’d meet her in another country? He

traveled a lot but mostly by choice now, as his resorts were ran well without his constant

surveillance. He found he was spending a lot more time home anyway, with his cousins, Derek and

Ryan. With Derek married, they all seemed to center around him and his wife Jasmine.

He was a bit irritated with himself for getting so hung up on his vacation girl. He was usually much

better at sticking with a plan and he’d planned on dating a lot of different ladies, not falling for the
first girl he decided to run over with his surf board. He smiled to himself, thinking his cousins would
find his predicament hilarious.

“I’m in the beautiful North West often,” he finally told her. Trinity hated the quickening of her

heartbeat at his words. She didn’t want to hope to see him again. It would make those long winter

nights even longer. She was starting to fall a little too hard for the enigmatic man.

“I’m going to be honest Drew, even though it’s kind of hard for me to do so. I’m always the pushover.

My last boyfriend, who I thought I was going to eventually marry, decided to bed his secretary, which
led me to this very impulsive vacation. I’m grateful I took it and met you. I regret nothing but if I keep
in contact with you when I get back to the real world, it’ll change how I feel. I’ll start thinking of
happily ever after, instead of right now and I’m not this girl you think I am. You won’t like me when
I’m back in the real world,” she said, as a tear escaped her eye.

“I could never dislike you Trinity, no matter where we are, so here’s what I’ll do. Here’s my phone

number and I’ll wait each day for the call to come in. If you’d trust me, even a little bit, you could
offer me yours,” he said hopefully.

After thinking a moment in the booth of her romantic getaway, she decided it couldn’t hurt to simply

exchange phone numbers. If he never called, she’d just look at this as a magical dream but if he did

call, then maybe they could have a nice night together, in the future. She’d try and leave her heart out
of it but she could tell she was already failing there.

“Okay we’ll do it your way but believe me, I’ll be the first to say I told you so, when you realize how
boring I am,” she said with a smile.

“Let me be the judge of that,” he said and leaned down to give her a heart stopping kiss. She was

thinking it may be nice to extend her vacation a few more days. She wondered if it would make her

look too needy.

“This has been the best vacation I’ve ever had, even if it’s the only one,” she told him with a real

smile.

“How about we make it a few extra days?” he asked her. He was looking at her with complete

seriousness. She was thinking a few extra days couldn’t hurt anything.

“I might be able to do that,” she shyly said to him. His smile was so brilliant it was almost blinding.

She knew it was a real risk to her heart to stay longer but she couldn’t seem to listen to her brain

anymore. She was enjoying her time and she refused to feel guilty.

“Let’s go tell the hotel you’re keeping that room a little while longer,” he said and grabbed her arm.

“I can go back to my original room. They aren’t going to want me to stay in the suite,” she said with a
laugh at his enthusiasm. “I need to make sure I can change my tickets, as well,” she finished, trying to
sound reasonable.

“Remember you’re being impulsive, so don’t worry about any of it,” he said, as they got closer to the
front desk.

“Drew is that you?” they heard a woman ask. Drew seemed to tense up instantly and Trinity turned to

see who would make him so nervous. She figured it was an ex-lover, knowing he hadn’t been a monk

before her and wanted to reassure him she didn’t care but she didn’t get the chance.

“Hello Nancy, how are you doing?” he said. The woman was in her late forties, at least. She really

didn’t see why he was so nervous.

“I’m just wonderful. You have a beautiful resort here and I’m so glad we decided to stay,” she said

with a soft laugh of delight. “I’ve just finished with your amazing spa and feel like I’m floating on a
cloud,” she finished.

“I’m so happy you’re enjoying yourself. We’re in a hurry but I’d love to chat with you later,” he told
the woman, then spun Trinity around like he couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

As they neared the doors, Drew was thinking he’d just escaped a close call. He’d avoid the lobby for

the next few days. He didn’t need Trinity to find out who he really was when they were getting so

close. He’d never felt the way he did about her with any other woman. He’d come clean with her but

it needed to be done in the right moment, not in the middle of his lobby.

“Drew, I’m sorry to bug you again but my husband really wanted to meet you and talk about the golf

course,” the woman approached them once again, with a distinguished looking man. “Darling, this is

Drew Titan, the owner of the resort. Drew, my husband, Dean,” she said.

Drew shook the man’s hand and sighed as he felt Trinity pull her hand from his. He had never been

terrified to face anything in his life but he was sure he didn’t want to turn and see the expression on
her face. The couple walked away and he finally turned to face her.

She was staring at him like he’d just run over her puppy. A single tear slipped from her eye and he

reached up to try and comfort her. If she’d only let him explain, he knew he could make everything

better. Suddenly, her hand shot out and slapped him hard enough across the face, it echoed through the
lobby.

Several heads turned to stare at them in shock. The security guard started walking forward until he

shook his head at him. He deserved that one, he figured.

“Let me explain…” he started to say.

“Don’t bother, Mr. Titan. I don’t know why you even bothered with the entire seduction scene,

considering I signed those papers pretty quickly for you. Is there something else you need signed to

assure your precious resort is safe from my greedy clutches?” she said with venom.

“I’m not worried you’ll sue the resort,” he almost shouted. This entire scenario was quickly getting

out of hand. “I just wanted a week with a beautiful woman who didn’t know who I was. That doesn’t

make me the bad guy you think I am,” he finished.

“Oh, I’d never say you were a bad guy. You did everything just perfectly. You wined and dined me;

you swept me off of my feet. You were the absolute perfect host and I never want to see you again,”

she spat at him, before walking away, with her head held high even if her knees were shaking.

Drew figured he’d give her some time to cool off and then they could talk. She’d realize he wasn’t the
villain in this story, once she got over her anger. Even though it wasn’t even noon yet, he ordered a
double scotch and sat there with his head in his hands. By the time he figured she had enough time to
herself and made his way back up to the suite, she was gone. She didn’t leave a single item behind,

except for the slip of paper with his number on it. He decided it was most likely better that way.

Chapter Three

Five months later

Trinity struggled to her feet, which was becoming harder with each passing day. Her back was hurting

particularly bad that day and she was feeling a bit grumpy.

“Excuse me, is anyone here?” she heard a voice ask. She continued up and was a bit bummed to have

a new customer. Trinity owned a fairly successful floral shop, but some days she wished it was a bit

less busy.

When she’d found out she was pregnant, after her impromptu vacation, she’d panicked at first. The

more time she had to think about it though, the more excited she became. She was now excited to hold

her little girl in her arms. She’d received her first pictures of her unborn daughter only a few weeks
ago and had been far too excited to wait to find out the sex of the baby. Besides, she was on a tight
budget and had to search for clothing as it was on sale.

Drew had tried calling her for the first month after she got home but he’d finally taken the hint she
didn’t want to talk to him and left her alone since. She had then found out she was pregnant a couple
weeks after his last call but she wasn’t ready to talk to him about it. She knew she was going to have
to tell him but she wasn’t looking forward to the conversation. She just wanted to bask in the glow of
her pregnancy for as long as she could.

She wasn’t basking in any glow that afternoon, though. Her back was killing her, her feet were at least
twice their normal size and she’d been really busy. She was incredibly grateful the day was almost

over.

“Sorry about that, it’s taking me a bit longer to get to my feet these days,” Trinity said, as she finally
stood up. The woman smiled at her and then looked towards her hand. She frowned a bit before

talking once again.

“Is this you and your husband’s first child?” the woman asked.

“This is my first child. I’m not married, though,” she said, though she didn’t know why she felt the

need to explain herself.

“Oh,” the woman almost sneered at her. “I don’t really need anything after all,” she finished and

turned to leave.

Trinity was in shock as the woman walked out the door. What century was she in, that someone would

look down on her because she was pregnant and not married? She decided to close a few minutes

early because her day wasn’t going to get any better. She walked toward the glass door and turned the
sign, then saw a familiar face through the panel.

“Hello beautiful,” her best friend, Damien Whitfield said.

“You’re a breath of fresh air Damien, it’s been a rough day,” Trinity said as Damien threw his arms

around her for a hug.

“I always like to hear that from a beautiful lady,” he said with his normal good humor. “I’m taking
you out for a terrific dinner and the new horror flick,” he said as he helped her lock up.

“That sounds heavenly,” she replied. She needed to watch some zombies eating the human race, to

help take her mind off her worries, especially that last customer. She followed him out to his vehicle
and they were soon off.

They had been best friends since high school and were always there for one another, anytime one of

them went through a bad break up. She didn’t know how she could make it without Damien.

“I’ve been trying to work up the courage to speak to you about something but haven’t known how to

approach it,” he said to her, as they were eating their desert.

“You know you can talk to me about anything Damien,” she answered him, truly meaning it.

“Okay, I’m just going to go for it and I want you to really listen to me and seriously think about what
I’m saying,” Damien started. She was starting to get a bit concerned. She reached across the table and
took his hand in hers, encouragingly.

“I think we should get married, no wait, before you start shaking your head. Remember, you promised

to listen,” he stopped her, when she immediately shook her head.

“Okay I’ll listen but you’re crazy,” she had to say.

“It’s really not that crazy if you think about it. We’re best friends and truly love each other. We’ve
always been there for each another, plus we never fight. Neither one of us have been able to find the
right person and now you have this baby girl coming in four short months and I’d make a terrific

father,” Damien said in one breath.

“But Damien we have never been more than friends. There has to be more than just friendship,” she

tried to reason with him. She didn’t feel any attraction towards her best friend but she didn’t want to
say that to him. There was no reason to be hurtful.

“I’m simply asking you to think about it. I can take care of you and the baby and I think we could be
happy,” he said, while staring into her eyes. Trinity did love Damien and he was being reasonable but
she’d never been physically attracted to him. She wished she loved him romantically because he was

about the most perfect guy she’d ever known. But he simply didn’t make her stomach quiver the way

Drew had. She shook her head, to push that thought out of her mind. Drew wasn’t a factor in any of

her decisions.

The baby kicked her as she had that last thought and she smiled. Her little girl was a huge reminder

Drew was a factor. She couldn’t think about that right then. He’d lied to her and been no better than
her cheating ex. She couldn’t possibly trust him to be a part of her life.

“Let me think about things, Damien,” she said.

“Take your time Trinity, I know it’s a huge decision but I really do mean it. I’ll take care of you and
love every second doing it,” he said. Damien had pretty much given up on romantic love himself but

he’d go to the ends of the earth for his best friend. He wished he felt more than friendship toward her
but far more marriages had lasted with less going for them than what he and Trinity shared. He’d

hated watching her suffer over the last several months. He couldn’t leave her all alone and pregnant.

“What happens if you meet the one and you’re stuck with me?” she asked.

“What if you’re the one but we never realized it?” he asked his own question. She laughed and

promised to let him know soon. They went to their movie and the rest of the evening was relaxed as it
always was. She had a feeling both of them would really regret it if she said yes but it was very

tempting.

He pulled up in front of her apartment and walked her to her door, like he always did. They had never
had one of those awkward moments but were having one right then. He took a deep breath and bent

down to lay his lips on hers.

Trinity’s first instinct was to pull away and ask him what he was possibly thinking but the man had

proposed marriage to her, so it stood to reason he’d want to share a kiss. She made herself relax as he
deepened the kiss. His arms wrapped around her awkwardly and she laid her own hands on his arms

as he drew out the kiss.

She was incredibly sad to realize she felt absolutely nothing. There was no spark, no quivering in her
stomach. She wasn’t repulsed or anything but it was like kissing a cousin. He finally pulled away

from her and she saw the regret in his own eyes. It was obvious he’d felt nothing either.

“Well, I’ll leave you for now. Let me know what you decide. Our marriage doesn’t have to be about

passion and unrequited love, it can be about friendship and loving your baby girl,” he said to her. She
wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince himself, or her. It didn’t really matter, she thought because it
wasn’t about either of them, it was about her baby.

She reached up on her toes and kissed him softly on the cheek, then went through her door. She leaned
against it, as a single tear fell down her face. She really wished she’d felt at least a smidgen of

passion from her best friend.

Trinity was closing up her shop once again but feeling much better. Some of her swelling had finally

gone down, helping her to feel a bit more human. It had been a week since Damien had proposed to

her and she’d finally decided to accept. She’d tried and failed with romance and it would be really

nice to have someone there to help her raise her child.

The two of them had spoken several times on the phone since their awkward kiss and were fine. They

didn’t discuss it but focused on their friendship, like they always had. She was lucky to have such a
wonderful man in her life.

It was far more important to have security and love, than to have passion. She’d loved Damien for a

long time and was sure it could grow if she wished for it. She’d just demand of her body to respond
to him. She held her head up high with that thought. She was a stubborn person and she’d will herself
to obey.

Damien started walking towards the shop, as soon as she was finished locking the door. She took a

deep breath and got ready to tell him her decision. He seemed to know she was ready to talk to him

because he said nothing as he approached. He just waited for her to gather her breath. She finally

looked up into his beautiful eyes. He really was attractive; she didn’t understand why she didn’t

desire him.

“I’ll marry you, if the offer’s still on the table,” she told him with a tentative smile.

“That’s wonderful,” Damien told her, as he wrapped his arms around her expanding body and kissed

her forehead. She felt like she was at home when she was in his arms and she thought she’d made the

right decision. She refused to acknowledge the doubts trying to enter her mind. She also refused to

acknowledge his hug did nothing more than comfort her needy body.

“I think we should do it before the baby is born. If you want a big wedding that’s fine, it’s all up to
you. I want your wedding day to be special and you know money isn’t an issue. We’ll have a good

marriage and I don’t want you to have regrets about the wedding itself,” he told her.

“No, we can just do it at the courthouse, I don’t have anyone I’d invite to a real wedding anyway,”

she said a bit sadly. He reluctantly agreed with her and they started to head down the street together.

Her apartment wasn’t far away. Their hands slipped together as they made their way down the

sidewalk. That was a natural thing, as they were comfortable touching one another. Heck, she’d fallen
asleep in his arms before, while watching movies. They were comfortable with each other, which

was why their friendship had always worked out.

“I didn’t even think about getting you a ring. I’ll do that tomorrow,” he said as they climbed the stairs
and turned the corner. She hadn’t thought about a ring either, as she didn’t really think of the marriage
as real. She really had to fight back tears because she was settling and making him do so as well.

“I don’t need a fancy ring Damien, just a simple band,” she told him, right before they turned the

corner.

“What do you need a ring for?” she heard Drew ask, before she stopped suddenly and looked up at
the

deep blue eyes she hadn’t seen in five months. Her world seemed to stop spinning for a moment and

she felt the panic start deep inside her gut. She hadn’t expected to see him again and certainly not in
this situation. She couldn’t believe the rush of attraction washing through her from just the sight of
him. Why couldn’t she feel the same with Damien?

“What are you doing here?” she was barely able to whisper at him.

“I asked you a question first,” he said, as he glared from her to Damien and then down to her stomach.

Drew had thought of no other but her over the last five months and wasn’t happy to find her with

another man and very obviously pregnant. Had she gotten over him far more quickly than he would’ve

liked? She was very pregnant and it was either his, or she had jumped into the arms of another man

right away. Either way he wasn’t happy with her at that moment.

She could see he was trying to figure out exactly how far along she was. She heard her neighbor’s

door, across the hall, open and she wanted to get away from her nosy neighbor, before having this

personal conversation.

“I’m tired Drew and don’t want to talk right now. The shop is open tomorrow, why don’t you come

over there around noon,” she said, as she opened her door and stepped inside. Damien followed

behind her slowly, with Drew right on his heels. She glared at him, as he entered her sanctuary and

looked around.

“I think we’ll talk now and I’d still like to hear why you need a ring,” he stated to her. She couldn’t
believe she’d ever thought the man was simply a resort employee. He exuded raw power, in both

manner and dress. She was horrified at her traitorous body for its response to him. He was even more

impressive than she remembered, if that were possible.

“We’re getting married,” Damien said, since it was obvious she wasn’t going to say anything. Damien

could tell at once this was the baby’s father. He’d stand by her side no matter what, but he had a

feeling their story wasn’t quite finished. He stood aside to offer his support but if Trinity could work
things out with the man he’d be happy for her. He hated to admit it to himself but he was somewhat

relieved the man was stepping back in the picture. He loved Trinity and would do anything for her but
he knew she deserved so much more than a passionless marriage.

“I see it didn’t take you long to bounce back after our relationship, or is this the man who cheated on
you?” Drew sneered. Damien was close to taking a swing at the man but he didn’t want to make the

situation worse for Trinity. He didn’t like being compared to the bastard who broke Trinity’s heart.

“None of it is any of your business Drew. You need to leave now, we have nothing to talk about,” she

said, as she glared at him. He looked down at her rounded stomach again, then back to her face and

she could feel the heat redden her cheeks. His eyes narrowed even more.

“How far along are you Trinity?” he asked her. He was well aware their first time in the pool, they

hadn’t used protection. He was never so stupid as to have unprotected sex but he’d lost his mind a lot
that week. He’d thought she’d get ahold of him if there were consequences from their week. Hell, for

that matter, he’d tried calling her for a month. He wasn’t used to being rejected and hers had wounded
his pride, more than he’d ever admit.

He had also decided after five months, her anger would’ve been cooled off. He couldn’t get his mind

off her and finally decided he had to see her again. She’d just have to get over the fact he owned the
resort. If she found out he actually owned many resorts, she’d probably really freak on him.

Trinity realized he wasn’t going to leave until he had his answers so she reluctantly decided she may
as well get it out of the way.

“I’m five months along,” she said, with her head held high. Drew blew out his breath as if he was

surprised she’d tell him the truth.

“The baby is mine then,” he said, as fact rather than a question. She couldn’t tell how he was feeling
about his child being born in a few months.

“It doesn’t matter, Drew. We had a week together and it didn’t work out. I don’t expect anything from
you, so you’re free to leave. I know how you like your papers signed though, so if you have your

attorney fax them to my shop, I’ll sign whatever you need to be released from responsibility and you

can be on your way,” she said, suddenly too exhausted to stand anymore. She walked over to the

couch and sat down, before her knees gave out.

“Trinity you need to figure some things out, so I’m going to leave. Call me if you need me and I’ll be
here within a few minutes,” Damien said, before glaring at Drew. He walked out of the apartment,

leaving her alone with the man who had changed her life forever. She didn’t want Damien to leave
but

it wasn’t fair for her to have him stay and deal with her problems. She watched as he walked out the

door and blew out a breath, as she waited for Drew to say what he needed.

Drew began to pace the small apartment. He was so furious. There was no way he could sit down.

Finally he turned to face her, when he felt he had his emotions more under control. He couldn’t

believe she’d keep something as important as the creation of their baby from him.

“Were you going to tell me about the baby?” he asked her. That was the first thing he wanted an

answer to. He had a really bad feeling the answer was no.

“I would’ve, eventually,” she said. She didn’t see how it mattered either way as they weren’t a

couple. She’d have thought he’d rejoice that she wasn’t asking him for anything. Didn’t most men run

in the other direction when women so much as mentioned a child?

“Who was that guy you were with?” he asked. He was angry about many things but the guy talking

about getting her a ring was at the top of the list. She was carrying his child and no other man had a
right to take his place. He would’ve been there so much sooner if she would’ve just been honest with

him.

“That’s Damien, we decided to get married,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone, like she was

discussing going to the grocery store, or the weather. She didn’t seem like a bride to be.

“How long have you been seeing him?” Drew asked between clinched teeth. The thought of her with

another man caused him physical pain, especially considering she was carrying his child in her

womb. They were his family, not some other man’s.

“He’s my best friend,” she said, before really thinking about her answer. She was so used to Damien

and she as friends, to think of them romantically was nearly impossible. She thought later maybe she

should’ve sounded more like they were a romantic couple.

“Why are you marrying him?” he asked her calmly and because she was still not thinking properly,

she answered him honestly.

“He wants to help me with the baby,” she said simply. If she would’ve looked up and seen his face,

she would’ve realized her mistake in being honest.

“You want another man to raise my child?” he asked her. She finally realized there was something

wrong, by the tone of his voice. She looked up at his face and what she saw took her breath away. She
could understand now how he was the business man he was. He could make all men quiver at his feet

with the look of pure fury in his eyes. She stared at him with wide eyes, as she wondered what to say.

“Look, we both know the week we had was a mistake. I’m not going to punish my child by trying to

pretend otherwise,” she finally said.

“Tell your friend the marriage is off because the real father will be doing the right thing,” he sneered
at her.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Drew,” she snapped back.

“I’m the one being ridiculous? You were trying to keep my child from me. If I hadn’t shown up here,

you would’ve never told me,” he said incredulously.

“I’m exhausted and I’m done with this conversation,” she said as she stood up. “Please lock the door

behind you,” she finished and left the room. She climbed into bed and let the exhaustion take her

away.

Chapter Four

Drew watched in amazement as Trinity walked away. He wasn’t used to being defied by anyone and

he was certainly not used to someone dismissing him, like she’d just done. He heard the click of her

bedroom door, before he thought to go after her.

He thought about breaking her door down and demanding they finish the conversation but she had

looked exhausted and he was sure that wasn’t good for his son or daughter. He looked around the tiny

apartment. There wasn’t any room for a baby. Hell he could barely move more than a couple of feet

from wall to wall.

He didn’t think it was possible but her apartment was even smaller than the home he had grown up in.

He’d been incredibly poor growing up but his family had taken good care of him. He was still closer

than brothers were, with his two cousins. He couldn’t wait to tell them he was going to be a father.

He sunk down onto her couch, since his legs no longer wanted to support him. The more he sat there,

the more it sunk in he’d have a child in four short months. He wasn’t ready for it but then again who
was ever ready. He wished he had more time to prepare.

He noticed a weird looking picture on the coffee table and reached for it. He realized it was a picture
of his child. He could see the full shape of the head and body. It had some weird numbers on it, which
he didn’t understand. He stared for who knows how long, thinking his child already had his nose.

He looked down again and saw some paperwork. One was information about a three dimensional

sonogram he was assuming was the picture in his hand. The other paper said his child was going to be

a girl. His breath rushed out as he realized he was going to have a daughter.

He felt the smile spread as he looked at his daughter’s first picture. He could imagine her in his arms
and spoiling her rotten. His cousin, who was more of a brother, Derek and his wife Jasmine, just had

a baby girl a few months ago and she was about the cutest thing he’d ever seen in his life. He was

head over heels in love with her. If he felt that way about his niece, he couldn’t imagine how he’d feel
about his own daughter.

He decided he needed to have a walk. He was far too wound up to pace her tiny apartment. He made

sure the door was securely locked and headed back down the staircase. When he stepped back

outside, he saw Damien leaning against a wall. He was never one to run from a confrontation, so he

approached the man, who was trying to take his place.

The two alpha males glared at one another. Drew had to respect the guy was standing up for his friend
but he was messing with his woman and his child.

“I’ll be marrying her,” Drew finally spoke, in a deadly calm voice.

“I figured as much,” Damien said with a cocky smile. Drew relaxed as he realized the guy wasn’t

going to try and fight for her.

“Why are you still hanging around then?” Drew asked.

“I wanted to make sure Trinity was going to be okay. She has been my best friend for a lot of years

and we have always taken care of each other, which is why I offered to marry her. I don’t want her to
be alone,” the man replied simply.

“I can understand that. I would’ve done the same thing,” Drew replied.

“Just know if you hurt her, you’ll have to answer to me,” Damien said, as he stood to his full height.

Both men were about the same size and it was obvious Damien would try to defend her honor.

“Let’s go get a drink,” Drew said. He wanted to learn more about Damien and he wanted to know

what Trinity had been up to the last five months.

“I could use a beer,” Damien replied and the men walked down the street together.

“How has she been?” Drew asked as they sat down in a sparsely crowded bar.

“She’s been sad ever since she got back from her vacation. I knew something was up but at first I just
assumed she was upset over her breakup with her ex-boyfriend. Soon it was obvious there was

something else going on. She didn’t tell me about the pregnancy until she could no longer hide it. She
has never kept anything from me, so I was even more concerned. She wouldn’t talk about you. What

the hell did you do to her?” Damien finally finished and stared at Drew with suspicion.

Drew sighed and decided he may as well tell the story to her best friend. He figured the guy could be
his ally in the whole mess. When he finished Damien sat back with a slight chuckle.

“You really know how to tick her off,” Damien finally managed to say.

“Yeah thanks for that,” Drew replied sarcastically. The men were both relaxed since they had a better
understanding of each other.

“Just calling it how I see it,” Damien said. Damien was surprised to find he actually liked the man.

He’d been pretty stupid trying to keep things from Trinity but Damien could understand why he did it.

He himself was incredibly wealthy and didn’t often let people know who he was. It just tended to

change how they acted around him. He wanted the same thing Drew did, which was to be loved for

who he was and not for what he had.

The two men chatted for a while, then went their separate ways. Drew jumped in his vehicle, having

no idea where he was headed, until he pulled up in front of his cousin’s house. He needed to talk to

someone who would understand.

He entered the code to the gate and drove up the long driveway. As the huge house came into view, he

felt some of the tension leave his body. The home may be an extremely large mansion but it was also

homey and filled with love.

He walked through the front doors, not bothering to knock and followed the sounds of laughter. He

could tell they were all out at the pool. Good, he could use a swim.

He stepped through the patio doors and spotted little Jacob in a splashing war with Derek. Jacob was

the first one to spot him.

“Uncle Drew, your back,” Jacob yelled and jumped from the pool and gave him a very wet hug. He

loved every second of it.

“How you doing, Squirt?” he asked his nephew.

“I’m good. I was totally beating dad,” he said with excitement.

“Hey, I was catching up,” Derek said as he stepped up beside his son and shook Drew’s hand.

“You’re back in town early,” he finished with a raise of his brows. The cousins knew each other well

and Derek could tell something was wrong.

“Hey Buddy, can you let your mom know Drew is here and see if she can make us something to eat?”

Derek asked Jacob. He agreed with enthusiasm and ran back into the house to search for his mom.

“What’s going on, Drew? You look like your world has been flipped upside down?” he asked.

“I’m going to be a father,” Drew blurted out. He didn’t need to ease into things with his cousin. It was
better to just get it all out there.

“That’s great Drew, I’m really happy for you but why are you looking so stressed? Being a father is

about the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me,” Derek said.

Derek had only found out about a year and a half ago he was a father. Jasmine had been his childhood

sweetheart and circumstances had kept them apart until recently. Once they’d found each other again,

Derek also found out he had a nine year old son and vowed to not lose any more time with him. He’d

also realized he still loved Jacob’s mother and they had married and now had a beautiful daughter

added to their family. Drew wouldn’t be surprised if they had a couple more kids as well because

they both loved being parents.

“I’m still in shock. You remember the girl I told you about five months ago at my resort, well I

decided to pay her a visit and found her extremely pregnant. She wasn’t going to tell me and she was

planning on getting married to her best friend. I want to strangle her about as badly as I want to pull
her into my arms,” Drew said, as he blew out a frustrated breath.

“I understand,” Derek said as he let out a chuckle. He had dealt with every type of emotion when he

and Jasmine had found each other again.

“Just be careful how you proceed, Cousin because you don’t want to spook her. That’s your baby and

you’re lucky to have found her so soon. Just think, in four months you’ll be watching your son or

daughter come into this world,” Derek reminded him.

“It’s a girl. I’m having a daughter,” Drew said with real excitement.

“That’s so great,” Derek said and slapped Drew on the back. Jasmine stepped through the doors, with

Britney in her arms. Drew immediately held his own arms out to take his niece. She was so tiny and

precious and he couldn’t get enough of cuddling with her.

“What’s so great?” Jasmine asked as she handed over the baby. Drew immediately began blowing

bubbles on her little tummy, making her giggle in her tiny baby voice.

“I’m going to be a father,” Drew said as he looked up at Jasmine. She was an amazing woman and he

was glad she and Derek found each other again. Hell, he hadn’t thought it was possible to find a

woman as great as her until he’d met Trinity.

“That’s so great, Drew,” she said, as she threw her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek.

“Why have I not met this woman?” she then questioned him, seeming a little hurt.

He explained the story to her and she seemed a bit appeased but not completely. “I insist on meeting

her right away,” Jasmine said with her typical stubbornness. Drew figured it was good to have her on

his side. He gave her the address of Trinity’s floral shop. He knew Jasmine would be there first thing
in the morning.

“You boys watch the kids and I’ll make a celebratory dinner,” Jasmine said as she turned towards the

kitchen. Drew’s mouth started to water because Jasmine was a phenomenal cook.

He sat in one of the lounge chairs, cuddling his niece close to his chest. She let out a little yawn and
closed her eyes. He continued to rub along her tiny back and smiled as she let out a soft sigh. He

couldn’t believe in only a few short months he’d be holding his own little girl. He never thought he’d
want to be a father but knowing he was about to have a child, completely changed things. He could

hardly wait.

He watched as Derek and Jacob splashed around in the pool, then his stomach growled as the smells

started drifting out from the kitchen. He knew he’d made the right decision coming over. He finally

started to relax and then make plans for how he’d win Trinity. He was a business man; he didn’t lose

his head over any situation.

“Dinner will be ready in ten minutes, get cleaned up,” Jasmine called from the other room. The boys

didn’t have to be told twice. Jacob and Derek scrambled from the pool and headed towards the

changing room. They were back out within minutes. The three of them walked inside.

“Let me take her from you, so you can eat,” Jasmine said as she held out her arms. He was reluctant to

give the baby up. “You can hold her again after dinner, besides she’s asleep and just lying there,

anyway,” Jasmine said with a laugh, as she took the baby. His arms suddenly felt so empty.

“I love it when she’s asleep and all cuddly,” he said with a grin. “Nothing like a beautiful lady lying
across my chest,” he added with a wiggle of his brows. Jasmine slapped his arm, then walked to the

den to lay Britney down in her portable crib.

They ate an incredibly great meal together and Drew decided to stay overnight. He had no desire to

go stay at the hotel he normally stayed at when in town. Actually, since his cousin had purchased the
house, he normally stayed there when he was in town. He was there for only a few days at a time,

before he was off to either building another resort, or checking out one of the many finished ones. He
knew he could slow down and be home more but he was so used to running all the time.

He thought it was time to get his own place, with a child to think about. He’d look for something near
his cousin because he wanted the kids to grow up together. That was more important to him than

anything else. Derek, Ryan and Drew had all grown up together, creating a solid bond and closeness

like no other. He knew their children would feel the same way.

He sat in the den and had a drink, while waiting for Derek and Jasmine to put the kids down for bed.

Derek joined him after a bit and the two men sat for a while, relaxing and talking business, among

other things.

“What are you going to do next?” Derek finally asked him.

“I’m going to marry her, although convincing her of that may be a bit difficult, since she will barely
even talk to me,” Drew said, more than a bit frustrated.

“Yeah, I’ve certainly been there,” Derek said with understanding.

“I should’ve told her the truth of who I was from the beginning but it was nice to have a woman like

me, thinking I was just an everyday resort worker,” Drew told his cousin. They both understood how

he felt, considering where they’d come from. They had been so poor growing up and so many people

had looked down their noses at them. Now that they were wealthy, it was the opposite and far too

many people wanted to be with them for what they could get out of them.

“Sometimes money is a real curse,” Drew said with frustration.

“It will all work out. You guys obviously have a connection and now you have this child together. I

know you’ll be able to work things through,” Derek said.

Drew made his way to the apartment above the garage and laid there in bed, for hours. His mind

would not shut off and allow him to sleep. Finally sometime around mornings first light, he fell into a
restless sleep. He was anxious to see Trinity again and just wanted the night to end.

Chapter Five

Trinity stepped out of her apartment and walked down the stairs. She was exhausted. She’d tossed

and turned the entire night, thinking about Drew and what was going to happen next. She was still

beyond angry with the man. He’d lied to her because he was afraid she’d sue his precious resort.

Even if he had been worried about the resort, he didn’t need to play out the whole seduction thing. It
was downright insulting, she thought. She’d been grateful he hadn’t been there in the morning because
she may have thrown a mug at him. She figured he’d come to his senses and ran away.

She stepped down onto the street and the man who she hadn’t been able to get out of her thoughts was

right there, leaning against an expensive vehicle, with his typical cocky smile on his face.

As she studied the man in his custom made Armani suit she couldn’t believe she’d ever believed he

was only a resort worker. She must’ve been really shook up over her ex-boyfriend’s betrayal. He

exuded raw masculine power from the tips of his thousand dollar loafers, to the cut of his expertly

done hair. The man radiated power and she knew she needed to put a wall between them or she could

easily fall under his spell once again.

She ignored him and began her walk down the street. She was hoping if she pretended he wasn’t there

he’d take a hint and disappear. She wasn’t that lucky. He quickly caught up to her and didn’t look too
happy about being ignored.

“You know we need to have a talk,” Drew said to her. She continued walking, choosing not to

acknowledge his presence. She knew she was acting childish but she didn’t care. It was her

prerogative if she wanted to act that way.

Drew followed beside her and had to control his temper. She was getting too comfortable ignoring

him, which was making him angry. He wanted to push her up against the wall and remind her who he

was. She hadn’t ignored him when his hands had been roaming all over her body. She’d been crying

out his name and begging him for more.

“I’m not going away and the longer you pretend like I’m not here, the longer you’re going to have me

trailing you,” he said through clenched teeth. Trinity in no way wanted to have a confrontation with

the man in the streets so close to her shop. She continued walking and once she reached her shop she

unlocked the door and went inside, with him right on her heels.

As soon as they made it past the doors, he seemed to have had enough and grabbed her arm to spin her

around. The look of fury on his face halted her protest. She’d seen many faces of the man but never

once had she seen this on his features.

“I’m trying to talk to you,” he growled at her. She tried to pull her arm away and realized it was

useless. She didn’t see how he could grip her so tightly without hurting her. She really didn’t like the
way her body responded to the smallest touch. She was far from over the man who’d nearly destroyed

her.

“I don’t see what we have to talk about Drew. You were worried about your resort so you romanced

me. I was feeling impulsive for the first and only time in my life and was a willing body who

practically jumped into your bed. I’m not justifying all of that because we happened to make a mistake
and not use any protection. My child isn’t for sale and neither am I,” she snapped, losing her own

temper.

“I never once tried to buy you and if you think I’d ever walk away from my child, you’re sadly

mistaken,” he snapped at her.

How would she know what he would or wouldn’t do? She’d only spent one week with the man. It had

been the most memorable week of her life though, which frightened her. She had a bad feeling he

wasn’t going to be easy to forget. It had already been five months and she still had erotic dreams.

“This is my child, make no mistakes about that,” she snapped right back. She couldn’t believe this

person she was becoming. Normally, she would’ve been quivering in her boots at the look on his

face. She’d always been the first to back down and that’s how it had always been so easy for people

to walk over her. She figured the pregnancy had brought out her protective instincts.

“We will get married,” he demanded of her. She looked at him like he had lost his mind. There was

no way she’d marry him. He was everything she’d vowed to stay away from in a man. If she did

marry, it would be to someone like Damien, someone kind and understanding. She wouldn’t marry

someone who openly deceived her and she wouldn’t marry just because she got pregnant.

“You need to understand this really quickly, Mr. Titan,” she said with sarcasm, “I won’t marry you,

ever,” she finished and tugged at her arm again. He wasn’t hurting her in any way but the grip was

firm and he didn’t seem to be in any hurry to let her go.

“You didn’t call me Mr. Titan when you were screaming out my name in passion,” he said to her,

taking more offense to the formal name than any of her other words. She narrowed her eyes further at

him. She didn’t need to be reminded of how she’d behaved on that island. There must have been

something in the water because she’d done things there she’d never even begin to think about doing in
the real world.

“I didn’t know that was who you were,” she told him.

“You’re seriously the most frustrating woman I ‘ve ever had to deal with,” he almost shouted at her.

“Then stop dealing with me and go away,” she yelled back.

They glared at one another, neither willing to back down. They were both breathing hard as the

silence drug on. Drew suddenly pulled her up against him and crushed his lips down on hers. She was

too shocked to react at first and stood there like a rag doll, as his tongue rubbed over her lips, looking
for a way to enter.

When she came out of her shock, she pushed against him for about three seconds, before the heat

started to pool in her stomach and thighs. She hadn’t been kissed like that for five months and her

hormones were all over the place with the pregnancy. Her anger quickly changed to an all-consuming

passion as his lips continued to stroke hers, while his hands rubbed up and down her back.

His own temper had seemed to evaporate as he continued to stroke her body and mouth. She gasped

as a current of electricity shot down her core, making her knees go weak. The gasp was all he needed

to slip his tongue inside. He tangled it with hers and the fire built up to an inferno inside of her.

She was no longer trying to push him away but clutching him closer to her. She forgot about the fight,
her anger, or even who she was, as he deepened the kiss. His hands moved down to grip her backside

and pull her up against his very obvious arousal. Her stomach was sticking out but not so far yet that
she couldn’t feel his impressive erection pressing into her. Within minutes she wanted him.

He backed her up against her counter and lifted her, so he could slide between her legs. He never

broke contact with her lips. She had never been so devoured in her life and she didn’t have any desire
for it to end. There really was a very thin line between anger and passion and she had crossed it

without any thought.

He spread her legs apart, pressing himself up close against her, as he continued with the heart-

stopping kiss. Her hands circled up, around his neck, while her fingers dove into his thick hair. She
tugged on the strands, pulling him closer to her. He growled in his throat as he gladly obliged her

unspoken request. In the back of her mind, there was a voice shouting at her to stop but she didn’t

want to listen. She wanted to keep feeling the exquisite pleasure he was bringing her needy body.

He slipped his hand up under her blouse, running his fingers over the bump of her stomach and up to

her aching breasts. She groaned in need as his hand rubbed over her nipples, poking through her thin

bra. He tested their weight and groaned again as he felt their increased size spilling out into the palm
of his hand. He pinched her nipples and she almost released right there on the counter. She’d been

responsive to him before but it was nothing in comparison to what she was feeling now.

He moved his hands down, towards her skirt and started pushing it up out of the way. They had both

forgotten they were in a public place, where anyone could walk in. They just needed to relieve the

intense pressure building in their bodies. She needed this; she deserved this, what could one more

time hurt?

The phone suddenly rang, bringing Trinity back to reality. It kept ringing and she suddenly pulled

back, realizing where she was and what she was doing. She gasped in shock as she looked up into

Drew’s desire filled eyes. His hands were still holding her close and he was bending his head to take
her lips back with his.

The phone had done nothing to dampen his desire and he was ready to continue where they’d left off,

before the interruption. Without realizing what she was doing, her hand came up and slapped him hard

across the cheek. The sound echoed through the small shop and Trinity sat there, stunned she’d just

done that. She was too shocked to say anything and stared at him open-mouthed.

The slap seemed to clear his head because he took a step back, as he looked at her in anger. He

couldn’t believe she’d hit him again and he had actually allowed it. If any other woman had done such
a thing to him, he would’ve walked out the door without a backward glance but he couldn’t seem to

stay away from her. He may have deserved it at the resort but not this time, she had been just as

hungry for him as he was for her.

“Did you get it all out?” he asked her in a deadly calm voice, which was far more frightening than if
he were yelling.

She had her hand over her mouth in shock. She really hadn’t meant to do that. She couldn’t blame him

for the passionate kissing, as she had done nothing to stop it until the phone rang. She was still furious
with him but she’d been just as excited as he had.

“I…I didn’t mean to do that,” she finally managed to stutter. He rubbed his cheek and raised his

brows at her.

“It sure as hell feels like you meant to do it and you put your full weight into it,” he said with a smirk.

He was regaining his composure and once again acting like the one in control. She narrowed her eyes

as he mentioned her growing weight. She then put her hand protectively over her stomach, reminding

them both she carried a child in there.

“I’ll be back, this discussion is in no way over,” he told her, in what seemed far more of a threat than
anything else and stomped out the door.

Drew walked down the street, feeling more frustrated than ever before in his life. It was more than

obvious he still wanted her with a need frightening in its intensity but he needed to set that aside.

She was carrying his child and that meant she needed to marry him. He would’ve been far happier in

a time where he could simply drag her down the aisle and make her marry him. It would be so much

easier than playing these stupid games.

He wasn’t a man used to being told no and he found he didn’t like it. He hadn’t expected her to fall

into his arms at first glance but he certainly hadn’t expected her to still be full of hostility. He’d
messed up with one small lie and she’d just have to get over it.

He figured she was like other women though and she had her price. He’d make her a comfortable

woman and in turn he’d get to be there to raise his child. He couldn’t even think about her meeting

another man his child would call dad. He was the baby’s father and no other man would play that

role.

He stopped in a local pub and ordered a double bourbon. He never drank so early in the morning but

unless he wanted to walk the streets with an obvious arousal and steam coming out of his ears, he

needed something to soothe his desire and his temper. He had to smile at how quickly anger had

turned into burning passion.

He’d never in his life, experienced so much desire for a woman. He forgot a woman as soon as he

walked out the door. He enjoyed women, he loved their soft curves and he loved their hair and

laughter. He loved everything about them but he never ever got hung up on just one. He didn’t think it
was possible for him to want one woman more than he wanted anything else. Hell, he’d throw away

millions of dollars for one more night with Trinity.

He signaled the bartender and ordered one more drink. He had a feeling it was going to be a very long
day and he was getting ready for round two with Trinity. He had to smile at her spunk, though because
he had a feeling being married to her was never going to get boring.

Drew arrived at her shop later in the afternoon and was very proud of himself for acting so calm. He

walked in the doors and after she glanced up to see who it was, she went back to what she was doing,

as if he wasn’t there.

He was getting really tired of her acting like he was non-existent. He walked over to her work station
and stood there, with their body’s touching. He knew she couldn’t ignore him if he was touching her.

He wouldn’t mind finishing what they had started earlier anyway.

“Have you ever heard of giving people their space?” she finally snapped at him. He smiled as he

heard the tension in her voice. His presence affected her far more than she wanted to let on.

“But darling we should most definitely get used to touching, as we’re going to be married,” he came

right back with.

“I’m not going to marry you,” she said slowly, like she was talking to a child.

“Well then the neighbors are going to talk about you being my mistress,” he told her. “Our child will
be looked down upon because her mother is shacking up with her dad,” he added as if he was

unconcerned.

She was so frustrated with the man, she had to give up on the arrangement she was working on

because she was destroying the expensive flowers. She began putting things away and glanced at the

clock. She still had a few hours to go before she could close the shop. She really wanted to storm out
the doors but it wouldn’t do her much good anyway, as he’d most likely follow her.

“I’m not going to be living with you so that won’t be a problem,” she finally calmed down enough to

say to him. It still came out between clinched teeth.

“I’m going to be a full time father to my child, so we’re going to be together one way or the other,” he
threatened her. She threw up her hands and stomped off to the bathroom. She stayed in there for a

while, trying to figure out what she was going to do about the man.

When she walked out, he was at the counter with a woman, who had her biggest bouquet on the

counter. She was flirting openly with him and Trinity was surprised to feel the coil of jealousy in her
gut. She told herself she didn’t want to be with him and she didn’t care who he flirted with but when
the woman let out a giggle and fluttered her eyelashes, she had to fight not to claw at her.

“It was so great to meet you and I hope you have a wonderful time at your mother’s,” he said with a

flirtatious smile. The woman actually blushed before she finally turned around to leave. Trinity stood
there, open-mouthed as he turned around.

“I used to work at a local hardware store when I was a teenager and luckily your register was similar
so I took care of the sale,” he said to her as he handed her the receipt. She looked down and noticed
he’d way overcharged the woman. “I wasn’t sure how much you were selling the bouquet for so I
took

a guess from some I’ve purchased before. I hope it was correct,” he finished.

“No, you actually sold it for twice the amount I would’ve normally sold it for,” she said. She was

shocked the woman paid so much. Trinity was thinking she needed to hire an attractive guy to work in

her shop. Maybe then her sales would go way up.

“Seriously? You’re charging far too low for your arrangements, then,” he told her.

“I don’t need your business advice, Drew,” she snapped. She knew he was most likely right but she

was worried she’d lose business if she charged too much and she’d rather have a lot of customers,

who were paying less than take the risk. It meant she had to work more hours and far harder but it was
working out.

“So I hope you have come to your senses by now. I can arrange a wedding within a couple of days,”

he said in a conversational tone. She couldn’t believe he was so overconfident he felt he could

criticize her and talk about marrying her in the same sentence. He really needed someone to come

along and knock him off of his pedestal. She was more than willing to be the one to do it.

“Okay, I’m going to tell you this for the last time and I hope you’ll hear it this time. I’m not going to
marry you. What happened on the island was a mistake and should’ve never taken place. I’m not
going

to repeat that mistake by becoming your wife. After the baby is born, we’ll talk about visitation but
right now she’s in my stomach so you can go ahead and leave for the next four months,” she said and

walked towards her front doors.

She pulled the door open and looked at him expectantly. He looked at her with narrowed eyes, trying

to decide what to do. He was really considering that shot gun wedding idea. It was becoming more

and more appealing.

He finally walked over to the door and pressed his body up close to hers. He was happy when she

didn’t back down but glared up at him instead. Her passion turned him on. He smiled down at her and

kissed her before she knew what was happening. It was a short kiss, to show her he was far from

giving up.

“I have some errands to run today but I’ll be back,” he told her with promise. She stood there and

watched him walk down the street. She had a mixture of relief and sadness, watching him walk away.

She was determined to protect herself but the man was so confident and had so much sex appeal it

was hard for her to remember who she even was when he was around.

She closed the door and went back to work on some bouquets. She had a wedding coming up and it

was a lot of work getting all the arrangements ready. At least it wasn’t prom season, she thought with
relief. The money was always good but her hands were done for by the end.

Drew walked down the street and climbed into his car. His forceful approach was obviously not

working, so he was going to have to try something new. His father had always liked to say you caught

more flies with honey than vinegar, so maybe he needed to change his methods of trying to catch her.

Of course, he really didn’t understand that saying, since he didn’t know why anyone would want to

catch flies. He drove to his hotel and forged a new game plan.

Chapter Six

Trinity got ready for the new day, not wanting to step outside her tiny apartment. She knew Drew

would most likely be there and she didn’t know how long she was going to be able to resist his

charm. It was easier for her when he was being demanding and arrogant but when he turned on the sex

appeal, she was a goner. She was hoping he’d take the hint and disappear for a while, so she didn’t

have to fight him and herself too. The baby kicked her hard in the ribs, as if she didn’t like the thought.

She rubbed her belly and whispered soothingly to her daughter.

She was always starving in the mornings but didn’t have the energy to fix much, so she grabbed a

muffin and poured herself a large glass of milk and got ready for her day. She’d be alone at the shop
all day and noticed it was starting to bother her. She needed to hire a couple people but she didn’t

want to pay out the money until she absolutely had to. She was thinking it may be a better idea to work
for someone else so she could at least be around other employee’s. Even though it had been her dream

to own her own place, she was finding it lonely.

She walked the few blocks to her shop, looking around everywhere, a bit disappointed not to see

Drew. She scowled at herself for that thought as well. She didn’t want him to be around and she

needed to always remember that. She blamed her disappointment on her hormones, since they were

going crazy.

She turned her key in the lock and flipped the open sign around. She always took such pride when

walking through the front doors because it was all hers. She had worked hard to make her dream

come true and took a lot of pride in the small but beautiful shop. Her touch was present in every

square inch of the room.

She put her purse away and stepped back to the floral station, to begin making some bouquets for

walk in clients. She had a few orders needing to be delivered but other than that, it was a slow day.

The bell over her door rang and she looked up to see Drew striding inside, looking far too good for

so early in the morning. She should’ve known he wouldn’t wait long before stalking her again. She

was surprised though, by the instant quickening of her heart.

“Good morning, how are you today?” he asked her, as if they were strangers. She looked at him

suspiciously, wondering what he was up to.

“I’m fine and yourself?” she asked.

“I’m wonderful. I’m in need of several bouquets,” he responded, before sticking out his hand. “My

name is Andrew Titan but my friends all call me Drew. I own several resorts and am in need of a
new

florist,” he said with a completely straight face.

“What are you up to, Drew?” she asked, far too tired for games.

“I decided we need to start over from scratch, so here I am, being completely honest,” he told her,

with a twinkle in his eyes. She found it really hard to resist the man when he was acting so charming.

She decided to play along for the moment.

“It’s nice to meet you, Drew. I’d love to help you with some arrangements,” she said and took his still
outstretched hand. She wasn’t prepared for the fire that shot down her arm from his simple touch. She
tried pulling away but he held on tightly. The man should have a warning label attached to him. He

was seriously dangerous to the female libido.

“The pleasure is all mine,” he said in the sexiest voice she’d ever heard.

“What kind of arrangements do you need?” she asked, finally managing to pull her hand free. She had

to resist the urge to rub it against her leg.

“I’ll leave that up to you. I have three orders I need sent to prospective investors and I want to send a
huge one to my cousin’s wife. She gave birth a while ago and I realized I never sent flowers. That kid
is the cutest thing ever and she deserves the biggest arrangement you can possibly make,” he said.

Trinity was surprised by his request. He’d gone all soft eyed talking about the baby. She had never

taken him for the kind of guy to love babies, maybe she really didn’t know him all that well, she

conceded.

She walked back over to her cooler and started selecting different flowers. Drew followed her

around and lifted the buckets for her, transporting them to her work station. She tried to shoo him

away but he was determined, so she just let it go.

“I’ve been lifting these buckets just fine on my own,” she said to him, with a little bit of exasperation.

“You need to take care of yourself,” he said, while pointedly looking down at her stomach. She

figured it was easier to let him help, verses continuing to argue with the man.

“How long have you had this place?” he asked her.

“I opened a couple of years ago. It was always my dream. I’d like to expand someday and have a

larger shop, with gift items and live plants as well,” she told him.

“Do you do well?” he asked.

“I’m doing a lot better than I thought I would. With the baby coming though, I’m going to have to hire
some help and that will cut into the profits,” she explained.

“I know it’s really difficult for small businesses to succeed,” he said.

“I’m doing better than some,” she said. She tended to look at the positives of things verses the

negatives if at all possible.

“Your work is beautiful. You have a real gift,” he told her, as she worked on the bouquets. They were
stunning. She had a real eye for the flowers she used and just the right amount of greens. He was

thoroughly impressed.

“Thank you, I really enjoy doing it,” she said. She loved the praise when someone appreciated her

work. They continued to chat easily together as she finished with his order. A few customers came

and went as he sat down on a stool and continued to visit with her. She was enjoying it far more than
she should. She knew she should’ve asked him to leave but it was nice having him there. The time

was passing quickly and they were getting along so well. She knew they should at least be friends

because of the baby. If she could manage to tamper down on the hunger she felt every time she was

around him that may be a possibility.

“I need to close down for a bit and make some deliveries,” she finally told him. She normally did her
deliveries at the end of her shift but there was a funeral she had to get her biggest order to.

“Why don’t I do the deliveries for you so you can go ahead and stay open,” he offered. She had been

busy and it would be better to leave the shop open but she didn’t want to feel like she’d owe him

anything. “I don’t mind really, I have some stops to make anyway,” he finished.

“If you really don’t mind,” she finally caved in. He got the address information, loaded up her orders
and took off. She was a bit sad to see him leave. She had to shake it off, refusing to get attached to
him being around. The phone rang so she picked it up, grateful for the distraction.

Drew was gone for a few hours and the shop got really busy, occupying her wandering mind. By the

time he walked in the door, holding a sack with delicious aromas coming out of it, she realized she

was starving. He set the sack on the counter and she practically ripped it open, in her intensity to see
what was inside. She pulled out a tray with her favorite pasta dish and could feel the saliva building
up in her mouth.

She dove in with real enthusiasm. She didn’t say anything to him until she was about halfway finished
with the meal. When she finally looked up, he was staring at her with a huge smile on his face. She

was slightly embarrassed at her own behavior.

“Sorry. Sometimes I get so busy I forget to eat and when I see food I go a little crazy,” she said with
embarrassment.

“You were like that on the island,” he said as his eyes darkened. Her own body reacted to thoughts of
the resort. It had been such a tropical paradise and she hadn’t thought of anything but pleasure. The
pleasure of the sun, the water, the food and most especially, the pleasure of her body when he was

touching her.

“That was a million years ago Drew and I’m back in the real world now and have real world

responsibilities. I do appreciate your help today and the lunch but we are over and you need to accept
that,” Trinity said. She was trying to convince herself of that fact as much as she was trying to

convince him.

Drew’s expression never changed. He continued to stare at her, with longing in his eyes, which was

doing funny things to her stomach. She tried to focus on the food but had lost her appetite. She picked
at it some more and finally gave up and shoved it aside. Drew took her hand in his and waited until he
had her full attention.

“I’ve decided you’ll be my wife. I’ve never felt about a woman the way I feel about you and you’re

carrying my child. We’ll stay together. I understand you’re scared. I understand you’re angry I

mislead you but you’ll learn soon you can’t live without me,” he said with complete confidence.

She was left breathless and without any words. It was almost impossible to argue with the man but as

she thought about what he said, her temper flared a bit. How dare he demand such things of her? She

wasn’t some school girl there to please him.

“Drew sometimes in life you simply have to accept when you can’t have your own way. I’m not a

possession you get to choose to keep or cast off. You can go away now,” she said, with some venom

in her tone. Drew laughed; she could not believe the man actually laughed.

“You’re so good for me, Trinity. I need people in my life who aren’t afraid to tell me how it is but

nonetheless we’ll be together,” he said. “I have a few errands to run this afternoon but I’ll be back
before you close,” he told her, then almost as an afterthought, gently kissed her before walking out the
door.

Trinity stood for several minutes after he left, with her hand pressed against her still tingling lips. The
man had a way of affecting her, unlike anyone before him. She finally shook it off and got back to

work. When he came back she’d have to be firm and not let him affect her.

About an hour before closing, the bell on the door rang out, letting her know someone was coming in.

She looked up nervously and let out a sigh of relief, followed by a pang of disappointment, when it

was a woman and not Drew.

The woman seemed to be around her age and was carrying the most adorable little girl. Just the sight

of the baby made her heart skip a beat. She couldn’t wait to hold her own daughter in her arms.

“Hello, how are you this afternoon?” Trinity asked the woman.

“I’m great and how are you?” the woman responded.

“I’m glad it’s closing time soon but other than that I’m wonderful,” Trinity said.

“My name is Jasmine and this little one is Britney,” the woman said, as she held out her free hand.

“It’s great to meet you Jasmine, my name is Trinity, how can I help you?” she asked. She loved

customers like Jasmine, who were happy and friendly. She also loved getting to know her customers

because they would come back and she could learn exactly what they liked, making sure to do an

excellent job.

“I wanted to meet you; I’m married to Derek, who is Drew’s cousin. I call him my brother-in-law

because they are more like siblings,” Jasmine said.

“Oh…well…umm…” Trinity stuttered, not knowing what to say.

“I know I shouldn’t have just barged in here on you but when Drew told us he was going to be a

father, I had to meet the woman who had finally gotten ahold of him,” she said with humor in her tone.

“We aren’t together though…” Trinity tried to say before she was interrupted again.

“You’re carrying a Titan child, so you’re pretty much together, believe me. You can try and fight it
but these guys really care about family. My husband and I had a very rocky start but I love him so
much

and am so grateful he fought for me because now we have Britney and Jacob and I’m disgustingly

happy all the time,” Jasmine said.

The baby was squirming in her arms and Trinity wanted to hold her so badly but didn’t even know

this woman and couldn’t ask her to hand over her child. Jasmine saw the look of yearning on Trinity’s
face and handed Britney over.

“She’s so precious,” Trinity coo’d at her.

“She’s pretty amazing and incredibly spoiled,” Jasmine said with real fondness.

“Why don’t you sit down over here with me and we can chat?” Trinity said as she moved over to the

love seat she had brought in when she found out about the baby. She knew she’d want a comfortable

place to rest.

“That sounds perfect, tell me all about how you and Drew met and please don’t leave out any juicy

details,” Jasmine said to her. Trinity could feel the heat suffuse her cheeks, as she thought about those
details. She didn’t know what it was but she liked Jasmine instantly. She was just so friendly, how

could you not?

Trinity found herself opening up and telling her about their time on the island and then about the last
few days. Jasmine listened the whole time, nodding her head in understanding.

“Seriously, I know he’s behaved like a complete moron but he’s a terrific guy and if you give him a

chance you’ll see that,” Jasmine said.

“I’m sure he’s great but I’ve sworn off all business men. I haven’t had good experiences with them. I
won’t try and keep the baby from him but I just can’t get into a relationship with the man,” Trinity said
and hoped Jasmine would understand.

“I’m sure it will all work out,” Jasmine told her. The bell rung again and in walked the man in

question. It didn’t take him long to spot the two women.

“There’s my beautiful girl,” Drew said as he approached. Trinity was starting to blush and then he

plucked the baby out of her arms, who immediately started to giggle. Trinity felt a little embarrassed,
thinking the comment had been for her and hoped he hadn’t noticed.

“Uncle missed you, Precious,” he cuddled Britney and continued to talk to her. She looked up at him

like she could understand everything he was saying. She reached her small hand up and was patting

his cheek. Trinity was impressed with how well he handled the baby. If he was half as affectionate

with his own daughter, she’d always know her father loved her.

“You have a lot to make up for Drew,” Jasmine said as she glared at him.

“What?” he said and looked from one to the other. They both looked at him like he was dumb, so he

shrugged his shoulder and continued to talk to his niece, who adored him. “At least you don’t look at
Uncle that way,” he said to her.

“I can’t believe what a moron you were at the resort. Seriously, you bonked her in the head and then

had the gall to lie to her. No wonder she’s giving you a hard time,” Jasmine continued. “It was so

great to meet you, Trinity. Please come have lunch with me on your next day off. I want to get to know
you more and I really want the kids to grow up together,” she said.

“I think that sounds wonderful. I’ll be off on Sunday and Monday, if either of those work for you,”

Trinity responded.

“Sunday will work perfectly. Come any time after ten, here’s my address and my phone number. I

can’t wait to see you,” she finished. She then gathered the baby up and headed out. Trinity looked at
the clock and was relieved it was closing time. She counted out her till and started shutting things

down.

“Can I take you to dinner, please?” Drew asked her. She knew she should probably say no because it

sounded great. She found she really wanted to spend time with him, which was scary. She was trying

to get the words to come out of her mouth and was a bit surprised by her own answer.

“That sounds fine,” she replied. They walked out of the shop and he immediately grabbed her hand.

She fought for a moment to pull free but he was holding firm, so she gave it up. It was much easier to
let go of the smaller battles, so she had the energy for the bigger arguments.

Chapter Seven

Sunday came quickly and Trinity found she was really excited to see Jasmine, again. She’d always

had a hard time making friends because she was so busy all the time and she was painfully shy. She

was also always the practical one. When other kids had been out partying, she had been the one

studying.

It had all been worth it, though because she now owned her shop and was on her way to her goals

being accomplished. She was about ready to leave, when there was a knock on her door. She knew

who it was before she opened it up.

“Good morning,” Drew said and she could smell the warm scent of muffins wafting through the bag he

was holding. He felt a compulsive need to feed her all the time.

“I can take care of myself, you know?” she told him, although she grabbed the bag and started

munching on the delicious pastry. She didn’t know where he bought his pastries but they were

heavenly tasting and she soon found herself half-way through a second one.

“I know you’re more than capable of taking care of yourself but I enjoy feeding you and checking up

on you. I’ve never been a father before and I feel a need to make sure my daughter is getting all she
needs,” he explained. Trinity rolled her eyes but allowed him to walk with her down the stairs.

“I’m visiting Derek today so we can ride together,” Drew said as he steered her towards his car. She

decided to let it go; at least she wouldn’t have to struggle to fit behind the wheel, which was

becoming harder with each day.

They rode to the home, chatting a bit. As they made their way through the gate and started up the

driveway, Trinity was awed into silence. When the home came into view she gasped out loud.

“This is their house?” she asked him in amazement. It looked more like a resort than someone’s home.

Her eyes were drawn to the huge front door and the seemingly endless walls. She didn’t know how

they managed to find their way to different areas of the home.

“I know it’s very large. I gave Derek a heck of a time when I first saw it but Jasmine has made it

really homey,” he told her. She didn’t see how it was possible to make the mansion look homey, it

was simply too massive.

He pulled up by the front doors and they climbed from the vehicle. The door opened up and a young

boy came rushing out. “Uncle Drew, you’re here,” he said, as he launched himself into Drew’s arms.

He certainly had a way with children.

“Hey Buddy, I think I’m going to whoop you today in some water basketball,” he said, as he ruffled

his head.

“No way, I’ve been practicing. You’re going down,” the boy told him. Trinity smiled as the two of

them bantered back and forth.

“Jacob, this nice lady is Trinity and this young lad here is my nephew, Jacob,” Drew introduced them.

“It’s nice to meet you,” the boy said politely.

“It’s nice to meet you as well,” Trinity said. He was adorable and well mannered.

“Mom is excited for you to come. Follow me, she’s in the kitchen,” Jacob said and ran ahead of them

into the house. Trinity couldn’t stop looking everywhere. The home was huge and beautiful but Drew

was right about it seeming homey. Jasmine had done a great job at making the place comfortable.

“You guys made it. I’m so glad,” Jasmine said as they stepped into the kitchen. She gave Drew a

quick hug and surprised Trinity by throwing her arms around her as well. She pulled back with a

giggle. “I remember those days of my belly preceding me into a room,” she finished with a laugh.

Trinity could not help but laugh along with her.

“I know, I think I grow a foot every night,” Trinity said.

“You boys go play and let us diss on you for a while,” Jasmine said. The boys obeyed and left them

together. The smells coming from the kitchen were amazing and suddenly Trinity’s stomach let out a

loud growl. Jasmine laughed, again. Trinity couldn’t believe she was still hungry after eating those

rich pastries but she couldn’t seem to get enough. She hoped she didn’t gain a hundred pounds during

the pregnancy.

“I remember that as well. Sit down and let me give you a snack, while everything finishes up,”

Jasmine said.

“I can wait, I don’t want to be a hassle,” Trinity said.

“Oh, stop being so submissive. You have to learn to stand up for yourself, or seriously these Titan

guys will walk all over you,” Jasmine said.

“You’re right, I’d love to have a snack,” Trinity said, with her cheeks turning a little bit pink.

“That’s a start, now get off those feet,” Jasmine said with a smile. Trinity sat down and ate every

morsel of food Jasmine put before her. It was incredible.

“You seriously should open up a café,” Trinity told her. “Your food is too good to be wasted.”

“I’ve been told the same thing from these handsome men but I don’t want to lose my love of cooking

and if I had to do it for the long hours it takes in order to succeed, I’d no longer enjoy it,” Jasmine
said to her.

“You know, I’ve always wanted to open a floral and gift shop, with a little café in it. I thought it

would be great to have a section of books people could buy and they could come in and eat, read and

order flowers or gifts. If you do ever consider a café, then I hope you’ll talk to me,” Trinity said

shyly.

“Seriously that’s something I’d consider. Let me finish our lunch and we can do some research,”

Jasmine said with excitement.

“I meant in the future sometime,” Trinity said, a little shocked at her enthusiasm.

“There’s no time like the present,” Jasmine told her. The women continued to talk, while Jasmine

finished lunch. As if the men had built in radars, they showed up as the last of the food was finished
cooking. Everyone sat around the table enjoying the great food and even better conversation. Trinity

was more relaxed than she had been in a very long time.

“Now you boys are on clean up duty. Trinity and I are going to the library to do some research,”

Jasmine said mysteriously and the two women took off. Drew looked over at Derek with a question in

his eyes and he just shook his head as if he didn’t understand women any more than the next guy did.

The two ladies went into the library and Trinity gasped as she looked around. It was a beautiful room,
with books from floor to ceiling. She walked along the shelves noticing there was a little bit of

everything. Any reader would be happy to step into this room.

“It’s pretty great, huh? I still have a long way to go before these shelves are filled but I get a few
more each week. This library is what sold me on the place,” Jasmine said with excitement. She was

pleased to see Trinity loved the room.

“This is amazing. I don’t think I’d ever leave this room,” Trinity finally said.

“I feel the same way. Take your time looking around. I’m going to jump on the computer and do some

research,” Jasmine said, as she sat down on the comfortable looking couch and opened up a laptop.

She pulled Trinity over after a while to show her a building for sale. It looked absolutely perfect for
what they wanted but the price tag was pretty extravagant.

“I don’t think I can afford that,” she said feeling badly about it.

“Let’s not worry about the cost right now. I know how that sounds but let’s just check it out tomorrow
and see what we think,” Jasmine pleaded with her.

“Okay, it doesn’t hurt to at least look,” she agreed. The two women made their plans and Trinity

didn’t know who she called but the agent was more than happy to show them the place whenever they

were ready. She offered to do it right then but Jasmine told her she’d prefer to wait until the next day.

The afternoon flew by too quickly and Trinity was sorry to leave. She was enjoying her time with

Jasmine; already a strong friendship was forming. The two women hugged before Drew led her back

out to his car. She waved goodbye and sat back sleepily in the car’s comfortable seat.

The next few days flew by for Trinity. Drew was there every waking moment and the more she was

around him, the harder a time she had with trying to keep her distance. He was there to help her at

work. He was constantly bringing her delicious food and he was touching her every chance he got.

With him back in the picture, her body had awakened, more than ever before. He was touching her

casually so often, she was close to screaming. She needed so much more from him, than a quick brush

of his fingers but she knew she couldn’t go there. The more time she was with him, the harder it was

to remember the purpose of her boundaries.

The man was so incredibly attractive and what made it worse was she remembered how his hands
felt

touching her all over. She was frustrated and completely unsatisfied. It was making her incredibly

grumpy and he was even being a great sport about her snapping at him. He was far too perfect.

She had went and looked at the building with Jasmine and fell in love with the place. It was so

perfect. There was ample space for everything and it wouldn’t be too hard to remodel it how they

wanted. Jasmine was looking into things and would get back to her soon with some numbers.

Trinity knew Jasmine could afford to foot the entire purchase but she wanted to feel as if she was an
equal partner. She’d do whatever she could to make it happen. She was currently renting her building

and paying a really high amount, so by taking on a partner and having a mortgage instead of a rent

payment, may actually save her money. She’d also be able to make more if she had more
merchandise.

She hadn’t heard back from Jasmine yet, so she was getting worried she’d possibly changed her mind,

deciding it was just too risky. She couldn’t believe how bummed that made her feel. She had been the

one who was leery to go into such a large investment but after she’d really thought about it, she

wanted it more than anything. It would be so nice to have a business partner, someone to share her

successes with and someone to have around to talk with. She shook off her mood and got back to

work.

“Hello beautiful, how are you feeling today?” Drew asked as he walked in her doors a few minutes

after she opened. Her face split in a smile at the sight of him, before she could stop herself.

“Don’t you have a business to run?” she asked him, trying to sound stern but failing miserably.

“The nice thing with being the boss is I can take off whenever I want,” he responded with a wicked

grin. He then came over to her and kissed her on the lips. He was doing that too often as well. She’d
given up telling him no. Who was she fooling anyway? She craved his touch.

“I have a doctor appointment today if you’d like to come along?” she asked him shyly.

“I’d love to come,” he answered her with real enthusiasm.

“I’ll be closing early today so if you want to be back here around two then we can go together,” she

offered.

“I have nothing going on today, so I’ll just hang out here with you,” he said instead and sat down on
her couch and pulled out his laptop, which was a normal habit for him now.

“If you insist,” she replied and got to work on her arrangements. The further along she was getting, the
harder it was for her to stand for long periods of time, without her back hurting. After about an hour
she was reaching around and rubbing on her lower back, without even thinking about it.

She felt Drew’s arms wrap around her and she was being tugged over to the couch. He sat her down

and started giving her a back rub. She had to fight not to groan out loud at the pure pleasure he was
creating.

“I should be working,” she tried to protest but not with much effort behind the words.

“You need to take better care of yourself. It’s obvious you’re in pain,” he countered her and continued
with the back rub. She leaned forward, so he could reach lower and stopped protesting. She didn’t

know how much time passed but when the bell on her door rang, she felt like growling at the person

who dared to interrupt.

The person picked out a couple of pre made arrangements and was soon on their way. The door rang

again and a young girl walked in.

“Can I help you?” Trinity asked her.

“I just graduated floral school and would like to apply for a job,” the girl said shyly. Trinity spoke
with her for several minutes and liked her instantly. She was eager and excited. She took her in the

back and had her show some of her techniques. The girl had a really good eye for colors and picked

up on designs quickly.

“I was planning on waiting another month before hiring but you have come in at a really good time

because my back is hurting more than usual,” Trinity told her. She hired the girl on the spot and she’d

start the next day.

“Thank you so much,” she replied excitedly and rushed out the door.

“I’m glad you decided to take on an employee,” Drew told her. She got back to work and soon it was

time to leave for the doctor’s office.

Drew led her to his car and she climbed into the luxurious interior. It was really nice to be taken care
of and she was fighting the urge to just let go completely and lean on him. They made it to the office in
no time and soon they were being taken back to a private room.

The doctor came in and Drew introduced himself. “I bet you’re excited to hear the heartbeat,” the

doctor said to him.

“I am,” Drew confirmed. She was fixated on his face, as the sound of their child’s heartbeat filled the
room. He had such a look of wonder on it tears sprung to her eyes. “Can we do that picture thing?” he
asked the doctor.

“She had an ultrasound a couple months ago and everything checked out. They are a pretty expensive

procedure, when it’s not needed,” the doctor explained.

“I don’t care how much it costs, I really want to have it done,” Drew said. The doctor sent them to a
different room.

“Drew, I can’t afford to have one of those done,” Trinity tried to explain to him.

“I’m taking care of all the baby’s expenses,” Drew told her and his tone said the issue wasn’t up for
debate. She didn’t have any insurance and had been struggling to pay for the whole thing but she

didn’t appreciate his taking control of her pregnancy.

“You don’t need to take care of everything but if you want another ultrasound then you can take care

of that,” she finally conceded.

“I’m in far too good of a mood to argue, so we’ll leave that discussion for another time,” he finally
said. She lay on the table and glared at him for a moment. Soon another doctor came in the room and

began rubbing some cold goo on her stomach.

“Have you seen one of our three dimensional ultrasounds before?” she asked them both.

“I had one done a couple months ago,” Trinity said.

“I saw the picture but I wasn’t here when it was done,” Drew said as he stared at the screen.

Suddenly his child’s head was there in front of him. She was moving around and he saw the profile,

then the back of her head. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen in his life. He could stare at
that monitor the entire day and never get bored.

He couldn’t believe how much it showed of his daughter. It was like he was looking through a glass

bowl or something. It was amazing. He wanted to reach out and run his fingers along her delicate

cheekbones.

“Your daughter is healthy and active. Do you want to take home some more pictures?” the woman

asked.

“Yes please,” Drew answered enthusiastically before Trinity had a chance to speak.

“It sounds as if your husband is excited to be a father. This must be your first child,” the woman said
with a smile.

“I can’t believe she will be here in a few short months,” Drew said. Trinity was silent. She wasn’t

going to bother trying to correct the woman and she was finding it pretty endearing how excited Drew

was.

She printed off some pictures and sent them both back to the doctor’s office. He came right in. Trinity
guessed it was helpful having Drew with her because she’d never had such quick service.

“The baby is healthy and everything is right on schedule but you’re not doing as well. Your blood

pressure is too high for my liking and puts you at risk for getting toxemia. I need to put you on bed rest
for at least two weeks, then we can reassess. You also need to eat more because you’re feeding the

baby well but not yourself. You’re under what I’d like to see your weight at,” he told her.

“I can’t take work off,” she tried to argue with the doctor.

“If you don’t take my advice, you’re risking yourself and your baby. You could go into early labor
and the chances of survival aren’t good at this point in your pregnancy,” he said sternly.

“She will go on complete bed rest doctor,” Drew said and looked over at her. She wasn’t happy with

him or the doctor at that point but she wouldn’t let her own temper harm her child. She’d just have to
close the shop for a while. She couldn’t imagine what that was going to do to her income.

They walked out of the doctor’s office and he took her to a restaurant, where she picked at her food.

She was too stressed to eat much at all.

“The doctor said you needed more calories, please eat for the baby’s sake,” he pleaded with her. She

forced herself to eat more, although she had a hard time getting it down her throat.

“I’m going to have to close the shop, it just stresses me out,” she finally said.

“Stress isn’t good for your condition. You need to let me help you,” he told her.

“I know Drew, and I don’t need your help,” she said.

“You obviously need my help. I’ll call a temp agency and get someone in to work the shop, plus you

have the new employee you just hired. I’ll pay their wages and quit shaking your head at me. You

can’t be stressed and worried about how to pay them. I’m also going to stay with you for now to make

sure you’re taking better care of yourself,” he said.

She continued to try and argue with him but she may as well have been speaking to a brick wall

because he wasn’t listening. He led her from the restaurant and made his phone calls and drove her

home.

As they stepped into her tiny apartment, he decided he was going to start really searching for a new

place. He couldn’t stand to stay in the claustrophobic apartment for too long. His child needed more

space anyway, with a real yard.

Trinity went in to take a nap and he searched the web for some homes. He found a couple of

prospective places, which weren’t far from his cousin. He made appointments for that evening and

after checking on Trinity, left to go see them.

He fell in love instantly with one of the houses. The home was empty, as the previous owners had lost
it. It was bank owned, which made things so much easier for him. It was huge, not quite as big as

Derek’s but pretty dang close. It had about ten acres of property and a pool. There was even a tennis
court. He knew Trinity would love it.

He made a cash offer for the place and used his connections to push things along. He drove back to

her place, feeling pretty good about himself.

He’d snagged her keys on his way out and let himself back in. He looked in on her in the bedroom and

felt his body tightening. She must have been too warm because she had kicked the covers off and was

laying there in her tiny tank top and short shorts. She looked unbelievable and it took everything he
had not to join her in the bed and strip those pieces of clothing from her.

Her curves had grown and he wanted to test their weight in his hands. He wanted her so badly he

didn’t think he could take it much longer. He groaned low in his throat and headed towards her tiny

bathroom for an ice cold shower. It didn’t help him much.

Drew tried to work in her small kitchen but he couldn’t concentrate. He hadn’t slept well since the

day he’d found out she was pregnant and his eyes were trying to shut on him. He looked over at her

couch and wasn’t enthusiastic. He peaked back in at her and she was still sound asleep. He decided
to damn the consequences and climbed in next to her.

Trinity immediately snuggled up next to him, after he lay down. She may be fighting her attraction for
him but in her sleep, her body clearly was seeking him out. He wrapped her in his arms and fell into

his first restful sleep in too long.

Chapter Eight

Trinity woke up and attempted to stretch. Something was blocking her, though. Her bed wasn’t against

the wall so she couldn’t figure out why she couldn’t move her arms. She opened her eyes and realized

she was pressed tightly against Drew.

Her initial thoughts were to grab him and finally relieve the ever increasing pressure that had been

building up in her body. Then she began to panic as she thought about taking that step again. She tried
to extract herself from his arms without waking him but his arms around her may as well have been

iron shackles. He wasn’t budging.

“Mmm,” he mumbled and his hands started moving over her body. She sucked in a breath as his hands

rubbed down her back and over her behind. She tried arching into him but her stomach was in the

way. The pressure was building up in her core and she was forgetting her reasons for not making love

with the man.

He continued to stroke her, up and down her back and then his hands started to move along her sides

and she was holding her breath, waiting for him to reach her aching breasts. She started to wiggle and
she could tell the moment he woke up fully, by the urgency in his touch.

“We shouldn’t do this,” she tried once.

“We definitely should do this. Please Trinity, I need you,” he begged her. She couldn’t say no to him.

She wanted him so badly and his voice was filled with such need she felt sexy for the first time in

forever.

He pushed her onto her back and continued stroking her body up and down. He pulled her shirt off
and

let out a gasp of pleasure at her larger breasts. They’d grown a full size in the months since he had
last touched her and from his reaction he was pleased by the change.

He bent his head and began kissing her throat, sucking the sensitive flesh. He moved down to her

aching breasts and continued kneading them, then following behind with the swipe of his tongue. He

was circling around her incredibly sensitive peaks and she arched her back, trying to get him to take
them into his mouth.

He finally gave her what she wanted and licked the darkened orbs. He gently sucked first one into his
mouth, then gave equal attention to the other. She could feel the pressure building deep within her

core, from his mouth and hands playing with her body. She was so much more sensitive than she’d

ever been before and he was quickly sending her over the edge.

He continued to play with her sensitive nipples as his hands were wandering down her body. He

reverently rubbed his hands over the mound of her stomach, making trembles rush throughout her

body. Then his hand slid between her thighs, pushing them apart. He reached up and flicked his

fingers over her sensitive flesh and she cried out as the orgasm rocked her body.

He continued to stroke her flesh, as he brought his lips back up her throat. He finally kissed her with
so much tenderness she felt tears fill her eyes. He stroked her mouth with his warm tongue and even

before the last of her trembles were receding, she could feel her body building up for more.

She wanted him so much; she needed him to fill her. He continued to caress her mouth and she

couldn’t stop the trembles that continued to rock her insides. Everywhere he touched her, fire shot

through her blood. It was the most exotic experience of her life.

He dipped his fingers deep within her heat and her hips jerked off the bed in pleasure. She groaned as
the sensations washed through her over and over again. “Please Drew, I need you,” she cried out.

He turned her onto her side and lay down behind her, still caressing her body. She could feel his

erection pressing against her backside and she’d never felt such an ache. She pushed against him,

needing him to enter her. He kissed along her neck, as he massaged her breasts.

He then finally started pushing inside of her heat. He was stretching her folds inch by beautiful inch
and she could feel her body start to come apart at the pure pleasure of him inside of her again.

He continued licking her neck and rubbing her breasts, as he began moving in and out of her core. She
started shaking, as all the sensations began sending her over the edge. He moved one of his hands

down to her hip and pumped in and out of her faster. She couldn’t take anymore and was quickly sent

over the cliff in a wash of total ecstasy. She gripped his hand tightly, as her body gripped around his
thick shaft.

He let out a groan, as he sunk deep inside of her and she could feel him pumping deep within her

womb. They lay there pressed tightly together, both trying to get their breathing back under control.

He rubbed her gently from her neck to her hips and back again. Every time his hands passed over her

sensitive flesh she moaned in pleasure.

“Now that’s the way to wake up,” he whispered in her ear, which sent a shiver down her spine. She

couldn’t believe how sensitive she was to his every movement.

“That shouldn’t have happened though,” she tried to be reasonable. He flipped her around onto her

back and looked into her eyes.

“You’re carrying my child and we both want each other so what’s wrong with us making love?” he

questioned her.

“I’m just not ready to jump right back in,” she said.

“It’s too late for that,” he told her, before kissing her silent once more. He showed her why they

should have no regrets for the next hour. By the time they managed to crawl out of bed, Trinity was

feeling relaxed and more loved than ever. She was going to give herself this day to feel good, with

zero guilt. Tomorrow would be soon enough for that.

Drew jumped in the shower after they ate breakfast together. Trinity knew she was supposed to be on

bed rest but she wanted to go check on her shop and make sure the temp person was working out and

everything was fine. She decided to sneak out before he got done.

She dressed quickly and left the apartment as silently as she could. She couldn’t believe she felt guilty
as she climbed down the stairs and started walking down the street. He didn’t own her; she could go

for a walk if she wanted to.

She was a few doors down from her shop when someone came up behind her and poked something

into her back. She tried to move out of the way, thinking it was some person not paying attention to

where they were going.

“Give me your purse and you won’t get hurt,” a man’s voice sneered into her ear. She was shocked

speechless, as terror seized her. She was too shocked to do what the man asked of her.

“Let go now,” he shouted at her, as she gripped it tightly to her side. She was in the habit of wrapping
the handle around her arm so she didn’t drop it. It was far too hard to bend down now. He grabbed
the strap and tugged on her bag and she automatically pulled back.

“Are you insane lady, give me the bag now,” the man said, with bulging eyes, as he pulled a knife out.

She started to shake all over but she couldn’t make her arm let go of the bag. He sliced the knife out
towards her and she felt a stinging in her arm. He then shoved her hard and she stumbled backwards,

landing on her butt.

Pain shot up her spine from the impact and her arm was throbbing. He took off running and her only

thought was she still had her purse. She then looked at her arm and saw the blood streaming down and

the sight made her pass out cold.

“Trinity talk to me, are you okay, please be okay, wake up,” she heard Drew yelling at her, through a
bank of darkness. “Please baby, open your eyes. The ambulance is coming right now, please just

wake up, you have to tell me where it hurts,” he continued to yell in a panicked voice. She couldn’t

understand why he was yelling. She was just trying to sleep.

“I’m tired,” she finally managed to mumble and she felt his hands roam all over her body. She tried to
push him away because she just wanted to sleep. He passed over her arm and pain shot downward,

waking her right up. Her eyes flew open, to look into his terrified eyes and the whole thing came back
to her.

“Ouch,” she finally managed to get past her tight throat.

“They will be here in a few more seconds, do you hear the sirens?” he told her as he continued

running his hands up and down her body.

“He tried to take my purse. I tried to let it go but my hand wouldn’t listen to my brain,” she tried to
explain to him.

“I should’ve been with you, I’m so sorry baby, I’m so sorry. If anything happens to you or our

daughter I’ll never forgive myself,” he sputtered as he rubbed her face and head. “Tell me where it

hurts,” he pleaded.

“My arm and back hurt,” she told him with a grimace.

“I’m so sorry baby, he cut your arm and someone said they saw him push you down. Does your

stomach hurt?” he asked her, terrified of what her answer would be.

“I don’t know Drew, my back hurts really badly, I can’t tell if it is my stomach too,” she said, as tears
started streaking down her face. “My baby,” she cried out, as her hands groped her stomach.

The ambulance pulled up and the paramedics rushed out. They asked her a few questions and placed a

neck brace on her, before lifting her up to the gurney. Drew never left her side the entire time. He

rode next to her in the ambulance whispering reassurances and holding her hand.

They rushed her into the emergency room and a doctor came over immediately. They hooked all kinds

of monitors up to her and soon she could hear the sound of her baby’s heartbeat. Both her and Drew

breathed out a sigh of relief at the strong sound.

“The baby doesn’t seem to be in any immediate danger but your blood pressure is through the roof.

You were supposed to be on bed rest, from these notes I’m reading and had no business out on the

streets,” the doctor scolded her.

“I’m sorry, it was just a small walk,” she tried to explain but she was feeling a lot of her own guilt
and would do whatever the doctor asked of her.

“We’re going to stitch up your arm, You’re staying overnight so we can monitor you and the child. If

we can get your blood pressure down, then you can get released tomorrow but only if you’re on strict

bed rest. That is you go from your bed to a couch and back again. You’re not to take walks, you’re not
to work, you’re to be waited on hand and foot,” the doctor told her sternly.

“I understand,” she said, too afraid to argue with anything the man said. They poked and prodded her

before she was finally moved to a room. She breathed a sigh of relief, as the pills they gave her

kicked in and she drifted off into blissful sleep. She couldn’t understand how the day could start off
so well and end so badly.

Drew made calls to his family and knew they would be there in no time. His cousins would drop

whatever they were doing to be there for each other. Family was number one to all of them. This was

his future wife, with his child, lying in a hospital bed and they would’ve been angry with him if he

hadn’t called so they could be there. The second she’d conceived his baby, she had become a part of

that tight family circle.

He got a call while he was pacing the halls the bank accepted his offer. He called in some

connections to speed the process up. He wanted to get moved in within a couple of weeks, where

he’d be able to take care of her much better.

He called up his normal temp agency and had them start performing interviews for a staff. He wanted

things ready as soon as he got the keys. As he continued to pace the hallways he saw Derek and Ryan

round the corner. They spotted him immediately and walked over. He explained everything to them

and they talked him into going with them for some much needed coffee.

Jasmine was right behind them and promised to stay with Trinity in case she woke up. She had tears

of worry in her eyes. He pulled her close for a hug, so grateful she’d married his cousin. She was a

blessing to their family. She shooed him away and went in to sit by Trinity’s bedside.

“How the hell does something like that happen in broad daylight?” Ryan said as he slammed his mug

down on the table.

“I don’t like that neighborhood at all. It’s the older part of town and the businesses have to have bars
on the windows at night. That should be the first clue she shouldn’t be walking down that street alone.

I want her out of there now,” Drew said vehemently.

“I agree with you Drew but be careful, she’s stubborn and you don’t want her to stay there just

because you’re telling her not to,” Derek tried to reason with his cousin.

“She’s on strict orders from the doctor for total bed rest, so she doesn’t have a hell of a lot of choice
but to listen to me for a while,” Drew said with some satisfaction. He knew very well how stubborn

the woman could be. He also knew how much she already loved their child and she’d do anything to

keep her safe.

“Well, I have some good news for you,” Derek started. “Jasmine and Trinity were talking about

opening a combined business together and Jasmine found an incredible space. We purchased it

yesterday. It’s not too far from where we’re living. It’s in a much safer area. Jasmine was actually

coming over today to tell her she’d snatched it up before it was gone and they could move forward,”

he finished.

“That’s great Derek, I’ll feel so much better if she’s not living or working down there and the women
will have each other there as well. I don’t like her working alone, I don’t care how great the

neighborhood is,” Drew said.

“I agree with you fully there. I’m going to talk to Jasmine about having some extra help. She plans on
having the baby with her and she will need more people to help her run things. Hell, money isn’t an

issue anyway but their safety is,” Derek said.

“Man am I glad I don’t have anyone other than you guys to stress over because it doesn’t sound like

any fun,” Ryan said. Both Derek and Drew turned to glare at him.

“Your time is coming,” Derek finally said. Ryan just shook his head and got a look of terror on his

face. He wasn’t ready to head down that road.

“Not a chance you guys,” he said. The three of them relaxed since there was a clear plan of action in
place. They all felt better when they were planning or accomplishing something. None of them liked

to feel helpless and if someone they loved had a problem, they felt that way.

Drew wasn’t looking forward to the conversation they were going to have later but then again he was

the business man he was because he never backed down. He could handle any situation, including a

very angry woman. He smiled in anticipation.

Jasmine sat by the bed, anxiously waiting for Trinity to wake up. She wanted to share her news with

her but more importantly she wanted to hear from her that she was okay. If anything had happened to

that child it would’ve destroyed Trinity. She may not have known her very long but she was a mother

and knew how bonded you became with your child, even from the womb.

“Is she still sleeping?” a man asked as he walked in the room. Jasmine looked at the gorgeous

creature, thinking the plot just thickened as the man came and sat by her bed with a worried

expression.

“She hasn’t stirred, yet. I’m Jasmine,” she said, sticking out her hand.

“I’m Damien Whitfield, Trinity’s best friend. Drew called and told me what happened,” he said,

shaking her hand, then immediately returning to Trinity’s bedside.

Jasmine was relieved to hear he was a friend; otherwise there may have been a fight in the hospital

room. Drew was a bit territorial, especially with Trinity carrying his child.

Trinity started to stir and finally opened her eyes. She looked around and spotted Jasmine and Damien
and her face lit up with a smile. It was good to see her friends.

“How are you doing?” they simultaneously asked, which made Trinity smile.

“I’ve had better days,” she tried to joke but her voice came out too cracked to pull it off. She winced
at the sound of her own weakened voice.

“I’m so sorry about what happened,” Jasmine told her, with tears in her eyes. Damien sat there

rubbing her hand, giving her time to gather some strength.

“It was all my fault; I shouldn’t have been out there in the first place. The doctor told me to stay in

bed but I was determined to check on my shop,” Trinity said.

“Trinity, you’re always putting too much pressure on yourself. Don’t start playing the blame game or

you’ll just cause more stress. I had to come and check on you but have to get back to the offices.

Promise me you’ll call as soon as you feel better,” Damien said.

“I promise, I love you,” she said. He bent down and kissed her forehead and quickly departed. Trinity
was grateful he’d come in. He was always so busy with business she didn’t get to see him nearly

enough, especially with her so pregnant and tired all the time.

“I’m glad you brought up the shop because I have great news to share with you,” Jasmine said, pulling
her attention away from the door Damien just walked through. “I went and checked out that space and

there was another person who’d put in an offer. I didn’t want to lose it so Derek gave them an offer

they couldn’t refuse and they accepted. The shop is ours. I know I should’ve waited for you but we

would’ve lost it and I really want to do this with you,” Jasmine finished.

“That’s so great Jasmine but I haven’t figured out if I can afford it yet,” Trinity said with some regret.

She really wanted to share a space with Jasmine but she refused to take any handouts. She wouldn’t

feel right about that.

“Don’t worry about any of that right now. We’ll work it out. The point is we have the space and can

spend the day getting it designed so Ryan can get started on remodeling,” Jasmine told her.

She was so excited about it Trinity couldn’t help but get equally involved. Jasmine had brought some

paper and the two women spent the next hour figuring out how they wanted the shop to look. They

were both giggling like children as their ideas got placed on paper. Trinity could see the finished

product in her mind and it was spectacular. She couldn’t wait for the opening day. At least it would

give her something to do while she was stuck on bed rest. She wasn’t a person who could lie around

and knew the restlessness was going to be hard. She’d do that for no one but her unborn child.

The men returned and the girls shushed them and continued on with their plans. They were oblivious

to anything but their future shop. The men sat back, pouting a bit as they were completely ignored.

“I think we have it all figured out, what do you think?” Trinity asked, as they looked over what they
had been doing.

“I think it’s perfect,” Jasmine agreed. The two women hugged again. “Here you go Ryan, the place is

all yours to make perfect for us,” she said.

“That’s a tall order,” Ryan replied.

“We have complete faith in you,” Jasmine said with a grin.

“I’ll try to earn it,” Ryan said. Jasmine knew he was just being modest. The man was a wiz with any

kind of building material. He preferred remodeling historic sites and was greatly in demand from

many people. He had unlimited work lined up but he was dropping everything for their project. She

loved him to pieces for it.

“You know you’re the best guy ever,” Jasmine said as she kissed him on the cheek.

“If I keep getting rewards like that one, I’ll be at your beck and call,” he said with an evil grin. He
then turned towards Trinity and waggled his brows. She laughed and wiggled her fingers for him to

come closer. He leaned down and she kissed him on the cheek.

“Okay enough of that,” Drew growled, as he glared at his cousin.

“Hey, I’m irresistible,” Ryan said with a shrug. Both women laughed and the cousins glared. Ryan

just continued to laugh. There was nothing greater than getting a rise out of his cousins. He knew both
men would be there helping him get the place ready because their women wanted something and that

meant they wanted them to have it immediately.

“Okay everyone out now, Trinity needs to get some rest,” Drew told his family. It was getting late and
she was looking far too tired. He wasn’t going to have any trouble sleeping either, even on the

uncomfortable hospital couch.

The family members hugged Trinity and wished her well, then trudged out of the room. Her dinner

was brought in and she ate it all, even though she made faces at the poor flavor. After she was

finished she couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer and soon drifted off to sleep.

Drew curled up on the couch, even though she told him she’d be fine and he could leave. He’d sleep

much better there, where he could be there for her if she needed him. He drifted off soon after her.

Chapter Nine

“Okay, Ms. Mathews I’ll release you today but only if you promise you won’t be alone and you stay

home,” the doctor said to her the next day.

“I promise,” she said. She really wanted out of the hospital. She’d be willing to promise just about

anything to get out of there.

“I’ll be with her the entire time and will make sure she doesn’t do anything to harm herself or our

child,” Drew said.

“Okay then Mr. Titan, I’m leaving her in your care,” the doctor told him, like she was a child who

didn’t know how to behave. He looked at them again before signing her release papers. Trinity didn’t

waste any time getting ready and heading for the front doors. She wasn’t happy about having to be

pushed out in a wheelchair. She was sure bed rest was going to be even worse than she imagined.

Drew drove them to her apartment and followed her up the stairs. He’d tried to carry her but she put

her foot down. She wasn’t an invalid who couldn’t walk. He’d caved, when she agreed to walk very

slowly. She gritted her teeth but walked slowly up the stairs.

As Drew looked around the tiny room, he was grateful the new place would be ready soon. If they

were going to be under house arrest he’d go insane being in the tiny space for too long. He had

newfound sympathy for prisoners.

“Sit down and I’ll get you something to eat,” he told her. For once she actually listened, without

arguing. He was off to a good start. He made her a sandwich and some soup and sat down with her on

the couch while she ate.

“This is good, thank you,” she told him. She was starving, after the horrible hospital food.

“I need to talk to you about some things,” he started. She looked at him quizzically. He knew the

conversation was going to be a battle and did not want to raise her blood pressure any more than

necessary.

“Go ahead and spit it out,” she said with an encouraging smile.

“I bought a new home. It’s pretty close to Derek and Jasmine,” he started with.

“That’s great, you must be excited. You really don’t have to stay here and babysit me if you want to

get settled in,” she told him.

“I bought the place for us,” he said, while looking her in the eye. Her cheeks flushed and her eyes

widened in shock. He had to remember to keep calm, so not to raise her blood pressure. He was

going to be firm but he could keep his temper in check.

“I…you…we aren’t a couple,” she sputtered at him.

“Trinity, we are a couple. We’re sexually compatible. We enjoy being together and to top all that off,
we’re having a child. We will get married but I’m willing to give you more time to get used to that.

But you’re on doctor’s orders to not be alone and for complete bed rest. This place is too small for

two people to stay in comfortably so it makes sense for you to move in with me now,” he told her.

“I’m fine in my own place,” she told him, as she crossed her arms over her chest. Drew blew out a

breath of frustration. He knew she was going to be difficult but it still frustrated him.

“Look, I don’t want to be a jerk, Trinity but you’re not safe here, which means my child isn’t safe.
Are you so selfish you’d endanger our child for the sake of your pride?” he asked her. He watched
her

suck in a breath in shock. He wanted to take the words back but he needed to get her to move and he

couldn’t figure out any other way other than force. He really didn’t want to go down that road.

“I love my child, Drew,” she finally said to him.

“I know you do Trinity and that was a crappy thing to say, I’m sorry. How about a compromise?

You’re going to be on bed rest for a while, most likely the rest of your pregnancy,” he said. She gave
him the courtesy of at least listening to him. “Stay with me until after the baby is born so I can help
take care of you. If we haven’t managed to work things out by then, we can reassess our situation. You
know this apartment is far too small for a baby anyway,” he tried to reason with her.

She really couldn’t find anything wrong with what he was suggesting. She was far too attached to the

man already and it would be really hard for her to keep her distance if they were living together but
he was trying to be a good father. That was more important than anything else. She was still unsure,

though.

“I don’t think I’m ready for this, Drew,” she said, though she was starting to cave. Drew could see
she was fighting herself as much as him, which gave him confidence. He sat back with a smug smile.

“I can’t stay in this place, it would drive me insane, so you can either move into the large house with
me, where you’ll be waited on and completely pampered, or I’ll move in and you’ll have to go back

to the hospital because the doctor said you weren’t to be alone,” he told her with too much

confidence.

She glared at him for several minutes, trying to break him down but she knew he was well aware of

how badly she hated that hospital. He was blackmailing her, plain and simple. She’d much rather be

anywhere other than the sterile hospital room. She was considering it though, just so he couldn’t have
his way but then she’d only be punishing herself and that didn’t make either of them winners.

“Okay Drew, I guess I’ll move in with you but when I’m better we’ll talk about this again,” she told

him with reluctance. He threw his arms around her with excitement and grabbed the laptop so she

could see the house. She was definitely impressed. It was beautiful and larger than anything she was

used to. It would be hard to leave there once she’d lived in it. She’d try not to get attached.

The weeks went by far too slowly in the cramped apartment. Trinity was actually excited to get out of
there because the space was far too small for her and Drew. He was everywhere and the more she

was around him; the more difficult it was to remember her reasons for not being romantically

involved with him. She was also incredibly edgy, not being allowed outside. He promised her he’d

set up a lounge outside at the new place so she could get some fresh air.

She sat on the couch while he packed all her possessions. She felt a bit self-conscious as he went

through everything she owned but he approached it like she was sure he approached business. He was

methodical as he packed up her things, labeling each box before moving on to the next.

“I’m actually glad to have this to do because I’ve got to tell you, being locked in this closet of an
apartment is starting to drive me crazy,” he said as he finished another box.

“You can leave any time you want,” she snapped, a little irritable herself.

“I’m dealing with it and it’s only for one more day,” he said, choosing to ignore her bad attitude. “I

called the Salvation Army and they will be here early in the morning to pick up the furniture we aren’t
keeping,” he finished.

“I think it’s perfectly fine furniture and I don’t see why we can’t use it,” she snapped at him. Her feet
were swollen once again and the place didn’t have air conditioning and she was ready to bite

someone’s head off. Poor Drew happened to be the only person around.

“I’m not trying to put your furniture down Trinity and you know that but come on, nothing matches and
a few of these pieces have duct tape holding them together,” he said to her, with far more patience

than she deserved.

She wasn’t going to fight him too hard on the matter because she had bought the furniture second hand,
at an excellent price and was sure she could pick up more if she needed it but she didn’t like him

putting her things down. It was simply a matter of her pride.

“You know I’m not going to be a kept woman don’t you? Just because we made a child together,

doesn’t mean you’re going to take over my life,” she snapped. He grinned at her. He found her ill

temper amusing. He also loved how independent she was and that she wasn’t afraid to call him on his

arrogance. There were too many people afraid to talk back to him. He wouldn’t be falling in love

with her if she was like the masses of other people in his life.

“I’d never think of you as a kept woman,” he finally managed to say without laughing. She could still
see the smile in his eyes and glared all the more at him for it. He turned away and started on another
box. He heard her grumble something but chose to ignore it. She had been trying to pick a fight with

him for two days and instead of it angering him, it was incredibly amusing. He knew they would both

feel better when they got into the new place and had a bit more space. He knew it would be helpful to
have Jasmine visit with her so the women could do the girl talk thing he simply didn’t understand.

“I think it’s time to start packing up your clothes,” he said. He was looking forward to that. Her

cheeks turned pink at the thought of him going through her intimate clothing.

“I can do that on my own,” she grumbled.

“The doctor said complete bed rest, so you can lay in bed and direct me,” he told her with a wicked

grin and a waggle of his brows. That caused her to turn even more scarlet.

“You can help me with my closet but I’ll take care of the dresser,” she finally said with a glare. There

was no way she was going to have him go through her panty drawer. He looked like he was going to

argue some more but he finally seemed to realize she wasn’t backing down. He shrugged his

shoulders and they headed into the bedroom.

She laid on the bed and her eyes started to get heavy and before long she fell asleep, with him quietly
moving around the room. Drew tucked the light blanket around her and gently kissed her on the

forehead, then headed out to let her rest.

The moving company was coming in the morning and most of the house was already packed up, so

Drew headed into town for a while. He had to get out of the apartment. He called his cousins and the

three of them met at their favorite furniture store. He found he was enjoying himself as he picked out
furniture. He normally left all decorating for his resorts up to his decorators and rarely picked his
own pieces out but he’d wanted to furnish his home, himself.

He grabbed some catalogs, so Trinity could pick out the drapes and decorative type stuff. He was

mainly focused on getting furniture so they had a place to eat and sit.

They walked into the children’s section and he stared around at all the baby furniture, completely

clueless. He had no idea what to buy for his new daughter. Derek got on the phone and called

Jasmine. She rushed down there, more than happy to help. Within an hour of her arrival they had a

fully stocked nursery.

He stared down at the crib, picturing his tiny daughter asleep in it and had to fight the emotions

welling up inside him. He couldn’t believe in a short amount of time he was going to be a father. It

was coming so fast. The doctor didn’t think she’d make the full forty weeks. He was hoping for her to
make it to at least thirty six.

He stopped for some take-out and headed back to the apartment. Trinity was just starting to wake

when he walked in the door. She came out to the living room, groggily rubbing her eyes.

“Something smells heavenly,” she said, as her stomach rumbled with pleasure. Drew laughed as her

cheeks turned pink. He loved how easy she was to read.

“I can’t wait for this child to be born so I can go back to eating like a normal human being. I’m hungry
all the time,” she said a bit sheepishly. She may have been embarrassed but she still grabbed an egg

roll and started eating it hungrily.

“According to the doctor, you’re not eating enough,” he said, as he piled her plate with food. She

shook her head at him and began to eat from the plate. She didn’t see how she wasn’t getting enough

food, when it seemed to her she was eating all the time. The baby was taking up all the room in her

stomach though, so she couldn’t put as much in there. When she had only finished about a quarter of

the plate, she pushed it away, causing Drew to look at her with disapproving eyes. He pushed it back

closer to her and she decided to just ignore him. She couldn’t force feed herself and besides, she

knew she’d be hungry again in about an hour.

Drew crawled in bed with her that night, as he tended to do every night and she fell into a restful

sleep. He hadn’t tried making love to her again but he’d convinced her the couch was too small for

him to sleep on. She felt badly for him, since he was putting everything else in his life on hold to take
care of her. Besides she slept better with him holding her. It felt great to be in his arms and he was
great support for her back.

They both woke up late the next morning and had to rush around before the movers showed up. She

had her last minute items that needed packed and she wanted to do a final search of her cupboards and
drawers. She was just finishing up when the Salvation Army arrived for her furniture. She was a little
sad to see the items hauled away.

The men thanked her for her donation. The apartment seemed too empty, with not much left except a

bunch of boxes. The moving company showed up within minutes of the other men leaving and her

apartment was cleared out within an hour. Drew sent the men ahead of them. He’d already hired some

staff members who’d let them into the new home.

She wandered around the empty apartment, making sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. It was

completely empty. There was a knock on the door and a couple of women came in, carrying cleaning

supplies. She kept the place spotless but there was a final cleaning that had to be done. Drew hadn’t
wanted her around the chemicals and had insisted on hiring a company to do it for her.

As much as her back was hurting, she hadn’t argued with him and was relieved to have someone else

doing the hard work. She turned her keys over to the manager and walked out of the place she had

called home for the past couple of years.

Drew gently helped her into his car and they were off to the new house. She’d only seen pictures of it
online and was looking forward to going through it. From the pictures, it was certainly impressive.

They entered the locked gate and drove down the driveway. The moving van was backed into the

garage and there was another furniture company van backed up as well. He told her he’d ordered
their

furniture. He’d also brought her a lot of catalogs and asked her to decorate. She’d been too tired the
night before but had to admit she was looking forward to going through them.

She’d never had the money to decorate the way she wanted to. She figured even if she wasn’t there a

long time, it would be her gift to him, to decorate the place beautifully. She knew she had a great eye,
which was why she’d chosen to be a florist. It was a form of art to create a bouquet for someone’s

special day.

Trinity was wide eyed, as she walked through the huge front doors. The place was enormous and

stunning. It was more like one of his resorts, than a home. She wandered from room to room, gasping

in delight. There was even a library, similar to the one at Jasmine’s house. Drew said it wasn’t as

large as Derek’s place but she was thinking he was wrong. She didn’t understand why anyone needed

so much space.

She stepped through the French doors and was delighted to find an outdoor kitchen. She’d always

wanted one. She could imagine her daughter playing in the swimming pool, while she barbequed

dinner and then they’d eat beneath the stars. It was perfect in so many ways. It wouldn’t be easy to go
back to living in an apartment after residing in this home.

The movers kept bringing in the furniture and she was impressed with everything he picked out. He

had excellent taste and she couldn’t imagine she would’ve picked anything different.

“I want to show you something and remember if you don’t like any of it, we can return it and get what
you want. But I wanted to help you since you’re on bed rest,” he told her, as they slowly made their

way up the beautiful staircase.

He opened a door and she felt tears fall, as she stepped into the room. It was fully stocked with baby
furniture. He’d thought of everything. She walked over to the gorgeous canopied bed and looked

inside, excited for the day her daughter would lay her little head in there.

“I didn’t pick out any of the bedding or anything because Jasmine said you’d want to choose your own

theme but she said you should like this cherry wood,” he said with some apprehension. He couldn’t

tell by her tears if she liked it or hated it. He stood there waiting for the verdict.

She walked up to him and wrapped him in her arms, as much as her large belly would allow. “Thank

you Drew, it’s all perfect,” she said with a sniffle. The more things he did, the more she realized how
hard it was going to be to let him go.

There was a gorgeous changing table and matching dresser and the room even had a walk in closet.

She didn’t understand the need for a walk-in closet in a baby room but she was sure he’d want to fill
the shelves full. He’d definitely be the type of guy to spoil his daughter. Even when they were no

longer together, he’d pamper and love his daughter. Trinity felt too much pain thinking of them not

being together so she decided not to think about it.

There was an incredibly inviting rocking chair, not far from the crib. She walked over and sat down

and sighed as she sunk down deep into it. It was luxurious and glided smoothly and silently back and

forth. She could feel the heaviness of her eyes, as she rocked lightly and looked over the room.

He pushed a button and a step came up to cushion her swollen feet and the back laid down slightly.

She could feel herself drifting off to sleep and decided not to fight it. She was tired from the busy day.

She had a feeling she’d sleep often in the wonderful chair.

Drew watched Trinity, as she closed her eyes and drifted into sleep. She was so unbelievably

beautiful it was hard for him to take his eyes off her. He knew they still had a ways to go but he also
knew he couldn’t give her up. They were a family and he’d do anything to keep them together.

She’d come to realize how important it was for them to stay together. He’d bought her the home and

as she decorated it and settled in more, he knew she wouldn’t want to leave. It was really hard for

him not to demand she bend to his will but he’d figured out quickly that didn’t work so well with her.

It was much better for him to coerce her than to force. He’d just make her life too appealing for her to
want to leave.

He knew his largest hurdle was convincing her he was nothing like the business men she’d dated in

the past. He’d lied to her in the beginning but she had to realize why. Maybe she’d trust him more

when she realized he’d put the house in her name and he wanted nothing more out of her than her love.

He tucked a blanket around her, glad she was resting and went back down the stairs to get things put

away. His cousins would be there anytime to help him. He had a lot to do and wanted the house to be

set up and not full of boxes. The sooner she saw the home as permanent, the better off they’d be.

Chapter Ten

“This place is beautiful, Trinity,” Jasmine said with enthusiasm, as they walked from the front door

together. “I’m at your beck and call to fill up that library,” she added.

“It’s pretty great but this is only temporary so I don’t want to add too much right now,” Trinity said
with some caution. Jasmine chose to ignore the comment.

“I’d love to go through those catalogs with you if you need any help. We need to get you tucked up on
the couch before your warden finds you’re on your feet,” she said with a laugh. Trinity knew she was

joking but she wasn’t far off. Drew seemed to have a radar go off anytime she got up for longer than a
few seconds. She was thinking this bed rest stuff was going to raise her blood pressure far worse than
taking a simple walk around would.

“I’d really appreciate it. It’s all a bit overwhelming but since I can’t really go anywhere, or do

anything physical right now, it’s kind of nice to have something to do,” Trinity told her. The two

women sat down and soon had racked up the credit card with purchases. Trinity wouldn’t have

ordered half the items but Jasmine insisted. Plus, she was irritated with Drew for being such a prison
guard and was hoping to irritate him a bit with the spending, even if it was on his own home.

“These boys have far too much money and it needs spent,” Jasmine said with a laugh. Trinity had the

feeling he wasn’t going to even notice the dent she’d made to his bank account. It kind of took the

pleasure out of her little tantrum. She was enjoying ordering the baby things. She couldn’t wait for the
items to be delivered. It was going to be so exciting to see the nursery all finished.

The cook brought them some lunch and they ate while going through the many catalogs. Once they

were finished with the decoration items, Jasmine pulled out a bag with a bunch of other catalogs.

“Ryan is halfway finished with the remodel work on our shop, so now comes the fun part. We can

start ordering some supplies. I think I brought everything over you’ll need to set up your floral

department. This company will bring the coolers out and set them all up. It’s a bigger space so you’ll
have more display area. I also found this great company for gift items. I know my portion is supposed
to be the café but I’d love to help with the gift section too. I love this type of stuff,” Jasmine said, with
enthusiasm.

“I’ve always wanted to have a bigger shop but I’m in the dark with what needs to be done, so I’m

more than happy you want to be a part of it,” Trinity said.

The two women looked over the magazines and got more and more excited as they looked at

everything. Drew and Derek came in a couple times and then decided to leave again, instead of

getting suckered into looking at the myriad of items the women thought were so great. They were used

to dealing with mergers and buildings; they always left decorating to other people. They just agreed

with the women the items were to die for and snuck back out.

Jasmine had been right about him not caring about the purchased items, though. He hadn’t even

blinked when she’d shown him the huge order. She couldn’t possibly think of what she could do to get

under his skin.

Once the women were finished purchasing half the items in the catalogs, it was getting late. Trinity

was a little worried as the costs kept going up and up but Jasmine reassured her their location was

phenomenal and they’d sell out in no time and need to place even more orders. Trinity was thinking

they could be really successful with this shop. She was beyond excited.

By the time the baby came everything would be ready to go and she’d be able to enjoy working in her

shop. The great thing about being a business owner was she could take her daughter with her because

there was no way she wanted a stranger to raise her child, while she worked all day.

The two girls would be very close, growing up together. She was grateful they’d have each other to

play with. Ryan was even building a play area, which would benefit their daughters and their clients

children as well. It was something she wouldn’t have even thought about.

By the time they finished supper, she was exhausted and ready to go to bed. Jasmine gave her a big

hug and headed out with Derek, then she was left alone with Drew for the first time that day. She

started to get a bit nervous, as she thought about the night ahead. They had never discussed sleeping
arrangements.

He led her up the stairs and opened the doors to the master bedroom and she was very impressed. The

boys had been busy while her and Jasmine had been lounging around and spending money.

“Wow, Drew this room is really spectacular,” she told him as she looked around. She stepped into

the huge closet and noticed it was filled with both his and her clothing. “I don’t think it’s a great idea
for us to share a room,” she finally said.

He wrapped his arms around her and looked down into her eyes. “I know things haven’t been perfect

and I’ve kind of bullied you into this situation but we’ve been sleeping in the same bed and it’s very
nice. I won’t pressure you into sex before you’re ready but I’m not budging on the sleeping situation,”

he said. He said the words with steel in his voice but his hands were gentle, wrapped around her

body.

She didn’t like being told what to do and was tempted to kick him in the shin and go find another

room, just for the spite of it. As if he could read her mind he smiled down at her.

“I knew you’d try and fight me on this, which is why there are no other beds in the house,” he said a
bit smugly. She glared some more at him. There were some comfortable couches she could sleep on.

“Oh come on, it’s not that bad to sleep with me,” he said on a sigh of frustration.

“Fine, I’ll sleep in here for tonight because I’m exhausted but I’m not snuggling with you,” she said.

She knew she sounded like a pouty child but it was frustrating how he always seemed to get his way.

He shrugged, as he started stripping from his clothes.

Trinity couldn’t breathe when he stood before her in nothing but his boxer shorts. The man was so

incredibly sexy, standing before her, with his Adonis chest and abs. As her stare continued down his

body, her breath sucked in at the site of his very obvious arousal stretching the front of his boxer’s.

When her eyes snapped back up to his face, he smiled wickedly at her.

“All you have to do is ask and we could both go to sleep feeling pleasured tonight,” he suggested. She
was far too tempted to take him up on his offer. She was fighting with herself on what to do. She

really wanted him and just looking at his beautiful body had sent her pulse rate skyrocketing and the
heat flowing towards her core. She didn’t understand how he could possibly want her, with her

stomach sticking out a mile but he obviously wasn’t turned off by her ever expanding body.

He’d decided to not force her into anything but he wasn’t above seducing his wife-to-be. He could

see the longing on her face, which was something he couldn’t resist.

He stepped closer and brought his lips down to hers in a tender kiss. The only part of their body’s

touching was their lips and she could feel herself swaying towards him. Her stubborn mind may be

saying no but her alert body knew exactly what it wanted. She couldn’t resist him when he caressed

her so gently. He ran his tongue along her lips and gently nipped her mouth. She moaned at the pure

pleasure of his caress, opening her mouth for him to slip inside. He caressed her mouth, causing her to
quiver with need. His tongue mimicked what he’d like to be doing with his body, as he slipped it in

and out of her mouth and caressed her lips.

His hands finally ran up her sides and slipped under her shirt, caressing her rounded stomach, until he
finally reached her aching breasts. The nipples were already peaked, in anticipation of his touch.

When he finally brushed his palms over the tight buds, her entire body jerked with pleasure. He broke
the kiss long enough to slowly pull her shirt over her head and brought their lips back together again.

He was moving slowly and she knew she could stop the seduction at any time. The power of that

knowledge almost brought her to her knees. He was still leaving their lovemaking up to her but he

was seducing her slowly. She didn’t think an earthquake could stop her from reaching for him. She

needed him and there was nothing wrong with that. She needed to be loved in a way only he could

provide.

His breathing shortened with the deepened kiss. As her body responded to his caresses, he knew she

wouldn’t deny him and his body was shaking with need. He had to possess her or he wouldn’t survive

the night. He changed his slow caresses to urgent, desired filled kisses with his hands roaming over

her body. Her knees were starting to get wobbly and she was afraid she was going to sink to the floor
at any moment. Drew could feel her losing strength so he scooped her up in his arms and gently laid

her on the bed, without ever breaking the kiss. She sighed in pleasure as his hands swept down her

body. He pulled her pants off and touched her where she most needed him.

“Tell me you want me and there won’t be regrets,” he demanded of her. She didn’t want to say the

words. It was too much like giving in. When she didn’t respond to him, he pulled back from her

aching heat to look at her face. She cried out in displeasure. He rubbed her thighs and circled her

core, making her whimper.

“Tell me you want me to touch you, Trinity,” he growled as he continued to touch her everywhere but

the one spot she wanted most.

“Please, Drew, I need you,” she finally gasped.

He pushed her legs apart and she willingly opened to him and cried out in pleasure when he finally

inserted his fingers into her wet heat.

He ran his tongue down the column of her throat and she arched her head back, to allow him easier

access. He kissed his way towards her breasts and sucked the peaks into his mouth, making her cry

out. She couldn’t remain still as he caressed her needy body.

He kissed his way down her stomach and she quivered in need as her skin tingled with anticipation of

his next caress. He knew her body better than she did herself and everywhere he touched her, set fire
to her very core.

He spread her legs further apart and kissed the inside of her thighs. She arched in pleasure, when he
ran his tongue along the inside of her legs. He moved closer to her core and she trembled. He finally
gave her what she needed and kissed her sensitive flesh in the most intimate way a man can. Her body

jerked off the bed as his tongue stroked her hot flesh.

“Please Drew, I need you,” she called out to him. He continued to stroke her with his tongue, making

her cry out. When he finally sucked her swollen nub into his mouth, she went over the edge with

intense pleasure. He continued to stroke her flesh, making her body spasm. When her shaking finally

started to recede, he turned her body kissing his way up her hips and side. He sucked on her neck,

making her heat start to build once again. He brought his hands around to her far more sensitive

breasts and rubbed them as he pinched her nipples between his fingers.

He brought his other hand down to her very core and rubbed the sensitive nub, as he pushed his

erection up to her opening. She pushed back against him, needing him to fill her up. Every time she

was with him, her need only grew greater for the man.

“No regrets,” he demanded of her. His head was pushed up against her opening and she was pushing

back against him, needing him to enter her. He still held back, waiting for her answer. She knew if she
didn’t promise him what he wanted he’d pull away from her, leaving them both aching and

unsatisfied. Her heart warmed knowing he cared enough about her to not want her to have bad

feelings of them making love.

“No regrets,” she finally answered breathlessly. He pushed inside her with a fast thrust, which caused
all the air to whoosh out of her lungs. How could she possibly have any regrets, when she felt so full?

She wanted to stay that way forever. She could no longer imagine her life without him in it, she knew
she was in trouble but as he moved within her body, she could no longer think about anything.

He felt so good inside of her it made it difficult for her to breathe. He wasn’t slow any longer in his
movements and grabbed hold of her hips so he could thrust in and out of her tight opening. He gripped
her firmly in his hands and pushed faster in and out, making her cry out in pleasure. She tightened

around him as the orgasm shook through her once again, even more powerful than the last one.

He yelled out, as his own body pulsed inside her. She could feel the pumping of his release, which

intensified her own pleasure. The moment stretched on, for what seemed like forever, as they both

tried to get their breathing under control. He finally pulled free of her body and turned her over.

“I’m sorry, Trinity. That was far too rough. I seem to lose all sense of control with you,” he said as he
rubbed her gently all over. “Are you okay?” he asked her with real concern radiating from his

expression.

“Mmm,” was all she managed to get out. She was more than okay, she was completely satisfied. She

couldn’t even keep her eyes open as the pleasure washed through her. She drifted off to sleep with his
hands still fluttering over her soft curves.

Drew pulled her against him and held her tightly in his arms. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was
to have found her. She was beautiful, passionate and so intelligent. He rubbed his hands over the
mound

of her stomach and was filled with wonder, when his child pushed against him. He kept rubbing the

spot and his face split with pride. His child must be restless because she was pushing out against his
hand.

He was once again filled with pure joy as he thought, soon he’d be able to hold her in his arms. He

knew she wasn’t ready to come into the world yet but he could hardly wait.

Trinity could not get comfortable the next day. She was sitting in the living room, with a movie

playing and feeling restless. Her back had been hurting all morning and seemed to be getting worse.

She figured it was just typical pregnancy pain and didn’t want to alarm Drew but as the day was

progressing, it seemed to be getting worse. She figured it would be a great time to take a warm bath.

She slowly stood up from the couch. As she finally got to her feet, a cramp ripped through her mid-

section, causing her to double over, right as Drew walked in the room.

“What’s wrong?” he asked in a panic as he came over and put his arms around her.

“I don’t know, I’m sure it’s nothing,” she panted through the pain.

“It doesn’t look like nothing. We’re going to the hospital now,” he stated and picked her up, like she
weighed nothing at all. She tried to protest but he wasn’t listening. He gently placed her in the car and
must have broken every speed limit, in his haste to get her to the hospital.

He pulled up in front of the emergency room and rushed her inside. He told the doctor she was having

some pain and they rushed her back to a room, where she found herself hooked up to a bunch of

machines once again.

Her stomach continued to cramp every few minutes and she was starting to worry she was going into

early labor. It was too soon. The baby wasn’t ready to come yet.

The doctor looked over her charts and listened to the baby, with a worried expression on his face.

“You have gone into early labor but don’t panic. You got here early enough we should be able to stop

it,” the doctor told her and she couldn’t understand how he’d think she wouldn’t panic at his words.

She looked over at Drew, who was trying not to look worried and failing miserably. He paced the

room, as the doctor placed an I.V. in her arm and they administered a drug to try and stop the labor.

“This should stop the labor but if for some reason your little girl decides to make her entrance into the
world early, her chances are good. She’s a little over four pounds right now,” the doctor tried to

reassure them.

“What did I do wrong?” Trinity asked with real fear.

“You’ve done nothing wrong. Sometimes our bodies just don’t realize it’s not time for the baby to be

born,” the doctor tried to reassure her. She lay almost completely still for the next several hours, not
wanting to do anything to make the labor progress. Finally the drug seemed to be working because the

contractions stopped. She fell into a fitful sleep, as she continued to lie in the hospital bed.

Drew stayed by her side the entire time. He was just as worried as her, if not more. He was frustrated
there wasn’t more he could do to help her and the baby. He was supposed to be their protector and

couldn’t do anything to stop her pain. He was also feeling incredibly guilty about their lovemaking.

He knew he’d been too rough with her. He questioned the doctor about it and he reassured Drew the

lovemaking wasn’t to blame but he didn’t believe him. He’d never forgive himself if something

happened to his child or Trinity.

Trinity came in and out of consciousness, as the doctor continued to monitor her. Jasmine showed up

and stayed by her bedside, next to Drew. She was grateful to have her in her life. Trinity had quickly
become one of her best friend’s and she couldn’t imagine losing her.

Jasmine and Drew comforted each other and Trinity as well each time she woke up. They all said

prayers the baby would stay in the comfort of her womb for as long as possible. The doctor told them

each extra day gave the baby more strength and increased her odds.

The doctor moved her to a private room but he wanted to keep her in the hospital for the remainder of
her pregnancy, to make sure she was safe. The contractions stopped but her body was dilated about

four centimeters and he was very concerned he’d only put off the early labor, for a short period of

time.

“I’m hoping to get at least another week in, before you go into labor for good. You won’t reach your

full term but each day we’re able to keep the baby safe inside you is one more day she’s getting

stronger and gaining weight,” he told her.

After her third day in the hospital room, Trinity was ready to leave but knew it wasn’t safe for her

daughter. She missed her house already and was surprised she thought of it as home so soon.

The doctor said her body was in a very fragile state and he was concerned if she left, she’d go

immediately into labor. He wanted to keep the baby in her stomach as long as possible and keep her

hooked up, where both her and the baby could be monitored around the clock.

“So, please tell me why I’m only seeing you at the hospital, now?” Damien asked as he walked into

her room, holding a giant vase of flowers, balloons, and most importantly, a huge box of chocolates.

“Oh, Damien, you’re my hero right now if you hand over that box immediately,” she said with a tear

in her eye. He didn’t even bother teasing her with the chocolates, he just handed them over.

“How are you feeling? Are you going to roast our pretty girl a while longer?” he asked with a teasing
smile.

“I’m trying to keep her in as long as possible,” Trinity told him, while rubbing her large stomach.

“I’m sorry I haven’t made it by the new place. I had to leave the country for a while. This new

business deal is kicking my butt,” he told her.

“I’ve really missed you. I have Jasmine but you’ve been my best friend forever,” she said, having a

hard time not crying.

“Hey, you know I’ll never go away. I promise when this deal is over I’ll come over and even change

a few diapers,” he promised.

“I’ll hold you to that,” she said with a smile. She bit into her first chocolate and moaned, causing his
brows to rise. “It’s really good,” she added with a giggle. He was able to stay with her for a long

time so they caught each other up on their lives. She cried a little more when he walked out the door.

On her fifth night in the hospital, Drew pulled his chair close to her bed. He grabbed her hand and

took a deep breath. She knew he was trying to talk to her about something important and so she waited
for him to say what he needed to.

“Trinity, I know you aren’t sure about us as a couple but you know I care about you, right?” he finally
asked her.

“I think you want to care about me because you love our daughter,” she answered him honestly.

“I do love our daughter, more than you could ever imagine but Trinity I care about you. When we’re

together, everything feels right. I think over time we could be really happy together, if you’d just give
it a real chance,” he pleaded with her. She was feeling more open, as she worried over her daughter.

“You’re a good man, Drew, I’ll admit that,” she told him as she squeezed his hand.

“Will you please let me do the right thing for my daughter, before she’s born?” he asked her. She

didn’t understand what else he could possibly do that he hadn’t already. He had turned his world

upside down to take care of her, bought a new home, took time off from work. She looked at him

quizzically. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box and her eyes widened as she

realized what he was talking about. She automatically started shaking her head but he stopped her.

“Please marry me so you and my daughter can have my name. Let me be your husband and her father.

If you really can’t stand it then you can divorce me but please don’t deliver our daughter without

being my wife. I thought we were going to have more time to figure this all out but she could be born
any day and I need for you to be my wife when she’s born,” he asked her with so much passion, she

didn’t know how she could deny him.

She was still unsure about everything between them but he had been really good to her and this was

one way she could actually pay him back. This was something she could do for both him and her

daughter. She knew he was nothing like her ex-boyfriend, so she had nothing to fear. She finally

nodded her head in agreement.

Drew’s face split with a brilliant smile as he gently pulled her into his arms and hugged her close to
him. “Thank you so much,” he whispered into her ear and she felt a tear escape her eye at the heartfelt
gratitude in his voice.

Things moved far more quickly than she could’ve ever imagined. A few hours later Derek, Jasmine

and Ryan showed up with a preacher in tow. Jasmine had a bouquet of flowers, which she handed

over and a tiara she placed on her head. Trinity felt really silly, considering she wasn’t allowed to
get out of the bed and was wearing a hospital gown but she didn’t say anything.

“We’ll do this again the right way later but for now it’s the best we can do on such short notice,”

Jasmine told her.

“Thank you very much, you really didn’t have to do anything at all,” Trinity said self-consciously. She
knew she must look a wreck but she wasn’t even allowed up for a shower, only sponge baths. She

didn’t exactly feel like a blushing bride. It hurt her heart a little bit so she pushed it out of her mind.

The ceremony only took about fifteen minutes. Ryan went out the door and came back in with a

beautiful cake and some sparkling cider. She got a little bit choked up as Drew fed her a piece of the
cake, then leaned down to kiss her lips. He seemed so happy, she knew she’d made the right choice.

“I know this isn’t a traditional wedding by any means but none of that matters. What matters is you

two love each other and are going to have this beautiful baby girl soon. There will be plenty of time
later to do things the right way. May you have many romantic days and far more passionate nights,”

Ryan said, as he held up his glass in a toast.

Trinity could feel the blush stain her cheeks at his words. It may not have been her dream wedding but
it was perfect nonetheless. She looked at Drew and realized she was head over heels, completely and

totally in love with the man. She didn’t know at what point she let down the walls around her heart

but she knew the door was open and if he decided to leave her, she was going to be beyond

devastated.

She couldn’t say it was any one particular moment she fell in love but several smaller moments over

the last several months. The man was simply too hard to resist and now she was married to him and

her world had flipped completely upside down.

Chapter Eleven

Trinity barely reached thirty-six weeks in her pregnancy. She’d been having contractions all morning

and nothing the doctor’s did could stop the labor. She prayed she’d kept her inside of her long enough
she’d be okay.

In the afternoon her water broke and nothing was going to stop the delivery. She’d hoped to stretch it
for even a day or two more. She’d deal with the pain to give her baby girl more time inside her

womb, safe and sound.

“Trinity things are moving along really quickly, we need to move you to the birthing room. Your

daughter is anxious to meet her parents and it’s not going to be much longer,” the doctor told her.

They wheeled her down the hallway and Drew never left her side, which she was incredibly grateful

for. She’d never needed anyone like she needed him at that moment. She was terrified and wouldn’t

feel better until the doctor told her the baby would be fine.

“Everything looks good Trinity, her heartbeat is strong and she has put on some good weight this last
week and a half. I know that doesn’t seem like much time but for a baby it can make all the

difference,” the doctor continued to reassure her.

She cried terrified tears as they switched her onto a new table and began prepping her for the birth.

“You’ll both be okay, baby. I know it,” Drew told her, while gripping her hand. He was solid as a

rock and the confidence in his expression was encouraging.

“It’s too soon,” she cried helplessly.

“You’ve done everything you were supposed to do and I know she will be strong, just like her

mother,” he reassured her and bent down to gently kiss her. She took a deep breath and got ready for

the hard task of pushing.

The hospital staff got her legs in the stir-ups and checked her dilation. “You’re ready now, so the next
time you feel a contraction, I want you to use all your strength and push,” the doctor explained.

She didn’t have to wait long before the pain came ripping through her body. She’d never felt anything
like it. It was as if her insides were turning inside out and she was going to explode. Sweat broke out
over her brow and she cried out, as she pushed down with all her might.

“That’s really good Trinity, I can see her head. I think she’s going to come out with only a few
pushes.

I know it’s hard but you need to relax and push just like that when you get your next contraction,” the
doctor said.

The next one hit before she was ready but she did what he said, gripping Drew’s hand tightly in hers,
as she pushed with everything she had. “Very good, she’s crowing. We need to get her head out so as

soon as it hits, push with all you’ve got,” the doctor told her.

She wanted to bash his head in. It was really easy for him to tell her to give it all she had. He wasn’t
the one trying to pass a child through a small opening. Drew rubbed a cloth over her sweating brow,

then the next contraction hit with the force of a tornado. She didn’t see how she wasn’t ripped in half
from the horrible pain.

She screamed as she bore down and pushed as hard as she could. She felt nothing but the burning pain

as the baby’s head came out. The doctor was doing something and then the next contraction hit even

harder and she pushed again, without any words from anyone and she felt more burning. She thought

she may die right there on the table, before she even saw her daughter.

The contractions were right on top of each other and she barely had time to catch her breath before the
intense urge to push again hit her. She did it a couple more times and she felt relief as her daughter
passed through her body.

She looked up to see the doctor stick something in her mouth and then the most amazing sound in the

world surrounded her, the angry wail of her daughter’s intense displeasure of being taken from her

warm home of eight months.

The nurse quickly wrapped her in a blanket and lay her down on Trinity’s chest, then she was looking

into the squinting eyes of her baby girl. She was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen in her life.

She was trying to open her eyes but the lights were far too bright, allowing her only to open them to
tiny slits. She was crying in the most pathetic little voice Trinity had ever heard and she sobbed right
along with her.

She was so tiny, lying there on her chest she didn’t see how it was possible she could be okay but she
looked pink and beautiful beneath the slimy paste on her body. Trinity looked at Drew and was

amazed to see a tear slide down his own cheek as he touched his daughter for the first time. Her heart

swelled even more for the man, in love with their little girl.

“We need to take her over here and make sure she’s okay. We’ll bring her back right away if all her

vitals check out,” the nurse told her kindly, before picking the baby up. Trinity’s tears fell, at the
empty feeling of not having her daughter in her arms.

“She looks healthy and strong Trinity, you did a really good job,” Drew reassured her, as he once

again bent down to kiss her softly.

“I hope so,” she said, not taking her eyes off her daughter laying helplessly under the warming lights.

The nurses didn’t seem to be in a panic as they checked her vitals, which was reassuring.

The doctor gave her some kind of shot that numbed her as he cleaned her up. She realized she must

look pretty frightening but Drew was looking at her like she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever

seen. It filled her with warmth, which she needed, as she couldn’t stop shaking now that things were

all over.

The nurses cleaned her up and lifted her onto a new bed, which caused more pain for a moment. The

heated blankets under her and on top of her made the pain worth it though because she was finally

starting to warm up.

“It looks like you kept her safe inside for long enough because she’s healthy. Her lungs are fully

developed and she won’t need oxygen. She’s a little underweight at only four pounds eight ounces, so

we’ll want to keep her here until she’s over five pounds but other than that you have a healthy,

beautiful baby girl,” the doctor finally said.

Trinity was filled with relief at his words. Their baby was going to be just fine. She would’ve stayed
in the bed for the next month straight if she could’ve given her more time but she was still going to be
fine.

“Can I hold her again?” Trinity asked them.

“Of course you can,” the nurse said, as she brought her over and placed her back in Trinity’s arms.

She was now wrapped up in a warm blanket and mother and daughter watched each other in

fascination.

“How are you doing, Princess?” she said to her as she rubbed her head. She looked back at her with

those beautiful blue eyes all newborns had. She blinked a few times and Trinity couldn’t believe she

was actually holding her in her arms. “Do you want to hold your daughter?” she finally said to Drew.

“I’m afraid I’ll break her. I’ve never held such a tiny baby,” he admitted with a worried frown

between his brows.

“You’ll be perfect at it,” Trinity told him with confidence. He leaned down and gently picked her up

and cradled her to his chest. The complete look of overwhelming love on his face made more tears

fall down Trinity’s cheeks. It was more than obvious he adored his daughter and she knew she’d done

the right thing in marrying him so they could all be together. Even if he never loved her, he’d always
love his little girl and that meant more than anything else.

“She weighs nothing, it’s like I’m holding nothing but a blanket,” Drew said in awe as he held her

close to his chest. He couldn’t believe how unbelievably beautiful his baby girl was. She was so tiny
but so perfectly formed. He had never in his life loved something so much, as he loved his daughter. It
was overwhelming in its intensity. He loved his family and he loved Trinity, although that was hard

for him to accept but the love for his daughter was unlike anything he’d ever experienced.

As he held his daughter and looked down at his wife, everything felt so perfect. He knew he couldn’t

possibly live without either of them. He’d fight to the ends of the earth for them. He could now

understand what his cousin Derek had been through and felt a bit of guilt at how much he had teased

the poor man.

He had all the money in the world but he’d never felt truly rich until this moment in time, with his

newborn daughter in his arms and his wife looking up at him with love in her beautiful eyes.

“It’s time to move you back to your own room,” the nurse told them. Drew laid the baby back in her

arms for the transport. She gladly held her and didn’t take her eyes off the baby the entire way. She
wouldn’t have noticed if the building was falling down around them, she was so fascinated by her

daughter’s tiny features.

They got into the room and the nurse helped her sit up in bed, then brought in a tray of food. She

realized she was starving for the first time in over a week. Drew took the baby back in his arms and

sat in the chair next to her bed while she ate.

“Are you going to be nursing, or should I make up a bottle for her?” the nurse asked.

“I’m nursing,” Trinity told her. She knew it was a natural thing but she still blushed, since Drew was
sitting there in the room with her. She’d never discussed any of that with him and didn’t know how he
felt about it. She just knew it was important for the baby to get all the added help she could,

especially with her being born early and weighing so little.

“After you’re done with your meal, we should try and get her to eat. She won’t be very interested in it
at first but she will soon gain an appetite,” the nurse told her.

“Okay,” Trinity answered shyly. She was a little nervous to be talking about such a personal thing

with a stranger but glad to have some help, as she didn’t really know what she was doing.

She finished her meal and the nurse helped her with the process of getting the baby to latch on. It

wasn’t an easy task but Trinity had all the patience in the world for her daughter. After some time

went by, she finally managed to latch on and get some food. Trinity was beyond proud of her little

girl.

Drew stepped out of the room, to give her some privacy and to let his family know his baby girl was

born. They were all in the waiting room, most likely pacing. He let her know he’d give her about an

hour before bringing them in to see the newest family member.

They arrived soon after she finished and nobody could get enough of her, commenting on how

beautiful she was. “Oh my gosh, she makes Britney seem so big, now,” Jasmine said, as she cuddled

the baby close to her. “I want to have ten more of these Derek,” she said with a smile of longing.

“You can have as many as you want,” he told his wife and kissed her. “We can get started tonight in

fact,” he added with a look of lust in his eyes. Jasmine giggled and passed the baby over to Ryan. He
gently cradled her in his arms, with a look of complete awe on his face.

“She’s just so tiny,” he whispered. She looked even smaller against him. One of his hands was the

length of her body. “I’m afraid I’ll break her,” he finished nervously, as he looked at Drew with

panic.

“Don’t look at me, I’m afraid I’ll break her too,” he said with just as much awe.

“You guys wouldn’t do anything that would harm her, not in a million years,” Trinity told the men.

They soon handed her back to Trinity and she greedily took her in her arms. It hadn’t been that long

but she’d missed her sweet scent already.

“What’s her name?” Derek finally asked.

She and Drew looked at each other. They hadn’t really discussed names and in all the excitement

since the birth, neither of them had thought about it. She hadn’t the slightest idea what she wanted to
name her little girl.

“I have a favorite aunt named Stephanie. I’ve always liked that name,” Drew suggested to her. She

tried the name out and it seemed like a fit.

“Okay then her name is Stephanie,” she agreed with him, which earned her one of his heart-stopping

smiles.

“Hello there Stephanie Titan, welcome to the family,” Ryan said as he brushed his hand against her

soft head. Trinity really liked the sound of that. Her beautiful baby girl, Stephanie Titan had arrived
safe and sound and healthy.

She started to yawn and the family said their goodbyes so she could get some rest. Drew carefully

picked up Stephanie and laid her in the basinet next to the bed. If she made a peep then Trinity would
wake up and be able to tend to her. She fell asleep before the last family member left the room.

Drew looked at his beautiful wife and sleeping baby and felt so much overwhelming love for them he

didn’t understand how his heart didn’t burst. He knew they had a hard road ahead of them but at the

moment things were too perfect to even imagine anything bad could happen.

Drew worked his typical magic because the baby was kept in the hospital for four days while she put

on weight and he made sure they were there with her the whole time. Normally the mother was

released after two days if she was healthy and ready, like she was, but she couldn’t leave her

newborn there. Drew made sure she stayed as a patient so she could still have the comfortable bed

and private room.

She didn’t care how he did it. She only cared she could keep Stephanie with her because she wasn’t

willing to spend even a minute away from her daughter, let alone all night. When the doctor finally

gave them the okay to bring her home, she was more than ready to get out of the hospital though. She

wanted her own bed and her daily routine to start with her daughter at home.

Chapter Twelve

Trinity looked at her daughter and smiled. She couldn’t believe she was already a month old. The

time was flying by too quickly and she wanted nothing more than to stop the clocks.

She and Drew had come to a truce of sorts because they were both mesmerized with their little girl.

He had stayed home non-stop for the two weeks after she’d come home from the hospital but then one

of his resorts was having some problems and he had to take off. She couldn’t believe how badly she

missed him.

He’d set her up with a video conferencing system because he said he couldn’t bear to not see his

daughter on a daily basis. He’d set up a private camera that hung over her crib, so he could click his
computer on and watch his little girl sleeping. Trinity was overwhelmed with how much he loved her.

Of course, as she looked down at her baby girl, it was impossible for her to imagine anyone not

loving her like crazy. She was more beautiful and wonderful than anyone could ever imagine.

Trinity was also very grateful to have Jasmine, especially with Drew being gone for such a long

period of time. The home was so large and she was really lonely. Jasmine had been coming over

often to keep her company. She said she got lonely herself, with Derek working and Jacob at school.

Both women were extremely excited for the new shop to open. Today was their last day of getting the

final touches done. The next morning was their Grand Opening. They had hired a few employees and

Jasmine had a nanny who would be at the shop to help with the two babies. It all seemed too unreal to
be true.

She’d been too worn out from the hard pregnancy and delivery to close her old shop down and it was

bittersweet to go into the empty shop, after it was cleared out, to make sure everything had been done
correctly.

She was moving on to a better place so it wasn’t like it was the end but it had still been sad for her.

She’d been grateful to have Jasmine with her when she’d done the final walk through.

Drew had hired a staff for the house so she was never truly alone but it wasn’t the same thing as

having her husband there, or her best friend. She was getting pretty close to Maria, their cook. She

was about the age her mom would be and full of life and laughter. The woman was a phenomenal

cook as well. Even Jasmine liked her food and she was most definitely a critic.

Trinity heard Jasmine’s laughter about two seconds before she entered the room. “I love that little

dress. She looks so adorable today. I can’t believe how much she keeps growing,” Jasmine said, as

she pulled Stephanie into her arms. The baby coo’d at her, which had Jasmine laughing more.

“It’s really amazing how quickly they grow,” Trinity said in awe. “Where’s Britney?” she asked.

“I left her home with the nanny because we’re going to be putting the final merchandise out and I

thought it would be easier. She’s walking all over now,” she said as she nuzzled the baby.

“I love Stephanie getting bigger but I’m grateful she can’t get away right now. It would be much

harder to keep an eye on her while we’re down there,” she said.

“Ryan got the cribs and swings all set up for us. I think the girls are going to do great but our first few
days are going to be hectic so I’ll leave Britney home, although it will kill me a little bit. If she was
still nursing, I couldn’t do that,” she said.

“Yes, nursing can definitely be a blessing and a curse,” Trinity said. She was the food source for her
daughter and since she was still so tiny, she ate far more often.

“I’m desperately trying to fight those baby blues right now. Britney is almost a year old already and
holding Stephanie all the time is making my womb jump. Of course Derek is ready anytime I want to

have another one but I want to wait at least six more months before we start trying. Of course I never
get tired of practicing,” she said with a huge grin.

Trinity was a little jealous of her friend. Drew hadn’t even touched her since the week before the

baby had been born. He blamed himself for sending her into early labor, which was ridiculous but she

figured that was more of an excuse. She still had baby weight to get off and she was always so worn

out she was sure she wasn’t looking her best. She figured he wasn’t even kissing her because she

looked a wreck all the time. It would be nice if he felt about her the same way Derek felt about

Jasmine. She had to push those thoughts aside because they didn’t do her any good. The important

thing was they were making things work, so their daughter could have security and love, which was

far more important than her own needs.

“Are you ready to head out?” Jasmine asked her.

“Yes, I want to get going before I lose too much steam. I’m afraid I’m going to spend far too much

time in that heavenly room Ryan built us,” she said, with a laugh.

“I was so excited to see that. He thought of everything. The man is an absolute genius at building,”

Jasmine agreed.

The two women climbed into Jasmine’s car and drove the short distance to their shop. Trinity still
felt awe as they pulled up to the front doors. It was beautiful, inside and out, due to the creative
building skills of Ryan. He was doing some final painting to the outside of the building, as they
stepped from the vehicle.

He dropped what he was doing as soon as he spotted the ladies. “You’re arriving a bit late,” he said,
as he opened the back door and pulled out Stephanie’s car seat. She thankfully, was fast asleep so

Trinity could get things done.

“It’s so hard to get out the door when you’re dealing with babies. They need changed and fed and then
when you think you’re ready to go, they spit up all over you and them and you have to start all over

again,” Jasmine said, with fondness. She adored being a mother.

“I wouldn’t know anything about that,” Ryan said. His words may have said he was relieved but the

way he adored his nieces and nephew contradicted his words. At that moment he was carefully

carrying Stephanie inside, gazing at her as if she was the greatest thing in the universe. The two

women looked at each other with knowing eyes.

“Yes Ryan, you’re a confirmed bachelor, for sure,” Jasmine said with a twinkle in her eyes.

“Do you want me to take her out of the seat and put her in the crib?” he asked Trinity.

“No, she’s comfortable in there. Just undo the latches and tuck her blanket around her. I just changed
and fed her, so she should sleep for a couple hours,” she answered him. He seemed disappointed by

that. She’d have to keep an eye on him, to make sure he didn’t wake her on purpose just to carry her

around. She’d noticed all the men doing that. “Don’t you dare wake her, Ryan,” she added.

“I won’t,” he said with a slight pout. How could she not love these strong, masculine guys, when they
absolutely adored her daughter? She gave him a hug, then wandered around the building.

Ryan truly had done an amazing job. The floor space was huge, with custom built display shelves.

Her coolers were framed in wood and there was so much color everywhere she looked. She

wandered over to the play area and smiled. It was safe and completely enclosed so the girls wouldn’t

be able to sneak out.

She walked behind the custom made counters and was still amazed by the amount of space. She had a

huge work station to make any kind of bouquet she wanted. Beyond that area he had not only added a

large bathroom but had created a break room. There was a soft sofa, she had the feeling she’d take

many naps on, a changing table, two cribs and a luxurious rocking chair.

She and Jasmine would never need to leave their business. It was already stocked with full supplies

so they wouldn’t have to tote diapers or rags back and forth. Everything was there and easy to use.

He’d even made a small nook for a stackable washer and dryer, to clean their bedding right there in

the shop. For a confirmed bachelor, he sure was smart when it came to the needs of the new mothers.

She reluctantly walked from the break room and over to Jasmine’s side of the shop. She had the most

perfect kitchen imaginable. The counter matched Trinity’s, except it was longer and had stools

attached in front.

She already had several glass cases set out, just waiting for her goodies to fill them up. The kitchen
had top of the line appliances in it and plenty of room for several people to move around. She had a

very limited menu and was only serving breakfast and lunch but Trinity had the feeling she was going

to be full day and night because her food was excellent.

“What are you working on?” Trinity asked as she walked into the kitchen.

“I’m getting the soup of the day ready for tomorrow. This one is much better if it has a night to sit in
the fridge and marinate before it’s cooked. I’m making a few pots because I think we’ll be busier than
normal tomorrow. It will slow down after our opening weekend though,” she said.

There were a couple of people busy working on different things for the next day but Jasmine was huge

on freshness and some things had to wait till the next morning. She had bread rising, which would be

ready for the ovens in the morning and more pastries than she could imagine.

“I’ve got to get out of here and set up fans to blow the smell away from me because I’ll never lose

this weight with you cooking such amazing food,” she said, then practically ran from the kitchen.

Jasmine’s laughter followed her across the shop.

She soon got busy setting out the last of her gift items on the pristine shelves and with the help of her
two employees’, began making several bouquets. She wanted the cases full of everything imaginable,

from single rose vases, to huge baskets. She’d be incredibly happy if she sold even half of the

display. It would be her biggest day ever.

She was just finishing a basket when the monitor signaled Stephanie was waking up. She went to get

her but Ryan beat her to it. He was pulling her out of the seat and talking baby talk to her. She blew
bubbles at him, as she stared up at her uncle with her big blue eyes. He carried her around for a

while, until she decided it was time to eat and he reluctantly handed her over.

Trinity was more than happy to take her back to the break room and have some alone time with her

daughter. She sat back in the rocking chair and enjoyed the sounds of her hungry slurps, as she gulped
down her milk, like it was the last meal she’d get. Her daughter had liked eating from day one. It was
a good thing for her putting on weight. Trinity rubbed her head, as she sang softly to her.

She could feel her eyes getting heavy as she finished feeding her and raised her to her shoulder for

burping. She couldn’t wait until she was back to having full energy again because she hadn’t made it

through one day since the birth without a nap.

The two women finally were satisfied everything was perfect for their next day and headed out of the

shop. They were both worn out but had a great sense of pride at what they accomplished. The shop

looked spectacular and they knew it would be a success. The men had hung up huge Grand Opening

signs and she’d noticed several cars driving by slowly to see what the new business was.

As Trinity laid Stephanie down for the night and slipped into her huge bed all alone, she had to fight
back tears. She had really wanted Drew to be there with her for the Grand Opening. She knew her

little business was nothing compared to the billion dollar resorts he owned but it was special to her.

She knew he had to be away but she was still saddened. She fell asleep with a tear on her cheek.

“You guys have done an excellent job at getting this cleared up in time. I won’t be available to come

back over here for at least a month, so anything you need will have to go through the home office,”

Drew told the table of men surrounding him.

He’d been stuck on the small island off the coast of Spain for two weeks and had to leave within the

next hour or he was going to miss the Grand Opening of his wife’s shop. She hadn’t pled with him to

come back but he knew it meant a lot to her and he wouldn’t have cared if it ended up costing him the
deal, he was leaving one way or the other that day.

He shook hands with the men and headed out the door. His driver was waiting and the jet was ready.

He could barely contain his excitement as he boarded the jet. He’d never had such urgency to return

home before. He’d missed his baby girl more than anything he could’ve ever imagined. He had also

missed his wife. He needed to tell her how important she was to him and he needed her to accept they

were going to stay together forever. If the last two weeks were any indication, he knew he couldn’t

possibly live his life without his two girls in it.

They’d become such a huge part of his entire being and the thought of any distance from them ripped

him apart. He’d started conducting interview for a new executive who would do the majority of the

traveling because he was done. He was excited because the man he hired to do the job had

accompanied him on this trip and he was perfect. Drew knew he’d be able to rest well, knowing the

man wasn’t only competent, but eager and hungry.

He didn’t think he’d be able to sleep but before he knew it the captain was coming over the intercom

stating they were preparing for landing. He looked out the window as the sun rose in the sky and

could hardly wait to pull both Trinity and Stephanie close to him. Heck, the baby was only a month

old and he could hardly wait to watch Trinity grow large with his second child. He had become like

Derek and could picture their house with ten children running around. The more the merrier, he

thought. He decided he’d better wait a little while before suggesting that to Trinity. She was still

pretty tired after giving birth to their daughter.

The car picked him up from the airport and he was soon heading towards the shop. It was to open in

an hour and he had about a forty minute drive to get there. He told the driver he’d get a five-hundred
dollar bonus if he got him there in thirty. The man hit the gas and Drew smiled because money always

talked.

They pulled into the parking lot and Drew was thrilled to see a line outside the door. He could

imagine both the women were brimming over with excitement to see the eager crowd. He slipped

around back and let himself in the employee entrance and headed out to find his wife. He spotted her

at the counter, looking over some paperwork and his heart swelled. He’d missed her so badly.

He snuck up behind her and wrapped her in his arms. She stiffened for a minute until she turned

around and saw it was him. Her face split wide open in a huge smile. They stared at one another for a
few moments, then Drew bent his head to take her lips. He’d missed her so much and as he deepened

the kiss his body came fully alive. He knew it was too soon for them to make love but his body wasn’t
listening. It was a good thing there were a lot of people around, or he may have done something

stupid.

“I missed you and Stephanie so much these last two weeks. I finally got that employee hired so I

won’t have to travel nearly as much and when I do, I’m taking you both with me because I can’t bear

to be apart for so long,” he finally told her, when he managed to pull away from her.

“I missed you too,” she admitted to him quietly. She had her arms wrapped around his back and

couldn’t pull away from him. It was so great to be back in his arms.

“I’m taking you out for a special celebratory dinner tonight,” he told her and brought his lips back to
hers and neither of them could speak for several minutes.

“That sounds perfect,” she finally responded. They were then interrupted by one of the employee’s

letting them know the doors would be opening in just a moment. Drew reluctantly let her go and went

to find his daughter.

She was just starting to stir in her crib and as he bent down to pull her into his arms, her eyes opened
and he had to fight back his emotions. She was still so small but she was so beautiful and he’d missed
the soft scent of her. He cuddled her close to his chest and simply breathed the scent of her into his
lungs. He wouldn’t be away from her for so long, again.

He walked out into the store and found his cousins. The three men stood there as the rush of people

came flooding through the doors and were filled with pride for Jasmine and Trinity. The women were

beaming, as they rang up sale after sale.

Trinity kept looking up, overwhelmed at the sight of her handsome husband gently cuddling Stephanie

close to his chest. She was busy for the next several hours and found she wanted nothing more than to
break away and simply hold her daughter, while Drew held them both. She had always wanted the

shop and was proud it was having such a successful opening day but she’d finally realized being with

her husband and daughter far outweighed her need for success.

She had a competent staff and would be more than happy to be there only part time. Jasmine told her

she’d be working minimal hours herself, as she couldn’t bear to be away from her family for long

periods of time. Trinity realized there was nothing wrong with depending on her husband. Even if the

man never loved her like she loved him, she’d be happy to simply be a family together.

“I’d like to order every bouquet in the shop,” Damien said as he walked up and gave her a kiss on the
cheek.

“You said you wouldn’t be able to make it today,” Trinity said with a huge grin splitting her face. Her
day was officially perfect with all the people she loved in the room with her.

“I threw business out the window. Today is about my best friend and beautiful niece,” Damien told

her. She quickly came around the counter and threw her arms around him.

“Hey, I think there are holes being burned into my back,” he said with a laugh. He then dipped her

low and whipped her back up, causing a giggle to escape. She looked over at Drew, who looked as if

he was grumbling a bit too his cousins. She liked the thought he may be a bit jealous. It was good for
him.

“Excuse me Miss, can you help me?” a woman interrupted.

“I’m sorry, Damien but it looks like I’m being beckoned,” she told him. She gave him one more hug

and got back to work. He walked over to the guys and she caught a glimpse of Drew slugging him in

the arm. Ouch, she thought but Damien laughed and the men continued talking for a while before
Damien slipped out the doors.

She broke away a few times to feed her daughter but other than that she was swamped all day and by

the time they were able to leave, she was pretty dead on her feet. Drew took her home instead of out

to a restaurant, then massaged her feet while she fed her daughter. She laid back and enjoyed the feel
of his hands on her.

They put the baby to bed and he pulled her to their room and laid her down. Her body wasn’t ready

yet for love-making, which about killed her because she wanted them to share that again. She was

incredibly self-conscious though of her body. He began rubbing her back and sides and she pulled

away.

“I want to touch you. I know you aren’t ready yet for love-making but that doesn’t mean I can’t kiss

you and enjoy your beautiful curves,” he told her before kissing her breathless.

“I’m not very beautiful right now Drew, I still have this extra weight from the baby and I never get

enough sleep. I know I must look a mess,” she said to him and could feel the blush on her cheeks. He

pulled her chin up so he could look into her eyes.

“You’re the most stunning woman I’ve ever seen in my life. Your body is perfect and I don’t care
how

much sleep you lose, you’re still gorgeous. Don’t ever try to hide from me because I love every

square inch of you,” he told her with passion. He grabbed her hand and pressed it against his very

obvious arousal and her eyes widened.

“You haven’t touched me since the baby was born and I thought you were a bit repulsed by me,” she

admitted.

“I’m sorry you thought that, Love. I could never be turned off by you. I was feeling so much guilt
about our love-making the night before you went into the hospital. You make me go so crazy and I was
so

rough with you and simply didn’t trust myself,” he said to her.

“Drew, you’d never hurt me. You please me in ways I never knew were possible before I met you.

You have given me so much and I can’t imagine my life without you in it. I know I’ve been stubborn

and a bit of a pain but I really love you and want our marriage to be the real thing,” she said to him.

She was afraid he wouldn’t be able to give her his love but she could no longer hold the words in.

“I’m so happy to hear you say that. I’ve loved you for so long. I never realized my life was empty

until you were there and then gone. I missed you from the moment you left our private paradise and

was overjoyed to find you pregnant with my child. I know I’ve made a lot of mistakes but loving you

has been the best thing I’ve ever done,” he said to her.

He then pulled her close to him, so he could devour her mouth. Neither of them could breathe by the

time he pulled back from her. He then explored her throat and moved down the slopes of her breasts.

She was aching everywhere and cried out in frustration they couldn’t be joined together.

She may not be able to make-love with her husband right then but she could certainly make sure he

was satisfied. She pushed him over and slowly unbuttoned his shirt as she ran her tongue over his

muscled chest. A slight sheen of sweat was breaking out on his tanned skin.

“Baby, I can’t take much more,” he said through gritted teeth, as he tried pulling her back up to him.

She shook his hands off of her as she reached his lower stomach and gently nipped the taught skin. He
sucked in his breath at the pure pleasure she was giving him. “You don’t have to do this,” he growled
as he realized her intentions.

She said nothing, as she slowly unbuttoned his pants and pulled them and his boxers down his legs.

His magnificent length sprung out, showing her how turned on he was. It filled her with pride she was
able to turn him on so much.

She kissed her way back up his legs and felt empowered by the quivering of his body. He was

breathing heavily and his head was thrown back, as he groaned in pleasure from her touch. She

reached the top of his thighs and his body jerked as her hand rubbed against his moistened head.

She slipped her tongue out and licked the bead off his tip and he cried out. She’d never in her life felt
so sexy, or powerful in bed. It was a euphoric feeling and she wouldn’t have ever done this for any

other man. She gently cupped his silky smooth shaft in her hand, loving the strength of the hardened

flesh. She rubbed her hand up and down, while gripping him tightly. She then lowered her head and

took his tip into her mouth.

As her tongue flicked around his shaft and her hand continued to work its magic, he groaned over and

over again. She was encouraged by his sounds of pleasure and tightened her mouth even more and

began to suck him deeper inside her moist mouth. He grabbed her head, holding her tightly against him
as she continued to pleasure him.

His body began to tense and he pulled her head free. “I’m not going to last,” he croaked at her. She

smiled at him and ran her tongue across the tip as she continued to stroke him quickly with her hand.

She pulled back as he cried out and his release shot from him.

She stared in fascination as his engorged staff pumped in her hand and spilled over. It was the sexiest
thing she’d ever watched in her life. His body was jerking in pleasure as she used his own release to
smooth her hand easier up and down the still quivering shaft. She continued to rub him until every last
ounce of his orgasm spilled from him. She then couldn’t resist flicking her tongue one last time over
his beautiful head. He convulsed at the gentle touch and she smiled with pure feminine power.

She slowly kissed her way back up his stunning abs and chest until she finally brought their lips back
together. He kissed her gently; as his body was sated from the gift she’d given him. He brought his

hand down to the outside of her silky panties and rubbed. He knew he couldn’t make-love to her but

he could certainly pleasure her if he was very careful.

She started to writhe beneath his touch. “I can’t do that,” she started to say but as he slipped the

panties away and touched her swollen nub, her protest stopped in a gasp of pleasure.

“I won’t hurt you but I need to touch you,” he said into her mouth. She moaned her acceptance.

He continued to kiss her, increasing her body’s pleasure, as he gently flicked his finger over her most
sensitive area. She wanted so much more, she wanted him connecting their bodies together and it

nearly killed her they couldn’t. Her stomach was quivering in pure pleasure as he continued rubbing

his finger on the outside of her opening, flicking the most sensitive spot.

She jerked in surprise as the intense orgasm rocked her body. He slowed his rubbing down, as she

continued to spasm in pure pleasure. He softened the kiss, as he helped her pleasure draw on and on.

She finally collapsed against his chest in pure satisfaction. They both lay there together, feeling good
they ‘d managed to satisfy each other and express their overflowing love.

He pulled her against him and rubbed her head, as she laid it there on his chest. She fell asleep to the

sound of his beating heart and knew nothing could be as great as that moment in time. She had an

amazing daughter who she couldn’t live without and an amazing husband who had made sure to keep

them together.

Chapter Thirteen

Trinity couldn’t believe her daughter was going to be a year old already. The last year had flown by

and she was happier than she could ever possibly imagine. Drew had some huge surprise planned for

her and she was giddy as a school girl, trying to imagine what it could possibly be.

He had already given her everything she could ever imagine and couldn’t think of anything he could

do for her that would top the past year. She had her own surprise for him as well. She rubbed her

belly in anticipation. She’d just found out she was pregnant again. She knew it was too soon but she

was filled with excitement she was going to have another child. She loved Stephanie so much and

Drew was head over heels for her and she knew he’d welcome her news.

She’d been a bit saddened as Stephanie kept growing and would love to give her a sibling. She’d be

happy to have as many children as the house could hold. She loved being pregnant and she loved

having her baby in her arms. Her and Drew would constantly pick up Stephanie and she was quite the

spoiled little girl. She was well loved. When her parents were not holding her close, then one of her
Uncles were there to pick her up.

She’d noticed a slight change in Ryan lately and worried about him. He’d seemed more stressed out

than normal and she wondered if maybe there was a woman causing those circles to appear. She and

Jasmine were determined to find out what it was about.

He’d recently purchased a home near them and they were both thinking he was getting ready to settle

down. They would most certainly figure it out. Jasmine stepped into the room with a huge smile on

her face.

“Are you ready to go?” Jasmine asked.

“You have to tell me what’s going on. It’s a best friend’s code,” Trinity said. Jasmine had been as

secretive as Drew and Trinity was going a bit crazy.

“I’m sorry but I can’t give it away but let me tell you I’m a bit jealous. You have a man who loves
you very much. If I didn’t have my own amazing husband, I wouldn’t be nearly as happy for you,”

Jasmine

joked with her.

“I just want to let you know the next time you’re going crazy with anxiety, I’m going to sit back and
smile,” Trinity said with a fake frown. Both women knew their friendship was solid. Trinity followed

Jasmine out of the house and let her lead her away. She still had no clue where they were going, or

what was going to happen.

They drove out of town and pulled up to a recreation hall and Trinity had no possible idea what could
be going on but she stopped trying to figure it out and walked inside with Jasmine. When she stepped

inside, she looked around in confusion and then to Jasmine’s face, which was beaming at her.

“What is all this?” Trinity gasped.

“Drew promised to give you a real wedding, so he planned it all out. I couldn’t believe you didn’t get
at all suspicious when I was questioning you so much about your perfect dress, or what kind of place

you’d like and then the fitting for the supposed ball dress, was priceless. Has anyone ever told you

how gullible you are?” Jasmine said with a laugh.

“I had no idea,” Trinity told her with awe. She looked around the room, there were people

everywhere. She was rushed to a huge mirror where a couple of people started playing with her hair

and two other people started working on her fingernails and toenails. Within a couple of hours Trinity
had been transformed and looked in the mirror at her gorgeous hair. There were diamonds dripping

down and she was a bit afraid they may be real. She decided she wasn’t going to think that because it
would make her paranoid.

Jasmine slipped behind her and placed the same tiara she’d worn in the hospital on her head and it

made the look perfect. She would’ve been disappointed to not have that one piece of her first

wedding there.

They walked over to a dressing room and Trinity felt tears fall as she looked at the gorgeous gown

hanging there. It was perfect in every single way. Jasmine and Drew had done an amazing job to make

sure her dress was everything she could ever possibly want and so much more.

Jasmine helped Trinity step into the luxurious gown and as the layers of silk floated over her body

and Jasmine tightened it up, Trinity truly felt like a princess. She stepped into the exquisite heels and
looked in the mirror, barely even able to recognize herself.

Jasmine stepped into her own beautiful gown and Trinity could hardly wait to get to Drew. She knew

he’d look so incredibly handsome. The women stepped outside and Trinity gasped at the beautiful car

waiting for them. It was a convertible Jaguar and there were bows all over it. The driver was

wearing a tuxedo and top hat. She giggled at the romance of it all.

The two women were assisted into the vehicle and the driver made his way slowly down the road. It

didn’t take long before they pulled up at a darling secluded church. It looked out of place in the

middle of nowhere and Trinity wondered how he had found it.

“I hope you don’t mind but this is where I had my wedding. Derek had it fixed up for me and I thought
you’d love it, as well. It’s a great place and will give you good luck,” Jasmine said.

“It’s perfect, Jasmine and exactly what I would’ve chosen,” she said, really trying hard not to let the
tears start flowing once again.

The driver stepped around and helped them from the vehicle and Trinity couldn’t get enough of her

surroundings. There was a large red carpet, leading all the way up the patch and over the stairs. There
were also huge arrangements tiered down the steps and bows running along the banisters. It was

amazing and she was completely awed.

Little Jacob stepped out of the building, looking very debonair in his own little tuxedo. He’d grown

so much in the past year Trinity had known him and now was about an inch taller than her. She loved

her sweet nephew.

“Hi, Aunt Trinity. You look pretty,” he said and bowed to her like a perfect gentleman. “I’d be very

proud if I can walk you down the aisle to Uncle Drew,” he finished. She could feel the tears start to
gather in her eyes again. Like the perfect gentleman he pulled out a handkerchief and handed it over to
her. She dabbed at her eyes and smiled at Derek, who’d stepped out the door.

He put Jasmine’s hand through his arm and stood at the head of the church and waited for Trinity to

get ready. She nodded at them and the music started and they made their way forward. Trinity took a

deep breath and slowly followed them. She was very grateful to have Jacob walk with her. He was

going to be a heartbreaker himself when he got older. He was certainly following in his uncles

footsteps. She smiled at him, as they stepped through the door. She looked forward and all thoughts

were tossed from her mind as she took in Drew.

He was so breathtaking in his tuxedo, with his father and cousin standing next to him. Jasmine and

Derek were on the other side and the family made such a stunning vision, she felt like she couldn’t

even breathe. She could not believe how lucky she was to have him and his family as a part of her

life. It all seemed so much more real with her getting this dream wedding, too.

Their eyes were locked together as she made her way down the aisle and Jacob did such a great job

as he placed her hand in Drew’s. She could barely breathe; she was so taken back by the sexiness of

her husband. The preacher spoke words and she repeated where she was supposed to but she had no

idea how she managed because she was almost faint with happiness.

Soon the preacher was pronouncing them remarried and Drew was pulling her into his arms. He

kissed her with so much passion and longing, it felt like they really were marrying for the first time.

Derek cleared his throat and Drew reluctantly pulled away from her. She blushed as the crowd broke

into applause at the beautiful couple.

Drew slipped her arm through his and walked her down the aisle. He pulled her out the door and took

her around the back of the church. The scene was breathtaking. He had huge tents set up and there was
music playing. He pulled her straight onto the dance floor and took her into his arms.

“You’re so stunning,” he whispered into her ear, causing a shiver of desire to run down her spine.
She loved him so much and couldn’t believe she’d ever fought her attraction to him. He brought his
lips

back down to hers and her stomach was quivering with desire. She couldn’t imagine ever getting tired

of his body pressed up tightly to hers. He spun her around the floor and she noticed other couples had
joined them.

She looked at Jasmine, who was wrapped tightly in Derek’s arms. The two of them looked like

newlywed’s themselves, as he was spinning her around. She let out a giggle of delight at something he
said and then blushed red and looked around. The two women’s eyes met and they shared a moment

of

pure delight.

“It’s time to cut the cake,” someone said and Drew led her over to a table that had a huge four-tiered
cake with a waterfall cascading down from its layers. He sliced a piece off and gently fed it to her,
even though the crowd was calling for them to get a little messier. He took the small piece of cake

from her delicate fingers, then sucked her finger into his mouth to lick away the frosting.

She felt the pull of his lips deep inside her stomach and a shiver of desire raced through her. She

watched Drew’s eyes narrow in passion and wanted nothing more than to get into a room alone with

him. She didn’t even care where it was but she wanted her husband badly. He started to pull her

away, when Ryan grabbed his arm.

“Not so fast there Romeo, it’s time for your toasts,” he said with a knowing smile. Drew growled at

him but Ryan just laughed and took Trinity’s arms. She looked back longingly at her husband. Ryan

and Derek said their toasts, which brought more tears to her eyes. Since Drew wasn’t able to drag her
away, he pulled her back onto the dance floor and continued with the foreplay.

Pretty soon Jasmine came up to her and pulled her off to change. The two women made quick work of

changing clothes and Trinity was delighted with the short summer dress Jasmine picked out. She felt

delicate and beautiful and was grateful because in a few short months her body would be changing

once more.

“I’m pregnant again,” she finally burst out, no longer being able to contain the secret. Jasmine

squeaked with delight, before throwing her arms around her best friend.

“Oh my gosh, that’s so great because I just found out I am too. We’re going to do this together this

time,” she said. Trinity let out her own squeal, as the two women hugged. The only thing more perfect
than her special day and having Drew as her husband, was going through her pregnancy with Jasmine.

“I haven’t told Drew yet so you can’t say anything,” Trinity said as she looked around.

“I haven’t told Derek yet either, so we’d both better do it tonight because you know we aren’t going
to be able to contain ourselves very long,” Jasmine said. The girls giggled again because they knew
that was true.

They walked out of the room and neither of them noticed the looks on their husband’s faces. The men

were so enamored with their wives it was simply breathtaking.

“I never thought I could be this happy,” Drew said, as he watched the two women walk forward.

“Trust me cousin, I know what you mean,” Derek said. He had his own plans for his beautiful wife

that night.

The men split apart as they took their women into their arms. Drew headed towards the awaiting car

out front. The guests threw birdseed, as they raced inside the vehicle. Trinity was laughing as they

collapsed into the backseat and instantly embraced.

“I have one final surprise for you,” Drew told her between kisses.

“I can’t imagine anything else,” she gasped.

“We’re taking a three day honeymoon. I wanted it to be longer but I know neither of us could stand to
be away from Stephanie too long,” he told her.

“You know me so well,” she said, as she continued kissing him. She wanted to strip him naked right

there but was well aware they weren’t alone. “I hope it’s not too far,” she finished, which caused him
to growl even more.

“You’re killing me, woman,” he said as he ran his hand up her thigh. She’d have to say he was the one
causing the torture.

They arrived at his jet and quickly slipped inside. He didn’t want to sit in the seats at all. He wanted
nothing more than to take her into the bedroom and show her how much she meant to him.

“I have something to tell you,” she said as they buckled up for takeoff.

“What is it?” he asked. His hand was rubbing up and down her thigh, going higher with each pass he

made.

“We are going to have another baby,” she blurted out. His hand stilled as he looked at her.

“Really?” he asked, as his eyes widened. She nodded her head yes and suddenly he was throwing off

his seat belt and kneeling in front of her. His head lay down against her still flat stomach and she felt
a tear slip from her eye. He was holding her tightly against him and she could not believe what an

amazing man he was.

“You need to buckle back up, we are moving,” she told him. He reluctantly got back into his seat and

buckled just as the jet started lifting into the air. He couldn’t keep his hands off her, though. The
second the pilots told them they could remove their seatbelts; Drew threw his off and pulled her from
her seat. He lifted her into his arms and carried her to the large room.

He gently laid her down on the bed and lifted her shirt away so he could caress her stomach. “I can’t
believe I’m going to get to watch you grow from the very beginning. I hate how much I missed out on

with Stephanie,” he said. She felt so guilty she’d taken that time from him and was glad he’d get to be
with her this time.

“I’m sorry, Drew,” she said, truly meaning it.

“You have nothing to be sorry about, I can admit I was narrow minded and you had every right to not

be trustful,” he told her.

“I just hate how much time we lost,” she said.

“Me too, Love. But, what matters now is we have forever, from this moment on,” he said with full

sincerity.

They started kissing again and all thoughts were erased from their minds as passion quickly took
over.

It didn’t matter how many times she made love to him, it was more exciting each time. They fell into

an exhausted sleep and neither woke until the captain told them it was time to buckle up, again.

Trinity got into her seat and gasped in delight as she realized where they were going. The jet turned in
a large circle and landed on the small strip, with no extra room to spare.

“I can’t believe you brought us back here, you’re such a romantic, Mr. Titan,” she said with pleasure.

“I’ll make sure we leave together this time,” he told her with a smile. They quickly headed to the

resort and up to the suite where their story had begun but this time it would end with a much happier
ever-after.