Because This Is Forever

BECAUSE THIS IS
FOREVER

Lena Hart

Sensual Romance

Secret Cravings
Publishing

www.secretcravingspublishing.com

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A Secret Cravings
Publishing Book

Sensual Romance

Because This Is
Forever

Copyright © 2013 Lena
Hart

E-book ISBN: 978-1-61885-927-3

First E-book
Publication: October 2013

Cover design by
Dawné Dominique

Edited by Lori
Paige

Proofread by Renee
Waring

All cover art and
logo copyright © 2013 by Secret Cravings Publishing

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED:
This literary work may not be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic
reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are
fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly
coincidental.

PUBLISHER

Secret Cravings Publishing

www.secretcravingspublishing.com

Dedication

 
To my remarkable mother, Josette, for showing
me what a strong woman looks like.

To
my little sister/beta-reader, Thama, for helping me clear the bugs from this
story (and keeping me company in that cold hotel lobby—‘til the wee hours of
the morning!—while we did so).

To
my older sister, confidant, and “twin”, San—thanks for keeping me sane.

To
the close-hearted pessimist who inspired this story (true love isn’t just for
fairytales!).

And finally,
to
all those
still waiting for their own
happily ever after
...

The Cravings e-book Club

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*
Trouble With a Cowboy
, a western,
erotic romance:

Can some slashed tires and an
ornery bull bring two hard-headed people together for some fun in the sun and a
little more?

**
Forget Me Not
, paranormal erotic romance:

A war is brewing, a war that could destroy an entire
vampire race if left unchecked, and Julian Marino has been requested to
participate in it.  He stops his search for a long time friend to go home
and discovers there is more at stake than just his wants.

As
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We hope
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Best
wishes,

                                                                                                                       
Beth
Walker

BECAUSE
THIS IS FOREVER

Lena Hart

Copyright © 2013

Her
Decision

Chapter One

A
single blue line meant she wasn’t pregnant. Two meant she was.

Dazed,
Mia Trent stared at the two thin blue lines coming through the small window of
the narrow white stick. This was her third test. She had used up all the pregnancy
tests available in the small pink box, including the bonus one.

All
three read positive.

Mia
sat on the edge of the tub, not sure how to feel or what to think. She hadn’t
planned for—

The loud
knock on her apartment door jarred her out of her dazed thoughts.
Oh God. Nate.

She had
forgotten she’d invited him over for dinner tonight. Mia jumped up, stuffed all
three tests back in the box, tied them up in the pharmacy bag then threw the
bag under the sink.

The
knocking came again. Mia rushed to the front of her apartment. She took a few
deep, steadying breaths, trying not to look as frazzled as she felt, before
undoing the locks.

At
her doorway stood the love of her life. Nate McArthur. He was handsome in his
black windbreaker and dark jeans. The drizzle outside glistened on his mussed chestnut
brown hair, which added to his appeal. His dark brown eyes, however, were
watchful and unwavering as he stared down at her. Nate had always been
perceptive. Could he tell she was carrying his baby?

“What’s
wrong?” he asked, his thick dark brows furrowing into a deep frown of concern.

Everything and nothing,
Mia wanted to say.
But she didn’t trust her voice to speak so she simply smiled,
shook her head, and stepped back to let him in. Before she had the door closed,
he pulled her into a tight embrace.

Burying
her face against his chest, Mia wrapped her arms around his lean waist, holding
him tight. She breathed in his light, intoxicating scent. His smell made her
think of nutmeg and warm wood. A small smile graced her lips as the cocoon of
his strong, inviting hold brought back a semblance of peace to her strained
emotions.

“You
sure you’re okay?”

Mia
smiled brightly up at him. “Yeah, I’m better now.”

“Good.”
He brought his mouth down to hers for a light, lingering kiss. His rich, heady
taste always left her breathless and before it ended, she was gripping fistfuls
of his coat.

He
smiled softly and rubbed his thumb across her lower lip. “So…what’s for
dinner?”

Mia
looked up at him, contrite. She had promised him dinner tonight but had completely
forgotten to stop by the grocery store. Instead, her mind had been preoccupied
with her trip to the drug store.

Nate
laughed at her guilt-stricken face. “It’s cool. We can go out. How about
Josie’s?”

“No,
no,” she said, pulling away from him. “I can whip something up. Just give me a few
minutes.”

She
preferred to stay in anyway and gather her courage so she could have her talk
with him. Just the thought of broaching the subject left butterflies fluttering
in her stomach.

Nate
followed her into the kitchen. “Need any help?” he offered, leaning against the
counter.

Mia
looked up at him incredulously. He laughed, remembering, as she did, the last
time he tried to make her breakfast. She now only had two functional burners to
cook with because of him. He had offered to pay for the repairs but it wasn’t
anything her lazy super couldn’t fix—whenever he decided to get to it.

She scanned
her fridge and cabinets but found nothing that would make a decent meal. Her
food supply was pathetic. She pulled out what provisions she did have.

“Okay,
this is it,” she said, holding up the pack of cheese and jar of peanut butter.
“Grilled cheese or PB and J?”

Nate contemplated
it for a second, making as if she’d posed him with a difficult question.
“Grilled cheese,” he finally said. “And make mine a double.”

“You
got it.”

Mia
whipped up a few simple grilled cheese sandwiches. He helped by pulling off the
wrappers from the cheese slices.

“When
are you leaving for California?” she asked as she prepared the sandwiches,
needing to temporarily distract her mind from the conversation they would soon
have.

“Wednesday,”
he said then shot her a crooked grin. “The invitation is still open, you know.”

Mia’s
lips quirked up. Nate had wanted her to come on his business trip with him so
they could extend the trip and spend the weekend on the California coast
together. His invitation was sweet but he’d forgotten to factor in her work and
responsibilities.

“And
what do I tell my boss?”

At
the mention of his father, Nate lost his smile and she instantly regretted
bringing him up. She hated when he got that cold look in his eyes. Nate always seemed
to withdraw whenever she brought up his father, Charles McArthur.

They
had only been dating for six months, though she had seen him at the office
occasionally when he’d come to visit his father. At first she had thought he
hadn’t particularly liked her since he had always been abrupt and cold toward
her. But then she had soon discovered he got like that whenever he had to deal
with his father.

It
had been during the company Christmas party that she’d found out how much he
liked her. With stolen mistletoe, Nate had cornered her in a secluded area and
kissed her until she had no breath left. She had thought it had been a silly and
romantic gesture but he had certainly gotten her attention. A soft smile
touched her lips at the memory.

After
that night, Nate had been relentless in his pursuit. At first she had avoided
him, because his father was her boss but he had been so outrageously
flirtatious and handsome, it had been hard not to let herself get swept away. Though
she had been uneasy at the idea of them getting together, she was glad she had ultimately
given in. He made her happy.

“Finals
are also coming up,” she added. “I can’t afford to miss any more days.”
Especially not after the week she’d taken off to celebrate his thirtieth
birthday this past April. “Maybe next time,” she offered.

“Yeah,
maybe,” he said with a listless smile, not looking at her.

Mia
sighed, unsure about her next move. Though they’d decided to be discreet about
their relationship, the past six months had been an intense, all-consuming one and
somewhere during their time together, she had lost her heart to him. They may
have moved fast in their relationship, but there was a connection between them
she had never felt with another man ever.

When
the sandwiches were ready, they moved to the living room where they sat and ate
in silence. She had found some leftover chips to add to their basic dinner and
he seemed to be enjoying the plain meal. Mia leaned against the other end of
the small sofa with her socked foot draped over his lap, smiling as she watched
him. He had removed his jacket and his lean muscular frame was well defined in
the simple black T-shirt. The soft, orange of the table lamp accentuated his
Black Irish features. He seemed perfectly at ease sitting here in her small,
modest apartment. Despite his affluent background, Nate didn’t flaunt his
wealth. Though she loved how he took every measure to minimize the social class
lines between them, none of that mattered to her. She loved
him
, not his things, and he knew that.

Yes,
he knew she loved him. She had told him twice, though both times had been after
their lovemaking. He hadn’t returned the words but she wasn’t discouraged
because he showed her in so many other ways. Their relationship had taken on a new
heightened intensity she couldn’t explain. He had to feel the same way about
her even if he wasn’t ready to say the words.

He
glanced at her when she continued to stare at him, her half-eaten sandwich
growing cold on her plate.

“What?”
he asked. “Do I have crumbs on my face?”

Mia
smiled softly and shook her head.

“Then
why aren’t you eating?” he asked. “It’s actually pretty good.”

She
laughed. “You can’t go wrong with grilled cheese. Well, maybe
you
can.” She laughed louder at his embellished
hurt expression. “I’m teasing you. It’s sexy when you try to cook.” She put her
plate down and turned back to him. “I’m just not that hungry,” she said.
I’m actually feeling a little nauseous.
But she couldn’t tell him that. Not yet anyway. Her stomach clenched at the
thought of their impending discussion.

Nate finished
the last of his sandwich and she got up to take their plates into the kitchen.
She started washing the few dishes they’d dirtied, not wanting them to sit
overnight, which would happen if she didn’t get it done now.

As
she rinsed the last dish, Mia jumped when strong arms suddenly wrapped around
her middle.

“Sorry,”
Nate whispered into her ear. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you heard
me.”

She
turned off the running water and leaned against him. “No, I was lost in my
head. What did you say?”

Nate leaned
down and kissed her on the back of her neck. Mia shivered. No matter where or
how many, his kiss always left her lightheaded.

“I asked
what’s for dessert,” he repeated, kissing her again.

Mia turned
in his arms, laughing. “That’s so cliché, you know.”

“What do you
mean?” he asked with mock disbelief.

She rolled
her eyes. “Oh, please. You say ‘what’s for dessert’ then I say something
ordinary and then you say something cheesy like wanting
me
for dessert.”

He looked
down at her, thoughtful. “Hmm, that does sound like something I’d say. But this
hungry man could actually still eat.”

“Oh,” Mia
said, a little embarrassed by her rash assumption. He was serious. Nate wasn’t
a small guy and could honestly still be hungry. “Well…” she began lamely, “I
don’t have anything else to feed you.”

Nate’s eyes
sparkled. “Yeah, you do,” he whispered. He placed his hands on the counter to
either side of her, trapping her between his solid frame and the sink. “I said
I could still eat.”

Mia paused,
confused. Then she laughed, recognizing the heated suggestion in his eyes.
“You’re bad,” she murmured, shoving lightly at his hard chest.

He leaned
in closer, his lips only a breath away from hers. “And you like it.”

The
brush of his lips was searing. Mia fell against him, seeking out his warmth and
the magic of his kiss. He tasted better than any meal she could have made. The soft
bite of his teeth made her tingle all over. She hungered for more.

But the
sudden rolling in her stomach took her by surprise. She shoved him away as the familiar
clenching in her throat seized her. Bolting to the bathroom, she expelled the
little food she had in her stomach.
Ugh,
how embarrassing.

Mia
rinsed her mouth and splashed cool water on her face. The brown, narrow features
staring back at her from the vanity mirror looked stark and miserable. With her
hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, her dark eyes eclipsed her slender face. She
looked as pathetic as she felt.

She
emerged from the bathroom to find Nate sitting on the couch. He looked up at
her, frowning with concern. “You okay?”

“Yeah,”
she said, falling into the seat beside him. “I think I’m getting too old to eat
such fine cuisine like chips and grilled cheese.” She leaned against his side and
he wrapped his arm around her, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead.

“I
thought that stomach bug was gone,” he said. She forgot she’d mentioned her
bouts of nausea to him when they had begun. She had initially thought her
sudden bouts of nausea had come from something she’d eaten. It was only
recently when it hadn’t gone away and she had missed her last period that she had
started to suspect.

“I
thought so too,” she said simply.

“Do
you need me to get you anything?”

She
shook her head. “I took something,” she lied.

They
cuddled on the couch, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist and she was
content to just sit there, savoring his warmth. She only had tonight before he
left for California for the rest of the week. She couldn’t wait until he got
back from his trip to tell him, yet she was in no rush to have the
conversation. This wasn’t something they’d planned and it certainly wasn’t
something they had ever discussed. They often used protection but clearly their
methods had not been successful this time around.

She could
only hope he would be happy to find out he would soon become a father. Maybe
even offer marriage. It was old-fashioned of her, but she would like to think
that he wouldn’t want to raise a child out of wedlock. They had never talked
about their future in that regard since their relationship was still budding and
she hadn’t wanted to raise the subject prematurely. His parents, however, were
married, although not quite happily, but Nate knew she valued stability and
fidelity in a relationship.