Wilde For You (The Wilde Sisters Book 3) (5 page)

“I have some family things going on right now.”

“What does that have to do with us having sex?”

So the man wasn’t going to let her off easy. Damn, he sounded just like her. “My sister Thyme can’t have kids. She and her husband want them. Desperately.”

He took out his phone and checked the time. A move she would have done, being in his situation. She almost laughed. “Thyme’s uterus is broken but mine isn’t. I’m having her baby.”

Luke opened his mouth. Shut it. Cocked his head. “Come again?”

“I’m their surrogate. It’s Thyme and Grayson’s baby, I’m just carrying the kids. Anyway, not to get too medicalish on you, just a few days before we were…well, right before we were going to have sex I realized that I could ruin it for them if I got pregnant before their sperm and egg combo had a chance to latch on. I couldn’t chance that. I didn’t know if the procedure had worked. Only time would tell. And then you came along and looked all sexy and my hormones were out of whack and I wanted to have sex with you, and almost did, but I needed to be sure that Thyme and Grayson’s baby was growing in me, not mine. Not yours. So it wasn’t about you, but about them.”

Gah, she wasn’t a rambler. Being pregnant with Thyme’s babies made Sage start to sound like her. Next thing she knew she’d be falling in love and wanting the two point five kids herself. Barf.

Luke’s stare warmed her from her knit-covered head to her three-inch-heeled Prada boots. “And what do you get out of this deal?” At some point during her rambling fest he had picked up her chilled hands and warmed them between his large, calloused palms.

She shrugged. “A sister who’s not whiny and moping about not having babies?”

Luke dropped her hands, picked up the ends of her scarf, and pulled her towards him. “The Ice Princess has a heart,” he said right before he laid his warm lips on hers. The kiss wasn’t hard and rough like she normally liked. He tasted like coffee and mint. And Luke. His hands left her scarf to pull her on his lap. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her tight while he kissed her. Not passionately, but sweetly.

And she liked it. Really, really liked it. Sage leaned into him and ground her butt against his thighs, enjoying the warmth and hardness beneath her. Holding on to his shoulders for support, she kissed him back with a surge of passion that was unfamiliar to her.

Which wasn’t good. Sage didn’t do sweet. Things needed to change. Fast. She pulled back and smiled. “I’m pregnant, so we can have sex now.”

It was the most bizarre come-on line she’d ever said and he laughed. A loud, obnoxious, barking laugh. He almost had tears in his eyes.

“You still want to have sex, right?”

“I’ve never had sex with a pregnant woman.”

“Me either.” He smirked at her. “I mean, I’ve never had sex while being pregnant. I hear it’s pretty fantastic.”

“Is it…is it safe to…?”

Sage cupped her hands on either side of his face. “I’ve done my research. It’s safe and healthy.”

“I won’t…poke the baby?”

Sage laughed again. “A little arrogant, are we?” She wiggled her butt on his lap, feeling just how much he wanted her.

She lowered her face to his and sucked his bottom lip in her mouth. Someone moaned. And someone called out his name.

“Riley. Get your ass back here. We got a 911 chimney fire on Oak Street.”

Luke stood, nearly dropping Sage to the pavement, and looked down at her with regret. “I have to go. We’ll pick up where we left off.” He leaned down and kissed her quickly before taking off at a run for the fire station and she cursed her damn luck.

***

Sage kept herself busy with appointments, phone calls, and spreadsheets. She didn’t think about Luke. Didn’t watch the clock. Didn’t jump every time her phone rang. Or at least that’s what she told herself. Never one to wait for a man, or care one way or another if he called, she found the edginess she felt in her chest was unchartered territory.

Damn pregnancy hormones. Had she met Luke Riley three months ago he wouldn’t have had this effect on her. Sage cursed. She
had
met him three months ago; still, it was this whole situation that made her hornier than usual. And that’s all these feelings were. Estrogen. Hormones. Sex. Blue-collar men with bulging muscles weren’t normally on her radar but since this one was, there was nothing wrong with her taking advantage of what he had to offer.

Her phone rang, making her jump again. Her core was getting a new kind of workout. Rolling her eyes when she read the caller ID, Sage clicked
speakerphone
and continued working on her spreadsheet.

“What’s up?”

“How are you feeling?”

“Fine.”

“Oh.” Thyme sounded disappointed. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.”
Click, click, click,
she typed away on her keyboard.

“Am I calling at a bad time?”

“I’m working.”

“You’re always working.”

“Some people never work.”

“Are you mad at me?”

Sage sighed, saved her work, and picked up her phone, turning the speaker off. “Thyme, you have to stop checking on me. It’s annoying.”

An unusual silence filled the phone line. And then a sniff. Damn. Sage never cared about making her sister mad, but crying? The girl rarely cried. Maybe the pregnancy hormones were contagious. “Seriously, I’m fine.”

“Are you still having morning sickness?”

“Nope. But evening sickness is sure a downer. Can’t keep my dinner down.”

“Have you told Dr.—”

“I don’t have to call Dr. Whitmore for everything. Puking is normal. There’s nothing else to tell. I look the same. Feel the same.” Other than the after dinner special and the raging hormones. “Until I get fat, there’s nothing to see.”

“Okay.” She sounded disappointed. Sage wasn’t one to care about her sister’s feelings, but this situation was different. “Did you want to come over and rub my belly or something?”

“Can I?” She truly sounded excited.

“Yeah. Sure.” Chances were Luke was working all night so there’d be no booty call anyway. They hadn’t seen each other since their make-out session on the street yesterday. He’d sent her a text late last night to let her know he was working a twenty-four-hour shift and he’d call her when he got off.

Realizing her mind wasn’t on work, Sage changed into yoga pants and a sports bra and did an hour of Pilates in her living room. She opened a bottle of water and got half of it down before her doorbell rang. “It’s open,” she called from the kitchen.

“I brought food. Do you have tea?” Thyme unpacked a tub of hummus, tabouli, high fiber whole grain crackers, and a bunch of grapes.

Gah. They were turning into old maids. She’d much rather have a pitcher of margaritas and nachos. “Got any burgers in there?”

“Since you’ve been getting sick at night I thought a lighter dinner might help.”

“You’re turning into Rayne.” Thyme was never the caretaker. Rayne fed, babied, nursed, and worried enough for the three of them. Sage bossed. Thyme did her own thing. They each had their sister roles and now her little, bratty sister was turning the tables on things.

“She’s coming too. She has dessert.”

“Plain Greek yogurt and blueberries.” Rayne had let herself in and held up her idea of a sugary sweet. Ironic that she married a man who owned a bakery, yet Rayne didn’t do sweets. Having a weight problem in her teen years scarred her. Now she was a successful fitness instructor and owned her own gym. Sage attended classes when she could squeeze them around her crazy schedule.

Thyme often filled in at the fitness studio and taught a Zumba or kickboxing class when Rayne was down an instructor. Rubbing her belly, Sage thought she felt the beginning of a paunch. She’d need to make a point to fit in some more classes.

“You’re…growing?” Thyme’s eyes were fixed on Sage’s belly.

Sage looked down at her naked midriff. She should have put a shirt on before her meddling sisters came over. “Do I look fat to you?”

“I didn’t say you were fat.”

“You implied it.”

“Did not.”

“Did too.”

“Girls,” Rayne reprimanded. “Sage, you’re pregnant. You’re not fat, nor will you ever be. Thyme.” She turned to her other sister. “Give Sage time to adapt. This is all very new. And very…unSage.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sage stuck her hands on her hips and scowled at Rayne.

“You’ve never expressed an interest in having a child. So your being pregnant is quite shocking.”

“I don’t want kids. Nothing’s changed.” Sage ripped off the top of the hummus and tore open the bag of crackers. Hell, it was her house and she didn’t need to be invited to eat.

“You don’t have to be so bitchy about everything. Can’t you be nice for once in your life?”

“I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to do. You’re blocking my fridge. So pour me some iced tea.”

Thyme opened the fridge and pulled out the pitcher of tea. She grabbed a glass from the cabinet, slammed the door shut, sloshed the tea in the glass, and stuck it out for Sage, spilling some of it on the floor.

“You make a mess, you clean it up.” Sage took the tea from her sister and guzzled half the glass. “Aw, shit.” She ran to the bathroom and puked up the crackers she just ate.

“Oh, sweetie.” Rayne stood behind her, rubbing her back.

“Leave me alone. I’m fine.” Not accustomed to being the weak sister, she shrugged off Rayne’s touch and grabbed some toilet paper to dab her mouth.

“I know. I know.”

Thankfully her yacking sessions were quick, but still annoying. Sage stood and went to the sink to rinse her mouth and wash her hands. “I’m good.” She brushed past her sister and made her way back to the kitchen. “Where were we?”

“Thyme was accusing you of never doing anything nice and you were telling her you could do whatever you want,” Rayne said from behind her.

Thyme crossed her arms and leaned against the counter, a winning smirk on her face.

“Don’t look at me like that, little sister.”

“You two are pathetic.” Rayne pulled Sage and Thyme in for a group hug. “Listen to yourselves. Thyme, yes, Sage has always been a selfish person, but I’d say this act of kindness makes up for a few of the mean things she’s done to you over the years.” Thyme lowered her head. “And Sage. No one in the world could make you do anything you didn’t want to do. So the fact that you came up with this idea to carry your sister’s child for nine months shows how much you love her. You may not say it, but you do. And I know you love me too.”

“Who doesn’t love you? You’re perfect,” Sage snipped.

“Far from it. I am a nice person but I don’t know if I’d ever come up with the idea to be a surrogate. That goes above and beyond the call of sisterly duty.”

Sage shrugged out of the group hug. “I’m hungry.” She made herself a plate of food and plopped herself on the barstool.

Sage’s phone rang and she jumped to find it. Following the ringing, she made her way to the living room and pulled it out of her purse. The caller ID glowed and she couldn’t help but smile. “Hi.”

“Hi yourself.”

Sage chewed on her lip and turned her back on her curious sisters. “Rough day in the office?”

“You could say that.” Luke sounded tired. “I don’t really have time to talk, but I wanted to hear your voice.”

“Oh.” That was sweet. Sage didn’t do sweet. Rayne and Thyme did sweet. What the hell was she doing with this man?

“Listen, I’m on my way back to the station and not sure if I can call you later. I’m pulling an all-nighter.”

“That’s okay. Stay safe.”

“Thanks. You too.” He hung up before she did. Another first.

Relaxing her smile and gathering her composure, she set her phone on the coffee table and headed back to the kitchen, trying hard to mask the giddiness in her chest.

“Who was that?” Thyme grinned.

“No one.”

“Then why are you blushing? You never blush.”

“Shut up.”

“Girls,” Rayne intervened.

“Sage has a boyfriend.”

“No I don’t.”

“A crush,” Thyme teased.

“He’s a guy I’m going to have sex with. That’s it.”

Thyme’s expression sobered. “Don’t do anything that would hurt the babies. Please.”

Sage rolled her eyes. “I’m not into the BDSM crap. Sex is perfectly fine when you’re pregnant. Right, Rayne?”

Rayne smiled. “Oh, it’s perfectly fine all right.”

“Gross.” Sage tore off a few grapes and popped them in her mouth.

“But seriously, Sage. You shouldn’t be sleeping around. Sex with someone you know and trust and care about is fine but…”

“Save me the lecture, Mother Theresa. I’m not out whoring. It’s just a guy. When I’m done with him I’ll be done with sex for a while. I’m not going to be raking in the men once I start showing.”

“So this guy. Does he have a name?” Thyme asked.