Pregnancy Plan by Tina Gayle Read Free Book Online

to pick
up.”
    Jillian stacked her dishes on the bar, and
then reached for his plate. Instead of handing it to her, he
captured her hand and guided her onto his lap.
    Slowly, he lowered his mouth to hers. He
felt parched without her lips to refresh his soul. Licking her lips
with his tongue, he plunged into the sweet warmth and fed on her,
renewing his memory of her kisses.
    His hands roamed over her shoulders, back,
waist until he felt her shiver with desire. Only then, did he raise
his head. “Sure you wouldn’t rather go upstairs?”
    She smiled, shifted out of his arms, and
stood. “You know if I do, we’ll never leave here.”
    Taking his hand, she tugged him from the
chair and pushed him toward the door. “Why don’t we get going? The
sooner we leave, the sooner we can get back.”
    At the door, he waited for her to pass and
stole a quick kiss. “I needed a few of those to hold me over.”
    “ Always glad to help a man in need.”
She walked on.
    He grabbed her from behind, and drew her
back against his chest. “Well in that case, let me tell about this
one spot...”
    “ Derek!”
    Laughingly, he kissed her on the neck and
released her. “Whose vehicle do you want to take? Yours or
mine?”
    “ Would you mind driving? You know your
way around better than I do.” He led the way to his truck, and
opened the passenger door. He waited for her to climb in, then
handed her the seat belt.
    As he walked around the truck, he remembered
how tight her baby blue sweater lay across her bust-line, how her
jeans hugged her hips. His patience already being tested, he fought
the desire to opt out of this trip. “Where do you want to go?”
    “ Why don’t we head to Valley
View?”
    “ Your wish is my command.”
    He turned the key and observed Jillian
scanning the interior. She’s trying to
guess its age. It would be hard, because his 1978
midnight blue Chevrolet truck was in pristine condition. Stroking
the black dashboard, he answered her unspoken questions. “This was
my father’s truck. He and I spent months fixing it up. After his
and Mother’s accident, I couldn’t bring myself to part with
it.”
    He backed out of the garage. “We sold off
most of their stuff. But this was the one item that I chose to
keep.” He hit the garage door remote. “Jason thinks I’m nuts for
using it. He says if I want to keep it, I should put it in storage.
But that defeats the purpose of having it.”
    “ Is it a collector’s item?”
    “ Doesn’t matter. That’s not the reason
I drive it.”
    “ Why do you?”
    “ Because it reminds me of my dad.”
Derek stared at the road, unwilling to share the feelings reflected
in his eyes.
    “ Sounds like a good enough reason to
me. That’s why I’m planning to keep the store.”
    Hurt bled into her voice and he recognized
the pain of grieving in her rigid posture. Her father hadn’t been
dead very long and she was still suffering.
    He covered her hand on the seat. “It takes a
while to get over it.” He offered a warm smile. “Doesn’t it?”
    Her eyes filled with tears. “Yes, it
does.”
    His heart broke. Holding her became a major
priority, at a stoplight, he hit the latch to free her seat belt,
tugged her across the seat, then drew her into his arms, and
reattached the buckle.
    Jillian buried her head in his shoulder. Her
tears fell on his shirt. He recalled the grief he suffered when his
parents died. No words could ease the pain. Instead, he held her
close and let her cry.
    He couldn’t remember the last time he had
comforted someone. Surprisingly, it felt good. The last several
years, he hadn’t let himself get close enough to anyone to care
about their problems, much less offer a consoling shoulder. His
relationship with her was defiantly a new experience.
    She wiped away her tears. “Sorry about
that.”
    “ No problem.” Derek smiled into her
tear-stained face. “We’re almost at the mall. Where do you want to
go first?”
    “ It doesn’t matter. I