Warning Track

  “Parker!” Margo shouted as she twisted under him, making her shirt lift up, showing off her white lace panties and bare stomach.

  Parker slowed down his fingers as he took in the sight below him. Her smile, the lightness in her eyes, her beautiful body, it was all too much for him to handle. Instead of continuing to tickle her, he placed his hands on both sides of her head and slowly lowered his head as the light atmosphere between them suddenly turned serious.

  The smile that once graced Margo’s face vanished as Parker brought his mouth down to hers. Unsure how she was going to react, Parker moved slowly, just in case she wanted to turn him away, but she surprised him when she ran her hands up his arms to his face as she gripped his cheeks and pulled him down closer.

  Tentatively, their lips met as they glided closer and closer together. The feel of her lips against his was a sensation he had never experienced before. He had done his fair share of kissing, but Margo was different. Her lips felt different, they were fuller, softer and bewitching. She took over his entire soul with one kiss of her luscious lips.

  Regretfully, Parker pulled away as he looked down at her. He couldn’t help but stare into her eyes and admire the sweet beauty that radiated off of her. She was gorgeous, even more gorgeous in the morning when her eyes were sleepy and her hair was disheveled; she was every man’s dream.

  “I like you, Margo.”

  “I like you too, Kirbs,” Margo smiled.

  “No, Margo, I like you, like I want to spend every night with you, fighting over blankets and every morning with you, kissing you like this. I don’t want to be just friends.”

  “I kind of gathered that,” she teased, as she ran her hand down to his arousal, making him jerk away.

  “Hey, watch it woman. You can’t go around grabbing men’s junk.”

  “Really? I’ve never had a problem in the past.” A light smirk crossed Margo’s face as she looked up at him.

  “I’m going to let that comment slide because the last thing I want to think about right now is you grabbing other men’s junk, but that’s your warning. From now on, there’s only one man’s junk you are allowed to think about.”

  “Zac Efron’s?” Margo asked with a crinkled nose.

  “That’s it!” Parker attacked her body again, making her beg for mercy as he tickled her sides, armpits and behind her knees. She kicked, screamed, laughed and even laugh-cried as Parker didn’t let up.

  “Parker, please!”

  “Say it.”

  “Say what?” Margo laughed as she squirmed beneath him.

  “Say you will go on a real date with me.”

  “That’s bribery,” she giggled.

  “Any way to get you alone and possibly in my bed, I’ll take.”

  “Fine! If I have to,” Margo smiled as Parker let up. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. But when she did, she pulled herself up and met his face with hers as he sat on top of her legs. She grabbed his face with her hands and placed a light kiss on his lips. “You don’t have to bribe me to go on a date, or get me into your bed,” she said softly. “Didn’t you know, Parker? You’ve owned my heart since college, since the moment Lexi introduced you to me.”

  “Margo…” Parker breathed out as he took her lips with his, showing her how much her confession meant to him, how happy she was making him, how much the moment they were sharing would go down in his books as one of the best moments of his life. Even though their new-found relationship was a couple of days old, it felt like they’d always been together in some form, like they’d always belonged to each other.

  “I have to pee,” Margo said shyly as she pulled away. Parker laughed as he got off of her and watched her cute ass sway to the bathroom.

  Parker called out to Margo and asked, “Are you available tonight?”

  Hearing Margo go to the bathroom should have been a serious turn-off, but the fact that she was so comfortable with peeing with him hearing her in the next room actually did something weird to his belly. The empty feeling he had in the pit of his stomach when he was in Atlanta started to fill, thanks to Margo. She was filling a void he’d been missing and he was going to do his damndest to make sure it stayed that way.

  “I have an event tonight, actually, can I get a rain check?” Margo called out as she washed her hands. She appeared at the doorway once she was done and slowly walked toward Parker. His Braves shirt was incredibly too big for her, but it looked so damn good on her. He was going to have to kiss that shirt goodbye because there was no way it was going to belong on anyone else’s body but hers after she wore it.

  Margo came up and sat down on Parker’s lap as she played with the hair on the back of his head. He wrapped his hands around her waist and said, “Tomorrow night then? I want to take you out.”

  “I think I can make the time,” she teased.

  “And tonight, after your event, will you come back here?”

  “I feel kind of weird being in Jake and Lexi’s house when they’re not home. I mean, I swim here on my lunch break, but spending the night, watching their TV, using their bathrooms, it just seems so weird.”

  “Okay…” Parker said, as he felt a little deflated.

  “But, there’s always room over at my apartment. It’s a bit small and doesn’t have an ocean view, but…”

  “Yes,” Parker cut her off and placed a kiss on her lips. “Yes, tell me the address and I’ll be sure to be naked when you get home.”

  Margo swatted his chest and said, “If this is going to work, whatever this is between us, we’re going to take our time, you horn dog.”

  “Can you blame me?” Parker asked as he squeezed Margo. “You’re fucking hot, how can a guy not think about being naked around you?”

  “Charming.”

  “It’s the truth, babe.”

  Rolling her eyes, she got off his lap and said, “You’re a bad host, you know? I’ve been awake for at least twenty minutes and you have yet to offer me breakfast in bed.”

  “Oh, is that how this is going to work?”

  “If you want to get naked at some point…yeah,” she teased. “You need to start earning yourself some brownie points if you want to get into these panties.”

  Parker smiled as he looked her up and down. “Oh, I am going to enjoy this.”

  Chapter Eight

  **Lucy**

  Lucy sat straight up in bed as she gripped the side of her stomach. A sheen of sweat coated her skin as an intense stabbing sensation ran through her body. She groaned as she breathed heavily, trying to breathe out the pain, hoping it wasn’t what she thought it was. She was only a little over four months pregnant. She couldn’t be having contractions, right?

  Another ripple of pain ran through her stomach, this time making her squeal, waking the man beside her. At first he was disoriented, but once he saw Lucy grabbing her stomach and wincing in pain, his overprotective instincts kicked in.

  “Love, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” concern laced Connor’s voice as he rubbed his eyes, trying to focus.

  Lucy shook her head no as she gripped her stomach again.

  “No, something is happening.”

  Immediately, Connor was out of bed and throwing on a pair of jeans as he hopped around the room looking for shoes. If Lucy wasn’t so scared, she would have thought the scene in front of her was comical.

  As Connor scrambled around the room for clothing, Lucy held her stomach and prayed that the baby was okay. She had never experienced such ricocheting pain before, so trying to keep down the thoughts of something going wrong with the baby was next to impossible. Tears started to fall down her face as she thought about her baby…losing her baby. The thought was debilitating.

  “Love, don’t cry,” Connor said, as he came up next to her and brushed her hair out of her face. His voice was calm as he spoke, “Let’s get you into a pair of pants and then into the car. I’ll call the doctor on our way, okay?”

  Lucy nodded her head as she let Connor take charge. He
put her clothes on, a pair of sandals, and even carried her to the car where he buckled her up and ran to his side of the car. As they drove to the hospital, Connor held her hand, lightly stroking her knuckles with his thumb, while saying soothing words.

  “We need to call Austin,” Lucy said, remembering that this parenting thing was a threesome. Connor’s jaw tightened as Lucy pulled out her phone, but she didn’t care, because Austin deserved to know that they were headed to the hospital.

  She dialed his phone number and waited for him to pick up. After three rings, she heard shuffling on the other end and then a groggy voice came through, “Hello?”

  “Austin, its Lucy.”

  “Lucy, do you realize what time it is?” Talk about serious morning voice, Lucy could barely understand what he was saying.

  “We’re on the way to the hospital. I’m having some really bad cramping.”

  “Like you need to poop?” Austin asked, completely oblivious.

  “No, not like I need to poop.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Connor grip the steering wheel harder, indicating that he was not the least bit happy. She would have to deal with him later. “It’s a sharp pain in my stomach and I’m afraid…” Lucy choked on a sob. The noise strangling from her voice brought Connor’s hand to her leg, to reassure her that he was there for her.

  “Say no more, babe. I’ll be there shortly. Is that dickhead at least taking you?”

  “Yes, Connor is driving.”

  “At least he’s good for something. See you in a bit, Luce. Hang in there. I’ll be there shortly.”

  Lucy sighed as she hung up the phone and held it close to her chest. She didn’t know why, but she was happy Austin cared enough to come to the hospital, especially after their last encounter. She wasn’t sure if Austin even cared to be a part of the baby’s life, but after just hearing the worry in his voice, she knew he was just as much in this new adventure as she and Connor were.

  “Is he on his way?” Connor asked in a clipped tone.

  “Yes,” Lucy said, as she looked out the window, watching the early morning joggers hit the pavement of the city of Atlanta.

  The rest of their drive, the time in the waiting room, and their wait in the examination room passed in silence. Lucy had never felt more awkward around Connor before and there was only one reason why and he just burst through the examination room door.

  “Luce, you okay?” Austin asked, as he ran up next to her and grabbed her hand. Lucy didn’t even have to look at Connor to know he was seething and clenching his fists, just begging to plow Austin into the ground.

  “I’m doing better; the cramping has calmed down, but I still feel like I might puke from the pain.

  Austin kissed her hand and said, “I’m glad you called me. If there’s anything you need, just let me know.”

  “I’ve got it covered,” Connor said through gritted teeth.

  “Clearly you don’t if Lucy’s calling me. Is he taking care of you, babe?”

  Lucy didn’t get a chance to say anything because Connor blew right past her and got in Austin’s face.

  “She called you out of common courtesy, asshole, not because she needed you. She doesn’t need you for anything because she has me. And if you call her ‘babe’ one more time I’ll shove my fist so far up your ass, you’ll be tasting your own shit on my knuckles for breakfast. Got it?”

  Austin stood up, but didn’t back down from Connor’s invasion of his personal space. If Lucy had a better angle, she would have sworn their noses were so close they could be giving each other Eskimo kisses.

  “You choose to forget that I knew Lucy way before you; she will always come to me, no matter what. It’s the way it works when you have a history like ours, so it’s about time you figured that out, lover boy.” Austin gently pushed Connor’s shoulder, not really moving him, but letting him know he better back the fuck off.

  Connor raised his hand, but right before he could do anything, the doctor knocked on the door. The tension in the room was unmistakable as Doctor Cuevas walked in the room. The last time they were altogether, Dr. Cuevas lectured both Connor and Austin about working their differences out so they didn’t put too much stress on Lucy and the baby, but apparently they didn’t listen very well because the look in Dr. Cuevas’ eyes was scary. You could tell her Latin blood was flaring.

  “Do I even need to ask?” she said, while flipping through her clipboard.

  Connor cleared his throat and said, “Lucy woke up this morning experiencing sharp pains, almost like contractions. She had a hard time breathing; it was all kind of scary,” Connor murmured as his hand pulled on the back of his neck. Lucy reached over and entwined her fingers with his, letting him know that, even though it was scary, she was still with him.

  “Let’s see what’s going on,” Doctor Cuevas said as she pulled up her chair and started to lift Lucy’s gown.

  “I suggest you keep your eyes above Lucy’s waist,” Connor said, as Austin started leaning forward to get a look at what the doctor was seeing.

  “Not like I haven’t been down there before.”

  “Listen, fucker…”

  “Connor,” Lucy cut in. “Come here.” She pulled him closer to her and then looked over at Austin. “Please come up closer to my head; I’m not comfortable with you exploring down there.”

  “Whatever, you better get used to it because I’m not going to miss my baby coming out.”

  It felt like Connor was going to hop over Lucy to tackle Austin, but Lucy held on tight to Connor’s hand as the doctor examined her.

  After some basic conversation about her symptoms and an ultrasound, everything checked out fine, which was a relief because Lucy was really scared earlier. She wouldn’t know what to do if she lost her baby; she couldn’t even think about it. Even though the little life growing inside of her might have put a slight strain on her relationship with Connor, she would never take it back because she was in love, not only with Connor, but with the life that was growing inside of her.

  Dr. Cuevas took off her glove and looked up at Lucy. “I think you experienced some Braxton Hicks contractions. Pretty normal, but very scary, so I can understand your concern and you did the right thing by coming in to see me.” She looked over at Connor and said, “Good job.” Connor just nodded his head.

  “Is there a reason why I’m having these contractions? Does it mean the baby is coming?”

  “No, not at all. Braxton Hicks is a normal occurrence that can be caused by different things. Have you been drinking enough water?”

  Feeling bashful, Lucy shook her head no. “I sometimes forget. I’m really busy…”

  “Well, fuck, if you were living with me, I’d make sure you were constantly drinking water,” Austin said as he looked down at his shoes.

  “It’s not Connor’s fault, Austin. He takes care of me better than I could even ask for.”

  “Obviously not if you’re lying here, dehydrated.”

  “Listen…” Connor started, but Dr. Cuevas interrupted him.

  “Stop.” She stood up and grabbed a bag of liquid from a cabinet as well as an IV. “I’m going to pump Lucy with some fluids so she can quickly rehydrate; it’s the fastest way to get some fluids into her system.”

  “Will it be alright for the baby?” Connor asked, concerned, making Lucy’s heart flutter.

  “Of course it is, dipshit, that’s why she’d doing it,” Austin cut in.

  “I wasn’t asking you…”

  “Enough!” Dr. Cuevas shouted. She leaned out the door and called a nurse so the nurse could take care of the IV. The doctor stood up and looked at both Connor and Austin, her face growing serious as the nurse started prepping Lucy’s arm. “Listen up, men, I’m not going to tolerate the bickering between you two anymore. I’m going to be straight with you, Lucy’s blood pressure is too high, high enough that I’m considering on putting her on bed rest because her health and the baby’s is at risk. Since we’ve been here and since you’ve been yelling a
t each other, her pulse has kicked up, so you are not only giving us all headaches, but you are physically hurting her.”

  Lucy’s stomach flipped at the thought of having to go on bed rest; there was no way she wanted to be stuck in bed for the next five months. Fuck no!

  “If her blood pressure gets too high, she’s at risk of getting preeclampsia, which is not what we want. That will leave us with very few options and the possibility of delivering the baby too soon. So, what I suggest is that if you two can’t be in the same room, you take turns or you just fake it because we are all here for a reason, to make sure Lucy and the baby stay healthy for the next five months. If you can’t set aside your differences for that reason, then maybe you shouldn’t be a part of this little miracle.”

  Lucy felt her throat tighten as she listened to her doctor put the two men in her life in place. She had never wanted to kiss her doctor more because, until that moment, she really hadn’t realized how stressed she was about Connor and Austin. A wave of relief washed over her as Dr. Cuevas took charge and told Austin and Connor what she expected from them.

  “Do we have an understanding, gentlemen?”

  “Yes,” they both said in unison, neither of them looking up at the doctor. Lucy hid her smile as she watched two very strong and overbearing men brought down by a little Latina.

  **Molly**

  The bed was cold as Molly moved around in the sheets, trying to feel the warmth of Luke that was nonexistent. Her eyes stayed closed as she continued to feel around, but she was finally coming to the realization that Luke wasn’t next to her. The thought that the night before might all have been a dream crossed her mind, but she knew that wasn’t true because her muscles were sore in all the right ways. She’d definitely had a reunion with Luke, but it was short-lived as she now lay in bed alone.

  Turning to her side, Molly opened her eyes and looked at the picture of Luke that sat on her night stand. It was a picture of him in his dress blues next to an American flag, the typical army photo, but unlike other ones she had seen, Luke was actually smiling. There was something so sexy about a man who wasn’t afraid to smile for a picture.