More Than He Expected. Andrea Laurence

it away … I just couldn’t do it.”

      Gwen tried not to frown at Sabine. She probably didn’t realize how her words would affect her. But they struck a chord. Gwen had never been interested in having a family of her own. She’d spent too much of her childhood being pushed aside by her mother when a new man came into her life. She wasn’t about to do that to a child of her own. Acting as a surrogate seemed like an intriguing opportunity. Since she’d never thought she’d have kids, she’d never thought she would experience pregnancy.

      Never once did she consider that she’d form an emotional attachment to another person’s child. But Sabine was right. She’d underestimated what it was like to have life growing inside her. The moment she’d felt the first flutter in her stomach, Peanut had become a real person to her. She’d gotten in the habit of talking to the baby when she was alone in her apartment. She was the one who helped Gwen pick out what she would have for lunch. The silent child had become her main companion when her crowd of bar-hopping friends didn’t know how to act around her anymore.

      Gwen hadn’t really realized it until that moment, but she had bonded with the baby. With four more months to go, how much worse would it get? She didn’t even want to think about it. She was too prone to getting emotional lately.

      Confused, she turned away from Sabine and found Alex watching her from across the patio. He was leaning casually against one of the white wooden posts, while either Jack or Wade, she couldn’t be sure, talked to him. But he wasn’t looking at them or even pretending to. He was looking at her. There was an intensity in his hazel eyes, but there was something different there than the desire he’d directed at her in the past. It almost felt like admiration, although she had no idea why Alex would look at her that way. She was pregnant, broke and overworked. That was no condition to admire.

      “He is one sexy piece of man,” Sabine commented, still oblivious to the effect her words had on Gwen.

      The comment startled Gwen into turning back to the woman beside her. Sabine’s gaze was focused exactly in Alex’s direction. Gwen had no claim to him, but the thought of him and Sabine together brought on a surge of jealousy that chased away the last of her confusing emotions. She opted to play dumb. “Who? Wade?”

      “No, the guy who came late. Alex.”

      “Ahh,” Gwen said, not trusting herself to comment further without sounding either bitter or jealous to the other woman’s ears.

      “Pity for me, but I think he’s into you.”

      That perked Gwen’s attention. Her head snapped toward him, but he had returned to his conversation. “Why would you say that?”

      “Because he keeps watching you.”

      “Maybe I’m just funny-looking.” She sighed.

      “Nope,” Sabine said with certainty. “When you’re not watching, he’s looking at you like you’re the sweetest strawberry tart in the bakery window. He definitely wants a taste.”

      Gwen subconsciously stroked her rounded stomach and shook her head. “I appreciate you thinking so, but somehow I doubt he wants to take a bite out of this.”

      At that, Sabine cracked a crooked, knowing grin. “Oh, he does,” she assured.

      “Well, even if that were true, my life is a little complicated right now. I’m not interested.”

      Sabine laughed and shook her head. “I hardly think that matters. I’ve had my share of experience with those rich, cocky types. They get what they want, and they don’t care who they have to roll over in the process. If I were you, I’d let him have his way with you. And let me tell you something if you don’t already know. Between all the hormones and the increased blood flow, sex in the second trimester can be absolutely mind-blowing. I bet that in the experienced hands of a man like Alex, you can multiply that by ten at least.”

      Gwen’s jaw dropped open, but she didn’t have the words to respond. Instead, she shifted her gaze back to Alex. This time he was watching her, and his obvious, heated appraisal was enough to send a surprising surge of desire down her spine.

      Well, hell. She hadn’t counted on him still being attracted to her. That certainly complicated things.

      Willpower, she reminded herself as she sucked in a deep breath and began fidgeting with her bracelet. She was on a man-break, and Alex was just the kind of man who had necessitated the break to begin with. Her attraction to him was nothing more than hormones and months of celibacy conspiring against her. But she could fight it. She had to. It didn’t matter what Alex wanted. He couldn’t just snap his fingers and get his way.

      And yet, as she looked at him across the patio, Gwen was fairly certain her celibacy streak was on the verge of coming to a wild, passionate end.

       Three

      By the time Gwen had taken the last bite of her dinner, she thought she might literally burst. She’d recently regained her appetite, and everything tasted so good, she couldn’t help herself. She’d had a grilled chicken breast and a cheeseburger in addition to the array of sides Adrienne had prepared. She was stuffed.

      At least for an hour or so.

      Given that Alex was watching her with his predatory gaze the whole time, she probably should’ve curbed her ravenous appetite and picked delicately at her food, but Peanut would have her way. After a rough first trimester living on saltines and lemon-lime soda, the hunger and the ability to keep it down were welcome. Even if the extra pounds were not. The doctor said she was right on track with her weight gain, but after a lifetime of trying to get smaller, not bigger, it was hard to change how she thought about things.

      After they were done eating, several of the ladies started rounding up dishes, and the guys went inside for what promised to be a rowdy and high-stakes game of poker. Gwen scooped up her plate and a nearby bowl of potato salad and followed the other women into the kitchen.

      “What are you doing?” Helena chided, snatching the items away from her the moment she crossed the threshold into the house. “You need to rest.”

      Gwen frowned. “I’m pregnant, not paralyzed. If washing dishes is hazardous to my condition, someone needs to tell me, because I’ve been doing it the whole time.”

      “Of course not. But take the opportunity to relax for once,” Adrienne said, brushing past her with a platter and another bowl. “We can handle it.”

      The cherry-and-granite kitchen was quite large, but even Gwen realized that the four women already in there were bumping elbows and dancing around to clean up. A fifth one with a protruding belly probably wouldn’t be much help.

      With a sigh, she snatched one of her favorite peppermint candies from the bag she left on the counter, turned, and went back outside. The sun had set, but the sky was still bright with orange-and-red hues streaking across it. Beyond the pool and the expansive lawn that extended on both sides of the house, she spied the boathouse and pier that led out into the harbor.

      A walk would probably help things settle, she decided. She slipped out of her sandals and kicked them to the side, then headed across the perfectly manicured lawn. The blades of grass were soft and cool, welcoming the bottoms of her feet to sink into them. It was a beautiful evening, one like she hadn’t experienced in a long time. Along the tree line, she could see the blinking dance of fireflies as they appeared for the night. The breeze coming off the water was warm and salty, mingling with the scent of freshly mown grass.

      It reminded her of her home in Tennessee. There, of course, the water was the creek that ran behind her grandparents’ house, but the grass and the flashing lightning bugs were just the same. She had the urge to climb into the tire swing her Paw-Paw had hung for her and sway for hours, as she used to.

      For a brief moment, Gwen was overcome with homesickness. She loved Manhattan—the energy, the excitement, the culture. But it had never felt like home to her. It made her wonder if she ever would’ve left Tennessee if it hadn’t