A Little Something More Read online

  “I’ll be back by one, I promise.”

  “See you later. Love you.”

  “I love you.”

  I think I made the decision before I drifted to sleep last night. I need to find out if I am pregnant or not. I can’t keep wondering and make plans or decisions that may never be warranted.

  Ten

  The electronic bell surprises me as I push open the door to the local pharmacy. Christmas displays greet me as I take a quick look around to find the family planning section. I take in the assortment of choices that exist to find out if I’m pregnant. Early response, digital test, single or double, ovulation kits. I grab what looks like a fail-safe test and take it to the till.

  “That certainly will be a special Christmas present,” the older lady comments as she rings up the sale.

  “Pardon?”

  “Your test. I hope it goes the way you want.”

  I hand her the money with what I’m sure is a grimace covering my face.

  “Merry Christmas.”

  “Yes, Merry Christmas.” I stuff the test back in my bag and rush out of the store.

  Mum and Dad have braved the Christmas shoppers, so I have the house to myself when I arrive home. I head to the kitchen and pour a large glass of water before downing it all at once.

  A sick ball of nerves poisons my stomach and turns me into a juddering wreck. Christmas was meant to be my happy time, not something I dreaded. God, how was I going to tell Seb if I was pregnant? Would he resent me for burdening him with a baby so soon after marrying me?

  I snatch up the test and go upstairs to the bedroom. My fingers dig through the cardboard packaging for the white and blue test. I follow the instructions and then set the timer on my phone for three minutes and wait.

  It is amazing how long three minutes can be when the result will change your life forever. I pace the bedroom unable to keep still. My heart stampedes in my chest as the nerves get the better of me.

  After an age, the alarm sounds in the bathroom, ringing pleasantly as if it has good news. I grab the plastic stick and turn it over, my eyes honing in on the little box with the result.

  The blue line runs horizontally through the window. No plus sign. Not pregnant.

  A sob bursts from my chest and echoes in the bathroom. I drop the test and seal my mouth with my hand to stop any more outbursts, but it is all in vain. Tears stream from my eyes as I collapse onto our bed. I weep hard, body-wrenching tears.

  I should be happy. I didn’t want to be pregnant. I didn’t want my life with Seb to change so soon.

  “Izzy? Are you home?” I hear Mum call from the hall. I can’t control my cries enough to answer her and just continue to blub.

  “Izzy? Darling, what’s wrong?” Mum’s at the door to our room and takes one look at me before opening her arms to me.

  “Shh shh shh. What’s the matter? I’m sure it can be fixed.”

  “I’m… not… pregnant,” I stutter out.

  “Oh, dear. You don’t need to start worrying yet. I’m sure you can’t have been trying for long.” She strokes down my back trying to soothe my hysterics.

  “No. I didn’t… want to be pregnant.”

  “And now you’re sad?”

  “Yes! How can I be upset… over something I didn’t want?” I sniff as more tears trail down my face. Mum gently sways us as we sit on the edge of the bed, our arms wrapped around one another.

  I cling to my mum as I’ve never done in the past. Confusion plagues my mind as my emotions cascade through me.

  “Have you talked to Seb?”

  “No. He doesn’t even know I took a test.”

  “Why would you keep this from him?”

  “Because I don’t know how he feels about children. I didn’t want kids. I didn’t want to be pregnant. What was the point of telling him until I knew?”

  “And now you don’t know what to do or how you feel?”

  “Yes.” Another wave of sobs tumble from me at my confession. I don’t know how I feel about any of this.

  “Tuck yourself up into bed. I’ll go and bring you a cup of tea and send Seb up when he gets back. You need to talk to him about all of this.”

  “Thanks, Mum.” I gingerly unlock my hold of her and crawl into bed. She gently smoothes the hair from my face as my eyes close in emotional exhaustion. I focus on her touch and will my mind to shut off until I can talk through all of this with Seb.

  I don’t notice when she leaves, but I do notice when Seb takes her place.

  “Iz, your Mum said you needed to talk to me.” I peel my eyes open and see Seb lying on his side next to me. His eyes are more blue than green in this light, and I wonder if our children would have my eyes or his?

  My throat feels itchy and dry, and my eyes are sore from the tears, but I feel calmer than I did earlier.

  “What’s the time?” I ask.

  “Just past one. Want to tell me what’s going on? And I’d appreciate the full story now.” I don’t miss the undercurrent of annoyance from Seb. I can’t blame him.

  I pull myself up and throw myself around Seb, squeezing him so there're only the layers of our clothes between us.

  “I thought I was pregnant,” I mumble against his neck.

  “Okay. And?”

  “I’m not.” Tears creep back into my eyes and burn my throat as I struggle to keep the emotion inside.

  “Did you want us to be?”

  “No. But then I took the test, and it was negative, and I was sad.”

  “So you did want us to be.”

  “I’m not sure. All I know is that I’m feeling teary and mixed up right now, and we’ve not even talked about kids, and I’ve landed all of this on you.”

  “Baby,” Seb pulls my face from hiding, and he tilts my head up with gentle thumbs, so I’m looking into his eyes. “No, we’ve not discussed children. Would I have a baby with you? Absolutely. Would I be happy if you were pregnant now? Yes. Am I happy that you’ve kept this from me and skirted around the truth for the last week or so? No. I’m already looking forward to your punishment.”

  “I didn’t even know how I felt about all of this. I didn’t know what to say.” My defence is feeble.

  “We communicate with each other. That’s always been our rule, and when we stop following it, things get messed up. Now, want to tell me why you’re so upset?”

  Safely wrapped in Seb’s arms, and with the initial shock and questions out the way, I relax and open up about my worries and fears. I don’t leave anything out and confess how selfish I felt about having to share our time with a baby.

  “I don’t think it's selfish that you want time for us. I want that too. And lately, it’s been more difficult than it has been in the past. Life can get in the way sometimes, but we always need to make time for each other. We can work on that.”

  “So, you wouldn’t mind if we had a baby and turned our worlds upside down?”

  “I’d say that I’d rather plan for a baby and agree when we both thought the time was right for us, rather than have a surprise pregnancy. Although there is something amazingly sexy about the thought of you pregnant with my child.” Seb’s stubble grazes my cheek as he kisses my throat and neck, moving towards my lips to kiss me.

  “Do you want to have a baby, Izzy?”

  “Not in nine months, but yes. I think I do.” I smile. A sense of relief warms my heart. Seb’s answering smile has my heart bursting with love.

  “Okay then. Do you feel better now that we’ve talked?”

  “Yes. Part of me knew I should have mentioned something. But I was so unsure of how I felt. I didn’t want to say anything until I knew for sure. I didn’t expect to be this upset.” I can’t help but feel foolish for all the drama I’ve caused. Seb just keeps me cuddled to him.

  “I know it’s only Christmas Eve, but perhaps we could start our own tradition.” Seb releases me and rolls to his side of the bed and opens the top drawer. He hands me an envelope wrapped in a red satin ribbon.

>   “What’s this?” I sit up and wipe the remaining tears from my face.

  “Your Christmas gift.”

  “Are we doing gifts on Christmas Eve now, because I think I’d love you even more than I already do if we can.” My excitement bubbles over as I look between Seb and the envelope that’s burning a hole in my hands.

  “Yes, we can.” At his words, I prise the thick envelope open and pull out a glossy card with a photo of an impressive sail-shaped hotel perched on the edge of a beach. I pull the remaining folded sheets of paper from the envelope and scan the words.

  Confirmation… hotel stay… Barcelona… April…

  “We’re going to Barcelona?”

  “Yes. I thought a short break would be just what we’d want.”

  “We’ve only just come back from New York?”

  “And?”

  “I don’t know. I suppose,” my words fade on my lips. “Thank you. It looks amazing, and I can’t wait. Thank you.” I had to start accepting that Seb treated me like a princess at times and there didn’t need to be an ulterior motive.

  “You’re welcome. I meant what I said last night. We can start looking for our home. I haven’t pushed for it, but I want us settled. We can keep in mind space for children.” My eyes burn with more unshed tears. I still had to pinch myself at how different my life was now.

  “Oh, your gift. It’s under the tree.” I pull away from Seb wanting to reciprocate in our new Christmas Eve tradition.

  “No you don’t.” He pulls me back to him. “We can get it later. I want to make sure we’re good before I release you back to your parents.”

  “Oh, God, they’re still here.”

  “Yes, sweetheart,” he chortles. “They’re fine, though. They were having lunch when I came up.”

  “You’re wonderful, you know that?”

  “No, but you can keep telling me that.”

  “You always know what I need even if I don’t.”

  “That’s part of being your Husband and your Dom. It’s my job to anticipate your needs. I want you happy, Izzy. Always. We’ve come so far in the last few months. I don’t want any doubt or worry between us.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Shh, don’t be sorry. I don’t want tears. This is our first Christmas together, and although we might have company, we have a few days before the New Year to ourselves. Next year we can plan for a white Christmas in New York. What do you think?”

  “I’d like that, Sir.”

  “Happy Christmas, Izzy.”

  “Happy Christmas. Seb.”

  The End

  Next book in the series:

  Trust. A simple notion for some, but impossibly out of reach for Jessica Riley.

  The walls around her heart are built high from betrayal and years of keeping everyone at arm’s length. She’s happy with the way her life is, or so she thought.

  Hard core Dom, Lucas Clark, was immediately drawn to Jessica. As their paths continue to cross, Lucas tests Jessica’s submissive nature, as well as her steadfast resolve to keep her emotions out of her relationships. He wants more than just sex. He demands Jess’ trust. The one thing she keeps locked away.

  As their bond intensifies, Jessica fears that this Greek God will put the pieces of her heart back together. Family, marriages and ghosts of her past all plague her ability to trust her own decisions, especially the ones that revolve around love.

  A woman who’s afraid of heart break fights her own surrender against the man who doesn’t let her play it safe anymore.

  http://mybook.to/surrendertomore

  Other books by Rachel De Lune:

  An unexpected encounter in a bar promises Isabel Fields a chance to change her life. Sexual dominant Sebastian York, leads her on a passionate journey of sexual awakening that satisfies everything she’s craved.

  Their casual arrangement soon grows too confining as Sebastian ignites Isabel’s long-buried desires and touches her heart. However, Sebastian may not prove to be the love of Izzy’s life and just might leave her wanting more…

  http://mybook.to/moreevermoreseries

  What if you had everything you wanted within your grasp, but let it go?

  Isabel Fields stands on the brink of a new life. She has the Dominant/submissive relationship she craves with the man she loves, but her past continues to haunt her.

  With Isabel, Sebastian York can release the sexual Alpha Male he’d always tempered. He doesn’t intend to let her go, even when she bolts in panic. Together, both could experience the freedom to explore their relationship and sides of themselves previously stifled.

  Their love is tested when issues of trust rising from Izzy’s past marriage and her damaged heart take their toll. They may have fallen in love, but that doesn’t guarantee it will be forever more.

  Izzy and Seb have two choices: grow stronger together or be pulled apart by the past.

  http://a-fwd.com/asin=B01C9O8LR8

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