Unexpected Mates

He licked at her mouth, seeming intent on tasting every inch of it, before he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth. He nipped it as he released it, trailing his lips across her jaw to her ear. He worked his way to her ear, where he treated it to a nip that sent lightning spreading through her body from the contact. He continued the nipping and sucking down her neck, and Parker gasped as she felt her body light up.

She tugged on his hair and he returned his mouth to hers, kissing her aggressively as his hand cupped her hips and tugged her snugly against him. Well, as snug as he could get with her growing belly between them. She took the initiative and returned the nipping kisses he’d given her. That lower lip of his had taunted her for days, and now she finally had access to it.

Ty groaned as she licked at it, and she could feel the vibration of it down to her toes. Rubbing against him, trying to relieve some of the ache she felt, Parker tugged at his hair as he tangled his tongue with hers again.

He suddenly ripped his mouth from hers and pulled away, cursing softly as he paced away from her. Chest heaving for breath, Parker leaned against the wall, body feeling bereft of the touch of him against her.

Chest heaving like hers, Ty ran a hand through his hair in agitation. “I can’t do this.”

Indignation filling her, Parker willed strength into her limbs as she straightened from the wall. “What the fuck, Tyler?” Ignoring his look of surprise at her language, she ranted on. “You keep doing this. Coming onto me and then pulling away. Every time. I want you, bad, but I’m not the one initiating this. You are. You pull me close one moment and then push me away the next. Make up your damn mind already!”

The room echoed with her words. Ty looked like he was struggling for words, opening and closing his mouth. Parker’s shoulders drooped as just as suddenly as her anger had appeared, it drained out of her and hurt and sadness took its place.

“Maybe staying here wasn’t such a good idea. I can go stay at my parent’s house. We can still get to know each other, and it would stop all of this.” She moved toward the door, placing her hand on the knob but not opening it yet. Back still to him, she said, “You know, if you don’t want to touch me… If the sight of my growing belly disgusts you, you don’t have to touch me. You don’t have to kiss me. No matter how much I’ve wanted it, I never asked for it. And my belly is only going to get bigger. Maybe you should get used to that.”

Parker twisted the knob, frowning when it wouldn’t open. Looking up, she saw that Ty was there, one big arm on the door, holding it shut. He could sure move fast when he wanted to. Maybe that was a wolf thing.

“Is that what you think, Parker? That you disgust me? That your belly disgusts me?” He crowded into her, pushing the impressive erection he still sported into her back. “Does that feel like disgust to you? How could you think that?” He backed up from the door and Parker turned around to look at him.

“What else am I supposed to think, Ty? You kiss me and then pull away. And it’s usually after you’ve felt my body against yours. That first time was after you’d touched my belly with your hand.”

Ty shook his head. “Parker, no. It’s not that. Never that. You’ve always been gorgeous, but the sight of you, belly swelling with my baby… it just makes you even more beautiful. More potent. I like it. More than you can imagine.”

Parker felt relief filling her. He didn’t think she was gross. She frowned as confusion set in. “Then what is it, Ty? Why do you keep pulling away, when we both want you to keep going?”

He exhaled heavily, closing his eyes tight for a moment. “Come sit down with me and we’ll talk. Talking about emotional shit has never been a strong suit of mine, but I obviously owe you an explanation.”

Emotional shit? Well now she was even more curious. Parker walked to his bed and sat down, finally looking around her as she did so. Ty’s room was as masculine as he was, all browns and navy blues, and stark. There were no decorations, no pictures on the walls. Just furniture. The bed dipped as Ty sat down, and Parker turned sideways to face him.

“Okay, so… it’s.. well…” Ty groaned, running his hands through his hair and tugging on the strands in frustration.

“What is it, Ty? You know you can tell me anything,” she said softly.

Ty sighed. “I think I need to give you some backstory so you understand why I feel this way.”

“Okay. Go on.”

“I’ve never talked about this before, so bear with me. Do you remember Cassie Larson?”

“I remember her. She was always one of the nicer girls in school, even though she was one of the popular crowd. She dated Jared Montgomery.”

One side of Ty’s mouth kicked up in a half smile. “Yeah, that sounds like her. Me, Cassie and Jared were close. Best friends. And yeah, she was with Jared, but I… Well, I loved her, too.”

Parker sucked in a breath. That, she hadn’t known. She was going up against some steep competition, even though she knew Cassie had passed away three or four years ago. Cassie had been everything Parker wasn’t. Gregarious and outgoing, she’d had an effervescent personality and had never met a stranger. Not to mention, she’d been beautiful, unlike Parker, who had always been on the plain side. Cassie had been curvy, too, but she’d had pleasing curves, not like Parker’s overblown ones, what most would call on the chubby side.

Oh yeah. She couldn’t compete with that.

“She chose Jared, of course,” Ty continued. “I never really thought she’d choose me, but I had to try. I never held it against either of them, though. They loved each other, and I wanted them to be happy.” He paused for a moment before taking a breath and then carrying on. “About four years ago, Cassie became pregnant. And then… she died. The baby died. Both of them, gone in the blink of an eye.”

Parker sucked in a breath. She’d forgotten that part, that Cassie had been pregnant when she died. This explained so much about Ty’s overreactions when he thought she was doing too much.

“I’m sure you’ve probably pieced together some shit,” Ty said. She snapped her eyes to him and saw that he was wearing a wry smile. “Why I flip my shit when I think you’re doing something that could hurt you or the baby. Hu—pregnant women are fragile. You could get hurt or lose the baby so easily. So much could happen.”

Parker reached over and laid her hand on his clenched fist. “There’s always a risk, but the likelihood is actually very small, Ty. I don’t take risks. The things you’ve worried about me doing are nothing. I would never, ever, do anything that might harm this baby.” Her other hand went to her belly and she watched as Ty’s eyes followed the movement. “I love him or her already. I’d die for this baby.”

His eyes snapped to hers. “Don’t say that. Neither one of you are going to die.”

Parker winced. She hadn’t meant to say it like that, not just after learning of his love for Cassie and her passing away while she was pregnant. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking when I said that, but you see what I’m getting at here.”