Something in the Air

Something in the Air - Chapter 8

Vaughn, The Same Evening

Lauren grinned ironically next to me. ”Oh, stop it, it's not that funny?"

Lauren was my date and visiting for a couple of days here in London while I was off duty. We hooked up when we could, and her life was just as rootless as mine. She was a model in Paris, and our so-called arrangement worked out for us. We could have hot heated s*x and part ways without any expectations.

”You look like someone who's seen a ghost. Who is she?” She lifted her eyebrow in a question.

”I almost have.” I scratched the scruff on my chin.

”I wonder if her baby-daddy is here tonight?” Lauren smiled a cat-who-ate-the-canary smile. ”Such a pretty mother-to-be will not be single for long.” She reached up to tangle her hand in my hair. Abruptly I took a step back. Her caress burned me. It wasn't her hands I needed to feel, not anymore.

”Lauren, I honestly don't know, but I have to talk to her. Can we call it a night? I will make it up to you, I swear.” I prayed.

Lauren took a sip of her cosmopolitan.

“I don't want to, I've looked so much forward to our evening together. I know I'm not entitled to be jealous.”

”I haven't seen Emily for months, and I admit I haven't been able to get her off my mind.”

”What the f**k!? Do you think I want to hear about another woman? f**k, Vaughn, I want you, and it's been ages."

She drew me possessively in for a kiss.

”I can't. It won't happen. This is my future.”

Lauren was frozen into place. ”I thought you and I were alike, no feelings, but how wrong was I?” She swiped a hand seductively over her perfect curves. She was an incredibly beautiful woman, but all of a sudden my feelings for her were reduced to nothing.

"Am I interrupting anything?” I heard a timid voice next to me. Emily had returned. I ran a hand through my hair while I took her in again. My dreams had not been able to measure up to the reality in front of me.

”No, no, not at all,” I said, but Lauren stomped her foot as a petulant two-year-old throwing a tantrum indicating the exact opposite.

”Lauren, do you mind?” She emptied the glass and gritted through her teeth, “You bastard. Don’t ever call me.”

Emily didn't move and stood stoically by my side. This was a good sign. My hand slid protectively behind her and rested on the small of her back.

We watched my date being swallowed by the masses -maybe for the best.

”Do you want to go and sit down somewhere? My feet are killing me when I stand for too long.” Emily was the first to break the silence.

”Of course, or perhaps we can go next door in the lobby where there aren't as many people?” I could sense her hesitation.

”Okay, but I will have to tell my friends... business partners that I'm leaving.”

She looked lovely. The beautiful dark hair cascaded around her shoulders, and I admired a more than full chest and round fleshy ass globes. f**k, stop it you motherfucker, the inside voice ordered.

Emily returned immediately, and I led us through the crowd outside the bar to a couch in the corner of the hotel lobby. I couldn't help thinking that it had all begun in a hotel lobby, and maybe it also ended here.

”Are you thirsty?” I asked.

”No, I'm alright.”

”How have you been?” I tried tentatively.

”Well, good, except for the morning sickness, which is almost gone now.”

I looked her directly in the eyes needing so much more from her. How had she really been, had she thought about me, and finally was I the father of her child? Or could she have found someone important right after our night together? Maybe she had had a boyfriend all along?

Fuck. My. Life.

”Are you with the father? Do you have a boyfriend?” I threw out the two questions quickly one after the other. Might as well get the cards on the table once and for all. Waiting was a waste of time.

”No, I'm not seeing the father. We don't live in the same country.” She looked intensely at me. What the hell did she mean? Was it me? I wasn't 100% sure, but it was the only thing that made sense. But f**k, was I ready to become a dad? This was so not what I'd expected.

She looked like a brown-haired angel. My gaze swept from her glowing eyes to her breasts and farther down to the baby bump that I really wanted to touch. Her eyes caught mine again.

”You can touch it.” She sounded shy, but I put my hand carefully on her bump. The round belly was hard. Not that I'd known what to expect. My fingers slowly caressed the roundness in circles. The craziest feeling washed over my body. For a brief moment, I closed my eyes and saw my life pass by; births, Christmases, birthdays, wedding, her in my kitchen with a child on the hip and pregnant again.

”Maybe you could do something about it?” I fired back out of nowhere. This was my f*****g life, and I wasn't going to let it slip away.

”Could be if we were talking together,” she returned promptly. What did she have in mind? We could continue shooting sarcastically on each other, but at what use?

”Darling, it takes two to tango.” I couldn't help myself and let my eyes wander from her face to the bump. ”I'm your biggest stalker, but not in a freaky way, but you've hidden this baby bump so well on all your SoMe platforms. Have you thought about me?”

”What do you think? Vaughn, okay, cut the crap. It's your baby, but I didn't know how you would react?”

I detected the insecurity in her eyes. I couldn't have her doubt my intentions. This was insane. How could you love someone you'd only met once?

”You’ve haunted my dreams every single night since we parted.” I pulled her onto my lap. ”My heart is beating like crazy, Emily. s**t Emily, I'm going to be a dad. I never in my wildest fantasies believed I would be granted this pleasure.” I held her close to me.

”I must admit that this is pretty scary, but you are the only one I want. My job has for years made it impossible to have a sane relationship. I can't continue blaming my job and missing out on life. Aren't we worth a chance?”

My hands stroked up and down her arms, and she rested her head on my shoulder.

”Yes, I would like to figure things out. Funnily you are also the only one I've thought of.” She laughed and caressed her belly protectively. I rested my hand on hers. f**k, what a wild sensation. A magical feeling of life and a life I hadn't dared to dream of.

”Tonight I was attracted to you and watching you at the bar even before I knew who you were,” she admitted.

”This is wild, but we're in this together.”

I caught her lips in a kiss. A kiss that counted for all the lost hours and my desire for her. Apparently so much more than our 12 hours before Christmas.