He couldn’t help the hurt that came along with those words, and his voice came out a little sharper than he intended. “Yeah, nothing serious. I just thought you might be tired and wanted to crash here.”
Her muscles locked up until he felt as if he were holding a board instead of the curvy little sub who’d been purring against him moments before. “No thanks. I need to get back to my room.”
She started to pull away from him, and he hauled her back. Damn it, he was blowing this. He obviously needed more time with her, was pushing her too fast, but he couldn’t help the possessive instinct that roared through him and demanded she was his. “Care to shower with me first?” To add a bit of incentive to that request, he stroked his hands along her breasts, teasing her sensitive nipples with the back of his knuckles. “I have a waterproof toy I’d like to show you.”
She gently pushed away his arm and sat up. Her voice was cold as she said, “You don’t have to do this.”
“Do what?”
“Pretend it’s something more than it is. We both know this isn’t going to last any longer than our vacation. I’m good with that. I don’t…I don’t want anything more.”
Her voice broke on the last word, and he stared at her back as he tried to figure out what she meant. Did she really want to keep it casual, or did she want something more? The way she looked at him, the way she responded to him seemed like she cared for him. Was he reading too much into this?
He ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath of the air that still smelled like their lovemaking. Women could be so damn confusing sometimes. He knew from past experience that they often said the opposite of what they meant, and it was up to the poor guy to try and read their thoughts. Well he wasn’t a damn mind reader. “Tanwen, what do you really want?”
Her shoulders bowed, and she scooted off the bed. “It is what it is.”
The trilling ring of his cell phone echoed through the room as Tanwen searched for her clothes and began to pull on her pants with trembling hands. She kept her gaze on the ground, refusing to look at him. “I never thought you were this weak.”
That brought her up short as she fastened her pants. Color blazed in her cheeks, and her shoulders snapped back. “I am not weak.”
His phone rang again, and he ignored it as he held her gaze. “Really? Then why are you running away from me?”
Sorrow flashed through her eyes, but her laughter held a brittle edge that cut at his heart. “God, we had some fun together, Bryan, no big deal. It’s not like I expected anything more from our time together than that. I mean, we don’t even live in the same state.”
“That’s a bullshit excuse, and you know it.” He sat up, and she averted her eyes from his body as his phone continued to ring. “You don’t want to give anything that might hurt you a chance. You want to keep your feelings all sealed off from the rest of the world and never let anyone else in. Yeah, you got hurt from your divorce, shit happens. Everyone gets hurt. But you have to decide if you’re going to lick your wounds by yourself for the rest of your life or give someone else a chance, someone who deserves a woman like you, someone who would treat her right.”
Tears filled her eyes, and her breath hitched in her chest. “You have no right to say that to me.” Her mouth firmed, and she threw her shoulders back. “You should be one to talk about licking wounds. I’ve heard about all the women you’ve gone through since your wife’s passing. I may not be a psychologist, but it sounds to me like you haven’t been the poster boy for moving on. And as far as treating me right, I have no interest in being another woman who is foolish enough to believe you’re ready for anything other than a fling. How many hearts have you broken over the past few years, Bryan?”
Her words hit him like a slap in the face, and he flinched. The annoying trill of the cell phone rang again through the air, and he grabbed his pants off the floor. Snapping open the phone, he yelled into it, “What!”
Greg spoke in a rush. “Is Tanwen with you?”
He glanced at Tanwen as she tried to make her ruined top stay in place, and said in a bitter voice, “Yeah, but not for long.”
“She’s a nurse, right?”
“Yeah, Tanwen’s a nurse.”
Tanwen stopped fiddling with her shirt and looked up, tear tracks glistening on her cheeks. “What’s up?”
A woman’s low, pain-filled moan came from over the phone, and Bryan froze. Greg made a soothing sound, then said, “I need Tanwen to come to our room right away. Margo’s gone into hard labor, and we’re not sure if the paramedics are going to make it in time.”
Chapter Eleven
Bryan knocked on the door, and a very worried-looking Greg opened it and ushered them in. A deep groan came from the bedroom off the sitting area of the suite. Greg, dressed only in pajama pants, practically sprinted back to the bedroom with Tanwen and Bryan in tow. With her shirt ruined, Tanwen wore one of Bryan’s and couldn’t help but notice how the soft T-shirt smelled like him. That only made her heart ache more, but she shoved her personal issues to the side as they reached the bedroom. Tanwen and Bryan exchanged a weighted look, and he said in a low voice, “Let Greg know I’ll be in my hotel room if he needs me.”
Tanwen tried to swallow past the lump in her throat and nodded. He left without another word or glance in her direction. Her heart ached even as she mentally yelled at herself that this was for the best. Voices came from the bedroom off the sitting area, and Tanwen locked down her mind, focusing on Margo with the iron will that served her well as a nurse. Margo needed her. Tanwen and her worries went away. Her mind focused on making sure both the mother and the baby had everything they needed.
A brass lamp illuminated the bedroom, and she stepped over a pair of shoes by the doorway. A quick glance at her watch showed dawn was still hours away. Detroit glittered like a million Christmas lights beyond the window. Maybe Margo could use that as a focal point to help her get through the contractions. Dressed in a long pink nightgown, Margo lay on her side and fisted her hands into the sapphire blue comforter. Her jaw clenched as she struggled to take in a smooth breath, and as she blew it out, she moaned.
Greg squatted next to Margo and began to rub her lower back. “Honey, Tanwen’s here.”
“Harder,” Margo said with her eyes tightly shut.
Tanwen took Greg’s place as he clambered onto the bed and did as Margo asked. Once he was out of sight of his wife, worry filled his face as he began to massage her again.
“Harder,” Margo said in a tense voice.
“I don’t want to hurt you—”
“I don’t care if you put your motherfucking hand through my spine, do it harder!”
Tanwen noticed a man’s wristwatch on the table next to the bed. “Greg, does this have a timer?”
He nodded. “Yeah, hit the button on the side.”
She set it and put it on the nightstand near Margo’s head so she could time the contractions. “Back labor?”
Margo grunted as Greg pressed on her spine. “Yeah.”
“This is your third child, correct?” Both Greg and Margo nodded. “How long were your other labors?”
“First baby I was in labor for four hours and pushed for two. Second baby three hours and pushed for one.” Her full lips ghosted into a smile. “Don’t suppose you happen to have an epidural with you?”
“Nope. How far apart are your contractions?”
“About every four to five minutes,” Greg said, his shoulders flexing as he continued to rub Margo’s back.
“Okay. I’m going to wash up and then we’ll check your cervix.” Margo’s face scrunched up in pain, and Tanwen knew she wasn’t going to be able to pay attention to her while she was having a contraction. With Margo’s history of quick labors, Tanwen worried about the baby coming before they had a chance to get her to the hospital. “Greg, how long ago did you call the paramedics?”