Beautiful Bounty(56)

“Damn girl, you are really piquing my interest here. Did it have something to do with her nausea? Is she pregnant?” he teased smiling mischievously at Ronnie. “You gonna be a big sister?”

Startled that he guessed correctly, her head whipped to him and her eyes grew wide.

“Holy hell,” he laughed. He couldn’t contain it. Her reaction had given her away. “Oh my God! Your mom IS pregnant.”

“Yeah,” she laughed. “I can’t believe you guessed it.”

“I was teasing when I said it. But, holy hell.” He let out a low whistle. It explained her concern over her mother. “How old is your mom anyway?” he asked out of curiosity.

His comment struck a nerve, and she couldn’t’ help but snap. “She’s only thirty-eight. She had me when she was sixteen.”

“Oh,” Nikko said lamely. He heard the hint of annoyance in her voice. “Sorry, babe, no judgment. I knew she had you young. It happens.”

“Yeah, it happens,” she muttered.

Sensing her mood had soured, he tried to lighten the atmosphere. “So, is everyone happy about it?” he asked. He didn’t think she would be the kind of daughter who would mind having another sibling. Her reactions were just so strange tonight.

Ronnie saw the hotel looming in the distance. She needed to save some of this conversation for later. She needed it to distract him. This is what she wanted to talk about when they got into his hotel room while she waited for the drug to take effect.

“Jay is thrilled. Me too. Just worried about mom, both of us.” She didn’t elaborate further. As they pulled into the parking lot, she enacted the next part of her plan. “I’m so thirsty. Got anything to drink in your hotel room?” She gave him a smile.

“Um, yeah, I got some juice, and ice tea. Or did you mean liquor?” he wondered.

“I actually could use a real drink tonight.”

“Sounds like it,” he responded. “I have some vodka, and rum, the little bottles. I could make you a screwdriver.” He was pulling into the parking lot of the hotel.

“Perfect. I love those. I make them great,” she offered. “How about if we both have one?” she gave him her most mischievous smile.

“Sounds good, and then you can tell me all about this crazy day of yours. Then maybe we can have a little fun,” he winked, trying to lighten the mood.

“Absolutely,” she purred. When he cut the engines, they both got out of the car quickly. He made his way over to her as they approached the lobby doors, and took her bag from her. It was surprisingly quite heavy. What did she have in there, rocks?

Ronnie noticed him mentally weighing her bag, so to distract him she reached for his hand and entwined her fingers with his.

He looked down at her and smiled. He loved the feel of her small hand in his, and her smile was nice to see. He quickly gave her a peck on the cheek. Being this close and with the light from the lamp posts in the parking lot, he really noticed her hair for the first time. Her hair was something. She had gone platinum, the tips astonishing, and it suited her. He couldn’t wait to get her inside, and see it more clearly. He had liked it before, but this blonde was doing things to him. And even though, she was acting strangely it just might be due to her concern over her mom, and this new bit of news about a sibling had shocked her.

“I missed you,” he murmured and bent down to capture her lips with his own.

Seeing him look down on her that way, Ronnie had to shake her head. He was saying all the right things. He sounded like he meant every word. It did strange things to her. It was a shame this was just a sham for him, a diversion while he worked. She felt the pang of disappointment anew. As his tongue sought entrance, she couldn’t help but respond. It eased the ache in her heart if only for a moment.

Nikko gently dropped her bag down beside them and drew her closer, holding her close. Her body soon willingly conformed to his.

He held her like he cared. Soon Ronnie found she couldn’t hold back. Her body responded to him immediately. She felt an ache in her loins, and surprisingly an ache in her heart. This would be the last time she ever kissed this man, and as he broke the kiss, and looked down into her eyes, a bit of her melted. He gave her a quick chaste kiss on the cheek, and lifted her bag from the ground. Winking mischievously, the gleam back in his eyes, they resumed their walk to the doors and the lobby. Ronnie wanted to cry. It was in that moment she realized she had fallen in love with the man. The fucker! What she was going to do in the next half an hour, well, it would shred her heart. But, she had to. Her life was on the line, and she needed this shadow to be gone so her mom and Jay, and new brother or sister could move on with their lives. She’d get over this. She hoped.