Earlier that day, they'd had their second visit to the clinic. The test results were all in. His sperm were totally viable, passing all the markers. The whole package combined, apparently, made him a good candidate. It was a go, if they both agreed to it. The look of pure elation that washed over Tess's face . . . her face flushed and her eyes shone with tears of joy. He'd been so happy for her happiness, he'd reached out and hugged her.
Then Tess and Dr. Fuller had an extensive conversation, which Logan sat and listened to without a word. It was Tess's decision. However she wanted this to play out, he'd abide by it without question. Tess asked Dr. Fuller about their getting her pregnant the old-fashioned way, and the doctor was fine with it. She explained to both of them about the timeline; how having sex a few times before, during, and after the ovulation period would certainly tip the odds of conceiving in Tess's favor. They could try it that way for a few months, and if Tess still wasn't pregnant, they could embark on more direct, clinical methods. By the end of the appointment, Tess had made her decision. Logan would be her known donor, and they'd go about conceiving the natural way.
Then they'd gone back to his house to have lunch with his mom. And all he could think about was getting started. He knew that was a little weird; it's not like they were dating and he couldn't wait to get his new lover into bed for a romp. They'd be having sex for one reason only, a very set agenda and goal. But . . . yeah, getting to take this lovely woman to bed, and all the fun, erotic ways he could try to get her pregnant . . . it was mind-boggling to think about, actually. He was a little scattered . . . and eager, excited, nervous, all of that.
"Hey." His mother's voice cut into his thoughts, jostling him from his reverie. "Where are you?"
"Sorry." He flashed a grin. "Just have some things on my mind, got lost in there."
"You okay?" Tess asked.
"Great," he assured her. He grasped her hand and lifted it to his lips, lightly kissing her knuckles. Her eyes held his for a long beat. An unspoken message passed between them, and a rush of color went to her face. Yeah, she was thinking about it too. A burst of liquid heat swept through him as he contemplated what lay ahead for them . . . the thought of having her . . . maybe even that very night, if she wanted to get started. God, he hoped she wanted to. He supposed he'd find out soon enough.
* * *
That evening, Tess had hoped a long soak in the tub would relax her, but it hadn't worked. Her mind and body were all hyped up, anticipation holding her in its merciless grip. After a nice lunch at his mother's house, Logan had driven her home.
"Will you come back tonight?" she'd asked, her voice feeling small in her throat.
"You want me to?"
"Yes, I want you to. I think . . . we can get started on our other secret project. If you want," she added hastily. "If you don't want to-"
"I want to." His voice was low and deliberate as he admitted, "I've barely been able to think about anything else since we left the clinic."
"Me too," she confessed in a whisper. Her heart rate skyrocketed and her stomach did a wobbly flip. "So . . . what time is good for you?"
"Well, I put off work this morning to go to the clinic. I need to do some things now; they'll take all afternoon, into dinnertime maybe . . ." He gently scratched at his beard as he thought, a gesture that was becoming endearingly familiar to her. "You have dinner without me, do your thing. I'll come over at eight. Is that good for you?"
"Yup. I'll see you then."
All afternoon and evening, Tess's mind had churned without stopping. So much to think about, so much to absorb. She was going to have her baby. It was so overwhelming and wonderful . . . and now, the icing on the cake, a pseudo-date with Logan. Entering into the process of trying to get pregnant by actually having sex, that was a fringe benefit she hadn't counted on. To say it was thrilling was an understatement. Simply put, Logan was hot as hell.
She was excited, exhilarated, turned on, and a little giddy. But the nervousness overrode all that, and she wondered why. There was no reason to be nervous; she trusted Logan completely. He was a good man, and he'd be good to her in bed, she just knew that. She supposed it was just basic, anticipatory pre-sex jitters.
She wanted to get pregnant, yes. But she also wanted to please him. If he was going to be doing her the tremendous favor of having sex with her regularly, she wanted him to enjoy it. That was normal, wasn't it?
She laughed at herself. Nothing about this situation was normal.
Standing in her bedroom in her warm, fluffy robe and slippers, she tried to decide on what to wear. Did she bother to get dressed, knowing why he was coming over? Did she wear lingerie, or was that overkill? Did she just stay naked under her robe, the easy access way? She huffed out a sigh of frustration. Why was this difficult to figure out? It wasn't like she was going out with him first. They were just staying here, at her house . . . spending the night in bed and having sex.
Her face flamed as she thought about their short but sexy tumble last week on her couch . . . the way Logan's hands and mouth had felt on her body. A little shiver went through her and she couldn't help but smile. She turned back to her dresser with determination. Lingerie. Men liked lingerie. He was doing her the biggest favor ever. The least she could do was wrap up the package in pretty and make him smile.
At eight o'clock sharp, the doorbell rang. Bubbles barked and did her thing, racing to the door, as a new rush of excitement flooded Tess's body. Oh God, oh God . . .
She opened the door and a whoosh of frigid air hit her. "Oh!" she gasped. "Whoa, it got cold out there!"
"It did." Logan's green eyes glittered beneath his wool cap, pulled low. His words came out on a white cloud. "Luckily, I finished up by seven."
She grabbed his arm to pull him inside. "Jesus, even your coat is freezing!"
"Yeah, well," he said, "it's about five degrees out right now."
"And you were working outside today?"
"Yeah. But then I went home, took a hot shower, ate. I'm fine, Tess."
She looked him over. He wore a royal-blue parka over his regular outfit of fleece-lined hoodie, jeans, work boots, wool hat, and heavy gloves. His cheeks were ruddy from the cold, and the look on his face showed he was amused and a little confounded by her concern. So she grinned and said, "Okay, tough guy. Glad you're here and inside now. Let's get you warmed up."
"Sounds good." His eyes took on a playful sparkle. "Funny thing is . . . I can think of a few ways to do that."
Her heart started beating a little faster. "Mmm. Me too."
They stood there and grinned at each other, the air around them crackling.
"But how about we start with some hot tea?" she said.
"That'd be great, actually." He pulled off his hat and gloves. Bubbles nuzzled his leg and let out loud, staccato barks. As he unzipped his parka, he crouched to pet her. "Hello there, little miss." His large hand stroked across her fur and she licked his skin. "Kisses hello? Well, don't I feel special."
Tess smiled. The man was adorable with her dog. Total gold star for him. "Take off your coat, go sit by the fire and warm up. I'll make you some tea."
Ten minutes later, they sat together on the couch as he sipped some black chai tea. She noticed how his gray and green sweater set off his eyes, that pale mossy color she'd never seen on anyone else. The ends of his hair were still a little damp from his shower. His large, powerful frame took up space . . . actually, just his presence did. She liked that about him; her Viking hottie, big and commanding even when just sitting quietly. With a soft smile, she curled up into the arm of the plush couch, tucking her soft robe under her legs.
"So . . ." He cleared his throat. "How are you tonight?"
"Fine. Nervous, but fine."
The corner of his mouth curved up. "Really? Well then, I'll tell you the truth . . . I'm a little nervous too. I thought it was silly to be, but . . ."
She smiled. "Same here. Why are we nervous? It's not like we've never done anything before. We're friends, we like each other, we trust each other . . ."
"All that's true. So I don't know." He sipped his tea. "Maybe because it's not . . . I don't know, an organic thing, how we planned this tonight? It's not a natural progression, a spontaneous thing, like the other times we got carried away?"