The Predicament

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  DEDICATION

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  EPILOGUE

  To my readers—thank you for loving the characters of The Proposition. Your love has blessed my life in more ways than I can ever say, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

  As she sat in a leather chair beside the crackling fireplace, Casey Rossi gazed down into the diminutive face of her drowsy-eyed daughter. After glancing at the clock on the mantle, Casey smiled. “Hang on, Liv. Just ten more minutes until Daddy walks through the door to see you.”

  Olivia widened her dark brown eyes as she appeared to be contemplating Casey’s words. But then the overwhelming desire to sleep won out. With her eyelids drooping, she gave a yawn and then snuggled closer against Casey’s chest. Considering keeping a sleeping baby awake was the equivalent of skipping through a landmine, Casey let Olivia drift off. Nate could wake her up if he wanted to and then deal with the repercussions.

  Instead of turning on the TV or catching up on work emails, she merely stared at the perfection that was Olivia. Watching her daughter sleep had become one of her favorite pastimes. It amazed her that she never seemed to tire of doing it. Each time she did, she noticed something different about Olivia’s tiny features—the way the double dimples she had inherited from her father never faded even when she wasn’t smiling, the way her dark little brow furrowed from time to time as if she was having some sort of baby dream. Everything about Olivia was enthralling, which never ceased to surprise Casey.

  After all, she had never been a baby person. When she was growing up, the only baby she had really ever been around was her kid sister, Carlee. She sure as hell didn’t do any babysitting when she was a teenager. For a long time, she hadn’t even planned on having children. But then a 6’5 stud with a heart of gold came into her life and changed her mind…although she put up a hell of a fight for a long time.

  As she eyed the sparkling diamond on her left hand, Casey thought of the many years it had been on her finger. It had been over a decade since she had literally bumped into Nate Rossi at a Starbucks in downtown Atlanta. Her iced mocha had drenched the front of Nate’s jeans, making it appear like he had pissed his pants. Thankfully, his steaming hot cappuccino had stayed put in its cup, and he had good-naturedly found the incident amusing, rather than being angry like she probably would have.

  Coming off a two month fling with an out-of-work musician, Nate was just the kind of guy she usually ran from. While he was panty-melting gorgeous, he didn’t exude the personality of a player. Even at twenty-three, he had his shit together where at twenty-one, she was still giving her parents grey hairs about the outlook of her life. She’d dropped out of college once and then changed her major twice. It was after her parents last “come to Jesus” sit down with her that she had enrolled at Georgia State University to do something with marketing or public relations. At least that’s what she had assured her parents that their tuition money would be paying for.

  Normally she would have apologized profusely and then gotten the hell out of there, but something about Nate’s dark chocolate eyes, the Tom Selleckesque double dimples in his cheeks, and his sincere smile made her take him up on his offer to have dinner with him. This was of course after he insisted on buying her another iced mocha.

  And at dinner that first night, she knew she had met the man she wanted to marry…just not at that moment. The thought scared the hell out of her, but at the same time, she didn’t want to run away. For the first time in her life, she wanted to see things through with a decent man. Nate truly brought out the best in her. He knew just how to smooth her rough edges while slightly taming her wild-child side. They were the old adage of “she made him want to be a better man” in reverse.

  With her free hand, Casey reached over to pick up the picture sitting on the table next to her. She and Nate stared out of the sterling silver frame with genuinely happy smiles on their faces. The picture was of the two of them on their wedding day along with their herd of bridesmaids and groomsmen. The lone redhead in the group caught Casey’s eye and made her smile.

  It was through Nate she met her best friend, Emma Harrison. Another life-time ago, Nate’s med school roomie had been a hell of a nice guy named Travis. After spending a few nights hanging out with him at the apartment, Travis insisted that she needed to meet his high-school sweetheart and fiancée, Emma. Just like that first dinner with Nate, Casey knew the moment she met Emma that she had met a best friend for life. It didn’t hurt that the two shared a major and even some classes. Of course, Casey often found herself corrupting the shy, sweet girl, but at the same time, Emma had the same affect as Nate and tempered her outrageous antics.

  But it had been tragedy that bonded their friendship even deeper than she could have ever imagined. Travis had been killed in a car accident just a year before his and Emma’s wedding. Casey immersed herself in the role of comforter for both Nate, who had lost his best friend, and to Emma, who had lost the love of her life. Those dark, agonizing days, weeks, and months had moved them all past friendship into a family.

  The rumbling sound of the garage door rising up had Casey popping out of her chair. Olivia grunted softly in protest at being jostled as Casey padded across the hardwood floors to the kitchen. Just like clockwork, Nate arrived through the door at seven forty-five. Before Olivia came, he made it home much earlier, but now after his shift ended, he grabbed a quick shower in the doctors’ lounge to wash away any germs before being around the baby.

  A beaming smile stretched across his lips at the sight of her. “Hey gorgeous,” he said, as he pulled her close to him. Even though she had shed her work clothes for a ratty sweatshirt and pair of leggings, Nate had the ability with one look and a few words to make her feel like a million bucks and wearing the finest couture.

  Closing her eyes, she pressed her face against his chest and inhaledhis comforting, familiar scent of Dior cologne and fresh soap. “How was work?” she asked, as she pulled away.

  In the past, she would have been pissed at him ignoring her question. But in this case, she had to smile at the way he was staring adoringly at Olivia’s dark head. Without pressing him for information, she gently passed the baby into his eager arms.

  Olivia only stirred slightly as she settled against Nate’s broad chest. “Hey, baby girl. How was your day? Did you have fun with Nana?” Nate crooned softly.

  Since Casey had returned to work a few days a week, Nate’s mother had been keeping Olivia. While Emma had been happy to quit work to be a full-time mom, Casey knew she would never be able to give up completely on her career. After initially having a rough start settling on what she wanted to do in life, she adored her job. She dealt with the obligatory “mommy guilt” of working, but she knew that O
livia was in the best hands with Nate’s mom. The retired kindergarten teacher was already itching to start lessons with Olivia.

  “She did. She had her first taste of some applesauce.”

  Nate’s brows rose as he momentarily tore his gaze away from Olivia. “Did she like it?”

  Casey smiled. “She did—at least what she actually ended up getting in her mouth.”

  A hearty chuckle rumbled through Nate’s chest. “My baby girl is growing too fast. First it’s food, and then it’s—”

  “Dating?” Casey teased.

  Nate’s expression became pained like he’d been sucker punched in the gut. “God forbid.”

  With a smile, Casey mused, “Between you and Aidan, I don’t think Caroline and Olivia will see the light of day outside of a convent.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Nate replied with a wink.

  Casey rubbed Olivia’s plump cheek. “Don’t worry, Liv. I’ll save you from your Daddy’s overprotectiveness.” Tilting her head thoughtfully, she then added, “But not if you want to take too much after me.”

  Nate threw back his head and laughed, which startled Olivia awake. Instead of crying, she just eyed her parents curiously before lifting one side of her mouth in what Casey loved to joke was a pity smile. “I’m pretty sure that little smirk is all yours, babe,” Nate teased.

  “Then we’re in serious trouble.”

  Using his free hand, he smacked her playfully on the behind. “I guess I better get this wee one upstairs and into bed,” Nate said.

  Casey didn’t bother asking him if he was hungry. She knew he scarfed something down on the way home so that all of his time could be devoted to Olivia. “You head on up, and I’ll grab her bottle.”

  “Thanks, babe,” Nate said before bestowing a kiss on her cheek.

  The corners of her mouth turned up with pleasure as she listened to Nate chatter to Olivia on the way up the stairs. Casey then went into the kitchen to grab the bottle of milk she had pumped earlier. Letting Nate do the before bed bottle was one way she was able to make him a part of Olivia’s feeding schedule.

  When she got to the nursery, she found Nate at the changing table. As he blew raspberries on Olivia’s bare tummy, she giggled and kicked her legs. “She already needed changing again?” Casey questioned as she sat the bottle down on the table beside the glider.

  “Someone had a massive blow out in her diaper on the way up the stairs.”

  Casey giggled as she came to Nate’s side. “Good going, baby girl. Save those for Daddy.”

  Olivia grinned at Casey while Nate only shook his head. After he put on a fresh diaper, he buttoned up Olivia’s pink and white sleeper. Turning to Casey, he said, “I’ve got it. You go on and do what you need to do.”

  Leaning up on her tiptoes, she planted a kiss on his lips. “Love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  Casey then kissed Olivia’s cheek. “Love you, too, Livvie Boo.”

  At Olivia’s little coo of a response, Casey’s heart melted. When she got to the doorway, she glanced back one last time at Nate and Olivia. Some nights she loved to just hang around and watch the two of them interact. It might’ve meant not getting to watch a little TV or read, but it was well worth it.

  But not tonight.

  Tonight she was a woman on a mission—a seduction specific one. She wouldn’t think about the laundry piling up around the washing machine or the dirty dishes in the sink. No, they could all go fuck themselves for all she cared. She was going to have some mind-blowing sex—the kind she and Nate used to have pre-Olivia.

  Over the last week with sex being MIA, Casey came to realize how different things were for her and Nate in the bedroom. Even after all the years she and Nate had been together, she could still count on sex being a consistent four to five times a week. And they weren’t just “let’s get it over with” quickies before bed either.

  Ever the patient and understanding husband, Nate hadn’t been the first one to initiate sex post Olivia’s birth. During her healing time, she had thrown him the obligatory bone, so to speak, for his boners in the form of either hand or blowjobs. In the end, she had been the one eager to get intimate again after her doctor cleared her for action.

  When the first few times weren’t as toe curling as before, she chalked it up to her being tired, to postpartum hormones, to Olivia being in her bassinet next to the bed. She even went as far to blame it on the fact it was a full moon—anything not to have to question that something was wrong. But as time passed and things didn’t improve, Casey didn’t just worry—she began to panic.

  Sex had defined who she was ever since she lost her virginity at sixteen. She hadn’t been stereotypical girl pressured to give in to some horny guy. She had been equally as horny as her boyfriend. Once she’d had her first taste of sex, she wanted more and more. Before she had someone like Samantha Jones on Sex and the City to relate to, she sometimes wondered what was wrong with her that she had such a healthy libido compared to some of her friends.

  By the time she and Nate got together, she could no longer count her sex partners on one hand. While he was far more conservative about sex, Nate had always enjoyed and appreciated her voracious appetite. They were the perfect couple physically and emotionally.

  Just not anymore…at least not physically. But that was going to change tonight. Over the last two days of mulling things over in her head, Casey had worked on a strategy. She had approached taking back the heat with as much tenacity as she would project at work. So what if she was exhausted from starting back to work coupled with Olivia’s up and down nighttime schedule? That didn’t mean she couldn’t have some hot, sweaty sex with her husband.

  She practically sprinted across the hall to their bedroom before dipping inside her walk-in closet. With lips pursed in concentration, she began rifling through her lingerie section. Some women might have a drawer or two devoted to the naughty, but not Casey. She believed in dressing to impress on a daily basis, so it only made sense to take that same motto to the bedroom.

  There was a little bit of everything—lacy bustiers with matching panties, racy teddys that left little to the imagination, and even some naughty themed costumes. Tonight called for something a little daring...maybe something a little nostalgic to recapture the old fire.

  “Oh hell yes,” she murmured at the sight of her slutty nurse’s costume. A little role-playing never hurt, and Nate always got a big kick out of her wanting to play doctor on the doctor.

  After grabbing the costume on its hanger, she headed into the bathroom to change. Once she shed her leggings and GSU Alum sweatshirt, she started to put on the skimpy white uniform.

  “Umph,” she grunted as she writhed and wriggled beneath the material. Having to use exertion to get outfitted for sex was a new experience. She usually saved all the huffing and panting for the act itself. Although she had lost most of her pregnancy weight, there was still a pesky five to ten pounds that kept hanging around no matter how hard she dieted or worked out. While it seemed to even out in her clothes, the same couldn’t be said for the skintight lingerie.

  Once she had wrestled the fabric across her back, she reached for the zipper. She should have anticipated that it wouldn’t come up as easily as it once had. She had to tug and jerk it to get it up over her hips. But that was a piece of cake compared to what happened when she reached her boobs. “Mother…fucker,” she grunted as the teeth of zipper cracked and popped over the track. Yeah, her normally C cup breasts had gotten enormous since she was breastfeeding Olivia, but it wasn’t like she had turned into Dolly Parton or something.

  When the suit was finally zipped, she let out a sigh of relief. Standing in front of the lighted mirror, she twirled one of Nate’s old med school stethoscopes between her fingers while turning from side to side. As she surveyed her appearance, her lips pulled into a frown. She didn’t feel like the sexy seductress she usually did. Was it the way her milk-laden breasts made the dress’s zipper pull too tightly across the c
hest, or was it the post-baby pooch around her middle? Whatever it was, she sure as hell wasn’t liking it. She had never, ever felt unsexy before.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by a high-pitched squeal. After striding over to the doorway, she cautiously questioned, she strode over to the doorway. “Everything okay?”

  “Nothing I can’t handle,” Nate replied in a humorous tone.

  “If you’re sure.”

  “Positive, babe.”

  Within a few seconds, Olivia quieted down, so Casey went back to the bathroom to touch up her hair and makeup. After a day at work and then an afternoon with Olivia, she could have used another shower, but she didn’t have the time. Much to her dismay, the voices of self-deprecation about her appearance didn’t stop even after her full lips shimmered with gloss or her dark hair fell in waves down her back. In the end, she felt like she had just painted the pig, or she was the equivalent of Jabba the Hut styling too tight lingerie.

  She was just about to lose her nerve and throw in the towel, or in this case the stethoscope, when she heard Olivia’s door close. “Oh fuck it,” she muttered before hurrying out of bathroom and into the bedroom.

  At the sight of Nate in the doorway, she lunged forward and threw herself into his arms. He hadn’t anticipated her, and they both went staggering back into the hallway. “I guess you’re glad I’m coming to bed, huh?” Nate asked.

  “Oh yes. But not to sleep.”

  “And here I was thinking that’s what we did in there,” he replied, his voice vibrating with amusement.

  She eased back in his arms. Running her fingers through the strands of his dark, curly hair, she said, “If sleeping is all you remember us doing in there, I think you need your head examined, Dr. Rossi.”

  When Nate’s dark eyes flared with desire for her, it instantly silenced all the chattering voices of doubt in her head. “God, you’re sexy as hell in that outfit.”

  “Really?” she asked, her cracking and betraying her false bravado.