The Unexpected Husband (Captured by Love Book 8) Read online

  Yes, swoon.

  He’d been wonderful with Julian. He clearly loved Jade’s child and Julian loved him back. That kind of interaction wasn’t something that could be faked. She couldn’t help but feel excited that her son would have a great daddy.

  Son? This had to be the fourth or fifth time that she’d called her baby a son. Not that she’d prefer a boy over a girl—she didn’t care what the gender of her baby would be—but she just had this feeling it was going to be a boy.

  She glanced at Tristan again. Did he have a preference? Well, she didn’t feel comfortable enough to discuss things like that with him yet.

  She was still wrapping her head around Tristan’s dispute with her parents. One thing for sure, there had to be a good reason for all the apparent misunderstandings. Her parents weren’t the type to falsely accuse anyone of deceit.

  She knew one factor that could be blocking a resolution, though. Her dad’s pride. Larry Shipton had become successful because his pride wouldn’t let him give up or accept second best. But that same pride could also cause her father not to listen to advice or admit mistakes. She knew him well.

  It looked like it was up to her to talk to her dad and convince him to have a discussion with Tristan. Hopefully, this issue wasn’t as bad as it appeared.

  She let out a loud breath. Something told her it wouldn’t be that simple.

  “You okay?” Tristan asked.

  “Yes. I was just thinking about something.”

  “So when can we do the paternity test? Not that I still think you’re lying. I just want to get any uncertainty out of the way.”

  She smiled. “We can do it any time now. I’m ten weeks pregnant—from yesterday, actually—and I should have enough fetal DNA present in my blood for the test to be accurate.”

  “Ten weeks, huh?” Tristan said, his lips tugging up.

  “Yes. Due on the twentieth of April.”

  They grinned at each other and Paige hid her thrill. He really wanted the baby!

  “I’m going back to Canberra tomorrow to continue my two-week break there and to attend a friend’s engagement party,” she said. “We can get a clinic to take our samples so it’s all documented and legal, so can you wait until I’m back next Monday for that?”

  “Okay.”

  “By the way, I’ve already sent my blood sample yesterday for a baby gender test. I don’t trust those home kits and I wanted an accredited lab to do it. The results should come within a week.”

  Tristan lit up. “Oh, great! You’ll let me know as soon as you know, right?”

  She couldn’t help but chuckle at Tristan’s excitement. “Yeah.”

  “And if you don’t mind, I’d like to go with you to any medical check-ups.”

  Oh, that was so sweet. “Sure.”

  “And I’d like to go shopping with you for baby things too, even if it’s only for small items.”

  Her mouth dropped in surprise. He’d want to do that?

  “Do you need anything from me right now?” Tristan queried, his tone soft.

  Her eyes welled up. He was being too nice, and the blasted hormones were making her unusually emotional, damn it!

  “What’s wrong?” Tristan asked in alarm.

  She shook her head, sniffling.

  “You have to be honest with me, Paige. You’re having my baby and I can’t—”

  Paige started giggling. She couldn’t help it. Stupid hormones.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. I’m just happy that you know this is your baby.”

  Tristan narrowed his eyes, but his lips curved up. “So do you need anything from me? Anything at all?”

  “Are you always this nice?”

  “Only to the mother of my child,” Tristan quipped.

  Tears suddenly rolled down Paige’s face. Oh my God. What was wrong with her? “Thank you,” she croaked.

  “And your answer to my question is?” Tristan asked in the gentlest of voices that further tugged her heart.

  “I’m fine, thank you,” she managed to whisper.

  “And you’ll let me know if you need anything, won’t you?”

  She merely nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat.

  “Good,” Tristan said with a warm, swoon-inducing smile. “We have to make sure you’re always okay.”

  We? What was he trying to do? Worm his way into her heart?

  She snorted mentally. Tristan being nice wasn’t about her, it was about his baby growing in her belly.

  What a pity that the father of her unborn child wasn’t also her life partner. Truth be told, she’d had a crush on Tristan since seeing him at the Safety in Nightclubs conference, where he’d talked about prioritising patrons’ safety against drug dealers using nightclubs across Australia. She’d been struck by the determination, passion and fun in his delivery—and by how incredibly gorgeous he was.

  Since she’d missed talking to him at the event, she’d decided to visit his club after hearing from another attendee that Tristan would be hanging out there.

  And those three straight nights they’d “dated” in Brisbane had been fabulous. Tristan had been attracted to her too. Their sizzling chemistry couldn’t have been just a product of her imagination. They’d been so hot for each other that they couldn’t get enough on that third night.

  She shifted on her seat, the memory stirring up feelings of arousal. The man who’d given her the best sex in her life was sitting right in front of her. And, damn it, what was happening to her that she was so easily turned on these days?

  “Dessert’s all yours,” Tristan said, winking at her.

  “Why, thanks. You do know how to please a pregnant woman.”

  Tristan laughed just as a staccato knock interrupted them. He went to open the door.

  “We need to start the program, and we need you,” a man said to Tristan.

  “Okay, I’ll be out in a minute.” Tristan closed the door and turned around to face her, raking his hair. “I’m afraid I need to get back to the party, Paige. There’s so much more we need to talk about, but…”

  “It’s okay. Tonight’s not a good thinking time for me anyway. Let’s meet again some other time.”

  “Good idea. What’s your number?”

  She pulled out her phone and they exchanged contact details.

  “Thank you for coming tonight and telling me this news,” Tristan said quietly.

  He looked truly grateful that she found herself tiptoeing and kissing him on the cheek. “I want to thank you too. Even though there’s still a lot for us to discuss, I’m grateful you want to be part of our baby’s life.”

  “I can’t imagine agreeing to anything less.”

  Paige found herself unable to look away from Tristan’s gaze. A feeling of déjà vu filled her as she stared back, her heart pounding hard and her nerve endings tingling—especially those on her boobs and down her crotch.

  Wasn’t this how they’d gaped at each other in his Brisbane club—before they’d ended up kissing like there was no tomorrow and… conceiving a baby?

  The staccato knock was back and she jumped at the sound.

  Tristan exhaled heavily, running both hands through his hair and looking as bothered as her—hot and bothered.

  She cleared her throat. “I better go and get some rest since I fly out early tomorrow.”

  Tristan nodded and they walked out of the room.

  “I’ll be back in a minute,” Tristan told the guy who’d knocked before he led her to a back door, avoiding the main area where the party was happening.

  She pushed her disappointment away. What was she expecting? That Tristan would introduce her to everybody before she left? As what? The woman he’d accidentally gotten pregnant?

  She shook her head at herself. What on earth was going on with her? A brief time with Tristan and here she was, having ridiculously romantic notions about him.

  “Did you drive?” Tristan asked.

  “No. I’ll call an Uber.”

&nbs
p; To her delight, Tristan waited outside with her as they made small talk. Seriously, this was surreal. Tristan had been so mad at her earlier that she was blown away by his current demeanour. This was the Tristan she’d enjoyed being with in Brisbane—before he’d found out who she was.

  Her ride arrived and she climbed in.

  Tristan bent down by the open door. “Take care, Paige. Enjoy your break in Canberra.”

  “Thanks, Tristan. I’ll talk to my parents and update you. Good night.”

  Tristan flashed her a sweet smile, seemingly hesitating to leave before shutting the door and turning around.

  She craned her neck to watch him trot back to the club as her car drove away. She couldn’t believe how this night had turned out. It was much better than she’d dreamed.

  She relaxed on the seat…

  “Miss?”

  Paige awoke with a start and looked around. The car was already parked in front of her apartment building. She thanked the driver and went home.

  She took a quick shower and hopped in her bed. But her short nap had invigorated her somewhat and she was finding it hard to fall asleep. She picked up her phone from her bedside table and started surfing the net for more pregnancy-related stuff.

  A new text message interrupted her research.

  Hi. Don’t know where you live but I hope you got home okay.

  She grinned, her heart suddenly racing.

  Sure did. Your party still going?

  Yep. Sleep tight. See you next week.

  Okay. Goodnight.

  Sweet dreams.

  She let out a sigh as she held her phone over her thumping heart. How sweet of Tristan to text. It reminded her of how considerate he could be—in and out of bed.

  She closed her eyes and allowed herself to relish the memories of that life-changing night…

  Chapter 4

  Two and a half months ago in Brisbane…

  Paige walked towards the front of the queue of people waiting to get inside TG. She had no idea how many were lined up for the Shipton club a few blocks away, but she wouldn’t be surprised if it was less than half of this.

  It saddened her that their company wasn’t competing as well. She was hopeful, though, that they could find a way for the Shipton establishments to get their mojo back.

  But while she felt a pang of guilt that she was about to enter their rival’s venue as a patron, she wasn’t sorry she was here. In fact, her heart was beating fast in anticipation and excitement. She approached the doorman, hesitating a tad. This wasn’t the same person who’d let her in the two previous nights.

  “Hi, I’m Paige,” she said with a smile. “I’m here to see Tristan Grant.”

  “Sure, let me check.” The guy spoke on his walkie-talkie. “A lady named Paige is here to see Tristan?”

  A women’s voice answered. “Let her in. Tristan’s in the Rose Room.”

  “Tristan’s in the Rose Room,” the doorman repeated to Paige.

  “Thank you,” she answered, then pushed her way through a throng of people to walk up the staircase leading to the Rose Room. She’d first met Tristan there two days ago. It must be one of his favourite spots in this club.

  She went in and looked around. The place was buzzing, but it wasn’t as packed as the floor below due to the room having a smaller dance floor. Of course, it didn’t stop people from gyrating to the music in between tables.

  She smirked. She herself, along with her friends Annette and Pam, had kicked their heels in this very room, right next to where Tristan had sat.

  She glanced at the same booth, which was currently vacant. A man in a dark suit appeared to be standing guard next to it. Clearly, it was being kept available—for the boss, most likely. But where was Tristan?

  She hoped he’d take her to a private room tonight, where they could have some privacy and hear each other better, but she supposed she was getting ahead of herself.

  Corny as it sounded, she felt so comfortable with him already. Since two days ago, when Tristan had approached her and said, “I’m Tristan,” and she’d responded with a coquettish, “I know. I’m Paige,” they’d been getting along like a house on fire. And when she’d joked she was at TG to compare it to the Shipton club down the road, Tristan had just laughed, not bothered in the slightest that the daughter of his competition was checking out his joint.

  Not that business was her real reason for being there. It was Tristan himself she’d wanted to see. He’d made such an impression on her two days ago at the Safety in Nightclubs function they’d both presented at. Unfortunately, she’d been constantly sidetracked by people asking about her father, who’d been unable to attend, so she hadn’t been able to seek Tristan out and talk to him there.

  She had to remember to tell him later how much she’d enjoyed his speech, but not right now. Work-related topics were such a downer, and she’d just got there.

  “Glad you’re back,” a husky voice said from behind her, his breath blowing warmly against her ears.

  A sultry smile formed on her face as she turned to face him. “Glad you invited me back.”

  Tristan chuckled. “Your friends are not gonna turn up unexpectedly, are they? Like they did at midnight last night to whisk you away?”

  “No. They got the hint that they’re not invited tonight,” she teased.

  Tristan slid an arm around her waist, pulling her to him. “They interrupted us while we were dancing.”

  Her arms snaked around his neck. “Yeah, annoying women.”

  Tristan’s lips curved up as they started swaying to the slow music, right where they were standing.

  Then they stopped. They just stopped, and stared at each other.

  After one long, breathless moment, they were devouring each other’s mouths.

  Oh, God, this was what she’d been hoping for.

  She was hearing the loud music, she was registering laughter and conversation, even feeling the occasional bumps of people walking past them. But none of those bothered her one bit. She was much too busy drowning in Tristan’s kisses and revelling in his hands roaming her body.

  “Do you want to go somewhere private?” Tristan asked against her lips.

  “Yes. I’ve been hoping you’d ask,” she murmured.

  Tristan grabbed her hand and walked towards the guy in a dark suit. He whispered something to the man, then Tristan led her to a side stairwell that took them down to what appeared to be a loading dock.

  Paige looked around in confusion.

  “We’re going out through there,” Tristan said, pointing to a door.

  “Oh, right. I thought we were going to one of the private rooms inside.”

  Tristan stared at her in dismay.

  She smiled at him. “I’m happy to go somewhere else, though. Where are you planning to take me?”

  “Well… I was thinking of…”

  She chuckled at Tristan’s sudden uncertainty. Placing her arms around his neck, she kissed his lips. “I know what you have in mind. It’s just the venue I didn’t expect.”

  “Phew. And here I was already commiserating with my blue balls,” he teased.

  She pressed herself against him. Oh, yes, he was still hard. “So where are we going?”

  Tristan ran his hands down her ass. “To my hotel.”

  “Let’s go, then.”

  They exchanged a searing kiss before they exited to the back alleyway, where a black sedan was waiting for them.

  She climbed in the back seat, followed by Tristan. They stared at each other, smiled, then leaned in for another kiss. It turned torrid in a second, and before she knew it, she was cupping Tristan’s crotch while his finger rubbed her clit through her undies, all without breaking the connection of their lips. God, she was turning mindless, and she didn’t care.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Grant,” a cool, professional voice interrupted. “We’re here at your hotel.”

  Tristan broke the kiss, exhaling loudly. “Thank you, Dale,” he responded.

 
Reality intruded and Paige blushed. She’d never, ever made out with a guy—not like how she’d just done with Tristan—with anyone watching. Hopefully, the driver had kept his eyes on the road instead of the rear-view mirror.

  She straightened her clothes, then quickly got out of the vehicle, murmuring a thank-you to Dale, who’d opened the door for her.

  Tristan came around to her side and put an arm around her shoulders. “Thanks, Dale,” he said. “See you tomorrow.”

  “See you, Mr. Grant,” Dale answered.

  “Is he your Brisbane driver?” Paige asked as they walked into the hotel.

  “Yeah. He drives me around every time I’m here. He’s a trustworthy guy.”

  “Good,” she couldn’t help saying.

  Tristan glanced at her, trying to hide a smile. “Don’t worry, he’s a professional.”

  She frowned. How many times had Dale seen Tristan make out with a woman in the back of the car?

  She pushed the unwelcome thought aside. Tonight was her night with Tristan, and she wasn’t going to sour the mood by her sudden jealousy.

  They were the only ones in the elevator and Tristan didn’t waste any time picking up where they’d left off. He ground his hips against hers, lifting one of her legs for better contact. By the time they got to his hotel room, her panties were absolutely soaked.

  “Finally,” Tristan breathed when he closed the door. Then he pinned her against the wall with his body, his mouth creating a trail of hot kisses on her face, her neck, her throat. His hands were equally eager, unzipping her dress and letting it fall to the floor. Her underwear quickly followed, and she was naked in no time flat.

  Hurriedly, she undid his belt while he shrugged out of his jacket, and their lips sought each other once again. Even the small distance between their bodies created by Tristan’s hand unbuttoning his shirt and her fingers fumbling with his fly, was frustrating her.

  She’d never felt this in need of a man before. She was burning for him, with no other thought than to assuage the delicious ache between her legs with the erection she was trying to set free.