Just Deserts - Brenda Jackson [38]
When seconds passed and Danielle didn’t say anything, it was Alex who spoke. “We’re waiting to hear the reason, wife-in-law.”
Danielle nervously gnawed on her bottom lip for a second and decided to come clean. “We were desperate.”
There was silence on the other end. And then Alex asked, “Desperate for what?”
“For each other,” Renée answered for Danielle. “Am I right, Danielle?”
Danielle nodded her head, and then when she realized they couldn’t see her affirmation, she said, “Yes, you’re right. Thanks to Marc, it had been a long time for me and I was in a bad way. And Tristan hadn’t dated in a long time, either, and he was in a bad way, too, so we decided to use each other to take the edge off.”
“And you think that’s the reason the two of you slept together?” Renée asked in a soft voice.
“Yes, that’s the reason.” Danielle could imagine Renée, sitting in the middle of her bed, trying to keep her expression calm. Alex, she figured, was sitting up in bed patting Little Sweetie on the head. She thought of something. “Alex, where’s Hunter?”
“He’s lying beside me, asleep. I wore him out tonight.”
Neither Danielle nor Renée had to ask how.
“Danielle, I think you need to take time to think about why Tristan got upset. There is a reason he got jealous, and until you come to terms with that reason, as well as the reason the two of you shared a bed, then he’s going to always get mad when men come on to you.”
“But we’re nothing more than best friends,” Danielle said, trying to get them to understand.
“Yes, you can still be best friends, but now the two of you are also lovers, and with that comes a load of responsibility and respect,” Renée explained. “Tristan probably feels like those men disrespected him—not as your best friend, but as your lover. Think about it.”
When Danielle didn’t say anything, Alex asked, “Did the two of you use any kind of birth control?”
Danielle’s shoulders stiffened. The corners of her lips twitched in a smile when she realized they hadn’t. She couldn’t help recall the comment Tristan had made that first night before they’d made love. He had made love knowing there was a possibility that each time he did so she could get pregnant. Yet it hadn’t mattered, because he’d known she wanted a baby, had always wanted a baby, and he’d been willing to give her the one thing she’d always wanted. He’d taken it upon himself to right Marc’s wrong.
“Danielle?”
She inhaled deeply. “No, we didn’t use any kind of protection.”
“Then you might want to add ‘father of your child’ to the list for Tristan,” Alex said.
Danielle reached down and touched her stomach. “Yes,” she said, wiping sudden tears from her eyes. “I might have to do that.” She pulled in a deep breath. “Look, guys, I need some time by myself to think.”
“That’s a good idea. Call us back if you want to talk again,” Renée said.
“I will and thanks. You two are special.”
“We think you’re special, too, being the oldest and all,” Alex said with a grin in her voice.
A few moments later, after she’d hung up the phone, Danielle couldn’t help but think that there’d been one good thing to come out of this mess with Marc. His three wives had become close friends.
And then she couldn’t help but think of Tristan and their argument. They’d had arguments before but nothing as serious as this. This one had been heated and emotional. In her opinion he was acting crazy. But then, how was he supposed to act?
She didn’t agree with Renée’s and Alex’s view of things—that Tristan was in love with her in a man-woman way. He’d always been overprotective of her, and now their sexual involvement only increased that protectiveness.
That was it. Tristan was her best friend. He was her lover, and like Renée and Alex had pointed out, he could also be the father of her child.
She felt a stirring in her stomach when she was reminded of the past couple of days and how much she’d enjoyed being with him—both in and out of bed. But she had to admit she really enjoyed the bed part. Sensual longing wrapped itself around her and she immediately recognized it for what