Chance

by Lagomarsino, Giulia

  “Chance, what’s wrong?”

  When he looked at me, there was so much vulnerability in his eyes that I had never seen before. It had to be from his time on the island. Chance never questioned himself before, so why was he doing it now?

  “If you don’t want to move in with me, I get it. I won’t lie to you and tell you that I’m fine after everything. I know that Payton needs time to adjust, and with me, that might be difficult. I’m still messed up and even though I’m trying to move forward, I might still have some rough times. It would make sense that you don’t want Payton around that.”

  “Is that what you think? That I wouldn’t want my child around you because you might not being done dealing with what happened to you? Because I know that I’m not okay and I’m sure even though Payton seems fine, she’s probably still scared that I’m going to leave her.”

  “It’s different though. You’re her mother. I’m just-”

  “You’re just the man that she trusts most in this world. She wanted you more than anyone when she came back to me. You saved her from that place and when she almost fell, you risked your life to hold on to her. She’s here because of you, and I don’t give a shit how messed up you are inside. You are still better for her than being apart from her because she trusts you as the person she can count on. So, whatever doubts you have about being in her life, they’re ridiculous.”

  “Then why did you hesitate?”

  “Because I wanted to be sure that you were ready to make that kind of commitment. If we move in with you, she’ll be more attached to you than she has been. You’re the only male role model in her life and I don’t want to have that ripped away from her if you change your mind.”

  He pulled me into his arms and sighed as he leaned his forehead against mine. “I can’t guarantee that everything will work out between us. I want it to, but I don’t want to make any promises that neither of us are ready for.”

  “I’m not asking for promises. I’m just asking if you’re ready for us to count on you for the foreseeable future.”

  “I’m ready for that and more. I want to always be a part of her life, no matter what happens between us. The two of you kept me going on that island. For that alone, I owe you my life. But I feel a connection with her that I never thought I would feel. She was my reason for pushing through some of the worst moments of my life and I can’t picture ever cutting her out of my life.”

  I smiled up at him, glad that while it wasn’t a confession of undying love and a promise of forever, it was everything I needed for now. After what I had been through with Wes, I knew for certain that no amount of flowery sentiments or expensive gifts showed who the man beneath was. Chance had proven to me exactly how deep and hard he loved and fought for those that meant something to him. He was the scarred man that was giving me a second chance at life and I was going to grab onto that lifeline with everything I had.

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  I watched as Chance fought with Gabe in the ring. They were having a boxing tournament to release some pent up energy. Though, why they had to do this when they just killed a bunch of bad guys, I would never know. I also noticed that none of them ever actually won. They got in some good shots and sparred, but they never actually took each other down. Still, it was hot to watch and even hotter when Chance walked over to me, sweaty and dripping blood, and swooped me into his arms. I never thought that a sweaty, bloody man would be sexy, but all I wanted to do was rub up against him and take his cock in my mouth.

  When he dragged me from the ring after rubbing his erection against me, I shot a look to Claire and she gave me the thumbs up, letting me know she would watch Payton. Chance practically raced down the hallways to the suite we were staying in and threw me on the bed. I bounced off the bed and raced over to him, slamming him into the wall just hard enough that he knew I meant business. When he took the hint and stopped trying to manhandle me, I ripped his shorts down his legs and fisted his cock in my hand. His eyes bored into me and when I swallowed him, he gripped my hair and started fucking my mouth like he had fucked my ass that first time we were together.

  He yanked me off him, even though I was fully prepared to suck him until he came in my mouth. But when he tried to have his way with me, I shoved him down to the bed and climbed on his lap, sinking down on his cock before he could protest. I rode him hard, not even bothering to remove all my clothes. I had removed what was necessary, but his cock was the only thing I needed right now.

  Sweat dripped from my body as my hair hung heavily down my back. His hands fisted my shirt and pulled at my breasts, but I didn’t give up. He was mine to have my way with. I could feel him getting thicker and his breathing sped up. I rode him harder and harder until he was squeezing my hips and pumping into me like I would disappear. When he spilled inside me, I sank against him and waited for my breathing to slow down.

  “That wasn’t the way it was supposed to go,” he grumbled in my ear.

  “That was exactly how it was supposed to go. I fucked you and you made me come.”

  “That’s not what I meant. I was supposed to take you. I wanted your ass tonight. I wanted to fuck your pussy with my tongue and taste you as you came in my mouth.”

  “The night’s not over yet.”

  He grinned and flipped me over, pinning me beneath him. “No, it’s not.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Reed Security

  Cazzo

  “Is everything packed?” Cap asked as he walked to his SUV with a load of bags. I tossed the last of my bags into the back of the SUV and turned to Cap with a nod. “This is all of our stuff. I think there might be some weapons that still need to be packed.”

  “I’ll be so happy to get home and sleep in my own bed again.”

  “Me too. Vanessa’s been bitching for the last few weeks about needing her own things before the baby comes. I’ll do anything right now to make sure she gets her shit just so I don’t have to listen to her complain anymore.”

  Cap huffed and slammed the door on the SUV he would be riding in. “Thank God we’re taking a plane. Could you imagine driving all the way home with them?”

  “Don’t even joke about that shit. Let’s get the girls and hit the road. I want to be out of here as soon as possible.”

  “Not too fond of staying with Knight?”

  “I’m not too fond of staying with anyone. You know me, I need my space. This has been a fucking nightmare.”

  “We’re lucky that we didn’t have to sell all the houses. I swear, we’ll get some good jobs and you’ll all get your investments back.”

  “You know we’re not worried about it. When it pays out, it pays out. It’s not worth worrying about right now. Besides, we still have to rebuild and make sure the property is secure. Knight’s been bugging the shit out of Becky to figure out how everyone got in last time. He wasn’t too happy that Mark shot Chief before he could find out how they broke in.”

  Cap grinned at me, giving me a playful back slap. “I gotta say, a sick part of me loves seeing Knight so worked up over that. It’s fun to see him squirm for once.”

  “He’s squirming enough because of his son being born. Griffin’s going to turn out just like his old man.”

  “Speak of the devil.” Cap jerked his head to the door of the house. Knight was walking out with a baby carrier and a duffel bag over his shoulder.

  “I’m surprised you don’t have a cage with a lock around your kid,” I joked.

  “He’s got a tracker implanted in his ankle.” Knight set down the car seat and threw the duffle into the back of one of the SUVs.

  “Are you fucking kidding?” I asked in astonishment.

  “Why would I joke about something like that? They’re my family and there’s no fucking way I’ll risk them.”

  “They’re going to be surrounded by a whole team of killers. Do you really think that’s necessary?”

  Knight just glared at me like it was the stupidest thing anyone had ever asked. I held up
my hands and chuckled lightly.

  “Shit, it was just a question. No need to pull out the guns.”

  “Sam?”

  I looked over at Vanessa standing in the doorway. She looked so uncomfortable. I just needed to get her home where she could relax. “You ready to go, baby?”

  “I don’t think we can leave just yet.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m in labor.”

  My eyes widened and my heart started beating out of control. “Now? Like, right now?”

  “No, I was in labor, but at this moment, I stopped it and decided just to fuck around with you.”

  “But, we’re not with a doctor.”

  “Should I just squeeze my legs together and hold it until we get home?”

  “Do you think you could last that long?”

  Vanessa glared at me and I reminded myself to calm the fuck down. We had been through this already with Sofia. This was no big deal.

  “Okay, Knight, you’re going to have to postpone your trip. Ask Kate to meet us in our room.”

  “Fuck no. I’m not postponing our trip. There are too many variables, things that could go wrong if we wait. Someone could find out our plans to go home and plan an attack. You have Hunter. Use him.”

  “Are you shitting me right now?” I yelled. Knight just shrugged as if he didn’t give a shit. I pulled my gun out and pointed it at Knight.

  “You go get your woman and have her deliver my kid or I’ll put a bullet in your head.”

  “Ooh, you really scare me,” Knight snorted.

  “You really think I won’t shoot you?”

  “I think I could disarm you before you tried.”

  “Go ahead and give it a shot. I have two more guns and several knives on me. You can’t disarm me fast enough to get all of them.”

  “Boys,” Cap yelled. “Can we save the pissing contest for later? Cazzo, we have Hunter and he can take care of delivering your kid. He delivered Knight’s son and if Knight trusted him, you can too.”

  “Quick,” Hunter yelled, running out of the house, almost knocking over Vanessa. “I need Kate. Lucy’s in labor!”

  “You’re a doctor,” Knight muttered. “Take care of it yourself.”

  “I can’t! It’s my wife. I can’t deliver my own kid. I’ll fuck it up or kill the kid and then Lucy would kill me.”

  “Shit,” Cap muttered. “Alright, Knight, you’re going to have to get Kate. We can’t have two women in labor and not have Kate here.”

  Knight growled at me, punching me in the stomach. “Fucker, you’ll pay for this.”

  “I’m not the one in labor!”

  “Uh, guys?” We turned to the house where Isa was standing next to Vanessa. Her face was scrunched up in pain and she was holding her stomach.

  “No,” Cap said in disbelief. “Don’t tell me you’re in labor too.”

  “I didn’t want to say anything to Gabe. He’s panicking enough as it is.”

  “Okay, it’s alright.” Cap paced in front of us for a moment. “We have Kate, Hunter, and Ali that can all help with delivering babies. That should be enough.”

  “As long as nothing goes wrong,” I muttered.

  “What would go wrong?” Vanessa asked worriedly.

  “What couldn’t go wrong,” Hunter said, throwing his hands in the air. “Someone could need emergency surgery, an umbilical cord could be wrapped around a baby’s neck, the baby’s blood pressure could drop.”

  I punched Hunter in the face. “What the fuck are you doing? You don’t say that shit to a woman that’s about to have a baby at a fucking house.”

  “Sorry,” Hunter gasped. “I’m just feeling nervous. My stomach is upset and my back is fucking killing me right now from carrying Lucy into our bedroom. This is just a lot of pressure.”

  Cap walked over to him and slapped him on the face. “Pull yourself together. You’re a man and your woman needs you. Besides, you’re trained for this. Stop acting like you’ve never done this before.”

  “You’re right, you’re right.” Hunter took a few calming breaths and shook out his limbs. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  “Good.”

  Hunter’s eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed on the ground. I stared at him for a moment, trying not to fucking panic. Knight kicked him lightly in the stomach, but he didn’t move.

  “Shit.”

  “Okay,” Cap said calmly, grabbing Knight and I around the shoulders to bring us into a circle. “The good thing is that labor takes a long time. By the time any of the ladies goes into active labor, he’ll have woken up and he’ll be able to deal with this.”

  “Right,” I nodded, knowing that he was right and everything would be fine.

  “Okay, Cazzo, get Vanessa up to your room and make sure she’s comfortable. Knight, you grab Kate and tell her that we have three women in labor. I’ll check on Lucy and make sure she’s doing okay.”

  “Got it,” I nodded.

  “We’ve got this, team. One, two, three, break!”

  Knight rolled his eyes in irritation, but I needed the cheering on right now.

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  Gabe

  “What do you mean you’re in labor?”

  “I mean that my contractions have started and this baby is coming.”

  I paced the room, threading my fingers through my hair in frustration, or maybe it was panic. “Okay, I can deal with this. It’s just a baby. This is a piece of cake.”

  “Good, because I think this baby is coming soon.”

  “How soon?”

  “Considering how far apart the contractions are, I’d say really soon.”

  I nodded, taking deep breaths. “Okay, no problem. Don’t you worry about a thing. I’ve got this.”

  “So do I.” Isa looked at me irritatedly. “You know that I’ve done this before. There’s nothing to be worried about.”

  “I know. It’s just that…I’m going to be a father.”

  “Gabe, you’re already a father.”

  “Huh?” I asked, completely lost in thought. “Oh, right. The first kid.”

  “The first kid? Gabe, please tell me you remember your other kids’ names.”

  “Of course I do,” I scoffed. Shit, what were my kids’ name? I couldn’t think right now. Shit, I couldn’t even remember if they were boys or girls. What the hell was wrong with me?

  Isa crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me. “What’s her name?”

  “Name? Uh…We shouldn’t be talking about this now. You’re about to have a baby.”

  “I know that!”

  “Okay, so….this is good. We’ll just push out this baby and then we’ll have a baby.”

  “Really? Is that how it works?”

  “Isa, you can trust me. I know what this is like. I’ve been through this. We just have to keep breathing, drink plenty of water, and remember that the pain is worth it in the end.”

  “Gabe-”

  “I don’t want you to worry at all. When the pain hits, you just squeeze my hand. Now, when it’s time to push, you might feel like you have to poop. And since I’ve been the patient, I know exactly what to do.”

  “You didn’t have a baby!” Isa shouted at me. “You had simulators on you that made you feel the pain. You didn’t actually shove a kid out of your vagina!”

  “Baby, let’s just agree to disagree on this. Now, I’m going to talk with Kate and see what she needs. I’ll gather all the supplies and I’ll be back.”

  “Gabe, I don’t need you to do anything. I know how to have a baby.”

  I walked over to her and placed my hand on her cheek. “Baby, I know you want to do this on your own, but you don’t have to be strong. I’ll take care of this for you. Now, can I record this?”

  “To watch later?”

  “Yeah, baby.”

  “You’re sick!”

  She picked up the phone off the table and yanked the cord from the wall. “Get out!” She threw the phone at me, which I onl
y blocked from hitting my head at the last minute. I ran out of the room, slamming the door behind me.

  Cazzo was standing outside of his room. “Did you get kicked out?”

  “Yeah, you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What did you do?” I asked.

  “I said something about her weighing too much when I carried her up the stairs.”

  “Huh, all I did was ask Isa if I could record it.”

  “For watching later?” I nodded. “Not…like, sexually, right?”

  “No!” I shook my head. “That’s what she thought too.”

  “Women are so touchy.”

  I grunted in response. We stood outside the doors in silence, neither of us knowing what to do. A minute later, Sinner came huffing up the stairs, holding the side of his face. When he saw us standing outside in the hall, he jerked his head at us.

  “What did you do?” I asked.

  “Fuck if I know.”

  “So, what are we supposed to do?” Cazzo asked.

  “They’ll let us back in,” I said confidently. “By the time the babies come, they’ll be begging us to be by their sides.”

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  Hunter

  I ran into Isa’s room. She was deep breathing and ready to push. Lucy was in labor also and I didn’t want to miss it, but I didn’t think that I could be there without freaking out.

  “Okay, Isa. You’re ready to push. Let’s get you ready. Gabe, I need you to hold back one of her knees. Maggie, you grab the other. You have to support her so she can push.”

  “Sure,” Gabe said, turning to Isa. “You can do this. Go, Isa. Go, Isa! Elevate your mind, get it together. Elevate your mind, get it together. Elevate your mind, whoo! Get it together. Elevate your mind, whoo! Get it-”

  “Dude, what the fuck are you doing?”

  “I’m cheering her on. That’s a cheer they used to do at high school basketball games.”