by Lucy Darling
She’s been all over Kennedy with her being knocked up. She’s so excited for her first grandchild. She is going to explode with excitement when she finds out a second one is on the way.
I feel guilty not telling her, but the only person who does know is my sister. I’m guessing Gerrit knows too with how close they are. He hasn’t brought it up to me, which I really appreciate. I wouldn’t care if she told him, I respect the fact that they don’t keep anything from each other.
I take a short cab ride to John's new restaurant. He was always married to his job. We went on a few dates, and there was no spark, but we were able to maintain a friendship. I was never the type that wanted to come second to the man I end up marrying.
“You’re going to love this,” he tells me as I enter the restaurant. He wraps me in a hug before dropping a kiss on my cheek. When he pulls back, he gives me a once over. “Something has changed.”
“Same old me,” I lie. I’m just growing another human inside me. Nothing to see here.
“Come on. I want you to try some things.” It looks as though the restaurant just opened and only a few people are here. It is early afternoon. “Here.” He pulls a chair out for me as he motions to someone. John takes the seat next to mine as a server brings out a tray and starts to load our table with food.
“I’m not sure where to start.” I laugh.
“Try this one first. I had you in mind when I made it.” He takes a spoon out of what looks like macaroni and cheese to bring it to my mouth. I close my eyes for a brief second as I wait for the cheesy goodness. Nothing comes, so I open my eyes to see a hand grabbing John’s wrist to stop him. I stare up in shock when I see Luke. Figures. All of this time and now he pops up out of nowhere. I don’t know if I want to kiss him or punch him.
“You’re on a date?” He pushes John’s hand back from me then releases his wrist. The audacity of this guy blows my damn mind. It also makes me wet between my thighs.
“How the hell did you find me?”
“I always know where you are, pretty eyes. I’ve also made it my business to know everything about you. You dated one John Bay over a year ago. You went out on three dates in total. You remained casual after that. Yet this doesn't look casual.” He turns his eyes from me to John. “Is it casual, John?”
“I won’t lie. I was going to see if we could try again.”
“John. I’m sorry, but—”
“But she’s engaged to me.” Luke cuts me off. I gasp, standing up so fast my chair falls back. The man who said he never wanted marriage or kids is now saying we’re engaged? Then I smack him. Hard. I’m shocked by my own reaction. I’ve never hit another person in my whole life. He deserved it, though. He doesn’t own me. I’m not here for when he decides to give me the time of day.
“I’m sorry, John, but I think I need to go home.”
“Do you want me to call the cops?” He gives Luke a once-over, knowing there is no way he would ever be able to take Luke himself.
“If you wish. I actually have the chief of police’s number if you need it.” Luke starts to pull out his cell phone.
“Oh, lookie there. You have a phone.” I can’t keep the sarcasm out of my voice. I push past him. I don’t have to look to know he’s following me.
“We can do this the easy way, babe, or the hard way. Either way, you’re getting into the car with me.” There is a driver standing next to the open door of a town car. I decide that I might as well get this over with.
I slide into the car. Luke presses himself against me. I hate how easily he turns me on. “Where are we going?” I ask.
“Home” is all he says before the town car pulls into traffic. Once upon a time I thought maybe he was my home.
11
Luke
She sits with her arms folded over her chest and a pissed-off look on her face. I can’t say that I blame her. I’d be pissed at me too if I was her. The only thing I want to do is pull her into my lap and kiss her. It’s the first time in weeks I feel as though I can breathe.
I swear thoughts of her were the only thing that kept me alive. I took two shots. One to my shoulder and one to my leg. We were damn lucky that no one died. Well, no one on our side died. The other side didn’t fare as well.
That’s what I was told once I woke up in that hospital bed. One I’d been in for many weeks. I had taken a blow to the head when I hit the ground. I was lucky to be alive.
Clark filled me in on what happened. Everything had gone to plan with the exception of me getting shot twice. Not only did the drugs get seized, but they caught a hell of a lot of people on their most wanted list. I was happy for them, but from the second that I opened my eyes in that hospital, my only focus had been getting home to Kinley.
I can’t take it any longer. I grab her, pulling her into my lap. She tries to stop me at first, but it’s not long before she is laying her head on my shoulder. Rick told me about the pregnancy test. I have no idea if she is or isn't. Not that it matters any which way. I’ll let her tell me in time.
I breathe her in. It calms me. I can’t believe she went out with that fucker. I don’t care if she thought it wasn't a date. He knew what he was doing. He’d had a shot with her once and quickly realized he’d missed out on the perfect woman. So he made a play for her again.
“We can’t keep doing this.” I hear the pain in her voice. Then I feel the wetness. She’s crying.
“I swear to you it’s done. I’m back here for good. I have to be where you are. It’s too painful not to be with you.” I admit my truth. “I’m in love with you. I know it. What else could it be? When I’m not with you it's like I can’t breathe.” Her sharp intake of breath tells me that I’ve surprised her with my confession of love. It also tells me that I have a lot of making up to do.
She lifts her head so that her eyes meet mine. “You’re in love with me? The man who said he never wanted to get married?”
“How could I not be in love with you?”
She lets out a sniffle. “Because you disappeared?”
“There were things I couldn't tell you.”
“I’ve seen the pictures of you out partying it up.”
I let out a long sigh. There was a lifestyle I had to play into. It was part of my cover. I needed to get close to the people we were trying to bust in order to gain their trust. Going out with them and pretending to live their lifestyle was an easy way in.
“That was before you.” I watch her face soften some. “It was a façade. Hell, it’s been a long fucking time since I’ve been with—”
She puts her hand over my mouth. “That’s all I need to hear about that.” I smile enjoying her jealousy. I kiss her palm and her hand drops away. “I’m so mad at you but I missed you too. I want to smack you and kiss you.”
“You already did the smack so that leaves a kiss.” She tilts her head, offering me her mouth, and I take it. It’s been too long since the last time I saw her in person.
She’s as greedy for me as I am for her as we kiss. She pulls her mouth from mine, trying to catch her breath. Her lips are swollen. I should stop, but I want her mouth back on me so badly. I ache for it. I never knew a person could ache for another person.
“What happened to you?” She lays her head back down on me.
“I got shot a couple of times,” I say to get it out of the way. It’s not as though she’s not going to see the marks. When we’re together it’s hard to keep our hands off each other.
“What!” Her head snaps up to look at me. “Where? When? Who?” She starts pulling at my clothes.
“Calm down. I’m fine now. I was only in a coma for a little while.”
“Why the hell are you saying all of this so casually? Does your family even know?”
I shake my head no. “I came straight to you when I landed back in the States.” Her eyes fill with tears again. I cup her face. “I’m okay.”
“I love you,” she blurts out. “I could have lost you, and you never would have known how I feel
about you.”
Fuck me. That ache I was feeling goes away completely. “I love you too, pretty eyes. Knew from the first moment I saw you that you would somehow change my life.”
“Tell me what happened.”
“You can never repeat a word of what I’m about to tell you.” She sits up a little straighter, having an inkling that the conversation is about to get serious. So I tell her everything. “But I’m done now. I’m out and I’m home.”
“Promise you’ll never do something like that again? I don’t think I could bear to lose you.” Her bottom lip trembles.
“The feeling is mutual.” Finally I’ve broken down all her walls. “We’re going to my place. Our place,” I quickly correct myself.
“Okay,” she agrees easily. So I keep pushing.
“And we’re getting married.” She laughs at that one, thinking that I’m joking. I’m not. She’ll realize that soon enough. I let out a sigh of relief as we enter our home. I hold her hand, not wanting to let go as I head to the master bathroom. “I need a shower.”
I start to undress, but she stops me. “Let me.” This is going to be torture, but I let her do it. When she gets to my shoulder, she kisses the spot where I was shot. She does the same to the other.
“I’m okay,” I tell her when I see her eyes start to fill with tears. “It’s my turn now.” I don’t go slow, and it only takes me a few seconds to get her naked and pull her into the shower with me.
She washes me, and I stand there, enjoying her touch. When her hands wrap around my cock, it takes all I have not to come.
Then she drops to her knees in front of me. Her tongue swirls the tip of my cock before she takes me fully to the back of her throat. I try to stop it, but it doesn’t take much to get me to come. I’ve been away from her for too long.
I try to tell her I’m about to come, but my brain can’t form any other words besides her name. I come so hard, but she swallows it all down, taking every last drop of me as I pull her up and kiss her. Fuck have I missed her mouth. Hell, I missed everything about her.
We shower quickly before we get out. I dry her off and then myself. My mind can’t concentrate on anything else besides getting her into the bed and burying my face in her pussy. That was the plan until I hear a chime, alerting me that someone is here besides us. There are only a handful of security people that have access to even get past the point to set the alarm off.
“What’s that?”
“We have company.” I watch as Kinley tries to find her clothes to put back on.
“Here.” I give her one of my shirts and a pair of boxer briefs.
“I can’t go out there like this.”
“You can.” I level her with a stare. There will be no more sneaking around. Kinley is mine, and I want the whole fucking world to know it.
12
Kinley
When Luke answers the door, it’s his mom and dad. I relax some. I know Evelyn is going to be over the moon when she sees that Luke and I are hooking up. I’m not even sure if that’s what you would call this thing between Luke and me.
He keeps saying we’re getting married. I’m not sure if it's in the heat of the moment or if he truly thinks we are. I think we both had a huge adrenaline rush when we saw each other again. We were so desperate for one another that we said a lot of things in those moments.
I watch as Evelyn holds her son tight to her. I don’t know what I would do if I couldn't get in touch with my child for an extended period of time. I have a better understanding now. I will have a child of my own very soon. One that only my sister and her husband know about.
It’s only a few minutes before Evelyn’s eyes meet mine. They light up immediately, and a smile appears on her face. “Hey.” I give a small wave, not sure how I should act or what I should say. I can’t be all Hey I’ve been hooking up with your son on the down low and now I’m carrying your grandbaby. I don’t think that would be acceptable, so I stick with the wave. She lets go of her hold on Luke and makes her way toward me.
“Are you two—?” I bite my lip, but Luke of course is quick to answer.
“Yep. Looks like you’ve got another wedding to plan.” Okay. I guess some of those things he said weren't in the heat of the moment after all.
“There’s no rush,” I say.
“Yes, there is.” Luke folds his arms over his chest, waiting to be challenged.
“Of course there’s a rush. Every second matters.” I swing my head over, realizing that those words came from Luke’s dad. He walks over to Evelyn, wraps his arm around her, and pulls her into his side. When I look back to Luke, he has a huge smile on his face.
“Don’t forget Kennedy is pregnant. We should do it sooner rather than later. She'll be showing soon. I’m sure you want to do it before, or you’ll worry over her bridesmaid dress fitting.”
Evelyn is so full of crap. She is just trying to get us down the aisle as fast as she can. It’s sweet, but I see right through it.
“Kennedy is pregnant?” Luke’s eyebrows furrow together like he can’t believe it. “That was fast.” Then he mumbles something under his breath. My heart drops.
“There is so much to do. Baby showers and weddings,” Evelyn says excitedly. She walks over and gives me a giant hug, whispering into my ear, “I knew this would happen. You and Kennedy were meant to be my daughters.” She kisses my cheek before letting me go. My eyes swell with tears. I’ve loved Evelyn since the minute I met her. She was always so good with Kennedy and me. To be honest, she treated us better than our own mother ever did.
Our parents are too absorbed in themselves to really care about anyone. Their appearance matters the most to people. They’d made a deal with Gerrit for Kennedy’s hand in marriage in order to pay off their debt and gain power. That hadn’t worked out so well for them because Gerrit was already smitten with my sister.
Evelyn had stepped in and provided Kennedy with the support and love she needed. She included me and made me feel a part of her family. She had also championed Luke to me so many times before I even met the man. Being with Luke you really do get a whole family. I’m just not so sure he’s ready for us to be adding to it. Not with the reaction he had over the news of Kennedy being pregnant.
“It’s late,” Mr. Kane says. “Your mom just needed to see you for herself so she could have a good night's rest. You still have some explaining to do. You can’t just drop off the face of the earth.”
“It will never happen again,” he reassures them. Everyone heads out, leaving Luke and me all alone. I feel like I’m being pulled from both sides. I love Luke, and I love this baby inside of me. I’m sure he’ll say he’s happy about it. The thing that bothers me is that I won’t know if it’s the truth. I don’t want him to have some lingering resentment about it. Toward me or the baby. Not that I think he will, but I’m just not sure. We haven’t known each other for that long. I don’t want my baby to grow up thinking that it is some sort of burden. All of these unknown things are really messing with my head. I know one thing for sure: I don’t have to tell him tonight.
He walks over to me, not saying a word. He picks me up, easily carrying me all the way to the bedroom. Our first round of lovemaking is desperate and fast. It’s us making up for lost time. The second round is slow and soft. Luke kisses every part of me. I can feel his love with every touch.
“I love you so damn much,” he says. “I couldn't live without you, pretty eyes.”
I turn in the bed resting my head on his chest. I kiss him over his heart. He plays with my hair. I close my eyes.
“I love you too,” I tell him. But I wonder if love will be enough.
13
Luke
“Look what the cat dragged in,” Gerrit says, standing from his desk. I can tell he’s pissed at me by the tone of his voice.
“I went to your office first, but they said you were working from home. I almost died of shock.” I pick up some weird-looking piece of art. I’m going to guess Mom got it for him.
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“You’ve been dodging death a lot these days.” That gets my attention.
“You know?”
“I only found out recently or I would have had your ass in a hospital here.” He grits out the words.
“I lived.”
“This fucking time!” he shouts at me. Kennedy comes rushing into the room.
“What the heck is going on?”
“Brotherly fighting,” I reassure her. She glances between us. Gerrit gives her a smile before he walks over to kiss her. A spike of jealousy hits me when he brushes his hand across her stomach. I want what they have with Kinley. For her to have my ring on her finger and be round with my child. Kennedy leaves us alone once again. When she’s gone, the smile drops from my brother’s face.
“Are you staying here for good?”
“Yes.” I’m staying. I am actually thinking of moving and buying something bigger. I’m going to need more space. The hope is that Kinley and I will have children one day.
“How did you find out?” I ask, walking over to sit on the sofa in his office. I kick my feet up, resting them on the table. I do it to annoy him. I can’t help myself.
“I have friends in high places.” He knocks my feet off as he walks over to his desk, sitting down. “You broke her heart.”
I lean forward, putting my elbows on my knees. “I’ll spend my life making it up to her. I swear it.”
He lets out a long sigh. “I get it. The bust was huge. I’m sure Kinley would want it to still have turned out this way with all those lowlifes and drugs seized. I just want you to know she was broken.”
“Thank you for watching over her. God knows her fucking parents would be no help.”
“Where is Kinley right now? I’m surprised you don’t have her stuck to your side.”
“She’s having lunch with that bitch of a mom.”
“Kennedy has talked to them a few times. It always comes back to money. She’s cut all ties. I’m sure Kinley will learn that lesson soon.”