Hearts Will Beat

by E. L. Todd

  As soon as Trinity and Slade were gone, we went into the bedroom. The dirty dishes were still in the sink and the Monopoly board was still on the coffee table. But we would clean that up later.

  Now I was having sex on a regular basis, and it felt so right. I got to be with my dream woman whenever I wanted. She was mine, completely and utterly. And her bulging stomach was the sexiest thing in the world. I loved watching her waddle around the house. I loved how aroused she was because her hormones were all over the place.

  I loved everything.

  I moved her onto her back then positioned myself between her legs. We only had sex in this position because I got the best view of her belly. My hands always touched the skin, being aroused by the fact I got her pregnant. My son was inside her, and when he finally came into our lives it would change everything. It would be the happiest moment of our lives.

  I moved inside her slowly, feeling the sensual sensations between us. She was warm and wet like she always was, and it felt so good. My lips found hers and I kissed her slowly, loving the way our souls wrapped around one another until they became a single entity.

  “I love you, Cayson.” She ran her fingers through my hair as she kissed me slowly.

  I loved hearing her say that. I loved watching the desire in her eyes when she looked at me like that. She loved the strength of my body and the power I possessed. She loved looking into my eyes and seeing my love reflected back at her.

  “I have the best husband in the world.”

  I continued to kiss her. “I have the best wife in the world.” There was no one else I’d rather come home to every night. When I tried to picture myself with someone else, she never had a face. It simply wasn’t realistic. I would never fall madly or deeply in love, not like I did with Skye. She was the only woman who could tame me. From our first kiss, I knew she was the one.

  My hand moved to her swollen stomach and I tried to feel a kick. Our love made something so beautiful, and that always hit me straight in the heart. I never thought pregnancy was sexy until I knocked up my wife. Now it got me hard just thinking about it. “This is so hot, Skye.”

  “Yeah?”

  “The hottest thing ever.” I was trying not to release but that was becoming more difficult. Moans escaped my lips and I panted, feeling the strong sensation between my legs.

  Skye grabbed my ass and pulled me deep inside. “Come inside me.”

  I hadn’t gotten her off yet and now there was no way I could. Those words set me off like a lit stick of dynamite. I buried myself deep inside her and released. Her tightness made the sensation a million times better. A moan from deep in my throat emerged, and my entire body relaxed.

  Once the orgasm was over, I realized Skye hadn’t found her release. “Sorry, baby. You really shouldn’t say things like that to me.”

  “It’s okay. I wanted you to let go.” She grabbed my hand and placed it over her folds. “And you can take me to that place in other ways.”

  My hand rubbed her aggressively while I kissed her. I was still inside her but my dick had softened. Any other guy would walk away and go to sleep but I wanted my wife to be satisfied. It didn’t take long before she rolled her head back and moaned in joy. “Yes…right there.”

  I loved watching her come. It was the sexiest thing in the world.

  When she was finished I pulled out of her then lay back on the bed. I was a little warm but that didn’t stop me from snuggling with her. I spooned her from behind and pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “Love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  ***

  When I woke up the next morning Skye was cooking breakfast in the kitchen. It was something I woke up to every morning. The smell of pancakes filled my nose, with just a touch of cinnamon. And the scent of crispy bacon was in the air along with a fresh pot of coffee.

  I entered the kitchen just wearing my sweats. “It always smells like Christmas morning in here.”

  Skye turned off the stove then turned my way, a bright smile on her face. “Because every morning feels like Christmas.” Her eyes were full of love as she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. “Sleep well?”

  “I always sleep well with you.” It was true. I didn’t wake up once in the middle of the night or tossed and turned. I always slept like a rock because my body sensed hers beside me, along with our son.

  She kissed my cheek before she made a plate. “Sit down and have some breakfast.”

  “I don’t need to be told twice.” I took my usual seat at the table and a plate of food was set in front of me. Skye also placed a mug of hot coffee next to it.

  “Skye, I don’t drink caffeine or alcohol right now.”

  She put one hand on her hip, telling me she was about to say something sassy. “Cayson, I’m the one who’s pregnant and not you. The fact you don’t allow yourself to have anything just makes me feel worse. You deserve to treat yourself. You work so hard to take care of us. Now drink that damn coffee before I throw a fit.”

  I smiled then took a drink. “Whatever you want.”

  “Thank you.” She grabbed her food and sat across from me. “Mmm…this is good.” She ate an entire pancake in a second.

  “It is.”

  Skye wasn’t wearing make up and she was wearing my clothes, an old t-shirt and sweatpants. Everything was baggy on her but she somehow made is sexy, just like everything else she did.

  “Sleep well?”

  “Like a rock.”

  “Good. What are you doing today?”

  “Probably watch TV…eat…take a nap.”

  “That sounds nice. I’m jealous.”

  “I’m pretty bored, actually. Thank god Mom lives next door. She comes over and we make baby clothes.”

  “That’s cute.”

  “Yeah…she and I are pretty cute.”

  I chuckled. “We really need to start thinking of baby names. He’s going to be here soon.”

  “I know.”

  “I’m still interested in Cornelius.”

  “But people will call him Corn for short, and that’s a weird nickname.”

  “True.” I hadn’t thought of that.

  “We can look at a baby book of names,” Skye said. “Maybe that will help us out.”

  “Yeah, I’ll pick something up after work.” I scarfed down the rest of my food and set the plate in the sink. “I need to hop in the shower.”

  “Okay.”

  “Thank you for breakfast.”

  “Thank you for being my husband,” she said. “It’s the least I can do.”

  ***

  Conrad texted me around lunchtime. Hey, let’s get lunch.

  Sure. Where do you want to go?

  I don’t know. How about that sports bar?

  That’s fine. I wasn’t a picky eater. I’ll meet you there.

  Actually, can you swing by the office?

  That was a weird request but I didn’t question it. Sure.

  Around noon I entered the building and approached Conrad’s office. I walked right past Sean’s and didn’t even glance at it. It was like it didn’t exist. “You ready?” I said as I walked inside.

  Conrad was on the phone. He covered the receiver as he spoke to me. “Give me five minutes.”

  I nodded then left his office. I pulled out my phone and found a game to play while I waited. Phones were ringing throughout the building, and the distant sound of typing came into my ears.

  “Cayson, could you come in here for a moment?” Sean appeared in his doorway.

  I turned to him and didn’t hide the irritation on my face.

  He waited for my response with a stoic face.

  I didn’t want to have this conversation in public so I shoved my phone into my pocket and entered his office. “I’m having lunch with Conrad. The second he’s off the phone we’re leaving.”

  “That’s fine.” Sean straightened his jacket before he sat behind his desk. “I wanted to ask about Skye.”

  At least he didn’t wa
nt to talk about the same bullshit we always talked about. “What about her?”

  “Is she doing okay?”

  “More than okay.” It was pretty bold of him to assume I wasn’t at her beck and call.

  “Scarlet and I had a miscarriage before Skye was born. She and I are a little paranoid about the same thing happening to her.”

  For an instant, my anger toward him disappeared. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “It was really hard for us. I don’t want our little girl going through that.”

  “She’s fine,” I said. “There’s nothing out of the ordinary going on.”

  “She’s been getting regular check ups?” he asked.

  “Yeah. And she does nothing around the house all day so she’s not stressed.”

  Sean nodded. “Good. I just worry—”

  An alarm system began to shriek and a voice came over the intercom. “Lock down mode.”

  I immediately jumped to my feet and looked out the window of his office. People were running to safety. My heart slammed hard in my chest and the blood pounded in my ears. “What’s lock down mode? What’s going on?”

  Sean grabbed a gun from his desk and shoved it into his waistband. “Come on.”

  “Come on where?”

  Sean pressed his hand against the wall. It looked odd at first because there was nothing there. Then an invisible door formed, leading somewhere I couldn’t see. “Come on.”

  “What about my dad?”

  “He has one in his office. He knows what to do.”

  “What about everyone else?”

  “They have instructions of where to go. Now, come on.” He waited for me at the door, being unusually calm.

  I immediately followed him into the room and watched the solid steel wall close behind us. Once it obstructed the exit, enormous locks connected with the wall. “What’s going on?”

  “There’s someone dangerous in the building, probably a gunman coming after Mike or myself.” He sat down on the couch and didn’t look frightened at all. “We installed these rooms after…the last incident.”

  “Is there somewhere for everyone else to go?”

  “There’s a vault on each floor. Everyone knows the procedure so there shouldn’t be any casualties.”

  Thank god for Mike and Sean’s paranoia. They probably just saved everyone.

  Sean pulled out his phone and made a call. “Baby, I’m okay.” He listened to her on the other line. “Everyone is in their vaults. We’ll just wait it out until it’s clear.” He listened to her again. “I love you too.” Then he hung up. “You should call Skye. She’ll probably find out what’s going on.”

  I pulled out my phone and made the call. Thankfully, we got service in here.

  “Hello?” Skye’s voice was bubbly and happy.

  “Hey, baby.”

  She detected the stress in my voice. “Cayson, what’s wrong?”

  “It’s a long story. I’m at PIXEL right now and it just went into lockdown mode.”

  “Oh my god.” She gasped into the phone. “Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine. I’m in your father’s vault. He’s here too.”

  “What about everyone else?”

  I turned to Sean. “How do you know everyone else is okay?”

  He pointed to the screen on the wall. There were small boxes with red lights over each of them. “The red light means they’re locked. Therefore, everyone is inside. Mike’s, Conrad’s, Ward’s, and Cortland’s are all activated.”

  “Everyone is safe,” I said to Skye. “I guess we’ll just wait it out until the coast is clear.”

  “Thank god everyone is okay,” she said. “I thought my father was crazy for installing those but I’m so grateful he did.”

  I looked around at all the steel walls. “It’s pretty impressive…”

  “I know everything about those rooms,” Skye said. “No one can get to you in there. You’re perfectly safe.”

  “That’s a relief.”

  “So, just sit tight until the dust settles.”

  “I will.”

  “I love you.”

  “I love you too, Skye.” I hung up then sat on the other couch.

  Sean rested his ankle on the opposite knee and released a quiet sigh. “There’s water in the fridge and food in the cabinet.”

  I eyed the tiny kitchen. “I’m okay.”

  He eyed the screen but didn’t say anything.

  For a second, I forgot about our feud. All I could think about was the danger we were in.

  “Cayson, we’ll be fine.” He said it without looking at me. “It’s impossible to get through that door. And even if they did, I’d pop one in their skull. So just relax.”

  “How long will we be in here?”

  “Until it’s clear. That could be hours, even an entire day.”

  I pulled out my phone and called Jessica. I told her about my situation and had her cancel everything on my schedule for the day. Then I hung up and leaned back into the couch. I kept trying to listen for sounds but I didn’t hear anything. “You’re so calm,” I noted.

  Sean shrugged. “People are always trying to kill me. You get used to it.”

  Everyone envied him for being so rich and good-looking, but it wasn’t all that great after all. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault so don’t apologize. After being stabbed in the back and surviving, I’m not afraid of anything anymore. If I can survive that, I can survive anything.”

  “I’m sure.”

  Sean rested his fingertips on his lips. He hadn’t made eye contact with me once. “What are you going to do with your old apartment?”

  “I’m not sure. I want to sub-lease it but that might be complicated. I’d rather just get rid of it but it looks like I’m stuck with it.”

  “It’s not the worst thing in the world. You can always stop by and have lunch there if you don’t want to eat out every day.”

  “True.”

  “I get tired of eating out. Scarlet usually packs a lunch for me now. I’d take her cooking over a restaurant any day.”

  “I’m the same way with Skye,” I said. “But I don’t want to ask her for anything while she’s pregnant. She gets flustered really easily.”

  He nodded. “Scarlet was the same way when she was pregnant, constantly worrying.”

  “Like mother, like daughter, huh?” I said with a chuckle.

  “Yeah.” He gave a slight smile. “So…”

  I knew what he was going to say next. Since I couldn’t get away from him there was nothing I could do to stop it.

  “Are you nervous about being a father?”

  That wasn’t what I expected him to say. “Not really. I’m really excited, actually.”

  “Good,” he said. “You have nothing to worry about. I was so excited for Skye to get here, and when she finally did my life was never the same…but in a good way. Having a family of your own is the most amazing feeling in the world. You’ll love it.”

  “I can’t even imagine…”

  “Of course, you’ll lose sleep and you’ll worry like crazy but…those are small cons.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Cortland is thrilled. He’s going to have two grandchildren.” He released a quiet chuckle. “I’m a little jealous.”

  “You’re going to be a grandfather too.”

  “Yeah, but I would love it if Roland had one on the way too. I’m not sure what Roland and Heath plan on doing, but I really hope they have a family of their own someday.”

  “I think they will.”

  “One can only hope.” He rested his hands in his lap.

  I stared at the steel walls and wondered how long we would be here. Not having any windows was a little claustrophobic. “Is there a bathroom in here?”

  He pointed behind him. “It’s not much but it’ll do the trick.”

  I didn’t have to go. I was just curious.

  “Cayson, in light of everything that’s going on, is there
really no way for us to work this out?” He finally turned my way. “You know how important family is to me. I don’t want my grandson feeling the tension between us. I don’t want Skye to always be caught in the middle. I’ll literally do anything to make this right.”

  I stared at my hands on my knees.

  “Cayson?” he asked gently.

  “You turned your back on me…”

  “I know I did. And now I wish I hadn’t. You have no idea what it’s like to carry this kind of regret, to live every day wishing you could go back and time and fix your mistake. Maybe it doesn’t seem like it, but I’ve already suffered more than any person should. My kids are the most important things to me, and if they tell me something happened I always take their word for it. I’m sorry it was Skye’s word against your own, but as a father there was nothing else I could do.”

  “But there was something else you could have done. You could have believed me and tried to convince Skye of that.”

  He turned away. “I was too emotional about the situation and couldn’t see straight. I won’t make excuses for that.”

  “It took you two months before you finally realized it.”

  “And I did realize it, Cayson. Doesn’t that mean something? If I hadn’t stopped and thought about it then who knows what would have happened. Once I calmed down I really considered everything. And that’s when I realized none of it was adding up. I’m sorry it took me so long to come to that conclusion but I did eventually get there.”

  I continued to avoid his gaze.

  “I can apologize for the rest of my life if I need to. I can do anything at all to make this right. You just tell me what it is and I’ll do it. Cayson, I’ve been miserable for months, and it’s not because Cortland is no longer my friend or because Skye is torn between her husband and her father. It’s because I’ve lost someone I really care about, someone I love like my own.”

  I rubbed my clenched jaw.

  Sean left his couch then took the seat beside me.

  I stilled when I felt him near.

  “Cayson, please. Do you want me to beg? Because I will.”