Eye of the Storm

by Monette Michaels

  "The doctor tell you that?" Trey asked, his eyes smiling.

  "No, but…"

  "Then I expect that Keely will do what she wants while she's carrying my niece or nephew," Trey said. "I also know she's smart enough to be careful and monitor her own activities without your help."

  Vanko nodded, joining the chorus against him and his edicts. "My sister is much like Keely, and she cut back on her own during her pregnancies. She also did that to make her husband happy. I expect Keely will do so to make you happy, Ren. So don't worry about it. Women have been having babies for thousands of years and managing to survive."

  "Yeah, look at our mother," Tweeter added. "Mom's smaller than Keely and had a set of twins and four others."

  "Twins?" Ren gulped and reached for a glass of water, all of a sudden sick to his stomach. "No. She can't have twins. That would be too much."

  "I'm not having twins, but if I were, you couldn't do much about it after the fact, big guy." Keely's soft voice came from behind him. He whirled around and pulled her to him, his face pressed to her stomach over where his child lay. He let her go only long enough to pull her onto his lap.

  "Baby, you sure you should be up?" He looked around for a nurse. "Where's your fucking wheelchair? You shouldn't be walking around."

  She snuggled her face into the crook of his neck and shoulder. "I escaped after the nurse took out the IV. She helped me get dressed. Then I waited and you didn't come back. So, I came to find you."

  "Shit, Keely. You have to be careful. You fainted, baby." He rubbed her back as he kissed her hair, her ear, her cheek. "We're getting married right away."

  She raised her head and glared at him. "Why? Because I'm carrying your baby?"

  "You're carrying our baby," he corrected. "I already had the ring and planned on courting you, but the timetable just got advanced a month or so."

  "You have the ring?" Her face brightened. "Really?"

  "Yep. It's back at Sanctuary—in the safe. Three-carat solitaire, princess cut for my warrior princess, set in platinum. I was going to give it to you after I softened you up to the idea."

  "Consider me softened." She leaned into him and kissed his jaw, then snuggled her head back on his shoulder. "You happy about the baby?" She sounded meek, worried. He couldn't have that.

  "Ecstatic—and scared. You?"

  "The same." She rubbed a hand over his chest. "So, when?"

  Everyone at the table watched and grinned. Ren could feel the love and support from his friends, his brother, and his soon-to-be brother-in-law. "That's what I was trying to find out from these yahoos before they started lecturing me on the care and feeding of pregnant warrior sprites."

  "All you have to do is love me, Ren." Keely kissed his cheek and nuzzled him along his jaw. "The rest will fall in place."

  "God knows, I love you, Keely Ann Walsh." He kissed her reverently on the lips; it was a promise, a pledge that he would love and care for her forevermore.

  Keely opened to his kiss, setting his libido aflame. He pulled her into his body, taking control of the kiss from her, his tongue thrusting into her mouth, reclaiming what was his. His little warrior sucked on his tongue, tangling hers with his, and showed him right back that she also burned with the desire to reclaim what was hers.

  "Yeah, we'd better get these two hitched and find them a room." Lacey laughed. "No waiting period or residency requirements in Idaho for a license. Just money for the fee and a birth certificate and a driver's license as identification."

  "Good." Ren nuzzled the side of Keely's neck, inhaling her sweet musk. "We'll go to Grangeville and get the license after you rest up, baby."

  "I'm fine. Just the morning sickness seems to come whenever it frick-fracking feels like."

  Everyone laughed at her disgruntled tone.

  "Like I said, we'll go when you feel up to it. Shouldn't take long to do the paperwork." Ren pulled her even closer into his body. He was content. She was safe in his arms. "Do you want to be married in a church, sweetheart?"

  "Not really." Keely stroked a hand over his chest. "When we get the license, let's see if a judge can marry us right then and there." She frowned and sighed. "Well, maybe not. Mama would kill me for eloping. She always wanted to see Daddy walk me down the aisle."

  Ren squeezed her waist. "No problem, sweetheart. Call your family. We can fly them out here for a private ceremony at Sanctuary. We'll have a Christmas wedding; it's only a week away and you won't be leaving my side anyway. Besides I'd love to see you dressed up like the fairy princess you are."

  "I love you." She smiled, a glorious smile that warmed him to his soul, then kissed him. She lay her head down on his shoulder and yawned. "Take me home, Ren."

  "Just what I had in mind, baby."

  Chapter 14

  Two and a half months later

  WAKING, Keely stretched, her foot sliding down the hairy calf of her lover—and husband of over two months. They'd gotten married on Christmas Eve, white dress and all. She smiled as sunlight reflecting off her rings caught her eye. She was married, pregnant, and finally free of the debilitating 24/7 morning sickness with a clean bill of health for her and the baby after an ultrasound the day before. Now all she needed was some hot and heavy sex with her man before she got to the waddling and swollen ankle stages of her pregnancy.

  Ren had other ideas. While he wasn't going without sex, he was being super-careful of her. Slow build-ups. Lots of petting and oral. Shallow thrusting in missionary style where he controlled all penetration. And while she always had mind-blowing orgasms, she wanted more. She wanted some deep thrusting, multiple orgasms and varying positions—the kind of sex her man had given her after she forced the issue with him the first time. The kind of sex that had gotten her pregnant. And she sure as heck wasn't waiting for it until after the baby was born.

  Recalling the doctor visit that had assured both of them the baby and she were both fine, she smiled. Ren's awe-struck expression as he viewed their little jumping bean of a baby on the monitor had been priceless. He'd almost burst his buttons—and had shown the screen shots to about everyone at Sanctuary after they'd gotten home last night.

  "Baby? You okay?" Ren's sleep-drowsy voice had her sex clenching and her nipples puckering. His big hand covering her stomach made her melt. He was so protective, so loving, and far too careful of her welfare since the pregnancy. She'd allowed him to get away with it because she'd had morning sickness. But that was gone—and she wanted her alpha male back.

  "I'm…well…" she trailed off, all of a sudden shy about asking for raunchy sex when the sex they'd been having had been wonderful—vanilla—but still probably better than a lot of other women ever had.

  Ren leaned up. "What's wrong, Keely? You sick again?" His concerned gaze swept over her face as his hand massaged the place where their child grew.

  "No," she turned into his body, her hand reaching for his cock lying hard and firm between them. "I'm horny. I want sex—and I want to be on top." She blushed, but managed to make eye contact.

  His nostrils flared and his grey-blue eyes turned smoky grey with lust. "You want me to make love to you, baby? My pleasure."

  He moved to pull her under him. She shoved his shoulder, tipping him onto his back. "No. I said I want to be on top this time. Then later tonight you can take me from behind. No more missionary unless I ask for it. I want the sex life we had before you found out I was pregnant."

  "Keely…sweetheart…" His tone was the kind a parent used to reason with a recalcitrant two-year-old.

  Cutting off his next words, she managed to contain her anger at the paternal attitude, but just barely. "No! I'm an adult." She climbed over his nude and highly aroused body, trapping his outer thighs between hers as she settled her butt on his tight quads. Then she pulled out her ace in the hole. "I called my mom last night. I asked her about deep, balls-to-the-wall sex during pregnancy. And she said go for it. Like you, my Dad was hesitant at first, but ga
ve in, and Mom said he never regretted it. I'm asking you to give in to me."

  His hands grabbed her hips and pulled her forward until her wet cleft snugged his throbbing cock. "I called your Dad—at your brother's suggestion." He threw her a sexy, but cheeky, grin. "Your Dad told me to stop being a candy-assed wuss and take you like the dominant male I am."

  She threw back her head and laughed. "Neither one of us will ever be able to look my parents in the face again."

  Ren pulled her down until her breasts touched his chest. "Kiss me. Take me, my little warrior."

  Keely braced herself on one arm and tipped his chin with the other hand. "I love you." She nibbled at his lower lip until he let her into his mouth. Frenching him, she wiggled her ass until she felt his tip lodged at her opening. Breaking off the kiss, she said, "Put your cock in me."

  His mouth tilted upward as his smoldering gaze captured hers. The sensual promises she read in his eyes had her shivering in anticipation. He reached between their bodies and nudged the head of his cock inside her very wet sex. "Like that?" His lips brushed hers in a sweet, tender kiss.

  "Oh yeah. Just like that." She kissed him once more, a deep kiss of love and claiming. Her vaginal opening clenched and unclenched around the tip of his cock. The rhythm matched her ever-escalating heart rate. Letting go of his mouth, she sat up, arching her back, rising slightly to change the angle of penetration. She let his cock head slide out just a bit, then took him back in, settling ever more firmly upon his turgid length until he was seated completely.

  "Oh fuck. You are so tight." His face was strained with passion. His breaths came heavy and fast. His body, rigid with the effort not to move. "Take me, love." He reached for her hips.

  "No hands." She moved them to the side of his head. "I'm in charge here. Just lie back and enjoy while I do all the work for a change."

  His gaze on her was intense. "What about your pleasure?"

  "Oh, don't worry about that, big guy. I'm so close right now I'm worried I'll come before you."

  "Sweetheart. Do it. I'm ready to burst."

  She smiled. "Then we don't have an issue, do we?" Bracing her hands on his shoulders, she watched his face as she began to ride his cock. God, he was gorgeous in his passion. His ardent gaze never left her. She saw his pleasure reflected in his smoke-blue gaze. His sculpted cheeks flushed with his increasing arousal. His mobile lips opened as his breathing became harsh, erratic. She leaned over and took his mouth, letting him breathe for both of them.

  As she increased her pace, his hips rose to meet her downward movements. Her clit rubbed against his pelvic bone and set her to quivering with each thrust. His groans punctuated her moans and gasps as they strove to reach the heights of passion together.

  His impending climax transmitted itself to her as his body arched to meet her and his hands fisted by his head as if he could hold off his eruption until she came.

  "Let go, big guy." She licked his lips, trailing her tongue to his ear. "When you come, I'll come. I promise."

  Her whispered words did the trick. His roar as he climaxed echoed around the high-ceilinged bedroom. His hands grabbed her hips, holding her to him, taking control as he pounded into her from below. As his cum flooded her sex, she ground her pelvis against him, giving her clit the pressure she needed to soar. She screamed as she peaked then tipped over the edge. She rode him hard and fast—and deep, squeezing every iota of pleasure from their journey—and a fabulous journey it was. In that ultimate moment of connection, she had all of her man—heart, body and soul. It was an experience she wanted again and again for the rest of their lives.

  As Ren's body relaxed into the bed, she continued to ride him, a sinuous rhythm and motion that brought them down, her body reluctant to give up his solid warmth. When his cock finally slipped from her, she trembled at the loss. Ren pulled her to him until she lay flat on top of him, her barely-there baby bump nestled between them, then gently shoved her head onto his shoulder. He stroked her from neck to bottom. "You okay, baby?" He kissed her sweaty forehead.

  "Oh hell yeah." She nuzzled his neck. "We need to do that again—and really soon."

  He laughed, his breath ruffling her hair. "Well, give me a chance to recover, and we'll discuss it. Plus, didn't you mention rear entry?"

  She nodded, her hair catching in his morning beard growth. "Yeah. I figured over the back of the couch, so I can look out at the snow-covered mountains while you take me from behind. Let's give the moose and other wild animals a thrill."

  He clutched her to him as he laughed. "It's a plan. Later, when it's dark and all the two-legged creatures are in bed. Right now, I need a shower and some food. How about you?"

  "As long as we shower together, yeah. I still need some skin time, even if it is just bathing one another. Today for breakfast, I want one of Scotty's spicy chili omelets. I'm tired of the pap I've been eating because of all the morning sickness."

  Ren lifted her off him. "Sounds good to me. Then what do you want to do today?"

  She eyed him. "Go to the Bat Cave and help my brother track that frick-fracking traitor." She smoothed a hand over his bed-rumpled hair. "He's still out there, big guy. And you and other contract operators—and our U.S. Special Forces teams—aren't safe until his bad ass is caught."

  "While the bastard's been lying low, we can't count on him not resuming business as usual. He was making too much fucking money to give it up for long. He needs to be taken out, if for no other reason than he has you in his sights. Bannon will have seen to that."

  She frowned. "Do you think Bannon is even alive? We haven't found a trace of him anywhere. The traitor either got Bannon a new ID or…”

  "Killed him," finished Ren, "just like Bannon killed Jordan." Jordan's body had been found in a remote area of the Nez Perce Forest by a ranger. No signs of Bannon anywhere. Keely shivered. "Let's get that hot shower, baby. You're cooling off after that hot bout of sex." He grinned and kissed her. "Which I thank you very much for, by the way."

  "You're very welcome." She didn't let him know her shivering wasn't because she was cold—it was more preternatural in nature. Her neck itched like crazy. Something bad was about to happen, and she didn't know what, when, where or who. She could only be vigilant.

  Chapter 15

  "MORE bacon, Keely?"

  She patted her tummy and shook her head. "No, thanks, Scotty. Junior and I are full."

  Ren reached over and stroked her back. "Junior?"

  "Yeah. When the baby was doing back flips in utero I saw two dangly things—the cord and a teeny-tiny penis. I thought you saw it, too."

  "Ah, no." Ren pulled out the pictures the ultrasound tech had given them. He carried them in his wallet. He looked at them carefully and passed them to her brother who'd joined them for breakfast at the Lodge. "What do you think, Uncle Tweeter? Nephew or not?"

  Tweeter studied the photos for a second or two. "Nephew."

  "We're having a boy." Ren hugged her.

  "Happy?" She leaned into his embrace.

  "Elated." He kissed her ear. "How's the little mommy feeling?"

  "Full—and not sick for a change, thank you Jesus." She took a drink of her juice. "Ready to do some work downstairs." She glanced at her brother who'd just shoved his plate away. "You ready to track some bad guys, Uncle Tweetie?"

  Her brother shot her a grin. "Oh hell yeah. The program you created is ingenious, but it creates a lot of trails to follow. I could use some help fine-tuning the code to be more selective."

  "Shouldn't be too hard." She turned to Ren. "I'll be down in the Bat Cave with my brother and three levels of security between me and the outside world. That do it for you?"

  "That's an affirmative." He leaned over and kissed the tip of her nose. "I'll be out training with the men. Trey and Price want me to help weed out the recruits we aren't keeping on."

  She frowned. "I've kept you from your work these past few months."

  "Not an issue." He
pulled her onto his lap and stroked her back. "I wouldn't have traded these past months for anything. Trey and the guys have handled things just fine. And now that we're taking on more operatives, I can stay out of the field even more. Do more recruiting, training, and operations planning."

  "Will you miss the field?" She played with the hair at the nape of his neck.

  He turned his head and kissed her neck. "No. I've got better things to do than to get my ass shot at. Face it, I'm getting old. It takes a lot more recovery time between jobs and injuries than it used to. Security work at this level is for younger guys. Plus now, I have a wife and a baby to keep me at home. I'm more than ready for that, sweetheart."

  "Good." She kissed his jaw just under his ear. "I was worried I was cramping your style."

  He whispered for her ears alone. "I'd rather wake up to what we had this morning than be sitting in some jungle for days waiting for my kill shot."

  She laughed. "So glad I rate above sniping."

  "You rate above it all, sweetheart." He kissed her once more, then lifted her off his lap, and tapped her butt. "Go to work. I'll see you at lunch."

  "Yeah. I'm already thinking about chili with lots of cheese—and dill pickle chasers."

  Tweeter and Ren laughed as Scotty muttered, "Damn, got to make more chili before lunch. At this rate, I need to buy beef futures."

  *

  Ren left the Lodge and followed the cleared path to the barn they used for indoor training and workouts. It had snowed again overnight. At this time of the year, they always had two to three feet of snow on the ground. The pathways between the main buildings and lodgings now had packed snow walls along them. From the air, it looked like a snow maze. Maybe later he'd have the new recruits do some cat-and-mouse pursuits using the plowed paths. A few obstacles blocking the ends of some of the walkways and they could do some mock urban warfare.

  More and more of their jobs for corporate clients involved rescuing kidnapped employees and executives in third-world cities. Usually, they mock-battled such rescues in the barn by constructing temporary walls; using the snow-lined paths would add the environment as an additional obstacle. Besides, they could always receive a job for a rescue in Siberia or somewhere equally as cold. It had been awhile since he had recruits do Arctic drills since a lot of their business was in the many jungles and deserts of third world countries, but that was no excuse to neglect cold-weather-warfare.