Louise put a hand to her stomach as she half-walked, half-waddled towards the door to the bustling bar.
“Louise.”
Her blood ran cold and she froze mid step. She would recognize that voice anywhere. She slowly turned. It was Granite. He wore a grey sweater and a pair of black jeans. “Oh god!” she choked out. She couldn’t believe that he was there.
He was frowning deeply. There were two ridges between his eyes. “What are you doing here?” he asked.
Then it occurred to her why he was here. She pulled her shoulders back and sucked in a deep breath. “I’m sorry to have to rain on your parade. Cramp your style.” Anger blossomed. She felt like slapping his cheeks until they were bright red. She felt like kicking him in both shins. Louise was stressing about letting him knowing about the baby, about how she was going to get through this alone and he was out looking for a booty call.
“What parade?”
“Don’t play dumb with me. I take it you’re here for the Stag Run.” She rolled her eyes. “Forget it! Here.” She tried to hand him the note but he ignored her outstretched hand. “Take it!” she yelled, throwing the envelope on the ground at his feet.
Granite bent over but she didn’t wait to watch him pick it up. Louise took off in the direction of the cab. The asshole! The bastard! She could do this alone. She didn’t need him or anyone else. She had her son. Her baby was the only thing she needed. She forced herself to calm down. This type of stress wasn’t good for the little one.
Granite caught up and wrapped an arm around her. He pressed himself against her back. She stopped, mid-step. For just the briefest moment she was tempted to lean back into him, into his warmth and strength. She stiffened up instead. “Let go of me.”
“So, you were finally going to tell me about the baby,” his voice was a deep rasp against the back of her neck.
“Let go of me now,” she ground out.
Thankfully, he did as she asked.
Louise turned to face him. “For your information, I tried to tell you. I came to this place weeks ago …” She looked over his shoulder, at the entrance of The Cockpit, “As soon as I found out, but no one would give me the time of day. They were shit-scared of getting their asses kicked after you beat up poor Rock.”
He shook his head. “That can’t be right.”
“It is.”
“They would’ve scented my child growing inside of you.” He reached out and put a hand on her belly but she slapped it away.
“That place is smoky and filled with so many other scents. It stinks in there. Besides, none of them would let me anywhere near them. They were scared of me … or rather, they were terrified of you.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Your senses are enhanced.”
She gave a nod. “Yeah, I had noticed.” It was small things like how loud people’s voices had become. She could hear what someone was saying from across the room. Smells were so much more pronounced.
“I went to see the vampires as well.”
“Why the fuck would you do that?” he growled. “They are savages, you could have been hurt.” He seemed to genuinely care.
“It was after I couldn’t get through to anyone here. I was desperate to get a message to you so I took them a letter. One of the guys promised it would be delivered to Blaze. His name is Titan. I trusted that he was telling the truth.”
Louise could see a look of disbelief cross his face. “No, that can’t be. I’m sure Blaze would have told me if he received a letter.”
She shrugged. “All I know is that I did my best.
His gaze softened. The frown had all but disappeared.
Louise let out a soft sigh. “Well, now you know. You can go back in there and do whatever it was you planned on doing before I showed up.”
“You think I’m here for the Stag Run?”
She nodded. “Why else?”
“I’m here for you, Louise.”
It hurt to hear him say it. Especially since it wasn’t true. “That’s the biggest load of rubbish, you’re just saying that because you’ve just found out that I’m pregnant with your son.” She held in a breath for a few moments before letting it out. “I won’t keep you from him. Please don’t feel obliged to pretend that you have feelings for me all of a sudden. I know you don’t and I—”
“Stop!” It was a low growl that caused goosebumps to rise on her arms, legs … heck, everywhere. “I’m not here for the Stag Run. I’ve been following you all day.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I’m a pussy.” He was breathing deeply. “I came to Walton Springs to talk to you but when I saw your pregnant belly I couldn’t bring myself to approach you. For a little while there I thought you might be pregnant with another male’s child. A human. It happened to the Water king. The scent of a human baby is not as easy to detect. It’s only apparent if you are looking for it.”
“You thought I had been with someone else before coming to work for you? I told you I hadn’t had sex in a long time and I meant it.”
“People lie.”
“I didn’t,” she shook her head and her braid whipped left and right.
“I wasn’t sure. I was too afraid to find out. I had to work up the nerve to get close enough to check. Then I was upset that you hadn’t told me. I don’t know how the fuck this happened.” He scrubbed a hand over his face.
So it had been his scent earlier. It wasn’t just her imagination. Granite didn’t look happy about the prospect of becoming a father. “I tried to send emails to both you and Blaze.”
Granite shook his head. “Our firewall would have blocked you. We don’t communicate with unauthorized URLs.”
“I tried,” she whispered.
“I know. When I saw you come here I knew that you were trying to communicate with me. I’ve never been happier in my whole life. Fuck!” He reached out and touched the side of her face.
“Why did you come?” She stepped away from his touch, despite feeling much better with the knowledge that he wasn’t here to hook-up. She wasn’t sure why he was here. Maybe he had come to try to get her to take her old job back.
“We need to talk but not here. It’s time that we lay a few things out on the table.” He took her hand.
For a moment she wanted to pull it free. but decided to go along with it for now. “You don’t have to do this. I told you I would let you be a part of his life and I meant it.”
“I came to talk to you, Louise. This has nothing to do with the baby,” he paused, “I think that this conversation became a lot more important because of our son though. I finally realized a couple of things,” Granite smiled. God, but he was beautiful when he smiled. “A friend helped me see things more clearly. I’ve been an idiot. Let’s get out of here.”
Louise nodded.
It was the longest fucking cab drive of his existence. It was like time slowed. There was so much he needed to hear. So much he needed to say. There were a couple of important things. One or two in particular. Things Louise had no idea about. For the first time in his life he was nervous. His heart beat a bit faster and his hands felt clammy.
He couldn’t help but sneak glances her way. Her skin glowed. Her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes were brighter than he remembered. Her belly was deeply curved. Swollen with life. She scented of them both and of new beginnings.
Never sweeter or more tempting. She was more beautiful right now than ever before and that was saying something. She’d taken her hand back as soon as they had sat down. Both hands were now clasped tightly in her lap. She stared at the road ahead. Granite wished he knew what she was thinking.
He prayed that Rock had been right. Louise had been jealous when she thought he was there for the Stag Run. Fuck that. He couldn’t think of being with another female. They held no interest to him. All females paled in comparison since meeting Louise. Granite almost laughed out loud thinking about how he’d tried to deny his attraction to her from the start. He had fooled himself and only continued to do s
o.
Sad.
Rock had been right, although sad didn’t cut it. Completely ripped apart. So out of sorts it was scary. That’s how he had felt when she’d left him. Like a part of him had gone with her. Like he was empty. Only, he hadn’t acknowledged what he was feeling. He had allowed anger to manifest instead. It was easier to be angry than heart-fucking-broken. He was exhausted because he spent every hour of every day trying not to think of Louise. He worked at keeping his anger levels high so that he wouldn’t have to feel anything else. When Rock had told him he was sad, that he missed Louise, he had realized in that moment that it was true. Sure, he’d tried to ignore it. Tried to keep up the pretense, but it didn’t work. Once he started thinking about her, he couldn’t stop. Once the emotions started up, they wouldn’t let up.
Sad? He was completely fucked up without her.
Now, at least he knew why.
The cab finally pulled up outside her apartment building, jolting him from his thoughts. He glanced at Louise. How was he going to break the news to her? How would she take it?
He peeled off a few dollars. “Keep the change.”
The guy nodded. “Good luck with everything.” He turned to Louise. “I’m glad you found him. I hope you can make it work.”
“Thanks,” Louise gave a tight smile. He helped her out of the cab. She stuffed her hands into her coat pockets, so he put a hand to the small of her back as they walked in silence.
The keys jingled as she fumbled with them. This type of entrance was not safe, especially at this time of night. Louise dropped the keys and they fell onto the cement floor with a clang.
“I’m such a klutz.” A pink blush crept up her neck, spilling onto her cheeks.
Granite bent down and picked them up. “Let me.” He opened the door.
She walked in and straight to a door that led to the stairs, which she began to push open.
“What about the elevator?” he asked, following a step or two behind her.
“It’s under repair … again.” As she said it, he noticed the hand-written note that had been stuck to the door.
Louise said it like this sort of thing happened all the time. “I’m on the third floor, it’s not so bad. I feel sorry for the people on the eighth floor.” She was breathing heavily as she walked up the stairs. “It will be fixed within a day or two.” Unacceptable!
She paused on the second landing, her hand on her lower back.
“Are you okay? Can I carry you?” Fuck, every instinct told him to go over and pick her up. To protect her … but he forced himself not to do it. They slowly climbed the last flight of stairs.
“I’m fine.” Louise pushed a door open. The number ‘3’ was painted on the surface of the wood. Just as the stairs had been, the hallway was clean. The tiles were a cheap porcelain. The lighting came from long UV bulbs.
They walked down the hall, passing several doors. Then she pointed at one. “This one is mine.”
Granite nodded. He took the second key on the chain and used it to open the door. He stood back, allowing her to enter first. She flipped the light switch and he watched as she unbuttoned and removed her coat. She wore a white, cotton top. It pulled tight across her stomach and breasts. So plump and rounded. Granite lifted his eyes; he needed to get his mind out of the gutter. There were important things to discuss. It would be uncomfortable doing so with a stiff dick. He had a feeling it would piss her off as well, and he couldn’t blame her. Having said that, he’d almost forgotten how attracted he was to the little doctor … nothing had changed in that department. If anything, his attraction had grown.
“You’re welcome to help yourself to something to drink,” she widened her eyes. “I only have orange juice or water. It’s that or herbal tea.” She gestured towards a door. “The kitchen is through there.”
Granite nodded.
“I need to use the restroom, I’ll be right back.” She pulled a face and made a barely audible groaning noise. “I think he’s punching my bladder.”
“Can I get you anything?”
She nodded. “A glass of juice would be great.” Granite got to work pouring two glasses of juice and then walked back into the living room area. He put the drinks down and paced back and forth a few times. Then he forced himself to sit.
Granite jumped up as she walked back into the room. She was barefoot and held a pair of socks. “Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Louise sat down across from where he had been sitting. She sat with her legs splayed and put one foot onto the thigh of the other leg. He noticed that her feet were a bit swollen.
“Let me help you with that.” He went down on his knees in front of her.
“I can manage.”
“Let me help you, please.” He held out his hand, his eyes on the socks still clasped in her fingers.
“I’ve managed just fine on my own up until now.”
“I’m glad, but you aren’t alone anymore.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I told you that you don’t have to go into ‘happy family’ mode just because I’m pregnant. I can cope on my own.”
“I’m sure you can but you don’t have to anymore. I’m here now.” He looked pointedly at the socks.
“Please don’t take him from me.” Her lip quivered so she bit down on it. “Don’t take my baby.”
“Where did that come from?” Granite growled. She must think him to be some monster. “I’m not going to take him from his mother. I would never do such a thing.”
“Okay,” she seemed to calm down. “It’s the one thing I was most afraid of. I can deal with anything else. I can.” She sounded like she was trying to convince herself.
“What other things did you think you might have to deal with?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she shook her head.
Granite took the socks from her and helped her put them on. He noticed how her jaw clenched and her back straightened. He also noticed how she curled her hands around the curve of her belly. Already a fiercely protective mother; his heart warmed.
Granite stood up and sat in the chair next to her. She looked distinctly uncomfortable. Tough luck, he meant what he said, he was here now. He wasn’t going any-damn-where. Not any time soon. Louise wiggled to the edge of the seat, widened her legs to make room for her belly and grabbed the glass of juice. She studied the glass before taking a small sip and then went back to studying the contents again.
“I had no idea that you were pregnant.”
She finally looked his way, but didn’t say anything.
“The reason I came was to find out why you left. Don’t give me some bullshit about not enjoying your job. It had nothing to do with your work. I tried to convince myself that was the case. That maybe you had received a better offer elsewhere, that you left us for more money or better benefits.”
She shook her head. “That’s not it.”
“Also, I don’t believe that you left because you were afraid of us getting caught.”
Louise chewed on her lower lip for a second. “I was afraid of that but it’s not the real reason behind my leaving.”
“Why then?” he asked when she didn’t offer anything more.
Louise shrugged. “It’s not important.”
“It is important. It’s all important.”
Louise chewed on her lower lip but she didn’t say a thing. Not a single word. If this was going to work, they had to communicate. She was still running scared. It was his own fault.
“I’ll tell you why I came. I wanted to find out the real reason why you left, because I realized how much I cared that you were gone. Up until recently I had been fooling myself into thinking that I didn’t care, that we were better off since you had left. That I was better off, but I’m not.” He paused to gather his thoughts. “Making you come had become my single most favorite pass-time. I was convinced that I’d get over you sooner rather than later. That next time would be my last time. I was wrong.”
Louise licke
d her lips. She was blinking hard.
Granite leaned forward. “I’ll never get enough of you, Louise. There is no such thing as one more kiss or one more touch. I’ve never had such little control before meeting you.”
“Our relationship was out of hand,” Louise’s voice was soft. “It was only a matter of time before someone found out. I couldn’t keep … on like we were.” She sniffed and blinked. “It wasn’t working for me. I won’t go back to that.”
“No, we can’t,” Granite shook his head. “I refuse as well. I want you in my bed … every night. No more sneaking around.”
“And what would you tell everyone?” Louise looked horrified. “Would it be acceptable to bring your … What would I be? Your girlfriend? Your lover? Your piece of ass back with you? Will Blaze agree to such an arrangement?”
“I don’t give a fuck about what Blaze has to say about it. I want you in my bed. Go and pack a bag… Do it now.”
“Still trying to boss me around, I see,” she sighed. “I had my reasons for leaving and they haven’t changed.”
“Everything has changed,” he insisted.
“This pregnancy doesn’t change anything.” With difficulty, Louise managed to get to her feet. “I told you that you can be a part of his life. You don’t have to take me on just because I’m the mother of your child.”
“Take you on … What are you talking about? It wouldn’t be ‘taking you on’.”
“What about when you decide to take a mate? How will it work then? Will I be your piece of ass on the side or—”
“You are my mate, dammit!” he roared. “Fucking hell! You need to listen to what I am saying. I want you in my bed. I came here today to tell you that I love you. I crave you. I need you. I’ve been fucking miserable since you left. I couldn’t understand why. I even went to see a healer. I haven’t been able to sleep. I’m useless without you. Those are the reasons for wanting you in my bed, for wanting you period.”
Forbidden Dragon (The Bride Hunt Book 5) Page 24