Cautious: An Everyday Heroes World Novel (The Everyday Heroes World)

by Candice Wright

I shrug and nod. I’m not even hurt by it anymore, just numb. I was never anything more to my mother than a bargaining chip.

  “That’s it, we’re adopting you,” he snaps, making my eyes widen as I fight to hold back a smile.

  I type out my response.

  I love you guys but adopting me would put a serious kink in my plans to marry Blake. I’ve called him many things over the duration of our relationship, but daddy won’t be one of them.

  And just like that, the tension in the room disappears as the guys burst out laughing.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Blake

  It has been nearly three months since Callie’s kidnapping. She had the wiring removed from her jaw three weeks ago, her bruises faded and slowly our lives have fallen back into a routine.

  Callie’s mother and Christian were arrested and detained once they were well enough to leave the hospital, but both were granted bail and ordered by a judge to stay away from Callie.

  I was on edge constantly, feeling it in my bones that something was going to happen. Christian had already proven he was insane the first time he took Callie, I had no reason to think he had learned his lesson now.

  He chose a working girl who looked like Brenda and roughed her up. He threatened to slit her throat if she didn’t play along, then gave her Brenda’s ID so that when she was taken to the hospital, Callie would get the call. He was willing to go to any lengths to have Callie. The fact he had been quiet since he was granted bail left me acting paranoid and overprotective as we waited for him to make a move.

  I know he isn’t staying away because the police have told him to; he doesn’t give a shit about them. No, he’s staying away so he can plan, and the only thing I can do is make sure we’re ready for whenever he decides to strike.

  “What are you doing standing here staring at the wall?” Callie asks, wrapping her arms around my waist and leaning her head against my back.

  “Just miles away, that's all. How you feeling?” I ask, turning in her arms.

  “I’m okay, better than yesterday. I think my body is just so used to the pureed shit that it's struggling to handle solids, especially Mexican fajitas,” she grumbles, making me laugh.

  She hated every second of eating blended foods, quickly getting sick of soups and shakes. She had counted down the days until she had the wiring removed from her jaw so she could eat a cheeseburger, but the reality turned into her throwing up most of what she ate on a daily basis. She has already lost weight, and with her small frame, she can’t afford to lose any more.

  “I think it's time for you to see the doctor. He might have some ideas about what kind of foods to try and what to avoid.”

  “I’ve already called him. I have an appointment at two. Would you mind taking me?”

  “You know I don’t, besides, you’re stuck with at least one of the guys as your shadow for the foreseeable future, and I’m more than happy to shadow this delectable body of yours.”

  “Thank you. Now, how about you come join me in the shower and I’ll show you just how well my jaw has healed.”

  My blood heats and rushes south to my cock.

  I pick her up in my arms and take her mouth in a hungry kiss as she wraps her legs around my hips. I walk us blindly to the bathroom before gently sliding her to her feet. “Now strip.”

  She raises her eyebrow at my command, but she doesn't argue with me, seizing the hem of the t-shirt of mine she is wearing and pulling it up and over her head before tossing it on the floor.

  She’s completely naked underneath, standing before me like the goddess Aphrodite, and I’m oh so ready to worship her.

  “On your knees, gorgeous, I want to feel your mouth on me. If it's too much, you stop,” I order, not wanting her to push herself too hard.

  Callie drops to her knees and pops the button on my jeans. Sliding the zipper down, she reaches inside and fists my swollen cock before pulling it free. She leans forward and runs her tongue over the tip before trailing it down the large vein at the back.

  Wrapping her hands around the base, she slides them up and down my length as she slips the tip inside her hot wet mouth.

  “Fuck,” I grunt out when she sucks and twists her hands at the same time, making me see stars. “Carry on doing that and I’ll come,” I warn her, wanting to come inside her.

  She takes me further, bobbing her head back and forth as I feel my balls begin to tighten.

  I don’t want to come yet, even though she seems determined for that to happen, so I bend down and pick her up under her armpits and lift her onto the vanity unit.

  I push my jeans over my hips and let them drop to the floor, stepping out of them and kicking them away as I focus on my prize.

  “Blake,” she begs as I lift her legs and spread her thighs wide.

  “Can you hold them open like this for me?” I ask, making sure her heels are on the edge of the vanity.

  She nods rapidly, so I bend and place a kiss on her pubic bone before moving down to her core which is already wet and glistening with her arousal.

  Swiping my tongue over her, I hum in appreciation before feasting on her pussy like a starving man. I drink her juices down greedily, but as quick as I lick her clean, she’s wet once more. Massaging her hardened clit with my thumb, I part her folds with the tip of my tongue, then lick from her pussy straight down to her ass, circling her forbidden hole for a moment, making her squirm before thrusting my tongue inside her pussy as I press down hard on her clit.

  Her legs shake as she gasps and comes all over my tongue, coating my chin with her arousal.

  I don’t give her time to recover, my need for her all-consuming. I stand, pull her ass to the very edge of the counter, and slam inside her, making her back arch as she screams my name.

  I fuck her without mercy, tunneling into her over and over, trying to seat myself so deep inside her I won't be able to tell where she ends and I begin. I grip a handful of her hair and pull her head closer to mine, taking her mouth again in a bruising kiss.

  “Touch yourself, Callie, get yourself there.”

  “Fuck,” she gasps as I swivel my hips a little.

  Her hand moves down and her eyes roll back as she strums her clit.

  “Use your other hand to pinch your nipple.”

  She does as I ask, her breath rushing in and out in harsh, rapid pants. “Oh God, Blake,” she whines, and I can tell she’s getting close again.

  “Come, Callie, come on my dick like you did on my tongue.”

  She tightens around me, her pussy muscles milking me until I seat myself as far inside her as I can get and fill her with my cum.

  “Have I told you how much I love coming inside you?” I pant into her ear after kissing her softly and watch her wince a little as I pull free.

  “Only every time we have sex, Bundy. I’m pretty sure it's the caveman in you that likes the idea of coating me with your seed, marking me from the inside out as some kind of primitive way of claiming me.”

  My dick twitches at her words, making her laugh.

  “Oh, no, I need to get cleaned up, now that you’ve made me all dirty,” she tells me with a smile. “Sex without a condom is messy as fuck,” she complains, cupping her pussy with her hands as my cum starts to drip out of her.

  I lean over and turn on the shower, knowing I could never go back to using a condom with her now, not after feeling her slick wet heat against my bare cock.

  We were both tested right before Callie was taken. After the condom breaking that time, it seemed like the smart thing to do. After she left the hospital, she started getting the Depo shots, meaning I could slide inside her whenever the mood struck us without having to worry about running out of condoms.

  I lift her and carry her into the shower, stepping into the warm spray with her in my arms.

  She lifts her head and stares at me before kissing the tip of my nose. “I love the fuck out of you, Bundy.”

  And just like that my dick is hard again. I spin us around, p
in her to the wall, and surge back inside her. I guess we're going to be a little late today.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Callie

  A week after I was poked and prodded at the doctor’s surgery, I’m back for my test results. Marcus and Felix had no problem driving me over as Blake is stuck in a meeting today, but they aren't happy about being left in the corridor outside the examination room. They grumble about leaving me alone until I point out that nobody will be able to get past them. Eventually, they concede and sit stoney-faced in the hard-plastic chairs facing the exam room.

  I understand their worry, more so than anyone, given the circumstances. But there is being cautious and then there is just being crazy overprotective. That’s the category most of the men fall into at the moment. I almost wish Christian would make his move just so this shit could all be over.

  I sit on the edge of the bed, swinging my feet as my doctor walks in.

  “Afternoon, Callie, how are you feeling today?” he asks kindly.

  In his seventies, Dr. Abbotts has a thin wiry body and a shock of white hair that kind of makes him look like an eccentric professor from a movie I once saw. He also happens to be permanently upbeat, something I never experienced in the overworked big city doctors.

  “Hey, Doc. Everything is pretty much the same as last week. I’ve been throwing up most of what I’ve been eating. I don’t feel unwell as such, maybe a little tired still, but since switching back to solid food, I’m really struggling,” I admit, still feeling salty about not being able to eat a taco without puking it back up.

  “Hmm… the stomach can take a while to adjust but I would have thought it should have settled a little by now. Let me just pull up your test results.”

  He wanders off leaving me plenty of time to read the numerous posters decorating the room. By the time he’s ready, I’ve learned a little bit more about STDs and how to correctly check for lumps.

  “Well it looks like congratulations are in order.” He tells me with a wide smile.

  “So, I’m not dying?” Well that’s good at least.

  “No,” he chuckles. “You’re not dying. You’re pregnant.”

  “What? That’s not possible doc, I’m on the Depo. I don’t even get periods anymore.” I tell him something he should already know.

  “Well, they ran a pregnancy test among other things when you came in last week, and it came back positive.”

  “That can’t be right,” I say nervously, thinking this has to be a mistake.

  “You know nothing is a hundred percent effective. Lie back for me for a moment and let me have a feel.”

  I do as he asks, swinging my legs up onto the bed before lying back and fidgeting around on the scratchy paper until I’m somewhat comfortable.

  Slipping on a pair of gloves, the doctor offers me a reassuring smile. He stands beside me and moves his hands over my stomach, pressing in with his fingers in some spots.

  Any minute now he will realize this is all a huge mistake. Any minute now.

  “Hmm... any tenderness here?” he asks, pushing down just above my pubic bone.

  “Only when you push down like that.” I frown.

  “Any other issues than vomiting and being tired?” he asks as he slides the blood pressure cuff up my arm.

  “Not that I can think of, but I’m only really just feeling like myself again after recovering from my attack,” I tell him quietly, listening to the puff, puff, puff noise as he squeezes the balloon end of the tube.

  I spent weeks feeling and looking like a giant bruise, some parts of me had been sore and tender for months. Even my hair and nails had hurt, thanks to the pulling and clawing. Some days it was a miracle I made it from the bed to the sofa, the short journey between the two wiping me out for the rest of the day.

  “Okay, this looks good. Sit up for me.” He removes the cuff from my arm and places it down before picking up an electronic thermometer and sticking it in my ear. He waits for the little beeping sound. “Well, this is all good too. And you are in luck. We have an ultrasound next door so we can take a look to see what's going on. Lie back for me again while I grab it.”

  I do as he asks in a daze, wondering how the fuck this happened. Well, I know how it happened but not why. After the broken condom fiasco, I thought getting the Depo shot would be a smart move.

  The doc returns with the ultrasound machine, pulling it close to the bed before lifting my top to just under my breasts.

  “Can you pull your jeans down a little for me? Just undo the top button and slide them down your hips a touch.” I pop the button and slide them down a little before the doctor rubs gel across my stomach.

  Pressing the wand to my stomach, he moves it around, clicking a button on the machine, before moving it around some more. In fact, he’s moving it around so much that I start to relax, realizing he can’t find anything. I must have been right—the test was nothing more than a false positive.

  I wait for the relief to rush in, only it doesn’t. I’m not ready for a baby, my life is in chaos at the moment, and Blake is busy having to temporarily run his business from home. Adding a baby to the mix would be a stupid idea and yet... I don’t feel relieved like I should. I feel disappointed and sad. Maybe the timing is all wrong, but the thought of holding a baby in my arms with their daddy’s eyes looking up at me fills me with an intense longing.

  “I…” I open my mouth to speak when a loud whooshing sound fills the room.

  “There it is. Congratulations, Miss Ward, you are definitely pregnant.” He chuckles. “Let me do some measurements.”

  “Oh my god! I’m pregnant, you're sure? Wait, is it okay? Would the Depo have hurt it in some way?” I worry my lip between my teeth as panic starts to set in and the what ifs flood my brain.

  “Let’s not borrow trouble, Miss Ward. Most babies under these circumstances will be absolutely fine. Some might experience low birth weight, but most babies grow up happy and healthy without any lasting side effects.” He’s quiet for a moment as he works, and I lie there staring entranced at the screen. A baby. Holy fucking shit, there is a baby in there. I’m going to be a mom. Tears prick my eyes at the thought. What if I mess this up? What do I know about being a mom? I never had one I could look up to and use as a role model. What if I fuck my baby up like my parents did with me?

  “Well, Miss Ward, you are measuring about fifteen weeks, which would have made you pregnant before you even started taking the Depo. And yes, before you say anything, I’m aware the pregnancy test we did back then came back negative. That can happen if it's too soon in the pregnancy to pick up the elevated HCG levels.

  “Let's get you cleaned up. I’ll print out some pictures and write a script for prenatal medications I want you to take. The sickness you’ve been experiencing, and the tiredness, are likely due to your pregnancy, but come back and see me if you have any problems.”

  I nod at his words, or I think I do, but I’m mostly in a daze.

  “Wait, fifteen weeks means I would have been pregnant when I was attacked,” I choke out on a whisper, swiping at my tears as they begin to fall. “Are you sure they are okay, they didn’t get hurt did they?”

  The doctor smiles kindly at me and gives my hand a squeeze with one of his. “Your baby is perfect. I’ll send your details over to OBGYN and get them to monitor you a little more frequently, just to keep an eye on things, but I don’t foresee any issues. It seems your child is as strong as their mother.”

  Mother. I was going to be a mother. Fuck. I look up at the doc whose face is blurred by my tears and offer him a watery smile. “Thank you.”

  I wait for my script then follow him out of the room to Marcus and Felix.

  “Everything okay?” Marcus asks worriedly, obviously noticing my pale, tear-streaked face.

  “Yeah,” I cough to clear the squeak from my throat. “Everything’s perfect.” My smile is big and genuine, making him relax beside me.

  “Blake just texted to say he will be out of contact
for the next hour,” Felix says, quietly studying me as he holds the door open for me to pass through.

  “Where is this meeting, anyway?” I ask, not that it's uncommon for them not to answer their phones, particularly if they’re in court.

  He’s quiet for a minute, running his eyes over my face, assessing if I truly am okay before answering. “He’s over at the government building with a couple of FBI agents and a senator, I believe, but you didn’t hear that from me. I can’t say anything else as it's all very hush-hush. That's why he won’t have his phone with him. They’ll take that when he enters. Only way to reach him will be by contacting the building and only if it's an emergency.”

  “Gotcha. Any news on what you guys want to do about the office? Have you decided if you’re going to rebuild it or relocate?” I ask distractedly, my mind still thinking about the baby.

  Marcus looks at me with a smirk as we climb into the SUV.

  “I don’t remember you being around when we had the conversation about rebuilding or relocating, you little eavesdropper,” Felix teases, making me roll my eyes.

  “I’ve hardly been let out of Blake’s sight, and you know it. I’m pretty sure you guys just forget I’m there now. Besides, I only heard you guys talking about what you might do, not about any decisions you might have come to.”

  “Blake wouldn’t make any big changes without talking to you first, Callie. You are the most important thing to him right now,” he tells me, making me smile.

  I know he’s right, despite everything going down, we’ve been blissfully happy. I just hope he’s still just as happy when he finds out about the baby.

  We make the trek home, idly chit-chatting with each other before pulling up to the apartment.

  My mind is in such a chaotic swirl about how best to tell him that I climb out of the car and head up through the garage to the first floor on autopilot. It isn’t until I’m halfway up the steps that a weird feeling, like a shadow of foreboding, washes over me. Pausing, I almost make Felix collide into the back of me as I shiver, feeling like someone just walked over my grave.