After Burn

by Autumn Jones Lake

  A searing rush of love and protectiveness surges inside me and I gather her closer, pressing my lips to hers. She holds on tight, digging her nails into my shoulders, setting me off.

  I let go, unleashing an intense orgasm that leaves me shouting her name.

  “Love you,” she whispers, blinking up at me.

  I drop my forehead to hers. “Love you too. Are you okay?”

  She wiggles under me and I groan.

  “This table’s pretty hard.”

  “I’ll show you hard.”

  We both laugh at the silly joke and I pull her up. She’s soft and dreamy as I help her dress.

  My fears of losing her haven’t gone away. If anything I’m more aware than ever of how precious every moment is and what lengths I’ll go to in order to protect what matters most.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Rock may have made a joke about hovering over me when he found out I was pregnant, but he wasn’t kidding.

  He’s on me about everything. Rather than annoying, I find it to be a relief.

  True to his word, Rock’s taken me to every single doctor’s appointment over the last few weeks. There’s no rushing to the appointments either. Nope, he has me up an hour early. I don’t have to worry about anything, honestly.

  If it isn’t related to incubating our baby, Rock’s taken over. And frankly, even that he’s very involved with.

  “This really isn’t necessary,” I grumble after he wakes me up much earlier than my groggy body appreciates.

  “We’re not going to be late today.” He gives my butt an affectionate slap. “Go take your shower. I’ll be downstairs making breakfast.”

  My stomach lurches at the mention of food. “None for me,” I spit out before running into the bathroom.

  Rock’s a warm, comforting presence at my back while I barf.

  “You’re supposed to eat the crackers I left by the side of the bed before you get up,” he says gently, helping me stand.

  “I keep forgetting.”

  He waits until I’m out of the shower before heading downstairs.

  Forget nauseous or hungry. I’m sleepy. I could go back to bed right this second. I sigh and look at the bed longingly on my way to the closet. Maybe I’ll throw on what I plan to wear and sneak in a quick nap.

  “Hope, breakfast is ready!” Rock shouts up the stairs.

  So much for nap time.

  I drag a pair of jeans up my legs, throw on a T-shirt, and grab one of Rock’s flannels, buttoning it as I trot down the stairs.

  “Feel better?” he asks in a low voice as he meets me at the bottom of the stairs.

  “A little.”

  His hungry gaze sweeps over me. “Love you in my shirts.” He tugs on one sleeve and rolls it up, then motions for the other one. “It’s like a coat on you.”

  Heidi, Murphy, and Alexa are already at the table. Heidi glances at my outfit. “Slow day at the office?”

  “I have a doctor’s appointment and then just catching up on paperwork this afternoon.”

  Murphy flicks his gaze between Rock and me. “Everything okay?” he asks.

  “Everything’s fine,” Rock says, placing his hand over mine. “Eat your breakfast or you’re going to be late for school,” he says to Heidi. “Dropping Alexa off at your brother’s?”

  She nods to the Mermaids don’t wear pants and neither do I T-shirt Alexa’s wearing.

  I snort and almost choke on my orange juice. “Is she over her unicorn phase?”

  “No!” Alexa yells.

  “That would be a no.” Heidi laughs. “She wants it all.”

  “Come here, funny baby,” I say, picking Alexa up. In addition to the T-shirt, she’s decked out a frilly, layered and poofy skirt in mermaid blues and greens. A tiny pair of sparkly-pink Dr. Martens boots on her feet complete the look.

  “Where can I get a pair of these?” I ask, tapping my fingers against the toes of her boots.

  “No!” She brushes my hands off her boots and holds onto them tight.

  “I won’t steal them. They’re too small for my feet.”

  Satisfied, I won’t rob her of her fancy new footwear, she snuggles into my lap and stares up at me. My heart pitter-patters and I kiss her forehead. “Is Uncle Teller going to put you to work today?” I ask.

  “Yeth.”

  “Yeah right.” Murphy rolls his eyes. “I’m pretty sure they have an exhausting afternoon of cartoons and naps.”

  Alexa giggles and reaches for him and I hand her over.

  “Sully’s gym keeping you busy?” I ask.

  He shakes his head and sets down his coffee cup before Alexa dunks her fingers in it. “Nah, he’s easygoing compared to working with Wrath.”

  “I imagine anyone would be easygoing compared to Wrath.”

  “Got that right,” he mutters. “Now that he has a reopening date in mind, he’s got endless to-do lists for me.”

  “Do!” Alexa mimics, patting his cheeks.

  “Can’t wait till you’re big enough to put to work,” he teases, kissing Alexa’s cheek.

  Heidi laughs. “I can totally see her helping you out in the garage.”

  “Gotta get her over her hatred of loud pipes first,” Rock says.

  Someone taps on the sliding glass door behind us and Rock groans.

  Since Z’s the only one who regularly uses the back door, I wave for him to come in without turning around.

  “Morning,” he says, thumping snow off his boots.

  “You could use the front door,” Rock says without turning around.

  “I’m checking up on your safety and security, Prez.” Z reaches over me and snags a strawberry out of the bowl in the middle of the table.

  “Grab a plate.” I point at the empty chair next to me and he holds up a hand.

  “I’m good.”

  “Eeeee!” Alexa yells.

  “I figure she’s either trying to say Z or she’s just excited to see you,” Heidi says.

  “She’s trying to say ‘favorite uncle’ naturally.” Z plucks her out of Murphy’s lap and holds her at arm’s length to check out her wild outfit. “Mermaids, huh?”

  Alexa bobs her head up and down.

  “Mermaids used to lure sailors off course to their death.” He grins at Murphy. “Appropriate since that’s what’ll happen to boys who come sniffing around you when you’re bigger.” He says it with a grin, but Alexa squints at him as if she’s not so sure she likes what he has to say about her new favorite mythical creature.

  “Who knew your uncle Z was so knowledgeable about mermaids?” Heidi shakes her head at Z and takes Alexa from him.

  “Well, thanks for the folklore lesson,” I say, standing up and gathering the plates.

  “I got that, Hope,” Murphy says.

  “Aw, look at you all domesticated and shit,” Z snarks.

  “It’s called being a polite houseguest, you ogre.”

  “You’re family, not a houseguest,” I remind Murphy.

  “You’re a fucking saint, Hope,” Z says.

  Rock stands and takes the dishes from me. “Go get ready. We’re going to be late.”

  Getting Hope out of our circus of a house takes some effort, but I have us on the road on time.

  “I hope Z and Murphy don’t kill each other,” Hope says.

  “They’re fine.”

  “I think I’m going to be a little sad when they move out,” she says softly.

  “Yeah? You won’t be happy to have our house back?”

  “Well, yes, but I like seeing them in the morning.” She chuckles and fiddles with the radio. “Checking out Alexa’s outfit for the day.”

  “They won’t be far.” I glance over. “Besides, I think we’ll be busy.”

  I expected her to smile, but she places her hands over her stomach and winces. “I hope so.”

  “What’s wrong? You feel okay?”

  “Just queasy.”

  “You need me to pull over?”

  “No. I don’t
think so.”

  She closes her eyes and sits back, taking long deep breaths until we arrive at the doctor’s office.

  “How do you feel?” I ask.

  “Better.” She yawns and pushes her door open.

  “Wait for me.”

  We have a shorter wait than usual to see the doctor.

  “How are you feeling today?” she asks as she comes into the exam room.

  “Still nauseous a lot.”

  “And tired,” I add.

  “Perfectly normal.” She runs through a list of other questions and takes Hope’s blood pressure.

  The part I’m wound up tight about happens at the end of the appointment.

  The last time we were here for a regular check-up we heard the baby’s heartbeat on the fetal Doppler. This time we should be able to see and hear the baby with the ultrasound.

  “There it is.” The doctor points to the screen.

  Hope sits up a little and I put my hand on her back to help. “Does everything look okay?” she asks in a small voice.

  “Yes. The baby’s the size I expect to see at this point. Heartbeat is strong.” She rattles off a few more indicators that point to good news.

  After our talk the day she finally told me she was pregnant, I understand why Hope’s so anxious.

  She’s been here before. Heard this before and still lost everything.

  When the doctor finishes, Hope reaches for me and I squeeze her hand.

  On our way out, I stop the doctor. “What can I do?”

  She’s give me a not unsympathetic smile. “Keep doing what you’re doing. It’s great that you come with her to these appointments. She should sign up for a childbirth class soon. If you can go to those with her, it would be good. You’ll learn a lot too.”

  “Okay.”

  “Keep her exercising and keep her stress down.”

  “I’m trying. She seems tired a lot, though.”

  “That’s normal. I’ve checked her iron levels and she’s not anemic, but that’s something we’ll keep an eye on. Once she gets into the second trimester she should have more energy.”

  “Okay. Thank you.”

  Hope’s irritated expression as she’s checking out quickens my steps. “What’s wrong?”

  “The stupid insurance won’t cover the ultrasound.”

  “We knew that might happen.”

  “You can contact the insurance—” the receptionist starts to say, but I pull out my wallet and hand over the cash to cover it.

  “Rock.” Hope protests.

  “I’ll deal with it later.” The last thing I need is her getting worked up over a couple hundred dollars.

  We finish and I get her out into the parking lot. It’s a crisp, cool winter morning. Hope grasps my hand as we navigate the damp pavement.

  At the truck, she stops. For the first time since we heard the heartbeat, she smiles and tips her face toward the sun, resting her head on the truck window. I reach out and tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re going to get salt and stuff all over your coat.”

  “Oh.” She brushes off her sleeves and shrugs. “What’d you talk to the doctor about?”

  “Just asked what else I can do to help.”

  “Oh, Rock.” She bites her lip. “You’re already so much… I don’t think many women are as lucky as I am.”

  “Well, I’m in the unique position of making up my own schedule.”

  She curls her fingers into my leather cut and pulls me closer. “Being the man-in-charge has its perks.” She leans up and whispers against my ear. “It’s also very sexy.”

  How this woman lives to distract me. “She said we should find a childbirth class to sign up for.”

  Her lips curl into a pouty-smile. “That’s not sexy talk.”

  “No, it’s after-the-doctor-visit talk.”

  “Swan’s been working on some prenatal yoga with me.”

  “That’s not the same thing.”

  “Fine. I’ll ask Mara if she knows of one.”

  “Speaking of your friend, how do you feel about telling people now?”

  “Good.” She smiles even wider. “Let’s do it. Maybe poor Swan will stop worrying she gave me food poisoning all the time.”

  I can only describe Rock as giddy as he hoists me into his SUV for the drive home. Well, giddy and more chivalrous than ever.

  “Rock, I can get in the car all by myself,” I say, brushing his hands off me.

  He grins and leans in to kiss my cheek. “I don’t want anything happening to my girl.”

  When he slides in next to me, he pulls out his phone and taps out a text.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. You’re finally ready to tell people. I’m asking Z to assemble everyone who’s at the clubhouse for an announcement.”

  It takes me a second to realize the “announcement” is this. Us. Our baby.

  Oh my God, we’re really having a baby!

  Yeah, I’m still having that freak-out about twenty times a day.

  Reaching over, I settle my hand on his arm to grab his attention. “Rock, it’s not club business. They’re going to overthrow you.”

  He sets the phone down, and shifts so he’s facing me. Taking one of my hands in his, he squeezes gently. “It’s an addition to the family.”

  I open my mouth, but he cuts me off.

  “You still got it in your head we’re a bunch of testosterone fueled Neanderthals—”

  “Well—”

  He smirks, before cutting me off. “While that’s true ninety-nine percent of the time, trust me, they’ll want to hear this.”

  He’s right. Also, I’m ninety-nine percent sure he’s already told Z.

  “Should we tell Murphy and Heidi first?”

  “If you want to.”

  We’re almost at the clubhouse, when Rock reaches over, settling his hand over my stomach.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Want to see if I can feel the baby.”

  “You heard what the doctor said. I think it’ll be a few more weeks.”

  He chuckles. “You never know. Any baby of mine should be pretty big.”

  “Caveman.”

  He laughs but doesn’t disagree.

  The yard is full of bikes and other vehicles when we arrive. Rock tucks his SUV into its usual spot.

  “Did you want to stop at our house first?” Rock asks as he helps me out of the truck.

  “No.” Now that I’ve had time to think about it, I’m excited about telling everyone. Nervous, though, because I’m still unsure that the guys really care about stuff like this.

  “What’s going on, Rock?” Wrath asks as soon as we’re inside.

  “Nothing.” Rock’s gaze skips around the room, taking everyone in. “We have an announcement.”

  I catch Trinity grinning at me. Her eyes widen and she mouths “oh my God” at me.

  Rock catches me around the waist, pulling me tight to his side. His hand rests over my belly and he gently squeezes. “We’re having a baby.”

  The guys whoop and shout. Everyone advances on us for hugs, kisses, back-slaps, and congratulations.

  “I knew it.” Trinity squeals and grabs my hands. “I didn’t want to say anything, but I knew something was up.” She glances down at my chest. “Your boobs are bigger than ever.”

  I burst out laughing until tears leak from my eyes. Throwing my arms around her, I wrap her up in a hug. “Thank you. I needed to laugh.”

  “I’m serious. They’re huge.”

  Of course Wrath overhears that and sweeps his gaze over me to confirm his wife’s observation. “How did I miss that?”

  Trinity teasingly smacks his arm, while Z answers the question. “You’re whipped, that’s why. I noticed, just figured—”

  “Do you want to die today?” Rock growls, pushing Z back.

  Z grins and sidesteps Rock, taking cover behind Murphy and Dex.

  “This is so good, boss. So, good. More babies means more
good energy. So much good energy in the club,” Sparky yells, taking the attention off Z.

  Dex comes over and gives me a quick hug. “No wonder you’re prettier than ever, sweetheart.”

  “Thank you. Are you excited to be an uncle again?”

  He stares off into the distance for a minute before flashing a smile so confident, it almost hides the sadness in his eyes. “Sure am.”

  Murphy grins and playfully points a finger at me. “I owe Heidi twenty bucks, you know.” In a lower voice, he asks, “Why didn’t you say something? We would’ve kept it quiet.”

  “After…I…well…I just…we wanted to be sure before we told anyone,” I stammer through an answer unsure of how much information Murphy’s looking for and feeling a little guilty.

  He envelopes me in a warm hug, rubbing my back quickly before letting me go. “Whatever you need, tell me, okay?” He glances over at Teller and Rock, who are busy holding their own intense conversation. “If you need us to move out—”

  “Don’t you dare. I was just telling Rock this morning how much I’m going to miss you guys when you move into your own house.”

  “Thanks, Hope. You and Rock. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for us.”

  “Murphy, are you pregnant too?” Z asks. “You look so emotional.”

  “Fuck off, asshole.” He turns to me. “Heidi will be home in a bit. She said she’s going to buy a cake so we can celebrate at dinner.”

  “Oooh, cake.” I rub my hands together and the guys laugh.

  Z moves in, eyeing Murphy as if he’s expecting a gut-punch. He leans down and gives me a quick hug. “You know Rock told me the night you came clean, don’t you?” he whispers in my ear.

  I laugh and pull away. “I suspected.”

  He runs an imaginary zipper over his lips, which Ravage notices and immediately calls everyone’s attention to. “Uh-oh. Z, you’re not secretly the dad, are you?”

  “That’s it.” Murphy growls. He and Teller take off after Ravage, who sprints down the hall.

  “Sorry, Hope!” Ravage yells out.

  There’s a crash in the dining room, followed by a thud.

  Rock shakes his head. “Maybe we should’ve done it by text.”

  “Or carrier pigeon,” I suggest, which cracks him up.