“Of course, of course. If there is anything else I can do to help, please don’t hesitate to call.”
Liam shook hands with the man, who then turned toward Bellamy. “How are you feeling, Mrs. Mattison? Do you need anything?”
“Oh, I’m fine, thank you,” she said, her cheeks growing a bit pink. I felt my eyes narrow on her, and she very obviously avoided my stare.
“Call if you need a refill,” the doctor told her. She was quick to agree and even quicker to volunteer to see him out.
Before he left, I made sure to thank him personally and shake his hand. “Thank you for taking care of Sabrina. I appreciate it.”
“Of course, Mr. Carter.”
When he was gone, the four of us met in the living room. Bellamy clicked on a large wrought-iron lamp, and I gazed at her. “You pregnant?”
Liam chuckled, and the sleeping baby against his chest stirred. He rubbed a hand over his back and shushed him before lowering into a large chair and pulling a blanket over the child.
Bellamy nodded, sheepish.
I let go of Sabrina for the first time and made a whoop sound before swooping in to grab her around the waist and spin her around.
“Watch it,” Liam growled, sitting up like he was going to take me on.
Bellamy blanched, and I pulled her back to study her face. “You’re just as sick with this one as you were with Shaw.”
“Unfortunately,” she croaked.
“My bad,” I said, gingerly placing her on her feet.
Then, because I was so happy, I ruffled her hair and gave her another hug. “Congratulations, Bells.”
When I pulled back, I offered a hand to Liam. “Bro.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” I demanded.
Liam glanced at his wife, and she sighed. “You have enough going on.”
“Oh, I don’t like that,” I told her, pursing my lips. “That’s some dirty shit right there.”
“Give her a break, man. She’s been puking up her guts most of the day.” Liam admonished.
“Congratulations,” Sabrina said from a few feet away. I heard it in her voice, even though it wasn’t really obvious. I felt it, regardless. She felt like an outsider just then. Something she wasn’t and never would be. Even if she went back home tomorrow and I never saw her again, that girl would always be my family, and no one would ever take her place in my heart.
I backtracked, slipped an arm around her waist, and palmed her hip. I made a point of drawing her into the discussion.
“Thank you,” Bellamy said. “We just found out last week.”
“A whole damn week,” I muttered.
“Next time, I’ll tell you before Liam.” Bells promised, cheeky. There definitely would be a next time. Liam seemed determined to make a football team.
“The hell you will!” Liam erupted.
Shaw made a sound, sat up, and looked at his daddy with wide eyes.
“Aww, little man, I’m sorry,” he crooned. “Daddy’s sorry.”
The baby fell back into his chest and stuck his thumb in his mouth. Liam glared at me over the baby’s head but didn’t say anything more.
I grinned and then grinned wider because he couldn’t say shit.
“I’m so sorry to have brought all this here tonight,” Sabrina told Bellamy. “You really should be resting, not dealing with my problems.”
Bellamy shook her head emphatically. “Oh, please, no. I’m fine, and you’re family. I’m just glad we could be here for you both.”
Sabrina yawned and leaned into my side. I glanced at her, concerned. “You doing okay?”
She nodded.
“How about I put some coffee on?” Bellamy offered. “Then we can talk.”
“Caffeine is good.” Sabrina agreed.
Bellamy nodded. “I’ll just put the baby down, then make some.” When she reached for the baby, he made a sound and clutched at Liam.
“He just likes me better, sweetheart,” Liam drawled, winking at Bellamy.
“Well, then you can get up with him at three a.m.,” Bellamy retorted without much heat.
“Anything for you, Bells,” Liam said, standing and leaning in to kiss her on the forehead. “Go make the coffee. I’ll put him down.”
Bellamy brushed her hand over Shaw’s head and then went into the kitchen. Liam disappeared up the stairs, and finally, if only for a moment, we were blissfully alone.
Sabrina
“Thank God you’re okay.” I wasn’t able to hide the shaky worry in my voice. I was nearly consumed with it. If it weren’t for the pain in my cheek and wrist, I might have succumbed to it completely.
The second I said the words, I nearly fell into him, clutching his waist as tight as I could.
“Hey now, kitten. I told you I’m fine.” His voice was gentle but solid. The tone was soft, almost cajoling. Just a couple hours ago, the thought of him calling me kitten was gross, but now, the thought of never hearing him say it again was unbearable.
“You were unconscious, Alex. You have seven stitches in your head. I don’t even know how you’re walking around.” He made a rough sound, but I pushed in closer to him. “I don’t know what I would do if I lost you again.”
His body clenched, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he walked backward, bringing me with him to sit on the couch and pull me into his lap.
I curled against his chest, letting my feet rest on the cushions beside his leg, cradled my injured wrist into my chest, and tucked my face against his neck.
He dragged a few fingers through the length of my hair, and I felt his lips brush my hairline. “You won’t ever lose me.”
I started to tremble. The night was beginning to catch up to me now that I finally felt like I could let some of my guard down. Now that Alex was so close I could touch and see him, some of the adrenaline keeping me vigilant was draining away.
“That man wasn’t going to kill me. He was trying to kidnap me,” I whispered.
Alex closed both arms around me in a bold protective gesture. “I know, kitten.”
“He was going to do horrifying things—”
“Stop,” he commanded. “Stop right there. It’s not going to happen. I don’t even want you thinking about it.”
How could I not think about it? How could I not imagine grim scenario after grim scenario? Good Lord, these were the men after my brother!
“Sabrina.”
I lifted my face. I could be standing in the center of a category-five hurricane, about to be blown miles away, and I would still react to the way he said my name. No one, not anyone, ever had the ability to compel me the way Alex did.
His shoulders hunched forward, his head lowering to claim my lips. I gasped at the sudden assault but recovered almost instantly to slide a hand up his neck and grip the back of his head. I strained upward, wanting closer. Alex pulled my body up and held me there without breaking the kiss.
I purred into his mouth, feeling his tongue stroke over mine and his body surround me. If any part of me had died tonight while being attacked, Alex just revived it.
For a man who so easily took a life, he also so easily gave it.
His chest vibrated against mine as he pulled back slightly. The startling shade of his eyes gazed down when his lashes lifted.
It took a moment to register anything beyond his closeness, and even then, my mind didn’t get much further than him. “You’ve been kissing me a lot today.”
“I guess I’m pretty tired of holding back.”
My heart skipped a beat, and a warm, fuzzy sensation bloomed in my chest. “Alex, I wanted to tell—”
As I spoke, his head tilted up, as though he could hear something I couldn’t.
“Are you eavesdropping?” he asked, slightly chuffed.
A second later, Liam appeared over the railing toward the bottom of the stairs. “What can I say? This shit is riveting.”
Alex rolled his eyes, but a smile played at the corner of his
lips. Lips I sincerely wanted back on mine.
I started to sit up, but even though I thought his attention was diverted elsewhere, he proved to me it wasn’t. The hold he had on me was tightened, my place in his lap secured. With a very brief yet meaningful glance, he let me know I was exactly where he wanted.
“Payback’s a bitch and all that, yeah, yeah,” he muttered, looking over the back of the sofa at Liam.
Liam winked at me and laughed.
“I don’t get it,” I said, blank.
“This one here”—Liam pointed to Alex—“is a professional eavesdropper. He heard more private conversations between me and Bells than I care to admit.”
“Just looking out for ya, bro,” Alex quipped.
“Same.”
Abruptly, Alex stood. I squeaked in surprise, and he glanced down, his eyes narrowing. “What hurts?” The tone of his voice was a promise that whatever it was, he would slay instantly.
“Nothing,” I replied. “I just wasn’t expecting you to stand up.”
He made a sound but made no movement to put me down. “We’re gonna head out.”
Liam’s face lifted. “Now?”
“Yeah, it’s late.”
“We still need to talk.” Liam reminded him.
“I know. Tomorrow.”
Bellamy came back from the kitchen. “Coffee’s ready.” She saw Alex standing there holding me and frowned. “What’s going on?”
“It’s all good.” Alex assured her. “We’re heading out. We’ll come back tomorrow.”
Bellamy gasped. “You can’t leave! We don’t even know what’s going on. It could be dangerous!”
“Yeah, it could be,” Alex muttered, dark. “And the last thing I’m gonna do is put you and that baby you’re growing in any kinda danger. Not to mention my nephew upstairs.”
I sucked in a breath, realizing he was right.
“This place is locked down.” Liam reminded him.
“Keep it that way, at least until the sun comes up.”
“What about you two?” Bellamy worried.
“My house is secure. I made sure of it.”
Liam came the rest of the way around the couch. “If you need anything, call. Anytime.”
“I will. Thanks.”
“You’re just going to let them leave?” Bellamy accused.
Liam smiled and put an arm around her to draw her close. “Now, sweetheart. Alex and Brina have some talking to do.”
A knowing look dawned over Bellamy.
I felt myself begin to blush. My goodness! They thought we were rushing off to have sex.
Alex’s chuckle was low and smooth. It made me feel all kinds of liquid inside.
Oh Lord… Are we? Surely not.
Butterflies, thousands upon thousands of them, fluttered around in my belly, and none of them were very skilled at flying. They seemed to bounce around in there, making me feel unstable. It made me grateful Alex was still holding me, because I worried my knees would give out.
As if he sensed it, Alex leaned against my ear to whisper, “I can see you blushing.”
My only answer was to duck my cheek into his chest and hide.
“Take the baby maker up to bed so she can get some rest,” Alex told Liam, humor in his voice.
“Only if you promise to come back in the morning,” Bellamy argued.
“We’ll be back tomorrow.” He allowed, not agreeing to any time in particular.
In the kitchen, Liam pulled a set of keys off a rack in the cabinet with the monitors and tossed them to Alex. He snatched them out of the air without jostling me at all. “Thanks.”
Bellamy was beside the island, looking unsure about us leaving. Alex stepped over and kissed her on top of her head. “See ya tomorrow, girl who got away.”
“Bye.”
I waved to them over Alex’s shoulder as he stepped into the garage.
“I can walk, you know.”
“I know,” he said but didn’t bother to put me down.
I didn’t argue because I liked where I was.
He walked through the garage to the last stall, where a large, dark SUV was parked. Going around, he deftly deposited me into the passenger seat, gingerly pulling the seat belt across my chest.
After the audible click of the belt, he didn’t pull away. Instead, he stood there for long seconds, staring down at the latch before lifting his penetrating eyes toward me. “You scared me tonight, kitten.”
I gently caressed the side of his smooth face and didn’t say anything.
His eyes closed briefly at the touch as he reached up, grasping my wrapped wrist lightly so he could pull back and press feathery kisses against the bandages.
My stomach was still in my throat when he climbed into the driver’s seat and hit the button to lift the door. We sat in the driveway, waiting for the garage door to lower completely, before he scanned the driveway, then drove off.
Before we even made it to the main road, he reached into my lap.
We held hands the entire way home.
Alex
Things were different now.
Death always had a way of altering things. Especially when I was the one creating the dead. Three years ago, death changed the course of my life, turning my future into something else entirely.
Tonight, death changed it again.
Last time, death pushed us apart, but this time, it seemed to pull us closer. Something new shimmered in the air. The wall separating us had crumbled; we stood face to face, an unobstructed path between us.
Except it wasn’t that simple. It never was.
After tonight, though, I didn’t really care.
My blood pulsed with the need to be alone with her. My body thumped with desire, and an instinctual need to claim her completely roared so loud inside me it drowned out all of my doubts.
“Stay put,” I told her when I pulled the SUV as close to my deck as I could. After a quick check of the house, I went back and opened her door.
Pleasure filled me when I noticed she hadn’t removed her seat belt and I could reach across, fill up her personal space, and do it. She didn’t protest when I lifted her out of the car, kicked the door shut, and carried her into the house.
The lights were already on, and I placed her on the sofa and moved off to start a fire in the fireplace. I felt her eyes the entire time I worked. Every muscle beneath my skin knotted and bunched until the tension in this small cabin could have lit the fire for me.
When it was finally crackling, I turned toward her, struck suddenly by how fragile she looked huddled into the cushions with her feet tucked under her and my dirty red coat cuddled close.
She didn’t seem to notice her own vulnerability. Something I found both endearing and maddening.
“I think I’m going to take a shower,” she said, sitting up. “I feel gross.” When she pushed off the cushions, a grimace contorted her face, and her body locked up rigidly.
“Easy now,” I said, hurrying over.
“I’m fine,” she protested, using the arm of the sofa as leverage to help pull herself to her feet.
I cursed low and slipped an arm around her waist. “Maybe you should just sit down.”
“I’m stiff and sore. Moving around will be good for me. So will the warm water.”
I didn’t argue. Instead, I helped her down the hallway, retrieving a fresh towel and putting it on the bathroom counter. Sabrina was standing at the mirror, grimacing at the sight of her battered face, when I stepped back into the small room.
“You’re still gorgeous,” I told her sincerely.
She jolted, seeing me behind her, and turned. Immediately, her eyes went to the flannel I had clutched in my hand. “Thought you might want to put this on when you’re done.”
“Your favorite one?” she asked.
“Did you want my least favorite instead?” I asked, cheeky.
She snorted, reached for it, and our fingers brushed together. The brief, innocent contact spiked my heart rate an
d sent a shiver of awareness through my body.
“Thank you,” she said, draping the shirt on the counter, not realizing at all the way she affected me.
When she turned back, we stared at each other awkwardly for a long time, until she shifted and I realized she was waiting for me to leave so she could continue. The door shut softly behind me, and I sank down right there against the wood to wait.
A few light sounds were muffled by the door, and I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that she was probably naked in there right now.
So close…
I surged upright, about to barge in because I couldn’t take it another second. Before I could, the door swung in.
A sound of alarm squeaked from Sabrina when she saw me standing there on the threshold. Pressing a hand to her chest, she gasped. “What are you doing?”
“Guarding the door,” I said as if it should have been obvious.
Her brows lowered over her light-brown eyes. “I thought you said the house was secure.”
“It is.” I assured her. “But I’m not taking any chances with you.”
The look on her face made me want to kiss the shit out of her. So much so that I reached out.
“Can you help me?” she asked, shifting like she was embarrassed.
My attention shifted to her wrist, which she thrust between us.
“I need to take off this wrap so I don’t get it wet. The fastener is underneath here,” she said, rotating her arm for me to see. “I could probably get it, but my fingers are raw.”
Reluctantly, she held up the other hand, and sure enough, her fingers were all raw and red. Some cuts from all the broken glass were covered, but others weren’t.
A sound ripped out of me, and I cradled the hand in mine. “Ah, baby.” I bent and kissed her fingers, then palmed her waist and lifted. Her butt hit the bathroom counter, knocking over some of the products sitting between the sinks, but I ignored it and focused completely on her.
Shifting so my body fit between her knees, I lifted the sprained wrist between us and slowly undid the wrapping. “You sure you should take this off?”
“He said it was okay as long as I put it back on right after.”
Subzero (BearPaw Resort Book 4) Page 15