“You should definitely do that,” Charlotte cried, clapping her hands as she jumped up and down in her seat. Her hands then went to her belly as if to hold the baby still.
“Dream on, Stells. That woman doesn’t have an ounce of cellulite on it anywhere,” I scoffed. I might hate the creature, but her body was a work of art.
“Are there any more caramel slices?” Rainn asked, licking the sticky goodness from her fingers. “What?” she asked as she looked at us. “They are really fucking awesome, and I hate Tori, and talking about her is giving me heartburn.”
I didn’t miss the look that Stella and Charlotte shared, I just didn’t understand it, but before I could ask, Shiloh came barrelling into the kitchen, her dogs and cat in tow. Today, she was wearing a mini version of a commando uniform. She even had a tiny combat helmet with a little water flask tucked into the headband just like a soldier in the field would do. Top that off with her beloved pink chuck, and the kid looked adorable.
“Mummy, I gots to go get C.O.D a new bed. She ate her other one,” Shiloh announced loudly, pointing at her puppy. The fat, little cutie in question was grunting around the legs of the table licking up any crumbs we dropped during our pig-out fest.
“Again? Shiloh, didn’t I tell you to pick it up off the ground when she wasn’t sleeping? She is a puppy, sweetie, so she is going to chew whatever she can get her teeth on,” Charlotte admonished her daughter, softening the blow by lifting Shiloh onto her lap and peppering kisses all over her adorable face.
“Can we go and gets one, pwease?” Shiloh pouted, her bottom lip jutting out as her big, blue eyes pleaded. Yeah, this kid was going to be a weapon when she was older. No man was going to stand a chance, and neither would her father and godfathers. I couldn’t wait for the day when a boy came calling for Shiloh Johnston. Sniper rifles and bowie knives would be pulled out, of that, I was certain.
Rainn suddenly stood, her chair clattering to the floor. “Let’s go get C.O.D a new bed, ladies,” she suggested, but it came out more like a demand. Something was off with her lately. She was agitated and pissed off more times than not, and Rainn was normally easy going and friendly, apart from that one drunken hiccup at the sex-toy party when she goaded Charlotte about being with Deck—which she apologised for, and Charlotte, being the amazing person she was, forgave and forgot.
Reaching out, I laid my hand on her colourful tattooed arm. This chick had the prettiest sleeve of tattoos I had ever seen on a woman. Reds, pinks, and oranges made up the colours of various types of flowers around the main feature, which was a beautiful, red bird. It truly was a piece of art, and it suited her completely.
“Rainn, sweetie, are you okay?” I asked, hearing the concern in my voice. Rainn had helped all of us in some way. She helped Stella when she needed to hide her bruises from when she was abused by her brothers, housed me when I had nowhere else to go, and she was always up for Shiloh duty when Charlotte or Vegas wasn’t available. So if she needed help herself, I would offer in any way possible.
Rainn’s shoulders slumped for a second as her head dropped to her chest, which was heaving. What the hell was going on with her?
“Rainn?” Charlotte moved to touch her, but Rainn pulled back, and a mask of happiness instantly covered her sad face.
“I’m fine. Let’s go take Shiloh to town,” she said, plastering a fake-as-shit smile on her stunning face. I couldn’t forget that Rainn was a performer. Up on stage, she danced for men, looking like she was enjoying it like she was having fun, but now I wondered. She was hurting deeply. I just didn’t know why. I only hoped she would let someone help her when she was ready to ask for it.
Stella gave a soft, sad smile, and then nodded her head. “We need to take someone with us.”
Booth had given strict orders that we were never to leave the compound without a detail. Stella wasn’t about to go against his wishes, especially not now that she was carrying his child. Being the president’s wife, she knew the importance of that role.
“Of course, we do,” Rainn admitted reluctantly, but like all of us, she too wasn’t about to put anyone’s life, and definitely not Shiloh’s, in danger.
31
STEEL
You wouldn’t think it would so hard to find someone who worked for us, but it seemed it was.
After we called all the members into the war room, we spent fucking hours trying to locate Tori. We checked the Bar and Grill first, of course, since she was scheduled to work today. But she didn’t turn up for her shift, and when I called, Vegas answered, explaining that she got a call from Tori asking Vegas to cover her shift for her, something to do with her son’s father giving her shit.
Bullshit! She had to be onto us. Somehow, the bitch figured it out, and now she had disappeared.
Fuck.
I pulled myself up faster over the high bar, resting my chin on the top of the bar for a millisecond before releasing, and then repeating. Since losing my leg, I had worked on my upper body and arm strength. I spent a great deal of my downtime in the compound’s gym, not just to work out my body but also my mind. The hell of deployment, particularly the last one, lived so deep inside my brain, the nightmares, the screaming of my brothers in pain and torment. Working out was my coping mechanism, my solace from the memories. I thrived on the exhaustion my body felt after punishing it for hours on end. Lately, I hadn’t been in here much, preferring to spend time with Mia. She was aware of my workouts and what they meant to me. She knew so much about me, had taken the time to sit and find shit out about me, about my dreams, my nightmares.
The hell I’d survived.
Barely.
Callie never did, nor did she give a shit. Fuck, I was so pissed off at myself for all the time I wasted on the bitch. And I was disgusted with myself for the way I acted towards Mia because of my so-called relationship with Callie.
Feeling the anger starting to build up in me, I pushed myself past the pain, the fatigue, and the burning in my arms. None of it mattered except for the pain I’d inflicted on my beauty. The woman who loved me, adored me, and forgave me no matter what venom I threw at her in the past. The woman who was carrying my baby. The woman who I loved with every single breath I took.
The woman who saved me.
The woman standing behind me.
I felt her the second she entered the gym. The years of training would never allow her to sneak up on me.
“You okay, Beauty?” I asked without stopping the gruelling chin lifts.
“I’m fine, babe. I’ve been waiting for you. The others came into the kitchen and collected their women over an hour ago.”
Fuck! I had been here working out my guilt and aggression while Mia sat waiting for me. Dick move, Cooper. Immediately releasing the bar, I landed on my good leg first and made sure it took most of the impact before letting my prosthesis join it on the ground.
“Fuck, Mia, I am so sorry. I got stuck in my head here and lost track of time,” I apologised, but Mia waved away my apology. Then I felt even worse because she always gave me breaks and chances when she should have kicked my arse and fed me my balls. “Mia, why do you let me get away with all my bad shit?” I blurted out the question without thinking. The last thing I wanted to do was start an argument. My woman had already proven she could go toe to toe with me.
“Babe, seriously, it’s fine. I was with the girls, and we went into town to get Shiloh a new bed for her puppy.”
They left the compound! Did they take detail? Jesus, fuck, how did I not even know that they left? That my woman left? I, of course, had to open my big, stupid mouth and verbalise my displeasure.
“For fuck’s sake, Mia. You can’t just leave the compound without telling me. Did you even take protection? You have to take this shit more seriously. You are pregnant, and this arsehole is out to get you. He nearly got to you once already, not to mention he fucked with you at work,” I yelled at her louder than I intended, but come the fuck on—she had to start being more careful. She was pregnan
t, and this guy, whoever the fuck he was, wanted to hurt her. If he succeeded, then I might as well be dead, too.
“I beg your pardon?” Mia asked, her lips thinned and her eyes narrowed at me.
Why was she pissed at me? She was the one who left without detail. Again. But something was telling me that I had fucked up, and I should either run or apologise. Which one, I wasn’t too sure.
“Maybe if you asked instead of talking out of your arse, you would have known that yes, we did take detail with us. Two prospects, in fact, and Darth met us at the shopping centre, as well, on his way back into town from the run he went on. And also, Charlotte, Stella, and I texted our men before we left to inform you all of our adventure, and when we received no replies twenty minutes later, Stella wrote a note and slipped it under the war room door.” Mia bent to pick up a bag I didn’t even notice she had brought in. The insignia had a baby pram on it, and I could make out the words Baby World.
Shit, fuck, arsehole.
Reaching out to her, I tried to grab her hand, but she snatched it back and held it behind her back.
“Mia, please. I am sorry.”
“I bought our baby her first outfit today. Thanks for taking the shine off what had been a great moment for me, Cooper.” Spinning on her heels, Mia took off at a fast clip. “Don’t bother following because I am not in the mood to talk right now,” she warned as she tossed the bag at me before disappearing out of the gym and down the hallway—away from me. I couldn’t even make my feet move, so I just stood there like an idiot with the bag Mia threw at me clutched to my chest. I wanted to go after her, plead that I was the king of dickheads, and hold her to me while I begged her to forgive me and promised her anything she wanted just as long as she said we were okay and she would never leave me.
But I didn’t. I was not doing any of those things.
“You really are an idiot, aren’t you, Cooper Steel? Surely mum didn’t raise two idiot sons.” Mannix laughed from the doorway.
Oh, great, this was all I needed. Big brother. Literally. Taking in a lungful of air, I wrapped my hands around the back of my neck and counted to ten.
“What are you talking about?”
“You.” Mannix pushed off the doorframe and sauntered in. “You have a great woman in Mia. Hell, you have one of the best. She has stuck by you during your rehabilitation and your arsehole period when all you could see was that bitch Callie. Now, here she is knocked up with your kid. Yours. Not some other guy’s, yours, and you talk to her like she is some dickhead prospect,” he said, getting right up in my face.
I cringed inwardly when he mentioned the baby being mine. I knew the baby was mine, there was absolutely no doubt in my mind about that, none, but I understood why he said it. My brother had been through hell with his ex, our whole family suffering with the shit Alannah put him through.
“Is all this crap going on with Rogue the women’s fault? No, mate, it’s ours, but they are paying for it, and, brother, considering all that’s going on, they are coping really well with it. Constant detail, looking over their shoulders all the time, us taking off to the war room for hours at a time without telling them what we are doing. Come on, brother. Take it easier on her. She is doing really well.”
Well, fuck.
Mannix, my manwhore brother, just put me in my place. I hated that he was right, which he was, but I was so scared something worse was going to happen to Mia and the baby. This fucker wanted her dead.
Ignoring the smirk on the arsehole’s face, I pushed past him and ran out of the gym.
It was time for me to get down on my knees, only this time, for the right reasons and the right woman.
32
Mia
I needed to hit something. A six-foot something, blond, muscled dick with his head up his arse should do fine.
“Argh! Men are so stupid sometimes.” I huffed as I threw myself down on the couch next to Vegas. I was so mad at that man right now that I wasn’t sure I could even be trusted around sharp instruments. What a turd! Yelling at me like I was some sort of imbecile. I knew there was danger out there, and I knew I had to be careful, but I was not going to stay here in the compound forever. And Steel was thicker than molasses if he thought otherwise.
“Honey, men are dense, and sometimes, women just have to wade through the stupid to get to the good stuff. Trust me, Darth can be denser than a truckload of wood, and there are times when I just want to rip his head off and make a lampshade out of him. But there are lots of times when he is so caring and sweet, always worrying about me and my safety, just like today, meeting me in town in protection mode. God, he is hot when he is like that.” She smiled and then bit her lip as she twirled some hair around her finger, lost in thought. Thoughts I really didn’t want to know about. Darth was like a brother to all the women of the club. I didn’t want to be thinking about his bits and pieces and what he did to Vegas with them. Ewww. But Vegas was right. The guys were under a lot of pressure to find this rogue soldier and to get this finished before someone got hurt badly or worse. Losing Dundee had been horrible. Losing one of my friends would be tragic.
I felt the anger from my argument with Steel roll off me. I was still very frustrated with the man. His way of handling me was going to have to change. I was not the kind of woman who liked to be yelled at or argued with all the time. I hated it after having spent my whole childhood being yelled at and being told how worthless I was and how perfect my sister was. So having Steel yell at me like I was an idiot pissed me off. Yes, I was pregnant, and yes, there was some lunatic out there trying to get to me, but I was an adult, his equal, and wanted to be treated like one. Not like a naughty child or like Callie.
“Mia, I’m going to give you the same advice I gave Charlotte. Don’t let the small shit taint your happiness with Steel. But don’t let him off the hook too easily, either. They feel responsible for what is going on even though it is completely out of their hands. Listen to each other, and hold on tight, sweetie, because one day, it might all be gone,” Vegas said softly. There was sadness in Vegas’s eyes that I had never seen in anyone else’s before, and I felt it all the way to my heart. I had a strong impulse to hug her. Scooting over the couch, I wrapped my arms around the beautiful, older woman. A slight tremble travelled down her body, so I held her tighter, and we stayed like this for a few long moments.
“Beauty?”
I twisted my head and saw Steel standing not far from the couch with a lost look haunting his beautiful, green eyes. Instantly, I saw the regret in them, and I made my decision. Vegas was right. I was happy with Steel. He had been my dream for so long, not just a crush, but a real soul-shaking love, and we were having a baby together. I believed he loved me and only had nothing but the best intentions for me and our bub. I had to expect him to fuck up from time to time—after all, no one was perfect. And Cooper Steel was perfect for me... but I was still going to kick his arse for being one.
I gave Vegas one last squeeze. “I’m going to hold on tight, Julie, with everything I have,” I promised her softly, then unwrapped myself from her. I walked slowly towards my man, who was standing as still as a statue. I could see he was grinding his back teeth as his throat worked up and down with the effort. I knew just by looking at him that he was sorry. If I were Callie, I would be milking this for all it was worth, but thank God, I was nothing like her.
As soon as I got within touching distance, Steel surprised me as he pulled me tight against his strong chest. I let out a little shriek of surprise as his arms banded around me to the point I couldn’t breathe, but I didn’t say anything to stop him. Instead, I pushed my arms under his and placed my head on Steel’s chest, right above where the beat of his heart pounded beneath his shirt.
“Mia, baby, I am so fucking sorry. I didn’t mean any of that shit—well, yeah, I did mean it, just not in the arsehole way it came out.”
I let out a laugh at that. Of course, his apology would sound nothing like an apology and more like ‘well, I was right,
but I should have said it better.’ A shiver ran through my whole body as Steel’s mouth moved along the heated skin of my neck, his tongue licking a path along the sensitive curve and up again where he nipped at my earlobe. Oh, God. He knew how to work my body. Even pissed off and annoyed at him, I wanted to push him to the nearest chair, pull out his massive cock, sink down slowly on it, and use him until I climaxed at least five times. Hmm, the tingle in my core had me squeezing my legs tightly together. I didn’t know if it was the pregnancy hormones or Steel, but I was so horny. I was going to go with Steel. My man had skills that could certainly make me come five times, but first things first... then he could make me come five times.
“Cooper, you have to know I would never put our child in danger on purpose,” I said, pulling back so I could see him.
His rested forehead on mine with his eyes closed, but the ticking in his jaw was a telltale sign that this was hard for him. Steel was a soldier, the VP of the club, a sniper with skill sets that included patience and following protocol and procedure. He was all about taking charge, protecting, and putting himself in the firing line so others could be safe.
“Beauty, I know that… I do. But, Mia…” Dropping to his knees, Steel reached out and slowly unbuttoned my shirt from the breasts down. I quickly looked around the room to see if anyone was taking any notice of us. I mean, I knew he wasn’t going to strip me naked and take me right there near the pool table—well, I was pretty sure of that. But as his beautiful, large, calloused hands parted the shirt and deftly tucked it into the back my of jeans, exposing my whole midriff including the bottom half of my bra, I started to rethink it. But instead of ravishing me, Steel laid his head on my bare, still-flat belly, making my heart catch.
His Beauty_The Wounded Souls Page 17