I squeezed her ample ass with my hands and pushed her against the wall beside the door. She and I dueled, battling with our tongues for control of the kiss while I pressed my cock between her thighs. She rubbed herself against my cock, panting when she hit the right spot and laid her head back against the wall. I pulled my mouth from hers and thrust my hips hard, needing the pressure, only changing the angle of my thrusts when I heard her breath hitch. Fuck, she was hot with her skin flushed from arousal. I needed to get her damn clothes off and get lost in the softness of her curves. I needed to get inside her and fuck her hard because the way she reacted when I thrust harder told me Josie liked it rough and deep.
That was my fucking specialty.
A bang on the door caused my hips to slow, but only so I could call out. “Not now.”
Josie lifted her head and looked at the door beside us, but her eyes were glassy, and it would take a hell of a lot to stop us from finishing what we started.
“Bear.”
I stopped immediately when I heard Becs’s weak voice on the other side of the door. Josie’s eyes widened, and she dropped her legs to the floor. I made sure she was steady before I threw open the door and found Becs kneeling on the floor with her hand pressed tight against her stomach.
I dropped to my knees and put my palms on her cheeks. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know.”
Josie squatted down, and I heard her voice. “We need an ambulance at the Sinners Clubhouse immediately. We have a woman about eight months pregnant. I think she might be in labor.” With her eyes on mine, she directed, “Put her on the couch.”
I nodded and stood before crouching down again and lifting her, carrying her to the couch. Once I laid her down, I heard Josie say, “Please hurry,” before she knelt by Becs’s head and took her hand. “Just squeeze my hand.”
Becs nodded, but sweat beaded along her forehead. “It’s too soon.”
“You’re going to be just fine,” Josie said, her voice soft. “Did you take Lamaze classes?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, then breathe with me, and I’ll count, okay?”
“Okay.” Becs panted.
“What the fuck’s going on?”
I stood and faced Bull, who was standing in the doorway. He pointed at Becs. “Is she in labor?”
“Yeah, at least we think so. Ambulance is on the way,” I replied.
Listening to Josie’s low voice counting and Bec’s exaggerated breaths, I tried to gather my thoughts. I was good in urgent situations, but obviously not when it came to my sister in labor. Sirens blaring seemed to bring me out of the fog I was in and forced me into action.
Grabbing my cell, I faced Bull. “Find Gunner. Need you two to close down this party. Make sure no one gets behind the wheel drunk.”
“Will do,” Bull confirmed.
“I’ll call with updates,” I called out over my shoulder while I jogged from the office and opened the back door. I ran to the parking lot and flagged down the ambulance, signaling for them to pull up to where I stood.
Two paramedics jumped out and immediately followed me to the side door. I yanked it open and gestured for them to go in before me. “Second door on the right.”
Then I stood outside the office and placed my palms flat against the wall before dropping my head and doing something I never did.
I said a prayer for my baby sister and her baby.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
JOSIE
I poured another cup of awful coffee from the waiting room coffeepot and added some sugar. My nerves were a mess, and my go-to was coffee, so while everyone else lingered around the waiting room, I was drinking coffee and trying to stay out of the way.
When Becs asked me to ride in the ambulance with her, I’d immediately agreed. As they loaded her, Bear called out that he would follow us there, and although he sounded like himself, his pale skin told me he was shaken.
And he should be.
Becs was about to deliver a baby who was only thirty-two weeks old.
We’d only just gotten settled in the waiting room when the doctor came in, asked for Bear, and told him they were taking her to the delivery room. He didn’t say more, but I could tell it was an emergency by the way the doctor spoke, and it was obvious Bear also felt the doctor’s urgency. I could feel his fear as well as my own. And then it got worse when the emergency room doors opened, and Race literally ran through. Bear met him in the middle of the room, and they spoke before Bear took him to the nurses’ station, and she nodded, stood, and ushered him quickly from the room.
Turning from the small coffee station, I faced the room, and my eyes immediately met Bear’s. He looked lost, and I wanted to go to him, but a few people in this room thought I was starting a relationship with Bull, so instead, I went to sit beside him. Lifting the cup to my lips, I took a small sip, and without my permission, my thoughts went back to the moments before Becs collapsed outside his door. What Bear and I started in his office should not have happened. I knew that when he started kissing me and when I practically climbed his body so I could get closer. But I couldn’t stop myself, and obviously, he couldn’t either.
It was just chemistry. I understood the science of it, and from a purely scientific view, what happened in the office had nothing to do with emotions, but my feelings at that moment had been very real, and I’d wanted him. Had Becs not knocked on the door, not only would I have finished what we’d started but I also would’ve encouraged it.
And that would not have been smart.
Beside me, Bull leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. He and Gunner had gotten here quickly, which told me they’d thrown out everyone who didn’t really know Becs, told the rest what was going on, and headed here. After that, the waiting room filled pretty quickly. I smiled to myself when I thought about how many people loved and cared for Becs. I wasn’t sure she realized just how much she meant to so many people.
Softly, I laid my hand against Bull’s back in support. When he didn’t even twitch, I knew he was lost in his thoughts. I felt eyes on me and glanced up to see a woman, who had arrived only a short time ago and was sitting with Maggie, had her eyes on me. When our eyes met, she looked down at my hand before dropping her eyes to her own hands resting in her lap.
Wondering who she was and why she looked so bothered by my hand placement, I was lost in my thoughts and didn’t notice Bull had moved until my hand fell from his back. I smiled softly when he looked over at me. He was a man of few words, but his feelings for those he cared about were woven throughout his expressions.
And he obviously cared a lot for Becs.
“You okay?” I asked quietly.
He nodded. “Nice of you to be here.”
I took another small sip of my coffee before lowering my cup and pointing at it. “Would you like some coffee?”
He frowned. “That looks like shit.”
I wrinkled my nose. “It is.”
“Then why the hell are you drinking it?”
I shrugged. “I have a problem.” He raised his eyebrows, so I continued. “I drink a lot of coffee on a usual basis, but when I’m nervous, that increases to a disgusting amount.”
He grunted, but his lips tipped up in the corners. “Guess we all have our own shit.”
“That’s true.” I glanced at the woman who had been watching us. When I saw she was facing away from us to talk to Maggie, I took a chance. “Who’s that woman sitting beside Maggie?”
He didn’t even turn his head to look, which spoke volumes about her. He probably didn’t realize it, but without meaning to, he told me she meant something to him, considering he didn’t have to look to see who I was referring to. He already knew who was sitting there. “Kat.”
“Kat?”
“Her name’s Katrina Evans. She’s a doctor who takes care of a lot of our guys when they’re sick or injured.”
I nodded. “She a friend of yours?”
He stared at me for a moment bef
ore he finally spoke. “She doesn’t think much of me.”
Lifting my cup, I took a longer sip of coffee this time before I responded. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”
He didn’t say more, and neither did I. After a few minutes, I broke the promise I’d made to myself not to look at Bear and did just that. He glanced over when he felt my eyes on him, and I offered him a sad smile. He didn’t return it. He just looked at Bull, then back at me before he dropped his head.
I wasn’t sure how much longer we sat. It could have been minutes or hours, but time dragged on, and complete silence lingered in the air. I heard someone say, “Race,” and my head snapped up at the same time as Bull’s. We stood along with everyone else when he came to stand in front of the rows of chairs where we’d been waiting.
His eyes floated over everyone until they came to Bear and held, but his expression remained flat. Race didn’t give too much away, or maybe I didn’t know him well enough to be able to read him.
“Well?” Bear stepped forward.
He put his hands on his hips and gave Bear a small smile. “It’s a boy.”
When there should have been applause, a hush fell over the room while we waited for him to continue. “She was amazing,” he announced as a proud husband might. “They said she was already dilated to eight centimeters, so it was too late to stop her labor.” Race shrugged. “Guess he just wanted to be out in the world.” Everyone chuckled softly, and he added, “Becs is doing great and can have visitors in a little while. The baby is in the NICU.”
“How much does he weigh?” Kat asked.
“Three pounds, three ounces.”
“Christ.” Bear ran his hand through his hair. “How does someone that small survive?”
Kat stepped forward and laid her hand on his arm. “Babies survive that every day, Bear. And he’s lucky enough to be in a wonderful hospital known for their competent NICU staff.”
“She give him a name?”
I was surprised when I heard Ritz’s voice. He’d been almost completely silent the entire time we waited.
Race put his hands on his hips. “Wyatt.”
“Wyatt Pierce,” Bull repeated from beside me. “Good name.”
“Wyatt Jonathon Pierce.” Race added his middle name and glanced at Bear. “She said to tell you he’s not named after you. He’s named after your dad.”
Bear snorted out a laugh, and almost all the members of his club joined in. I didn’t understand, but I could only guess that either Wyatt or Jonathon was a name both Bear and his dad shared. Either way, it was a beautiful tribute.
“Think I can go in?”
Race nodded. “Probably. She’s in a room on the seventh floor. Told Becs I wasn’t leaving, so I’ll take you up.”
Bear faced the rest of us. “Thanks for being here.”
“Nowhere else we’d be,” Ritz declared, and everyone murmured their agreement. “She’s probably not up for a lot of visitors tonight, so I’m gonna go. Keep me updated.”
“I will,” Bear agreed and then repeated the same line to almost all of the members as they filed out of the waiting room. It had been a long night, but they couldn’t do anything else here tonight, and she was going to need her rest. After all, she had a lot of long days and nights ahead of her.
When everyone else had gone, I still stood along with Bear, Bull, Race, Gunner, and Maggie. Feeling like I no longer belonged, I gestured toward the door. “I’m going to call an Uber to pick me up and take me back to your clubhouse for my car.” I looked at all of them before my gaze settled on Bear. “Would you tell her congratulations for me?”
His eyes locked on me. “You should come up and see her.”
“No.” I shook my head. “She has you, and I’m sure she’s tired. Can you tell her I’ll stop by tomorrow?”
Bear nodded, but his expression hardened when Bull slung his arm across my shoulders. Tearing my eyes from Bear, I looked up at Bull when he started speaking. “How the fuck did you know what to do? You a doctor?”
I laughed. “No, but I considered being an obstetrician since my mom is, so I spent almost a year shadowing her when I wasn’t in class or studying to see if I liked it.”
“You didn’t?” Maggie asked, speaking to me for only the second time since I met her. I had a feeling it took Maggie a long time to trust new people.
“I loved it,” I admitted. “There’s something about bringing a new baby into the world. But then I took a few psych classes, and that was it for me. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”
“It’s nice you do that for kids,” she said quietly, and I smiled. She was sweet and almost painfully shy, but she was strong from the stories Luke had told me.
“I’m leaving too.” Bull gestured toward the doors. “Becs doesn’t need all of us in there tonight.” He glanced down at me. “I’ll take you back. You ever ride on a bike?”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
“First time for everything.” Bull winked.
“No,” Bear proclaimed, and we looked at him. “Not safe.”
Bull dropped his head but not before I saw the smirk on his lips. When Gunner spoke, I faced him. “We’ll take you.” He gestured back and forth between Maggie and himself. “I brought the truck.”
“Okay. Thank you,” I replied.
“I need to talk to Josie before you go,” Bear stated, but before anyone could respond, he’d already moved to stand in front of me and was ushering me into the hallway.
He took a deep breath as soon as we were alone, and I felt for him. He’d spent his whole life protecting her, but tonight, he couldn’t, and he’d had no idea if she and the baby would make it through the delivery. When he dropped his head and rubbed his palm against the back of his neck, I laid my hand against his arm.
He reacted almost immediately by wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me tightly against his body. Surprised, I didn’t react until he laid his forehead on my shoulder. Lifting my arms, I shoved them under his and wrapped mine around his chest.
And then we just stayed like that.
No words were spoken.
It was almost as if words would get it in the way.
After a moment, he took a deep breath and pulled back slightly. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I responded, knowing he was thanking me for reacting quickly earlier and for waiting with everyone.
His eyes slowly flicked between mine. “I don’t want you on his bike.”
I dropped my arms and took a step back, forcing him to also drop his arms. “It’s just a ride, Bear.”
“Not in my world,” he explained. “In my world, it means something.”
I had no idea what that meant, and I didn’t ask. I attributed his emotions to what he just went through with Becs, so I smiled softly, knowing this conversation would be all but forgotten in a few days. “Gunner will take me.”
“I’m gonna have Bull follow you home unless you want to stay at the clubhouse.”
“I’ll be fine.” I could tell by his expression that he was going to buck that response, so I added, “But that would be nice. Thank you.”
“What happened earlier…”
I heard the hesitation in his voice, so I interrupted him. We all say things when emotions are high and almost immediately regret them and want to take them back. I didn’t want that. What happened in the office was a mistake, and we both knew it. There was no future for us, so there was no reason to start something. I wasn’t a woman who enjoyed a purely physical relationship. When I was with someone, which wasn’t all that often, I wanted it all, and even without knowing Bear well, I recognized that wasn’t in the cards for him and me. We were just too different.
“Let’s just talk about it another time.” I laid my hand against his chest. “You should go see Becs. I’m sure she needs you.”
He nodded, and I moved out around him. I just wanted to go home. I needed space to sort out my feelings and remember that as much as I saw these peop
le come together tonight for Becs, they still lived in a world I’d never understand. And one I’d never fit in. This entire situation would soon be something I did once in my life and something I’d share with friends in the future.
“Talk to you later,” I called out over my shoulder and walked back into the waiting room.
Gunner, Bull, and Maggie all waited for me by the doors. They must’ve seen Bear behind me because they called out to him before we walked through the automatic doors toward the parking lot.
Maggie fell into step beside me. “Everything okay?”
I smiled at her. “Yeah, why do you ask?”
She returned my smile. “Just thought I saw something between you and Bear.”
“It was an emotional night.”
“Yeah,” Maggie agreed quietly.
Gunner opened the truck door, and I climbed in the back. Only after I was settled did I allow myself to look back at the doors to the hospital.
And saw Bear’s eyes on me from where he watched behind those doors.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
BEAR
“Why did you let Race in last night?”
I leaned forward and rested my forearms on top of the bedrail, keeping my eyes on Becs. I knew this conversation was going to come up eventually. I’d made a decision at that moment, and I knew it had the potential to backfire, but he’d needed to be with her. No matter their relationship, Race cared for my sister in a way she didn’t seem to understand. If I was being honest, I didn’t either, but I recognized the look of a man denying himself what he wanted.
“Stopping him wasn’t an option.” She tilted her head to stare at the ceiling, but when she remained quiet, I continued. “How was he?”
“Great,” she admitted and slowly angled her head to face me again. “I don’t get him.”
“He was scared, Becs.” I told her what she obviously didn’t realize. “We all were, but I’m not sure what he would’ve done if something happened to you or the baby.” Reaching over the rail, I grabbed her hand and held it in mine. “What’s going on with you two?”
End Game (Sinners MC Book 2) Page 11