by Mia Knight
Lyla’s cell rang in the kitchen. She was going to ignore it, but it could be Gavin. She scowled when she saw Carmen’s name. Speaking of the devil... To give Gavin more time to stalk her, Lyla answered the phone and resumed her position on the couch.
“How’s it going, hot mama?” Carmen asked.
“I’m a fucking horn dog,” she moaned.
A pause and then, “Are you a horny toad or really fucking a hot dog?”
Lyla snickered. “I’m a horny toad and I hate it.”
“Why? You have a man to fuck.”
“Uh, he works.”
“So?”
“So, he can’t stay at home on fucking duty. I don’t think Marcus is going to accept that excuse.”
“Screw Marcus!”
Effectively distracted by the unexpected outburst she said, “Carmen?”
“What?”
“Did something happen between you two?”
“Why the fuck would it?”
Excitement filled her. “Carmen Pyre!”
“What?”
“Tell me, you discrete slut.”
A pause and then, “Something almost happened, but I stopped him.”
“Why?”
“Why? Because I’m still in love with my husband!”
Lyla closed her eyes as the sound of her ragged sobs filled the other end of the line. It had been two years since Vinny’s murder, but Carmen cried as if her heart were breaking. Divorce or falling in love with someone else was one thing. Those were choices. What happened to Carmen was cruel. She didn’t get a second chance. One day Vinny was here and the next he wasn’t.
“I’m sorry, baby. Do you want me to come over?” Lyla asked and looked down at her naked self.
“While you’re horny? I don’t think Mom or I can help you,” Carmen said, calming slightly.
“Bitch.”
Carmen sighed. “I don’t feel like myself.”
“What do you mean?”
“I knew who I was with Vinny. Now, I keep changing the way I look, hoping my reflection matches what I feel.”
Lyla frowned, disturbed by this conversation. “And how do you feel?”
“Dark.”
Hence, the black hair and risqué outfits. “Do you want to talk to somebody?”
“I’m talking to you.”
“You know what I mean. Like, a professional?”
“Fuck no.”
“Then what do you need?”
Carmen hesitated. “The same thing you do, I think.”
“What?”
“I need to get laid. Just... get it over with, you know?”
“If you’re not feeling it, don’t do it for the hell of it.”
“We’ll see,” Carmen said. “I’ll see you tomorrow? Shopping and pampering?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, preggo, have an awesome fuck.”
Lyla tossed the phone and then glared at the camera. For all she knew, Gavin didn’t even watch her anymore. Maybe she was performing for no one. In that case... Lyla squeezed her breast and gasped in shock when yellow liquid spurted over her belly.
“What the fuck?”
Lyla wrung her hands before she realized it was probably colostrum. It was normal to start leaking right before the birth. Lyla went into the kitchen and cleaned herself up. Could this be any less romantic and yet she still needed to get off. Her vagina had a mind of its own and it wanted to be filled not with her fingers, but Gavin. Is this what it felt like for men all the time? The inability to think past getting off? God.
Lyla swiped up her clothes and stomped upstairs, unwilling to embarrass herself any longer. What if this was all recorded and Blade could recall it whenever he wanted? Stupid, stupid. These pregnancy hormones clouded common sense. Lyla went to her bathroom and had her hairbrush in hand when the front door slammed. She was torn between relief and mortification. Was it Gavin or Blade? She heard running footsteps and then her name being shouted. Gavin. Lyla tossed the hairbrush on the counter. Gavin walked in with his tie undone and his shirt unbuttoned halfway down his chest. He lost his jacket at some point and was already undoing his belt.
“How much did you see?” Lyla asked as he started towards her.
“I saw you move the couch and was gonna call Blade when you started the show. I watched you on my cell as I drove here.”
Gavin pushed her against the counter. He went down on his knees, lifted her leg over his shoulder and lapped at her pussy.
“I don’t want you to eat me out,” Lyla said testily. “I’m already soaked. I want your cock. Fuck me from behind.”
His response was a moan. Lyla dug her hands into his hair and pulled until he looked up at her.
“I need to be fucked hard.”
“Your wish is my command.”
She allowed him to continue tongue fucking her as he stripped off his clothes. When he rose, she braced her elbows on the counter and stuck out her ass. She glared at his amused, self-satisfied expression.
“I think being pregnant suits you. I like you desperate for me.”
“This is the only baby you’re getting if the last two months are going to be like this.”
Lyla grit her teeth when he got down on his knees and kissed her ass. He massaged the large globes and then lapped before he rose and positioned himself behind her. Their eyes met in the mirror. He slicked the head of his cock with her juice and when he slid it up and down teasingly, she wanted to kill him. Lyla pushed back, taking his cock hostage and Gavin chuckled, obviously delighted by her aggression. How did other women handle this? If she could, she would demand he fuck her at least five times a day, maybe more than that. She couldn’t ask her mother if she’d been a horny toad when she was pregnant and this so wasn’t the time to be thinking about her mother. Lyla reared back to urge him on.
“Fuck,” Gavin growled as he powered into her. “I think we should have five kids.”
“Your dick might fall off and I might need to find another man.”
Lyla wasn’t prepared for the hard slap on her ass. She jolted and then shrieked when he smacked her again, hard enough to make her skin tingle. Lyla looked in the mirror and saw that he was pissed. Seriously?
“Gavin!”
“Don’t talk to me about other men,” he growled and rubbed his hand over her swollen belly. “Don’t you fucking dare.”
“It was a joke,” she snarled.
“There are two things you should never joke with me about. One, other men. Two, leaving me. Pretty simple, baby.”
Lyla moaned and moved back against him. “Okay, I won’t. Please, I need this.”
“Do you like my cock?” he growled as he placed his hands on her shoulders.
“It’s perfect,” she said with heartfelt honestly.
“Then take it.”
Lyla’s eyes met his in the mirror before he began to pound into her. Lyla spread her legs wide as he fucked her just the way she needed. She closed her eyes to absorb the feeling of Gavin claiming her, of the pleasure he evoked. It didn't take long for her to climax. When her eyes shot open, she found Gavin watching her in the mirror. His face contorted as he came. He rested his face on her spine and rubbed his hand over her belly.
“I know this isn't easy on you,” he said quietly, “but for what it's worth, I'm enjoying your pregnancy.”
Lyla snorted and slid out from under him. She cleaned herself with a washcloth, aware of his heated gaze and winced when she slid on a loose fitted dress. Even the sensitive contact against her breasts hurt.
“I’m hungry,” she announced and walked out of the bathroom.
Gavin cursed as she headed to the kitchen, half convinced that she might die if she didn’t get food in her body in the next ten minutes. Beau whined by the sliding door. She let him in and he immediately bumped his head against her side. Lyla snatched celery sticks and peanut butter and was in the middle of her second when Gavin appeared in shorts and nothing else.
“You’re not going back
to work?” Lyla asked with her mouth full.
He regarded her sternly. “Have some mercy on me. I’m beat.”
Lyla offered her half eaten celery, which he stared at as if it was a stick of dynamite.
“No, thanks. What do you want for dinner?”
“French fries.”
“What else?” he asked as he pulled out a salad and sandwich.
“A chocolate shake.”
He paused in the act of forking up leafy greens. “What else?”
Lyla considered and added, “Shrimp tempura.”
He shook his head. “I’ll tell one of the guys to make a food run.”
Lyla was over the celery sticks. She searched the fridge and made herself a glass of chocolate milk while Gavin watched. Satisfied for the moment, Lyla waddled over to a chair and put her hands over her belly.
“I’m a sex and food machine!”
“You’re almost done,” he said and sat at the table with her. “What are you doing tomorrow?”
“Carmen’s going to pamper me.”
“Good.” He pulled out his phone and typed something.
Lyla regarded him for a minute before she said, “How often do you check the cameras?”
He glanced at her and then continued to type. “Once an hour. I can watch from my phone as well.”
“Is it recorded?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll delete it.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Lyla
Lyla wiped sweat from her brow as she finished dressing and sat on the bed. She looked at Beau.
“Pregnancy isn’t for pussies,” she said.
Beau cocked his head to the side and then ambled over with his tail wagging. He nudged her tummy with his nose and sat. She leaned forward to scratch him under the chin. He closed his eyes in doggy ecstasy and she covered his face in kisses. She couldn’t imagine life without him. Beau seemed to sense her precarious moods and never budged from her side.
“You’re such a good boy. You ready to go?”
Carmen called last night and told her they were going to the spa to be pampered. Lyla was scheduled for a pregnancy massage and could barely contain herself. The last two months of her pregnancy had been hell. Her back ached, she was sleep deprived and didn’t know her own body anymore. Last night she went to the bathroom ten times. She didn’t know whether she had to pee, poop or fart. Unable to sleep, she decided to go for a swim at two in the morning. Gavin dozed on a lounge chair as she floated in the heated pool. When she was tired, they went to bed and she finally fell asleep.
Lyla stood, hands outstretched for balance. She sucked in a breath at the pain that caused. Lyla raised her shirt and watched her stomach shift as Nora moved. God, this kid had energy to spare. Lyla fetched her purse and checked her pistol to make sure the safety was on and that she had an extra clip just in case. Since her dream about Manny, she had been on edge. Gavin beefed up her security, but it didn’t make her feel safer. She could hear an invisible clock counting down to a showdown that she wasn’t privy to. Nora would be here soon. Is that what Sadist was waiting for? Fuck that.
“Come on, Beau.”
Lyla held onto the rail as she walked downstairs. Beau trotted by her side as she opened the front door. Their property was always teeming with guards and today was no exception. Five SUVs were lined up in the drive.
Lyla looked at Blade. “You don’t think this is an overkill for a trip to the spa?”
“Gavin doesn’t think so,” Blade said.
No, her husband wouldn’t think having a security detail of twenty guards was an overkill. “Let’s go.”
The guards climbed into the SUVs. Lyla and Beau got into the backseat while Blade drove and his second in command, Jordy, rode shotgun. Jordy had a baby face, which was deceiving since he had to be lethal and capable of carrying out brutal tasks if he was in Gavin’s employ.
“Where to, Lyla?” Blade asked.
“We have to pick up Carmen and my aunt and then we’re going to the spa,” she said.
Beau rested his face on her thigh and closed his eyes as they left the property. Lyla texted Carmen that they were on their way and stroked Beau’s head. It had been nine months since Gavin showed up in Montana and married her. Lyla rubbed a hand over her swollen stomach. Of course, Gavin wasn’t satisfied with marrying her. He had to get her pregnant as fast as possible. What had Gavin said when he brought her back? I need you with me, Lyla. I’ll take whatever you give me. Gavin had, indeed, taken whatever she could and given back so much more. The strength of his love humbled her. She wouldn’t have been able to handle him in her younger years. Now, everything felt right. They had been through enough trials to last them a lifetime and they were still here. They would make it.
Carmen and Aunt Isabel came out to the SUV when they pulled up. Carmen sat in the back while Aunt Isabel sat on Beau’s other side and stroked his back. Aunt Isabel chattered all the way to the spa about the benefits of the wrap she was going to get. Lyla spent a lot of time with Carmen and Aunt Isabel and it felt good. They enjoyed and supported one another. Her mother wanted in on their girl days, but Lyla said a flat out no and Aunt Isabel supported her decision. There would always be drama with her parents and they would never stop hounding her for money. With her daughter on the way, Lyla wanted all negativity out of her life and that included her parents. She wanted to keep those who loved and cared for her close. Everyone else could go screw themselves.
Lyla sucked in a breath as she stepped down from the SUV. Carmen rushed over to pat and rub Lyla’s stomach as if she was a lucky Buddha.
“How’s Nora?” Carmen asked.
“Really active today.” Lyla winced and arched her back as a sharp pain passed through her belly.
“What is it?”
“Sore today,” Lyla said.
“I can’t go into the locker room,” Blade said in a low voice. “I’ll be in the waiting room. You have your phone?”
Lyla checked her purse, nodded and then kissed Beau. Blade clipped on his leash and went ahead of them as they walked into the spa. Blade settled by the door closest to the locker room after they checked in.
The smell of eucalyptus immediately raised her spirits. Naked women paraded through the locker room with perfect, Barbie-like bodies. Aunt Isabel, Carmen and Lyla were the only ones without implants. Lyla slipped into a robe, which gaped at the throat, revealing a hint of her scars. The women stared, horrified by her swollen belly and disfigured chest. Lyla ignored them because she was too sore to care. There was unrelenting pressure in her pelvis that wasn’t going away and seemed to be getting heavier by the hour. Would her last two months of pregnancy be like this? She hoped not.
Her therapist was a groovy hippy around her mother’s age who made her feel comfortable and safe. The therapist put her on a table with a cut out for her tummy. Lying on her stomach for the first time in months was heaven. Lyla fell asleep ten minutes into the massage and felt like a million dollars as she ambled into her facial. The esthetician was a Thai woman who spoke little English, which suited Lyla just fine since she didn’t feel like talking.
Lyla wasn’t allowed in the sauna, steam rooms or Jacuzzi so she sat on a heated lounger and dozed. Aunt Isabel and Carmen went from treatment to treatment like giddy schoolgirls. They finished off their trip with nails and hair. Lyla got a mani and pedi with pink and white designs and a blow out.
“I’m hungry,” she announced.
“For what?” Carmen asked.
“Burger and fries.”
Carmen shook her head. “You have the worst munchies I’ve ever seen.”
“Wait until it happens to you!” Lyla caught the almost imperceptible flinch. She put her arm around her cousin. “It could happen.”
Carmen took a deep breath. “You know, Vinny wanted kids and I wanted to wait?”
Lyla sighed. “It wasn’t meant to be.”
“I know.”
They walked out of the locker room. Beau jerked out of Blade�
��s hold and ran to Lyla. When she leaned over, he licked her face. She sputtered and laughed.
“I want a burger and fries,” she announced to Blade.
“Third time this week,” he said without inflection.
“Don’t judge me!”
“I’m not judging, I’m making an observation.”
She jabbed her finger at him. “You don’t need to tell Gavin.”
“He wants to know.”
“He doesn’t need to know everything that I put in my mouth!”
“I follow my orders.”
Lyla rolled her eyes as they piled into the SUV and drove to the nearest burger joint. They all ordered food and when they reached Aunt Isabel’s house, Lyla asked to use her bathroom. Her body ached so she stretched out on the couch and fell asleep.
Two hours later, Lyla woke to the sound of laughing. There was a heavy weight on her ankles. She didn’t have to look to know it was Beau. Her lips quirked as she listened to Aunt Isabel and Carmen singing with the radio. She sat up and winced as her womb clenched. She shouldn’t have ordered that second burger...
“What is it?”
Lyla turned her head and saw her shadow, Blade. “Did you take a nap?”
“I don’t nap.”
“When do you sleep?”
“When you do.”
She stared at him. “You don’t stalk me on the house cameras, do you?”
Before her mind could go nuts about the shit he must see, he shook his head.
“I used to, but I’m not supposed to access the cameras unless there’s an emergency.” He jerked his head at a diamond studded watch Gavin gave her a couple of months ago. “That watch has a heart monitor so I know when you’re sleeping or distressed. It also has a GPS.”
“And neither of you thought to tell me this?”
He shrugged. “It’s better than following you around the house or sleeping right outside your bedroom. I get alerts when you’re asleep or awake. Gavin deactivates it when he’s with you.” He gave her a piercing look. “Your nightmares are becoming less frequent.”