“Would it matter? You’re going to do it anyway.”
Nick chuckled. “True. We can’t risk unknowns right now.”
“What did the blood test indicate?” Doctor and patient privilege be damned. Nick was head of the council, and he would know the results long before Bennett or Linc would.
“Inconclusive. It’ll be another week or so before they know for sure, but she has magic within her. Which will help her with the pregnancy.”
And what would happen when the council found out?
What would Bennett think if she discovered she was half supernatural?
She was already so overwhelmed. And if she was part supernatural, her magical ancestors might come for the child. In certain factions, the children were raised separately from the parents. And in others, they insisted the child and the mother live with them until the child was of age.
His fists clinched. He wouldn’t let that happen. Couldn’t let that happen.
Don’t get ahead of yourself. Who knows? She might be half mermaid. Those fish people love to party.
Wouldn’t that be a blessing in disguise? Even if it meant agreeing to weekly pool parties until the child was born. There were worse things than a race that didn’t know how to do anything but have a good time.
“Whatever we find out, it stays between you and me for now. I don’t want to cause her any more stress.”
Nick pulled out his phone and dialed. “Mason, let’s dig a little deeper.”
Linc hoped they were doing the right thing. That old saying about the truth setting you free didn’t always work in the world of supernaturals.
Chapter Six
Bennett hugged the pillow tighter. She’d have to put it back on Linc’s bed before he returned. He’d think she was nuts if he knew the rich, woodsy smell of his cologne calmed her. They’d lived together for an entire month without killing one another. Each morning he hugged her and kissed her goodbye. That was one of the few times during the day when she wasn’t in a panic. When she’d been wrapped in his arms earlier that morning, it was the safest she’d felt since all of this craziness began.
Don’t get used to it.
As much as she craved security, it wasn’t a part of her life. Her mother had constantly moved them around the country, never settling in one place too long.
But Linc going all alpha, promising to protect her… She kind of hated and loved it at the same time. No one was going to tell her what to do, but hell if she didn’t like him trying.
Which was its own kind of trouble. But boy, just the thought of his arms around her made her feel warm inside…
She glanced at the clock and gasped. She’d only meant to nap for an hour or so, but now it was nearly eight at night. She’d been out for almost four hours.
Stretching, she felt a bit light headed. The doctor and Linc had warned her about eating whenever she could. For the first time in two weeks she wasn’t nauseous—she was starving.
She picked up the phone beside her bed and ordered a hamburger, fries, and a salad. Weird how much she craved meat, since she considered herself a most-of-the-time vegetarian. She hung up and glanced around the room. She’d made it as homey as she could, and she’d done the same with the rest of his apartment. He’d told her to make it her own…but what if he didn’t like it?
After picking up the pillow, she headed to Linc’s room. She’d just opened the door when he came out of the bathroom. Wearing only a towel.
His arms and chest were every bit as muscled as she remembered, and Jesus, those rock hard abs and the happy trail leading down between his legs…
Holy fucking hell, now that’s a man.
Butterflies danced in her stomach. All this time, she’d managed to avoid seeing him any way close to nude. Because face it, she knew how her body would respond. Exactly like it was now.
“Lass?” He lifted an eyebrow.
“Um.” She held out the pillow. “I was just bringing this back.”
Please don’t ask me why I had your pillow.
“If it helps you, you can keep it.”
Shit. Why did he have to be so charming?
“Yeah. Thanks. It does.”
The irrational part of her wanted to hate him for knocking her up—even though she played an equal role. But the rational part of her acknowledged that he’d done everything within his power to make her comfortable. He’d even let her sleep alone to “respect her independence.”
She couldn’t really admit to him that each night alone she fell asleep thinking of him, and sometimes it was all she could do not to go to his room and force him to repeat their one night together.
She chewed on her bottom lip, unable to look away. Why was she dressed in an old, extra-large Justin Timberlake T-shirt she’d found at a garage sale?
Why do you care? You are not, repeat not, going to sleep with him again.
But that didn’t keep her from wanting him in the worst way. Her body craved his touch. The doctor had warned her that she’d have morning sickness, mood swings, and crazy cravings for the weirdest foods.
No one said being pregnant would make me into a horny teenager all over again.
“Bennett?”
“Huh?”
“Have you eaten? You look a little flush.”
“I ordered—”
Something fluttered in her stomach, like a tiny tennis ball bounced around her organs. She reached for the bed and sat. “Holy hell.”
Linc was by her side in an instant. She hadn’t even seen him move.
“What is it?” he said. “Are you in pain?”
“Not pain. Just a weird—hell, there it is again.” She put her hand on her stomach. “It’s too soon, right? I shouldn’t be feeling the baby. Something’s wrong.”
He put his large hand on her belly. The light caress of his fingers against her skin sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine.
Not the time. But damn, he was so close and smelled wonderful. Why were they sitting there instead of making out like crazy? She reached up to grab the back of his head.
Down girl, down—
Another flutter through her stomach had Linc off the bed and dialing a number. A moment later, he must have reached who he wanted, because he stepped to the corner of the room.
“She’s feeling the baby,” he said.
Bennett heard someone talking on the other end, but she couldn’t make out the words.
“What?” she mouthed.
Linc smiled. “Okay. So no cause for worry. Yes. I’ll tell her.”
As soon as he hung up, she said, “Okay, what was that about?”
“Jacinda says it’s not unusual. The baby’s growing at an astronomical rate. In a normal birth, right now you’d be between the fourth and fifth month.” He moved to his nightstand, opened the drawer, and pulled out a book.
Ah.
What to Expect…
He flipped the pages as he sat down. “I read the whole book last night. Even though you aren’t showing much, the baby’s probably pushing on your bladder. So you might need to pee more. And you’ll start feeling those flutters more often. Spicy food or caffeine may make the child more active. Actually, you might want to lay off the caffeine altogether. They’re still doing studies.”
She crossed her arms. “Anything else I’m supposed to avoid?”
“Diet drinks.”
She stared at him. An overprotective baby daddy was one thing, but denying her Diet Coke? That was crossing the line.
He made eye contact with her, and her heart skipped a beat. He was so close, with his addicting smell—and not to mention, he was practically naked. Hell, it wouldn’t take much to get that towel off…
Shit. She needed to change the subject before she did something stupid.
“Well, that’s super sexy,” she joked. “My body is a baby making machine. So far as I can tell, I’m going to pee a lot and get super fat. Yay for me. At least I can eat everything I want.”
He smiled softly. “You’r
e beautiful. You don’t need to worry about any of that. No matter what size you are, you’re going to be gorgeous.”
He couldn’t mean it, but the words made her smile.
She patted his knee. “Save all the patronizing for when it looks like I have a couple of basketballs hanging out in my uterus. I might want to believe you about the beautiful stuff then.”
She started to get up, but he pulled her back to the bed.
And kissed her. His mouth closed over hers, and his tongue parted her lips. Dear God in heaven he tasted good. Peppermint and Linc. Limb-melting, crawl-on-top-of-him desire surged through her. She slid her hands down his chest, tracing the edge of hot skin just above the towel cinched around his waist.
Why was he always so warm? Was it a werewolf thing?
“You are beautiful,” he said against her mouth. “So much so it’s a distraction. I can’t get you out of my head.”
Then he deepened the kiss and pulled her on top of him. Hot. She was so hot all over, and she ached for him already. She moaned as his rock hard cock rubbed against her heat.
The idea that she had that kind of effect on him was a powerful aphrodisiac. She increased her pace, needing the friction his body provided. Craving it. And he was right there with her, rolling his hips in concert with hers.
He lifted his head and teased her nipple with his teeth through her T-shirt. Thank God she wasn’t wearing a bra. Her nipples were so tight and sensitive that when his mouth closed over and he sucked, she trembled from her core to her fingertips and nearly came.
“Fuck.” He rubbed his cock faster against her, straining against her wet panties. “This is what you do to me. Do you feel me? How hard I am for you? I’ve been this way since that night. You pop into my head, and the next thing I know I’m jacking off in the shower, remembering those tiny moans of pleasure coming from that kissable mouth of yours.”
He’d been thinking of her? Like this? The same way she’d wanted him, night after night?
It was too much.
“Linc,” she whispered, “I need you inside of me.”
He chuckled as he trailed kisses up her neck. “Are you sure?” His hands were on her ass, and he squeezed.
“Now. Do it now,” she panted. How the hell could she be so into this guy? Her need for him had been bad that night in Greece, but not like this. She couldn’t get enough of him.
He growled as ripped her panties off and slid into her in one motion. So full. She was so fucking full, and he hit that spot, just there, and then he pounded up and down. His fingers teased her breasts. She arched back, her hands squeezing his thighs.
How many times had she wanted this? Craved feeling him inside her again. Dreamed about his hands on her. His fingers moved to the tiny nub at her core.
“Yes,” she hissed. “Please.”
Body quickening, she moved faster, and again he matched her. The pressure of his hand increased, and life became a haze of pleasure rippling through her over and over.
“Fuck,” he said as she came around him. “So fucking hot.” Then his muscles contracted and heat spilled out of him. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into his chest and kissed her deep and hard.
From far away, a bell rang.
“Dang. You’re good. I’m hearing bells,” she said against his lips.
He laughed. “It’s the doorbell.”
Oh! That’s right. Food. She’d ordered the food.
And then everything was awkward. And if they didn’t move soon, she’d have to grab him for round two.
“I should probably get that,” she said.
“No. You aren’t going anywhere. I don’t want them seeing your just-fucked face. You’re too beautiful as it is.”
This time the compliment went straight to her heart. He was acting jealous.
Probably just his natural protective instincts. He sort of made an art of being the alpha protector.
After sitting her on the bed, he grabbed the towel that had long ago fallen to the floor. While he was gone, she slipped into his bathroom and cleaned herself up. By the time she returned, he had everything set up in his bedroom at a small table by the window looking out on the Dallas skyline.
Funny, she wasn’t as hungry as she’d been before. And, hello? Awkward? She was running around in no panties and she’d just had hot super sex with a man she’d sworn to never touch again.
He pulled out a chair for her. She yanked the T-shirt lower on her thighs and sat. He had put on a pair of jeans. Still no shirt. That torso of his was impossible. Who had abs like that?
Must work out every day.
“So.” She grabbed one of the rolls from the basket. “That was hot, but weird. Right? I think I might have attacked you at some point.”
The biggest clue was the red marks fading on his shoulder.
“That was mutual—I’m not sure what it was to be honest.” Linc’s eyebrows furrowed. “We should probably—”
“It’s my fault.” She cut in before he could crush her soul by saying they should never do it again. “My hormones are going crazy. I’m like some stupid teenager. I’m probably going to have to scratch that itch a lot, and I don’t want to use you. I should probably date other guys or something. It’s wrong for us to—I mean, you’re the father and all but…”
“Bennett,” he bit out her name. It was the first time she’d ever heard him sound angry. She glanced up at him. “Shut up and eat your dinner.”
“Hey, ass— Crap, I want to stop cussing. You can’t talk to me that way. We need to talk about this like adults.”
“Fine.” He ground out the word. “The idea of another man touching you makes me want to break apart every piece of furniture in this room. And then I want to throw you up against the wall and fuck you so hard that you never even think about another man. How is that for adult?”
Shit. That was fucking hot.
…
Linc didn’t want to upset her, but she’d struck a nerve. He’d just fucked her and she was talking about having sex with other men. He didn’t want her to declare he was the love of her life, but she was having his baby. That should count for something.
“You sound like a Neanderthal,” Bennett said. “You’re okay if I use you like a human vibrator to get myself off.”
“Being your sex toy doesn’t sound like a hardship. Though if I’m not up to your usual standards…”
She snorted. “You’re an idiot.”
He stood and paced across the room. “I know what the problem is.”
Please don’t say I’m fat. Please don’t say I’m fat.
“Ground rules.”
Phew.
Wait…ground rules? She didn’t like the sound of that.
“You don’t want to feel like you’re losing your independence. So we set boundaries right now.”
“Okay… What were you thinking?”
He smiled. “We should be exclusive until the baby is born. Then we’ll reevaluate.”
She rolled her eyes. “Why are you looming over me? Being exclusive means we’re in a relationship. And we’re not. Right? Because neither of us does long-term. We might be in each other’s lives because we share a child, but you can’t tell me what to do.”
Linc grit his teeth. “Bennett.”
The woman was frustrating as hell.
“But for the next two months, I won’t fuck anyone else while I have your child in my belly. Have you thought about how you’re going to keep up your wolfish—pardon the pun—media persona? The paparazzi follow you like crazy. They’re used to seeing you with a different model every day.”
Relief rushed through him when she’d said wouldn’t fuck anyone else. It shouldn’t bother him, but dammit, it did. And he wasn’t in the mood to examine too closely why that was.
“We’re having a child. I couldn’t give a crap about my persona.”
It was true. Bennett and the child were his only concern. He worried about them all day while he was away. Focusing at work had been
nearly impossible. He’d fly people in before he’d leave her for more than a few hours again. The twinge she’d felt earlier when the baby kicked had nearly undone him.
That, and he might have missed his child’s first kick if he’d stayed overnight in New York.
“Yes, but they don’t know that.”
He paused his pacing. “Speaking of, we can’t say anything about the baby. The fewer people who know, the safer you are. Yet another reason you shouldn’t be going out with other men.”
She jabbed her fork toward him. “It’s not like I’m going to run around and tell them I’m pregnant. I have a feeling that’s probably a major turn off.”
Not to him. Knowing his child was inside her made him feel all kinds of things, most of which he had no desire to examine.
“We share a child. That should be our focus for now. Sex may make things more complicated, but I’m willing to do whatever’s necessary to help you through this difficult time.” That’s not what he meant to say at all. Why wouldn’t his mouth work when he was around this woman?
She smirked. “Way to take one for the team.”
He took her hands in his. “That isn’t what I meant. I’ll do anything to keep you safe, healthy, and happy. I pledge that to you and to our child. And a wolf’s pledge is an oath of eternity.”
She scrunched up her face in that cute way she did when she was thinking. “I have to warn you, I have a feeling my hormones may drive us both bonkers. That thing we just did? Almost made me cry. I never cry.”
He leaned his forehead in so that it touched hers. “I can take it. As Casey likes to say, bring it on.”
That made her laugh.
Linc sat in the chair next to hers. “There is something I need to talk to you about.”
She hummed. “Is it a major thing? Because I’m not sure I can take much more. I’m kind of at my limit today.”
He kissed her fingers. “Okay, then we’ll wait until you’re feeling a bit more settled.”
She snorted. “Never mind. Now I’m going to wonder all night what you meant. Just give it to me.”
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