PREGNANT FOR A PRICE: Kings of Chaos MC

by Kathryn Thomas

  I knew Anthony could probably hear me, but I couldn’t have cared less. I needed my sister to know that I had found the man, the one good man, the man who would protect me above all else. I wondered if he’d have done the same for my sister - if she’d found someone like him, and if she’d still be alive. I dismissed the thought from my brain at once and focused back on Lia.

  “And we’re married,” I admitted. “Not even Mom knows yet. I think she’s going to lose her shit when she realizes we had a wedding without her being involved.”

  I could see Lia’s eyes widening, her mouth hanging open with surprise. I could hear her taking Mom’s side with this entirely - she had always made me promise that I would let her be my maid of honor and that she would choose me as hers. I wondered what kind of wedding she would have had -enormous and over-the-top, no doubt, just like her.

  “And I’m pregnant,” I went on. It felt as though I was getting in all the practice I could just saying those words; they were fresh and new, odd and difficult. But at the same time, they held so much promise, and I knew that Lia would have been thrilled at the news that she was going to be an aunt.

  “I’ll name her after you, if she’s a girl,” I promised. I had thought about it a while ago, idly, long before I found out I was actually pregnant. Lia was a beautiful name, and any child would be lucky to have a namesake as special as she was.

  “But… I just wanted to tell you,” I continued, feeling the tears begin to prick at my eyes. “I know that you might not even be able to hear me, but I know you’d have wanted to know. You’re the first person I’ve told about any of it. Apart from Anthony, of course.”

  I shot a look over my shoulder and saw Anthony waiting patiently about ten feet away. He was giving me all the space I needed, and I appreciated that. I turned back to Lia’s grave and continued.

  “You should see him, Lia,” I said, hushing my voice. “He looks just like all the posters I had in my bedroom when we were growing up. You’d be teasing me about it if you could see him.”

  I closed my eyes, wiping away the tears gently. This always happened when I came to see her, but this time, some of those tears were tears of joy - I got to bring her good news for once, and she got to be the first to know about me and Anthony’s marriage and the baby on the way.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t have done more.” I found my voice cracking a little as I went on. “I’m sorry I couldn’t… help you more than I did. And I know you’d tell me that it was nothing to do with me, I know you literally told me that, but… I’m still sorry.”

  A light wind blew through the cemetery, ruffling my hair lightly and making me shiver. I forced myself to keep talking; to say the words I’d been too frightened to get out every time I’d been here before.

  “But I’m going to move on,” I promised. “I’ve found someone who’ll protect me, who cares about me. I know that’s what scared you most - what happened to you happening to me. But… I’m safe, sis. So are you.”

  I closed my eyes and forced myself to keep talking, no matter how much the lump in my throat burned in distraction.

  “But anyway, I just wanted you to know that he’s a good man and that you’d have approved of him,” I went on. “Though I’m sure Mom’s going to disagree when she meets him and accuses him of stealing me away from her.”

  I got to my feet and patted the grave lightly, looking down at the little ceramic flowers that decorated the bottom. I would have to come back here more often.

  “I promise it won’t be so long till you see me next time,” I murmured, softly, so only she could hear it. Then, after a moment, I turned back to Anthony. He held out his hands to me, and I took them, glad that he was here. I managed a smile, and he returned it, a hint of sadness in his eyes. I wondered if he had lost anyone, or if he was thinking about what would have happened had he been visiting me here. The thought had crossed my mind, I couldn’t lie - I’d been so close to ending up here myself, and I was grateful that I could walk out of there now with my husband and my baby in tow.

  We made our way back up to the car, and found that the sun was beginning to warm us a little; I tilted my head up to the sky, enjoying the feeling of it on my face. Anthony helped me into the car, and I waited for him to join me.

  “You good?” he asked gently. He must have seen the tears in my eyes; I wasn’t good at keeping my emotions under wraps with people who knew me well. My mom always said she could read me like a book, and I supposed Anthony now was no different. He knew me inside out and back to front, an odd thought considering that half a year ago I’d never met him.

  “I’m good.” I nodded, managing another smile. I blinked the tears away, and placed my hand on my stomach; that wouldn’t be the only visit we’d be making to see Lia as a family. No, my baby was going to hear everything about her aunt. She was going to know her as if she had never left us.

  Anthony covered my hand with his. Nothing needed to be said. I loved him so much that it felt as though my heart might swell and burst trying to keep it all in. I had never adored a man as much as I adored him, and I knew he felt the same way about me. And he would feel that for our baby too. He was my savior, my husband, and the love of my life.

  As he put the car into gear, I closed my eyes and let the gentle movements put me to sleep. I had so much to look forward to, and I knew I would need my energy.

  THE END

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  Books by Kathryn Thomas

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  BRIDE FOR A PRICE: The Misery MC

  I SWEAR TO KEEP HER SAFE – EVEN IF IT COSTS ME EVERYTHING.

  I knew from the moment I saw her:

  This one belongs to me now.

  She has a code. The funny thing is, she thinks it will keep her safe.

  But nothing can keep her safe from me.

  Because beneath my muscles, my tattoos, and my money, there’s only one thing:

  A monster.

  A monster who dominates.

  A monster who claims.

  A monster who will make her beg until her voice is just a whimper.

  And this monster won’t rest until I break her code and take her.

  Her past life might as well be a mirage.

  Because she’s mine now.

  And I’ll kill anyone who even dreams of stealing her from me.

  No price is too steep to pay for my bride.

  BABY FOR A PRICE: Marino Crime Family

  I WANTED HER TO GIVE ME A BABY. I JUST DIDN’T KNOW IT WOULD COST ME EVERYTHING.

  And I didn’t know it would require me to kill…

  One last time.

  I was ready to hang up my weapons and get out of the killing game for good.

  But I guess that just wasn’t meant to be.

  I did what I had to when I killed the men who hurt her.

  Too bad the demons in my past are determined to punish me for that.

  Because the Marino crime family don’t take lightly to losing some of their own.

  And they intend to make me pay in the worst way possible:

  By taking her away from me.

  If I want us to survive this nightmare, I’ll have to do what I’ve done my whole life:

  Load up my gun and make some m***erf**kers bleed.

  Maybe the blood on my hands would be there forever.

  Maybe touching her afterwards would ruin her perfect innocence.

  But maybe, just maybe, if I did everything right…

  I could get her out of this the way I wanted her:

  Flawless.

  Pregnant.

  And mine.

  WIFE FOR A PRICE: A Hitman Fake Marriage Romance

  NO PRICE IS TOO STEEP TO KEEP HIM FROM CLAIMING ME.

  Mine is a Cinderella story – just without the happy ending.

  I thought serving
drunks at Hooters was rock bottom…

  Until Hound showed up.

  You might think he was my Prince Charming.

  But you’d be dead freaking wrong.

  He didn’t come to save me, or to sweep me off my feet.

  He came to chain me to his bed and make me moan his name.

  Hound is here to collect on what my father owes from gambling.

  He’s willing to negotiate… but he sure as hell won’t be leaving empty-handed.

  Matter of fact, he wants his hands on me.

  And he won’t take no for an answer.

  Because Hound needs a fake wife.

  In return for agreeing to play along, he’ll forgive my father’s debts.

  But what happens when pretending becomes something more?

  The longer I force myself to follow Hound’s orders, the more I want to do it for real.

  I want to be his toy, his slave, his plaything.

  I want to be his wife…

  For a price.

  BAD BOY’S SURPRISE BABY: The Choppers MC

  I WANTED ADVENTURE. HE WANTED A BABY.

  WE BOTH GOT WHAT WE WANTED.

  Devin owned me from the second he walked into my shop.

  He was like something out of a romance novel.

  And I wanted to see where our story went.

  I just never guessed it would end with his baby in my belly.

  It was obvious from the second our eyes met:

  Devin wouldn’t take no for an answer.

  He saw something in me that he wanted…

  And I was powerless to deny him.

  But that was before I knew the kinds of people who were after Devin’s blood.

  Bad men.

  Evil men.

  Men who wouldn’t hesitate to hurt me, too.

  I never signed up for all this.

  But when Devin puts his seed inside me…

  I’m stuck going along for the ride.

  BIKER’S SURPRISE BABY: The Bloody Pagans MC

  THEY TOLD ME TO STAY AWAY.

  INSTEAD, I PUT MY BABY IN HER WOMB.

  Impossible. Off limits. Suicidal to even try.

  But that’s never stopped me before.

  I want the president’s daughter to carry my baby…

  And the devil himself won’t be able to stop me.

  Her father’s got a temper that’s as famous as him.

  No one in the state would dare defy his orders.

  No one except for me.

  Call me what you want: a rebel, a lone wolf, or a straight-up a**hole.

  But following rules has never been my strong suit.

  He can warn me, threaten me, do everything in his power to stop me.

  But it ain’t gonna work.

  Because I want Vanessa.

  I want her now and forever.

  In my bed and on my bike.

  Naked and in a wedding dress.

  Most of all, I want her round with my baby.

  So do your worst, you S.O.B.

  She’s mine now.

  We’re a family.

  Me, Vanessa, and the baby in her belly.

  HITMAN’S SURPRISE BABY: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance

  MY BLIND DATE IS A HITMAN. AND HE JUST PUT A BABY IN MY BELLY.

  It all started with a lie.

  I’m terrified of how it’s going to end.

  Because I let myself fall for the hitman…

  And now I’m pregnant with his baby.

  LILY

  He said he was my blind date.

  I guess I just wanted to believe him.

  He was tall, dark, handsome – and dangerous.

  So I let him take me to bed.

  But the best night of my life turned into the worst morning.

  Because Roman is gone…

  But he left his baby in my belly.

  ROMAN

  A gorgeous girl alone at a bar?

  I’ll be whoever she wants me to be.

  It’s not the first time I’ve lied.

  And it sure as hell won’t be the last.

  Because lies are my profession.

  I hurt.

  I torture.

  I kill.

  Compared to all that, lying is the nicest thing I do.

  Lily doesn’t have to know all that, of course.

  After all, she’ll only know me for a night.

  I plan to disappear as soon as the sun’s up, never to be seen again.

  But when I end up on her operating table a month later with a bullet in my shoulder,

  I realize what I left behind with her.

  From now on, I won’t let her out of my sight.

  She belongs to me now.

  BO’S BABY: The Burning Angels MC

  HE’LL PUT A BABY IN ME SO HE OWNS ME FOREVER.

  The artist in me wants to admire him.

  The bad girl in me wants to strip for him.

  But Bo Braxton doesn’t care about what I want.

  Because he’s about to put a baby in my belly.

  A man like Bo is used to getting his way.

  He doesn’t say please.

  He doesn’t say thank you.

  He just sees what he desires and claims it as his.

  And his sights just landed on me.

  From the moment he walks into my tattoo parlor, he owns me.

  I can’t say no.

  And I wouldn’t, even if I had the chance.

  He’s just too much in every way.

  Too much man.

  Too much power.

  And far, far too much danger.

  It’s not enough for Bo to own my body, my heart, my mind.

  He’s got to brand his mark on me – permanently.

  By putting his baby in my womb.

  But what I didn’t know is that he has enemies.

  And they’ll do whatever it takes to hurt him.

  Even if that means hurting me.

  Now, I’ve got a child growing inside of me and a war raging around me.

  I’m gonna give Braxton a piece of my mind…

  As long as we both get out alive.

  DEVIL’S BABY: The Carnivores MC

  THE DEVIL HIMSELF PUT A BABY IN MY BELLY.

  I let things go too far.

  But I couldn’t stop him – the mystery man who owned me for the night.

  Submitting to him was a welcome escape from my horrible life…

  But there’s no escaping the baby he put in my belly.

  It was a wild Halloween party where I met him.

  The masked man with a kiss like fire and a body like a god.

  I wanted to feel alive again.

  And when he held me down, I felt freer than I had in years.

  I wanted his touch, his kiss, his power.

  But I didn’t ask for what he gave me:

  A child in my womb.

  He left as suddenly as he came.

  Now, I’m worse off than I ever was.

  Pregnant and alone.

  No hope in sight.

  Even though he was masked, I swear I’d recognize him if only we crossed paths again.

  There’s no mistaking that aura.

  Danger.

  Freedom.

  Strength.

  If I could only find the devil who did this to me…

  I’d make him pay.

  But as I soon discover…

  The devil might be closer than I ever could have imagined.

  LEON’S BABY: Rubber Tramps MC

  I CAN NEVER LET HIM KNOW THAT HE GAVE ME A BABY.

  Submitting to Leon was heaven and hell all in one.

  I’ve tried my hardest to put it behind me.

  Because if he finds out that he gave me my son…

  He’ll never let me out of his sight again.

  I’ve had a lifetime’s worth of bad luck in my twenty-five years.

  Dead parents.

  An abusive older brother.

  The list goes on and on.

  Everyt
hing I do ends in pain and disaster.

  But I can’t let that happen to my son.

  He’s the one good thing that ever happened to me.

  And I’ll be damned if this harsh world lays a finger on him.

  But just when I think we’re finally safe…

  The past comes hurtling back into the picture.

  In the form of one dangerous, sexy man:

  Leon.

  The biker, the rebel, the bad boy.

  The one who took me to the peaks of pleasure…

  And then left me – alone, sixteen, and pregnant.

  But even the devil himself deserves a second chance.

  And somehow, against all reason, I feel safe in his arms.