"Is she all right?” Crag demanded to know.
"No, she's not all right. She's alone and pregnant. She weeps uncontrollably whenever your name is brought up, which is frequently. Would you like for me to share the details of what I know about the night before you ran from Earth like a cowardly dog?"
"Not unless you'd like me to place a permanent gag in your mouth afterwards,” Crag said. He would not allow her to spew details of his mouth touching experiences to the assembled group.
"Crag, do not speak to my life mate in that tone.” Keller never failed to stand up for Gabrielle. Crag respected him in this. It was what he would do for his life mate, if he had one. Was he about to get one? He hoped so.
"Your voodoo healer can stay here for now. Go see her alone,” Gabrielle said. “You need to talk to her, just the two of you. She's very upset."
"Does she expect me?"
"No, I didn't know if you were going to show up.” Gabrielle gave him an exasperated shrug. Crag stepped closer but lowered his voice so only she could hear him.
"What manner of man do you think I am, Gabrielle? I would never have left Ellie at all if I thought this might happen. There is the possibility the child isn't mine."
"I wouldn't start the conversation with Ellie that way, if I were you,” Gabrielle said.
He huffed at her imperious tone. “I don't understand. I did everything Keller told me to do. I even used that strangulating apparatus in case I lost control.” Crag wanted to shrink into the floor at having unintentionally disclosed his failure to Gabrielle. “How could she be gestating from our ... experience?"
"Well, condoms used alone only have about an eighty percent effectiveness rate in preventing gestational accidents."
"That would have been significant information to know a couple of months ago,” Crag told her in his most arrogant tone.
"You said you weren't here for carnal pleasures,” she shot back in an equally loud tone.
"I wasn't. It was ... unexpected.” Crag broke eye contact with her. She was right. It didn't matter what had gone on in the past. He needed to deal with the circumstances as they stood now.
"What are you going to do?” Keller asked.
"I'll go speak with Ellie as Gabrielle has suggested. I'll have a better idea of my next course of action."
"You go on to Ellie's. We'll get Barton settled,” Keller said in a calm voice. He wore an unusual look of surprise on his face. Perhaps it was at the whole situation surrounding them. Crag couldn't quiet figure it out and didn't take the time to decipher it.
He glanced back and realized he owed Keller's life mate a great deal for what she'd done to bring him here tonight. “Thank you, Gabrielle. I'm grateful you sent the missive. I hope you know I would never leave Ellie in this status all alone. I truly didn't know this development was possible."
"Okay. Fine. I get it. Just go. She needs you."
"I need to ask you something else."
"What?"
"How can I tell Ellie I'm not from Earth?"
Gabrielle put both hands to her face and sighed deeply. “I don't know. Perhaps you should wait until you bring her back here to the healer."
"Do you think it will make a difference?"
"I don't know her well enough to say. What are you prepared to share with her?"
"I care for her, but if we are to have a life together ... it can only be on Tiburon."
Gabrielle shrugged and gave him a sour look. It didn't matter that the edict came from the queen. He would never dishonor his family by resigning his post. Now, his fate hinged on the one woman in three galaxies who could make him happy. Ellie was his life mate. He had no doubt. Wouldn't that make Keller laugh?
He could easily see blowing a mouth touch from his fingertips to express he'd rather be dead than life partner with anyone else. He knew for certain he'd rather be dead than life partner with Lena, which was his only other choice.
His prospects for a tolerable life looked very bleak. Did Ellie carry his child? Would she go with him to meet the queen? Would she gain Elsbeth's approval? If accepted, would Ellie be happy to live with him in a foreign place for the rest of her life?
If any of the previous questions went against his wishes, would he settle for a life with Lena? Or might he instead choose to die alone with no issue and allow the commander position to be placed with his cousin's family? The iron-fisted Queen of Tiburon would certainly imprison him as punishment.
Too many uncertain factors stood ready to govern his future. An old fear surfaced right then. It was the one where he died alone, and no one mourned his passing.
* * * *
Ellie dried her tears with the last tissue available in her apartment. She was amazed there were any fluids left in her body to expel. She'd been crying practically non-stop since she read the home pregnancy test results. And that had been over a week ago.
She took some time off from work to get a grip on her life. She ran into Gabrielle the day after she found out about her new status as future unmarried mom.
In the emotional state she now lived in, she was unable to keep from spilling absolutely all to her former neighbor, including the part about Crag's remote chance at fatherhood. She didn't know for certain if Crag was the father, which was what she'd been crying about for the better part of today.
Unfortunately, the greater possibility was that Brandon was her baby's father. If she told him, she expected he'd be only too happy to set her and the baby up ... as his mistress and shameful bastard child. She would never do that. Her options made her well up again and cry harder. She ran to the kitchen for a paper towel. The scratchy substitute made her sensitive skin more uncomfortable. She'd have to stop these hysterics long enough to stock up on soft lotion-tissues.
She could pick more up tomorrow before her doctor's appointment. Her doctor would draw blood to send away for a paternity determination. She also needed to schedule a meeting with Brandon. She'd been putting that off until it was unavoidable. She wasn't looking forward to possibly interrupting his pre-wedding chaos. Or was he currently on his honeymoon now and thinking about her every day? The jerk.
After talking to Gabrielle, Ellie was certain Crag was not coming back. Gabrielle had promised to try and get a message to him, but she couldn't promise anything because he lived in a remote area or something. She couldn't remember where he said he was from. Maybe he hadn't told her on purpose.
The status of their one-night-stand reared its ugly head. She practically begged him for that one night. Hell, there was no practically about it. She had begged him. He'd been reluctant because he was leaving. Unlike Brandon, Crag had never lied to her. He didn't deserve the complication her requested one-night-stand might cost him.
If she ever tracked him down, he might be unhappy to see her. Especially if she told him, “Guess what? I'm pregnant and you might be the father.” The news every temporary guy dreaded, but she missed Crag so much. She wanted to see him again. If he showed up, maybe she wouldn't tell him about the baby. Or she could at least assure him he probably wasn't the father. Tears threatened to spill again, but she managed to staunch them. She should prepare herself to never see him again.
The knock on her door right then was completely unexpected but not as unexpected as the vision she saw through the peephole. She had to be dreaming. She opened the door slowly to the very last man on earth she ever expected to see again.
"Crag? What are you doing here?” she managed to squeak out before she started sobbing again. Damn hormones.
"Ellie,” was the only thing he said before sweeping her up into his arms, holding her like he'd never let her go. He kicked the door shut and carried her to the sofa. She threw her arms securely around his neck and held on for the short journey. He sat them down, and she settled across his lap, sobbing into his collar. His hands massaged her back, and his whispered words of comfort caressed her ear.
Once she got hold of her emotions, she pulled back and put her hands on his face, “I'm so glad
to see you, I thought you were gone forever.” Was he actually here, or was she in a dream-induced crying fit?
Before he responded, his steel gray eyes pierced hers with an emotion-filled look that she longed to gather up and cling to. “I received a missive from Gabrielle. She said you were ... upset. I returned as fast I was able. Are you well?"
"I'm pregnant,” she blurted and lowered her face to his shoulder, sobbing. So much for keeping the news from him, she thought. Damn hormones. She continued to cry as if she'd never be able to stop the tears wracking her body.
He held her tight, and after what was surely too long for any mortal man to endure, he said, “Don't cry Ellie. We'll figure something out."
"But ... the baby ... it might not be yours.” Her eyes sought his, expecting to see the disgust in them, but apparently he'd considered the possibility because he merely shrugged.
"If it's mine, I'll care for you."
"And if it isn't?"
He gave her a guarded look before speaking. “If the child isn't mine, I have other matters I must give my consideration to."
"But I won't be your responsibility any longer, right?” She separated herself from him and stood up angrily. Damn hormones. She should be grateful he showed up at all, but she was poised to throw a tantrum if he didn't want to raise a child that wasn't his.
What was wrong with her? Oh, yeah, unexpected pregnancy. She flashed on the fact this was exactly what happened to her mother at age eighteen. Her own biological father ran out, apparently as soon as the word ‘baby’ was mentioned.
"Ellie. I'm not sure I can explain all the responsibilities I currently manage.” He also stood up. He was six and a half feet of pure muscled bad boy clad in black biker leather, but he didn't scare her. He held himself as if waiting for her to do bodily harm on his person. She suspected he'd let her kick his butt without ever making a sound.
However, she knew in her soul he'd never hurt her. Not even if she provoked him.
"I'm sorry,” she sobbed and then shook her head to clear it. “I'm an emotional wreck. My hormones are making me crazy. I'm grateful you're here. If the child isn't yours, I won't bother you any more. I swear it. I'm having a test done tomorrow to determine the paternity. If you want to accompany me and give a blood sample, we could have the DNA results in a couple of weeks."
"I can't wait that long. I need to get back."
"Oh, right. Well, I could call you.” He shook his head and looked up as if to receive divine intervention. She could tell him that wasn't going to work. She'd tried it quite a few times in the form of ‘Please, don't let me be pregnant,’ but she was still with child. She concluded the pregnancy was simply meant to be. Her prayers thereafter involved pleas for the father to be a tattooed biker with the streak of blond in his hair.
The celestial jury was still out on that one.
His head dropped, and he gave her a determined gaze. “Will you accompany me to Gabrielle's house?"
She shrugged. “I guess so. Why?"
"My ... ah ... country has certain procedures to determine ... the ... ah ... health of the child you carry. I'd like you to meet with the healer I brought along."
"You brought a healer from your country?"
"Yes. Will you allow him to evaluate your health?"
"What's he going to do to me?” Her hands automatically covered her stomach and the life she carried .
"He has a medical device he'll employ to check you."
"I guess it's okay. Where are you from again?"
"Tiburon.” He pulled on her arm, leading her to a car waiting outside.
Was Tiburon in Europe? She realized she couldn't remember ever hearing of a country with that name.
Chapter Eight
"It won't hurt, will it?” Crag heard Ellie ask the healer. Her voice caught in her throat when she spoke. He knew she was nervous and inwardly cursed the necessity of this procedure. She reclined on the guest bed to which Gabrielle had led them upon their arrival. She wore a borrowed robe. He sat on a chair next to her and silently hoped with everything he held dear that the child was his heir. He held her hand, which gripped his with surprising strength.
"No, you will not feel anything unusual,” Barton said distractedly, poking at the buttons on the equipment.
"What does this procedure do again?” she asked. The healer traded an intense look with Crag.
"It merely checks to see if you're healthy,” Crag answered, giving Barton a warning glare not to dispute his explanation.
The healer held the gestational device over Ellie's mid-section and the sounds of the machine made her eyes widen as she tightened her grip. If the device told him the child was his, his first battle was won. If not, he didn't have to tell her he was an alien, but he'd have to abandon her again. This time though, he'd be going back to begin a life with Lena. He found life imprisonment in the dungeons of Tiburon vastly more appealing.
Barton made some adjustments and waved the medical device over her several more times. Ellie's eyes remained wide throughout the entire procedure, but she bravely endured it.
"All right. I've completed my check. You may get dressed.” Barton gave him another guarded look and exited the room as Ellie sat up. She was clearly puzzled by the whole alien medical procedure.
"That was strange,” she said
"Barton is a little odd, but a very good healer,” Crag assured her. She turned to him and her smile made his heart stop. Ellie was the very definition of beautiful. He stroked her face with his fingertips and gave her his best reassuring smile. Before he could remove his hand, she placed hers on top and held it against her face. Her mouth dipped and kissed his hand.
"I have missed you so very much,” she said. Her free arm draped around his neck. Her lips next aimed for his mouth, but he dodged them. When he didn't move out of the way fast enough, her mouth landed on one corner of his. The sensation rocketed all the way through his head, wrapping around his lust-filled brain, then plunged to his feet. He moved only slightly and slid his lips over hers for a taste. He allowed the exquisite feeling of her lovely mouth to overwhelm him.
Several seconds later, he pressed her back to the bed. He covered her with his body as her legs shifted from under his and wrapped around his hips. She squeezed her legs against his, grinding herself directly into his groin. The sensation bordered on erotic. He allowed his cock to swell as he twisted his mouth over hers in sensual abandon. His tongue slipped between her teeth and stroked hers with all the love and tenderness he could express. How could he ever let her go? How would he ever be able to leave her again?
He didn't register the knock at the door immediately, so it went unanswered. He didn't understand the urgent significance of the door handle rattling, either. Seconds later, Gabrielle barged right in and interrupted them at the most imitate of moments. Crag couldn't believe he'd allowed himself to be caught in this compromising position.
"Hey, the healer's waiting. What are you two doing in—? Oops! Sorry!” Gabrielle backed out, turning her head away from their private display.
Crag bolted off of the bed as if he'd been stabbed with his own sword. Ellie held on for dear life and was pulled off the bed with him.
"We'll be out in a moment,” he said, his voice wavering. Gabrielle nodded before she closed the door. When their gazes locked on each other again, Crag knew in his heart this woman was his life mate. Earthling though she may be, he knew he'd rather be dead than lock his mouth on any other until the day he died. He broke the heated stare to rest his forehead against hers.
"I missed you, too, Ellie."
She responded by touching her lips to cheek. He wouldn't be able to hold himself from her if she touched her luscious mouth to any part of his body again, so he mentally distanced himself.
He still had much to tell her regarding their possible future together. He didn't want her to be frightened of him once she learned of his true heritage. For the first time in his memory, he was glad to have Gabrielle close by for support.
"I have something to tell you Ellie. I don't think you'll like it, so I'm naturally reluctant to share the information."
"You're married, aren't you?"
"Married?” He searched his memory for what that meant on Earth. He was married on Tiburon, but married on his planet meant one was in business with another citizen. It didn't mean the same thing here. Was it life partnering? Or was that for the term wedding? He should have studied Earth terminology more extensively before returning. He resisted the urge to shout for Gabrielle to return and translate immediately.
"Yes, married. Do you have a wife tucked away wherever you're from?” She pulled away to direct a fierce look into his eyes.
"No? I don't think so."
"What do you mean, you don't think so? Either you a have one or you don't!"
"Ellie..."
"Don't you Ellie me. Put me down this instant!” He placed her on the floor and flinched in surprise when she balled up a fist and hit him squarely in the chest.
"Ellie, it's not what you think.” He tried to explain. “I don't have a wife in the sense one does on Earth.” By the look on her face at that statement, he hadn't made things better.
"Oh, so you have one on another planet, is that it?” Her tone mocked him in a way he was familiar with from his animated battles with Gabrielle. His eyebrows rose at her question. Would she be more willing to believe he lived on another planet?
"We need to go talk to Gabrielle,” he said quickly.
"No wonder she was so weird about sending for you. She knew about you and..."
He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room.
"Hey, stop it. I'm not even dressed!” Ellie huffed.
"Gabrielle, I need you!” His shout preceded him as he strode into the living area with a very angry Ellie trailing in his wake. Keller blocked him before he could get to Gabrielle.
"I don't think I like the fact you need my life mate."
Crag ignored him and directed his comments over Keller's shoulder to Gabrielle who stood directly behind him, sporting an amused look.
Just One Embrace [The Tiburon Duet, Book 2] Page 8