by Jenika Snow
“You need to call her.” Ford sounded so sure and confident that it had him and Bram looking over at him.
“Just like that, huh?” Yeah, it sounded easy enough, but he got the impression that she was done with him, especially when he acted like an asshole during the whole condom breakage. He had given her his full name, and she hadn’t reached out to him.
He might have said she could run and he would go after her, but with each passing day, he felt himself going more inside himself and pushing her back. He could admit it: he was scared.
“What are you really afraid of? You’ve just admitted to us that it isn’t just you that wants her, but your bear too,” Ford said matter-of-factly. “How many years have we heard you talk about what you don’t want in your life, and how you don’t need the messy feelings that come with a relationship?”
“If this one female causes this type of reaction in you, why not just go for it?” Bram prompted.
“Bram, it isn’t that easy.”
“But it is, brother. And with that, I need a fresh beer.” And just like that, Ford was out of the room. His words were strong and honest, and despite Ford almost leaving nonchalantly after what he just said, it told Charlie that it really was that easy.
Bram stared at him but didn’t speak. Ford returned with three more beers and handed each of them a fresh one. For the rest of the night, no one said any more about it, but that was the way the three of them were. They said what needed to be said, and that was it.
Now it was up to Charlie if he was going to take his brothers’ advice and let his bear out to take what it really wanted, or keep his distance and continue living his solitary life.
12
February stared at her cell for the hundredth time since she decided it was time to call Charlie. His number was written on a scrap when she scribbled it down after finding it on one of the many Wylde Construction signs posted throughout the town.
She let herself have some time to get used to the idea that she was pregnant, had even made an appointment with one of the town’s shifter clinics. Her pregnancy was in the very early stages, but a shifter’s pregnancy only lasted two-thirds of a human’s gestation. In less than six months, she would have Charlie’s baby.
She set her phone on the table and placed the slip of paper with his number beside it. Reaching into her purse, she took out one of the ultrasound pictures the clinic had given her. The baby looked like a piece of rice, but warmth settled inside her every time she looked at it.
It was real, but looking at the picture of her baby seemed to cement everything inside her. Setting the picture on the other side of her phone, she looked among the three items. Why was this so hard for her?
Because what if he is the hard asshole everyone in town makes him out to be? What if he wants nothing to do with you or this baby? And what if he denies it is even his?
In all honesty, she couldn’t blame him if his reaction was the latter. She had gone home with him, a virtual stranger, even if she knew of him by reputation. No doubt, that made her look like some kind of slut, regardless of the fact that she had never done something like that in her life.
There had just been something about him that called to her. She always went with her instincts, and they had been screaming for her to let the gorgeous bear take her home. But then again, look at how well that worked out.
“Quit being so weird about it. You’re a grown woman. He’s a grown man. This kind of thing happens all the time.” Yeah, talking to herself wasn’t helping matters. She picked up her phone, but before she could swipe her finger across the screen and dial his number, she got an incoming call. The number that flashed in front of her had her heart racing.
It was the same number she saw on the construction billboards in town, and the same one she had been staring at on that scrap piece of paper for the past several days.
Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. Just answer it already before it goes to voicemail. Ary ran her finger across the screen and brought it up to her ear. “Hello?” Why did she sound so out of breath and shaky? Because she was nervous as hell.
“February?” God, there was something about his voice and the way he said her full name that made everything inside her tingle with awareness. She heard it replay over and over again in her head, but actually hearing the smooth baritone of it over the phone was so much more satisfying.
He said her name all smooth-like, and all she could think about was being beneath him as he pounded all that hard flesh into her.
“Yeah, this is Ary.” Oh Lord, she sounded ridiculous. Closing her eyes and slapping her hand over them, she breathed out and prayed he didn’t hear the nervousness through her voice. His chuckle told her she failed miserably at trying to hide it.
“I’m glad to know I’m not the only one nervous about this phone call.”
What? Really?
“Listen, let’s just forget about how strange all this is and relax, yeah?” He made it sound so easy, but really, wasn’t it?
No, you stupid girl. Remember, you planned on calling him to tell him you’re pregnant with his child?
“Ary, you there?” How long had she left him hanging on the line? Taking a deep, steadying breath, she placed her hand on her rounded belly, which had nothing to do with the baby growing inside her, and forced her voice to stay steady.
“Yeah, I’d like that.” She heard him exhale and wondered if he had been holding it in. It was strange that she could sense how nervous he was through the phone. It went against everything she had ever heard about him and what she experienced when she spent those few blissful hours being consumed by him.
“Good, that’s real good. Maybe you’d want to meet up and get something to eat? I’d like to talk with you, if that’s all right?” Well, if this wasn’t turning out easier than she thought. She hadn’t been the one to call him and ask him to meet, but that led to the realization that when she agreed, because there was no option against that, she would have to come clean. She looked at the ultrasound picture again.
It was too early for the tech to be able to tell from the bone structure and internal organs whether the baby would be an ocelot or bear shifter, but she hoped he took what she said in stride. It was going to be hard telling him, but it had to be done.
“Yeah, that sounds good. When and where would you like to meet?”
He rattled off a small café that specialized in soups and sandwiches, and after he told her what time to meet him, in just a few short hours, they hung up. Well, this was really going to happen, so she might as well put on her big girl panties, grow a pair of balls, and get it over with.
Two hours later and Ary was pulling into an empty parking spot at J&A’s. The little café was relatively quiet, something she was thankful for. Turning off the car and just sitting there for a moment to get her bearings, she listened to the sound of the engine cooling. The click, click, click filled the interior with the rhythmic noise.
There was no sign of Charlie’s Harley, and aside from a large truck and a few cars, the place was pretty barren. Climbing out of the car, she made her way inside.
The hostess who stood behind her little podium glanced up and gave her a thorough onceover. The scent of the hostess being a leopard shifter permeated the air the closer she got, as well as the fact that she was displeased by Ary’s presence. Oh, there was no doubt the leopard knew Ary could sense her emotions, but clearly she didn’t care.
“May I help you?” One perfectly shaped brown eyebrow lifted in question.
“Yes, well, I’m actually waiting to meet someone. I don’t think he’s here yet—”
“Ary.” The sound of her name coming from Charlie right behind her had a shiver working up her spine.
The hostess wrinkled her nose, but when she looked over Ary’s shoulder at Charlie, a mega-watt smile covered her face. “Mr. Wylde. It is so pleasant to see you again. The same table?” Her presence completely forgotten by the hostess, something she was accustomed to, February took a step to the
side and turned to look at Charlie. Good freaking Lord did he look good.
His distressed jeans hung low on his hips, and the T-shirt he wore was form-fitting. She could make out every dip and hollow of his muscular chest, and the fact that she knew what the bear looked like naked had all sorts of dirty images rushing through her mind.
He took her hand before she could make a move, and the air turned icy as a blast of the frigid coldness rushed at her from the hostess. She glanced over at her, and saw the narrowed-eyed look she was shooting at Ary. That obviously made her uncomfortable, but she wouldn’t be intimidated.
Charlie gave her hand a squeeze and addressed the hostess. “No, Lauren, I’ve already taken a table outside. I want a little privacy for my date and me.” Heat rose to her face at the fact that he considered this a date. A tingle of pleasure shot through Ary that he clearly wasn’t affected by the hostess.
He didn’t wait for a response, just kept hold of her hand and took her outside. The patio was surrounded by a stone wall that offered privacy in an almost intimate manner.
There was one other couple seated outside, but they were far enough away from the table Charlie led them to that she wasn’t worried about being overheard. After they took their seat, a young waiter stopped by, and they gave him their drink orders. She opened up the menu but wasn’t hungry. Her stomach felt like it was in knots for what she was going to have to tell him.
“Have you ever been here before?” he asked her.
She glanced up at him. He was scanning the menu and after only a minute of looking at it closed it and set it aside. “Not since they had the reopening,” she replied.
He nodded but didn’t respond, since the waiter chose that moment to set their drinks in front of them.
“Have you decided on what you’d like to order?” The waiter looked between them. He was a cute human male, but she could sense his interest leaning more toward Charlie. That had her smiling, which in turn made him look at her quizzically.
She closed her menu and handed it to the waiter. “I’ll just take a chicken Caesar salad, please.” She wasn’t hungry, but she also didn’t want to be rude or seem like she was one of those girls who couldn’t eat in front of a guy. If Ary was anything, it was not shy to eat around people.
Charlie invited her to lunch, and maybe if she forced herself to eat something, the tightening dread in her stomach would ease.
He ordered the biggest burger they had, a double order of fries, and a side salad. Ary supposed a man of his height and weight, especially concerning his profession, would need a lot of calories. The waiter left, and a moment of silence filled the space between them.
“Only a salad?” he prompted and brought his glass of water to his mouth.
She shrugged. “I’m not all that hungry.” The sound of the couple on the other side of the patio seemed a lot louder than it had been only moments before. “So, um….” She started to pick at her napkin, and even if he hadn’t been a shifter and able to smell her unease, her twitchy movements would have been loud and clear.
“Hey.” He reached across the table and took her hand in his. The heavy weight of his palm settling over hers had the effect of grounding her. “I know this must be awkward and all after we slept together.” The corner of his mouth curved up, and heat spread up her neck and to her cheeks.
All it took was him mentioning what they had done in the most non-descriptive way and a small smile, if it could even be called that, and she was ready to push everything off the table and beg him to take her right there. She opened her mouth, but he started talking again.
“You’re probably wondering why I called you after waiting so long.”
Actually, that had not been what she thought at all. That hadn’t even crossed her mind.
“I’ll be straight and just tell it like it is, since we are both adults, and beating around the bush is not my style.” She swallowed and didn’t know why that ball of dread in her stomach started to grow at an astounding rate. “I freaked about... well, you know, but then after I watched you leave that night, I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind.”
He let go of her hand and leaned back in the chair. He didn’t speak, but she could hear him breathing and see the rise and fall of his massive chest.
“I have always just stayed to myself, knowing I would never need anyone to live my life with.”
The sound of her heart seemed so incredibly loud, and the feel of it pounding in the base of her throat made it hard to swallow. He leaned forward again and took hold of both her hands.
“In all of my forty years of existence, I have never wanted a female the way I want you.” His blue eyes bore into hers, and she swallowed past the lump. “I know this is probably pretty heavy, but I have done a lot of thinking and know that if you’ll give me a chance, I’d like to show you that we can be good together.”
Ary licked her lips and removed her hands from his. She swore a flash of hurt crossed his face, but a millisecond later, it was gone, and that stoic, hard mask was back in place. His jaw clenched tight, and he leaned back in his chair.
Well, it was now or never. She bent down and grabbed the small black-and-white picture tucked into the side pocket of her purse.
Straightening back up, she stared into his face for a suspended moment before reaching across the table and handing the picture to him. He took it while keeping eye contact, and Ary was shocked by how her hands shook so forcefully. Placing them in her lap she waited to see him lower his gaze to the sonogram picture of their baby.
When he did, the world stopped, time stilled, and there was nothing aside from that one, tense moment. Would he toss the picture back in her face, call her a liar, and say the child she carried wasn’t his, or would he accept it and actually want to go through this journey with her? He looked up at her then back at the picture.
“February….” She watched as his throat worked when he swallowed. He kept looking between her and the picture. Although their child looked like a tiny dot right now, in just a few months, they would be able to tell the sex and whether their child would be a bear or ocelot shifter.
Before either could say anything else, their food was brought out. Once they were alone again, she lifted her gaze back to Charlie’s and saw him staring at the photo again.
“I found out about a week ago that I was pregnant, but I should have told you that night you dropped me off at my car that it was only days before I was fertile.” Taking a deep, steadying breath, she pressed on. “I want you to know that I don’t make it a habit of going home with men I don’t know and sleeping with them.” Ary looked down, suddenly unable to keep eye contact. “I was trying to work up the courage to tell you, but as if we were on the same wavelength, you called me.” When she forced herself to look at him, a gasp left her at the fact that he was right in front of her on his knees.
He still held the picture of their baby, and his expression couldn’t be called anything but awe-filled and expectant. Could it really be so easy for him to accept all this?
“I know there are probably doubts in your head on whether the baby is yours, and I’ll understand and won’t take offense if you want a test once the baby is born, but—”
Before she could finish her sentence, he had his mouth on hers and was kissing her breath away. He broke the kiss far too soon and leaned back. His hand was on her cheek, and she was so stunned by the play of events that she was speechless.
“I thought it would go a lot differently.”
He shook his head and smiled.
“So, you’re not upset or think I’m lying?” There were a lot of males out there who would not be having this kind of reaction to a bomb like this being dropped.
“February.” Just hearing him say her full name was an auditory orgasm. She shouldn’t be thinking about sex right now, but here she was, inhaling his scent and being surrounded by all his masculinity that it made it impossible not to. “Kitten, I asked you to come out here, because I wanted to talk to y
ou about starting a relationship. I want you, and the fact that you carry my child only solidifies the fact that you are mine.”
She curled her toes at the declaration. The heavy feel of his hand on her belly shocked her to the point she had to grip the armrest of her chair to steady herself. He moved back to his seat a moment later, and she was left feeling utterly confused but happy. He certainly wasn’t the type of male many talked about.
He might have this hard, devil-may-care attitude, be overly large and intimidating, and have this aura about him that made everyone move out of his way, but she had just seen the soft side of Charlie Wylde.
“Can I keep this?” He held the picture loosely between his fingers, and her heart palpated at that small request. She had another of the same image at home. She nodded. The smile he gave her was filled with so much pleasure, so much happiness, that one would think she had just given him the world.
“I’m just…” She looked back at the patrons in the corner. They were an older human couple with graying hair and bright smiles. Could it actually be possible that Charlie wanted a life-long commitment with her?
“Thinking too hard.” Smiling over at his words, she nodded. “Listen, nothing in life that is worth anything should be wasted on the what-ifs, and Ary, you are one of those important things in life. Hell, I can’t explain why out of every female in the world my bear and my human want you like our next breath, but I know it feels damn good, and I am not going to let that go.” Could he sense what his words were doing to her? “Since the moment we came into each other’s life, it has been a whirlwind of emotion and action. I know you feel the same way, felt it when I touched you, saw it when you trembled, and smelled it as the delicious aroma of everything that is you.”
He was going to make her cry with his gently poetic words. Here was this monster of a male, able to crush anyone who stood in his path like a toothpick, and yet he spoke to her as if she were a delicate flower needing to be watered and placed in the sun.