“Baby.” He takes my face in his hands. “I’ll get you and the baby anything you need.”
“I would never ask you to do that.”
“That’s the thing—you’re not asking me.” He kisses my forehead, and a fresh wave of tears fills my eyes.
I never knew men like him existed, men who give without any strings attached. I can only hope that someday I’ll be able to stop taking from him and start giving back too.
“Anything you want, it’s yours,” he says softly.
I open my mouth to say something, anything to express how much he means to me, but instead my stomach chooses that moment to let out a low growl.
He rests his hand on my belly. “Let’s start with getting you and my girl some dinner.”
His girl. He’s killing me.
“I should probably eat something,” I agree. “My stomach felt like it was in knots all day, and I don’t think I ate enough.”
He brushes his lips against mine before getting up and walking over to the kitchen. “Were you that stressed out about going past your due date?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I say, rubbing my belly. “The doctor said it’s too early to worry, but I still let it get to me. I just want her here already, and carrying her around is taking a toll on my back.”
He pulls the leftovers from last night’s dinner out of the fridge then looks at me and smiles. “It isn’t a pony, but I’ll give you a massage after dinner if you want. It might help you relax a little.”
“A massage?” I repeat softly, remembering how good it felt to have him rub my feet earlier.
“Yeah, I read online that it’s great for stress relief late in pregnancy,” he explains, and my cheeks flood with heat and my body tingles at the thought of his strong hands stroking over my naked body. “Would you like that?”
I clear my throat and answer with a quiet “Yeah.” Even though I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to control the hormones raging through my body or the need I have for him.
Chapter 6
JUSTIN
I DON’T THINK I taste a single bite of the food as I shovel it into my mouth. All I can think about is getting my hands on Aubrey’s beautiful body. I told her I want to give her a massage to help her relax, but truthfully I want her to get used to my touch.
Even with her only sharing bits and pieces of her past with me, I’m smart enough to know that something dark happened between her and the guy who got her pregnant. There is no other reason a woman like her would want him dead, only she doesn’t know that’s something I’d be willing to make happen if she ever asked me to. I want her to feel safe. I want her to know I will do whatever I need to do to protect her and her daughter. And since she ran to protect her baby, I know it might come to that. Just as long as when the dust settles we’re together I don’t give a fuck what goes down.
“That was delicious, thank you.” Her soft voice pulls me from my dark thoughts and I focus on her.
“Do you want more?”
“No.” She smiles, pushing up off the couch. Once she’s standing, I watch her walk by me to take her plate toward the kitchen, and I take my last bite of food then get up and follow her.
“Just leave it,” I tell her when she starts to wash her plate. “I’ll clean up later.”
“I don’t mind.”
“I know you don’t, but I want you relaxed, not doing dishes.” I take her plate and set it on top of mine then drop both in the sink. After I shut off the water, I take her hand and lead her toward my bedroom then let her go to walk across the room and flip on the lamp. “Lie down,” I say, and she eyes me for a moment before going to the bed.
Seeing her on my bed and smiling at me, my cock twitches. “How do we do this?” she asks.
I know how I’d like to do this. I’d like nothing more than to flip her over so she’s up on all fours, slide her pants down her legs, lick her pussy until her juices are dripping down her thighs, then line up my cock and work it into her tightness until I’m settled deep inside her wet heat. I shake my head, clearing the vision of sinking into her, and give an answer that won’t scare her off. “We need to get you in a position where I can work on your shoulders and back.” I trail my fingers over her rounded stomach before taking a seat on the mattress and leaning back against the headboard. “Come up here and sit down in front of me.” I spread my legs to make room for her.
“Okay.” Her answer is whisper-soft, but she doesn’t hesitate to do as I asked. “Like this?” she asks over her shoulder after she sits with her legs stretched out and her palms pressed against the mattress to help keep her balance.
“That’s perfect, sweetheart.” I don’t miss how her plump lips tilt up at the edges before she turns to face forward again.
My hands are steady as I reach out and begin to softly rub her shoulders. As I stroke my thumbs up her neck, my dick punches against my zipper at how soft her skin is. Every time Aubrey lets me touch her is as good as the first. Better even.
I focus on loosening her muscles with soft, long strokes of my hands. When I feel her shoulders relax, I work my way down her spine to her lower back. She lets out a little mewl as I dig my thumbs into the knots I find there. My fingers still while I try to get myself back under control, because that sound has my cock twitching.
“Don’t stop.” She sighs. “That feels so good.”
I lift the bottom of her shirt and smooth my palms against her warm skin. Then I get back to rubbing the knots out of her muscles. She makes another soft sound, and my head drops forward as I groan. The smell of her fills my nostrils, her coconut and lime shampoo mixed with what I swear is the scent of her desire. I wonder if the massage is turning her on as much as it is me, and it makes me think of something else I read about pregnant women and how helpful orgasms can be.
“I’ve never had a massage before.” She sighs, leaning into my hands. “I had no idea anything could feel this good, but now I can’t imagine not getting them on the regular. I don’t know how I’ll afford it, but I’ll have to figure it out so I can get a membership at a spa or something.”
What she’s saying finally registers in my brain and triggers my inner caveman. “You can have as many massages as you want. All you have to do is ask me for one.” I kiss her shoulder. “You feel better?”
“Mmmm,” she moans, and my cock throbs. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this relaxed. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I kiss her neck, fighting back the urge to nip her there.
She leans back a little and looks at me over her shoulder. “I think your bed is my new favorite place in the whole world.”
I pull her against my chest and wrap my arms around her belly, lacing my fingers with hers. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
“Me too.” She gasps suddenly, making my heart race.
“You okay?”
“Yeah… no, I don’t know. She’s just so big now that every time she moves it takes my breath.” She shakes her head. “I wish she’d just come out already.”
I rub my hand over her stomach. “There’s one more thing I read about that’ll relax you even more and might also trigger labor.”
“Really? What is it?” She tilts her head back to look up at me.
“There’s a hormone that surges when you have an orgasm, and sometimes it triggers labor.” I don’t mention how there’s shit in sperm that can help ripen her cervix. Giving her an orgasm isn’t about me getting off, no matter how desperate I am to get inside her.
“An orgasm?” she whispers, her blue eyes wide and full of surprise.
“Yeah.” I want to say more, but I’m not willing to push her into agreeing. Letting me touch her the way I want to has to be her decision.
I feel her muscles tense back up, and I figure she’s going to turn me down. It surprises me when she says, “Umm, so if I just—umm—that’s something you’d want to help me with?” Her cheeks are bright red as she stammers, and it only makes me want her more.
“I can definitely help you with that.” I slide one hand under the waistband of her leggings, stopping when the tips of my fingers reach the top of her panties.
“You can?”
“Oh yeah.” I smooth my fingers over her skin and her muscles bunch. “And I’d love doing it.”
Her eyes widen. “You would?”
I dip my fingers into her panties and stroke the soft skin above her pussy. “Fuck yeah.”
“Oh.” Her eyes close, and she bites her bottom lip. “Umm, I think maybe I—umm—I’d like that.”
“I can guarantee you’ll more than like it, sweetheart, but I need you to open your eyes while we talk about this.” She turns her head and her pretty blue eyes open, I search them for any hint of true fear. I expect her to be at least a little nervous, but I want to make sure her stammering isn’t more than that. When I don’t find any signs that she’s afraid of me touching her, I tell her, “I also need you to tell me it’s what you want before I slide my fingers lower, run them through your wetness, and play with your clit until you scream out my name.”
Her eyes go wide and fill with desire as her chest rises and falls rapidly. “Please.”
It’s only one word, but it’s more than enough for me. I do exactly what I promised, lightly skimming my fingers over her clit and down to her wetness. Parting her pussy lips, I dip into her tight heat and bury my face against her throat, trailing my tongue over her skin while I work my finger into her. Her legs open wider, bending at the knees to give me more room. My cock is as hard as steel, pressing against her back, but it’s worth the blue balls I’ll have to feel her tremble in my arms while I send her over the edge.
“You’re wet for me, sweetheart, just like I knew you’d be.” I glide my finger over her clit again, circling, making her hips buck.
“Justin,” she whimpers my name as her fingers dig into my thighs hard enough I can feel her nails through my jeans.
“I’m here with you. I’ve got you.” I slide my free hand up and flick my thumb over her nipple.
“Oh, God,” she cries while my finger circles her clit.
I can already feel her body tightening. “You close, sweetheart?”
She gives me a jerky nod. “I… oh, God, please don’t stop.”
“Never.” I sink my finger inside her and flick at her clit with my thumb until she cries out my name. When her pussy stops convulsing, I pull my hand out of her panties and groan, wanting so fucking bad to feel the wetness of her wrapped around my cock. “You okay?”
“Better than okay. I just wish I’d known sooner how amazing orgasms are.” She turns to rest her head on my chest so I can’t see her face.
“You never had an orgasm?” My gaze goes to the swell of her belly.
“No. Well, I mean I’ve given them to myself, but they don’t begin to compare to how powerful that was.” She tucks her fist under her chin while rubbing her cheek against my chest. “I’ve never even had a real boyfriend. My oldest brother has an… unusual job. It made it hard for me to get close to anyone, because I never knew if they were interested in me for me or if they were trying to get closer to him for one reason or another. He was always cautioning me against getting close to outsiders, and there was no way I would ever date one of his guys, so that left me kind of out in the cold when it came to dating.”
I’m curious about what kind of business her brother is in, but that’s not what she’s trying to tell me about, so it’s going to have to wait for another day. “But the father of your baby was different?”
“He was different.” She burrows deeper into me and fists her hands in my shirt like she’s holding on for dear life. “But not in the way you think. I didn’t know who he was. I was out with friends, trying to have some fun, and he was just some guy who didn’t seem to understand what the word no meant.” My gut twist and my muscles bunch, but she continues. “The girls and I joked about it when he finally backed off, but I should’ve known it wasn’t over. I should’ve left. I should have gone home where I would’ve been safe.”
I pull in the strength I need to comfort her and not go out and commit murder then stroke my hand down her hair and kiss the top of her head. “Whatever happened, you can’t blame yourself. It wasn’t your fault.”
“That’s the worst part, I think. The not knowing,” she whispers. “One minute, my friends and I were laughing and ordered another round of drinks. The next, I was waking up in the hospital with no memory of the time in between.”
“You don’t remember what happened?”
“No, between the drugs he gave me and the blows to the head I’d taken, the doctors said there is only a small chance I’ll ever get that time back.” Jesus. “He left me for dead, and I tried telling myself that’s all it was. I wanted believe I’d pissed him off, so he tried killing me. I wanted to think the doctors were wrong about him raping me.” Her shoulders start to shake as she sobs, and my blood heats, making it almost impossible to stay where I am, not when all I want to do is kill the man who hurt her.
“When I turned up pregnant, I couldn’t deny it any longer. He took my virginity and left me with an innocent life growing inside me.” Her hand covers her belly. “My brother wanted me to get rid of her, but I couldn’t do it. It didn’t matter to me that my baby could rip apart what he’d built in Vegas. I didn’t even care who’d gotten me pregnant. The only thing that mattered to me was protecting my baby. Mine, not his. I might not have any memory of what happened to me that night, but I knew my baby was the only good thing that had come out of whatever he did to me.”
Vegas. I fucking hate that city and the metric fuck-ton of bad stuff swirling around it. The hit Autumn witnessed before she came to Tennessee, met Kenton, and fell in love, the shit that went down with Kai and Myla, which lead to me pulling the trigger and killing Paulie Jr., and now this. They say what happens in Vegas stays there, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. “Do they know where you are?”
“My family?” she asks, tipping her head back to meet my gaze.
“Yeah.”
She shakes her head. “No, I didn’t tell anyone. I couldn’t risk telling my brothers or my parents. I needed to make sure my baby was safe.” A fresh wave of tears fills her eyes.
“Shhh.” I run my fingers through her hair. “Please don’t cry, sweetheart. It’s okay. I’ve got you. I won’t let anything happen to you or the baby.”
“I know,” she whispers, then between one breath and the next, she falls asleep in my arms as though sharing her secret with me gave her the peace she desperately needed.
But my world will never be the same, not until I find vengeance for her.
Chapter 7
AUBREY
IT’S DARK WHEN I wake, unsure what pulled me from my sleep. My eyes are still tight and dry from crying earlier, but I feel more rested than I have in a long while. I guess that’s what happens when you confess your darkest secret before passing out.
I lift up on my elbow and look down at Justin’s gorgeous face through the dark. I can’t believe how easy it was to tell him what Paulie Jr. did to me. Nobody in Tennessee knows about my past, not even Shelly. She and Johnny only know I’m pregnant and on my own. Even if they had suspicions, they’ve never pushed me for details.
Justin didn’t push either, but I knew letting him touch me the way he had was a turning point in our relationship, and it was only right to open up about what happened. I’m relieved it’s over and I don’t need to worry about it anymore. I feel like the ever-present weight in my stomach is gone. He knows the worse of me, and instead of running away, he held me in his arms and proved once more I’m safe in my feelings for him.
I start to lay my head back against his chest but stop when a wave of pain hits me so hard my breath catches. My belly tightens again, and I realize I must be having contractions.
“Justin.” I reach out to shake his shoulder, but pain makes me grit my teeth and fall back against the bed, holding my stomach. “Oh, God.”
“Aubrey?” Justin shoots up and looms over me, placing his hand over mine. “What’s wrong?”
“I… I…” I pant, squeezing my eyes closed. “I think I’m going into labor.”
“What?” He shakes his head like he’s still trying to wake up.
I lean up, letting out a sigh of relief as the contraction ends. “I’m in labor.”
“You’re having the baby?” His gaze drops to my belly right before he hops out of bed, wearing only a T-shirt and pair of boxer briefs. I’ve never seen him without any pants on, and his butt looks even better wrapped in just a thin layer of stretchy material. My view of it doesn’t last for long, because he yanks on a pair of sweats and sits down on the edge of the mattress to put on his shoes. When he gets up, he grabs his wallet and cell from the bedside table and shoves both into his pocket. “Your shoes and purse are in the living room. I’ll grab ‘em for you. You need to grab anything else before we head to the hospital?” He turns to find me in the bed still dressed in my leggings and shirt with bare feet.
“I have a bag packed for the hospital.” I start to scoot toward the edge of the bed but stop when he reaches out and helps me up.
“Is it in Shelly’s apartment?”
I nod, liking that he calls it her place and not mine. I feel more comfortable with him here than I ever did living with Shelly. “Yeah, it’s in my room, just inside as soon as you step through the door.”
“All right.” He kisses my forehead swiftly then leads me into the living room and gets me settled on the couch before bringing my shoes over. He drops down to his knees in front of me and slides them on my feet. When they’re on, he leans forward and brushes his lips against mine. “Stay right here. I’m going to run and grab your stuff. Then I’ll take you to the hospital.”
I shake my head. “I think it’s too early.”
“Hospital’s open twenty-four seven, sweetheart. There’s no such thing as too early.”
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