by BE Kelly
Sophie nodded, “If this thing between us doesn’t work out, I need to know that you will still be there for the baby. He’ll need you, Ringer—especially if he’s a pup, as you say.”
“Sophie,” he whispered. Ringer leaned forward, pressing her back against the steering wheel and gently kissing her lips. He licked his way into her mouth and if Sophie was standing, she knew for sure that her damn knees would have given out. When he broke their kiss, she was panting and knew that the pool of wetness between her legs had everything to do with the sexy shifter driving her half-crazy with lust.
“First of all—who says we won’t work out. You need to give us a chance before you tear us apart, Soph,” Ringer said. “And, second—I will always be here for you and the baby. I’m not going anywhere, Sophie. I want to be a father to this little guy.” Ringer covered his hand over her belly and smiled down at her bump. “If he turns out to be a shifter then we’ll figure that all out together too. Deal?” he asked.
Sophie didn’t need time to think about her answer. She smiled and gave him back his same words from earlier. “Deal,” she said. “Thank you, Ringer. You always help to calm my storms. Even when I was just a kid—you were always able to pick up on when I was upset and make me laugh to forget what had pissed me off.”
Ringer laughed, “It was usually your brother who pissed you off, Baby. I was just doing us both a favor. If you started some shit and your brother got in trouble, we wouldn’t have been able to go out. I was just trying to save my night.”
Sophie looked him over like he had just insulted her, mock horror on her face. She loved the way Ringer laughed at the little show she was putting on and pulled her in for another quick kiss. “Should we go in?” she breathlessly asked. He shot her a wolfish grin and nodded, pulling her out of his truck with him. Ringer practically carried her to her front door and Sophie protested but he didn’t seem to care. He pulled her keys from her hands and had her door open faster than lightening, shoving her inside and shutting it behind them.
“Bedroom?” he breathed. Sophie didn’t hide her amusement. He seemed just as hot, needy and turned on by the whole scene as she felt.
“Don’t you want the tour first?” she teased.
“Soph,” he growled. Honestly, it sounded as if he was warning her instead of just saying her name.
“Did you mean it back at Tito’s when you told those guys that I am yours?” Sophie whispered. Hearing him tell Gray and Jackass that she and their baby belonged to them made her hot.
“I did,” he breathed, kissing a path up her neck that made her skin feel like it was on fire. “That okay?”
“Y—yes,” she stuttered. Ringer chuckled against her sensitive skin, licking where her pulse felt as though it was about to beat right out of her neck. “I do.”
“Good, Honey,” he soothed. “You are mine and this baby,” he said, covering her belly with his hand, “is mine too.”
“Yes,” Sophie agreed.
Ringer pushed her up against the wall, working the t-shirt he had lent her up over her body. “I need you now, Soph,” he whispered. Ringer let his fingers trail her sensitive skin as he dragged the shirt up over her breasts. Sophie knew just how demanding Ringer was when it came to taking her body. He was relentless during their one night together and she loved every minute of it.
“Ringer,” she panted. “You’re wearing too many clothes.” His coy smile told her he agreed with her. Ringer took a step back from her body and Sophie couldn’t help but hiss out her breath as he shucked out of his clothes. He was beautiful—she always thought so but seeing him now made her half-crazy with lust. He pulled his jeans down his thick thighs, letting his impressive cock spring free and she moaned her approval.
“Now you, Sweetheart,” he ordered. Sophie didn’t miss a beat, pulling her yoga pants down her legs to stand completely bare in front of him. “Damn, Baby,” he hissed. He looked her body up and down and Sophie worried that all the changes to her body might be a turn off for him.
“I’m not like I was—you know, the night we were together.” Sophie covered her belly with her arms, trying to hide her extra curves from his roaming eyes.
“Don’t,” he growled. “I want to see all of you, Soph.” Ringer pulled her arms to her side and pinned her to the wall. “You are so fucking sexy,” he said. “Seeing my baby growing inside of you makes me crazy, Honey.” Sophie smiled up at him. Ringer lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist; his cock sliding against her drenched folds as if it had a mind of its own.
“Fuck,” Sophie moaned. “You feel so good, Ringer.”
“You too, Honey. I’ve wanted you for so long, Soph,” he admitted. Sophie had missed him more than she would ever admit and having him now only drove that point home for her. Sophie reached up to frame Ringer’s face with her hands. She kissed him, wanting him to know she felt the same way but unable to find the words. He did that to her—made her feel everything. Ringer thrust into her core and stilled. She knew he was on edge. It was as if his whole body had hummed to life and Sophie knew from experience that Ringer craved control. Now, she knew why. Ringer worried that he’d shift and end up hurting her but that wasn’t possible. Sophie was sure that he had more control of this shifting thing than he believed. As for hurting her, that wasn’t possible. The only part of her he could hurt would be her heart because he already owned that—he just didn’t know it yet.
Ringer spent the night at her place and Sophie woke the next morning before the sun even came up. The baby was laying on her bladder and once she got up to pee, she was usually up for the day. She had a lot to figure out this morning, so getting up before the sun wasn’t such a bad thing. Sophie was going to have to figure out how to get her car back from Tito’s and make it to work on time. She had already missed enough time because of her morning sickness and hiding out from her brother. Now that the cat or in this case, wolf, was out of the bag, it was time for her to get back into the daily swing of things.
She was in the kitchen, having her allowed one cup of coffee when Ringer found her. “Thank fuck,” he whispered just loud enough for Sophie to hear him.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. Sophie put her mug down on the kitchen counter and crossed to where he stood in the doorway. He was breathing heavy and when she wrapped her arms around his body, she could feel his heart beating. “You’re shivering,” she said. “Did you have a bad dream?”
“No,” he said. Ringer took a deep breath and let it back out. “Yes,” he whispered. “When I woke up and found the bed empty again, I thought that you were—”
“Gone,” she finished his sentence for him.
“Yes. I thought you walked out like our first night together. God Soph,” he breathed. “It would kill me if you did that now. I can’t lose you again.” Sophie went up on her tiptoes to gently kiss his mouth.
“You won’t,” she promised. “I’m here and I’m not going anywhere, Ringer.” She smiled up at him. “Besides, it’s my house, so where would I go?”
Ringer chuckled and pulled her tighter against his big body. “True,” he said, giving her ass a playful swat. “You’ve always been a smart ass, Soph. How about we give that smart mouth of yours something useful to do?”
“Mmm, now that sounds like a good plan, Ringer,” she sassed. He pushed her down his body and Sophie willingly sunk to her knees. She loved the scent and taste of him but now, this pregnancy seemed to heighten all her senses and Ringer was her favorite drug. She couldn’t get enough of the man. Sophie clawed at his boxer briefs, freeing his erection and didn’t waste time with any fanfare, sucking him into her mouth.
“Fuck Soph,” he growled. She swirled her tongue around the head of his cock and sucked him to the back of her throat. “You keep that up and I’m going to come down that pretty little throat of yours, Honey,” he promised. Sophie always loved a good challenge and now was no exception. She let his cock pop free from her mouth and leaned back on her heels to look up at him.
> “I love it when you dare me,” she admitted. Ringer laughed, running his fingers down her cheek and over her swollen lips.
“It wasn’t a dare, Baby,” he said. “But I know you’re always up for a challenge. Make me come, Honey,” Ringer ordered. She gave him a little mock salute and sucked him back into her mouth. Ringer took over as she worked his cock in and out, pulling her hair back from her face to watch her. She loved it when he did that and when he pulled just a little too hard on her hair, to gain better access of her mouth, she moaned around his cock. That was all he seemed to be able to stand. Ringer came in hot spurts down her throat and she took all of him, licking and sucking his cock clean before he pulled free from her mouth.
“My turn,” he said. He pulled Sophie up from her kneeling position and carried her back to the kitchen table, stripping her out of her t-shirt and panties she had thrown on that morning. Ringer spread her legs wide and didn’t give her any time to protest—not that she would have. He settled between her legs and licked his way into her drenched folds, taking his time to get her good and worked up. When Sophie was sure she wouldn’t be able to take anymore, Ringer pumped his two big fingers inside of her body, sending her completely over the edge. She shouted out his name, coming on his mouth, shamelessly riding his fingers.
“Sophie,” Reaper shouted. “Where the fuck are you? You okay?” Her brother must have used his spare key to get into her house. When she heard him running up the steps of her split level home, she scrambled to get off the table.
“Shit,” she swore. “Where’s my shirt?” She looked into the hallway and found her brother standing there, looking at the trail of clothes they left in their wake, to where the two of them stood buck naked. Sophie gasped and tried to cover as much of her body as she could with her hands but that did her no good.
“Fuck,” Reaper swore.
“Turn around, man,” Ringer ordered, covering Sophie’s body with his own.
“You want to tell me what the fuck is going on here, Ringer?” Reaper said.
Sophie looked around Ringer’s body to where her brother stood shielding his eyes with both hands. “I’m pretty sure you are smart enough to figure out what we’re doing here, Reaper,” she sassed. “But, let me spell it out for you. It’s none of your business—that’s what. Now, hand me my t-shirt and go to the other fucking room so we can get dressed.”
Ringer chuckled at her and wrapped his arms around her body as if they weren’t interrupted by her very nosey older brother. Now wasn’t the time for cuddling.
“Damn, I love you, Soph,” he said. Sophie stilled and look up at him and Ringer’s sexy smirk nearly did her in.
“W—what?” she stammered. Now was also not the time to be making sweeping declarations for the first time. Reaper tossed her the t-shirt from the kitchen floor, hands still over his eyes. He completely missed her but got it close enough that she could grab it and slip it on.
“How about we deal with your brother and then I’ll say that again? You know, give you some time to overthink it and try to come up with some excuses as to why it’s too soon for me to say stuff like that to you. It’s not going to change though, Soph. I’m in love with you and I don’t care if your overbearing brother hears me say it.” Ringer waited for her to finish pulling her t-shirt down her body before he grabbed his boxers and pulled them back on. “I’ll give you two a few minutes to talk. I’m going to take a quick shower and then I’ll answer any of your questions, Reap. Just don’t upset my woman or we’ll be doing more than talking when I get back in here.” He bent down to gently kiss Sophie’s lips and swatted her ass, making her yelp. Okay, that was not something she wanted her brother to witness either. She looked over to where Reaper stood in the corner of the kitchen, his hands pulled away from his eyes and yep, he saw the whole thing. Shit.
“Coffee?” she asked her brother. Reap watched Ringer saunter out of her tiny kitchen that suddenly felt even smaller and he turned back to her.
“Sure,” he grumbled. “I’d say I need something stronger but it’s not even eight in the morning and Beth would kill me if I started drinking before breakfast.” Sophie wanted to laugh at just how true his statement was but she didn’t find anything about their current situation funny.
“What’s happening between you and Ringer, Soph?” Reaper asked. He sat down at her table and took the mug she offered him.
She sat down across from him and sipped her now room-temperature coffee. “As I said—” she began. Reaper held up his hand as if trying to stop the words from coming out of her mouth.
“It’s none of my business, I know,” he grumbled. “You have to understand that for a damn long time now, you have been my business, Sophie,” Reaper said. “You can’t expect me to just stop being involved in your life because you are having sex with Ringer.”
“It’s more than just sex,” she defended, rubbing her belly as if to prove her point.
“Yeah, yeah,” Reaper said. “I heard—he loves you.” Sophie hated the sarcasm she heard dripping from his tone. If Reaper didn’t like the fact that Ringer just told her he loved her, her older brother was going to hate what she was about to say.
“I’m in love with him, too,” she admitted. “Although, I think I should be telling him that instead of you. He’s the father of this baby and I want him to be a part of both of our lives,” Sophie said.
“You might be changing your mind once you hear what I’ve come to tell you about our old friend, Ringer. He’s bad news, Sophie,” Reaper said.
“Oh God, not this old song and dance, Reap,” Sophie said. She stood and put her mug in the sink. She was sick to death of her brother telling her what a bad guy Ringer was. Ever since the whole mess with Ringer’s father, Reaper hadn’t trusted him. She hated that the once best friends now couldn’t be in the same room with each other and that had everything to do with her older brother. He didn’t want to believe he was wrong about Ringer. He couldn’t see past his hatred for Ringer’s dad to give him a chance to prove he was nothing like his old man.
“Really, Sophie—this time I can prove it. Ringer’s not who we think he is,” Reaper said.
“Okay Big Brother,” Sophie spat. “Who is he then?” She stood with her hands on her hips staring Reaper down.
“He’s a shifter,” Reaper said. Sophie wasn’t sure what the protocol was for outing Ringer for being a wolf. The way Reaper looked at her as if he expected some big reaction from her was comical and Sophie couldn’t hide her smile. “Fuck Sophie, you knew?” Reaper accused.
“She knew,” Ringer said from the kitchen doorway. “How the fuck did you find out, Reap?” he asked. Reaper stood and blocked her view of Ringer and for a minute, she was sure that she was going to have to intervene. Ringer brushed past him and pulled Sophie into his arms and she willingly went. It was time to show her brother that she not only knew what she was getting into but she was doing so willingly. No more hiding.
Ringer
Hearing Reaper accuse him of being bad for Sophie made him want to rush back into that fucking kitchen and tear him apart. But, that wouldn’t be good for Sophie or the baby. He had taken the fastest shower of his life, wanting to get back to his woman and protect her from every nasty thing her brother would toss her way. Ringer knew that they’d need time to talk things out and he didn’t doubt that his Sophie could handle herself when she’d have to go up against her brother. She’d been giving Reap shit her entire life and she wouldn’t back down from him now.
Honestly, he got why Reap was so pissed at him. His father destroyed the business that he and Reaper’s dad started. Hell, his dear old Dad destroyed so many lives of the innocent women and children he had abducted and sold into the sex slave business. It made Ringer sick knowing he came from a man who could so easily do that shit to another human being. His father wasn’t always that way but in the end, he’d be remembered as a monster. That was who his Dad had become and Ringer worried that he’d turn out the same way.
Af
ter Ringer’s mom died, his father didn’t seem to give a fuck about doing the right thing anymore. It was like he had checked out morally but Ringer refused to see it at first. He wanted to believe that nothing had changed because he still needed his Dad. Sure, he wasn’t a little kid anymore but he still wanted his father in his life. He even started working at the textile manufacturing business that his father and Reaper’s dad began together. Ringer liked the idea of him and Reaper someday taking over the business together and running it as their fathers had. He turned a blind eye every time his dad did something questionable. Hell, what his father was doing was downright illegal but Ringer thought he could change him—make things right. When he realized that wasn’t a possibility, he turned to the Feds. He became a whistleblower on his own father and even though he didn’t know it at the time, Reaper was doing the same thing. They were both put in touch with some weasel named Dave who ended up turning all their lives upside down. All the pain and suffering that his family and friends had to go through all because of his fucking Dad’s bad decisions and there was nothing he could do to stop it. The trouble with Dave, his father going after Reaper, Beth and Sophie—he couldn’t stop any of it and he felt completely useless. Keeping Sophie safe during the whole fucking mess was his only salvation. She kept him sane, whether she knew it or not, and Ringer would always be grateful to her for that. She reminded him daily that he wasn’t his father; nor was he responsible for what his old man did. It was a reminder he needed and hearing it come from the woman he was quickly losing his heart to made it easier to accept. He just wished that Reaper would accept it and move on. Ringer was starting to wonder if that would ever happen or if his old friend was going to hate him forever.