Bane (31 page)

My breathing was erratic. I was turned on, but his words blossomed inside of me. He was right. If we had sex, I’d always wonder. Bane knew me well. I closed my eyes. “This is going to be hard.”

Tracing his nose along my jaw, every fiber in my being screamed for us to lose control and deal with the consequences later. “It’ll be worth it.”

Oh geez. This was not helping matters. I hoped my mind caught up quickly and believed what Bane was saying.

MAREN WAS SEVEN weeks pregnant and we were about to head to the doctor’s office in town. How the hell I’d managed to not sink inside of her for the last week or so was beyond me. I wanted in her tight heat, but needed to wait. I had to make sure she knew this was not about sex.

Fuck. I hoped the opportunity presented itself sooner rather than later.

My dick was in a constant state of feeling like a sledge hammer. And trust me, my angel made it hard to resist. I knew she was tempting me. Hell, she wanted it. Last night I’d read that a woman’s sex drive increased during pregnancy. Maren needed some kind of relief before she sent me over the edge and we did something we weren’t ready for.

Fuck, I was screwed. My hand was not cutting the job in the shower. I felt like a pansy-ass sneaking off, spilling my cum down the drain like a teenager who couldn’t control his cravings. As the days ticked by, Maren became more provocative. There was only so much strength a man had.

I was losing this battle.

Maren was in the bedroom getting ready. It was safest for me to be out here with my hot cup of coffee looking out the window, pretending she was not in our room naked. Thank goodness the pregnancy knocked her out fast asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. In the morning, I slipped out of bed before she could try to seduce me into changing my mind. It wouldn’t take much. I had a plan and I wanted to follow through.

All I needed was the opportunity.

I’d received a message from Alex. He’d found what he believed to be Sarge and Eric’s bodies. Well, he’d found what we wanted him to believe were their bodies. We’d removed their teeth prior to setting the cabin on fire. While I recovered, Hampton found two corpses of similar build and replaced the cadavers’ teeth with theirs.

It was amazing what we knew how to do from training at the Black Division. Heat destroyed organic material. There would be no trace as to who was left at the site after we were done.

Hampton staged it to where it appeared a small grenade went off, setting a chain reaction near a boat dock which was next to a tank of gasoline. They’d assume Eric and Sarge were in a standoff. Sarge would be a hero and Eric a traitor. The thought was foul, but it kept all of us out of the spotlight. We’d rigged the substitute corpses to only have a piece or two of the tooth survive so Black Division could extract mitochondrial DNA.

Once the identification was one hundred percent confirmed, it would be behind us. Alex hadn’t mentioned me coming back. I didn’t trust anyone, but I think it had been Sarge’s hidden agenda all along—not the Black Division. At least that was what seemed to be the case.

Time would tell, but they wouldn’t catch me unprepared this time.

Maren and I had some serious decisions to make. Hampton did too. One thing at a time. This thing with Alex needed to wrap up first.

The door creaked open. I took a deep breath as I readied myself to keep my dick in my pants. My body craved to be closer to Maren.
I’ll have her and the baby in my life if I do this right … forever.

Taking a sip of coffee, I turned and spewed it out, choking. “Fuck!” Maren dropped her towel, revealing her body.

Hurt flashed across her eyes as she scrambled to pick up the towel. Her emotions were all over the place lately. Quickly, I sat the cup of coffee down and went to Maren. “Angel, you look breathtakingly gorgeous. I wasn’t expecting it.”

“Why don’t you want me?”

Keep control of the situation, Bane.
The desire was evident in her eyes. She needed pleasure. “I want you more than you know. I’ve whacked off more times than I can count to thinking about you in the shower.”

“Then take me.”

“Not yet, but I’ll pleasure you, angel. I know you have needs.” I ran my hands down her neck and she leaned back. If I took her to the bedroom, I wouldn’t have the willpower to survive. Gently, I coaxed Maren to the edge of the couch. She braced herself with her arms.

With my left hand wrapping around the back of her neck, she leaned back. I trailed my free right hand down her sternum. Her legs moved together. It wouldn’t take much to send her over the edge. Her nipples beaded as I brushed over them with my fingertips.

Hell, I was going to need five cold showers after this. I leaned down and sucked one beaded point into my mouth as my hand glided down her stomach. There was a small bump. Her body was changing. I knew it intimately and fucking loved it.

My hand dipped inside her wet folds and Maren arched, putting more weight on my forearm. “Don’t make me wait, Bane. I’ve needed this for a while.”

I felt guilty for ignoring her needs, but knew the end result would be worth the torture for us. My thumb pushed against her clit, eliciting an erotic moan as I felt her wetness. Maren was past ready as warmth radiated from her. I massaged her walls as they tightened around me while giving her nipples little bites. She was more sensitive than normal and responded to my touch.

Touching her just right, she arched and cried out as her orgasm took over. She was beautiful with the soft glow that emanated from her. Sagging, she languidly opened her eyes. “Best orgasm ever.”

I chuckled, knowing I could do better than that, but didn’t want to stoke the fire for my own sake. Giving her a quick kiss, I whispered against her lips. “I’m sorry I’ve neglected you.”

Maren kissed me. I wanted to take her over the couch and drill her into it. She was getting closer to accepting I was in this for the right reasons, but she wasn’t there … yet. I pulled back. “We need to leave in about twenty minutes to make it to the doctor.”

“Give me one more. I’ll hurry.”

There was no denying my angel as I touched her. My heart knew I felt more than I’d ever felt before.

In the hospital gown, Maren looked around the room. I hadn’t been in a girlie doctor’s office before. The place was filled with fake model vaginas and ovaries. I mean, what the fuck? No wonder there were guys in this field. Hands in pussies and surrounded by all this shit. It was a bachelor’s walking wet dream.

I’d made sure we saw a female doctor. There was no way in hell some asshole was touching Maren. No fucking way. There was no doubt I’d snap his neck.

Excitedly, Maren asked, “Are you ready to hear the heartbeat?” I’d never heard one before.

I swallowed hard. “I am.”

Maren grabbed my hand. “It’s going to be okay.”

All the time, I imagined different scenarios that would take her and the baby from me.

The door opened and a middle-aged female doctor walked in. “Hello, I’m Doctor Kelly Chase. How are you doing, Mrs. Childers?”

Maren glanced to me worried. I gave her an easy smile, remembering I’d forgotten to tell her I’d registered her under her alias, Kendra Childers.

She relaxed. “I’m good. I’ve been tired, but that seems to be normal. Two weeks ago I saw a doctor in a town we were visiting for spotting. He said that it was normal and not to worry unless it happened again.”

Doctor Chase made a few notes. “Has it?”

“No. Everything seems normal. I’m taking my prenatal vitamins and folic acid.”

“Perfect.” The doctor flipped through all the paperwork Maren filled out. “Everything looks good on your charts you provided. Let’s hear the heartbeat and check out everything. Are you ready?”

Emphatically, Maren answered, “Yes! I’ve been waiting for this appointment anxiously.”

Maren gave me a glorious smile. The doctor instructed Maren to lean back. I stayed near Maren’s head and held her hand. The doctor checked Maren’s cervix. Yeah, there was no way I could have survived this with a man. Withdrawing, the doctor took off her gloves. “Everything seems right on track for seven weeks. Let’s listen to the baby.”

My heart caught in my throat as I waited to hear the sound of another life I’d been part of creating. A little goo was added to Maren’s stomach. A little microphone-type thing was held to her stomach. After a few different positions, a whooshing sound came through the little speakers. “That’s the heartbeat.”

That was my baby. My baby was alive. My baby was real. I hadn’t let myself fully embrace it all. I wanted a life with Maren and this child more than anything.

Tears formed in Maren’s eyes as she looked at me. “That’s our baby. We created this, Bane.”

“I know, angel. It’s perfect.”

The doctor positioned it again and again. A frown forming on her forehead. I went on high alert, but tried to stay outwardly calm as Maren turned toward the speakers, listening to the thrumming sound of the heart. The doctor spoke. “I want to do an ultra sound. Let me go check with the nurse to get you squeezed in while you get dressed.”

“What’s wrong, Doctor Chase?” Maren caught on to the doctor’s tone.

Doctor Chase gave Maren a comforting smile. “There’s nothing wrong. I’m picking up an echo on the heart and want a better look.”

My heart plummeted. I knew this was too good to be true. There was something wrong. Maren’s lip quivered after the doctor left. I had to be strong for her. “Angel, let’s wait to see what the doctor has to say. She wants to check it out. Let’s get dressed.”

She nodded and I helped her back into her clothes. The doctor popped back in the room. “The nurse is able to fit you in if you’re ready.”

Grabbing her purse, I followed Maren out. She rubbed her stomach and I saw her lips moving, no doubt talking to the baby. It hit me, this was my moment. I put my hand on Maren’s shoulder stopping her. “Doctor, I need a second if you don’t mind.”

The doctor glanced back at me. “Is something wrong?”

Was something wrong? Yes, there was something potentially wrong. I tried to have faith, but it was hard as the name connected me straight to the memory of my child who hadn’t made it.

“I need to speak to Kendra for a minute. It’ll be quick.” I’d nearly slipped and said Maren’s name.

The doctor opened up a door on the side, revealing another exam room. I brought Maren in and closed the door to give us privacy. “Bane, what are you doing?”

“I need to tell you this one thing before we go in there.”

“What?” I could tell Maren was aggravated and wanted to get the ultra sound.

This was my moment. I grabbed her shoulders making sure I had her full attention. “Maren, regardless of what the doctor says or finds I want you—all of you. This isn’t because of the baby. I need you to know whatever they tell us, I’m not letting you go. I was a fool for trying to keep you away the last day at the cabin.”

Maren cried and grabbed onto me. “I don’t ever want you to let me go.”

My heart burst as I finally got the girl I wanted. I was never letting her go regardless of what happened.

A light knocked rapped on the door. “Mrs. Childers, we’ll lose the spot if we don’t go now to the ultra sound room.”