Hostage (Predators MC #3) (29 page)

“When you have the piercings back in, we’ll call it even.” Penni flicked his nipple.

Jackal slid the teddy straps off her shoulders. “You’ve lost weight.”

“I’ll gain it back. Lily is coming for a visit. She’s a good cook.”

He hoisted her farther up the bed so he could get a better view in the mirror on the ceiling.

“Shade coming?”

Jackal groaned when she trailed her mouth down his abs to his dick that was so hard it was reaching toward his belly button.

“Mmm-hmm. So are my parents and most of The Last Riders.”

“What’s the occasion?” Jackal raised himself onto his elbows to look down at her sucking the head of his cock into her mouth.

She lifted her mouth off him to raise her head, staring into his eyes. “I thought we could get married.”

“You’re asking me to marry you while you’re giving me a blowjob?”

She gave him a trembling smile. “I thought it would be harder to say no.”

“God, I love you.”

She gave a shaky laugh. “Is that a yes?”

“It’s a big fucking hell yes.”

Penni straddled his legs then reached under her crotch to unsnap her teddy.

“I always wondered how bitches did that.”

Fascinated, he watched as Penni tugged it over her head, tossing it over her shoulder. Then he lost what mind he had left when she slipped her palm up his cock, taking it into her mouth.

“Every night I went to sleep, I imagined your mouth on me.” Unconsciously, Jackal’s hand went to his side, clenching the coverlet in his grip.

She took him to the back of her throat as she fondled his balls.

He wanted to jerk her down to the bed and thrust into her balls deep, but he sensed she wanted him in her control. She’d had no control when he had left her, so she needed to regain her power in their relationship, and Jackal let her have it. She deserved more for what he had put her through.

Her little nipples grew taut, flushing as her excitement grew. When she moaned, Jackal couldn’t take another second.

He rolled her back to the bed, sliding his legs between hers. Plastering his mouth to hers, he figured, if he was going to drown, she was going down with him.

He slid his cock into her weeping pussy an inch at a time. It was like taking one piece of her at a time.

At first, her pussy was tight, but then it loosened as he moved, relaxing as excitement built, as he touched each of her contracting muscles. She trusted him to give her what she needed, to take the ascent they were both trying to reach.

Thrusting deeper, he put his mouth to her ear. “If I never have another moment on this earth, I want to spend the last with you like this: with my dick in you, giving my soul to you. You’re the only reason my heart is still beating.

“I rode across most of the United States and Mexico, just so I could come home and breathe again. Fade was killed, and Raul turned his gun on me. I wasn’t even afraid of dying, because I knew we would be together again. It might have taken years and years, but you would be with me again in eternity. I knew you would find me when it was your time to pass. You would hear me calling to you until you could find me.”

He thruster harder until he was pounding her into the bed, grasping the mattress so they wouldn’t fall to the floor.

“Penni … Penni … You’re my own Penni from Heaven.” His raw emotions lit a passionate fire in her that had Penni curling her legs around his, slamming her pussy up to take what she needed from him.

Jackal …
He heard her calling his name over and over without a sounding passing her lips. Their souls were claiming each other back, erasing the pain of the last six months and replacing it with a joy that would last through the lifetime that lay ahead of them.

When he could breathe again, he was able to focus on her face as they lay curled into each other, stroking the each other, unable to believe they were together again.

Jackal curled an arm over her shoulder, enjoying the serenity of the climax she had gave him and holding her close again.

He lifted one tired eyelid to see hers scrunched in worry. He hastily closed his eye, not wanting to know what was going through her mind.

Damn, he was tired … and Penni was obviously not.

When Jackal couldn’t ignore her jostling his shoulder anymore, he raised both of his eyelids to look at her.

“What?” he grumbled.

“We have to leave. Henry charges double on Friday nights.”

“I’ll pay for it. Go to sleep.” Jackal closed his eyes tightly, hoping she would take the hint.

“Uh … You promise you won’t be mad?”

Jackal opened his eyes.

“I had Ice place another bet for me, and I placed one for you, too. I thought it was a done deal. How could we lose?” She bit her bottom lip.

Any other time, he would give her something else besides her lip to nibble on. Right now, though, she had his undivided attention.

“I really thought it would take you longer to figure out where I was. Max won.”

“How much did you bet?”

“I only bet a hundred for myself,” she hastily told him.

“How much did you bet for me?”

“I knew you needed a new motorcycle, so I bet five hundred for you.”

Jackal sprang out of bed, shoving his head through the opening of his T-shirt. When he picked up his jeans, he quickly tossed Penni her clothes. “Get dressed.”

She climbed out of bed, clumsily getting dressed. “I’m so sorry. I mean, how could we lose?”

“You said that,” Jackal snapped, putting on his boots then helping Penni button her blouse.

“You’re mad,” she stated the obvious.

“It’s okay.” Jackal remembered the phone that had fallen to the floor, handing it to Penni. “You can make it up to me. I bet Max we would have more kids than him.”

Penni hurried across the room as Jackal opened the door. “Does the one I offered to be a surrogate for with Winter count?”

Jackal crashed into the doorjamb at her words. “No, it didn’t include …” He lowered his voice, seeing everyone in the room watching them. “We can talk about this later.”

“Okay, we’ll wait until you’re in a better mood.”

No matter how good of head she planned to give him, she was not going to convince him to let her have Viper’s baby.

“Jackal, I need to talk to you before you leave.” Henry said as he left the booth he and Sherri were sitting at.

“Can it wait?”

“You need to pay for the room. If I let you get away with it, then the other employees will expect it, too.”

“I already paid!” Penni exclaimed.

“Your card was declined.”

“I have another card.” She began to open her purse.

“The credit card company told me to cut it up. They said the cardholder had closed your account.”

Penny pouted. “Shade closed my account?”

Jackal ground his teeth. After reaching for his wallet and taking out a card, he gave it to Henry who walked away happily with it in his greedy hand.

“You’ve been using it every time we rent Henry’s rooms?” Jackal spoke out of the corner of his mouth to keep from yelling at her.

“He said it had to be an emergency when I used it.”

“Remind me why I want to marry you.” Jackal commented as they walked out of the club after he had put his card back in his wallet, the sunlight hitting his bloodshot eyes.

“That hurts.” Penni put her hand dramatically across her heart. She looked at the row of cars parked in front of the strip club. “Where’s Grace’s car?”

“Your car’s not here?”

“No, Grace dropped me off. My car’s in the shop.”

Jackal mumbled something under his breath.

“What did you say?” Penni tilted her head toward him.

“Nothing.”

Jackal called Ice, moving them into the shade so he could see.

“It won’t take him long to get here,” she soothed, patting his arm.

“You’re going to make this up to me … a lot.”

“Yes, Jackal,” she answered submissively. “You don’t happen to have a spare key to my condo, do you? I forgot to take it off my key ring when I dropped the key off this morning.”

Jackal was afraid to answer her question, seeing spots dancing in his vision.

The door to the Purple Pussycat opened, and a man his age came out, seeing Penni standing by his side.

“Didn’t I see you come out of there?” The drunk winked at her.

“Mind your own damn business,” she snapped.

“Bitch, I have a stick bigger than he has—”

The man’s head hit the brick wall.

“Do not call me a bitch!”

Jackal grabbed her around the waist.

“I’m calling the police.” The man whined, trying to find his cell phone.

“Here, take mine.” Jackal handed him his cell phone, listening as he called the police.

“Why did you do that? They’ll arrest me.” Penni looked around, trying to find a place to hide.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll tell them I did it. He’s so drunk they’ll believe anything I tell them. Call Henry and tell him to destroy the video of the front door.”

“I’m not going to let you go to jail for me,” Penni protested, but she did call Henry to destroy the tape. “Why are you doing this? We still have time to get away; Ice just pulled up.”

Jackal refused to budge, waving down the police car as it approached.

“Ice can bail me out in the morning after I get a good night’s sleep.”

“What happened?” Ice asked, getting out of the car. “You want me to handle …?”

When the cops got out of their cruiser, they pinned Jackal against the wall with Penni screeching at them to let him go.

“I’ll get his paperwork started while you find out what happened,” The officer that arrested him shouted as they led Jackal toward his cruiser.

Feeling grateful, he sank back into the leather seat, exhausted. He watched Ice try to pull Penni toward his car, but she refused to budge from where she was listening to the drunk tell his story to the other police officer.

Jackal was worried she was going to get herself arrested if she didn’t back off the drunk. When the officer trying to take his statement gave Penni a warning, she finally relented, going to Ice’s car. Then he saw Penni slip the drunk’s wallet into her purse before flicking the drunk off as she climbed inside.

Jackal began laughing so hard the cop in the front seat turned to stare at him over his shoulder.

“You better not vomit in my car!”

Jackal wiped his tears of laughter on the arms of his T-shirt. “I’m going to marry that woman.”

“
R
eady
?” Jackal asked as he waited impatiently by the open door.

“No, I’ve changed my mind. I can’t do this.” Stubbornly, Penni shook her head.

Jackal sighed, shutting the door then striding across the floor. He crouched down in front of the chair she was sitting on. “Babe, it’s too late to change your mind.”

“Quit saying that.” Penni heard the edge of hysteria in her own voice, but the fear that was pushing her down wouldn’t let her get to her feet.

“We’ve been through it before. It’s … too … late.”

Penni started crying. Did he have to say that?

“Okay, okay. Quit crying. It tears my soul apart when you cry.”

“Give me a couple days, and then I’ll be able to do it,” Penni pleaded.

“Everyone is already waiting: your parents, Shade, Lily—hell, even all the Predators are there except Max.”

Penni’s head fell back on the chair. She stared up at the ceiling, counting the seconds between contractions. When she could she lifted her head again, she said, “Tell him about losing his bet. I’m never having another baby.”

“Yes, you will. It’s just nerves—”

“That’s easy for you to say!” she snapped. “These contractions are fucking painful!”

“Then let’s go. If my baby is born here instead of at the hospital, I’m going to be pissed.”

“This is all your fault!”

“You’re the one who kept forgetting to take the pills. I kept telling you I would use a condom until you were ready to have a baby.”

“If you joke one more time that I’ll misplace the baby, so help me God, I’m going to cut off your dick.”

“I was teasing you. You’re going to make a wonderful mother.” Jackal brushed her tears away.

“See? The contractions have stopped. It was only a false alarm.”

Jackal stared at her doubtfully. “I think we should go to the hospital just to make sure.”

“All right. Just so you’ll feel better.”

“Thank you.” Jackal helped her to her feet, and Penni waddled to the front door with him on her heels.

Jesus, did he think she would run upstairs and lock herself in their bedroom? That was tempting, but the fact that Jackal could outrun her was disheartening.

His helping her as she lowered herself into the front seat of the car lifted a tiny bit of the fear that had been escalating since she had found out she was pregnant. Jackal then started the car before backing out to the street. As he made a left, he drove past the lake, coming to a stop at the stop sign. The ducks and swans glided across the water, impervious to what was going on inside the car.

When Jackal would have made the turn that led them to the hospital, Penni reached out to stop him.

“Look,” she said softly. Two swans swam next to each other, their necks arching together, coming together to look like a heart. “It’s a sign.”

“Sure it is, babe. Can I go now?”

“Yes.” Penni felt the last of her fear slide away. “Everything is going to be okay. I can feel it.”

Jackal smiled. “I’ve been saying that for the nine months.”

Yes, he had been telling her, but she hadn’t believed it until now.

The contractions began again, but she didn’t tell him, not wanting to distract him from driving.

It was a relief to pull up to the emergency entrance. She wasn’t able to wiggle out of the car before he was back with a wheelchair. Thankfully Jackal hadn’t listened to her, and her doctor was standing by, waiting for her.

Another contraction hit as she was wheeled away. Jackal was by her side as she was rushed to the birthing room. The sight of the bed would have had her in hysterics if she hadn’t seen the sign the swans had gifted to her.

“Get her hooked up to the monitors, STAT,” her doctor ordered.

Penni was in too much pain to realize the room was filling up with nurses and technicians.

When she caught a glimpse of Jackal’s face, she tried to ease his worry. “I’m fine.”

He only nodded, moving out of the way so the doctor could work.

Penni held out her hand to him, feeling him take it in his.

“We can do this.” Penni gave him a trembling smile.

“No more. One is enough.”

“We’ll see.” Penni tried to arch up as the pain radiated through her body. “My chest is hurting.” She began gasping for air as the shrill scream of the monitors filled the room.

Penni saw the fear on Jackal’s face as she began to lose consciousness.

“No … Don’t you fucking dare take your eyes off of me! Penni … Penni!”

* * *

W
as
he ever going to shut up? She was sleepy; why wouldn’t he stop?

She tried to search for the warm, soothing abyss where she could hide from the pain, but he wouldn’t let her. If he knew how badly it hurt, he would leave her alone.

She tried to tell him to let her sleep, but he wouldn’t listen. Over and over, he called her name, and Penni couldn’t make him stop. Then, when she heard the sound of his voice again, she didn’t want to. She quit struggling to return to the warm abyss, trying to find his voice, instead. She couldn’t stand hearing him in so much agony. She would gladly wake if that was what it took to end his suffering.

When he didn’t respond, she realized he couldn’t hear her. Then she could barely hear him, and the warm abyss was gone. Taking its place was total darkness, and she couldn’t find her way out.

She wanted to give up. Multiple layers kept her from reaching Jackal, forcing her back under. His voice, which had been close, was becoming farther away. She was losing her battle to stay with him, with their child.

She wanted to cry but couldn’t, no longer even able to her own voice. She was about to give in, the pain too relentless. She felt her heart faltering one beat at a time, becoming fainter with each beat.

She stopped struggling to reach Jackal. It was useless …

His voice called her name again. That was when she remembered something Shade had taught her.

She listened to her heart, making herself take one breath at a time, forcing her heart to beat faster with each breath she took, not letting the lifeline float away. Little by little, she felt her faint heartbeat become stronger and stronger.

At first, she couldn’t see anything. Then she saw her husband’s face staring down at her.

“Don’t you dare leave me again.” His voice was so hoarse she could barely understand him.

She tried to talk but couldn’t.

“You can’t talk. There’s a tube in your throat. Stay, babe, stay with me.”

Penni gripped his hand, trying to tell him without words that she wasn’t going anywhere, but then she fell away again.

* * *

E
ach day
, she grew more coherent until the third day when she became alert to what was going on in the room.

Shade and Jackal were standing by the window, talking. She tried to tell them she was awake, but her throat was too sore.

“It was the doctor who saved her life. If she hadn’t recognized the symptoms of amniotic fluid embolism, Penni would have died. She said sixty-eighty percent of women who have that happen don’t live.” Jackal pressed his hand against his eyes. “If you hadn’t talked me into making Penni give up on using a midwife, she wouldn’t have made it.”

Jackal rubbed his face with both hands. “God, since the first time I met Penni, it’s like I’ve been chasing a rainbow before it disappears, trying to catch her with a butterfly net, because I was afraid she wouldn’t stay.”

“Do you know why I kept giving you hell when I found you didn’t call me about Hennessy?” Shade said, not waiting for his answer before continuing. “Whenever Penni was in town, she fussed about something you had done to piss her off: that you were doing the strippers, even how you look in your favorite dark navy shirt.

“You didn’t have to catch her with a net. I just wanted to make sure you deserved her. You took my shit and held your own. I couldn’t ask for any better for her, and I know Penni felt the same. The doctor may have saved her life, but you’re why she wanted to stay.”

Jackal gave a half-hearted chuckle. “Penni told me once she wanted to stay and smell the roses. She had already planned to stop touring with the band and stay home with the baby.”

“I know Penni. What can go wrong, usually does.” Shade turned toward the bed. “She’s awake.”

They moved to tower over her bed.

“I heard that.” She winced as the words came out.

Jackal raised her head, giving her a drink of water. “Better?”

Penni nodded, not ready to chance the pain returning by talking again.

Shade moved closer to the head of the bed, leaning down to brush a kiss across her forehead. His expression softened.

“You did good, butterfly.” Raising up, Shade put his mask firmly back into place before striding across the room to the door. “I’ll leave you alone for a minute. Then Mom and your dad want to see you.”

Her hand brushed her abdomen when she tried to sit up straight.

“The baby?” Memories struck her, and she tried to sit up, but Jackal placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Stay still. I’ll raise you up.” Jackal raised her bed slowly.

Penni’s eyes bulged at the pain in her chest and abdomen.

Shade gave her a shuttered look before leaving the room. “I’ll give you a few minutes before I let them come in.”

Was there a reason her brother had left so quickly? Penni wanted to scream at him to go get her baby, but as she opened her mouth, she saw Jackal go around her bed, bending over. Then he turned back to her again with a blanket against his chest.

Jackal held the baby to her, and Penni tenderly stared down at the tiny being who was sound asleep.

“He’s beautiful,” she whispered.

“
She’s
beautiful,” Jackal corrected.

“A girl … The sonogram said it was a boy.”

“Babe, when have you ever done what you’re supposed to?” Jackal chuckled.

“Are you sure she’s ours?” Penni ignored the pain in her throat and the rest of her body. She couldn’t believe the beautiful child was hers.

When she ran a caressing finger down her soft check, the baby lifted her curious eyes up to her. They were cerulean blue like hers. Then her little rosebud mouth curled into a twisted smile like Jackal’s.

“I’m sure.”