Initiation (Gypsy Harts #1) (14 page)

“We’ll take one of those,” Stone spoke up at the outbuildings were mentioned. All heads turned their way. “I want my woman and my family with me. Just us.”

There were a few chuckles as people assumed what that likely meant, and right then and there he kissed her hot and deep, staking his claim in front of everyone right there on the porch.

Oakley kissed him back. There was no option to resist it. Her body reacted with equal enthusiasm, her hands twisting up in his hair as he did the same to her.

“We should start getting shit settled,” Harley muttered, and even as wrapped up in Stone as she was Oakley could hear the laughter in his voice. “Except for Stone. I think he’s preoccupied.”

Stone parted their mouths, eyes on hers as he answered. “Give us half an hour. I need to tell her I missed her.”

Then she was swept up in his arms and carried through the doorway with knowing male laughter and wolf whistles following them.

“Which way?” he growled, and her body clenched.

“Upstairs, to the left, end of the hall,” she whispered, tightening her arms around his neck and studying his face closely. He was beautiful, absolutely perfect. And he all but ran up the stairs two at a time, even while holding her. In the bedroom she’d woken up in he kicked the door shut then set her on her feet, pulling at his jacket buttons while lowering his face for another kiss.

Oakley helped him with the jacket, his T-shirt, boots and pants. Then he undressed her. It was fast and urgent but she loved watching him pull at her clothes, careful not to tear anything while his eyes ate up the sight of her as each bit was revealed.

When they were both blissfully naked he backed her to the foot of the bed, causing her to fall back. She scurried up to the pillows, giggling as he crawled on all fours towards her, stalking like a large cat, his shoulder and arm muscles rolling with each movement.

He loomed over her, gaze still greedy as it drank her in. Then he put his hand to her stomach again, stilling somewhat as he brushed that rough palm over her skin.

Oakley watched him, his expression now amazed and reverent as he kissed her stomach again and again, smothering it with love. It was sweet, tender, and enough contact that she was fully charged between her thighs and wanting more of him.

“Stone,” she whispered. “Please. It’s been too long.”

His eyes looked up at her, mouth still pressing soft touches on her tummy. He was grinning as he did it, and her legs writhed against each other.

“Please,” she repeated, no more than a breath.

He surged up to kiss her, pressing her head back into the pillows, tongue stroking along hers with a fantastically promising way. When his weight lowered onto her she opened her legs and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, nails scratching over his hot skin.

Her stomach wasn’t even a consideration. His knees drew up alongside her hips, parting her legs further and he slid into her on one long push, not rough, taking his time, but she stopped kissing him just to groan, eyes rolling back in her head.

So perfect. She’d missed him so much, and she’d only had this for two nights.

“Jesus, Oakley,” he groaned, pulling out and pushing in a bit harder.

She opened her eyes. His neck tendons were straining, jaw tight, eyes pressed shut. The sight was thrilling; visual evidence she affected him like he did her.

“You don’t have to be gentle,” she told him, biting her lip when his eyes flew open and burned into hers. “I can take it.”

He was worried about the baby; she could see it in his face.

“Nothing will happen,” she assured him, cupping his cheek with one hand. “The baby’s not very big yet. And he’s got plenty of cushioning.”

Stone’s eyes ran down her torso. “Not that much, Little One. Looks like you ate half a volleyball whole.”

She giggled, which had a fun effect on the part of her body that clenched him tightest. His eyes flared, and she stopped. “It’s okay,” she said, firmer this time.

Barely before the words were out of her mouth she was gasping, head flinging back again as he thrust into her, drew out and thrust again in the time it took to blink.

He pulled her right leg up, pressing it into her chest. She smiled, then whimpered as he slammed into her again. This was as deep as he could physically get, and every inch was welcomed and appreciated.

“Fuck,” he was grunting, eyes closed again. “Fuck. Fuck, Oakley. Fuck.”

She could watch him do this all day. He was gorgeous as he fucked her with abandon. So raw, primitive. She liked him sweet as well, to be clear, but she was missing him just as much, and this is exactly what they both needed.

The headboard slammed into the wall. The springs creaked like a rusty wheel. And when she came she added to the cacophony with an outright scream, her nails digging deep into Stone’s arms as he bellowed along with her.

He let her leg down and dropped to his elbows, keeping his weight off her as he kissed her again. Softly now, gently.  His fingers ran through her hair, which felt marvelous, and her body still twitched around his erection.

Oakley let her fingers trace over his back, smiling when he shivered from it.

He brought his head up to smile down on her. “You’re having my baby.”

She giggled again. “I am.”

“Holy shit,” he whispered, smile slipping.

Hers did the same. “Yeah. Scary, huh?”

“Terrifying. But I’m not going anywhere.  I’m here. I’m yours, Little One. I’m taking care of you and the little tyke too.”

“We’re calling him the bean at the moment.”

His smile was charmed. “Bean?”

“Yeah. They’re kinda shaped like beans.”

Stone slipped free of her, going for his T-shirt and cleaning himself from her. She didn’t know why she loved that so much, but she did. That task done he returned to bed, crowding her on the double mattress as he pulled the sheet over them again. She didn’t care how small the bed was. He was a cuddler, and apparently so was she.

“I’m sorry you’ve been alone this long. I wish we’d come back sooner.”

Oakley shrugged, tucking her hair into his chest and smiling as the bit of chest hair he had tickled her nose. “You didn’t know. I certainly didn’t.”

“How can this even happen?”

“We were both underground when the bombs dropped, and we stayed that way for a little while.”

“Hmm.” His big hands ran over her back, and she couldn’t help but wiggle like a happy puppy. “So strange that Jo didn’t know.”

“She did. She sent me to you that first night.”

His hand stilled. “She did?”

“Yeah.” Oakley shrugged, indifferent. “I was attracted to you anyway. It likely would have happened no matter what.”

“I wish she’d told me. Maybe we could have stayed, then we would have been there when Jasper and those fucking Madmen attacked.” His arms tightened around her. “I could fucking kill that guy with my bare hands.”

She closed her eyes, letting him rage a little bit. “I could, too,” she agreed. “He kept Em. She gave herself up to get him to let me and Billie go. But once he saw the baby he looked…possessive.”

“Asshole,” Stone growled. “He’d want to knock you up, keep you around for breeding.”

“Yeah, he pretty much said that.”

“Not going to touch you. I’ll rip his arms out the next time he’s close enough to reach.”

Oakley pushed up to one elbow, bringing her face closer to his. “He said he was underground, too. What did he mean?”

Stone blinked, licked his lips and rolled to his back, eyes on the ceiling. Then he pulled her down, tucking her into his side. “He was in prison, too. We were both in solitary when they dropped. I was with him for a while, so was Harley. But…I don’t know. He lost his fucking mind. I mean, he was in prison for rape but no one’s guilty in prison, you know? We were all framed. But he’s the only one I ever knew to proudly admit what he’d done.” Stone swallowed, glaring up at the ceiling. “He kept a sixteen-year-old girl locked in the truck of his car while he went on a one-man crime spree. He’s…he’s a fucking lunatic. It scares me he found so many people willing to follow him.”

She shuddered at that. “Me, too.”

“He’s not touching you or the bean. Not if I have anything to say about it.”

Oakley closed her eyes, listening to the steady thump of his heart. “Okay.”

“What are we naming the bean?”

She smiled. “I don’t know. I haven’t been thinking that far ahead.”

“Well, it’s been…what? Five months? Four to go?”

“I’m about halfway through,” she agreed.

“We need to think about these things. For a girl, can we call her Sophia?”

She thought that over. “I like that. It’s pretty.”

“That was my sister’s name,” he said softly, playing with her hair. “And if it’s a boy?”

“Stone Junior?”

He laughed at that. “Not my real name, Little One. And Martin Junior is fucking lame.”

She went up on an elbow again, incredulous. “Your real name is Martin?”

He put his finger on his nose. “You tell anyone that and I’ll tickle you until you piss yourself.”

She made a face. “That sounds gross for the both of us.”

He pulled her back into position under his arm. “If it’s a boy…I think we should call him Adam.”

Oakley fell still. “You’re assigning biblical significance to this?”

“Why not, Little One? The world is kind of new again, isn’t it? And I thought this was impossible. I thought we were all just surviving out of stubbornness. Not because there was a chance of…you know. Continuing bloodlines.”

Oakley swallowed. “I like the name Adam.”

Stone kissed the top of her head. “You’re so agreeable. I hope you stay like this.”

She smiled again. “If you stay sweet like this, I promise to be agreeable.”

“Sweet?”

“You’re being sweet. Adorable, actually.”

Oakley was flung to her back suddenly with a startled gasp, then Stone was on her again, growling, “Not sweet, Little One. I ain’t sweet.’

She giggled again. “You are. I’m sorry to tell you this, but you really are.”

“I’m a nasty bastard. I’ll prove it.”

And he did. Two more times.

Chapter Eleven

The farmhouse made for close and cozy quarters. No one seemed to mind though, especially as the temperatures plunged as predicted. The first time it snowed Oakley thought it was beautiful. After four feet of the stuff fell in one night she was over it.

On the coldest nights everyone slept in the main room with the fire burning warm and bright. They all huddled close to each other, sharing mattresses and sofa cushions and blankets. As far as the needs of libido, it was dealt with in the outbuildings. Quick trysts before bundling back up and hiking to the house through the snow. Some of the women seemed fine with being doubled up on, so that helped even out numbers somewhat.

All space was shared space. On the milder nights a few people would opt to sleep in the tents the Young Bloods had set up in the yard. A fire in an oil drum and it could actually get quite warm.

But Oakley never had to worry about that. Stone had claimed a work shop to be their “home,” and while it wasn’t spacious it had a wood stove of its own. A bed and a few tables and it was all theirs. No one bothered them and they were able to spend many, many hours along together, getting to know each other.

To Oakley it felt like a honeymoon, even if she was pregnant.

He fussed over her to almost suffocating levels. It took days to convince him she was capable to walking and helping with meals and cooking. He wanted her on bed rest all the time. At the end of the day she
was
tired though, so having him carry out her every whim was enjoyable.

Spirits seemed high in spite of all that had happened. The only one not enjoying the new home was Jo. Oakley knew she felt guilty, as though it was her fault for not “seeing” the attack and doing more to prevent it. Which was preposterous. No one blamed her. Everyone was just thankful to be where they were.

May worked hard to keep her lover smiling, but it was wearing on her, too.

The bean decided that it had to arrive early. Oakley was thirty-two weeks pregnant when she was ripped from sleep by crippling pain, cramps the likes of which she’d never imagined in her entire life. She tried to assure Stone it was nothing since it was too soon, but when her water broke there was no denying that the time had come.

He wasn’t a neurotic mess or a pain in the ass. He was actually wonderful.

Immediately he headed for the house to get help. Without Em, there were no experienced medical personnel, but Gavin Blood had been in the military as a medic. He was the closest thing to a doctor they had.

Before, Oakley had been sure she didn’t want this man anywhere near her while she delivered her baby. He was handsome in that same gritty, manly, lumberjack way they all were. His gray eyes were piercing, but as he came into their little hut and assessed her Oakley settled immediately. He was calm, she could be too.

His first comment was that this was a bit different from what he’d had to deal with on the battlefield, though. Then he told her about the time he’d been in a small village somewhere in Afghanistan and delivered a baby when locals had brought a woman to the American soldiers who had moved in. The hospital had been destroyed in an air strike and there was nowhere else to take her, so he’d attended while this complete stranger gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

“I need more light,” he mumbled, setting a pot on the wood stove. Water sloshed out and hit the iron, sizzling. “I need to see how dilated she is.”

Stone’s face showed
his
level of discomfort with that statement. She took his hand, shaking it. “Get him a lantern,” she told him. “It’s fine. He needs to see when the bean’s coming.”

At the mention of the bean he snapped out of it and headed back to the house for a lantern.

When he was gone Gavin offered a sympathetic smile. “This is going to be uncomfortable.”

Oakley shook her head and added Stone’s pillow to the pile behind her shoulders. “The baby’s coming no matter what. Modesty isn’t going to help that.”

Gavin patted her knee. “Good girl. Do you know how far apart the contractions are?”

She shook her head. “I don’t have a watch.”

“It’s okay.” He pulled a chain out of his pocket. At the end dangled a pocket watch. “These still work,” he mumbled, giving it a couple good cranks to get it ticking.

When Stone was back with the lantern her contractions were three minutes apart, and closing quickly. Jo appeared along with Coral, ready to help if Gavin needed them. They each took one of her hands, and Stone climbed into bed behind her. He let her lean into his chest, and he was better than any pillow. He rubbed her back and shoulders as the labor progressed, letting her squeeze his hand or leg as hard as she needed to.

“You can yell, honey,” Jo assured her once she shook through a particularly intense contraction. She actually thought she felt one of Jo’s fingers break. “If it helps, just yell.”

Oakley nodded, her head falling back to Stone’s shoulder. She was covered in sweat, she felt as though she must be absolutely dripping with it.

“It’s hot,” she mumbled. “Can’t we put out the fire?”

“When this is done you’ll cool down fast Little One,” Stone assured her, kissing her temple. “We’ll leave it on I think. I want it warm in here for the bean.”

Yes, that made sense. But his calm logic was the slightest bit annoying.

The next contraction hit again, and it arched her back.

“Shit,” Stone mumbled and Gavin looked up at him. “How much longer does she have to put up with this?

“It’s coming fast,” Gavin replied, voice tight. He disappeared under the blanket over Oakley’s bent legs. “She’s dilated.”

The pain was like nothing she would have expected. It actually seemed to part her from her body somehow. She focused on the thought of the bean coming into the world, but as it got worse even that was too much effort. She was weak, floppy, and weeping. Everyone else was positioning her, holding her up, squeezing her hand, shouting for her to push. Push what? She had no fucking idea how to do what they were asking.

Then it hit. She
had
to push, there was no choice. With a mighty scream she was suddenly bearing down, realizing Stone had her right on the edge of the mattress. Her feet were on Gavin’s shoulders and she was pressing on them, too. But Gavin held tight, his attention rapt on something tearing its way out of her.

That’s what it felt like. There was a horrible ripping feeling, and as much as it hurt it was a relief. Something passed out of her, she felt the slide of it, then the need to push was gone. She collapsed into Stone’s hold as the sound of crying rang through the room.

A tiny little person, screaming their lungs out.

“Oh my God.” She heard Stone say that, and she tilted her head on his shoulder to look at his profile. He was staring down her body, so she decided she had to look, too.

Gavin was rising up on his knees, putting something shiny and wriggling on her stomach. It was a baby. Its little wrinkled arms and legs were jerking around, that entire little body shaking. She could hear in its plaintive wail that the poor little thing was cold.

She wanted to reach for the goopy, shrieking body, but it was still attached to her. She watched Jo hand Gavin scissors from the pot of water that had been moved from the top of the woodstove to floor. He was reaching for the umbilical cord, then he looked up to Stone.

“You should do this,” he said, holding up the scissors.

Oakley felt Stone shake his head. “No. N-no, you do it. I’m shaking, man.”

With a grin Gavin snipped the cord and tied it off. Then he handed the little thing over to Coral who was using a wet cloth to wipe all the goop off its skin.

“I need to stitch her up,” Gavin was saying, taking more items from Jo. “It’ll take about four stitches.”

“Do what you need to,” Oakley croaked out, eyes on the baby now being wrapped in a soft blanket.

“It’s a boy,” Coral said, voice breaking as she handed the baby over to Oakley.

Her arms were weak but she took the bean anyway, finding her strength as soon as the little crinkled face came into view. She pulled the blanket back a bit, smiling as he pulled a face and let out another wail.

Stone’s big hand cupped his head, rubbing over the blanket. “Holy shit.”

She had to chuckle. “Watch the language in front of the baby.”

They just stared at him, amazed by everything about him. She barely noticed that Gavin had done anything to her. He just suddenly announced he was done, and that Stone had to “leave her alone for at least six weeks.”

Neither acknowledged anyone else until Jo suggested she change her clothes since they were soaked. Gavin left, Stone held the baby as the girls helped her out of her soaked shirt and into a nightgown that was clean and wonderfully cool. They also changed the sheets, carrying away all the soiled bedclothes and leaving her and Stone to get acquainted with their son.

Stone settled him back in her arms once she was sitting up in bed, crouching next to her. He had the same look on his face he’d had when he’d first seen her pregnant. Mouth open, eyes wild and bewildered, but she knew now it was a happy look for him.

“Hi,” she whispered to her son, smiling as he tried to open his eyes then gave up.

“He’s perfect, isn’t he?” Stone whispered, rubbing the baby’s head again.

“I think so. I haven’t counted toes yet.”

The baby yawned.

“So … Adam then?”

Oakley smiled. “Yeah, Adam.”

“Can he have my last name?”

Oakley’s breath caught, and she felt tears again. In a small voice she asked, “Can we both have your last name?”

Stone’s eyes came to hers suddenly. “You want that?”

“Yes.”

His smile was, as usual, beautiful. “Of course you can have my name, Little One.” He straightened to kiss her temple. “Now what?”

She laughed, looking down at Adam again. “I have no idea”

Stone scratched his head. “Think he’s hungry?”

She wanted to cry again. “I have no idea. Oh my God, what do we do?”

“Hey, hey.” He heard the hysteria in her voice and sat on the bed next to her. “If we feed him he’ll shit eventually. Should I get one of those diaper things for him? While I do that, you count his toes. Okay?”

Oakley nodded, turning the bundle to rest on her thighs. She carefully unwrapped her son, smiling as he fussed again. He must be tired. They were keeping him awake.

In one hand she grasped his foot, seeing all five toes and sighing. So perfect. The other foot, ditto. Ten fingers, too.

“How is he?”

“Perfect.”  She took the square of cotton he’d held out to her and lifted Adam’s feet to slide it under his little butt.

“He’s got the ass of an old man.”

“Be quiet! He’s perfect.”

Stone laughed, sliding onto the mattress next to her. “Look at his equipment, though. That’s bigger than usual, isn’t it?”

“I don’t think so.”

“No, my son is packing a higher caliber than most.”

Oakley was laughing, trying to tuck the diaper into place. “Don’t talk like that. That is so twisted.”

“I’m just proud, and I’m just saying that those are my genes.”

She shook her head, wrapping Adam back up in his receiving blanket. He sighed as she settled him back against her breast.

Stone stretched out next to her on top of the covers, resting his head on her shoulder, hand on her lap. “We made a baby, Little One.”

She smiled down at him, then kissed his forehead before looking back to her son. “Yeah. Good job, by the way.”

He shrugged, grinning. “No sweat.” Then he patted her leg. “How are you? Can I get you anything?”

She was hurting, absolutely. It felt like a train had been driven right through her. But that was background noise as she stared down at Adam, who was fussing and making noises of consternation again.

“He’s hungry,” she guessed, futzing with the neck of the nightgown one-handed. There was a twinge in her breast as Adam began crying outright.

“Here.” Stone helped her get the oversized gown unfastened. The shoulder had plenty of give, and he pulled the fabric down to bear one breast. She fit her son to her nipple and he immediately latched on.

Oakley laughed softly. “Well, he figured that out.”

“Again, that’s my son.” Stone kissed her forehead. “He knows he’s got the good stuff.”

Stone had to pry Adam away from her once he’d fallen asleep. There was a small cradle next to the bed, and he nestled their son inside. The baby didn’t wake.

She was in so much pain she didn’t think she would sleep, but as Stone pulled into his embrace she quickly lost consciousness and drifted into sleep.