Monroe, Marla - The Edge of Night [The Protectors 3](Siren Publishing Classic) (8 page)

It must have been catching, because she grinned back despite the tears in her eyes.

“Deal?” he asked, holding out his hand.

“Deal.” She took his hand and shook it.

“Now, we need to eat. You haven’t had anything since the peanut butter and crackers back at lunchtime. I’m supposed to be feeding you better than that.” He swung her off his lap to the floor. He kept one hand on her waist to assure she had her footing before he let go.

“There’s a steak house about a block over. Do you feel like walking?” he asked as he stood up.

“Yeah, I need all the exercise I can get,” she assured him.

He checked the door and then led her down the street to the corner, where they turned and walked another half block to a rustic-looking building with a sign advertising the best fish and steak in the state. That had yet to be determined, she figured. The closer they walked, the less appetizing it smelt to her. Great, her stomach was going to rebel. Well, she refused to let it. She breathed through her mouth until they got inside and found the smell was less noticeable in the restaurant.

“What looks good to you?” Morgan asked as he looked over the two-page menu.

“I think the chicken fingers,” she said.

“That’s a child’s plate,” he fussed.

“I’m not really hungry. I can’t stomach a steak or fish, so chicken is the best that I can come up with.” She closed her menu and waited for him to argue.

“Okay, but you’re getting the adult size, and we’ll take the rest back to the room, and you can nibble on them when you get hungry again,” he told her.

“What makes you think I’m going to want something later?” He really knew too much about pregnancy.

“Because most pregnant women can only eat small amounts at a time and then are hungry again in thirty minutes, meaning the husband has to go out in the middle of the night to pick up something like a Big Mac or Baskin-Robbins ice cream.”

“Are you married, Morgan?” she asked, suddenly scared she’d slept with a married man.

His mouth worked, and he turned and looked away for a second. “No. I’m not. I’m a widower.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories. I…” She didn’t know what to say, so she just shut up and picked up her water to take a sip she didn’t want.

* * * *

Morgan cursed himself for handling that wrong. He should have just come out and explained to her what happened so she would understand, but he couldn’t for the life of him talk about her right then. Maybe later he would be able to. Yes, it had been over a year, and yes, he had lost some of the bitterness over it, but he wasn’t ready to share it with anyone else right then.

Thankfully the waitress chose that moment to show up and take their orders. He ordered a porterhouse steak medium in deference to her, in case the blood made her sick, and a baked potato. She ordered the chicken tenders, adult size, and French fries. Once the waitress was gone, the silence stretched between them. He felt like he should fill it with something, but couldn’t think of anything to talk about. As it was, she had something on her mind.

“Tell me about your friends we are going to be riding with.”

“Basically, they’re good guys. Some of them are a little rough around the edges, but you’ll get used to them. Just stay close to me. Um, they’re used to sharing,” he explained.

“Sharing? Like women?” she asked, wide-eyed.

“Yeah.”

“Have you shared women with them before?” she asked.

“Yeah, I have,” he admitted.

She didn’t say anything for a few seconds, then shook her head. “Well, I’m not going to be shared, so don’t even think about it.”

“Hell no, you’re not. You keep well away from everyone.” Just the idea of her talking to some of those guys bothered him. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to ride with them.

“So, do you trust them?” she asked, oblivious to his second thoughts.

“Yeah, for the most part. I’ll introduce you as my woman. That will keep them from bothering you.” Now where had that come from? Hell.

“You think we’ll be safer riding with a group than on our own, don’t you?”

“Yeah. I don’t think Guy would expect to find you in a biker gang. Just because most of these guys are weekend riders, he wouldn’t know that.”

“So, when do I get to meet them?” she asked.

She actually sounded a little excited, he realized. His wife had never wanted to go riding with him when he went on short trips with his friends. Once again he shook off thoughts of her and concentrated instead on the steak the waitress set in front of him. He took a bite and found it was delicious despite being a little more cooked then he liked it. He glanced across the table at Amanda and found her breaking apart a couple of the chicken tenders to let them cool. Then she bit delicately into a French fry and smiled.

“Good?” he asked with a smile.

“Hmm, really good.”

Once her chicken had cooled off some, she dipped a piece in the sauce they’d provided and made short work of about half of the chicken tenders. By the time he’d finished his steak, she was finished and watching him.

“What is it? Do I have something on my face?” He took his napkin and proceeded to clean his face.

She laughed a delighted laugh and shook her head. “No, silly. I’m just watching you enjoy that steak. You’d think you hadn’t had one in years.”

“What can I say? I like to eat.”

“You didn’t say when I could meet your friends,” she persistently asked.

“You’ll meet them tomorrow sometime. We should catch up with them around two or three tomorrow afternoon.” He wasn’t as enthusiastic as before.

“How many other women will there be?”

“Oh, depends. Sometimes there are only two or three, and sometimes there are as many as six or seven. Why?” he asked, watching her.

“Well, women know when other women are pregnant, and I’m not sure how well I’ll be able to hide it.”

Morgan hadn’t thought about that possibility. Did it matter if they knew she was pregnant?

“Don’t worry about it. You’re my woman, so it’s my baby. No one will care. It might even keep the other men from hitting on you.”

She stared at him with wide eyes. “You don’t care if they think the baby is yours?”

“Naw, we know it isn’t. That’s all that matters.”

She looked down at her plate and the three leftover chicken tenders. “You’re right. That’s all that matters.”

Chapter Seven

As soon as they returned to the motel, Amanda climbed off the back of the bike and removed her helmet. She felt confined in it, and even her clothes were bothering her now. She waited impatiently while Morgan locked up the bike then unlocked the door using the key card. She immediately began stripping, and once she was down to her bra and panties, she stopped panting and curled up on the love seat.

Morgan had enough sense to shut the door, but stood there watching her as if she’d lost her mind, and maybe she had. It was just that all of a sudden everything was closing in around her. She felt like she would suffocate if she didn’t get something off of her.

“Um, you okay?” he finally asked.

“Yes. I got hot. Sorry.” She looked down at her lap. She held a pillow to cover as much of her body as possible.

“No problem.” He walked over to the foot of the bed and sat down, where he took off his boots.

When he stood up and began undressing, she knew a moment of panic. She quickly swallowed it down. He wouldn’t force her to do anything. He was a man, but he was a gentleman. Well, as much as a biker could be, she guessed.

“How about watching a movie before we hit the sack? There are a couple on that look like they might be good.” He stood in front of her in nothing but his boxers, but what could she say? She only had on her underwear as well.

“Sounds good. You pick. I doubt I’ll stay awake through the entire movie anyway.” She waited while he walked over to the bedside table and retrieved the remote.

When he sat down next to her on the love seat, she nearly squealed. There wasn’t enough room for both of them without touching. The feel of his hot skin next to her own sent chill bumps all along her skin. They touched from shoulder down to thighs. Then he laid his arm along the back of the seat behind her. She had no doubt before it was over with he would have it lying against her skin. She didn’t know if she could handle so much physical touch. Her body already quivered in need.

What was it with Morgan that she wanted him so badly? She couldn’t even remember wanting Guy like this, and they’d been lovers for months. What did it mean about her? Was she some sort of slut?
What do you think? You’re pregnant with one man’s baby and slept with another man you barely know. “Slut” might be a bit mild.

“What are you frowning about over there?” Morgan asked, his brows furrowed.

“Nothing, just thinking about what a mess I’ve made of everything.”

“Stop second-guessing everything you’ve done. You’re on the right track now. We’ll get you and the baby taken care of. So stop worrying about it.”

Amanda wished she could believe him, but he didn’t have a stake in her problems. She was just some chick he’d picked up hitching and was stuck with for the time being. He would drop her off somewhere at some point, and she’d be on her own again. Well, that was fine. She’d be safe for as long as he kept her around. When he dropped her, then she would worry about what was next.

The movie proved to be an action thriller that she thoroughly enjoyed, but it wasn’t long before she began nodding off. She planned to get up and get in the bed, but didn’t make it.

The next thing she knew, she woke up needing to get to the bathroom in a hurry and couldn’t get out from under something holding her down. She struggled and finally yelled, “Get off me!”

“Hell, what’s wrong?” Morgan rolled over, allowing her to escape.

“Bathroom. Now!” She rolled out of the bed and raced for the bathroom.

“Ah, hell.” He followed her inside despite the fact she’d slammed the door shut.

She retched into the toilet until she felt like her toenails would come up. A cool, wet cloth fell across the back of her neck, and another one appeared in front of her. She grabbed it and wiped her face. Once she was fairly sure she’d stopped being sick, she sat back against the wall and closed her eyes.

“Better?” he asked.

“I think.” She let out a shaky breath. “I need to brush my teeth.”

Morgan helped her to the sink and watched as she brushed her teeth.

“Let’s get you back in bed. You’ll feel better after you sleep a little longer.” Morgan reached down and picked her up.

It was then that she realized he was nude except for his boxers, and she no longer had on a bra. When had he taken it off and why?

“What happened to my bra?”

“You feel asleep on the love seat before the movie was over with. I put you to bed so you would be more comfortable. I’ve never known a woman who was comfortable sleeping in a bra, so I took it off. It’s on the love seat if you want it.”

“Um, no, thanks.” She averted her eyes when he looked down at her.

Instead of laying her down on the bed, Morgan climbed into bed with her and settled her against him with her head on his chest. Oddly, she felt comfortable there. The beat of his heart settled her. She refused to think about it and drifted off again in no time.