Resurrecting Ghosts (MC Romance) (Kings of Chaos Book 4) (3 page)

“I don’t know if I’m flattered or insulted.”

“I just broke into your house, Ruthie I think it’s clear I like what you have to offer.”

“I’m not here to punish you. You proved yourself. We can try to move forward. I’m only asking for space tonight and time with Blue, please. I need a minute to recalibrate.”

He narrows his eyes at me.

I force my face to remain neutral.

He snaps his fingers. “Just like that?”

“Do you like me being a bitch?”

“I like it when you’re honest. I know that hurt didn’t go away.”

“No, but despite everything, I still want to try to make this work. Don’t you get it, you win? You won because you’re you.” I shake my head. His perfect chocolate brown hair, dark brown eyes, and angular face piss me off. He’s too handsome for his own damn good.

He smirks, drawing attention to his full lips, and my breasts swell.
Oh, hell no! This is what got me into this mess in the first place.
“Can you please go, before she gets back?”

“Why are you in such a rush to get rid of me?”

“Because I want to drag you into the bedroom right know, and that’s not going to happen.”

He throws his head back and laughs. “All right. I’ll leave for now. If you’re playing me, though…”

“What would be the point? You’d just stalk me down.”

“Damn straight. Do you know why?” He steps closer and wraps an arm around my waist pulling my body to his. “Because you belong to me.”

My nipples harden, and my belly tightens. His warmth seeps into me, and I inhale deeply, intoxicated by his masculine scent. I grip the edges of his cut. A whimper slips free. He slides his hand up my back and grips my hair tight. I wince as the pain releases endorphins and I soak my panties. He tilts my head and covers my mouth with his. He tastes like spearmint and lust. I suck on his tongue and rub up against the bulge in his pants. One thing’s for sure, my girly parts are over the incident whether I am mentally or not. He groans and tilts his head deepening the kiss as our tongues touch and tangle. My legs turn to jelly, and I lean against him.

A throat clears. “It looks like I’m interrupting something,” Blue states smugly.

He steps back. “I was just leaving. Ruthie, I will see you tomorrow.”

“Y-yeah,” I say dazed.

“Blue.” Skull leaves with a shit eating grin I want to smack off his face.

I’m completely head over heels for the asshole.

He closes the door behind him.

“Do I want to know?”

“He broke into my house with a kit, Blue.”

She laughs. “Yeah, sounds about right. You ready to take this test?”

“No, but let’s get it over with.”

***

Skull

What should feel like a victory is confusing as hell. The whole exchange at Ruthie’s was off. She’d never make me bend over backward, only to fold. I never saw her as the lying type, but she wanted me out of the house. My gut has kept me alive more than once. I’d be a fool to ignore it now. I kill the engine on my bike and retrace my steps to her front door. I knock.

Blue answers with glossed over brown eyes.

“What’s wrong?” I ask instantly on alert.

She shakes her head.

“Ruthie,” I call her name as I walk down the hallway. The sounds of hysterical sobbing lead me to her room. I walk inside and find her perched on the toilet with her head in her hands. “What’s wrong?”

“W-what are you doing here?” she hiccups.

“I don’t know. I left. But something didn’t feel right.”

She points at the sink. I look over at the three sticks lined up, and my heart drops to my stomach. The two lines carve my heart out with a spoon. “No,” the word is out of my mouth before I can filter it through my brain.

Ruthie gasps. “Get out!” she screams.

I flinch. “Wait, I didn’t mean it like that, Ruthie. There are things I need to—” I hold my hands up. The pain rolling off her in waves sickens me like radiation.
She completely misunderstood me.

Her palm connects with my face and turns my head sideways. I black out for a second. I just passed down fucked up genes to an innocent child. Ruthie has no clue. I slow blink as the static in my ears grows deafening. It’s my worst nightmare come true.

“Do you hear me?” She shoves my chest, and I return to myself. “I don’t want you here. Get out. I don’t need you! I’ll raise this baby alone. Don’t call me. Don’t stop by. Don’t send me any fucking thing.” Her face is twisted with rage, and her voice is shrill.

I grab her wrist. “Knock this shit off.”

She slams her foot into my shin.

I give her a firm shake. “Stop.”

“No. I’m done listening to you.”

“You need to stop, Ruthie. It’s not healthy for the baby,” Blue says from behind us.

“I want him gone.”

“I’m not going anywhere. You think you got pregnant on your own?”

“It would be better if I had.”

“Once you hear what I say you may not want to keep it,” I whisper. The self-loathing threatens to swallow me whole. What if it skips a generation? I didn’t get it, so now my child might suffer locked in small stages of insanity. Even with medication it’s a struggle. What if they have it severely, like my father?

Blue gasps. “You should go, Skull.”

I stare her down. “This is none of your business.”

“If you care anything about her or that baby in her belly, you’ll leave right now before she hurts herself,” Blue says.

I shake my head. If I walk out of here and leave things like this, I’ll never be allowed back in. “I’m not going like this.”

“You don’t have a choice.” Ruthie snarls like a wild animal, all snapping teeth. Her husky voice adds to the feral display.

I thought she hated me before. I know the difference now.

“Do I need to call Shadow?” Blue says.

“You think he can keep me away from my woman and my child?”

“We’re none of those things.” Ruthie jerks away from me.

I release her to keep her from hurting herself. “You’re what I say you are.”

“Fuck you! No tattoo, no commitment. I’m not your Old Lady. Any judge worth his grain of salt will make sure I get full custody. Then I’ll be your baby mama on the weekends, if that.”

“You keep throwing those threats around and see where it gets you,” I retort.

“Anywhere is fine as long as it’s not with you,” she spits the words at me.

“I need you to listen to me.”

“No, all your words hurt.”

“The truth hurt. Living hurts.”

“No, Tritt, just you.”

“There are things you need to know.”

She closes her eyes and exhales. Her shoulders slump and her face pales.

I grip her shoulders. “Ruthie?”

“Not tonight. Please.”

“If not tonight, when?”

She shakes her head and drops against me. If eyes are the windows to the soul, hers are exhausted. She’s carrying my child. It’s no longer about me or her, but the little one growing inside her belly. I palm the back of her head and bring her to me. She rests her head over my heart and stills. I can feel her heart galloping like a horse in her chest. Her breathing is shallow, and her color remains questionable.
Back off.
“Let me say what I need to right now and I’ll go. For tonight.”

“You’re going to do what you want anyway, Skull,” she whispers.

“What I said had nothing to do with you and everything to do with an illness that runs in my family.”

She looks up at me stunned.

I nod. “I would’ve never done this before explaining it all to you. That’s why I said no, okay?”

“You want the baby?”

I bow my head, unable to continue to hold her gaze. “I’ll take care of you and him or her when they come. You’re not in this alone.”

“That’s not what I asked you.” Her voice wavers.

You don’t know what I do
. “Are you going to be okay now with Blue?” I ask.

She nods. “Yes.”

“Are you going to ignore me tomorrow when I come back?”

“No, but that doesn’t mean anything has changed. I meant what I said.”

“Then I guess we have a problem, cause so did I.”

Blue releases a heavy sigh. “Everyone back to your corners. You don’t need to figure it all out in one night. The kid won’t be here for another eight months and some change. We all need to calm down, regroup and come back at it fresh.”

“Agreed. Are you going to stay with her?” I ask Blue.

“Yeah, I think Bolt can handle getting himself fed and off to school, and Shadow can make it to work without me.”

“Yes to the first, and I’m not so sure about the second.” I release Ruthie. “I’m leaving right now, because I know you’re in no condition to go toe to toe with me which is what you want. I’ll be back tomorrow and so help me God, if you run or try to keep me out… Do you understand me?”

“I hear you, Skull.”

“Ruthie, I’m serious.”

“I fucking heard you,” she snaps.

Pregnancy has turned her into a hellcat. I’d smirk if we weren’t in such a shitty situation. “That mouth, though.”

“Get used to it,” Ruthie says.

Blue steps between us. “I got this, Skull.”

I back out of the bathroom, never looking away from Ruthie. Her eyes are narrowed slits, but the color is back in her face. I leave the bedroom and grab Blue’s set of keys off the table in the hallway. I remove her set of keys to Ruthie’s house for insurance. I leave, lock up behind myself and get on my bike with one thing on my mind, alcohol and someone I can trust.

***

I see the porch light on as pull up in Shadow’s driveway.

He opens the door and waves the bottle of Jack at me.

I kill the engine and climb off. “Your old lady tell you?”

“Only that you and Ruthie got into it, and you were going to need your friend Jack and Jim tonight.”

“Shit, might need to throw in ole Jose too.”

“Only if you want to meet Earl in the morning.” Shadow raises a brow.

“At least he might take my mind off my troubles when I wake up,” I say as I make my way up the drive.

“What the hell happened, brother? After the floral garden and the chocolate factory, I figured she would’ve warmed up.”

“I think she did. Then she found out she was pregnant.”

“Oh, damn.”

“Yeah well, I didn’t take the news the best because she doesn’t know about the family curse that I’m terrified I’ll pass down to the kid.”

“Did you try to tell her?” Shadow asks as we walk back into the house.

“All she heard me say was
no
and flipped her shit, dude. I left because I was afraid she was going to make herself sick or miscarry.”

“Jesus. Do you want it?”

“It’s not a matter of want. It’s whether or not having it is the right thing to do. I saw what my father went through, and my mom wasn’t much better. If that’s the kid’s fate, what kind of quality of life would they have?”

“Hey, they’ve made huge strides in medicine since then,” Shadow says.

“Yeah, but they’d still struggle. I know that fear. You wait around every year to see if the curse manifests. Every outburst or mood swing during puberty is something to fear. Because it might be a possible onslaught of an episode. It’s hell on Earth, brother.”

“We can’t help our genes.” He leads me through the house to the patio out back.

“No, but you can decide if you procreate.”

“Looks like fate took that choice out of your hands.” Shadow hands me the bottle of Jack.

I take a long draw. “More proof she’s a fickle bitch,” I say enjoying the burn as it slides down my throat and into my belly.

“What’s your plan, brother?”

“I’m going to lay it out for her, see where she wants to go and then make the best of it.”

“Would you get rid of your child based on a what if?”