ROMANCE: BIKER ROMANCE: Valentine Biker (MC Alpha Male Pregnancy Romance) (New Adult Valentine Romance Short Stories) (110 page)

“Casandra?” he asked, his voice deep and almost in a rumble.

Something about this man was…different. Though it was hard to put her finger on what, she tried to quell her curiosity for now and at least speak to him.

“That’s me! Thanks for coming. You don’t know how much I appreciate your help.” She said moving aside for him to enter.

The guy gave her an amused smile and stepped in. “Well I’m glad to hear it. I’m Bryce. It’s good to meet you.” He said. He sounded like he really wanted to say something else, but left it at that.

Casandra wasn’t sure what to make of what she was seeing. He was exactly what she needed, yet he was also much more handsome than she anticipated. Even with the trauma she had been experiencing with Keith, she couldn’t stop herself from reacting to his powerful masculinity and gorgeous features. She blamed it on her hormones. “It’s nice to meet you Bryce.” She answered with a cheerful smile.

He sat down with a large plop in one of the leather recliners in the living area and then looked up at her. “I hope you don’t mind if I make myself comfortable. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a nice, warm home like this.” He said.

Casandra wasn’t sure what to make of his words, but she smiled nonetheless. “Well, I’m glad you like it. It’s usually a bit better kept, but as you can imagine, that’s the last thing on my mind.” She said.

“Of course. That brings me to my next question.” He asked her as he gazed at her intently. Casandra felt locked in his eyes. “Tell me more about this Keith guy. He sounds like a real asshole.” He said smiling at her. She could tell he was trying to cheer her up, and she liked that. It had been too long since she felt warm male companionship, even if things weren’t even to the point of being platonic yet.

Despite her thoughts, she let out a sigh and began to think of a way to describe her problem. “Keith was a nice guy when I met him.” She said softly as she thought about him, “He changed after a bit and got very controlling. It really happened whenever I started getting more successful with my blogging.” She said.

“Blogging huh? So you stay at home most of the time?” He said as he seemed to be taking mental notes.

“Yeah. I am usually around the house. I go to town sometimes to get things we need, but I don’t do much there anymore.” She explained. “He got to the point where he was telling me what to wear, eat, and how to organize my day. It was okay at first because I thought he was just trying to be helpful, but soon things got absurd. He had rules about how big the curls in my hair could be, having vertical lines in the carpet when I vacuumed, and even wanted me to start wearing these particular red heels to bed at night and around the house…” she said cringing at the thought. “He just lost his mind, and then when I told him I was through with him and got the courage to leave, he started to make my life a living hell. Now he comes every other night or so to torment me. Most people think it’s because I am pregnant with his child and that I have the house that we bought together, but that’s not it. He just wants to stay in control. He’s a Captain, so he has a lot of clout at the police department. They don’t respond to me like they should, and honestly I think one day he’s going to kill me.” She said looking quite frightened. She stayed huddled up in her own chair, and her face was distraught as she thought about what he might do to her.

Bryce seemed to notice this and he gazed at her with a mixture of pity and fury in his eyes. When Casandra looked over at him, she couldn’t be sure what to think about that vibrant emotion that was easily visible through his orbs.

“He sounds to me like he does need an ass kicking. I don’t mind being the one to do it, but here are a few rules.” He said looking at her, “First of all, at night you need to sleep near me at all times. I might even say the same bed would be best.” He explained.

Casandra blushed at the thought. For some reason, she couldn’t help but think about the prospect of a strong, burly man like himself holding her safe in his embrace at night. She tried not to smile, but wondered what kind of expression she had on her face now that she was holding it back.

Bryce continued on, “Next rule is you need to always have shoes near your bed in case you need to get up and go quickly. I can’t be sure what he’ll pull, but he sounds like he has resources that could be dangerous. We don’t need him deciding to do something crazy and you not be prepared. You also need a go bag packed and ready.” He explained. “Last but not least, you should relax otherwise.” He said as his expression changed from serious to relaxed and friendly with his last words. It was funny to see him turn from something terrifying to something approachable.

Casandra looked into his eyes and smiled back, “I think I can do all of those things. You make me feel like I can take a breather.” She said quietly to him as she leaned forward subconsciously.

Bryce grinned, “That’s good, because the next thing you need to do is get some rest. You are tired. I can sense it. You know, it’s not hard to see when the prey is weak.” He said as he eyed her more seriously. “That make-up is nice on you, but it isn’t hiding how tired you really are” He said.

Casandra’s eyes widened. She touched her face, feeling a bit embarrassed. “W-well I…” she trailed off.

“It’s alright. You wanted to make a good impression and you accomplished that.” He said smiling at her. “You’re a beautiful woman, and I don’t think you need to feel ashamed about needing some rest.” He said standing up and placing his hand on her shoulder. “I’ll be out here, alright?” he asked her.

Casandra felt the tension leave her body. She stood up and smiled at him, though for some reason she wanted to embrace him. “Thank you so much Bryce.” She said quietly as she skirted past him.

He watched her go, and she could swear she saw him smile again before she left the room.

. . .

Casandra’s eyes opened up to a pitch black room. Everything was quiet around her and she saw no signs of Bryce. She sat up slowly and threw her feet over the bed. Finding her house shoes, she slipped them on and proceeded quietly into the living area. It was natural now for her to try and be as quiet and careful as she could be. She could never be sure when Keith would be around to finally end her as he’d promised so many times before.

Entering the living room, all she found was Bryce sitting in a chair near the doorway. “Looks like you’re up.” He said simply.

Casandra nodded her head. “Thanks for letting me rest.” She said.

“It’s not a problem at all. You really needed it. I can feel good things coming off of you now.” He said with a grin. “You seem rejuvenated.”

Casandra smiled brightly, “I am, and you know that’s quite something when you’re carrying around an extra load.” She said looking down to her rounded belly with a fond smile.

Bryce laughed, “I can imagine!” he said. “Speaking of, how far along are you?” he asked curiously.

Casandra smiled, “Six months.” She said. “I only wish Keith hadn’t become so disturbed. The baby is going to grow up without a father…” she said looking sad all of a sudden.

Bryce gazed at her, his eyes lingering on her form. “You never know.” He said.

Casandra lifted her head at those words. His eyes never left hers, and she found herself staring into his intense orbs once more and feeling enraptured by them. She looked away with a sheepish smile, breaking the spell. “Of course you’re right! I guess I’m just getting more pessimistic as the days go by. Dealing with this does things to you.” She said trying to brush off the “what ifs” going through her head.

Bryce only gave her a slight smirk as he turned his head again, “It’s a harrowing situation to be in. You should have gotten help sooner.” He said almost chidingly.

Casandra was just about to answer back, but then she saw faint blue and red colored lights far down her driveway, illuminating nearby trees and the white snow.

Her eyes widened, but Bryce was up in an instant. “I knew I felt it…” he said. “Go on. I got a bag ready for you since you were resting just in case this happened. Your boots are by your bed.” He said as he stood against one of the walls and peered out the nearby window.

Casandra didn’t hesitate to do as he said. She quickly made her way back to her room and grabbed her shoes, sliding them on and lacing them. She knew this was going to happen. Eventually Keith was going to get angry enough to send goons after her to scare her, or worse to cover up a murder.

Casandra came back out and noticed immediately that there were multiple cars parked out front of her house, all in a row. Bryce quickly grabbed her and held her to his chest tightly. “Be quiet, and don’t move a muscle.” He instructed.

Casandra felt chills rush down her spine. If it was for her fear, or her proximity to Bryce she couldn’t be sure. Either way, her worry began to escalate as she heard several voices outside. Some of them she recognized, and others she didn’t.

Their words were only mildly discernible. She heard one of them talking about the car having not moved from the driveway for at least a couple of days because of the snow that was falling again surrounded it perfectly with no tire tracks leading down the driveway. They knew she was home, even though the lights were out.

Out of nowhere, beams from high powered flashlights began to shine into the home. They wouldn’t be able to spot Casandra or Bryce from where they were, but the large windows in the living room gave them a lot of space to look around. Casandra whimpered slightly, but Bryce held her tighter, almost reassuringly.

“Check out back!” they heard a voice say.

Casandra remained quiet, but she could hear them checking the doors and locks.

“Everything is locked tight.” He said quietly.

Casandra felt more reassured now, but this was unusual. “Bryce…He’s never sent anyone from the station up here.” She said.

Bryce seemed to have a knowing expression on his face, and for some reason this made Casandra feel more anxious than ever.

“Well, she’s here. Everything is normal.” Someone said.

A few lone footsteps could be heard, and suddenly they stopped just before the house, right in line with the front door that Casandra and Bryce were in front of.

“Cassie!” Keith’s voice boomed out.

Casandra’s eyes widened.

“Sweetie, I hate it for you, but our time has come to an end. You’re going to keep my daughter, my house, and you’re going to treat me like I’m nothing. You won’t even let me back in to get my things! I mean, what kind of shit is that?” he asked as his voice echoed outside. “If I can’t have this, I might as well have nothing.”

Everything was quiet, but then Casandra heard the very thing she didn’t want to: Guns cocking. She gasped.

“Shit!” Bryce said, and no sooner than he said this the entire house was being shot up. Bryce quickly grabbed Casandra up as he ate a few bullets, but kept himself in the way of them at all times.

Casandra knew he was being shot, but couldn’t understand how he was still standing.

He let out a low growl of pain and then put her behind the heavy wooden curio cabinet. He moved it aside with barely any effort, but Casandra couldn’t be concerned with it in light of the situation, though this cabinet had required four men to move because of its weight when she bought it.

“Stay here and don’t come out!” he said.

She looked up at him. “Bryce..!” she said grabbing his sleeve. “Don’t! It’s not worth it! I’m sorry, I didn’t know…”

“Stop talking. Do as I say.” He said. His eyes seemed to change…Though still intense, they seemed to become more animalistic in nature, and Casandra was shocked out of speaking by not only his words, but the bizarre transformation.

He suddenly barreled into the rain of bullets, and she could swear his footsteps went from heavy, to massive.

The gunfire suddenly stopped and in its place, Casandra could hear a low growling. This sounded familiar, but it made the color drain from her face. “A-a…bear?” she asked frightened.

Suddenly a devastating roar resounded through the home and echoed into the surrounding woodlands.

“Shit! It’s a bear! Start shooting again you fucking morons!” Keith could be heard screaming.

Gunfire resumed, but Casandra knew the bear was charging them as she heard it galloping in their direction. Not long afterward, there was a chorus of screams to accompany its wrath. Gunfire soon stopped as cars were heard speeding off instead, but not all of them…

Casandra couldn’t help but see what was going on, and of course she needed to escape if the bear was in her house, or at least close the entrance. She worried about Bryce being out there with it, though he looked like he wrestled bears regularly and could handle it if he needed to.

She ran out quickly to close the door, and saw the largest bear she ever had in her yard mauling one of the officers. As macabre as it seemed, she was disappointed that it wasn’t Keith.

He was crying out in pain, as the bear had one of his legs and shook him from side to side almost like he was a ragdoll. The screams were blood curdling, but strangely enough, the bear let go of him. It watched as he crawled slowly to his own car, evidence of his wound staining the snow beneath him as he did. In a normal circumstance, the bear would have been right back on him in an instant and wouldn’t have let him escape, but it didn’t budge, almost as if it were encouraging him to leave. Bryce was nowhere to be seen.