Stone (Knights Corruption MC Series Book 2) (25 page)

“What the hell does that mean?” Moving closer until she backed against the door, I pinned her not only with my body but with my stare. “You thinkin’ ‘bout not having my kid?” The thought she would want to exterminate a piece of us was beyond any scope of reality I was unexpectedly thrust into.

Instead of answering me, she ducked under my arm, but wasn’t quick enough. “I can’t do this right now,” she cried. “Please . . . just let me go.”

“Not a chance in hell. Not until you tell me whatever else it is you’re hidin’ from me.” Dragging her toward the bed, I forced her to sit, taking a seat next to her, demanding she clue me in to the craziness inside her head.

“What do you want from me?” she asked. My silence forced her to continue, albeit hesitantly. “I’m shocked at the news of the baby, among other things.” She mumbled the last part of her sentence, but I’d heard it. I had excellent hearing, something she hated whenever we argued and she tried to slyly get in the last word. It never worked because I always heard her grumblings, therefore officially having the final say.

Panic stole over her, and I would have bet if I placed my hand over her heart it would be racing. “What’s wrong? You need to tell me now before I think the worst. I can’t begin to fathom why you’re this upset over finding out you’re pregnant. I mean, yeah, it’s a shock, something we didn’t plan for, but it happened all the same. Did you think I would be angry or somethin’? Did you think I would demand you get rid of it? Because I would never do that.
Ever
. That kid,” I said, pointing to her belly, “is half you and half me, therefore perfect.” I smiled, but my expression did nothing to calm her.

Instead, she started to cry.

Tucking her under my arm, I rained kisses down on top of her head, whispering soothing words in her ear to let her know I was there for her, in whatever way she needed me to be. My initial thought that she wanted to abort my child quickly disappeared. I saw the look in her eyes, and it was one of acceptance of our newest addition. But something was clouding her happiness. Something dire, I was sure, even if she refused to speak the words.

Clearly, she wasn’t gonna fully open up about whatever else was weighing heavy on her, so instead of continuing to force her confession, I redirected the focus onto me.

“Wanna patch me up now?” When she lifted her head, my eyes stayed glued to hers, waiting for the smallest sign she was gonna crack and break down again. But she didn’t, instead turning her attention to my leg.

Trigger had managed to remove a chunk of flesh, the bullet piercing and exiting my limb. Thankfully. It would have been one hell of a pain in the ass to cut out a lodged bullet, and with Addy in her current state, I didn’t think she would have the strength to tackle the repair right then. And even though I didn’t care about the wound, I knew it wasn’t smart to leave a foreign object inside my body.

Like I said . . . thankfully, it was a clean shot.

Since Addy had been called upon more and more in the past few months, she left a few basics at the clubhouse. Instructing me to put pressure on my wound, she disappeared from the room, returning moments later with her hands full of supplies. After cleaning the wound and deeming the bullet hadn’t hit any major arteries, she went to work stitching me up. It was really more of a superficial wound, but based on the worry plastered across her beautiful face, anyone would have thought Trigger had shot me in the heart.

When she finally finished, she retook her seat on the bed next to me, staring at me with a blank expression. I could see she was tired, the events of the day quickly catching up to her.

“Wanna go home?” I asked, linking my fingers with hers.

“Yes, that would be great. It’s been a long, strange day, and I want nothing more than to relax in my tub.”

“Well, you can do that at my place.” I rose and pulled her up with me. When I tried to walk forward, my right arm was tugged behind me, the look in her eyes turning from confusion to instant disbelief.

“Stone,” she said calmly. “I’m going home. To
my
place. Not yours.” Her body didn’t move, her feet glued to the floor.

“No.”

“No?” she asked, her voice rising in surprise.

Turning toward her so there was no misunderstanding, I yanked her closer and gave her my final words, already dismissing the argumentative words forming in her brain.

“You’re gonna have my kid. There’s no more ‘your place’ or ‘my place.’ There’s only
our
place, and the sooner you get on board with that, the better it will be for the both of us. So we’ll swing by your apartment so you can grab some things for the next few days, but hear me now, woman,” I demanded. “You’re moving in with me, and I don’t want to hear another thing about it.”

I had no idea I was even gonna suggest such a thing so soon, but it fit. It just seemed right. Ever since Addy finally agreed to be mine, I would be lying if I said I didn’t think about the day when she would finally live under the same roof as me.

Looks like fate made it happen sooner rather than later.

Adelaide

The man continued to exasperate me to no end. While I was annoyed he tried to push his weight around, there was a small part of me which was relieved. Living with Stone was certainly going to be a challenge, but I was happy to spend more time with him. I grew more accustomed to the thought of having a baby with each passing day, and even though the cancer still festered inside me, and terrified me greatly, I knew he would be there for me.

No matter what.

One hundred percent.

I just had to learn to live with his overbearing ways.

Or learn how to ignore him better when he aggravated me.

Not a week later and he had rounded up a few of the men to help move my stuff into his house. I should have known he wasn’t going to waste any time at all. We’d decided to give the majority of my furniture to charity since his was newer and nicer, although I insisted I keep a chest of drawers that had belonged to my mother. As soon as he knew how important the piece was to me, he readily agreed.

His home was quaint, and I liked it much better than my small apartment, but I couldn’t help feeling as if I were on his turf. I was careful with cleaning up after myself, as well as making sure to straighten up as much as I could. I acted like I was a guest, and it annoyed him. He told me it was as much my house as it was his, but it was going to take me some time to not only believe him but also feel genuinely comfortable there.

My safety had become Stone’s utmost concern, so it worked out well that his house was equipped with the best security system there was. Actually, I’d come to learn all the men in the club had a top-of-the-line system. One of the hazards of being part of the lifestyle, even though Stone continued to assure me they were now legit. “Toeing the legal line,” as he would put it. It took him a half hour to teach me how to use the damn thing, changing the code to the date we’d become official, which I thought was sweet.

Stone was tough. He was arrogant and a royal pain in the ass most times. His temper was explosive given the right—or wrong—circumstance. But he was also sweet and caring, the security code just one of the many examples. It was small but it meant a lot to me, showcasing a part of his sentimental side not many people bore witness to.

“We’re gonna be late, woman. Let’s go!” Stone yelled from the kitchen, his deep voice drifting through the air. I rounded the bottom of the stairwell when he appeared around the corner, almost knocking me over in his haste to rush me along.

“Calm down. You don’t have to freak out. We’ll be there on time,” I assured. Grabbing my purse, I flung it over my shoulder and walked past him toward the front door. He mumbled something incoherently as he followed behind me. The only word I caught was “fuck,” which he said a lot.

Since the sky had decided to open up, we were forced to take his truck, something I wasn’t complaining about. Even though I was still early into my pregnancy, I had already started to feel a little uncomfortable, my body quick to become tired and achy. The thought of being strapped on the back of his bike for the next twenty minutes or so was not appealing at all.

Reaching across the console, he interlocked his fingers with mine and pulled my hand to rest on his thigh, the gesture relaxing me for some reason. Nerves coiled tight, my upcoming ultrasound was a source of stress for me. I still hadn’t told Stone about the cancer, and the further along I became, the quicker the time approached when I would have to start treatment.

“I’m gonna get the green light for sex today, so prepare yourself, baby.” He laughed, although he was dead serious. He hadn’t touched me since he found out, afraid and unsure of what sexual activity would do to the baby. I tried to assure him it was okay to engage in our favorite pastime, but he wouldn’t budge. It was worse for me as the days ticked by, and even though I didn’t feel the best on most days, I was horny as hell. The mere sight of a clothed Stone was enough to send me over the edge, never mind when he was stark naked, just a touch away. Teasing me, torturing me with his ruggedly handsome face, and his sculpted, intricately inked, gorgeous body.

He insisted we shower together as much as possible, but since he refused to ravage me, I made up excuse after excuse why I couldn’t join him under the hot spray of the shower. Morning sickness or being plain dog-tired worked every time.

“I’ve told you we can have sex, but if you need to hear it from Dr. Weber, then so be it.” As soon as I finished speaking, his hand tightened around mine, his grip borderline painful, which I was sure wasn’t intentional. I knew what garnered the reaction—the good doctor’s name.

“Do we have to see him?” he asked, an angered expression stealing over his face while he continued to look straight ahead.

“We’ve been over this before. You need to let it go already. You’re being irrational, and I think even
you
know it.” His hold relaxed a bit, enabling me to wiggle my fingers for good measure.

Dr. Weber had been a godsend, pulling some strings for me at the hospital to allow me to take a couple weeks off work at the last minute. I had plenty of built-up vacation time, so I took advantage, but that ended today. I was set to go back to work tomorrow, so I was going to relax and enjoy the rest of the day. No matter what developed.

Stone remained silent for the rest of the drive, speaking only when he asked where we were going once we entered the hospital.

As soon as I signed in, we were ushered into the nearest office. While I took a seat on the edge of the exam table, Stone paced back and forth, pieces of his blond hair falling forward while his impatience ate at him.

In order to take my mind off the upcoming exam, the uncertainty of what might be revealed unintentionally, I chose to focus on the man in front of me. His signature dark, loose-fitted jeans and black T-shirt covered his body, but did nothing to hide the impressive physique underneath. Or maybe that was just because I knew exactly what was under those threads. Either way, my hormones kicked into overdrive. The rustle of his leather jacket echoed through the silent room, his deep voice rumbling as he talked to himself, finally coming to lean against the nearest wall. His chiseled features and full lips entranced me, had me envisioning us writhing around for hours on end. With any luck, after he received the go-ahead he was so eager to hear, he would take me straight home and fuck me well into the evening.