Swallowing His Pride (16 page)

Both she and Lynn seemed to hold their breath as they waited for Dylan to emerge. The first thing she saw was the massive paw that stepped out into the room, followed by an enormous mane that stood out, framing the strong visage of the lion’s face. He moved slowly, carefully, into the living room, watching her as he took each step. No doubt if Sam showed any sign of fear, he would stop his approach, but instead of fear, she felt an overwhelming urge to touch him. He was huge! A single paw was the size of her head, his back probably reached her chest if she were to stand, and that meant that he could easily look her in the eye, even as a lion. He seemed to realize his size might intimidate her, because he stopped and slowly lay down on the floor, resting his head on his front paws and rolling his eyes to look up at her.

Lynn giggled. “He looks like a sad little puppy when he does that. Kinda hard to be afraid of something that looks so adorable, even if it’s as big as he is.”

Samantha had to agree, but she still wanted to be closer, so she carefully scooted to the floor and inched her way over until she was right in front of him. “Can I touch you?”

“Honey, I think he’d let you ride him if you wanted,” Liam drawled. “Just think of him as a seriously overgrown kitten, because that’s just what his lion will be around you.”

Swiping her damp palm down her pants leg, Samantha reached out and ran her fingers through the long, slightly coarse hair that stood out around his face before moving down to the shorter hair just above his eyes and around his mouth. “You’re face is so soft,” she whispered. When he tilted his head into her hand, she couldn’t help but laugh. It seemed he liked being petted.

“Why don’t you give him a scratch behind his ear?” Liam suggested, and Sam watched as Dylan’s long tail swished across the floor. She knew enough about cats to know that they did not wag their tails when they were happy. It looked as if Liam was picking on his brother again.

“I can only imagine what the two of you must have put your mother through while growing up,” Samantha chuckled, then had to cover her mouth as a big yawn overtook her.

Dylan huffed and looked up at her. Samantha could have sworn he frowned, and when her stomach growled, he rose and walked back down the hall. She watched him go, wondering if she’d done something wrong. Liam once again held out his hand to help her rise.

“He’s just shifting back. It’s obvious you’re tired, and I think folks in town just heard your stomach growl,” he kidded. “You should grab something to eat and rest. He’ll more than likely insist on that when he gets back. Just remember, if he seems to be a little overzealous or demanding in regard to taking care of you, it’s because he cares and wants you to be happy, healthy and well taken care of.”

“Thank you, Liam. I know you’ll probably catch hell for telling me all of that before, but I appreciate it.”

“Well, I know my brother, but I also know a woman needs to know where she stands with a man. I don’t want to see another misunderstanding or lack of communication cause any more trouble between the two of you.”

“I appreciate that.”

Dylan sauntered into the room, coming right to her side and hugging her tight. “I do too, even though I’ll still probably kick your ass for the way you did it.” His tone said he was kidding, but his body was still tense, so Sam rose up on her toes and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “What was that for?” he asked.

“For trusting me enough to let me in. I want us to be completely open with one another so we can make this relationship work. No secrets. Can we do that?”

“Sweetheart, I’ll do anything for you.” His lips quirked up as her stomach issued another grumpy sound, and she blushed. “Let’s get something in there before your stomach decides to eat itself,” he joked, tugging her toward the kitchen.

Behind her, she heard Lynn sigh as they all moved to the next room. “I need to find a guy. There aren’t many of the good one’s left though. They all seem to be gay, diseased or married, and none of those are what I’m looking for.”

“So,” Liam jumped in, “just what
are
you looking for?”

“I want a man who knows how to take charge and do what needs to be done. I don’t want a playboy who checks out other women while holding my hand, nor do I have any interest in a man who would hit on me while wearing his wedding band.”

“So you prefer he takes it off first?”

“No, smartass. I don’t want a man who thinks nothing of cheating on a woman. Is it so hard to be faithful nowadays? Why can’t guys be happy with the woman they’re with? I mean, if you don’t like her, break it off and move on. Don’t keep stringing her along, letting her believe there’s a chance for something more.”

Liam’s eyes lost their playful glow as he looked to Lynn. “Someone really hurt you, huh?”

Lynn just shrugged, trying to downplay it as always. “Not as much as I hurt him. But yes, he hurt me in more ways than I care to discuss right now.”

A low growl had both women looking back to Liam as he asked, in a voice gone low and deadly, “Did he ever hit you?”

Samantha knew the answer to that. In truth, the bastard had nearly killed Lynn, but she rarely talked about it. Hell, if it hadn’t been for one really long drinking binge, Samantha may have never known about it either. Lynn had just come out of a lousy relationship, and they’d celebrated that douche being out of her life with a bottle Jack Daniels, as she’d proceeded to list all of her previous boyfriends and the reasons for their ex status. The details of that particular relationship had stunned Samantha but made her understand Lynn’s personality a little more.

Lynn shook her head at Liam but surprised Sam when she answered anyway. “He did, but I took care of it.”

His eyes widened, and no doubt, his feline curiosity got the best of him. “How did you do that?”

Lynn stopped, turned and looked him in the eye, her face utterly devoid of any emotion. “I ran him over with my car. Twice. He hurt me, so I hurt him worse.”

“Well, all right then.”

“Let’s get some food fixed up,” Dylan cut in. “I don’t know about Liam, but I worked up an appetite outside.”

“Oh, the yard! I totally forgot. Let me get my purse, and I’ll write you a check, Liam.” Samantha moved to go back into the living room when Dylan stopped her.

“There’s no charge. Ever. Now, let’s get you fed.”

That hardly seemed fair to Liam. After all, she’d called him, and he’d already taken time away from other potential clients to come do her yard. “But I hired him, and Liam likely lost some business being stuck here.”

“We both own the company, sweetheart, and trust me, we aren’t hurting for money.” Dylan ushered her to the kitchen table and Liam slid his cell from his pocket. “Now, I don’t think anyone is really in the mood to cook, so how about we order in?”

“That sounds fine by me,” Lynn replied as she plunked down in a kitchen chair. “God knows, I can’t cook to save my life.”

“I don’t think you need to handle anything sharp anyway,” Liam teased. “At least, not until I head out.”

Samantha couldn’t help but giggle at the devious smirk Lynn sent his way. The girl was just too much, and Liam was good for her. She could see them becoming close friends. Having a guy as a buddy would do wonders for Lynn since she tended to avoid men for the most part.

Dylan turned back to Sam and asked, “So, anything sound good? Pizza, Chinese, wings, you name it.”

“Well, I could go for some pot stickers.” Her mouth watered just thinking about it. Could she be having cravings already?

Liam stepped from the kitchen and placed an order before heading out to pick it up. Since they were a ways from town, he would probably get there right when it was ready to go.

Samantha took the opportunity to pick Dylan’s brain some more about shifters, and what she could expect with her pregnancy. He was forthcoming with any information she asked for, and Sam couldn’t help but soften even more toward him.

It wasn’t until they’d all eaten and Liam was saying his goodbyes that a shiver of unease snaked up Samantha’s spine. “You don’t think any of the other shifters will come around like Jag did, do you?”

Dylan had explained about the group that disliked humans, though she was pretty sure the word “dislike” was probably sugarcoating it a bit. The thought of them coming up to the house was a bit frightening, and with them being so strong and fast, she would be no match for them.

“I’ll be on guard, so you can rest easy. Jag will take over tomorrow while I’m at the construction site for the day.” He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her nose, his lips nearly touching hers as he spoke. “I’ll always make sure you’re protected. You’re the most precious thing that has ever come into my life, Samantha, and I wouldn’t survive losing you.”

“Stay with me.” The words flew right past her lips before she could think better of it, but in truth, she would feel even safer with him by her side.

“Gladly.” His smile still had the power to weaken her knees, and when he kissed her softly, she melted into his embrace.

“Well, on that note, I’ll be heading out, too,” Lynn announced as she grabbed her purse. “You call me tomorrow if you need anything, okay? I’m going to set up an appointment for your ultrasound, and I’ll let you know the date when I come by after work.”

“Thank you.” Sam knew she had the best friend in the world. She also suspected Lynn was every bit as curious about these men as she was, maybe even more so where this Jag character was concerned. She hadn’t missed the way Lynn’s eyes softened when she spoke about him.

Once everyone left, both she and Dylan made sure all the leftovers were put away and the house was locked up tight. He’d shown her the work they’d done outside that day, and the finished product was beautiful. She had her little pond with the waterfall giving off the calming sound of trickling water. It would do wonders for helping her relax in the evenings as she came out to watch the fireflies dance in the yard.

“Is it all right if I grab a quick shower? I’m a little sweaty from the work outside today.”

“Sure.” Samantha showed him where the towels were and stepped out as he began to disrobe.

Though they’d been intimate with each other, it had been only been once, and over a month ago, too. Her body would soon be going through some rather drastic changes, and Sam found herself wondering how he’d respond to the extra curves that would come with them. Her breasts would become larger, but most men would enjoy that. She was more concerned about how he would view her once her belly began to bulge. What if she developed stretch marks?

Standing before the full-length mirror in her room, she lifted the nightshirt she’d just donned and examined her tummy. It was still relatively flat, with just the slightest bump showing. The sight of that made her heart swell. She was going to be a mommy! The thought of having a baby growing inside her filled her with a sense of wonder. Every life was a gift, and being able to nurture the tiny life force within her body, having the role of a guardian of such a miracle was an immense responsibility and one she would cherish.

She was so focused on her thoughts, Samantha never heard Dylan come in, but when his arms came around her and rested over her belly, she smiled.

“I can sense our child already,” he whispered. “It’s amazing.”

“You can sense the baby? How?”

“Our kind can detect one another. I guess I didn’t pick up on it before because of Jag and Liam being near. The fact that he or she is still so small makes them pretty faint on my radar. Once you’re further along, it will become more noticeable, and you’ll need to be careful whenever you are out.”

A yawn escaped her, and she rubbed her eyes. “Sorry. It’s been such a crazy day I’m just exhausted.”

Dylan’s expression softened even more as he led her to the bed. “I’m not surprised. You’ll need a lot of rest while you’re pregnant. The demands on your body will be great while the baby grows. If it’s all right with you, I’d like for you to allow me to take care of you. Getting a job right now would be out of the question because nobody would understand why your pregnancy is progressing so quickly.”

Damn, she hadn’t even thought of that. “I hate to be a burden on you, Dylan. Maybe, I can find something where I work from home?” Did those types of jobs even exist?

She lay down, and her soft bed was so divine she allowed her eyes to drift closed on a sigh.

“Sleep tight, sweetheart.” Dylan kissed her forehead before retreating.

“Will you lay with me?”

He paused and looked back as if he were unsure of her meaning.

“I’ve missed you. Would you hold me for a while?”

“I’ll hold you all night if you’ll let me,” he replied.

She watched him move to the other side of the bed and shed his T-shirt, his chiseled torso flexing with every little shift as he worked his jeans down his muscled thighs. Holy crap, her hormones were raging. She’d have to talk to Lynn about that soon, otherwise she might embarrass herself.

He slid in next to her, and Samantha moved closer to his side as he tucked her under his arm, her head on his chest. He was so warm, his body strong and she wrapped her arm around his waist while his were around her shoulders, his hand rubbing her back in slow circles. The steady beat of his heart beneath her ear was soothing and soon lulled her into a deep and dreamless sleep.

Chapter Seven

Fourteen Weeks Later…

“I still can’t get a clear shot of the sex,” Lynn griped as she swept the ultrasound across Samantha’s swollen tummy. “The little booger just doesn’t want us to know.”

Smiling at her friend’s disgruntled remark, Sam suggested, “Perhaps she’s just being a lady and keeping her legs shut.” As she expected, Lynn laughed and threw a towel at her, so she could clean off all the goop. “Besides being incredibly stubborn, is there anything else that seems to be amiss?”

“Not a thing. He or she appears to be perfectly healthy, despite the rapid development. Are you still feeling good? No aches or pains?”