Redemption’s Inferno (Inferno #3)

Chapter 14

T here was definitely something off with Emilie, Chains thought, watching her help his mother in the kitchen. She’d barely looked at him this morning and each time he’d tried to approach her she’d found an excuse to move away from him. He wasn’t exactly sure what he’d done, but she was obviously mad about something. That he hadn’t taken the time to talk to her last night? She wasn’t that petty, he told himself; she would understand the time hadn’t been right after the attempted break-in. Yet two efforts to get her alone this morning had resulted in strained conversation and her not looking him in the eye. She couldn’t possibly be embarrassed they’d had sex, could she? It seemed ludicrous to even consider it, but that’s how she was behaving .

“Can I take the rental car?” she asked him as soon as breakfast was over. “I need some things at the pharmacy and there’s no reason for you to take me .”

Chains wanted to say no, but instead dug the keys out of his pocket and handed them to her. “You’re all right driving on the left side of the road ?”

“Yes, thanks, I’ll be fine. I know right where it is and I’ve driven on the other side before.” She hurried out without so much as a backward glance, and a frown creased his forehead .

“What’ve you done?” Dolores asked knowingly .

“I honestly have no bloody idea,” he said. “All I can think is she’s mad I didn’t go back up to bed after the fuss last night... She can’t possibly be upset about that, can she?!” He stared in frustration at his mother, who was also frowning .

“Doesn’t seem like her to be unreasonable, considering the circumstances.” She cocked her head. “Maybe you should follow her, make sure she’s all right. Take my car. If she’s gone to the pharmacy, you know where it is, and you can stop at the café and get those pastries she likes .”

“Yeah. Thanks. I will.” He took the keys and went out to her car. He pulled onto the street and followed in the direction Emilie had gone. What was she doing and why was she behaving like this? His mind raced with the possibilities and his fingers itched to call Viggo and ask him what the hell was going on with his ex-wife. That probably wouldn’t go over well, he decided with a wry chuckle .

Turning onto the main street of town and into a parking space in front of the café, he turned to look across the street. Sure enough, there was the rental car. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, unsure of what to do. If he followed her and she caught him, it would be even worse. Maybe. Or she would see that he was worried. Or he’d become an idiot who’d apparently forgotten he’d spent more than five years as James Fucking Bond. With a self-deprecating grunt, he got out of the car and hurried across the street. He stepped inside and looked around, grateful the aisles were small and close together so he wouldn’t be as visible .

He turned down the first aisle he came to and saw condoms on display. A smile played on his lips as he squatted down, pretending to be considering what to buy. Glancing around and seeing no one nearby, he got on his stomach and looked down the aisles. Sure enough, he saw her sandal-clad feet three aisles over. She was heading towards him now so he went in the other direction towards the aisle where she’d been. He could hear her having a lighthearted conversation with the cashier and then the door opened and she got back into the rental car. He quickly moved down the aisle she’d been in and frowned. She’d been standing right here and this was…he blinked. Pregnancy tests and ovulation predictor kits. They’d only had sex the one time and even if the condom had broken, which it hadn’t, she couldn’t possibly be worried about pregnancy after less than 24 hours, could she ?

He tried to imagine when she could have gotten pregnant and wondered if she’d done something with Cuddy before he’d arrived. Cuddy was a reckless ass, but even he didn’t want a child resulting from sex play—he literally slept with hundreds of women. The idea he’d be so careless didn’t make sense. And if Cuddy wasn’t her reason for concern, that left someone back in Las Vegas. Was she still sleeping with Viggo ? Since both Viggo and Jamie were bisexual, and not homosexual, it wasn’t a huge stretch to think they would still enjoy being with a woman, especially one they knew well and shared a house with. Jealousy ripped through him with such force he nearly crushed the box of condoms in his hand. Fingering the products, momentarily confused by what he’d done, he started when the stout cashier gave him a smile .

“Popular section today .”

He nodded. “Oh, uh, I’m just a bit lost.” He held up the crushed box of condoms. “I’ll take these, please .”

She raised her eyebrows but obligingly took them from his hand .

C hains got home about 20 minutes later with the coffee and pastries Emilie liked from the café, but the kitchen was empty. His mother, Nate and Nate’s car were all missing but the rental was in the driveway so he trudged up the stairs, unsure what kind of reception was waiting for him. He figured he needed to just get it over with, so he went to the bedroom and opened the door. She was sitting on the bed, a small, oblong white object in her hand and she looked up wearily .

“Morning.” He spoke cautiously .

“Morning.” She gave him a tight smile that didn’t reach her eyes .

“What’s that ?”

“A pregnancy test .”

“It’s a bit soon, don’t you think?” He figured he’d try for levity .

She shook her head, blinking away tears. “ No .”

“Are you pregnant?” He couldn’t describe the sinking feeling in his gut .

“Yes.”

“Whose? Viggo’s ?”

“Jamie’s.” She swiped at her eyes. “I promised .”

“You promised?!” He could only stare at her. “You promised your ex-husband you’d let his new husband get you pregnant ?!”

“I promised my ex-husband’s new boyfriend—boyfriend at the time—I would help him get the one thing he wanted that Viggo couldn’t give him .”

“A child .”

“A biological child .”

He breathed in through his nose, long and deep, before exhaling slowly. He hadn’t expected this, hadn’t had any idea she was still sexually involved with either Viggo or both Viggo and Jamie. “So you’re still with him— them ?”

She shook her head. “No. I mean, we live together and were still having sex, but we weren’t together like that. It was…convenient. And there was no one-on-one sex, it was always the three of us .”

“Then how do you know whose it is?” he demanded, irritated even though he wasn’t sure why .

“Because only Jamie and I had vaginal sex.” She looked down. “With everything going on here, I’d forgotten we’d agreed not to use protection…until this morning .”

“What happened this morning ?”

“Jamie called to ask if I knew anything, if I’d taken a pregnancy test. We’d been having unprotected sex for about a month when I left .”

“That was what, three, four weeks ago ?”

She nodded .

“So you could be...two months along? At the most ?”

“The last time we had sex was…” She fumbled for her phone, opening the calendar program. She stared at the dates and told him as much detail as she could remember .

“So you could be as little as three weeks .”

“Or as many as eight.” She tossed the test into a paper bag next to the bed and got up, beginning to pull things out of her suitcase .

“What are you doing?” he demanded, suddenly frustrated with the jealousy that had settled in his gut like sour milk .

“Packing. I did laundry yesterday and tossed everything in here.” She handed him a small pile of T-shirts and jeans .

“So…you’re just packing up and going where?” He snatched his clothes out of her hand .

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I’ll figure it out when I get there .”

“Has something changed?” he asked in a low voice .

Her eyes met his. “Hasn’t it ?”

“Because we had sex or because you’re still involved with your ex and his new husband or because you’re pregnant ?”

“All of it, obviously!” She slammed down the top of the suitcase and glared at him. “I know how you feel about relationships, so last night was a mistake—a moment of weakness. I apologize for that, but the chemistry between us has been strong and I was vulnerable. I shouldn’t have let it go there .”

“Really.” He took a step forward, his cheek twitching with annoyance .

“But I’m certainly not involved with Viggo and Jamie! Is that what you think of me ?”

“You said it, not me .”

“I promised Jamie, not long after he got out of the hospital, if they would let me stay with them until I could figure out my situation, I would have a baby for him. He wants a biological child very much, and this way his child and Viggo’s child would be half-siblings and any other children I ever have would also be half-siblings. There would never be awkward decisions about holidays and such—we could spend them together. All the adults, all the children…unconventional, but filled with love and friendship and all the good things many families can’t even dream of providing! Maybe you think it’s weird, but divorce didn’t change the bond Viggo and I have or the friendship I’ve come to have with Jamie .”

Chains was momentarily taken aback. In theory, it was a wonderful way to raise a family, especially for two men like Viggo and Jamie who were the oddest combination of traditional and unconventional he’d ever met. For Emilie, however, it could get complicated. Any man she eventually wound up with would have to not just like Jamie and Viggo, he would have to be willing to accept this arrangement and most men would probably find it unsettling. To someone who didn’t get their unconventional relationship, it would easily seem like competition .

Not me, he thought abruptly, as it dawned on him how much he liked Viggo and Jamie. Being part of their family wouldn’t be a bad thing. Would it?! What the hell was he doing? He’d probably asked himself this question a hundred times since he’d rescued Emilie from Cuddy and it was starting to make him crazy .

“Anyway.” Emilie watched the play of emotions on his face with a sinking feeling and began to gather the lotions she’d put on the nightstand. She’d obviously ruined any chance they had to be together, and she didn’t want him to see how much it bothered her; she’d known he wasn’t interested in anything permanent anyway. “It is what it is. I have to talk to Nate about going to see the Browns and then — ”

“Has anyone ever told you you’re stubborn?” he growled, plucking the lotions from her hands and tossing the bottles aside as he advanced on her .

Her eyes widened. “What are you doing ?”

“Did you call last night a mistake ?” he asked in a voice that was more like a growl, looking down into her startled face .

“Well…” She met his gaze without flinching. “It would seem that it was .”

“Why? Because we were interrupted and I had to spend the night downstairs making sure no one came back to finish the job ?”

“Er, well…no, I mean, I know how you feel about getting involved and now that I’m not going to prison for the rest of my life, we have to work together so — ”

“Shut. Up.” He gripped her by the shoulders and yanked her against his chest. He took her mouth with an intensity that bordered on painful. When she didn’t respond, he instantly released her, his eyes boring into hers .

“What are you trying to prove?” she asked sadly. “You already know I want you physically .”

“But?” he growled, taking both of her hands in one of his and lifting them over her head, pressing them against the wall. “You don’t want me now that you’ve had me? Because I’m not a challenge anymore? You wanted to see if the mistress could take the master? That it?” His face was barely a millimeter from hers, his eyes dark and filled with anger. She could only stare back in confusion, unsure what he was carrying on about. If he didn’t want to get serious with her, why was he arguing ?

“No…” she whispered. “I don’t want anything from you—I got the greatest thing anyone has ever given me from you. If anything, I should be submitting to you, not dominating .”

He froze, myriad emotions washing over him as he realized he was being an ass. “That’s not what I meant,” he said, suddenly unsure where he was going with this. He felt like a dog in heat trying to mark his territory somehow. “I…” He released her hands and let his palm brush down the side of her face until she unconsciously nestled into it. “I didn’t give you anything .”

“Darryl.” Her voice was sultry, soft, as full of emotion as he’d ever heard it. “Helping me find the truth about Adam is the greatest gift anyone could ever give me. I was on the verge of losing everything—including my sanity. You’ve given me my life back, so I would give you anything you asked of me. But I won’t be your play thing and I know how you feel about serious relationships. I thought maybe after this week you’d changed your mind, but as soon as that intruder came last night, I could see it in your eyes, the way you immediately pulled away .

“You hide your feelings behind the fear someone from your past will come to hurt the people you love. Just as I hid mine from my husband because I was afraid my past would ultimately hurt him as well. I recognized that look in your eyes because I’ve looked at it in the mirror for the last eight years…that’s also why I can let you go. I understand. I know why you wouldn’t stay with me. And I’ve mucked things up now anyway—you can’t possibly want me, knowing I’m carrying another man’s child .”

His eyes never left her face and the fingers of his hand began slowly caressing her neck. “Knowing whose child it is and why you’re carrying it makes a huge difference,” he admitted. “You’re doing something noble, beautiful—the ultimate gift to your daughter’s fathers .”

She gulped, nodding. “I wanted this for them—I just didn’t expect to find…you…at the same time .”

“I don’t know what to do,” he admitted, suddenly stepping back and dropping his hands. “I’ve never even considered getting involved like this with someone…you already have a child and now another on the way. Even though they’re not mine, being together would make them…at least partially mine, and therefore potential targets. The intruder last night, Em, it can’t be a coincidence. It can’t !”

“Do you honestly believe these people from your days as a spy were watching your mother’s house all this time? Every day for five years, just waiting for you to arrive? It’s not rational, Chains. Everything else aside, it makes no sense. Not unless…” She hesitated .

“Say it.” He cocked his head, interested in what she had to say. “Not unless what ?”

“Not unless Nate is somehow involved .”

He nodded. “I thought of that, but Joe and Warren are both checking him out. So far, they’ve found nothing. Until they do, Mum would never forgive me if I didn’t give him a chance .”

“I know.” She stepped around him and sank onto the edge of the bed, resting her elbows on her thighs and her chin in her hands .

“I got a text from Nate,” he said after a moment. “Fred and Adeline Brown are away on holiday. The neighbor says they’ll be back Friday, so that’s the earliest you’ll be able to talk with them .”

“Oh.” She seemed startled. “I wasn’t, I guess I didn’t think they’d be away .”

He didn’t say anything, just watched the play of emotions on her face; resignation, confusion, and… hope ?

“So we have another week.” She spoke hesitantly .

He nodded, hands in his pockets as he looked into her eyes. “Let’s give it a week, Em .”

She smiled wanly. “That’s what you said last week .”

“You gave me a week to help you find answers. Now you’ll give me a week to see if I can be in a relationship. I’ve never done it—haven’t the foggiest idea how—but I would give it a go for you .”

She laughed lightly, shaking her head. “You think a week is enough to decide if you want to be with me ?”

“You thought a week was enough time to figure out something you couldn’t sort out for eight years,” he countered .

Their gaze sizzled. “It’s a little different,” she said finally .

“I already know how much I want you,” he said. “The question is whether I’d be good at it .”

This time her smile lit up her whole face. “I already know you’d be good at it .”

“I wasn’t talking about that!” he snorted .

“I was.” She held out her hand and waited for him to take it. When he did, she gently pulled him down to sit beside her. “I would submit if you asked me to, even though that’s not natural for me .”

“You’re naturally sexy and beautiful,” he said, sliding an arm around her waist and pressing a light kiss in the hollow of her shoulder. “I don’t want to dominate you, Em. I want to be your equal .”

He’d surprised her again, and she let out a long, relieved breath as she rested against his chest. “That,” she whispered softly, “is the second greatest gift you could ever give me .”