Chapter 22
T hey got to the room in less than ten minutes and Chains watched as Emilie slipped off the loose-fitting silver dress that accented her long legs and shapely shoulders but allowed extra room through the torso to compensate for her expanding waistline. She was absolutely the sexiest pregnant woman he’d ever known and when she was naked, she looked like other women looked when they weren’t pregnant because she was naturally so thin. He secretly hoped she’d put on a little weight after this pregnancy because he truly found her too skinny sometimes. He thought she was beautiful, but seeing her rib cage pressing against her skin often made him afraid he would hurt her. He found it amazing a child was growing inside of her right now because she’d barely put on five pounds. She ate everything in sight, so he wasn’t concerned about her health, but he’d been expecting her to put on weight faster. She was four months along and still fit into almost all her clothes. If it wasn’t for the little bump you only saw when she turned to the side, you wouldn’t be able to tell she was pregnant .
“Why are you staring at me like that?” she asked, standing in front of him in nothing but black lace panties and her high silver heels .
“Thinking about how many ways I’m going to make you come,” he said, pulling off his tie as he approached her .
“I thought you were going to hold me,” she teased .
He tossed his tie and belt to the side. “I’ll hold you all bloody night, if that’s what you want,” he said. “After I make you come. Five or six times .”
“That sounds perfect .”
He unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his chest, and she couldn’t help but think how massive he appeared in the relatively small bedroom of their suite. His shoulders were so broad they seemed to take up the bulk of the space, suddenly making her feel very small and vulnerable—something she only craved when she was with him. His size, strength and internal fortitude fulfilled every need she had—intellectual, emotional and sexual. She’d come to love every inch of his hard body, the possessive way he slid his arm around her whenever they were around other men, his easy laughter but rough exterior, and the intensity in his gaze when he made love to her. All he had to do was look at her with his steely eyes and she would become aroused, like he was doing now .
“If anyone ever kidnapped you,” he said as he stepped out of his slacks, “you wouldn’t need a code because I would find you by sheer telepathy. The idea of someone touching you against your will sends me straight to hell—I’d die before I let that happen, Em .”
“I know.” She reached for him, letting him wrap her in his warmth. She tilted up her face, knowing right where his mouth would be and anticipating the feel of his lips on hers. He’d touched every inch of her body yet it grew more exciting every single time. The most basic, missionary position lovemaking sent her over the edge no matter how hard she tried to hold back; it had to be the man and not the sex itself .
Chains kissed her like it was the first time again, ravaging her mouth with his tongue, lips and probably his whole body. He couldn’t get enough of her, no matter how many times they made love, and it was baffling how much he needed her. His desire for her only intensified each time he touched her. What had started as a way of helping her open up had become dangerously addicting and he didn’t know if he could run fast enough to get away. How the fuck had he wound up needing her more than he needed blood pumping through his veins ?
Reaching into his boxers, she wrapped her fingers around his rock-hard shaft and stroked him with a grip other men might consider painful. She was used to dominating men who wanted her to hurt them; Chains treated her strong grip as the norm, enjoying her ability to be rough with him in a way that was still incredibly sexy. The harder she squeezed, the thicker he got, and she dropped to her knees so she could suck his magnificent cock into her mouth. He spread his legs to maintain his balance and dug his fingers into her hair. He loved her lips on him, but for the first time in his life, the enjoyment of having his cock sucked waned in comparison to being inside her. In fact, he’d never let her get him off this way; he always stopped her so he could touch that glorious body and make her squirm .
He tugged her back to her feet so he could take her lips again, his tongue curling around hers with alternating intensity and tenderness. Just when she would moan from his roughness, he would back off and give her just the tip. He kissed her like this until her hips had tilted against his groin and her entire body hummed with need .
“You’re so wet,” he whispered, sliding a finger into the crease between her outer labia and looked down at her. Her lips were as swollen as he imagined her clit was right now, and he resisted the urge to throw her down and take her hard and fast. Instead he slid his finger through her slickness, back and forth, up and down, carefully avoiding her clit since it would probably send her over the edge far too soon. He pressed his finger inside of her but pulled back as she tried to draw him deeper .
“Darryl…” His name came out in a huffed breath. Her full, round breasts were rising and falling against his chest and her hips moved in time to his fingers. He thrust up harder, two fingers plunging into her and awakening an animal hunger that made her burn. Fire sizzled through her…impaled on just his fingers, she couldn’t stop the jerking of her hips or the heat searing through her aching core. When his finger slid over her clit with just the right amount of pressure, she lost control with a keening wail that broke the silence. Burying her face in his shoulder, she screamed louder as he pressed against the spongy place inside her that drew out each convulsion, bringing her over the edge again and again .
“That’s my girl,” he whispered against her hair as the spasms in her vagina slowed to a stop. He pulled out his fingers and caught her as she collapsed into him, lifting her and settling her on the bed .
“Darryl, I — ”
“Shh.” He pressed his fingers to her lips and moved on top of her. They’d had physicals, together, and after receiving clean bills of health decided they had no need to use condoms anymore. With nothing stopping him, he pushed into her, holding her legs out and back towards her shoulders .
“Ohhh…” Her still sensitive pussy fluttered at the invasion and he paused, giving her time to adjust .
When she’d finally opened to take him fully—she was always so tight it still amazed him—he began to move. Her vagina sucked him in like a tightening fist and he picked up speed. The electricity crackled between them, his cock pillaging her pussy as if he owned it, and he did. He took her without mercy, bottoming out each time he plunged into her, loving the sounds she made when he fucked her hard. His beautiful Emilie loved being manhandled as much as she loved romance, and when he combined the two she always lost her mind .
“My gorgeous, beautiful girl,” he whispered as he drove in and pulled out, over and over. “No one will ever take you from me—I’ll protect you with my dying breath .”
“Darryl, God…” She quivered beneath him, her body perched on the edge of another orgasm. Her spine stiffened as she sped towards oblivion, bucking against him, harder, faster .
“Say the words, love,” he whispered, pressing her hands into the mattress on either side of her head. He eased up, catching her off guard and she whined in protest .
“No! Please !”
“Say them .”
“You first!” she panted, meeting his gaze despite her out-of-control body .
He chuckled, snapping his hips forward with a hard grunt that nearly knocked the breath from her. “I love you,” he said in a soft, barely discernable whisper. “Forever, my lovely Emilie. Now say you belong to me.” He stopped moving again, and she whimpered .
“I belong to you,” she breathed against his mouth, her thighs gripping him tightly. “As long as you love me, I’m completely yours .”
“Say it,” he said, the intensity of his gaze searing right through her eyes and into her soul .
“I love you !”
“One more time, angel, and I’ll give you just what you want .”
“I love you…” Her voice broke into a scream as he pinched her clit between two fingers at the same time as he pounded into her tight, wet pussy. She made sounds he’d never heard before, her body convulsing so hard she shook the bed, the headboard and even him. His own release broke with hers and they rode it out together, fingers lacing tightly, lips fusing into one, her throbbing sheath milking him dry .
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” he asked when they’d finally stopped moving and he gently pulled out .
“No.” She smiled, her eyelids drooping with exhaustion. “You’d never hurt me .”
“No, I wouldn’t.” He pressed light kisses to her temple .
“I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t found you,” she whispered as she fought off a surge of emotion. “I was falling…deep into an abyss that was consuming me. A few more weeks and it would’ve been too late. I didn’t think anyone could stop it—I’d fallen so far, so fast, that when I hit bottom it was going to be over .”
“Em?”
“Hm?” She looked up .
“I’ll never let you fall,” he whispered, his fingers trailing along her cheek, brushing away the solitary tear that had spilled over. “No matter what happens, I’ll always be there to catch you .”
W ith the birth of Dante and Becca’s son, Justin Teyo Lamonte, Emilie was at Club Inferno almost every day in November. Chains and Jamie were usually with her, unless they were at the gym, and Joe picked up the slack whenever someone needed a day off. Unfortunately, a stomach bug had ripped through the Sidewinders, sending Emilie and Simone to stay with Dante and Becca; the last thing she needed at nearly six months pregnant was a stomach virus and if Simone got it, she ultimately would as well. Chains had offered to sleep on the couch at the house with Viggo and Misty, who were down for the count, and though Jamie stayed at home, he slept in Emilie’s vacated room because he’d just had another surgery on his wrist in November and didn’t want to chance anything else going wrong. Emilie had another appointment to try to find out the sex of the baby and he was determined not to miss it .
He picked her up on a cool December afternoon and they drove to the new 4D facility excitedly. Though they were both a little disappointed Viggo and Chains couldn’t join them, they were hopeful that the baby would cooperate this time so they could learn the sex .
“It’s a girl,” she teased, as she’d been doing for weeks. “A body like mine doesn’t produce boys .”
“A body like yours is made for a boy ,” he nudged her .
She rolled her eyes. “Chains will break your wrist again if he hears you talk like that.” She was kidding; Chains had long since gotten over his jealousy of her relationship with Jamie and Jamie knew it .
“You guys doing okay?” he asked as he drove .
“Wonderful,” she admitted. “I didn’t know if he would be able to handle all of this—us and the baby—but he acts like it’s his child too. Talks to it every night before we go to sleep .”
Jamie grinned. “This kid’s going to have three fathers—you think it’ll embarrass him or her ?”
She shook her head. “I think both this baby and Simone will grow up happy and so well-loved they won’t know any different .”
“They’ll have friends who aren’t like this,” he said quietly .
She looked over at him. “Jamie, are you worried about being a man married to another man while raising a family ?”
“Not for myself!” he snorted, looking down at his wrist. “The haters of the world have already shown me enough ugliness for a lifetime—after what I went through, a handful of bitchy PTA moms can bite me. But our kids…well, I don’t want that for them .”
“Not on our watch,” she chuckled, her hand resting on her stomach. “I hope to be very involved when they start school, and it’ll be over my dead body anyone gets away with saying anything about my children’s fathers. Any of them. And you know those bitches don’t hold a candle to me if I turn on my Mistress Emilie persona .”
He laughed. “Yeah, that’s for sure .”
They drove the rest of the way in companionable silence, parking and walking into the building together .
“Let’s just pretend we’re a couple,” he muttered as they entered a waiting room filled with heterosexual couples. He wasn’t embarrassed about being married to a man when he was with Viggo, but when he was alone, the memories of the attack came back and he struggled with it .
“Relax,” she whispered, sliding her arm through his as they checked in .
Ten minutes later the machines were buzzing and they stared at the creepiest-looking image of their child imaginable. The four-dimensional picture was truly disturbing and both of them started to giggle .
“What’s that?” Jamie demanded, staring at the screen and cocking his head. “Is that …?”
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Emilie groaned. “Is that a penis? Really ? ”
“Did you just say fuck in front of my son?” Jamie grinned .
“His father is a professional hockey player,” she groused. “You think he won’t hear the word fuck once or twice ?”
Jamie grinned and leaned over to press his lips to hers. “We’re having a boy !”
“Great.” She pretended to be upset. “So he can pee on me every time I change him !”
The technician found their banter delightful and laughed along with them as she pointed out his fingers and toes, nose, lips and even the beginning of hair on his head. By the time they left, Jamie was preening like a proud peacock and Emilie shook her head, taking out her phone to call Chains. It went straight to voicemail and she told him to call her before disconnecting .
“Let’s call Viggo,” Jamie said, setting his phone in the hands-free unit and using voice commands to dial home .
“It’s a girl, yeah?!” Viggo said as he answered the phone .
“Should we tell him?” Jamie teased Emilie .
“You’d better!” Viggo grunted. “I’m here in the bathroom dying—give me some good news !”
“It’s a boy!” Jamie yelled, and despite his misery, Viggo whooped with excitement. Then he coughed .
“Shit!” Viggo hissed. “Gotta go!” He hung up abruptly and Emilie grimaced .
“Ugh,” she said. “I hope everyone feels better soon .”
“Yeah, it’s been 24 hours so he should be on the upswing now. I hope .”
“Me too. I miss sleeping next to Chains.” She stared out the window dreamily. Things had been so good, she kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. After the strange incident with the cat in her SUV, Chains and Joe had redoubled their efforts to keep a tight rein on security. They’d added outdoor cameras to both the club and the house, and Chains had put a special tracking device in her phone. It seemed as though the extra efforts had paid off, because things had been blissfully quiet .
Jamie dropped her off at Dante’s and she spent the afternoon on the phone with her mother, Sebastian, Kate and Karl, telling them the news. She helped Becca prepare dinner and called Chains again, but his phone was still going straight to voicemail. When she tried to text him, the message showed it had not been delivered and a strange feeling began to crawl up her spine. After five months together, she knew him almost as well as she knew herself. They didn’t have a regular relationship that gradually grew to a point where they could all but read each other’s minds; they’d skipped right to that part almost from the beginning. Her downward spiral when he’d gone to get her in London had set them on a different path, and after the talk they’d had during their night at the hotel, there had been no slowing down. They talked of marriage and having a child together, where they wanted to live when they bought their own home, and when they would send for Dolores, who was as excited about Jamie’s baby as she would be when Chains had one .
Something was wrong and Emilie felt tears prick her eyelids .
“If anything ever happens,” he’d told her, “trust Joe and Dante only—no one else. I know your family wouldn’t hurt you, but they’re vulnerable to outside sources. In order to protect them, you have to treat them as the enemy. Too much information, no matter how much you trust people, tends to leak out .”
So she waited until Becca, Justin and Simone were asleep before seeking out Dante in his den, where he often stayed up late watching videos of baseball games or live hockey. She knocked softly, though the door was open and he met her gaze with concern .
“What is it, Em?” He got to his feet as she walked towards him .
“Chains is gone,” she whispered, biting her lip so she wouldn’t cry .
“How do you know ?”
She just looked at him, willing him to understand it was nothing more than a feeling .
He picked up his phone and tried to call him, putting down the phone slowly after leaving a message. “Has anything happened ?”
She shook her head. “No, but …”
“But?”
“But if something had happened and he didn’t want me to worry, he wouldn’t have told me .”
“Are you okay, querida ?” Sweetheart .
“No.” She shook her head. “I’m kind of emotional, you know ?”
“Let me call Joe, see what I can find out .”
“Okay.”
“Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll wake you if I find out anything .”
She shrugged slightly. “Would it be all right if I just curled up on the chair in here? I don’t know if I can sleep alone in that bed, knowing he’s not coming home …”
“Of course.” Dante kissed her forehead. “It’s going to be okay .”
“Promise?” Her blue eyes filled with tears and he reached up to wipe them away with his thumbs .
“I promise .”