Chapter 17
Jules
The drive back to the clubhouse feels longer than usual.
Flint’s motorcycle is getting serviced, so we took my car today.
Since I’m still spiraling about these men in suits trying to implicate me in their bank robbery, I’m in no condition to drive.
Flint looks strange behind the wheel of my Accord because I’m used to him riding his big Harley everywhere.
He doesn’t seem to mind driving my car. He has one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on my knee.
This is him trying to be supportive, but all I can think of is my purse sitting on the floorboard by my feet with three pregnancy tests hidden inside.
Getting the alert from my menstrual tracking app that I was two days late threw me into a tailspin before lunch.
Compared to that, the whole bank account drama feels almost inconsequential.
“Everything’s gonna be alright,” Flint says reassuringly. “I’m not going to let those assholes from LA or the feds get their hands on you. I’ll do what I have to do to keep you safe. Trust me on that, sweetheart.”
His roughly spoken words hit me right in the feels. I don’t deserve him, but since he’s all I’ve ever wanted, I’m not letting him go. Reaching over to his hand, I cover it with my own and give it a little squeeze.
“I know, babe. I trust you to keep me safe. There is just a lot going on in my head right now.”
After getting the news about my bank account we circled back to Flint’s place so I could pack my essentials.
Luckily, my cat isn’t the highly-strung type, so she takes all these moves in her stride.
Jasper’s going to let us stay in Mica’s old suite to give us room.
Apparently, it has an ensuite bathroom and a kitchenette, so at least it’ll be a bit homier than Flint’s room in the basement.
Though at the moment it’s acting as a general storage area so it won’t be ready for a day or two.
We turn onto the long gravel drive leading up to the clubhouse.
Onyx wasn’t joking about it being a virtual fortress.
It even has a ten-foot-high cement wall around it.
I am safe here. The logical side of my brain knows this, but they don’t talk about the long arm of the law for nothing. And it’s the feds, no less.
Flint parks my car and cuts the engine. A short silence spins out between the two of us. When I reach for the door handle, Flint catches my wrist gently in his big hand.
“You wanna tell me what’s really going on? Something’s eatin’ at you, and I’d like to fuckin’ know what it is.”
I almost blurt out the truth.
Hey babe, there’s a decent chance you knocked me up.
But before I can even open my mouth, I panic.
What if he doesn’t want the hassle of a pregnant girlfriend?
What if he thinks I got pregnant on purpose to baby-trap him?
Or worse, what if I really am pregnant and he wants me to get rid of it?
I don’t think I could terminate a pregnancy, especially not with his child.
Just like that, the words get stuck in my throat.
Instead, I stammer, “It’s nothing except stress, babe.”
His hand comes up, and he brushes his thumb slowly across my bottom lip. “Alright, I won’t push you. I just want you to know that I’m here for you if you want to talk.”
Leaning over, I throw my arms around his neck. “Thanks for being so understanding. Sometimes I just need to think through stuff on my own before I talk it over with another person.”
“Yeah, I get that, darlin’. We all handle stress differently.”
Tessa is sitting at the bar, sipping a margarita. Her eyes lift the second we walk in. A second later, her expression changes. She frowns, and her eyes narrow on my face. It reminds me of my brother saying female intuition is a terrifying thing.
She just points at me with one manicured nail. “You don’t look so well, Jules. What’s going on? Is it anything I can help you with?”
“I’m fine,” I say, sounding more defensive than I intend. Then I just can’t lie to her anymore. “Those assholes from LA that the club has been tracking are trying to implicate me in a bank robbery. They got my bank account shut down.”
She immediately pulls her straw out of her drink and holds it out to me. “You need a drink more than anyone in this clubhouse. Have a sip of mine.”
I almost reach for it before remembering that I could be pregnant. I shake my head. “That’s the top of a long list of problems. I think I’m going to get Fluffy settled in the room, grab a shower and take a nap.”
She pulls her drink back, eyeing me suspiciously. “Okay, but if you ever need to talk, just give me a shout. I’m never far away, you know?”
I can’t help but smile. She’s never far away because she lives at the clubhouse and her husband is the club president. I nod, telling her, “I might take you up on that one day soon.”
Flint is quiet beside me. When we walk off, he asks quietly, “Do women really do that? Talk over stuff with each other instead of the men in their lives?”
“Maybe some do. Men often try to fix everything but sometimes you just need to vent and get it out of your system. Though, I’d probably talk to you before I’d talk to anyone else. Unless it’s about menstrual cramps or something only another woman would understand.”
“I’ve been kicked in the nuts before,” he offers.
I shake my head smiling, despite the worries going through my head.
I go straight to the restroom across the hall when we get close to his room. He doesn’t seem to notice that I took my purse. It probably just seems like I really had to go. Locking the bathroom door behind me, I take out the three pregnancy test kits and set them on the counter.
I carefully read the directions on the back of the package.
My hands tremble as I take each cellophane-wrapped stick out of its box.
There are only two possibilities. I’m either pregnant or I’m not.
Two tiny lines mean I’m pregnant. If two lines show up on any of these sticks, it will change the course of my entire life.
I quickly tear open the packages, drop my pants, and pee on all three sticks one after another because getting it all over with in one go sounds like the most efficient way to navigate this situation.
I lay them in a line on the floor in front of me and stare down, waiting for something to show in the viewing window.
My jangled nerves can hardly stand the wait.
I realize I’m feeling a mixture of anxiety and excitement. Regardless of whatever else is going on in my life, I want to have Flint’s baby.
That’s when it happens. All three sticks show faint pink lines.
I watch breathlessly as the lines grow darker.
Stunned, I try to get my head around the fact that I’m carrying Flint’s baby.
My hand comes up to rest over my stomach.
I think about how, even now, our son or daughter is growing inside me, totally unaware of all the danger and chaos in our life.
I pick up each stick and clean it in the sink, careful not to get water in the viewing windows. I don’t want to keep them necessarily, but I don’t want Flint to find them either. So, I opt to stuff all three boxes and the plastic strips into one box and tuck it back inside my purse.
I need some time to myself to process this, so I turn on the shower and start to take off my clothes.
That’s when someone knocks loudly on the door. “Darlin’?” Flint’s worried voice asks. “You okay in there?”
I shove my purse closer to the sink and throw my property cut over it before answering the door.
“I’m fine. Would you like to have a shower with me?”
He’s just wearing a black T-shirt and jeans slung low on his hips. And he’s got a stack of towels and fresh clothing in his hands.
“Hell, yeah!” he says with a grin as he nudges the door shut with his elbow.
He lays the stack of towels and clothing on the sink, puts his hands on my waist, and tugs me closer.
His mouth covers mine, teasing me and ramping up my desire.
He knows just how to touch me to make me want him.
When I pull back to get some air, he drags his lips down along the column of my throat.
His lips land on a soft spot below my ear, and he takes his time kissing and licking the spot until I moan with need. “Please, babe,” I beg shamelessly.
“Please what? Tell me what you want, Jules.”
I grab a fistful of his shirt and pull it upwards. “For starters, I want you in the shower with me.”
We quickly shed our clothing and step beneath the warm shower spray. We soap up our hands and touch each other. I start with his big, muscular chest, and he runs his hands up and down my back. In this small space, we’re able to shut out all our problems and just focus on each other.
I can remember when my fondest wish was for him just to notice I was there, and now look at us. Standing naked together, sharing the same air as we touch and kiss. I enjoy having his entire focus on me.
He pulls back just enough to look at me. “You like bein’ mine, don’t you, darlin’?”
I run my hands up his chest and pull him down for another kiss. Right before our lips meet, I tell him, “You’re the only man I’ve ever wanted. My first and my last. Did you know that?”
“That you hadn’t been with another man? I suspected.”
“You’re all I want, babe,” I whisper before kissing him. Kissing Flint is everything in my world. It’s the tenderness, passion, and intimacy I’ve always craved and the overwhelming feelings of desire that I can barely contain.
The next thing I know, he’s lifting me onto his cock, pressing my back against the shower wall.
I hold on tighter and help lift myself up because this is new, exciting, and makes me forget about all the things weighing on my mind.
When he slides home, I can feel his thick cock everywhere.
This is the first time we’ve had sex somewhere other than the bed, and I’m totally there for it.
When he begins moving his hips, sliding his cock in and out of my trembling pussy, I find words of encouragement tumbling out of my mouth, along with compliments on how wet he makes me.
Everything I say seems to make him more aroused.
And an aroused Flint is an enthusiastic Flint.
He sets a steady rhythm, and all I have to do is relax against the shower wall and enjoy it.
Flint is every woman’s wet dream when it comes to giving pleasure.
He’s attentive, dedicated and knows his way around my body.