Chapter 3
BLAKE
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Parker asked me for the fifth time since we’d left the hospital this morning.
“Yes,” I grumbled. “It was probably just something I ate.”
“But we ate the same things,” he pressed.
Getting out of the truck, I grabbed my duffel out of the back and slammed the door, stalking up the steps of the main house.
“Hey! Blake, talk to me!”
Spinning around, I scowled at him. “I’m fine.
I felt sick. Maybe I’m coming down with something.
It’s as simple as that. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go inside and fall into bed.
We’ve been up for hours, and your mother said we can sleep in your old room.
And that sounds like the most amazing thing in the world right now. ”
The way he was looking at me—the concern in his eyes—should have made me feel better. He was a good man and he cared about me, but I was hiding something from him, and if I was right, our lives were about to change all over again.
“Sure,” he finally answered, walking up the steps to unlock the door.
I felt horrible for snapping at him, but until I figured this out, I would be on edge. Sleep was all I needed. Maybe it was just the stress messing with me. I might not really be pregnant.
“It’s the first door on the right,” he murmured. “I’ll grab the rest of the bags.”
“Thanks.”
Hauling my bag over my shoulder, I climbed the stairs, pushing through the exhaustion I felt deep in my bones. Opening the door, I chuckled at the quaint look of the room. A wood bed frame with a flowery bedspread and lace curtains, it was like I’d stepped into another dimension.
Tossing the bag at the foot of the bed, I was about to crawl under the covers when I realized how bad I smelled, not only from the fire, but from the many hours of driving.
Thankfully, there was a bathroom attached with a shower. After stripping off my clothes, I stepped into the steamy shower and groaned at the feel of the hot spray on my back.
“Hey, what’s all that moaning in there?” Parker asked. “Tell me there’s no one in there with you.”
“Please, like I could really handle more than one man.”
The curtain pulled back and Parker stepped in, his muscular body on full display for me and instantly waking me up. Dark tattoos trailed over his skin in intricate swirls and patterns that I loved to trace.
But every time I touched him, it always led to something else.
His thumb brushed against my nipple, followed by a chuckle that I knew all too well. “Baby, it’s been too long.”
“It’s been two days,” I groaned, tipping my head back into the water as his other hand slid between my legs.
“That’s always too fucking long.”
His hard length prodded against my stomach as he stepped closer. I loved everything he did to me, even though he was too big for me. It always took some adjusting, but the end result was always worth it.
“Just you tonight, baby,” he whispered in my ear.
“What about you?”
“You’re about to fall over where you stand.”
I hummed in agreement, focusing on the feel of his fingers between my legs and the strumming of the pad of his thumb against my nipple.
My heart kicked up as he slid a finger inside me, pumping in and out of my pussy.
My hands gripped his arms, holding on tight as I felt my body reaching a fever pitch.
I couldn’t hold on, couldn’t stop the train from flying off the track as my orgasm pitched.
Crying out, he slammed his lips over mine, drowning my cries as he continued to tease me through my orgasm. Seconds turned into minutes as I waited for my heart to stop thumping so damn hard in my chest.
Slowly, I opened my eyes and stared into his piercing gaze. God, he was so beautiful. Would it really be so bad if I were pregnant with his child? Not at all. I just wasn’t sure I was ready to hang up my boots and trade them in for burp cloths and an apron.
“There she is,” he whispered. “Thought I lost you there for a little bit tonight.”
“No, just—”
“Tired. Yeah, I got that.” He pressed a kiss to my lips and grabbed the washcloth, filling it with soap.
My eyes fluttered closed as he gently washed me, taking his time to get every nook and cranny. I couldn’t deny that it felt nice for him to take care of me like this. There was nothing better than the feel of his hands on me.
But just as I was beginning to enjoy the massage he was giving me, flashes of the last time he washed me sprang to mind, along with the accompanying images that refused to leave me alone.
I squeezed my eyes closed, trying to forget about how it had just been a few months ago that I was waterboarded and nearly died in a freezing cell.
“Blake!”
Sitting up, I stared into the darkness, sure I was hearing things.
“Parker?” I heard the rattle of keys and knew he was real. “How did you get here?”
The door swung open and bright light shone inside the cell, nearly blinding me. In a flash, I was in his arms, and he was kissing me hard. I shivered against him, still drenched from my most recent ice bath with Dennick.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his eyes inspecting every inch of me.
“Just cold,” I lied. I was far from okay, but I had to focus on the positive. The door was open, which meant we could get out of here.”
“Then let’s get out of here and warm you up.”
“I like the sound of that.”
He shoved a gun in my hands, but I barely held on, my hands were shaking so hard.
“Are you good?”
Though my teeth chattered and my skin pricked with pain, I shrugged it off. “I’ll be fine.”
“Just don’t shoot me. I know I kind of have it coming, but I’d like to make it out of here.”
“Why would I shoot you? I’d just throw you through a window,” I laughed, then followed him out of the cell and into the warmth.
It was only because of him that I was still here today. And I should be living harder because of it, but every now and then, I remembered what it was like to come crashing down and to fall to pieces with him in the shower.
How tenderly he took care of me when I felt like everything inside me was shattering.
If it hadn’t been for him, I would still be trapped in that cell in my mind. And sometimes, I felt like I was headed back there. Like right now.
It took everything in me to stand still as he washed my hair. All I wanted to do was hide under the blanket and forget those terrifying hours where I held strong, refusing to give any information. I was damn proud of myself for holding out, but that didn’t mean it didn’t come with consequences.
I didn’t want Parker to see me as weak, to look at me like something that needed to be cherished. We had something good, something strong, and the idea that he would only see that woman lying on the ground, naked and freezing, was just too damn much.
“Hey. Where did you go?” he whispered, pressing kisses to my neck.
“Hmm?”
“You zoned out.”
“Did I?” Smiling, I turned to him, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Just thinking about the last few months, and where we are now.”
“Good change?”
I laughed at the way his eyes twinkled in amusement. “Well, I didn’t mind the bunker that much. Those mattresses were amazing.”
“And the pillows. I really miss the pillows. Maybe we should have stolen a few.”
“Chance wouldn’t have minded,” I added thoughtfully.
“Are you kidding? That whole place was decked out for him. He probably takes an inventory of what’s there every night.”
“Well, then you’ll just have to call him and find out where he got those.”
“Anything for you, baby.”
I closed my eyes again as he tugged my hair back under the water, rinsing out the shampoo. I didn’t care about conditioner tonight, but of course, Parker wouldn’t forget about that. As soon as I was done, he jerked the curtain aside and pulled a towel from the rack for me.
“Here, dry off and get in bed.”
“What about you?”
“I think I can shower on my own,” he smiled.
“I meant, what about you?” My eyes darted down to his still hard cock, but he just guided me out of the shower.
“I can take care of that on my own, also.”
“But you don’t have to.”
“You’re about to fall over. Trust me, it won’t kill me for one night. Besides, it’ll be quick. I can promise you that.”
I still felt horrible about it, but he was right. I was tired, and the thought of doing anything sex-related right now sounded more like a job than anything fun.
Tossing on some underwear and a t-shirt, I climbed into bed and was already falling asleep by the time the shower shut off. Parker slipped into bed behind me just minutes later, smelling fresh with slightly damp skin.
“Better, baby?”
“Mmm,” I hummed, snuggling into his warmth. “It’s cold here at night.”
“It’s only gonna get worse.”
His fingers trailed over my side, resting on my belly. My eyes popped open and my whole body stiffened. Could he feel the baby inside me?
No, that was crazy. I didn’t even know for sure that there was a baby. The whole thing was just ridiculous.
And yet…
Just seconds ago, I was ready to drift off to Lala land, but now—
Now, all I could think about was raising a kid here in the middle of winter.
“You’ll get used to it in no time,” he murmured before drifting off to sleep.
As for me, I laid awake for the better part of the night, thinking about how quickly my life might change.
All I had to do was take one little test.
I stirred my spoon in the soup, trying to will myself to take a bite when all I wanted to do was vomit. I’d slept all day, and the moments I was awake, I felt absolutely terrible.
If this was the flu, it was the worst case I’d ever had.
And if not…
“How’s the soup?” Parker’s mother asked.
Putting on a fake smile, I lifted the spoon to my lips and took the smallest taste I could muster. “Delicious.”
“You’ve hardly eaten a thing,” she frowned.
“I’ve just been feeling sick, Mrs. Parker.”
“Clara,” she reminded me. “We’re practically family.”
“Not yet,” Ben muttered, shoving another spoonful in his mouth. He was going to be a delight as a father-in-law.
“Pop!”