Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 51281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
She tilted her head. She wasn’t judging me for not being a stockbroker or businessman, the kind of rich guy who came to a place like this. I realized with a pang that she was probably hit on constantly. She would never look twice at a guy like me. But she was looking at me, I realized with a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. Not just looking. She was really seeing me.
“Where? You don’t work here.”
“The Mason Jar.”
She nodded.
“It’s on our list of local places. Or it was,” she said, giving me an apologetic look. “Before all the . . .”
“Fights and murders?”
For some reason, that made her blush. It sent a shot of lust right through me. She nodded and shrugged.
“Yes. It wouldn’t do to have the guests getting shanked.”
I laughed at that, the loud noise startling her. Hearing that word come out of that pristine, luscious mouth had taken me off guard. But then she started laughing too.
“It’s still pretty safe during lunch,” I offered, reaching out to brush some hair away from her face. Her eyes got really wide as she looked up at me. Somehow, I had gotten closer to her. Too close.
My eyes fell to her lips. Hers fell to mine. I leaned forward a little bit.
Just then, she took a step back.
“I have to get back to work, Mr. . . .?”
“Jaken,” I said, trying to resist the urge to yank her into my arms and plunder her mouth with my tongue. The girl had just been attacked. She didn’t need me to add to her stress.
Even though it took everything I had in me not to touch her.
She nodded absentmindedly, turned to go, and then looked back at me. Quick as a rabbit, she stepped in and pressed a quick kiss to my cheek.
“Thank you,” she said softly, staring up at me. And then she was gone.
I stood there for a long time, afraid to break the spell. Afraid to forget the look and feel of her. I knew it that moment that my whole world had been turned upside down.
And I didn’t even know her name.
Eight months later
Hunter
“Just breathe, baby,” I said encouragingly. “You can do it.”
My wife glared at me then resumed the breathing we had learned in class. She was ready for this. I, on the other hand, was on the verge of losing my damned mind.
Seeing her in pain was just about the worst thing I could have imagined, let alone lived through.
But at the other end, God willing, we would have a healthy child.
I never thought I would end up this lucky. This blessed. But I never counted on meeting someone like Claire, either. Once I met her, there was no way not to love her.
Or having her actually love me in return.
It was pretty much a damned miracle.
But this, this was torture. I held her hand, feeling her strength as another contraction hit. She moaned and hissed out a curse. I gave her a tight smile, begging the angels to take her pain away from her and give it to me. I was bigger and stronger. It was only fair that I take on her suffering.
The nurse who was timing her contractions nodded and briskly left the room. Within moments, Claire’s OBGYN was there giving her a warm smile. He checked her vitals and pressed a hand to her belly.
“Almost there. Are we ready for this?”
“We?” Claire joked, giving him a sour look. The doctor just laughed. Hell, we all did. Even my wife.
Only my wife could make a joke at a time like this.
Of course, they knew her well. Claire worked in this hospital. She was one of them. As a result, we were getting extremely good care. Not that they didn’t care for all their patients equally, but Claire got a little extra in the bedside manner department.
She was well liked by everyone who met her. Who could resist her? I certainly hadn’t stood a snowball’s chance in hell.
“Oh, somebody is in a hurry,” the doctor murmured, peering between my wife’s legs. I knew he was a professional, but I didn’t have to like it. My wife was stunningly beautiful. Any man alive would be hard pressed not to notice.
Or want to take a mental snapshot of her gorgeous pussy, even if it was about to have a baby come out of it. I knew I would have. Hell, I’d been taking mental snapshots of her since the moment we met.
“Text the girls. Tell them it’s almost time.”
“It is time,” the doctor corrected.
“They’re already here, sweetheart,” I said gently. Everyone was in the waiting room or waiting in the parking lot. Half of two MC clubs were here, with the whole damned hospital full of large guys in leather and covered in tattoos.