by A. M. Myers
Everything screeches to a halt in my mind and I gasp, my heart thundering out of control in my chest as I turn, peeking over at Diego as he processes the information Logan just threw out like it meant nothing. God, he just blew up his brother’s life and he doesn’t even know it. Diego stares down at the table, his brow furrowed, and then, without warning, his gaze snaps to mine.
“You’re pregnant?”
I nod, my hands shaking fiercely as the rest of the room falls away. The fact that I’m not ready to have this conversation or that I have no idea what to say to him doesn’t matter anymore. All that matters right in this second is the two of us and this baby we made together. “Yes.”
“Congrats,” he answers, his jaw ticking as he clenches his fist before quickly releasing it with a sigh. He leans away from me and crosses his arms over his chest, flashing me a smile that is anything but kind. “How far along are you?”
Oh, God, he doesn’t realize it’s his…
I guess I shouldn’t be all that surprised by how tiny I am and my history with men. I mean, when was the last time I went six months without sex?
Fuck.
How do I break this to him?
Sure, I had somewhat of a script in my head when I planned on doing this differently but I don’t know how to turn his entire life upside down in a room full of other people. And I have no idea how he’s going to react. Will he be happy that he’s going to be a father? Angry? Uninterested in taking on this responsibility? My stomach heaves and I clamp my lips together as I take a deep breath.
I can’t do this…
“I would rather focus on the issue at hand,” I tell him, turning back to Logan. “There has to be somewhere else for me to stay…”
“Izzy,” he starts to say but Diego scoffs, cutting him off and I turn to look at him as a wave of nausea sneaks up on me.
“You’ve never been shy before, Iz. Why start now? Just say that I’m good enough to fuck but not good enough to keep you and your baby safe.”
Oh, my fucking God.
There is a buzzing in my ears as his words settle over the room but despite that, I still hear Carly’s loud gasp like it’s a damn siren. I glance over at her and in an instant, I know that she knows. Her gaze bounces between the two of us before landing on me and the question is clear as day on her face. Wincing, I nod.
“Oh my God,” Ali whispers from behind me and I squeeze my eyes shut as my knee bounces underneath the table and my head spins.
Jesus Christ.
Could this get any worse?
Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I sneak a peek at Diego but he looks just as confused as Logan, his gaze traveling between Ali and Carly before landing on me again. The moment it dawns on him, he sits forward, pinning me with those damn eyes.
“How far along are you, Izzy?”
“She’s twenty-six weeks pregnant,” Ali answers for me, ratting me out without a second thought but I don’t have time to be mad about that because I can’t take my eyes off of Diego’s face as the information sinks in. I swear, I can see him doing the math in his head. He searches my gaze, begging for answers that I can’t force out of my mouth.
“Is it…”
I nod, dropping my gaze. “Yeah.”
“Someone want to tell me just what the fuck is going on here?” Logan yells, slamming his hand down on the table and I jump, blowing out a breath as I look away from the father of my child and lean back in my chair. Ali steps up behind her husband and places her hands on his shoulders before leaning down and whispering in his ear. His jaw drops as he looks from me to Diego and back again. “Oh… shit.”
Yeah, that sounds about right.
“You’re coming home with me,” Diego says, his voice hard as he scoots his chair back, the legs scraping against the tile floor loudly, and stands up from the table. My head whips in his direction and my jaw drops as he holds out his hand to me. He may be the father of my child and I know I just totally blindsided him with that fact but if he thinks for one second that he gets to start ordering me around, he’s got another damn thing coming.
“Excuse you?”
He arches a brow, daring me to challenge him on this. “You’re staying with me.”
“No, I’m fucking not. I will go stay at the clubhouse or something.”
“This isn’t a discussion,” he answers, dropping his hand and turning toward the front door like I’m just going to jump up and follow him like a good little bitch.
“You’re sure as hell right, it’s not. I’m not going any damn where with you,” I call after him as he walks away from me. Something about the determined set of his shoulders pisses me the fuck off and turns me on all at the same time.
Well, that’s infuriating.
With three pairs of eyes on me, I jump up and march after him as he heads for the front door. “Hey, did you hear me? I’m not staying with you, Diego.”
“Yes, you are.” The casual way he flicks the statement over his shoulder like I don’t have a choice in the matter cranks my anger up another level. Not that he gives a damn. There is a duffel bag by the front door and he scoops it up before opening the door and standing back to usher me through. I stop a few feet away and cross my arms over my chest as I flash him a defiant look.
“What’s with the duffel?” I ask, clinging to stupid shit so I don’t give into him because even as I’m openly defying his wishes and refusing to go stay with him, I can still remember just how damn good it felt when he was inside me and my body is begging for something I never do - a repeat performance.
“I grabbed some clothes for you from your house last night so let’s go.”
“Fuck you,” I snap, daring him to challenge me with a look as I pop my hip out for just a little extra attitude. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
He narrows his eyes and studies me for a moment before tossing the duffel bag out onto the porch and closing the distance between us. I try to back away from him as he reaches out to grab me but his fingers wrap around my wrist, trapping me. He pulls me into his body gently and a wave of pain washes through me from my injuries but I ignore it as his brown eyes hold mine captive. My lips part and I fight the urge to close the distance between us.
“Yes, you are. You are carrying my baby and you are in serious danger so if you think I’m going to let you out of my sight for one damn second, you’re so fucking wrong that it’s not even funny.”
I try to yank myself out of his hold but his grip is firm and when I struggle, he pulls me tighter to him. I wish I could say that it didn’t make my resolve disappear just a tiny bit but my weekend with Diego was, without a doubt, the hottest, most intense sexual experience of my life and I would be lying if I said that I hadn’t been laying awake at night for the past six months thinking about doing it again.
But I don’t do that.
I don’t go back for seconds or thirds because that’s how you get your damn heart broken. That’s how you end up in an unfamiliar city, hundreds of miles from home, all alone and crying because some little fuck boy took advantage of you and your inexperience. I refuse to go back there again. With that in mind, I level a glare at him and hold tight to my resolve, hoping it’s enough to win against him.
“Let me go.”
“Iz… maybe it’s best if you go stay with him,” Ali says from behind me as Diego continues staring down at me, his eyes just as determined as I feel. Perfect. “Y’all obviously have a lot to work out.”
“No.”
Using his grip on my wrist, he maneuvers me around so he’s standing behind me with both of us facing the front door and a shiver racks my body as he leans down and his lips brush my ear. “Go get in the fucking truck, Isabelle.”
God, the way my name rolls off of his lips is enough to make me drop to my knees but I have to stay strong and resist my attraction to him if I’m going to win this fight.
“Make me,” I whisper back before the less defiant part of my brain can tell me that it’s a very ba
d idea and his answering chuckle makes everything south of my belt line clench with desire as he scoops me up in his arms. Pain I had forgotten about swamps my body and I hiss, making him stop in his tracks as he carries me out of the house.
“Are you okay?” he asks, his eyes tender and full of concern as he searches my face and, just like that, some of my anger falls away as I nod.
“Just really sore from last night.”
Satisfied with my answer, he starts walking again, careful not to jostle me too much. But I can’t make it that easy on him. I try to struggle against him but my ire doesn’t hold the same fire as it did back in the house and I’m quickly losing control of this situation.
Or maybe I never really had it.
“Put me down,” I grumble, slapping my hand against his broad chest and he flicks a glance in my direction as he fights back a smile.
“No.”
“God damn it, Diego. Put me the fuck down, right now.”
He stops in the middle of the driveway, skidding on the gravel a little bit as his gaze connects with mine. “Will you get in the damn truck and let me take you home so I can keep you and our baby safe?”
Behind the anger shining in his eyes, there is a tenderness peeking through as he waits for my answer and I sigh. I could continue to defy him but what’s the point? This may not be the way I saw all of this working out and I still have no clue what the future is going to look like when our baby comes into this world but I know that I trust Diego to do whatever it takes to keep the two of us safe. The rest we’ll just have to figure out as we go.
Chapter Eight
Diego
“Will you get in the damn truck and let me take you home so I can keep you and our baby safe?” I ask, coming to a dead stop in the middle of Storm and Ali’s driveway and resisting the urge to grit my teeth at the maddening woman cradled in my arms. I don’t think I’ve ever been this pissed off in my damn life and there is a part of me that wants to tie her up and toss her lying ass into my truck whether she likes it or not. I don’t give a single shit if she doesn’t want to come stay with me. Not only did she lie to me and everyone else around her, it seems, about this baby for the last six months but she’s also managed to get herself into a world of fucking trouble in the meantime. There is a lake at the front corner of the property and she’d have to chain me to the bottom of it to stop me. And even then, I might still find a way.
My mind feels like it’s loaded with bricks as I try to process the news Storm just inadvertently dropped into my lap but it still doesn’t feel real. I’m going to be a father. When I try to picture it, the only thing that comes to mind is an image of my own father and thinking of him sends a pang through my chest. There was a time in my life when I would have called the man my best friend but in his eyes, I’m no longer the person he raised me to be and seeing me decked out in my cut, covered in tattoos, only reminds him what a disappointment I am. The thing is, when I look back over the last three years, I can see that my life has changed a lot but I haven’t changed. I’m still the same man I was when I was a cop, just better able to help people now. He can’t see that though. At this point, we barely speak to each other and I can’t remember the last time we were in the same room as each other that didn’t end in a screaming match and my mother crying. My stomach twists and I close my eyes to block out the painful memories before opening them again and dropping them to Izzy’s belly.
It’s small but there is a definite bump under her shirt and I still can’t quite believe that’s my baby in there. Maybe if I had been here, by her side through this whole thing, then it would feel more real. God knows I wish I could have been there, could have watched our child grow each month. It’s something I’ll never get back and I don’t even know how to go about forgiving Izzy for that no matter what her reasons were for keeping this from me.
Fuck.
What the hell was she thinking?
Was she ever going to tell me that I’m about to be a father?
Then again, maybe I shouldn’t be so damn hard on her since I haven’t exactly been the kind of man a woman would be proud to call hers and having a baby with a guy like that sounds like asking for trouble. If I’m being honest with myself, maybe she was better off before I knew about all of this, before I knew about my child, because now that I do, she won’t be able to get away from me. I refuse to be anything other than a damn good father and I will do whatever it takes to protect the two of them. She’s just going to have to be okay with that because I’ve already lost too many people that I’ve cared about to leave her care in the hands of anyone else.
Her honey eyes snap to mine, as stubborn and infuriating as ever but just underneath that is the same white-hot attraction that led to seventy-two hours of the most earth-shattering sex I’ve ever had. My pulse spikes and I hold her gaze, remembering the way she stared at me that first night as she slid her dress off her shoulders so confidently, like she knew she was the most gorgeous woman I’d ever laid eyes on. Shit. It was so damn good that I’ve been using the memories of that weekend to get myself off for the last six fucking months because nothing else has worked for me since the moment Izzy put her hands on me. When I close my eyes at night, all I can see is the image of her on top of me, her head thrown back and her fingers digging into my chest as she rode my dick like it was her salvation. My gaze drops to her lips for just a fraction of a second, and I can’t help thinking about how easy it would be to just lean in and claim her mouth.
She lets out a little huff, snapping me out of my thoughts and I glance up, meeting her eyes again as I shift my weight from one foot to the other. My cock aches and I grip her body a little tighter against mine. Just when I think she’s going to defy me again, she sighs and nods before turning away from me. “Okay.”
“Okay,” I repeat softly, relieved as fuck. If she’s with me, in my home, I can do what it takes to keep her and our baby safe. That’s the only damn thing that matters to me anymore. Well, that and maybe having a repeat performance or two of our hot as fuck weekend. Izzy has made it clear to anyone who will listen that she doesn’t do relationships and I’m not looking to change that but there is definitely still something between us, something I desperately want to explore. I hold my ground in the driveway with Izzy in my arms, hoping she’ll glance in my direction again but she refuses to meet my gaze, staring off into the distance with a defiant tilt to her chin.
God, she’s beautiful.
I wait a few more seconds before giving up and carrying her to the passenger side of the truck, managing to open the door while still holding her in my arms. She scoffs, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I can walk, you know, you fucking barbarian.”
I grin as I glance down at her feet. “Without shoes?”
She huffs in annoyance but still refuses to look at me and a laugh bubbles out of me as she presses her lips into a thin line. Her little body is practically vibrating with her rage and I bite my lip to stop myself from laughing again. Most people who know Izzy would run for cover if she was angry with them but I’ve always thought the things that make everyone around her cower are the the things that make her magnificent. Plus, she’s pretty fucking cute when she gets all fired up. I may have even intentionally egged her on a time or two just to get a reaction out of her and she never fucking disappoints.
“Well, are we going to go or what?” she snaps, gesturing to the empty passenger seat and I sigh as I set her down in the truck, missing the feel of her in my arms as soon as I pull away. Why the hell does holding her feel so damn right? As soon as I take a step back, she grabs the door and slams it shut, once again refusing to meet my eyes as she crosses her arms over her chest and stares out of the windshield. I clench my teeth. At first, her ire was cute but now she’s starting to piss me off again. I sure as hell didn’t put her in this mess and she is the one who has been keeping secrets so she has no goddamn right to be mad at anyone else.
Shaking my head, I turn away from the truck an
d march back across the driveway and up the stairs to grab her duffel bag of clothes off of the front porch. Storm sighs and claps me on the shoulder, giving me a sympathetic look as he glances over at Izzy.
“Uh… good luck?” Ali says, shrugging like she doesn’t know what the hell to do with her best friend either and I scoff, nodding my head. I peek back at Izzy. She hasn’t moved a damn muscle since I left her sitting there and I turn back to my friends, releasing a sigh. Ali reaches forward and wraps her hand around my forearm, giving it a squeeze. “Don’t be too hard on her, okay? I’m sworn to secrecy so I can’t tell you why but just know that she has her reasons.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
She shakes her head and drags her fingers across her lips like she’s zipping them. I arch a brow, waiting for her to say something else or give me a piece of advice, but she turns and walks back into the house without another word. Storm scoffs.
“Shit. Just give us a call if y’all need anything, all right?”
I nod. “Yeah… if you don’t hear from me in twenty-four hours, maybe come over and make sure I’m still alive though.”
“You got it, brother.” He laughs. “Keep your family safe and I’ll let you know once Streak finds something.”
I shake his hand before heading back down to the truck and tossing the duffel bag into the bed as I yank my door open. Slipping behind the wheel, I peek over at her. Her arms are still crossed over her chest and she refuses to return my gaze, staring out of the windshield like it’s the most interesting fucking thing she’s ever seen. I can’t decide if I want to grab her and shake her until she stops acting like a spoiled little brat or kiss the sass right out of her. Sighing, I scrub my free hand down my face as I turn back to the dirt road in front of me and start the truck.
Fuck.
What a damn morning.
As I pull the truck out of Storm and Ali’s driveway, my mind flashes back to the moment I realized the baby in Izzy’s belly is mine. I couldn’t process what I had heard but there was a tightness in my chest as I tried to wrap my mind around the news and as shocking as this whole thing is, I can’t say that I’m unhappy with this turn of events. I’ve wanted a family of my own for years but for various reasons, it never worked out and I was starting to think that it just wasn’t meant for me; that, despite all I had done to help people, I didn’t deserve a family. So, what kind of karmic joke is it that as soon as I give up on my dreams of being a husband and father, the world drops a baby in my lap?
