by Penelope Sky
“I wouldn’t phrase it like that. It’s just difficult for her. I keep telling her it’s my last mission, but that doesn’t make her feel better.”
Max was quiet for a while. “So, you haven’t changed your mind, then?”
There was no possibility of continuing this profession. If Vanessa and I had to go through this every single time, we wouldn’t last. She would resent me in time and eventually leave me. And if we had kids, that would be even worse. If I wanted her to be my wife, I had to be the husband she wanted. That meant my job was to protect her, to protect our children, and be exactly what she needed. Vanessa was the perfect woman. She could replace me in a heartbeat if she wanted. “No. And I won’t, Max.”
He sighed. “That’s a shame.”
“It’s time for me to move on. I’m sure you understand that, even if you don’t agree with it.”
“I suppose. It just won’t be the same without you.”
“You guys are just as capable as I am. You don’t need me.”
“That’s not why, man,” he said quietly. “Now that you’ve moved and settled down…we don’t talk as much anymore.”
I’d been so busy with my own life that I hadn’t even noticed. I couldn’t remember the last time I spent time with the guys. After Vanessa and I got back together, they weren’t a priority anymore. “I’m sorry, that’s my fault.”
“Damn right, it is.”
“Things will be different, especially when I get married. It’ll be even more different when I start a family. But I will always make time for you guys. You’re my family. I’ll never forget that.”
“Whoa, a family?” he asked incredulously. “Since when did this happen?”
“Vanessa gave me an ultimatum. If I want to marry her, I have to give her a family.”
“And you agreed?”
“We both know I can’t live without her.”
“That’s some serious shit. When are you gonna propose?”
“I don’t know,” I answered. “There’s a lot going on right now. Her brother is having a baby in the next few days, so not anytime soon. And I have this mission, and I didn’t want to ask her to marry me before I left. Would just make it harder for her. I don’t even have a ring.”
“I don’t think you need one, man. Vanessa doesn’t seem like the kind of woman that cares.”
“I care. I want her wearing a fat diamond everywhere she goes, so every asshole out there can see me on her hand even if I’m not with her.”
He laughed. “Of course you do.”
We spent the next ten minutes talking, and I pulled up to the airport. “I’m here, so I should get going.”
“Alright, man. I’m glad we had this talk. Made me feel a little better about the whole thing.”
“Yeah, me too.” I didn’t have these kinds of conversations with the guys, but this one was necessary. It was okay to wear your heart on your sleeve sometimes. I loved my boys, and I knew they loved me too. “I’ll call you when I land.”
“Alright. Bye.”
“Bye.”
Morocco was a place filled with snake charmers, fire dancers, and a town square full of belly dancers, jewelry sellers, and stands with pots and pans. It was an innately poor country, but it still possessed so much beauty in the valley of the village and the mountains surrounding the area.
With my fair skin, I didn’t fit in. So I covered myself with a long-sleeved black shirt and a hoodie. I met with the arms dealer, grabbed my artillery, and then took the Jeep to the Atlas Mountains.
The man I was looking for lived in a palace at the top, isolated from the rest of the world. Men who lived on the outskirts of the city were always easy targets. The men along the perimeter were easy to take out, and there was no time for any backup to assist.
It was like shooting fish in a barrel.
It was under the cover of darkness when I emerged. I could see the fires from the city below, the thousands of people gathered in the town square for shopping and nightlife. I left my Jeep hidden under a tree then infiltrated the palace.
The man I was looking for was an impostor. He made deals in intelligence but fed the wrong information to important groups. As a result, he manipulated events to suit his specific desires. It affected nations as well as thugs. Taking him out would make the world a better place—literally.
I snuck up on the perimeter, snapped a few necks of the men who got in my way, and then made it inside the palace. The servants were on the bottom floor, but since they were innocent slaves forced into a life of servitude, I tied them up and shoved them into the closet.
I moved to the next floor with Max in my ear. He’d acquired a schematic of the place, so I knew exactly where to go. I didn’t need to make this death look like an accident, not when the man had so many enemies. It would be impossible to figure out who was behind his death.
I found him on the third floor, watching TV while he smoked his cigar and enjoyed his booze. The entire room was full of smoke because he inhaled the cigars on an hourly basis. The white color permeated the room, and it was difficult to breathe. I enjoyed a cigar once in a while, but that habit died when Vanessa made it forbidden.
I watched him for a moment, finding it ironic that his drapes were closed to secure his privacy. If they had been open, his guards would have been able to see what was happening. I had to get in and out of there as quickly as possible, so I approached him from behind with my blade drawn. Before he even realized what was happening, the knife was against his throat, and I slit it with one quick move.
He fell to the couch, dead in seconds.
I wiped the blade on the couch before I sheathed it in my belt. It was a quick kill, and now my only job was to get home. I moved back down the hallway toward the stairs, and that’s when I came face-to-face with someone who shouldn’t have been there.
His son.
Twenty-five and next in line for the throne, he stared at me with his ferocious brown eyes. He was unarmed, but he had something worse. A large horn that could be heard throughout the entire palace.
I pulled out my pistol and shot him.
But not before he hit the button and made a loud noise that shook the walls.
My bullet pierced him in the chest, and he was down.
But the damage of the horn was irreparable. Men were shouting and footsteps were pounding.
I had to get out of there—now.
I made it out of the palace and back into the mountains. There were too many men chasing me, so I drove the Jeep over a cliff and moved on foot, getting deeper into the mountains and into a location they wouldn’t be able to find unless they were on foot too.
The trail was dangerous, and I hugged the rocky outcropping until I was completely on the other side of the mountain. In the pitch darkness, it was dangerous. It was far more dangerous than murdering a powerful man.
When I made it to the other side, I called Max.
“What happened?” he asked immediately.
“His son saw me and sounded the alarm. They chased me for a while. But I ditched the Jeep into a gorge and climbed the mountain until I found a place where they can’t follow me. I mean, they can, but it’s unlikely.”
“Shit. I’ll send in a chopper.”
“Wait until morning. They’ll be looking for me all night, and if they see a chopper, it’ll be easy to figure out where I am.”
“It’ll be even easier during the daylight.”
“They’ll probably give up by then.”
Max listened to what I said and debated to himself for a moment. “It’s too risky, Bones. I’ve got to get you out of there.”
“It’s too risky for the pilot. You need to wait until tomorrow night.”
“That will put you back in the schedule by an entire day.”
“It’s the safest move—for everyone.” I would have to stay on the mountain for an entire twenty-four-hour period, but I could tough it out. I had water and food. It’d be cold, but I’d been in worse situations.
“The target is dead?”
“Yes.”
“What about the son?”
“Got him too.”
“Alright. We’ll do it your way. I have your coordinates on GPS. I’ll use the satellite feed to keep track of the people around you. If anyone comes close, I’ll know about it.” His fingertips typed against the keyboard in the background.
“Thanks, man.”
“Sleep if you need it. I’ll be awake.”
“Alright.” I wasn’t sure if I could sleep right now, not when all this adrenaline was pumping in my veins. “You need to tell Vanessa. But emphasize that I’m alright. I’m still coming back. It’ll just be a little longer than we planned.”
“Do you want me to tell her what happened?”
I didn’t want to lie to her. Lying wasn’t in my nature. And I didn’t want to mislead the woman I loved. But knowing her, it would kill her inside. She would panic and break down. “No. Don’t tell her. Just tell her that my target moved so we had to make a new plan before we went in.”
“You’re sure?” he asked, knowing I never lied to anyone.
“She’ll lose her mind, man.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s probably the best idea.”
“Then do it.”
“Alright. Will do.”
Seven
Conway
It was impossible to sleep when Sapphire was tossing and turning all night. Left to right then right to left, she moved back and forth, unable to get comfortable because her stomach was so large. The baby had been kicking a lot lately, keeping her up all night and in pain during the day. There was nothing I could do to help except stay quiet and not complain about my lack of sleep.
That would be an asshole thing to do.
When she turned again and sighed, I knew she was losing her mind.
“Muse.” I turned toward her and placed my hand over her distended stomach. “Everything alright?”
Sweat sprinkled her forehead, and she took a deep breath. “I just want this baby out…”
I rubbed her stomach and then placed a kiss to her shoulder. “It’s coming, Muse. Any day now.”
“But I want it out now…” She gritted her teeth and breathed through the pain. “Don’t get me wrong, I love our baby. But I would love our baby a lot more if it was in my arms, not my uterus.”
I pulled up her shirt to reveal her bare belly. My hand glided along the mound, feeling the life under my palm. “The baby doesn’t want to leave because you’ve made such a nice home for them. They love you already.”
She relaxed slightly at my words. “I love them too…a part of me will miss being pregnant. But right now, I’m tired of being pregnant.”
“I wish I could help you, Muse.”
“You are…” She rested her hand on mine. “You’re helping me right now.”
I leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” she whispered.
When I pulled away, I saw the sweat mark in the valley between her tits. They’d gotten bigger with her pregnancy, preparing to feed my son or daughter. But right now, they were still mine to enjoy. “You know, there are a few things that help initiate labor…” I’d been trying to get laid for the last week, but she’d been so self-conscious and uncomfortable that she wasn’t in the mood.
“We’re about to have our baby, and all you can think about is sex.”
“Remember how you got pregnant in the first place.” I moved to my knees then pulled her panties down her legs. I was relieved when she didn’t object and try to cover her stomach. No matter how many times I told her how much her belly turned me on, she didn’t believe me. If only she knew how sexy she was, pregnant because I’d knocked her up. I put a pillow underneath her back then slid myself inside.
Damn, it felt good.
This might be one of the last times I would be able to get sex from her until the baby was here. She would need at least a month to heal if the birth was natural. Now that I was in between her legs, I didn’t want to leave. Sex was so good, whether she was nine months pregnant or back to her petite size. That was because I loved her, loved her more than anything else.
I kept her legs apart with my arms and held myself on top of her, my stomach grazing against her enlarged belly. I thrust into her hard, unable to control myself before it felt so good. Fucking my pregnant wife was one of my biggest fantasies, even if she wasn’t in my lingerie. I was the one who got her pregnant in the first place, and I was oddly proud of that.
She got into it minutes later, her nails clawing at me. She moaned with my thrusts, her enormous tits shaking with my movements. The headboard tapped against the wall, but my parents were an entire floor above us, so the noise didn’t matter.
I was going to give my wife an orgasm before she gave birth to my baby. It was the least I could do, knowing the extensive trauma she was about to experience. I wanted to come right in the beginning, to fill her with more come, but I held on, knowing I had to do this right.
Thankfully, she came. She managed to find her release despite how uncomfortable she was. She dragged her nails down my back as she screamed, her beautiful face tinting red with arousal. “Conway…”
I came seconds later, ready to release now that I’d finished my job. I pumped deep inside her, filling her with my seed with a satisfying moan. I’d been wanting this pleasure for over a week. Now that I finally had it, I enjoyed every second. “Fuck…I’m gonna miss you being pregnant.”
“Then you’ll have to get me pregnant again.”
I leaned down and kissed her. “I will.” I slowly pulled out of her then leaned down to kiss her stomach, to love my woman and the baby we made together. I had no idea if I was about to have a daughter or a son, but as long as they were healthy, I was happy. I kissed her belly button and everywhere the baby might be, and when I felt a large kick, I pulled away. “They’re ready to come out, baby.” That was when I felt the moisture soak into the sheets directly under my knees. It took me a second to understand what happened because I’d never experienced anything like it.
“What?” Sapphire asked, noticing my hesitation.
“Your water just broke.”
“It did?” She jolted upright and felt the sheets underneath her, which were damp from the pool she’d just released. “Oh my god…”
“It’s alright, Muse. It’s time to get you to the hospital.” I hopped out of bed, pulled on the clothes I kept laid out for the occasion, and then got her outfit out of the dresser.
She continued to lie there as she gripped her stomach. “Oh my god…I’m having a baby. Jesus, I’m having a baby…” She started to breathe hard, gasping for breath as she began to panic. “I’ve gotta go to the hospital… I’ve gotta push a football out of my vagina…”
I grabbed the bag with supplies and set it on the bed. “Alright, let’s get you dressed.”
She stayed still. “Conway, I can’t do it. I just can’t…”
I grabbed both of her wrists and pulled her up. I kneeled on the floor at her feet so we could be eye level. “Muse, I know this is scary, but you can do this. If anyone can do this, it’s you.”
“It just won’t fit.” Her breathing increased as her panic became worse. “The first time we had sex, you barely fit—”
“Muse, just breathe.” I grabbed both of her wrists and squeezed them. “This is natural. Women do it every day. I’ll be there the whole time. You aren’t doing this alone.”
“You aren’t pushing anything out of your—”
“Don’t think about the process. Think about what we’re getting at the end. Our little boy or little girl will be here. We’re starting our family, Muse. That is the most beautiful thing in the world. You grew this little person inside you. Do you understand how amazing that is? Now it’s time to meet them.”
She slowly nodded, her breathing slowing down.
“You’re the strongest woman I know. You can do this.”
She nod
ded again. “Okay.”
“Now, let’s get you dressed and get going.” I gently pulled her to her feet and helped her change out of her pajamas into the new clothes. I stripped the sheets off the bed and left them on the floor so they wouldn’t soak into the mattress. “Just sit here for a second, and I’ll get my parents.”
“Alright.” She lowered herself into the chair and breathed, her hands on her stomach.
I ran up the stairs to the third floor and knocked on my parents’ bedroom door. I hadn’t done this since I was still living in the house as a teen.
“Coming.” My father’s deep voice sounded completely awake even though it was the middle of the night. He was always prepared for anything. He opened the door, shirtless in just his sweatpants. “Is it time?”
“Her water just broke.”
He grinned, fully awake at three a.m. “That’s great. Your mother and I will get dressed and meet you downstairs.” He started to shut the door.
“Wait.”
“What?” He opened the door wider and looked at me, his chiseled physique still tight and strong for a man in his late fifties. His muscular arms led to a powerful chest, and the veins bulged across the surface.
“I just… I’m gonna be a father.”
He grinned slowly. “It’s not as scary as you think it’s gonna be.”
“I don’t know anything about being a father.”
“I didn’t know anything either. You and Vanessa grew up just fine.”
I ran my hand through my hair, still nervous. “My whole life, it’s just been me. Now, I’ve got a wife and a kid… This isn’t where I thought I would be a year ago.”
“Life is crazy in its unpredictability. But that’s what makes it wonderful. I promise you, being a parent is the most rewarding thing you’ll ever do in your life, even more rewarding than starting your own company. Trust me on that.”
Muse had her breakdown when her water broke, and now that she wasn’t around, I was having mine.
My father continued to grin while he watched me. “I have no doubt you’ll be a great father.”
