Pure Attraction (Attraction Series Book 2)

by JB Heller

  I told them what I knew, and we split up. Gabe went around the back and covered the back door. Kai wanted to go right in the front door, but I convinced him it would be better to let me make the approach since this dude didn’t know who I was and wouldn’t immediately go for Mia when he saw me.

  Kai agreed, but he was only two steps behind me, waiting just out of view. I strode up to the front door and knocked. Muffled voices could be heard from inside, and then a man opened the door. I looked him up and down then frowned. “You’re not Shelly.” I said. He looked at me like I’d lost my mind.

  I put my hand on his shoulder and shoved him back a step, poking my head inside at the same time. “Shelly? You in here?” I called. “Shelly?”

  The guy shoved me back. “Who the fuck are you?”

  I let him think he’d moved me, but really, there was no way he could have if I didn’t want him to. “My bad.” I held my hand out between us. “I’m Axel. Shelly told me to pick her up here.” I glanced at my watch. “Shit, is she pissed because I’m late? I’m only twenty minutes late, for fuck’s sake.” I pushed myself all the way into the unit. “Shelly baby, I’m sorry,” I called out. At the same time, I shot Mia a sly wink.

  Her ex grabbed hold of my shoulder and tried to swing me back around, but I held firm and kept up my act. “Jesus, Shell, I’m not that late. Come on out.”

  The ex was getting pissed. I could feel his frustration building as he tugged harder on my shoulder. “Get the fuck out of my house,” he yelled.

  I’d provided enough of a distraction for him to move his focus away from the front door so Kai could slip in unnoticed. I caught sight of Mia and watched her stiff body relax when she realised I hadn’t come alone. I turned my attention back to the ex. “Look, mate, I’m just here to pick up my girl,” I said with my hands raised, palms out in front of me.

  The dude relaxed a little. “There’s no Shelly here. Now get the fuck out,” he said in an even tone.

  I cocked my head to the side. “Are you sure? This is the address she gave me.”

  “I’m really fucking sure. As you can see, it’s just me and my woman here. Now fuck off.” His anger was rising again.

  Smiling, I turned back to Mia and cocked my head. “Your boyfriend’s got a stick up his arse,” I joked. She didn’t smile back... she didn’t move at all. I took a second to really look at her. “Hey, are you alright?” She clenched her teeth as a grimace covered her pretty face, and her hands shot to her huge stomach. Fuck, I knew what that meant.

  I spun on my heels and came face to face with the fuckwad who took her and sent her into premature labour. I launched my fist into his face he didn’t see it coming and stumbled back a few steps, crashing right into a waiting Kai. Gabe heard the commotion and busted in through the back door.

  I knew they had him covered, so I ran to Mia’s side. “Mia, how long have they been coming?” I asked. It was clear they were hard-core contractions. I reached out and took one of her hands in mine, and she squeezed so tight I swear she broke a few bones in my hand. I didn’t care though. Now was not the time to bitch out.

  “Breathe through it, Mia. Come on, honey, breathe with me,” I urged. She listened to me and slowed her breathing as the contraction began to subside.

  “They started when he shoved me into his car,” she whispered. “I don’t know how long ago that was,” she said as a single tear slid down her cheek.

  I caught the tear with the pad of my thumb, and when I did, I noticed the beginnings of a bruise on her cheek. He’d hit her—d a pregnant chick. I was going to kill him, but for now, I schooled my expression because Mia didn’t need to see my reaction to this right now. “I’m going to get Kai, and he’s going to take you to the hospital, okay?” She squeezed my hand again and nodded.

  Turning around, I saw Gabe had fuckwad held against the wall with his hands behind his back. He also had his phone pressed between his shoulder and ear with the cops— would be my guess— on the receiving end. Kai walked over to us and I put my hand on his shoulder as he neared. “You need to get her to the hospital right fucking now. She’s in labour.” I paused briefly. “He hit her, man, and her cheek is starting to bruise.”

  Kai’s face turned to stone. He turned around to go do some damage, but I grabbed him before he could. “Hospital now, mate.” He froze. I watched as his fists clenched by his sides, once and then twice, before he pulled himself together enough to face Mia. When he looked back at her, all that was in his eyes was his love for her. He took the two steps needed to reach her, scooped her up in his arms, and carried her out the door.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  I’d never been so relieved in all my life. Not even when Trent had moved me out of my mother’s house. The moment Axel pushed his way through the door, I knew everything was going to be alright.

  Trent had revealed a side of him I’d never seen before when he showed up at the unit this morning. He’d never gotten violent with me before, but I guess I’d never given him a reason to since I always just went along with whatever he wanted. I never thought he would come after me. I thought he’d be glad to be rid of me. Guess I was wrong.

  When I’d opened the door and saw him standing on the other side of it, I tried to close it in his face, but his foot was already in place to block my attempt. He pushed inside and shoved me to the ground. Standing over me he sneered, “Did you really think I’d let you keep up this charade you’ve been living? Trips to the spa with that blonde bitch, breakfasts at the beach every weekend, candlelit dinners in parks?”

  I shuffled back on my hands and butt until I was against the couch. I then lifted myself up onto it. He’d been watching me, that knowledge made me want to throw up. All those beautiful memories Kai and I had made together, Trent had been watching the whole time.

  He stalked towards me, hatred and disgust smeared across his face. I had to swallow down the bile that rose in my throat when I noticed his furious gaze was locked on my belly. I wrapped my arms around it trying to hide it from his glare. “Why now, Trent? Why couldn’t you just leave me be?” I asked with a shaky voice.

  His focus moved back up to my face, “I thought about forgetting about you, but I’d already invested so much time in training you. It would take too long to find and train another bitch, so I’ve come to take back what’s mine and get rid of that thing inside you,” he sneered.

  My whole body went cold. “I’m not yours. Not anymore.” I tried to keep my voice steady. “Kai will be back any minute, so you better leave before he gets home.”

  He laughed and got right up in my face. “Then, we better get going.” He grabbed my wrists and pulled me towards him. Stumbling over my own feet I fell on my hands and knees and cried out in pain but he didn’t stop. He wrapped his hand around my ponytail and pulled me back up to my feet. The pain was so intense, tears poured from my eyes.

  Once I was standing, Trent brought his body up close behind mine. “Soon as I take care of that thing,” he said in my ear, his mouth so close I could feel his hot breath on my neck, “you’re going to get back in shape. You look disgusting, like a fucking whale. And I don’t fuck whales.”

  “P-p..lease, don’t,” I begged.

  I felt his mouth twitch into a smile against the skin of my neck. “I bet you’ve miss my cock, too. You always were a dirty little whore.” I felt his head shake behind me, “It’s back to slummin’ it for you.”

  Rancid bile rose again as he shoved me out the front door. I bent over and retched in the shrubs by the carport. “Please,” I begged again, “let me go.”

  “Never again, Mia. Never a-fucking-gain.” He enunciated each word clearly as if to set my fate in stone.

  He shoved me in the passenger door and slammed it shut. I fumbled with the handle trying to open it, but it was locked. It didn’t matter what I did it wouldn’t open. He was in the driver’s seat a moment later. “Nice try, but it won’t work. I told you, I’m never letting you go again. I took measures to make sure of it.
”

  I choked on a sob. This couldn’t be happening, not now. My stomach tightened so tight it felt like stone, and I screamed. Trent’s fist shot out and made contact with my cheek, throwing my head back into the glass of the window. “Shut up whore!” he spat.

  My head spun—I wasn’t sure if I was sitting, standing, or lying down. The world around me was turned on its end, and my face throbbed. My stomach began to tighten again, and I braced as best I could by biting down on my lip to stop from crying out again. I tasted blood as my teeth punctured my lip.

  Then I wet myself. I was so scared, and I’d never felt so helpless. He wanted to hurt my baby. I couldn’t do this right now. I squeezed my thighs together as hard as I could. When I looked down in my lap, I saw I hadn’t wet myself—my waters had broken. The liquid was tinged with blood, and I panicked.

  “Trent, p-p…lease. The baby—”

  He cut me off, “I told you to shut up. I don’t want to hear about that thing. As soon as we get home, I’ll take care of it, and you’ll never speak of it again. Do you hear me, Mia? Never.”

  My stomach clenched again, only this time, the pain so intense I threw my head back and held my belly. It felt like concrete beneath my palms. It stayed that way longer than before, and I groaned.

  By the time Trent parked the car in the lot of the apartment I used to live in with him, the contractions had become more constant. I only had a brief break between them, maybe a minute or two, and then another would hit, and I’d be struck breathless while trying to keep my silence.

  Trent dragged me out of the car, and when he saw the mess on my shorts and the seat I’d been sitting in, he threw me against the side of the car. “You’re cleaning that up you, dirty whore,” he hissed in my face.

  Pulling me into the apartment, he shoved me onto the couch then began pacing in front of me, his hands in his hair and his neck muscles bulging. I’d never seen him this angry before. I arranged myself upright and waited for the next contraction. I had no idea how I was going to get through this.

  “Things between us were perfect, and then you had to go and ruin it, Mia. Why did you do that, huh? Why would you go and do something so stupid? What made you think you could do that to me? What made you think I’d let you go?

  “After everything I’d done for you, you just throw it all in my face and leave. I gave you everything. I took you away from that slut mother of yours and how do you show your appreciation? You turn your back on me. That wasn’t smart, Mia. Not smart at all.”

  He stopped pacing and glared at me. “You stupid bitch. You thought you could go and live the high life, while I stayed here in this shit hole.” A humourless laugh slipped from his lips, “This is where you belong Mia. Your worthless arse is only good for one thing, fucking.”

  His eyes moved back down to my belly, “And now I have to get my hands dirty, so we can get back to doing what your good at.” He seethed and stepped towards me, but before he could reach me, a loud knock sounded from the front door. His head snapped in that direction, and then back to me. “Keep your fucking mouth shut.” Then he went to open the door.

  When he did, I heard Axel’s voice. I sighed in relief and then in fear again as my belly started to contract. I did my best to hide the pain, to play it cool, but it didn’t matter because all of Trent’s attention was on Axel. Next thing I knew, Axel was inside the apartment calling out for someone called Shelly. I had no clue what he was doing until I saw Kai slip inside the door when Trent turned his back on it.

  Time ceased to move as the next contraction hit me with a vengeance. Then Axel was by my side, holding my hand and talking to me. I didn’t know what he was saying, and I didn’t care. I wasn’t alone with Trent, and that’s all that registered in my brain. I said something to Axel, but I wasn’t sure what or if it made any sense. The next thing I knew, Kai was sweeping me up into his arms and carrying me out the door.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  I wanted to kill him. I really did. And if Mia hadn’t gone into labour, I probably would have.

  I placed Mia down in the passenger seat of my truck, and as gently as possible, I pulled the seatbelt around her and clicked it into place. “Everything’s going to be just fine, Pretty Girl, okay?” I said as I leant forward and placed a kiss on her tear-soaked cheek. She didn’t reply, and I didn’t expect her to.

  I rounded the car and jumped in behind the wheel. I pulled out of the dingy parking lot and took the most direct route to the closest hospital. My tyres screeched as I pulled into the emergency parking bay. I ran around to get Mia and lifted her out of the seat just as a contraction hit. She curled over in my arms and cried out as I ran through the automatic doors.

  A nurse approached with a worried look on her face. “She’s having the baby, but she’s not due for another three weeks,” I said.

  The nurse nodded and spun around saying, “Follow me.” I followed her to the elevator reserved for the staff, and she hit a button. A moment later, the doors slid open and we were off again. We went past a nurses’ station and right into a birthing suite.

  As carefully as I could manage, I lowered Mia to the queen-sized bed and placed her against the pillows. “You got this, baby. We’re here now, and it’s going to be alright.” I didn’t know if I was reassuring her or me, but we both needed it.

  “How long have the contractions been going?” asked another woman who had followed us into the room.

  I looked at Mia for the answer, but she shook her head and braced for another. “I don’t know. She was kidnapped and knocked around a bit, so I’m not sure. She hasn’t been able to speak to me yet,” I hurriedly explained. The other woman stood staring at me in shock. “Do something!” I yelled at her.

  She shook her head and said, “Right, I’m sorry. I’m Timna, and I’ll be your midwife. I need to check if she’s dilated yet, and if so, how far.” She turned her attention to Mia. “Sweetie, I’m going to remove your pants now. I have to examine you.” Mia nodded.

  I went to take a step back, but Mia’s little hand reached out for me, so I moved closer again and sat on the edge of the bed by her side. I slid one of my arms around her shoulder and took her hand with the other.

  “You’re fully dilated. When you feel the urge to push, you can,” Timna said to Mia.

  Mia’s beautiful doe eyes turned up to mine, and I gave her shoulder a squeeze. “I’m right here, Pretty Girl. We’ll do it together,” I said with a kiss to her forehead.

  “When your next contraction comes, I want you to bear down and push. Can you do that for me?” the midwife asked Mia. Mia’s only response was again a single nod.

  I watched as determination swept over Mia’s features. I knew she had it in her to do this, even under such god-awful circumstances. I helped her when she started to sit up, and I moved behind her body to help brace her. When the contraction came, she hunched forward and pushed with a deep guttural groan.

  “Very good, sweetie. I can see the head. That’s really good. Just two more pushes, and I think we’ll have a baby. You’re doing great,” the midwife encouraged as Mia’s body fell back against my chest.

  I smoothed her hair back off her face. “You hear that, baby? Just two more pushes, and you’ll be holding our little girl in your arms,” I said against her sweat-soaked neck.

  “Boy,” she murmured, and I laughed.

  I felt Mia’s body begin to tense as the next contraction began to build, and she pulled herself up again. Her whole body locked down as she pushed, and another deep, coarse groan was ripped from within her. She dropped back against me, panting when it eased.

  “We have a head with lots of beautiful dark curls,” Timna announced. “Just one more push, and you’re done, honey.”

  When the next one started, Mia was ready for it, having already shuffled up and taken hold of the backs of her knees, when it tore through her, she pushed with new-found determination.

  When it was over she breathed a sigh of relief then sat up a little and looked
down between her legs, tears filled her eyes. “Girl,” she whispered. Then a perfect tiny cry filled the room, and tears pooled in my eyes.

  In my arms, I held the most beautiful little creature I’d ever seen. And sure enough, my baby was indeed a girl. Just like everyone except me had suspected. I gazed down into her big blue eyes and felt my love for her bloom in my chest. I never knew I could feel so much.

  Kai sat behind me, holding my body upright and wrapped his arms around the both of us. “What should we call her?” I asked him.

  “I like Belle,” he said. “It suits her perfectly, it does mean beautiful, after all.”

  A big yawn stretched her tiny mouth, and it was the cutest thing I’d ever seen. “What about Annabelle? I’ve always like that name. You know the teacher who took extra time to teach me how to fight in school?” I asked him I felt his body grow tight, but he nodded. “Her name was Annabelle.”

  “Annabelle it is, then,” he said with a kiss to my shoulder. “What about a middle name?”

  I thought hard as I stared at my gorgeous daughter. I’d been positive I was having a boy, so I hadn’t given any earlier thought to girl names. Just then, there was a commotion outside the door to our suite, and Ivy came bursting through the door like a woman on a mission. I smiled at her and then my baby girl. “Ivy,” I said to Kai. “Annabelle Ivy Phillips.”

  His arms tightened a fraction. “You’re going to give her my name?” he asked on a husky whisper. I could feel the emotions pouring off him.

  “She’s ours,” I said simply. Because she was. Kai was her father in every way that mattered. And no paternity test would change that.

  “She’s so big! Oh my god, look at all that hair. She’s so precious!” Ivy gushed completely missing the intense moment Kai and I were sharing.