SECRET BABY AT THE ALTAR

by Claire St. Rose

  It was difficult to tell in the dark, but beyond the windows there appeared to be nothing but sky with only a few bright dots of light that were probably other homes.

  “Some place,” Hammer said as he took it all in, and meant it.

  “It was Dad’s get away. He used to come up here at least once a month with Mom when she was still alive. After she died…” Lily shrugged, her mouth pulling down into a sad pout. “Maybe three or four times a year.”

  He looked around, admiring the craftsmanship in the house.

  “Come on, I’ll show you the rest,” she said with a jerk of her head.

  Opposite the fireplace, a staircase with storage below led to the loft that covered the kitchen area. There was a sturdy looking railing that ran the length of the bedroom and the small sitting area that shared the space above. You could see through the windows from anywhere in either area and behind the sitting area was a closet and a compact but full bath.

  “Nice,” Hammer said. “Just the one bedroom?”

  “The sofa downstairs opens into a bed.”

  Hammer looked around again. “All six of you stayed here?”

  Lily smiled with memory. “No. Dad bought this place after Michelle, that’s the next youngest, moved out. I was, let’s see… twelve at the time? I slept on the sofa.”

  “It’s cold in here,” he said. “Let’s go into town, get some supplies, and give this place a chance to warm up.”

  She nodded in agreement and led him downstairs.

  They spent a couple of hours in Tuckasegee, having dinner then buying what they needed to stock their pantry. They returned, and as Hammer hauled in the food, Lily put it away.

  “Tomorrow we’ll go back into town for some clothes,” Hammer said as he sat the last of the sacks on the counter.

  Lily nodded but said nothing, her face glum. He helped her put away the rest of the food, saying little. He wanted to ease her pain, as she had his, but didn’t know how. She blamed him for the loss of her father, and he didn’t know how to recover from that.

  Food put away, he turned her to face him. If they were going to be living together for the next three months, they were going to have to find a way to coexist.

  “I’m sorry for what happened to Carl,” he said.

  “It’s not your fault,” she replied as she ducked her head. She didn’t want him to see her cry again.

  “Are you sure about that?” he asked, crouching low so he could peer into her eyes.

  She looked up. “Yes, I know. It’s just so hard. So much killing. Six innocent people killed by this guy. I feel like I’m running away. And Dad. He told me I should leave town, but I argued with him. I thought I knew better than he did. I wonder if I’d—”

  “No!” Hammer interrupted before she could finish. “Don’t even go there. Remember what you told me? This is Robert’s fault, or maybe mine, but it’s damn sure not yours.”

  “But if I’d—”

  “Lily! Listen to me. You were targeted because of me. There is nothing you’ve done that makes any of this your fault.”

  “But—”

  He put his finger to her lips to silence her. “No buts. Hate Robert. Hate me. But don’t hate yourself.”

  “I don’t hate you, Hammer. You’ve done everything possible to protect me and keep me safe, even after the way I treated you in the hospital.”

  “I couldn’t do less, Lily. I can’t.”

  “Why?”

  Why indeed? “Because I can’t bear the thought of something happening to you because of me.”

  She watched his eyes for a moment then smiled softly. “Why do you care?”

  “Because I do. Why did you care when I was hurting?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I just did.”

  “Same here.”

  She smiled at him and touched his face with tenderness. “My knight in shining armor. My guardian angel.”

  “It’s not funny, Lily. I’m serious about this.”

  She felt a warmth spread through her, a warmth she hadn’t felt since she’d been shot. “I’m not mocking you.” She held his gaze then pulled his lips to hers.

  His kiss was electrifying as he pulled her in, perhaps the single best kiss she’d ever received. It was passionate, loving, and heated in equal measure, and it almost took her breath away. His kiss spoke to her at a far deeper level than words ever could, and she realized how much she’d missed his touch, how cold and barren the world had felt when she’d rejected his promise to protect her. He was willing to go to prison, to commit murder, to protect her. She’d been a fool.

  She sighed as the kiss dissolved and she wanted to cry. Cry over what she’d lost, and what she’d found. She wasn’t ready to say she loved this big biker, this man that was willing to give so much to keep her safe, but she had to admit she was starting to fall for him. Had started to fall for him, and his unwavering support made her realize it.

  She looked at him and tucked her bottom lip behind her teeth. “You know what I’ve never done?”

  “What?” he breathed.

  “I’ve never slept in the bed upstairs.” She paused as her loss washed over her, but it seemed to break against the warmth of his embrace, like the ocean against rocks, and lost much of its power over her. “I want to… with you. Will you take me to bed and hold me?”

  He smiled and pulled her lips to his as an answer.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Lily stretched and sighed as she lay wrapped in Hammer’s arms. She watched through the glass front of the cabin as the snow drifted down in big, fat flakes, the sun peeking over the distant crests bathing the entire cabin in warm reds and oranges. They had gotten off to a rocky start as she struggled with her grief, but after six days together in the cabin in the woods, she was in heaven.

  The shootings back home had stopped, and she was falling hard for the big, beefy, and oh so luscious biker with the big heart. They had walked in the woods, had snowball fights, and sat on the couch in front of a roaring fire, sipping mulled wine with raisins, and watched it snow.

  She had watched him as he learned to chop wood, and then laughed as he complained of being sore. He’d learned to cook, and she’d learned to watch for ambushes as he stalked her in the forest, and how to move silently through the trees. And at night they had made love. Slowly and passionately, for hours, unless they were tearing each other’s clothes off as they bit and scratched and cried their pleasure to the world. There was no television and no Internet, and she hadn’t missed either, the lack of distractions giving them more time for each other.

  He had been in near constant contact with the Souls, and she with the police. The police and the Souls were still looking for Robert, but the consensus was he had left Amberton, no doubt frustrated by his inability to find targets.

  Everyone agreed that it was probably safe for them to return to Amberton next weekend. They would have been gone fifty-eight days at that point, and Lily would return to duty the following Monday. Except she really didn’t want to return to work. Before Robert, her career on the Amberton PD had been the most important thing in her life. Now, she wasn’t so sure.

  She felt Hammer’s lips kiss her shoulder as his embrace tightened around her, his big hands cupping her breasts as he tugged her back into him. She smiled and turned, rolling over onto her back as his lips covered hers.

  They had bought enough clothes to last them a week—three pairs of jeans and six shirts each, along with underwear—but they hadn’t bothered with any type of sleepwear. And why should they? She wanted nothing between her and Hammer at night.

  Hammer breathed in her scent. In the past week, he’d fallen hard for her. She was everything he wanted in a woman. Funny, smart, brave, self-reliant, a tigress in bed, and stunningly beautiful. He couldn’t keep his hands off her, and she seemed to thrive on the attention.

  They fucked—no, not fucked, made love—at least twice every day, once in the morning and once again at night, but often their passion
s overtook them, and they made love again once or twice more during the day.

  There was nothing sexier than making slow, tender, love to Lily as the sun rose over the mountains beyond the window. He’d made up his mind that he was going to tell her how he felt, but he was saving it for their last night in the cabin together.

  He had the evening planned. He’d learned to cook and discovered he had a flair for Italian food. He was going to start by preparing her dinner. Then, after the meal was complete, he was going to prepare her a mug of warm mulled wine, with raisins, the way she liked it. They were going to sit in front of a warm fire as he casually caressed her breasts while watching the stars come out. Then he was going to tell her he had fallen hopelessly, madly, joyously in love with her, take her upstairs to their bed, and make love to her all night.

  “Good morning,” he whispered, his lips millimeters from her own.

  Lily smiled as his breath, warm and soft, tickled her lips. “Good morning to you,” she whispered back as she caressed his face.

  She could feel his impressive hardness as his thick cock lay against her leg. She slid her hand between them and took him into her hand. She had always enjoyed sex, but goddamn, she couldn’t seem to get enough of him. Having him fuck her to nirvana first thing in the morning always started the day out right, then having him do the same again at night was the perfect way to close out a perfect day. And, sometimes, she got lucky, and he did it to her in the middle of the day too.

  He kissed her again, his tongue dancing with hers as he pulled her into the kiss, her lips warm, soft and sweet beyond measure. He rolled, pulling her to lay his chest. He was aching for her, even more than usual, this morning. He wanted to please her, wanted to see her squirm and writhe under his touch.

  He pulled back from the kiss, all but panting in desire. He pushed her up with one arm as he grabbed her ass, sliding her up as he scooted down, steering her knees over his shoulders before clamping her to his face.

  She gasped as Hammer’s tongue began to flick and dart. She’d sat on his face like this for the first time, with any man, several weeks ago. She’d enjoyed the dominate position, and she’d also discovered she could control the intensity of his kiss by raising or lowering herself slightly, and he’d given her the most brain twisting, mind warping, orgasm of her life. She’d actually cried out softly as her orgasm destroyed her, the first time that had ever happened too.

  She’d been disappointed Hammer hadn’t offered to do it again, even stopping her once when she’d attempted to move over his face herself, but having him surprise her by muscling her into position, which only made her need roar.

  Lily settled over his face as he pulled her down to his waiting lips and tongue. Hearing her cry out in ecstasy the last time she rode his lips had been the single most erotic thing he’d ever experienced. He’d resisted the urge to do it to her over and over again, wanting to keep the experience new and fresh for a while, but this morning he wanted to please her like never before.

  She began to moan as he devastated her bud with his lips and tongue. She clung to the headboard, her eyes closed, as his hands traveled up her body to caress her breasts, his fingers teasing her nipples to aching erectness.

  “Fuck…” Lily gasped as she shuddered, her orgasm rippling through her, searing along her nerves, lighting her up with pleasure. She groaned hard and deep, crunching down, unable to hold herself up, then barked out in pleasure as she tumbled sideways to the bed, unable to accept the pleasure Hammer was giving her.

  He rolled with her as she twitched and jerked, his tongue still busy as she twisted her hands in his hair, moaning softly until she relaxed with an explosive exhale. He smiled as he reduced the intensity of his kisses, and then began to caress her body with his lips and tongue as he slowly worked his way up her body to her lips.

  She lunged at his lips, desperate to taste them, pulling him in and devouring him. He responded, pulling her in, their tongues engaged in an erotic dance as she pushed and shoved him between her legs. She was desperate to feel his hardness inside her, and as he sank to her depths, she broke away from the kiss, unable to breathe.

  She moaned again as he slid into her, her sound like a whip-crack for his passions. She enflamed him like no woman before her. His special place—that place in his mind where he went to prevent himself from coming—hadn’t been open since the first time they fucked. She ripped away his control, flogging him with passion until he was consumed.

  He wrapped his hands in her hair as he lunged into her with long, slow, thrusts, his strong arms clamped tight to her sides. She opened her eyes, and he was staring at her. She loved the way he looked at her as they made love, his face hard with passion contained that made her feel like the most desirable woman in the universe, or soft and with a tenderness that made her want to weep in joy. But always, his eyes were intense, as if he were looking into her very soul.

  Hammer held her as he thrust. Before Lily, he had enjoyed a variety of sexual positions equally, but now, with her, having her under him so he could watch her face, watch her eyes, feel her flesh against his own as they made love, had become his favorite. He enjoyed fucking her in other positions, but when he was making love to her, he always returned to this one.

  “I want you to kiss me when you come,” he breathed, his lips almost touching hers.

  She nodded, the thought of kissing him driving her wilder. She nodded again, her orgasm stalking her.

  “Yes…” she breathed.

  Hammer could feel his own orgasm rising within him, and he began to thrust harder, pounding into her, giving in to his body’s demands.

  He grunted, his face becoming more intense, and Lily could sense the tension in him as he drove toward his own climax. Knowing that she was giving him such pleasure, that he was approaching his rapture excited her and her own climax swelled within her.

  She watched him, her mouth opening slightly as his eyes drifted closed, then she lunged at him, kissing him furiously as he felt her clamp around his cock, and her soft moan as she forced her tongue into his mouth. He was close, so close, but he fought against his need, never wanting to stop. She relaxed a little, pulling back from the kiss with a sigh, then moaned and pulled his lips hard to hers again, holding him into the kiss as she devoured him. Again, he felt the fluttering of her muscles, and he barked into her mouth as he flooded into her.

  Lily felt Hammer’s warm splash as he groaned, their tongues slashing and darting, his hips pushing in hard, holding himself deep, until he relaxed with a gasp and pulled back from the kiss to bury his face in her neck.

  “Fuck…” he muttered as he began to slow his thrust. “You make me come so hard sometimes.”

  She smiled, caressing his head and back, enjoying the feel of his hardness slowly plumbing her depths.

  “Not every time?” she asked in a playful pouty voice.

  He chuckled and rose from her neck to take her lips with his own. “Hard every time, but sometimes harder than others,” he whispered as he released her lips.

  She hummed in satisfaction as his hips coasted to a stop and he snuggled in. His breath was warm and soft on her neck, and she sighed. Despite everything that had happened, despite her loss and all the death, she was at peace. She’d fallen for her protector, and fallen hard, and she couldn’t imagine her world without Hammer in it.

  He slid off of her, and she tucked herself into his embrace. They were returning to the real world soon. In a few days they would be returning to the world of jobs and people, but before they did, she wanted to scrape up every moment of pleasure out of this final week that she could. Having him make love to her, then falling back asleep in his arms, was going to stop when she had to get up and go to work. At least the falling back asleep part. She smiled as Hammer’s breathing became slow, deep, and regular, and she was still smiling as she joined him in the darkness of sleep.

  ###

  “How’s it coming along?” Lily asked as Hammer carefully scraped at the board in hi
s lap with his knife.

  He held it up for her to see. He’d been working on it for days. Donovan’s was finished, and Haven was nearly complete. Once it was done, they were going to hang it beside the door into the cabin.

  “Almost there,” she said as she kissed him on the neck.

  She’d carefully drawn the letters onto a piece of hickory that he’d cut from a chunk of firewood then sanded smooth. When that went up beside the door, she would consider the cabin truly theirs. All she had to do was buy out her sister’s share—something she was planning to do as soon as possible. She wanted to keep the cabin, and the memories she formed there these last two months, all to herself.