Beverly grinned. “Eden and Benedict, come on!”
He gazed over at his other kids and smiled. “Yes. Don’t be shy. You’re part of my family.”
They both beamed as Eden squatted next to Killian in front of him and Beverly wrapped her arm around Benedict’s waist.
Blake pointed the phone at them. “Everyone smile and say spaghetti!”
“Spaghetti!”
“That one was good, but let me get one more.”
A moment later, he handed the phone back to Hudson and clapped him on the shoulder, and he could swear Blake’s eyes glistened, as if tears were about to fall. “Good looking crew you got there, buddy.”
Blake left the room quickly, and Hudson made a note to track him down later. For now, he wanted to concentrate on his ‘crew.”
Turning to them, he saw Eden had picked up Killian, and Beverly hugged her. Abby gave Benedict a kiss on the cheek, while Noah and he looked on, both smiling.
Yes, this was what Christmas was all about to him. The presents were fun, the decorations pretty, the food good. But he felt richer beyond words.
He had his family together.
Blake and Sophia
When Sophia reveals a troubling secret, Blake’s past comes back to haunt him and causes a huge rift between him and Sophia.
Can Blake let his past go and realize what truly motivates his anger?
Chapter 10
Five Days Before Christmas
Timing.
His life had always been about good timing.
For as far back as Blake could remember, that had been the case.
He’d slipped away from beatings from his father by a hair, always recognizing the signs one would be coming; then, he’d simply disappear for a day or so.
When it had come down to killing his father, he’d descended the stairs just in time to see his mother dead, but not soon enough so his father would notice him. Instead, he’d been able to slip upstairs, grab the gun, and obliterate the son of a bitch.
He’d never gone looking for anyone to be kind to him, but people had been because of where he’d been at a certain time.
Him joining the Saviors had been all about being in the right place at the right time, as had breaking Jovan out of the government facility, and certainly, the rescue they’d just accomplished. Yes, they’d gone trying to gather information, but instead, they’d rained a hailstorm of bullets on the damn government and rescued Roman, Hudson’s kids, and that other chick.
What was her name?
Olivia.
He hoped she’d be okay.
Hudson’s kids. Damn. He sure didn’t see that one coming. He looked at them over his shoulder again as they rode down the freeway. Whoever their mom had been didn’t contribute much to their genetic make-up.
They rode in silence, the coppery scent of blood hitting his nose from Roman’s and Olivia’s bleeding in the back of the car still lingering. They’d dropped them off at the safe house, and now they returned to the silo. With his adrenaline finally ebbing, and the silence in the car, the reality of his situation settled in.
Sophia was pregnant.
He wished he could take back every single syllable he’d said to her when she’d told him. What a monster he’d been, and he cringed as every horrible word he had uttered replayed in his mind.
He’d been so angry.
“How the fuck did this happen, Sophia?”
Tears streamed down her face as she cowered in the bathroom. “I don’t know, Blake. I took the pills as Beverly directed me to.”
He slammed his fist down on the bathroom counter. “You need to get an abortion!”
She shook her head, not meeting his gaze. “I don’t think I can do that.”
“You have no fucking choice!”
Finally, she looked at him, her anger apparent through the tears. “Yes, I do! There is always a choice!”
He hovered over her, pointing at her. “This time, there isn’t.”
Sophia got to her feet and wiped her nose with her sleeve, her voice quiet, but furious. “This is a decision that we need to discuss rationally, Blake. Right now, you aren’t being rational.”
Ramming his fist against the wall, he screamed at her. “No! You’ll get an abortion, and that’s the end of this fucking conversation!”
His Colonist side had definitely come out to play during that exchange.
Now, as he rode back to the silo, he dreaded facing her. It was late enough that she probably wouldn’t be awake now, and he hoped it to be true. He just couldn’t imagine facing her at this point.
As they pulled up in front of the silo, he glanced over at Hudson. That guy had had his fair share of shit rise to the surface tonight, as well. Two kids he knew nothing about suddenly appeared out of the government facility, and Beverly had made it pretty clear she didn’t want anything to do with him for the time being.
A coyote running in the desert caught his eye, and he stopped to watch it just as the moon came out from its hiding place among the clouds and shone down on the animal.
Then, he realized that two pups trailed it. They all stopped and looked over at Blake, as if sizing him up. When he didn’t move, they turned and continued on their way.
He’d seen many dozens of coyotes living out here, and he never tired of watching them. Incredibly intelligent, deadly, and fiercely protective of their young—he had nothing but respect for these animals.
Protective of their young.
Sighing, he didn’t feel that way toward the baby growing inside Sophia. In fact, he hated the little bastard. As far as he was concerned, the baby would lead to nothing but trouble and heartache, one way or the other. Somehow, some way, he would pay for being the son of a Colonist, and that kid would be the one to deliver the bill. He didn’t know how it would all go down, but as the son of a Colonist, his bad genes couldn’t be any stronger. Daily, he felt as if he walked a fine line between right and wrong, and thankfully, right seemed to win. That baby would have all of his crap DNA, and the possibility of it turning into a monster hovered pretty high up there.
He turned at the sound of Cohen’s voice. “Blake, you coming in?”
Nodding, he climbed up the steps, his feet feeling like two blocks of concrete.
Thankfully, it seemed everyone had gone to bed. As he rode the elevator down to his floor, he wondered what he would find once he entered his quarters.
When he opened the door, the bathroom light cast a low glow on the room. Glancing over at the bed, he noted the bedspread still hung in perfection, the pillows situated with precision—just the way Sophia had left them this morning.
He walked over to the bathroom, hoping he’d find her in there. Empty. Turning, he went to the closet and placed his guns in the safe, then sat down on the bed with a heavy sigh and kicked off his boots.
As he lay back, he knew sleep would elude him unless he found out where Sophia slept tonight.
He stood and walked out of his quarters and down the hall, then peeked into Megan’s room.
Sophia and Megan lay in bed together, both sleeping soundly, a book on Sophia’s stomach. The bedside light still glowed. Maybe she’d fallen asleep while reading to Megan, and wasn’t avoiding him, after all. Should he wake Sophia, or let her snooze?
Honestly, he couldn’t face her. He still swam in guilt and shame at the way he’d handled the situation.
He turned off the light and quietly left them. Going back into his own room, he stripped down and made sure to place his clothing in the hamper, not wanting to upset his mate further with his messy ways.
Slipping between the sheets, he stared at the ceiling. A deep ache crossed his chest, his mind spun, and he couldn’t recall a time in his life where he’d ever felt so utterly alone.
Chapter 11
Four Days before Christmas
Blake woke in a pool of sweat with his gut twisted up, feeling worse than when he’d finally gone to sleep. He’d lain in bed for what seemed like hours before
he could finally rest. Vivid dreams of him killing and torturing people—and really enjoying it—had played in his mind. Then, there’d been the one where he walked through a river of blood, bodies of the people he’d killed floating all around him, and he strolled among them without giving them a second thought.
Man, it had been a rough one.
Always secure in the knowledge that his good genes outweighed his bad, it still didn't stop his Colonist side from peeking through every now and then. Apparently, last night, the bastard had come out to play hard.
He longed to go back to sleep, but he didn’t know how much more of those nightmares he could take.
Rolling over, he noted the time as ten. He glanced around looking for any sign that Sophia had been in the room—the bathroom light had been turned off. He hadn’t heard her come in, and she hadn’t bothered to wake him. Did she just not want to talk to him, or was she being kind and letting him sleep?
This guessing game on what her motives could be had really grown tiresome. They needed to talk, end of story.
With a groan, he sat up, grabbed his cell phone, and tried to call Sophia. It went straight to voicemail, and he cursed. He checked his voicemails and texts, only finding a selfie from Jovan, who had been sent to Florida along with Titus and Rayner. In the picture, Jovan grinned and flipped him the bird, a huge alligator in the background. They were supposed to be following up on a possible Colonist activity, not taking selfies with gators. The male looked as if he were having too much fun, and it only worsened Blake's mood.
"Fuck you, too, Jovan,” he muttered as he scrolled through the emoljis to find the one that would give him the middle finger.
Once he hit send, he rose from the bed and staggered into the bathroom, turning the spray to cold. He shivered as he soaped up his body, but at least his head began to clear a bit. Maybe a cup of coffee or three would also help push out the last remnants of his dreams and put him in a better mood.
When he couldn't stand the cold any longer, and he turned up the hot water and shut his eyes as the spray hit his face and chest. At some point today, he should probably work out. He'd found that staying active and in top physical shape really helped keep his addiction demons at bay.
Placing his hands against the marble, he hung his head, letting the water hit the back of his shoulders. He remembered how pretty Sophia had looked a couple of nights ago when they’d had plans to go into the city for a romantic dinner. He guessed she'd known then she had been pregnant, and she had been going to tell him that night. Instead, Holly had called saying she’d found Roman, and their plans had gone right down the shitter.
That night, he'd considered skipping dinner and taking Sophia directly to bed. That black dress had hugged all her slight curves, and her hair had been tossed up into a messy bun. She'd looked absolutely gorgeous, and when he thought back, it almost seemed as if she'd been glowing. He'd attributed it to make-up, but now, he had to wonder if it had been the pregnancy. But how did she go from glowing one day, to barfing her guts out the next? It didn't make any sense, and it only furthered his belief that the thing growing within her would be evil.
Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly. He couldn't think that way or he'd just end up losing it again when he finally did track down Sophia. Instead, he had to think of happier things.
He imagined her stretched out across their bed lying on her side, naked, the lights down low, but still bright enough that he could see all her lovely flesh. A small smiled played on her lips and love shone from her dark chocolate gaze. Honey-colored hair hung down to her shoulders, her skin tanned from spending so much time in the garden. Her hardened nipples beckoned him, as did the slight swell of her hips. His little slice of Heaven waited for him, wanting him.
As he opened his eyes, the sound of the water hitting the tile almost drowned out his heavy breathing. He couldn't deny his arousal, or his need for release. Grabbing the soap, he quickly made some bubbles, then gripped his shaft, slowly caressing himself from the tip to his balls. Groaning, he closed his eyes to continue his fantasy.
She crooked her finger at him, and he walked over to the bed. As she turned onto her back, he took a nipple in his mouth, swirling his tongue and gently sucking. Gasping, Sophia arched her spine and threaded her fingers through his hair, holding him in place.
With his other hand, he skimmed her ribcage, down to her hip, and over to her inner thigh. He gently pushed her knee; she spread her legs. As he dipped his fingers into her secret flesh, he found her slick, ready to accept him.
"More," she whispered, her hips undulating against his hand.
Finally, she let go of his hair and he brought his mouth to hers. He kissed her hard and passionately, hoping to convey how much love he felt within him, how fucking cranked up she got him, and how lost he'd be without her.
Suddenly, she snapped her thighs closed, and he reluctantly removed his hand. Grinning at him, she rolled over onto her stomach and lifted her hips. "Like this."
He stood and ran his hand over his shaft, then over her beautiful ass. Trailing a finger down her spine, he then situated himself at her entrance. As he slid in, they both moaned with pleasure, her slick walls gripping him as he moved within her.
As he grabbed her hips, he kneaded the flesh. Trying to keep his pace slow and steady, he knew he wouldn't last long—not like this. Not taking Sophia from behind and watching his cock—
He cursed as he came, the orgasm rocking him from head to toe as his seed spilled in bursts to the shower floor. As he watched it go down the drain, he tried to catch his breath, feeling completely unfulfilled.
Dammit.
He needed the real thing—he needed his Sophia, and the only way that would happen was if he apologized and they sat down and had a grownup conversation. And when he finally did get her back into their bed, he would last a hell of a lot longer than he had in his fantasy.
Turning off the spray, he pulled in a towel and quickly dried off. If he had anything to say about it, that talk would be happening sooner rather than later.
Chapter 12
"Has anyone seen Sophia?"
He glanced around the barely controlled mayhem in the kitchen. Hudson looked like he wanted to kill someone, or he had a bit of constipation going on—Blake couldn't decide which, and he wouldn't ask for an answer. He'd learned over the years that when Hudson wore that look on his face, it would be best to let cranky dogs be cranky and not to question it. Abby shook her head in response to his inquiry, while Nico nodded.
"She went into the city with Alaina. They went to see the Christmas decorations and took Megan to the mall to see Santa. Then, they were going to hit some Christmas ballet thing."
His heart clutched with a brief burst of fear at the thought of Sophia in the city without him, but then he relaxed. Alaina was more than capable of taking care of herself, and Sophia. Hell, she'd gone head-to-head with a damn Colonist. However, he did find himself surprised that Nico would let her go so easily, considering what she’d gone through the last time she went to the city not very long ago.
Nico stared at him a beat, as if he were reading Blake’s mind, then spoke. "It was a fight I couldn't win."
He nodded, completely understanding. He'd been in that situation a few times himself. "Okay, thanks."
Before getting roped into helping, he vacated the kitchen. He had too much sloshing around his brain to be of any good. And if he fucked up, Hudson would be all over his ass; there'd probably be an altercation because he wasn't in any mood for anyone's crap, and it would all go downhill from there and he'd end up being a bloody mess at Hudson's hands.
So, yeah.
He hurried down the hall, looking for a distraction from his problems, and he wondered what Noah had going on. He found him in the War Room, of course.
As he paced, he held baby Phoenix at his shoulder. The kid glanced around with wide eyes, taking everything in. His little hands were balled into fists, and a line of drool fell from his mouth onto Noah's
shirt. Blake's heart pounded in his chest and bile rose in his throat as he stared at the little guy.
He'd never been one for babies, but he had to admit, Phoenix was cute as all hell with those chubby cheeks and dark eyes. At night, his eyes turned white, which he found interesting as Noah's SR44 color was orange. He had heard through the grapevine that a white glow surrounded Abby when she had an orgasm, and he imagined it wouldn't be something she'd be happy he knew.
He stared at the little one, and tried to imagine what his child would look like. Devil horns and red glowing eyes seemed to be the only thing he could conjure.
"Fuck."
Opening the door, he entered, surprised to see Axel sitting at the table, looking meaner and deadlier than ever. His thick beard and tattoo sleeve definitely made him look cruel, but Blake had decided a while ago he could get past that. Now, his eyes were a different story—cold, dark, and void of emotion, they often gave Blake the chills. On the rare occasion he'd seen Axel smile, it had surprised him so much, all he could do was stare. In a way, Axel reminded him a bit of Hudson—deadly, except Hudson wore the finest clothes, told a good joke every now and then, and could cook the shit out of anything. If needed, Hudson could also turn into the meanest, nastiest motherfucker Blake had ever laid eyes on. Yeah, he saw a lot of Hudson in Axel, and overall, he had to admit he was damn happy Axel played ball for his team.
As Axel sat in the chair with one hand thrumming the table, his gaze slid over to Blake, and he gave him a slight nod. No warm and fuzzy conversation starters with him.
"Hey, Axel. How's it going, man?"
"Good."
Noah chuckled and shook his head. "It's not going good, Axel."
Blake raised an eyebrow at the mean son of a bitch. "Why not?"
"Because he got into it with Hudson last night."
If that had been allowed to go down, someone would have been dead. "Oh, man. Who stopped it?"
Six Saviors Christmas Novella Page 5
