by Lori Foster
Merissa scowled at her. “If you weren’t knocked up, I’d shove you off the couch.” Instead she dropped back and closed her eyes. “But I already love my niece or nephew and I don’t want him or her to think I’m violent.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh, I promise. You just surprised me.” Yvette sat back, too, her head turned toward Merissa. “Being tender could be a sign. Or maybe it’s just Armie’s—” she arched a brow “—enthusiasm?”
“No. That is, he’s definitely enthusiastic.” Very much so. “But he’s never hurt me.”
“Of course he wouldn’t. I didn’t mean that.” Yvette smoothed Merissa’s hair. “Would a baby be a terrible thing?”
Armie’s baby? No, never would that be terrible. Even the mere possibility had her heart ready to burst with love. But the timing... “Armie’s heading into his first fight.”
“If ever there was a man who could multitask, it’s Armie.”
True. Merissa bit her lip. “He’s never said how he really feels about me.”
“But you know,” Yvette insisted. “Everyone knows.”
God, Merissa hoped that he cared for her. “Maybe he doesn’t know. And even if he didn’t already have so much on his plate, I would never want to pressure him.”
Yvette considered that. “The fight isn’t that far away. Would you wait to tell him?”
“I don’t know.” Things with Armie had been so chaotic and ever-changing that she’d forgotten all about her very regular monthly. But now that she realized she was late, she couldn’t just throw that at him, not without being certain first. “Armie is...”
“Hot and complicated?”
Merissa nodded. “Yes.”
“Oversexed, sexy and caring?”
Merissa eyed her. “That, too.”
“Brash and loyal to a fault?”
“Yvette—”
“Funny and strong, but guarded and so, so deserving.”
Sighing, Merissa whispered, “Yes.” For her, for so many, Armie was everything. “You know him well.”
“He’s been such a good friend to me. To everyone.” Yvette sat up and asked, “What will you do?”
“I don’t even know yet if there’s anything to tell him.” Feeling like a complete wimp, and worse, a coward, Merissa shrugged. “I guess I need to take a test or something.”
“You do and I’d love to be with you.” Yvette looked a little excited. “You know, for moral support.”
Yvette’s kindness made her want to cry again. How had she gotten so lucky to have such an amazing sister-in-law? She sniffed, nodded. “Okay. Thank you.” Much as she loved Cherry, her best friend couldn’t keep a secret from Denver. And Vanity would probably insist she should shout it from the rooftops. Yvette, being the calm, deep type, would make the perfect confidante. “But you can’t say anything to anyone. Not even to Cannon.”
Yvette started to nod when the front door flew open, and they both jumped with a startled screech.
Merissa even snatched up her legs, curling around Yvette to protect her—until she realized it was her brother. Good Lord, she’d been so thrown by the idea of a baby, she hadn’t even heard his key in the lock.
Cannon stood there in the doorway, backlit by the porch light and the fury of the storm. As soon as he saw them both the dangerous edge of rage leeched away. He opened his mouth and—
Armie plowed into his back.
They both stumbled in.
“I didn’t expect you to stand there,” Armie said as they righted themselves.
“I didn’t even know you were behind me,” Cannon countered.
There was a staring contest while everyone looked at everyone else. Lightning flashed, a crack of thunder shook the house, then Bray stepped in between the two men and smiled shyly at Merissa.
“Safe and sound,” he said to Armie. “Now can I go?”
* * *
MERISSA WAS SPOOKED and it killed him.
Some asshole, maybe his dad, had set her up and scared her, and Armie really wanted to wring some necks.
But he didn’t even know where to start.
They’d left her car at Cannon’s with the promise Cannon would get it dropped off to her tomorrow morning. She’d ridden along in his truck, sitting between him and Bray, while he took Bray to the foster family that, from what Armie could tell, loved him. Sally and Bill—how fucking normal was that?—hugged the kid and seemed genuinely grateful that he was safe and sound. Bray had looked shamed by how he’d scared them, but they remained understanding, even to the point of taking Armie’s number and promising to keep him updated. They’d treated him like a damned hero or something.
Now he and Merissa were home and he was at loose ends, not sure what problem to tackle first, or even how to feel about it.
“Bray trusts you.”
He looked over at Rissy standing in the middle of the bedroom floor, stripping off her clothes with listless disregard for where they landed. Very unlike her.
The remnants of ruined makeup remained under her eyes, and it hurt him. “How do you figure that?”
She shrugged out of a lacy bra and stood there in nothing more than panties. “I can tell.”
God, she killed him. If they were together a hundred years, he’d never be able to see her like this without being affected.
But he didn’t have a hundred years. After what had just happened, he didn’t even have tomorrow.
On the chair by the mirror, Armie watched her as he peeled off his socks and pitched them toward the pile of Rissy’s discarded clothes. “I like kids,” he said, just to keep her talking.
Her gaze flashed up to his, then her bottom lip trembled before she deliberately flattened her mouth with a very phony smile. “You’re good with them.”
No more so than the rest of the guys at the rec center. When tears welled in her eyes, she blinked quickly and turned away.
Merissa wasn’t one to cry, and seeing her fight it off now hurt something deep inside him. “Rissy.” Still wearing his jeans, Armie went to her, sat on the side of the bed and pulled her into his lap. He kissed the top of her head and made sure to keep his hands on safe territory. “You’re okay now.”
“I know.” She turned into him, holding him tight. “It wasn’t that big a deal. Maybe just a prank that felt wrong.” Her breasts pressed to his chest, warm and soft.
Shit, much more of that and he wouldn’t be able to remain honorable. “Do you want a shower?”
She nodded. “Will you shower with me?”
He hesitated, but it wasn’t like he could hide it. “Long as you don’t mind me being hard.”
She nuzzled into him. “I never mind that.”
“Hey.” He tilted her back. “You’re upset.”
“Mostly I’m tired. And furious. And...and...” She cuddled in again. After a stretch of quiet, she said in a small voice, “Let’s go shower.”
The sooner he got to it, the sooner he could tuck her into bed, cover her body and put his mind on the right track. “All right.” He lifted her, very much enjoying the feel of her in his arms.
“Armie,” she protested.
He headed to the shower. “Let me pamper you.” He kissed the top of her breast, cursed himself and did it again. Once in the bathroom he set her on her feet and started the shower. “You sure you’re not hungry?”
“Not anymore.”
He’d grabbed fast food on the drive home and they’d devoured it in the car. Simon would have a fit if he knew he’d stuffed his face with burgers, but fuck Simon. He’d needed something, and since he couldn’t beat the shit out of anyone, or screw the night away in an orgy, two all-beef patties had won out.
“In you go.” He held the shower curtain aside, then held his breath, too, as Rissy skimmed off her panties.
She brushed past him—pretty deliberately, he noticed—and turned her face up to the shower spray.
Stunning.
That simple word didn’t quite cover how incredibly beautifu
l she was to him, especially now with her long hair wet down her back, her lashes spiked.
Her nipples tight.
Forget orgies. What he wanted was Merissa Colter holding him tight enough for her nails to sting while he rode her hard.
Without looking at him, she said, “Armie?”
“Hmm?”
“Get naked, and get in.”
“All right.” As he stepped out of his jeans and boxers, he told his dick to behave.
His dick didn’t listen.
He was trying to think about working out, the competition, hell, he even thought about Justice, anything to try to rein in his lust, but then Rissy turned to him, smiled and soaped up her hands.
“Ah, hell,” he breathed, taut with anticipation.
“I love how you look,” she told him while sliding those soapy hands over his shoulders.
“I’m more than a body,” he said in a ridiculously offended tone that made her laugh.
“You definitely are.” She slipped behind him—and now it was her soapy breasts he felt on his back. Reaching around him to wash his abs, she whispered, “You are the whole, awesome, sexy, smart, funny, endearing package.”
“Endearing?” He wanted to snort, but then she wrapped a hand around his pipe and he might have gasped instead.
“Very endearing.” Her lips nibbled on his shoulder. “I love how you feel.”
Love.
“And I love how you taste.” She licked a sizzling path from the side of his neck to his ear.
“Shit.” Strung out, breathing hard, he turned suddenly and pinned her to the wall. “You like teasing now?”
“I love teasing you.”
Jesus, if she didn’t stop using that word, he’d lose it. All but heaving, he worked his jaw. “I can tease, too.”
“Oh, believe me, I know.” She touched her fingertips to his lips. “I love how you—”
Armie took her mouth, licking his tongue in, exploring her mouth, and at the same time cupping a hand between her legs, his fingers already searching.
She made a sound and went on tiptoe in surprise, but he didn’t let up. So many threats against her. The danger kept getting closer. And bolder.
Someone had approached her right outside her work. Someone had followed her.
Because of him.
He’d brought this to her and now he didn’t know how to keep her safe.
When she freed her mouth he kissed her neck, drawing her skin in against his teeth and deliberately marking her. He kept two fingers pressed high in her and started a slow path down her body.
“I wanted to please you,” she protested, one hand already locked in his hair.
“Please me by opening your legs.”
“Armie...”
He didn’t wait for her to do as he asked. He put small, biting kisses on her ribs, her stomach, a hipbone, down—until he parted her lips, licked over her, then gently sucked her clitoris into his mouth.
Crying out, Rissy braced her free hand on the shower wall and parted her legs.
The water hit against his back, making his skin tingle. While he ate at her, he played with her ass. God, he loved her ass. And he kept his fingers in her, working her until she locked her legs and began to tremble.
His cock swelled. But it wouldn’t be right to take her, not when he knew what he had planned for the morning.
“Armie,” she whispered, high and thin. “Armie...” Her hips lifted, she pressed against his mouth and he stayed with her, rasping with his rough tongue until the climax peaked and then oh-so-gradually began to fade. Finally she eased, sated and, going by her smile, happy.
He hurt, but he deserved to hurt so what did it matter? Being sure to support her as he stood, Armie shut off the shower and pushed back the curtain. He snagged a towel and, loving her more than he’d thought possible, carefully dried her off.
CHAPTER TWENTY
ARMIE RESTED ON his back, arms folded behind his head, his expression distant and unreadable. Merissa didn’t know what to make of it.
She ran the wide-tooth comb through her hair one last time and put it on the nightstand.
After that incredible encounter in the shower last night, she’d been all set to continue in bed, but Armie had put her off. He’d pulled one of his shirts over her head, insisted she eat a little soup, insisted she needed to dry her hair, and lastly, he’d insisted that they needed some sleep.
She’d tried a few moves, but he hadn’t taken the bait. Thinking he might need some time, she’d let it go.
This morning, she’d opened her eyes to find him already awake and disturbingly distant. It was early still, but she wasn’t sure how to proceed.
He had the day off.
She had the day off.
But he hadn’t invited her to spend it with him.
So much had happened last night. Armie liked to pamper her while pretending to be immune to it all, but he was as human as anyone and had his breaking point. Inadvertently, through no fault of her own, she’d added to his concerns and she hated that.
Trying not to sound too sympathetic—something she knew Armie would rebel against—she asked, “Are you worried about Bray?”
“The foster family cares for him.”
Last night, in the dark, quiet room, he’d told her about the foster family’s plans to adopt. “So right now he’s in good hands. But long term?” she pressed.
“Long term, he knows his mom doesn’t care enough and it hurts him, regardless of who else cares.”
Given his own mother, Armie would understand that better than most. Merissa hated this distance between them. She wanted to help him feel better. She wanted to be supportive and caring—but an invisible wall surrounded him.
How could she possibly tell him she might be pregnant when he was like this? “That reporter at the bank—”
“Wasn’t a reporter,” he said. His dark gaze held her in place. “You know that.”
“Right, I just... I didn’t... You know who I mean.”
“What about her?”
Merissa crawled back into the bed and got close to him. He didn’t move, so she sat yoga style beside him and opened a palm over his delicious abs. His skin was warm to the touch, dusted with hair, and she badly wanted to pull off the shirt and let her own skin meld with his.
Armie usually enjoyed morning sex. But now, sex seemed to be the furthest thing from his mind.
“I think that woman and whoever hired her wanted to embarrass me.” Merissa watched for his reaction. “But I don’t care about any of that.”
“I care,” he told her firmly.
Of course he did. “I know, and I’m sorry because I don’t think that’ll be the only time someone tries to bring up the old rumors. Someone is setting you up.” She wanted him to fight back.
And she wanted him to want her by his side.
“Not news.” His expression hardened. “But someone used you to do it.”
Now, safe with Armie, Merissa could dismiss her involvement. “I don’t think I was ever in danger. I mean, I was on a street. There were other people around. It just threw me.” And I’m pregnant and my emotions seem to be on a roller-coaster ride. “I overreacted.”
He said nothing to that, but the silence felt condemning.
“It won’t be easy for you,” she acknowledged. “I know that. But you’re strong, and you’re not alone. You have my brother and Simon and the SBC—”
Armie laughed. “Is this your pep talk?”
His mood was starting to irk her. Pressing on, she added, “And you have me.”
His eyes closed and his mouth firmed.
A terrible foreboding made her stomach churn. “Armie?”
“All of this is because of me.” Again, that dark gaze pinned her. “It’s either my dad hustling for an easy buck, or Lea’s dad coming after me again just as he said he would. Or hell, it could be legit, could be nothing more than a few nosy-ass reporters hoping for a juicy story.”
She didn’t like
this. “But—”
“They shouldn’t have involved you.” Abruptly he sat up, his back to her, his legs over the side of the bed. “Things are piling up. The robbery—”
“That wasn’t related.”
“Why not? Would professional robbers leave the money behind? And why did one of them isolate you?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered. She’d often wondered the same things.
“Then you’re nearly run over, someone broke into your house, and now this.”
Scared, desperate, Merissa traced the tattoo between his shoulder blades, her fingertip outlining the wings of the heart and the thorns wrapped around it. I love you. She inhaled to tell him.
Armie twisted to face her. “The threats started with me, and they’ll stop with me.” He stood, leaving her hand to drop away. “But only if you’re out of the picture.”
Out of the picture.
Disbelief landed a blow to her pride, and to her heart. “You’re breaking up with me?”
Armie stared at her, his expression carefully blank.
An incredulous, nearly hysterical laugh bubbled up. “No, wait, we were never that set in stone anyway, were we? You wanted me to stay a convenient secret.”
Dark eyes flashing, he said, “You know that’s not true.”
“What is true, then?”
He ran a hand over his face, cursed, turned away, turned back and started over. “We don’t know how dangerous this could get and I don’t want you involved.”
“With you?”
“With any of it.” He stopped, inhaled a deep breath. “Hell, Rissy, I don’t even want your name dragged into it. So for your own good—”
“Oh no, you don’t!” She rose up on her knees. “Don’t you dare say avoiding me is for my own good.”
He didn’t break eye contact. After a long, very painful silence, he said, “This has all been a mistake. I should never have touched you in the first place.”
Dear God, how that hurt. She reached out to him. “Armie...”
“If I hadn’t,” he continued evenly, “if I’d been thinking only of you instead of me, you wouldn’t now be a target.”
The knocking of her heavy heartbeat rocked her body. Frantically she searched his face for a way to change his mind.
Outwardly, he looked unaffected, calm. Determined.
