‘No chance of a chick looking at me,’ he says, making me screw up my face,
‘Why the fuck not? You’re not a eunuch are you?’ I laugh
‘May as well be,’ he tells me and I’m about to ask more, but we get to the kitchen and find Jared and the lads all discussing a plan—my favourite thing. He looks up as we enter.
‘You get anything more?’ I shake my head.
‘Boy did good, though,’ I tell Jared, slapping Brody on the back. Jared takes him in, assessing his bruised face, but says nothing on the subject.
‘We’re going to be taking shifts and getting some sleep. We’re heading out around four a.m.. Be ready. You’re not on guard duty tonight,’ he tells me. ‘Brody?’ Jared questions.
He turns and looks at Jared.
‘You’re coming too.’
‘Yes, sir. I’ll be here.’ I hear a few chuckles around the table, but Jared quietens them with his hand.
‘Just call me fucking Jared. Not sir.’ he pulls a face. ‘Four a.m.. Don’t be late.’
‘I won’t, s…Jared,’ he says, heading out of the door. Jared turns to us both.
‘Who hit him?’
‘That’d be him, sir!’ I mock stepping to the side and pointing at Howard like a little kid telling tales. They both tell me to go fuck myself. I laugh loud as I walk up the stairs. I need some sleep.
I get to the room I left Maiya in and realise I haven’t sorted anything else out, so I’ll just have to hole up in here for tonight. If she is still mad at me, well, life’s a bitch. She’ll have to suck it up.
I find her lying on the bed.
‘Thought you’d be asleep by now?’
‘No, I’m always buzzed and full of energy after… you know.’ She waves her hand in a circle like that’s supposed to help me fathom the unknown. Then the penny drops. She usually has blood in the morning. But she needs it more now on account of the baby. And she’d had it just before I went out, so she will be hyped. No sleep yet, I guess.
‘So no T.V., huh?’
‘Nope, just the four walls and whatever the fuck that picture is over there?’ I look to where she’s pointing. It’s a copy of ‘Edvard Munch’s’ Scream. Just what you want to wake up to. ‘Gives me the creeps. To be honest, this whole place does.’ Maybe her being pissed at me is forgotten. Good. I’m not about to remind her.
‘What do you wanna do then? You can’t sit looking at the walls all night and doesn’t look like I’m getting any beauty sleep, does it? Don’t say it…I know I don’t need any—my black ass is fine enough already!’
She laughs, and the sound makes the air in my lungs lock the fuck up, leaving me breathless and aching. I rub at it as her big blues roll my way. Her head tilts to the side, and she gives me a cute-as-fuck smile. Her hair falls into her face, and I want to push it back behind her ear. I clench my hands into fists instead, knowing I can’t touch her like that again. My phone rings, snapping me right out of the haze I’m in. I look right at her as I answer.
‘Doc?’
She curls up, wrapping her arms around her knees and puts her forehead to the top of them.
‘Every test is clear,’ he says and hangs up. Fucking wanker. Just then Maiya peeks up over her forearm. I debate if I can have a play with her. I know I shouldn’t, but… Ah, fuck it.
‘Okay, doc, all clear but a small case of… nothing to worry about… okay, thanks, doc.’
She sits up like a rocket’s gone off under her arse as I pretend to hang up the phone.
‘Small case of what? What do I have? OMG. Not serious. You said not serious, right?’
I’m an asshole. Yup—going to hell.
‘Well, he said the only thing wrong is grumpy-ass-itis.’ The penny doesn’t drop. It seriously doesn’t drop, and I want to laugh so fucking hard, but I’m trying to keep a straight face.
‘I’ve never heard of it? Brad, what the hell is it?’
‘It’s quite horrible—mostly for everyone else.’
‘What the hell are you talking about?’
I bust a gut and howl at the complete seriousness on her face. ‘Grumpy-ass-itis,’ I tell her again. The cogs turn and then her lip curls.
‘You bastard,’ she launches off the bed and right at me, swatting my head with a pillow.
‘You absolute twatwaffle!’
I laugh even harder. All the while she is beating me down with a feather pillow. My stomach hurts, and my back is aching by the time I de-weapon her, push her hands behind her back and march her back to the bed. I release her hands and push her to a sitting position, while I wipe away the tears streaming down my face, and take in a deep much-needed breath.
‘What the fuck is a twatwaffle?’ I laugh, almost giving in and busting a gut again, but I keep my shit together. Until she laughs too. Then I’m useless, wheezing and trying to control myself once again. Fuck me. Twatwaffle. Jeez.
When we calm down, I ask. ‘So?’
‘You! That’s what it is.’ She grins. ‘I don’t know, an infected pussy or something, I think.’
‘Aww, so I’m a pussy and a walking disease… nice.’ I playfully push on her shoulder. ‘Right, come on, woman. What’s the plan?’
‘Umm, can we maybe just go out for a walk?’
‘Well, let me rephrase. Because if I’m not sleeping, then it has to include some kinda food. I’m an asshole when I’m tired, and food always makes me better. That and… umm, yeah, so where do you wanna go? I have Google—we can find anyplace?’ I cover my almost-slip of telling her that fucking is also something that keeps me in a good mood. Don’t think she needs to hear that right now.
‘Why don’t you just google nearby restaurants?’
I do, and my phone brings up a shit load.
‘Pizza, chicken, grill, Chinese, Indian—the list goes on?’
‘You’re the one that’s hungry, you decide.’
I click on what’s the closest. A half mile. We can walk. I open the door for her and bend at the waist, sweeping my arm across my body.
‘Ladies first.’ She stops dead.
‘What?’
‘Oh, you said ladies first. I was waiting for you?’
I grin and swat her arse as she walks past me. I realise what I’ve done but my hand has already connected, and I’m desperate to give it another light swat. She turns with her mouth open, feigning shock, and bats her fucking eyelashes. My dick jerks, and I have to internally talk him down. It’s like having a guy on the ledge, and you’re desperate to keep him from jumping, but no matter what you say, he’s going to jump. That’s what it’s like talking my dick down when I’m around her. I should walk around with an inflatable rubber suit. Because I’m likely to blow my load anytime. Fuck, it’s hard. And not just my dick. I explain to Jared that we’re leaving the compound. He isn’t happy and looks for Howard to tag along. Last thing I want really, but I wait, and when he can’t find him, he concedes and lets us go it alone.
***
We arrive at an all-you-can-eat Mexican restaurant, and although we haven’t talked much, other than me asking her how she feels health-wise, it’s been a comfortable silence. I gave her my hoodie too because there was a breeze, and she felt cold. Maiya argued, obviously, because she can’t help her-fucking-self, but I won out, and now as I open the door for her to walk in, and the light hits her glowing cheeks, the picture of her wearing my hoodie is engrained in my memory. We are seated in a booth, and I slide in on one side while she slides across from me. She’s smiling as the waitress hands us menus.
‘What can I get you to drink?’ she asks and looks right at me.
‘Sweetheart, you ready to order?’ I ask Maiya.
‘Coke, please,’ she tells the waitress shyly. I’m not sure why, but she’s gone quiet again.
‘Make that two large cokes, please,’ I order. And as she walks away, I reach across the table and take Maiya’s hand, making her jump. ‘Relax, what’s wrong?’ I ask. Maiya stiffens a little, pulls her hand away slowly, and picks u
p a napkin to fiddle with the corners. I don’t move my hand. Instead, leave it sitting flat on the tabletop. I’ve never tried this shit before with women, but she is blowing me out every time I try to let her know I like her. It’s a knock to my ego, I’ll admit. Never understood why men like to chase women, but sitting here, getting knocked back, makes me want to try harder. So, now I fucking understand what the deal is.
The waitress comes back with our drinks on a tray. I wink as she turns to leave and watch the flush rise from her neck up to pretty pink cheeks. I would have that one in the bag, easy. Not the one I want though. And as I look back at Maiya, her brows are raised, and her head is slightly tilted. She saw the wink. Is she jealous? I fucking hope so.
‘Do you ever stop?’ she demands.
‘Stop what?’ I question sincerely.
‘With all the… hell, I don’t know? Whatever it is you do to get women all hot and bothered?’
‘Sweetheart, look at me. I don’t have to do anything—it just happens.’
She sniggers, and I laugh because her laughing is the best fucking sound.
‘What would it take to get you all hot and bothered?’ I ask right before the waitress comes back with a plate of nachos and salsa and plops it in the middle of the table. My eyes don’t leave Maiya’s though. And her eyes are everywhere but on me. I watch as she shifts in her seat uncomfortably and pulls at her hair. Shit.
‘You guys ready to order?’
‘We’re gonna take the buffet,’ I tell her, ready to fucking shoo her away.
‘Shall we go then?’ Maiya waves in the direction of the buffet and starts to get up. I reach for her hand and pull her back to sitting. She flattens her lips out and licks at them nervously.
‘Talk to me,’ I ask her.
‘Nothing to say. I’m hungry, you?’
‘Starved,’ I say, clipping my tone.
WE’RE EATING, AND I spend the whole time trying to think of ways I can make Brad feel better. But just as we are leaving, he walks right up to the waitress, who is in the middle of serving another table, and whispers into her ear. She pulls a pen from her cash belt and writes on her notepad. Smiling, she folds a piece of paper and hands it to Brad. Why? Why does he do this? And now I’m back to wanting to kick him in the nutsack. What an asshole.
I push the door open before he has a chance to catch up, and I try to go out before him but he tugs on my elbow and holds the door for me, and we walk through together.
‘Don’t ever walk away from whoever is watching you—no matter what,’ he tells me. Like he’s annoyed that I walked away from his flirting.
‘Oh, sorry. Was I supposed to stick around to see the after show? No thanks. So what time does she get off?’
‘Who? What are you talking about?’
‘Oh my god.’
He stops dead, and I take a step further before I realise he’s stopped. I turn around and find him with his arms folded across his chest, his feet planted in a wide stance which just makes his muscles and the width of his shoulders stand out all the more as he is shadowed from the street lamp. I feel that all familiar tingle start and my mouth goes dry. I have that fight or flight feeling coursing through me. My head is telling me to run because of the way my body is reacting. It won’t end well. I need it to stop.
‘Why are you stopping?’ I ask incredulously.
‘Because I’m sick of this shit, Maiya.’
‘What are you talking about?’
He moves into my space and crowds me in. I sidestep and hit the window of a storefront. He comes closer still.
He gestures between us. ‘This shit.’
He comes so close our noses touch, and then his lips softly press against mine. And without thinking about it, I’m kissing him back. His hands come up to either side of my face, and he’s so gentle. I open for him, and I hear a grumble in his chest as his tongue slides along mine. He tastes so good. And I don’t want the moment to end. I press my hands against his chest and grip his t-shirt, pulling him closer. That warm feeling starts, and I can’t bear it. Before I even realise what I’m doing, I’ve pushed him away. I already feel the loss of him, and I want to pull him back to me, but I hate that feeling inside. The way he makes me feel. I can’t. I just can’t.
‘I’m sorry,’ I confess because I really am. And I don’t know how to explain it to him. But he holds his hands up in a surrendering motion,
‘No, I’m sorry.’ He offers me his bent arm so I thread mine through and we walk back to the compound in silence. Everyone is in bed or on guard when we get back, so the house is basically deserted. We go straight up to the bedroom, and I grab my pj’s from my bag and head into the bathroom.
I notice a very obvious blood stain in my pants when I undress, and I’m overcome with a feeling of dread. I don’t know what to do. Should this happen in pregnancy? Is it normal? What the hell do I do? Do I see a doctor? Shit. I throw on clean pants and my pj bottoms—to hell with the top. I need to google.
Brad stiffens when he sees me—on instant alert. ‘What’s wrong? You look pale?’
‘I need to google. Can I use your phone? Do you have service?’
He checks and asks again. ‘Here, what’s wrong?’
I take it and type the words pregnancy and bleeding. I don’t answer, but he looks over my shoulder as I write.
‘Shit, is it bad?’
I still don’t answer as a picture of a very pregnant belly fills the phone screen and the words bleeding/spotting/miscarriage all stand out from the paragraph. Brad takes the phone from my hand, and I watch his lips move as he reads it entirely.
‘Sit down,’ he tells me, pulling up the chair. I sit. ‘Is there a lot?’ I look at him puzzled. Barely able to take in what is happening. ‘Maiya, are you bleeding badly?’
I shrug my shoulders. ‘I don’t know?’ I tell him honestly.
‘Fuck, we need a doc.’ He presses the screen, and it lights up with Jared’s name. The phone rings, and I hear his grunt on the other end.
‘Jared, man. We need a doc right away. Maiya’s bleeding.’ He hangs up and a couple of minutes later Zoe, Jared, and Devon all crowd the room. I’m lying on the bed. Curled in a ball. My stomach cramping now.
‘Brad?’ Devon speaks. ‘What’s going on?’ Zoe is checking me all over. For wounds. And I suddenly realise that no one knows. He’d kept his word and not told any of them. But now it is too late for that.
‘Fuck, Zoe. We need a doctor, a… a… what’s the word? Fuck.’
‘I’m pregnant,’ I announce. And as if time stands still, I see everything in slow motion. Jared dials a number on his phone, Devon’s face crumples, and Zoe moves away as the most painful abdominal pain I have ever felt rips through my stomach like someone is raking a serrated blade through it. I cry out, and Brad moves into my line of sight. He’s speaking, but I can’t hear what he’s saying. I’m crying. The pain is so bad. I close my eyes and the next thing I know, there’s a woman in the room demanding everyone leave, and that I take off my bottoms. I shake my head no, and I try to crawl away. I hold my hand up to ward her off. No.
‘Stop. You need my help, and I cannot help you if you don’t allow me to at least take a look.’ I look down to where I am lying, and I see red. The top sheet is soaked through. I cry out for Brad, and he’s there in a second. Holding my hand.
‘It’s okay, Sweetheart—you’re gonna be okay. Just let the doctor take a look at you, okay?’ He pulls up a sheet from the bottom of the bed and throws it over me.
‘You should leave the room while I examine her,’ the doctor tells Brad, and he starts to get up.
‘Nooo, please I don’t want you to go.’ He swallows hard and looks at the doctor for an okay. She nods.
‘I’m going to need you to slide off your panties and then bend your legs at the knee, putting the bottoms of your feet together and letting your knees fall to the sides. Okay?’
I do as she asks. Whatever she is doing has nothing on the crippling pain I feel in my st
omach.
‘Okay, let your legs relax. I want to examine your stomach now. Do you know how far along you are?’ I shake my head, blowing out a breath and I tense up, ready for her to press on my stomach. When she does, the pain is all-consuming, and I pass out.
‘WHAT THE FUCK, doc. What did you do?’
‘I have a feeling this pregnancy could be an ectopic. If it’s ruptured, she could be bleeding internally. She needs a hospital now.’
‘Jesus fucking Christ. Do you even have one we can use here?’
‘She’s human. She can go to any.’
‘The fucking baby isn’t.’
‘Oh. You’re the father.’
I don’t correct her because what’s the point?
‘She also has my blood in her system—we need a hospital we can use.’
‘Let me make a call, and then I want to know why she has your blood in her system.’ She gets her phone out from the fucking Stone Age and takes her time finding whoever it is she needs to call. I’m pulling my fucking hair out when she finally rings through. ‘I need an intake—possible ectopic pregnancy. Immediate transport needed. Yes, the compound.’ She hangs up as the guy on the phone agrees.
‘I need some answers from you.’
‘Fire away, doc. But tell me she’s gonna be okay, yeah?’
‘She will be okay, providing we’ve caught it early enough. Now explain why she has your blood in her system and how?’
‘I don’t see why that’s relevant at this point,’ Jared speaks from the door. They all come in, and Devon moves around me and to Maiya’s side.
‘I didn’t know,’ I hear Devon whisper. Jared is standing by my side, and we look like a mirror image of the other in our stance. Arms folded, legs wide—looking down at the doc who doesn’t really seem to give a flying fuck.
‘Why does she have your blood in her system?’
‘We like kinky sex—blood is exchanged from time to time, satisfied?’ Being faced down by two big ass males didn’t faze her but talk of kinky sex and she’s all of a fluster. Score to Brad.
Complicated Love Page 7
