The whole time she was getting ready, Gia had been worried that Riker wouldn’t even show—that he would reconsider the whole stepping up thing and hightail it for the west coast. But to Gia’s profound relief, not only had Riker shown up on time, but he had come bearing gifts—a set of his and her gold wedding bands that were smooth and gleamed bright in the early afternoon sun.
On the way over to the apartment they really hadn’t talked much—which oddly enough had made the whole situation more weird and less weird at the same time. However, it had pleased her to see that Riker had thoughtfully arranged for Dolly to go to Gia’s house and pick up some of her things. Now an over-sized suitcase sat on the shag carpet next to her as if waiting to see what was going to happen next.
Well that makes two of us.
Oh no…oh no…oh god, no! Because the pink bathroom and dizzying tile floor wasn’t bad enough, the moment Gia opened a window to let out the musty smell of the room, all of that old nausea came careening back to her. She felt her stomach lurch as the strong smell of smoked meat filled the room and began to cloak it in a suffocating steam. She ran back to the window and pulled it close only to find the source of the smell was teeming up from the street directly below her. An enormous meat smoker sat outside the back door of a butcher shop where it was stoked and ready for a good long run.
Gia quickly ran to the front of the apartment. The windows there were wide and long and looked out onto the front side of the street —the opposite side of where the smoker was. Gia shoved open the largest window, and with a firm grasp on the window frame, Gia leaned forward as much as was humanly possible. With her head shoved out the window, she sucked in the cool air in deep heaving gasps fighting off the sickening dizziness.
“What the fuck?” Gia felt a strong arm wrap around her and pull her away from the window.
Gia latched onto to Riker’s hard biceps and steadied herself.
“Jesus, Gia are you alright? What the hell are you doing?” Riker growled out.
“What?” She forced herself to focus as the world spun around her.
“What do you mean what? Why were you looking out the window with everything but your ass hanging out?” He looked at her like she was insane.
She pulled away from him and straightened out the beautiful little wedding dress that she still hadn’t had the heart to remove and he still had not commented on. It had been a very long, nerve wracking morning. Gia narrowed her eyes at him.
“I wasn’t looking out the window, Riker. I was getting ready to jump out the window.”
Riker’s eyebrows shot to the top of his head. Then he gave her a long look.
“Not funny, Gia.”
She gave him a long look back. “No, I suppose it isn’t. But you know what is? That not even one full day after my release from the hospital, I find myself living on top of a meat smoker. And my guess is that that smoker pretty much runs round the clock — guaranteeing that I will spend the next few months dry- heaving up the smell of barbecued pork.”
Riker moved over to the window, glanced down at the smoker and actually looked contrite. “Shit, babe, I haven’t been here in a while.”
“I don’t think anyone’s been here in a while, not since Gerald Ford was in office anyway.” Gia sighed and plopped down on a chair.
Riker looked around the room confused at first, then had to grin. “Yeah, it does kinda have that Archie Bunker feel to it. But hey, who doesn’t love a gold shag rug?”
“I guess that could be worse.” She considered, then asked “But we haven’t even talked about the cotton candy colored bathroom yet. Even without the smoker, that’s enough to make even you puke.”
Riker looked startled. “Seriously? The bathroom is that pink? I cannot piss in an all pink bathroom.”
“Oh, I’m dead serious. Go take a look.” Gia lifted her chin towards the closed bathroom door.
“Holy shit!” Riker yelped out as he poked his head into the pink powder room. Then in a flash he was standing back in the middle of the room. “That’s fucking distasteful.”
“See what I mean?” Gia reacted to Riker’s look of horror. Then to his surprise, she gave him a devilish grin.
“You can’t piss in a pink bathroom and I can’t stand the smell of smoked meat. Maybe we should both jump.”
Funny, Riker thought. Damn the girl was funny. Even after that rushed ceremony and being dumped in this shit hole, she had kept her sense of humor. Gia may be a lot of things—many of which he had yet to discover— but a whiny bitch wasn’t one of them. Woman could roll, that was for sure.
And she had it in the looks department too.
She was real pretty.
Pretty smile. Pretty hair. Pretty eyes.
And when he saw her in that wedding dress, his heart just about stopped beating because all the blood had rushed to his dick.
Love? Maybe not.
Lust. Hell yeah.
Pulled to her as if by a magnet, Riker was suddenly standing in front of his bride. He pulled her up to stand close to him. Then Riker reached out his hand and possessively touched the silky strand of hair that curled on her breast— right above the spot where her nipple strained against the gossamer fabric of her dress. He watched in fascination as the soft strand slid through his calloused fingers. Then Riker buried his hand into the thick crown of hair and pulled it back until Gia’s head was tilted, and her eyes met his. Riker’s other hand snaked across her body until she was molded against him.
H e had kissed her before.
There had been the hurried, frenzied, half drunken kisses of their night together at the club house.
Then there had been that quick, chaste kiss at City Hall.
But there had never been a kiss like this. The subtle power of Riker’s body all around her. His mouth hard on hers, probing, insistent—as if asking a question. Riker pulled Gia closer against him, the strength of his body holding her captive. The tight grip reminded her that they were now bound together. Gia wanted Riker to kiss her forever. She blocked out any thought about what this was, what it might mean, or what further mess she might create by totally surrendering to this man.
Her husband.
Gia returned Riker’s kisses until reason seeped out through her pores and she became a living pulse of deliciously, heated beats. She felt like she had fireworks going off all over her body—every nerve igniting to life.
Riker pulled Gia down to the floor, tugged off her dress and began to kiss his way down the length of her body. He stripped off her panties and moved his mouth her just above her pubic bone. Then to Gia’s pure delight, he slipped two fingers inside her warm, wet body. Gia began to writhe as her intimate muscles clenched and pulsed under his command. Then Riker halted in mid motion.
“Riker,” she moaned. “Don’t stop!”
“You sure it’s…?” He growled out. His breath hot against her skin.
“It’s what?”
“You sure that it’s okay?” Riker’s rock hard dick poked against her hip.
“Of course, I’m sure.” She panted out in small breaths.
When he hesitated further, Gia took matters into her own hands. She climbed on top of Riker and arched her back displaying her heavy breasts nicely. Then she placed her hands on Riker’s rock hard abs as she lowered herself onto him.
Gia rode Riker until every nerve ending in her body was primed and aching to explode in flashing, blinding sparks of fire.
She burned for him.
Her pussy was on fire. It was as if her lady parts had taken on a life of their own and couldn’t get enough. Her body had gone on a feeding frenzy with Riker as its prey.
What. The. Hell?
Gia had read about an increase of sexual drive during pregnancy, but this was sonic boom stuff.
That glorious feeling continued to build and intensify until it shattered her universe into a thousand flashes of light.
A few minutes later, a very sated and stunned Riker held Gia in his arms as she drifte
d off to sleep.
Holy fuck.
What the hell was that?
Riker looked down at his wife while she let out a fluttered snore, her lips —all swollen and bruised from his hard kisses— were slightly open and there was a little drool starting at the corner of her mouth.
Riker thought she was goddamn adorable.
If this is what married life was going to be like, he figured he was going to like it.
A lot.
Riker watched with appreciation and a whole lot of humor as, after her post-coital nap, Gia sat up and struggled to wrap the remains of the tattered wedding dress around her. The woman was a walking contradiction, not an hour ago she was riding his dick like a rodeo queen, and now she was too shy to walk ten steps across the room to get her suitcase.
“Stay right there, I’ll get it for you.” Riker said chivalrously.
While Gia rifled through the suitcase, Riker tagged his own clothes off the floor. “So… I was talking to Prosper and he said since the lake house was empty, he’s offering it.”
“Really?” Gia squeaked out from under her sweatshirt. She popped her head through the neck hole and gave him a big smile. “We can stay in the lake house?”
Riker grinned at her exuberance, then nodded. “Yeah, if that’s what you want, sure.”
“Yes. Oh, hell yes.” Gia pulled on a pair of yoga pants. Then she zipped up the suitcase quickly and stood beside it. “I’m all set to go.” Then she looked at him with guilt, as if suddenly remembering her manners.
“I mean, not that this wouldn’t be okay, too. I mean if you really want to stay here…”
Riker took the bag from her. “Not on your life. Let’s get the fuck outa here.”
A tense-looking Gia and an eager-looking Riker sat next to each other in Doctor Gideon’s office. It was a small, homey space with a paisley, overstuffed couch, a beautiful, mahogany antique desk and ornately carved bookshelves. Classical music lilted softly through walls papered with photographs of the hundreds of newborn babies that Doc Gideon had delivered over the years. By the look of some of the pictures, many now curling at the edges and yellowed with age, Gia guessed that a good portion of those newborns were now old enough to have children of their own.
“Congratulations!” Doctor Gideon greeted them enthusiastically, “It looks like you’ve not only made it through the first trimester but also tackled that nasty bout of GH like a champ! How are things going?”
Gia frowned slightly in thought. Then she spoke hesitantly. “I think I’m doing okay. I’m feeling a little less tired, and the nausea is gone.”
The doctor looked from one to the other and smiled kindly. “Excellent! No need for a pelvic exam this go around, but I can tell you that at this stage your baby is as…”
“Big as an avocado.” Riker interrupted. “He’s probably about 4 1/2 inches long and weighs about 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are becoming more developed, and his head is more erect than it has been.” Riker paused as if searching an internal page of Wikipedia then he continued. “In the next few weeks the little guy …”
“Or the little girl.” Gia interjected.
“… is gonna double his or her size.” Riker continued. Then he grinned at Gia “It’s just a pronoun, babe, either one is fine with me.”
Doc Gideon’s bright blue eyes twinkled at Riker in surprised amusement. “Well, I am impressed. You certainly are keeping well-informed about fetal development.”
“Riker ordered a book on the stages of pregnancy and he’s been reading it a lot.” Gia made no effort to keep the exasperation out of her voice. When Riker responded to her comment with a frown, it became evident that the book had become a point of contention.
“And there’s nothin’ wrong with that, right Doc? Inquiring minds want to know and all that happy bullshit.” Riker scowled at Gia. “She keeps telling me I’m driving her crazy, but I keep telling her it’s good to be well-informed. How the hell else are we gonna learn? Am I right, Doc?”
Doctor Gideon gave them a kind smile. “Well, I’d say you’re both right. It can be helpful to know what to expect, but those books can be a little overwhelming, even scary at times. And of course, you want to make sure it’s good information. Do you happen to remember the name of the book?”
“Remember the name? Who needs to remember the name, Riker carries it with him all the time.” Gia rolled her eyes.
“Damn straight I do.” Riker bent down and pulled a thick, shiny book out of his leather backpack. He thumbed through the dog-eared pages. “The book says that Gia has to take the necessary supplements along with making sure she eats a nutrient rich diet. The book says that it’s important for healthy development that the baby gets enough minerals like folic acid, iron, calcium and zinc.”
Then he paused and looked up at the doctor and shook his head in apparent disappointment. “I put out those prenatal vitamin with her orange juice every morning, but Gia dumps the juice out and drinks chocolate milk instead. Imagine the balls on her? Doesn’t even wait until I’m out of the room. I make the effort, she can at least pretend she’s drinking it.”
“The orange juice gives me heartburn.” Gia lifted her nose in the air.
“I’m calling bullshit on that one, Doc.” Riker ground out. The woman is a chocoholic if I ever saw one. The book says it’s fine in moderation but too much is not okay. It also says that dark chocolate has even more caffeine than the regular stuff and she’s chowing that down by the boat load. The book says it’s not good for two reasons…one is weight gain and the other is all that caffeine. It says that when we’re at this stage in the pregnancy…”
Before Riker could say another word, Gia let out a small cry of outrage. Then without any hesitation at all, she got up, grabbed the book right out of Riker’s hand and stuffed it right back in the backpack. Then she zipped it up tightly and threw it in the corner of the room—and out of his reach.
Riker volleyed a look from the back pack to Gia and gave Doc Gideon a look of masculine disappointment and exasperation.
“Don’t do that.” Gia said to him.
“Don’t do what?” Riker deflected.
“Don’t give Doctor Gideon that look that clearly says see what I have to go through. Because I have a book too, Riker and you know what my book says?” Gia arched an eyebrow and threw a hand on her jutted hip. “My book says that it’s me whose nipples are now as big as helipads, and that it’s me who’s going to have to squeeze a person the size of a small turkey out of my hoo-hah. My book says we did not spend the last few months heaving our guts out. That was me too! My book says that cold- cuts have too much nitrate in them, tuna fish has too much mercury and that I can’t even think about having a shot of that beautiful, clear, ice cold vodka that’s sitting in my freezer. But you know what my book also says? It says that dark chocolate is good for me and that a recent medical study says that by eating dark chocolate regularly pregnant women can actually reduce their risk of having…” Now she paused and looked at questioningly at the doctor. “Clampsia something or other?”
“Preeclampsia.”
“Yeah, that’s it’s Preeclampsia —which is very dangerous for both the mother and the baby— and eating dark chocolate reduces that risk by about seventy percent.”
“No shit?” Riker looked dubious.
“Definitely no shit!” Gia huffed imperiously.
While the muscle in Riker’s jaw continued to clench and Gia’s eyes continued to narrow, Doc Gideon decided to step in. “Alrighty then, how about if we move this appointment right along. What do you say we all go into the examining room and listen for the little tike’s heartbeat!”
Riker peered over the goop that covered Gia’s belly and tried to read the expression on Doctor Gideon’s face. It had been a good ten minutes and the doctor hadn’t been able to locate any sound.
Gia had reached for Riker’s hand and clutched it tightly while they both watched the instrument the doctor called The Doppler circle around in the cold, cle
ar, sticky goop that covered her belly. Starting from about her pubic bone, the doctor gently glided the probe upwards towards Gia’s belly button. The he began to slowly rock the probe, covering every part of her stomach so that he could find the fetus.
“Sometimes, it just takes a while. Or sometimes the baby is lying in a position where the instrument can’t hear the heartbeat. There is really no cause to be concerned.” Doctor Gideon said calmly. “This is not unusual, but let’s set up an ultrasound just in case.” Doctor Gideon made a motion to pull the instrument away from Gia’s stomach.
“Riker…” The panic in Gia’s voice sounded like a three alarm fire.
“Give it a couple more tries” Riker demanded.
Where another physician might have been put off, offended even at the tone, Doctor Gideon had been dealing with Prosper’s boys long enough to know that it came with the territory.
“Okay. Sure. Let’s give it another try.” Doctor Gideon said with infinite patience and the tension in the room immediately ebbed.
Another excruciating long moment of circling Gia’s abdomen with the Doppler and then…
Choo choo choo.
“Ahh here we go.” Doc Gideon said triumphantly. “There’s your baby’s heartbeat. Nice and strong too.”
Gia gave Riker’s hand a tight squeeze then called out happily “It sounds like a little train!”
Riker let out the long breath and listened to the miracle that was the steady beat of the tiny heart.
I think I can I think I can I think I can. The sound reminded Riker of the story about that little engine. As a kid, it had been his favorite book. Riker had made his mother or one of his older sisters read it to him again and again and again.
Damn right you can, little one. You can do, and be, and have, anything in this world you want. I’ll be there to make fucking sure of it. Your pop has got you covered.
Gia closed her eyes and reveled in the sound of the baby’s heartbeat. The feeling of joy that filled her was so powerful, so complete, so absolute that all the self-doubt and fear of being too stupid, or too selfish or too stubborn to be a good mother all melted away. Gia knew, in that moment, that she would do anything, become anything, sacrifice anything to be the kind of mommy her baby needed her to be.
Raising Riker (Hells Saints MC) Page 7
