by Mia Knight
Spectacular blue eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“Because he’s still out there.”
“But he’s been quiet.”
“For how long?”
Lyla gripped his hair. He liked the streak of pain.
“You don’t go looking for him, you understand me?” she hissed.
He caressed her ass and reached down to position his cock between her legs. Before she could wriggle away, he gripped her ass so he could go deep.
“Gavin, stop trying to distract me,” she huffed.
He sank his hand into her damp hair and rocked her on him as he forced her lips to his. She tried to resist, but he wouldn’t allow her to pull away.
Lyla sank her nails into his chest. “I won’t lose you.”
“You won’t.” The specter went after a man in his seventies, a woman and Rafael Vega. Rafael was mostly talk and usually high or drunk. His security did the dirty work, unlike Gavin. The specter was a coward. Gavin would win. Sheer rage trumped the specter’s petty personal agenda.
“You promised not to go back to the underworld!”
“I’m not. I’m trying to draw him out of it.”
“So you can kill him?”
“Of course,” he breathed as he planted himself deep. “He’ll come back. If not today, then tomorrow or the next day. I need to know who he is.”
“I don’t like this.”
He hated hearing worry and fear in her voice. Lyla survived that fucker. She still had nightmares, though they had grown less frequent. The specter haunted his every waking thought, but that was his cross to bear, not Lyla’s.
“Don’t worry about it, baby girl. I got this,” he said as he sucked on her pink nipples.
Lyla gasped and arched. His cock jerked. He began to move faster, desperate to feel Lyla convulse around him with all of her silken limbs holding him hostage. There was no sweeter way to go to sleep than with his wife’s vagina milking his dick for every last drop of sperm.
“Gavin.”
He could see that she wanted to talk about the specter, that she wouldn’t let it go. He rolled so she was beneath him and crouched over her as he fucked her. Lyla’s lips parted and her eyes went blind with need.
“I put this in you,” he said, rubbing his hands over her belly. “You both belong to me. Nothing will take me from you.”
“But, Gavin—”
“No.” He kissed her long and slow. He loved her taste, her scent, everything about her. “He needs to die.”
***
If he didn’t want to know the sex of his child so badly, he would have run like hell. It looked as if there had been a pink and blue explosion in his home. The staircase and ceiling were decorated with pink and blue balloons. There were glitter banners and everyone wore a bow or bow tie to show which side they represented.
Lyla wore a bow in her hair and a bright pink shirt, clearly declaring that she was Team Girl. He allowed Janice to pin a bow to his shirt because he sure as fuck wasn’t going to pin it in his hair. There were pink and blue cupcakes, napkins, utensils, straws, the works. The men migrated outside while the women chattered inside and played guessing games.
“Hey, boss. You looked at the proposal yet?”
Marcus approached wearing a blue shirt with a paper bow tie beneath his chin.
“Is that why you decided to come? To bother me?” Gavin asked.
“I knew you wouldn’t give me an answer yesterday. So, what’d you think?”
“I think it’s going to be a tight fit.”
“So you read it?”
“Most of it.”
Gavin sipped on his pink drink and nearly spit it out when he realized it was pink lemonade. Shit. He put the glass on a passing waiter’s tray and snatched a small plate of finger foods and tried not to grimace. This so wasn’t his scene. He would feel like an idiot if he weren’t looking forward to cutting the three tier cake that would reveal the baby’s sex.
“You have feedback for me?” Marcus bounced on his toes. “I can take it.”
Gavin gave him a cool look. “I’ll let you know if I have any questions.”
Marcus looked crestfallen. If Gavin had a heart, he would have felt a flicker of remorse. He spotted Lyla’s mother and scanned the crowd for the father, but didn’t see him. His sources told him that Pat Dalton worked at a gas station. Lyla’s parents were barley making ends meet, but that wasn’t his problem or hers.
Carmen barreled towards them. “Come on, daddy! It’s time!”
Gavin didn’t need to be told twice. He shouldered his way through the crowd. The cake was white and decorated with baby shit like bottles, booties, stuffed animals and blue and pink dots. Lyla’s eyes lit up when she saw him. She handed him the knife.
“It’s time,” she said.
Gavin felt a buzz of adrenaline as he asked Lyla where he should cut. He was dimly aware of camera flashes, Lyla squeezing his arm and the sound of his heartbeat. He poised the knife above the smooth frosting, closed his eyes for a bare second and said a silent prayer before he cut. Carmen screamed as he raised the blade, but he couldn’t see a speck of cake on it.
“Cut again!” Carmen screamed impatiently.
Hand shaking, he sank the knife home again and lifted a thin slice of cake. His body went numb.
“It’s a girl!”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Lyla
Lyla felt like a blimp as she tried to keep up with Alice’s fast, energetic pace. It was a daily struggle not to give into the urge to wear sweat pants and laze around the house. Finding clothes that fit was a bitch. She complained to Carmen who took her on a shopping spree two days ago. Gavin put his foot down about her going to the dog shelter and she had to admit he was right. She wouldn’t be able to handle some of the bigger dogs if they decided to yank her along the path and she couldn’t lean over to pick up poop so... yeah. She had to be content with Beau who she took to the gun range and everywhere else she could. He didn’t even need a leash, he was so attached to her. He never left her side and when she indulged in an afternoon nap he climbed into bed with her. Of course, she didn’t tell Gavin since he still referred to Beau as “dog.”
“You were great with the kids yesterday,” Alice said enthusiastically.
“They were a handful, but adorable,” Lyla agreed.
Although she enjoyed the trip to the school yesterday where the volunteers from Pyre Casinos painted, cleaned and played with the students, she was exhausted. The amount of volunteers had tripled in the past few months and Alice was ecstatic.
“The students need better computers and did you see those desks? They were ancient. The music room had plastic flutes and a beat up guitar. I wish...” Alice broke off.
“What?”
“I just want more for the kids, you know? They’re satisfied with what they have, but they deserve more.”
“I agree. Why don’t you ask Gavin for more money to get the kids what they need?”
They passed a poker table full of smokers and women wearing strong perfume. Lyla coughed and waved her hand in front of her face to dispel the noxious odor. Her super smelling nose seemed to get more sensitive by the month. She didn’t feel nauseated, but she still had odd cravings. Gavin couldn’t bear to watch her eat a cucumber dipped in chocolate last night.
“I can’t do that,” Alice said, twisting her hands together. “I mean, they just created this position and Mr. Pyre’s already put a considerable amount of money in my budget.”
“It doesn’t hurt to ask,” Lyla said as they walked through the employee hallway. Cocktail waitresses, dealers, spa attendants, security and other workers acknowledged them with respectful nods as they went about their business.
“Do you really think we can ask for more money?” Alice asked nervously.
“Of course. It’s for a good cause.”
“I don’t want to bother him.”
“Come.” Lyla took Alice’s hand and led her through the maze of back hallways to Gavin’
s office. When his secretary saw them coming, she picked up the phone, spoke into it and leapt to her feet. By the time they reached her, she had the door of his office open.
“He’s free,” his secretary said quickly.
“Thank you,” Lyla said with a smile, which she turned on Gavin as he rose from his desk.
She went to him and wasn’t surprised when he drew her against him for a deep kiss. If he hadn’t made it obvious that he was in love with her pregnant body, she would have fallen into depression weeks ago. As it was, Gavin seemed hornier than ever and it made her feel desired rather than repulsive. When Gavin pulled away, he noticed Alice for the first time.
“I’m here on business,” Lyla said and rounded his desk and took a seat beside Alice who looked uneasy.
“Business? Okay. What is it?”
“Well, it’s the school where we volunteered yesterday,” Alice said quickly. “The kids need computers, new instruments and the air conditioning needs to be fixed.”
Gavin wore an unreadable expression. Alice’s voice went up an octave as nerves kicked in and she began to talk faster and babble about the lack of water fountains and how some classrooms needed new cubbies. Lyla crossed her legs, drawing Gavin’s attention. Lyla licked her lower lip suggestively. His eyes narrowed. Alice’s voice got louder and more urgent.
“Do it,” Gavin said abruptly.
“What?” Alice asked.
“Give me a figure and we’ll do it. That will make Janice happy, right?”
“Y-yes it will.”
Alice leapt to her feet and looked on the verge of throwing her arms around Gavin. He gave her a look that clearly stated this was business and he didn’t want or need a hug.
“You’re a great man,” Alice said with a huge smile.
“Get out of here,” he said. “I need to talk to my wife.”
Alice gave him thumbs up and danced out of the office. Gavin crooked his finger at Lyla who tried to look innocent. She rose and stopped an arm’s length away. She wasn’t surprised when he reached out and brought her close so she stood between his knees.
“Did you just bribe me into giving more money to a school?” he asked.
“Maybe.”
His hands slid beneath her dress and cupped her ass. “I think I like it. You make my time at work more interesting. Kiss me.”
Lyla wrapped her arms around him and gave him a long, deep kiss that had his hands slipping beneath her underwear and into her core. Lyla moaned into his mouth and bucked against his fingers, which slid deeper.
“I need you,” he said as he set her on his desk and freed his cock from his pants. He spit on his fingers and pushed them deep. She opened her thighs wide and lifted her ass to take him deeper.
“Holy fuck,” he hissed as he withdrew his fingers and replaced it with his cock. “I can’t go slow.”
“I don’t want you to.”
Gavin braced his hands flat on the desk and fucked her hard. Lyla moaned and was once again grateful that his office was soundproof. He slid in to the hilt with each thrust and she tipped her head back in ecstasy. It didn’t take long for him to come and when he was finished, he went down on his knees and finished her with his mouth. Her legs were quaking and his desk was smeared with... stuff by the time they were finished.
“You should bribe me more often,” he said lazily as she sprawled on his lap.
“Maybe I will.”
“You should take it easy,” he said and rubbed her swollen tummy. “You’ve been on the go for weeks. You need to cool it.”
That’s why she was here. She and Gavin needed time alone. “I know.”
He kissed her belly. “She’s going to be beautiful.”
“I know.” Nora already had her daddy wrapped around her finger. Gavin had been amazing during her pregnancy. He wanted to be involved in everything, much to Carmen’s surprise and grudging approval. The nursery was ready and Lyla had two more months to go. They had a birthing class in a few weeks and she volleyed between terror and excitement as Nora’s due date approached.
Lyla checked herself in Gavin’s private bathroom to make sure she looked presentable. Her cheeks were flushed and lips a little swollen, but she could always blame it on her pregnancy. People wouldn’t know the difference. Lyla rested a hand over her belly as Nora did somersaults.
“What is it?” Gavin asked sharply when she grabbed the edge of the sink.
“Nothing. She’s just... really active.”
“You should go home and get some rest.”
“I will,” she lied and kissed him before she sailed out of his office, high on her climax.
Blade fell into step beside her. He was just as protective/annoying as Gavin and hovered around her as if she were a walking bomb. She smiled at some of the volunteers she recognized and made her way to Marcus’s office, which was open, unlike Gavin’s. Lyla had come to appreciate Marcus. He was yin to Gavin’s yang. She couldn’t imagine how they ever got along without him. His keen business sense and time management skills left Gavin more time than he ever had.
Marcus looked up when she walked in and a broad smile curved his lips. “You look gorgeous!”
Lyla laughed while Blade made a disgusted sound. Lyla went to Marcus and gave him a quick hug before she sat. He leaned back against the desk, eyes sparkling with mischief.
“What can I do for you?” he asked.
“I want Gavin to have a week off,” she said.
Marcus didn’t even blink. “Okay.”
“It’s his birthday on Monday. I thought I could steal him away and bring him back to you next week.”
Marcus nodded thoughtfully. “That’s fine. He doesn’t have anything that can’t be rescheduled. I can take some of the meetings that shouldn’t be put off. Where are you going?”
“California. I rented a yacht.”
He gave her a concerned look. “Have you ever been on a boat?”
“Once. I think I’ll be fine. Maybe after the baby comes, you can go on a long vacation.”
“What for?”
“To relax?”
Marcus spread his arms wide. “I’ve been working my ass off to get where I am today. I’m relaxed when I’m at my desk, making decisions and money.”
Lyla shook her head. “You businessmen.”
Marcus brushed imaginary dirt off his shoulders. “We live for it.”
“I hope someone comes along and forces you to take breaks.”
“You have someone you want me to try out?” Marcus asked, wagging his brows.
“I only know man eaters,” Lyla said and he laughed.
He led her out of his office with a casual arm tossed over her shoulders. Blade looked disapproving, but then nowadays, he always looked that way. Lyla let out a grunt as Nora kicked hard. Marcus’s easy smile vanished as she clutched her stomach.
“Oh my God, are you okay?”
“Yeah, she just—” Lyla winced as she kicked again. “She’s trying to break out.”
“What?”
Marcus looked like he might pass out. Lyla grinned, grabbed his hand and placed it on her tummy. Marcus tried to pull away until he felt the kick. He froze and his eyes went comically wide.
“Holy crap.”
“I know.”
She released him and wasn’t surprised when Marcus’s other hand joined the first. He looked almost giddy as he waited and then received another kick.
“Oh, boy, I hope you drive daddy crazy,” Marcus whispered to her belly.
“What the fuck!”
Lyla and Marcus turned to see Gavin bearing down on them. Lyla stepped in front of Marcus and headed towards the man who made his employees run for cover.
“Nora’s kicking,” Lyla said.
“And why’s he touching you?” Gavin demanded.
Lyla reached up to clasp his face. “Hey, Hulk, he’s just feeling her kick.”
“You’re mine,” he hissed.
She sighed. “I couldn’t be more yours if you trie
d. Now, stop making a scene. I needed to talk to Marcus about something he’s helping me with.”
“Why do you need to go to him? I can help you with everything!”
“I want to surprise you.”
“You know I hate surprises.”
She gave him a wounded look. “Even from me?”
Gavin hesitated and then glared at her. “You’re trying to manipulate me.”
Lyla beamed. “Is it working?”
Gavin jabbed his finger at Marcus. “I’ll see you in the ring tomorrow.”
“That’s fine,” Marcus said easily and then compounded his sins by giving Lyla’s belly another pat. “I’ll see you later, gorgeous.”
Lyla dug her hands into Gavin’s suit when he tried to go after Marcus. “Gavin, seriously.”
“He’s begging me to end his life.”
“Gavin, pay attention.”
Feral amber eyes focused on her and her smile widened. God, Gavin was a possessive psycho. He was a man on the edge, but he always reined it in around her. She couldn’t guarantee Marcus’s life, but she figured he could handle himself.
“I love you,” Lyla said and felt his tension ease. “You come home to me as soon as you can.”
“Why?”
“So you can make me yours again.”
***
“What the fuck are you doing in California?” Gavin roared.
Lyla held the phone away from her ear as she said, “I wanted to be near the ocean.” Well, on it if he wanted to get technical. “The jet is waiting for you.”
“What the fuck, Lyla?”
“This is my surprise.”
“To give me a heart attack? You’re in another state!”
“Well, you better hurry,” she said and winked at Beau who gave her a chiding look.
Lyla stood on the deck of the yacht and took a deep breath. They needed to get away from Vegas and let the water soothe them, just for a little while. She packed everything he needed and the yacht was set. She was happy to note that neither she nor Beau were seasick. She had to throw a crying fit for Blade to keep his mouth shut. If she hadn’t been pregnant, she never would have gotten away with it.
