Body Lock: A Bad Boy Romance

by Leah Holt

  “Told me what?” Her impatience was starting to shine through. Mia's back straightened, arms zipping up to cross over her chest.

  “That we're sexoholics who spend our free time finding apartment buildings to screw in.”

  “Shut up, you freak.” Loosening her arms, Mia giggled. “Quinn, you are one perverted dude, and you're lucky Cadence loves you.”

  Quinn's eyes fell to mine, lips perking at the corners. “I know how lucky I am, I'll never forget that.” Leaning forward, he laid a gentle kiss on my forehead as his hands cupped our baby.

  Shoving a finger down her throat, Mia made a loud, exaggerated gagging noise. “Gross, you guys make me sick. Are we done here? You guys coming in now, or what?”

  Twining his fingers into mine, Quinn led us inside. As I stepped through the door, the room around me burst into an overwhelming screech. “Surprise!”

  Expanding my lids, I couldn't believe what I was staring at. The room was decorated in blue balloons, streams of white and blue crepe paper twisted across the ceiling and walls. There was a large banner dangling from the back wall that said, 'Congratulations! It's a boy!'

  Throwing my hands over my mouth, I stood in awe, tears popping to life and rolling over my cheeks instantly.

  That happened a lot lately, tears would come and I had no control over it. I would even find myself laughing at times because I knew the crying was completely illogical, but I still couldn't stop it.

  Show me one of those super cute diaper commercials with the sleeping babies... And I'm done, sobbing uncontrollably.

  Quinn rubbed my back, caressing between my shoulder blades. “Surprise, Cadence, it's your baby shower.” Kissing my cheek, he waved Mia in for a hug. “You can thank her for this, she went through hell to set it up.”

  Mia shrugged off the compliment as Quinn gripped her shoulder and shook it. “I can't take all the credit, Quinn helped too.”

  “Wow, you guys.” Waving my fingers at my eyes, I tried to dry the waterworks. “I... I can't believe this. Mia, thank you.” Reaching for her hand, I tugged her in and wrapped her tight. “Thank you.” I whispered again into her ear.

  “You deserve this, you're having a freaking baby for goodness sake.” Lifting her face, she smiled down on me. “Now come in and say hello to everyone.”

  I was happy about the shower, very happy about it. But at the same time, my heart cracked. Deep down, there was something very important missing from the entire party.

  My mother...

  Quinn's mom was there, one of his aunts, a couple of his cousins. But as far as family goes on my side, I would only say that I had Mia.

  Which I was more than grateful for, but I couldn't deny the sadness I felt knowing my mother wasn't here to experience this.

  The party went as I would expect a baby shower to go. I ate a lot of food, opened so many tiny pairs of shoes and onesies, I couldn't even count them all. And we played a very interesting and oddly gross game where we had to eat melted chocolate from diapers.

  The image made me gag at first, but in the end it turned out to be pretty fun. Mia was always good at bringing a bit of freaky into what could have been a very boring event.

  But watching old ladies eat dark chocolate out of a diaper... That made me laugh, a whole lot, so much so... I actually peed myself a little. 'Shh.'

  Lowering into the rocking chair decorated for the mother to be, an older woman approached me as the party seemed to settle. She had a short, tight curl to her white hair. Her skin looked aged and weathered, but her eyes looked young.

  There was a twinkle that fixed in her gaze, one that caught my attention, one that sent an automatic smile to my face.

  Taking the seat beside me, her hand wrapped my knee with a tender squeeze. Her eyes watched me, her smile bright and natural. “You saved him, and I need to thank you for that.”

  “Excuse me?” I asked.

  “Quinn, you saved him.” Folding her hands in her lap, she fiddled with her knuckles. “I know that life isn't always kind. But you two finding each other, that didn't happen by mistake. You gave him something else to live for, so thank you.” Her face lifted to meet mine, then fell to the floor.

  “Honestly, he saved me too.” Tucking my hands under my thighs, I let out a sigh.

  Tapping my leg, her lips drew in, a thin smile resting on her face. “Sometimes, family just happens where you least expect it. But no matter what, there are people in your life who will always be family.” Standing up, the woman walked over to Quinn and gave him a hug. Looking over her shoulder at me, she sent one last smile my way, then headed out the door.

  “Wait, wait,” I said, trying to push myself out of the chair a lot quicker than I was actually moving. But it was too late, she was gone.

  Quinn stepped up beside me, resting both his hands on my shoulders. “Having fun?”

  “Who was that woman?” I asked.

  “Who?”

  “The woman who just left, who was that?”

  “That was Debra, Rainee's mom.”

  Her words began to sink in, her heartache seeping into my bones. She was right, family didn't have to be built from just flesh and bloodlines. Family went deeper than that. It was people who cared for you, people who would walk to the end of the earth to help you.

  She had thanked me for saving Quinn, for saving a boy she thought of like a son.

  I didn't deserve the thank you...

  Quinn did.

  “Wow, that was his mom?”

  “Yup.” Looking me over, Quinn's brows dipped. “You alright?”

  Standing for a moment in silence, I brushed his cheek with my hand. “Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just a little tired.”

  “You want to head home?” Turning me to face him, he stroked my hair. “We can leave whenever you're ready.”

  Nodding yes, my lips held a thin smile. “Yeah, I think I'm ready.”

  After saying goodbye, Quinn and I hauled what we could fit into the taxi outside. Mia said she would bring the rest later in the week, and I was more than happy to let her.

  She had a car, we were still working on getting one.

  But Quinn and I didn't see eye to eye on that topic. I wanted a mini-van, he wanted a smaller two door coupe.

  So that minor detail was still being worked out.

  Arriving at our apartment, we took the bags we had grabbed upstairs to our door. Dropping them to the floor, I wrapped my hands around my sides and stretched my back. “I need a hot bath, my back is killing me.”

  “Want a massage?” Winking, Quinn dug into his pocket for the key.

  “A massage? How the hell are you going to do that? I can't lay on my stomach.”

  “I know.” Biting his lip, he flashed me a very naughty grin.

  “Oh, I see where you're going with this.” Wagging my finger, I stared at him under hooded lids. “I'd get a frontal massage, and you'd get to have your way with me.”

  Holding out his hands, he stepped back. “I never said have my way with you.”

  “You didn't have to, it was implied.” A white piece of paper caught my eye as it lifted with the gentle air. Stepping to the door, there was a rose resting on the front mat, wrapped inside a blue bib.

  Yanking the note down, I opened it up. “Quinn?”

  “Mm, hm,” he said, looking down at the key ring to grab the one he needed.

  “Looks like our baby has a secret admirer.”

  “What?” he asked, flicking his eyes up to my hands.

  Holding out the paper, I flattened the fold so he could read it. Quinn's eyes expanded, lips drawing in, thick lines forming against his forehead.

  “Just for you.” Wrinkling my brows, I said, “Wonder who left this here?” The hand written note held few words. But I knew the words held weight, and from the look on Quinn's face, they weren't good.

  His skin drained to a nauseous white, eyes scanning around behind his back. Tearing the paper from my hand, he held it tight, crinkling it with anger. “Are you fuck
ing kidding me? This can't be, you said your dad's in prison.”

  “He is.”

  “So who left this here?”

  “What the hell is going on, Quinn? Does this mean something to you?”

  I watched his jaw cock to the side, teeth baring down hard. “I don't know what to think, Cadence.” Crumbling the crisp white paper, he balled it up in his palm, still searching all around us.

  What... Or who is he looking for?

  A fear began to settle deep inside, coiling around my stomach. I had no idea what the hell it was supposed to mean, but from his reaction, it wasn't a good thing.

  And that scared me.

  Whoever left this here, did it for that reason.

  Now my past was resurfacing.

  But why?

  Chapter Eighteen

  Quinn

  I had become paranoid.

  Very paranoid.

  But I had a good reason. That note wasn't a gesture of good faith, or placed on the wrong door.

  It was meant for me.

  I had spent the last week walking Cadence anywhere and everywhere she needed to go. It didn't matter what she was doing, but I wasn't letting her out of my sight.

  The Macro was still confined behind bars, I had her double check. So the only logical explanation I could come up with was he had hired someone on the outside to do his dirty work until he had the chance himself.

  I knew everything was too good to be true. How could I have been so stupid to think he wouldn't try something from in there?

  It was a false sense of security I had mindlessly let infiltrate my brain. Of course he was going to try and wield his control, that's who he was.

  And I had let that piece get lost, forgotten, erased from the front of my thoughts.

  We should just move, change our names and rid ourselves of this life completely.

  But I couldn't walk away from the center, I couldn't just pretend to be someone I'm not. And it wasn't fair to even consider that as an option.

  I just wanted to make sure Cadence would always be safe, that our child would always be safe, that we could move on.

  Even if the bad guys couldn't.

  Watching Cadence drop the electric bill into the mailbox, she turned and smiled. “So, how much longer are you going to be babysitting me?”

  “Babysitting?” Walking my fingers around her hips, I tugged her body against mine. “I don't know if you noticed, but you're about ready to pop. What if you go into labor and I'm not around?”

  “Quinn, I'm not going to drop the baby on the sidewalk, it does take time you know.” Swirling a finger across my chest, she looked up at me with those big blue eyes. “Are you sure that's it?”

  God those eyes, every time she looked at me that way, I could feel myself getting lost, coming undone.

  And I loved every second of it. I could stare into her eyes forever, and that's exactly what I planned on doing.

  “Of course, I just want to make sure I'm here for you.”

  I didn't want to let her know how worried I really was about that note. She didn't need that kind of stress, not right now.

  Squinting her lids, I felt like she was peering into my head, watching and reading my thoughts. I wasn't good at lying, and I was even worse at lying to her.

  “I don't believe you. Is this still about that letter?” Her chin shifted higher, face turning rigid.

  “Cadence, I—”

  Holding up her hand, she touched my chest. “I know that letter has screwed with your head, Quinn. And while I'm not saying it didn't scare me a little, nothing has come of it either. There have been no other notes, no packages or weird computerized, stalker phone calls. Maybe it was from my dad, I don't know. But he can't touch us, not anymore. So unless you're going to just come right out and tell me why it fucked with you so much, then I think you should try and let it go.”

  “Let it go? How the hell can I let it go?” Squeezing my jaw between two fingers, I scratched the hollow of my throat. “Those words you read, those were the words—” Waving my hand in the air, I looked up at the sky. “You know what, never mind. I just think we need to be careful, that's all.”

  “You know you can tell me anything.”

  “I know, but right now we need to focus on other things.” Pressing my hands around her stomach, I rubbed her belly. “More important things.”

  “Alright, I get it.” The sound of her voice was flat, letting the conversation go. “Are you ready? We don't want to be late.”

  ***

  “Here we go, Ms. Powell.”

  Cadence nodded her head, gripping her fingers tighter around mine. Smiling down on her, my fingertips grazed over her forehead, raking through her hair.

  “Alright, time to see the baby like you've never seen him before.” Flicking on the machine, Doctor Young squeezed the jelly onto Cadence's stomach. “These three-D images are amazing, I think you guys are really going to love it.”

  Rolling the wand over her skin, the screen began to take shape. There were fingers, real solid fingers, hovering over a perfect set of formed lips. It was a world away from the first pictures we got.

  I called them his Halloween poses, he looked like a tiny mutant skeleton. Cadence didn't care for my reference when it came out the first time, but this... This was something else.

  I felt my eyes starting to fill, tears balancing on my lids like they were walking a tight rope. I never got emotional, at least not over anything happy. But to see our son in such a vivid way, it really tugged at the heart strings.

  Looking down at Cadence, the tears had already started to mark her face, streaking down in thin lines. Kissing the top of her head, I whispered into her ear. “He's adorable, this is wild.”

  She couldn't take her eyes away from the screen, she sat still, taking it all in.

  Riley's face began to take shape, his cheeks plump and pudgy, the hair of his eyebrows boldly lining his eyes. The whole scene was unbelievable, I was sitting silent, just watching our baby. Our baby.

  “He looks very healthy you guys, everything's looking great.” The doctor moved over her belly, going in at different angles.

  We could see his shoulders, his tiny feet as he pulled them up into his chest, even his nails. His freaking fingernails were perfectly visible.

  “It's like I'm looking at him through a camera lens.” Cadence reached a hand out and touched the video, her eyes twinkling under the high resolution.

  “Wild, huh?” Nodding in agreement, Dr. Young scooted in her chair on wheels. “It's amazing to see every time, even after having done hundreds of these. It still gets me, I'm in awe.” Smiling, she wiped away the jelly, shutting off the monitor. “Well, he looks great, like I said. So I think the next time I'll see you will probably be in the hospital.” Stretching out her hand, we both shook it nervously.

  “That was so cool,” Cadence said, sitting up and tugging down her shirt. “It's like we got to see him before he was here, I'm blown away.”

  “I know, it's crazy.” Staring off into the air, I felt her eyes draw over me.

  “Are you alright?”

  “Yeah, I'm fine. I... I'm just getting a little nervous, that's all.” Plopping down in the seat the doctor had just been in, I shoved my legs across the floor, rolling backwards. “Riley is going to be here so soon, and I guess it's all just starting to sink in.”

  “Don't be nervous, Quinn, you're going to make a great father.” Kicking her feet, Cadence held her stomach. That was something she had started doing a lot of lately, holding our baby from the outside. “It's not like I'm not nervous, I mean... I'm the one who has to push him out. Think about that.” Drawing out the last word, her eyes grew wide, brows arching high.

  Chuckling, a smile tugged at my lip. “Yeah, that's true, huh, guess I didn't think about the whole exploding vagina bit.”

  “Don't refer to it like that.” Slamming a palm into the air, Cadence rolled her eyes. “I do not want to think of my vagina exploding at all.”
<
br />   “What? Isn't it supposed to be similar to the whole pushing a watermelon through a lemon-sized hole?”

  Cradling her head, she huffed under her breath. “What the hell have you been reading?”

  “That's what I learned in health class, didn't you?” Forcing a smile, I shoved my hands into my pockets. “Look, I'll love you either way, big vagina included.” Winking, I grinned, trying to ease her fears.

  And I desperately tried to yank the nerves out of my system along with it. I wanted to go back to being strong and feeling like the world could never touch me, touch us.

  But now with that fucking note...

  I had to make sure that we would never be in that position again, that no one would ever be hiding around a corner, threatening Cadence, threatening my family.

  My family is everything, and I'll do anything to protect them.

  Hearing the doctor saying we wouldn't see her again until the baby was on his way, it made my stomach jump and twist into knots. It was so close, and yet it still felt like it took us forever to get here.

  I couldn't really explain the emotions that were taking place inside my body. There was excitement, anxiety, fear...

  The fear was what got me the most. To know that my son, my flesh and blood, was going to be here so soon, it sent a surge of something I hadn't ever felt in my life.

  He was going to be relying on me, on his mother. This tiny, fragile life was going to grow up looking up to me, looking for guidance, for comfort, for... A chance.

  A chance to have everything he deserved, a chance to have his dreams come to fruition and be able to stand on his own two feet one day.

  Cadence had told me I was getting way ahead of myself, and I knew I was. But it was hard not to.

  How do you not worry about the future of your child and who they would become?

  I wanted Riley to get every opportunity he could in life to succeed, and I was going to do anything to give that to him.

  No one would stop me.

  Not now, not ever.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Quinn

  The air hit my face as we pushed through the glass doors. Cadence stopped, rifling around in her purse, searching for something. “Where the hell is it?”