But in that moment of pain. That light tug on internal muscles and ligaments, Melody had a lightbulb moment. This baby was very real and very, very much on his or her way.
“Yo’, Mel. You’ve got company,” Abby called from the living room.
Melody startled. Somehow in her reverie, she hadn’t even heard the doorbell. She walked to the bedroom door, finding everything still in working order. A twinge, she decided. Just a twinge to remind her she was pregnant and needed to be careful.
“Hey, Quinn. Hi, Lacey. Y’all are right on time. I’ve got my stuff all packed.”
But as they walked away, Melody heard Abby say under her breath, “Best in Show is down the street, folks.” Quinn and Lacey had to have heard, but neither gave any indication of the other woman’s blind prejudice.
Quinn filled the small room with his presence, and Lacey stood by his side. They were a beautiful couple, Lacey thought with just a touch of envy. Their strengths balanced each other.
She admitted with some chagrin that she used to hang out at the Lusty Leopard looking to hook up with a shifter. Online rumors were they were well-hung and had plenty of stamina, and Melody was curious enough to want a taste of that.
But after an afternoon, evening, and early morning of lovemaking that left her blissfully sore (and unknowingly pregnant!), she felt reticent about going back to the Lusty Leopard. Had her body known instinctually she was pregnant? Or, had her heart become dangerously involved due to an Oxytocin-releasing orgasm? Or, five or six of them?
Melody closed her eyes, remembering the sheer power in Rafe’s thrusts. The wild, feral-animal look in his brown eyes. His golden skin damp with sweat. She shook her head to clear it of sensual memories.
“I have that suitcase and this box of artwork and knickknacks,” Melody said, pointing unnecessarily at the items on the bed. She felt a little foolish walking beside her friends as they handled her belongings. “I really appreciate ya’ll letting me stay in the cabin.”
Quinn snorted and gave his mate a gentle look. “Lacey loves having company. I might need to rework my business model especially with the Bobcat Alley deal that Chamorro is putting together.”
Melody’s eyes went wide, and she exchanged a look with Lacey. Lacey shook her head, letting Melody know the secret of her baby’s paternity was still her secret.
“What’s a Bobcat Alley?” Melody asked.
“Chamorro is buying a plot around the mountain. A hundred acres of sweet land that he wants to set up as a wildlife area. No hunting. No building. Obviously, there will be more than just bobcats living there, but he wants to give them a safe place to live and hunt.”
“You don’t allow hunting, do you?” Melody asked. “On the mountain, I mean.”
“No.” Quinn loaded up his truck and opened the door for Lacey. “With all the shifters living or visiting the area, I could never allow it. Who knows what they might hit? Animal or shifter? Hard to tell the difference, even for us unless we’re close.”
Behind him, Lacey tapped her nose, indicating to Melody they used the power of smell.
“Yeah, I can imagine.” Melody waited until her belongings were packed up before backing her car out of its spot and following Quinn’s truck up the mountain. The crazy turns and switchbacks kept her focused, which was good. She had the feeling that once she was alone, the tears would come in torrents.
She felt the encroachment of a pity party. “At least the hard parts are over,” she said to herself as she took a turn. The engine in her old car didn’t have the power she needed, so she dropped it into low before continuing.
Melody tried not to think of her mother’s cold words of congratulations. In addition to being merely a “hairdresser,” Melody could give birth to puppies and be the bitch she always thought she was. Melody hadn’t bothered to tell her mother Rafe was a jaguar, not a dog.
Her father was off doing something important in Grand Cayman. Franklin Strauss was a CFO for a world bank and preferred the views of the world from the Caribbean.
Even Rafe failed her. Maybe not the same way her parents had, but still. Melody supposed she should be glad he didn’t call her a bitch the way her mother had.
The heat of betrayal was a slow burn inside of Melody. And as she crested the last hill to park her car at Maxwell Mountain Resort, she pressed her hand to her still-flat belly.
No matter the odds, she knew her baby would be the best consolation prize. Ever.
Rafe
“You’re what? Forty now?” Mateo Garcia asked, looking away from his keyboard.
Rafe looked up from the rum he sipped on. “Forty-one,” he corrected his lawyer. And he felt every day of that. He ran his hands through hair that was starting to be more salt than pepper. When had he gotten this old?
“And you’re sure you want to update your will?”
Rafe nodded, still staring into the amber depths of his tumbler. “She’s telling the truth.”
“Still, most men in your position would want a paternity test.”
“She’s telling the truth,” he reiterated. “I could smell it on her. And the timing is right. Just add her and any of our children as beneficiaries.” Rafe nodded towards his attorney’s computer.
The thing with facing a problem head-on was the desire to get everything resolved as quickly as possible. Rafe already called his insurance company to add Melody. There were forms and personal information he needed, but the representative assured him Melody would be covered as soon as they were married.
The court clerk had the marriage license drawn up. All he had to do was get Melody to agree.
“I thought the contract you signed with the Department of Defense forbade getting married.”
“Then they can arrest me and put me in jail,” Rafe returned. “As my lawyer, you get to make a boatload of money getting me out and changing the law.”
Mateo grinned. “We’ll make it a class action lawsuit. I may as well make a double boat load of money.”
Rafe lifted his drink in salute.
“I’ve already considered my argument. The contract should only be enforced while you were active duty, which would make sense. I’ll need to look up Uniform Code of Military Justice. You’ve been out, what? Ten years now?” Mateo asked.
“Yeah, about that.” Rafe nodded. Rafe rose, pacing in the office like a caged tiger. He didn’t care for the comparison but couldn’t deny it was appropriate.
He was forty-one. “I’m too old to be a first-time parent,” he muttered.
“Apparently not.”
“They told us it couldn’t happen.”
“What? The government might have lied to you?” Mateo put his hand on his check in a gesture of mock shock. “Say it isn’t so.”
Rafe snorted with derision. Perhaps he had been a fool to trust his handlers so much. “You need anything else?” He put the tumbler back on the table. He felt an overwhelming need to see Melody. Since he was going to make her his wife, he figured it would probably be a good idea to tell her.
Women liked that kind of thing.
“Going to see the soon-to-be-missus?” Mateo teased
“I probably didn’t behave well when she first gave me the news.”
“It’s never too early to learn to apologize to your woman. Get out of here. And Rafe?”
Rafe raised his eyebrows as he put his suit jacket back on.
“I’ll have these ready for you in the morning. Don’t die before then, okay?”
“I’ll do my best.”
<<<>>>
After changing into more casual clothing, Rafe drove his full-sized SUV up the mountain. The burning desire to see Melody rode him through the late afternoon darkness. He felt exhausted after the day he put in.
From arguing with the mayor to changing his will, Rafe was on a roller coaster of emotions. From soaring highs to what might be his biggest crash yet.
His jaguar howled within him, longing to be free. “Soon,” Rafe muttered, feeling the claws of anxi
ety creep up his spine. His cat demanded the night to roam. Chase the occasional rabbit. Observe the world from a tree-top cradle.
Cats needed solitude. Time to observe. Stretch. Understand the world around them.
Moving with repressed emotion, Rafe parked his truck next to Melody’s compact. He made a mental note to get her a new car. No way was that going to be big enough for a car seat.
He strode up to the door of the little yellow cabin. There was a light on but in the back of the house. Bedroom, probably, he decided.
Rafe knocked and waited. His acute hearing picked up the sounds of someone – Melody?—walking towards the door. At least, he sure hoped it was Melody. Otherwise, this visit was going to get awkward. Fast.
“Who is it?”
The gentle huskiness of Melody’s voice was a balm to Rafe’s over-stretched nerves. Her scent reached to him through the closed doors, and his cat growled. He had no idea this was what coming home felt like, but now that it was within his grasp, he wasn’t letting go.
“It’s Rafael,” he answered.
He heard Melody’s sigh through the door. “Go away, Rafe. I’m not up to this tonight.”
Rafe heard the pain and anguish in her voice and compulsion pushed him. “Let me in, Melody.”
Her giggle was a little watery. “Or what? You’ll huff and puff and blow the door down?”
“Wrong story, Chela. In this one, there’s no wolf here. Only I, Señor Don Gato. A lonely cat who will knock down the door if you insist. But how will we keep the bugs out?”
She was quiet so long, Rafe wasn’t sure if she’d let him in or not. Finally, the tumbler turned, and Melody opened the door. The dim light from the bedroom spilled into the night.
Her long cascade of hair was like a halo. Her curves were outlined in her nightgown from the backlight coming from the bedroom. Melody stood there, barefoot, pregnant, and more than a little afraid.
“I’m tired. Say what you need to say and let me get some sleep.”
“I have some papers for you to fill out.” Rafe held out a manila folder.
“And it has to be done tonight?”
“They’re important.”
Her sage-green eyes were wary as she stepped back, letting him in.
Oh, sweetness, Rafe thought as the predator walked inside the house. He ached for another taste of her plump lips. It had been months since he’d had her, and yet now that she was in front of him, all he wanted was more.
Chapter Four
Melody
“I messed up.” The words tumbled from Rafe’s mouth on a single, quick breath.
“Well, that’s the understatement of the flipping century,” Melody remarked tartly. Rafe’s dark eyes narrowed, but she tossed her hair in response. She rather liked this snarky voice she was in the process of developing. Other people might not be thrilled, but she thought it was fan-freaking-tastic.
She took in his finger-mussed hair, so different from his usual tamed look. He wore jeans molded to his powerful legs and a T-shirt that showed off his buff muscles. Rafael Chamorro was the definition of temptation on two legs. A temptation she definitely didn’t need.
“I had to go talk to someone. Get things in line.”
Melody set her chin mulishly. “I’m not having an abortion. I don’t care what kind of ‘things’ you needed to get in order. That’s not happening.”
Rafe seemed to flinch, and Melody regretted her harsh tone. Had she jumped to the wrong conclusion?
“That wasn’t what I came to talk about, Melody. I figured if you waited this long, you had already made that decision.”
Melody nodded, chagrined. She hadn’t even considered termination. She was pregnant. She wanted the baby. She’d make it work. Somehow.
She ached to curl up on Rafe’s lap and have him take care of them. And maybe that’s what she would have done six months or a year ago. Melody’s hands cradled her belly, knowing she would protect her bean with every cell in her body.
“I’m sorry I thought you’d think that I thought about having an abortion.”
Rafe tilted his head, a half-grin playing on his lips. “If I understood all of that, it’s okay.” He toyed with one of her curls. “We need to learn to communicate better.”
Melody twisted her fingers in on each other with her nervousness. “If it weren’t for leaping to conclusions, I’m not sure I’d get much exercise these days.”
“Should we sign you up for some classes?” He held up his cell phone. “I’ve been getting alerts all afternoon. There is a Mommy-to-be yoga class that’s held twice a week.”
Melody reached for his hand. “You signed up for pregnancy alerts?”
Rafe shrugged loosely. “It seemed like the right thing to do.”
She stepped back to allow Rafe to enter the cottage. “Do you want coffee or anything? I can put a pot on?”
“You can’t have coffee.”
Melody raised an eyebrow at his sharp tone. She didn’t know why the words rubbed her wrong, but they did. She turned on one foot to glare at him. “Oh, so now you’re telling me what to do?”
Rafe seemed to realize his statement came out harsher than he’d intended. “Well, what I mean to say is caffeine isn’t good for you or the baby.”
Melody lifted the second eyebrow and stared him down. “Your new app, I take it?”
“Maybe.” His gaze darted around as if wondering if that was the wrong answer.
She rolled her eyes. Rafe didn’t seem to have a sense of humor where the baby was concerned. “Fine, have some iced green tea with me. Doesn’t have the same ring to it, but it’s not a bad alternative.”
“Have you had a lot of morning sickness? Have you felt the baby kick yet? Who is your OB/GYN?” Rafe asked when she came back. His eyes were haunted, and Melody had to push away the hope that he cared—really cared about her. And their baby, she reminded herself sternly.
“Some. Not too bad.”
He nodded. “We need to talk.” Rafe took her hand in his and tugged her into his arms as they sat on the couch. “I am sorry for the way I rushed out of the office this afternoon. I was in shock. And then I realized I needed to get things put in order.”
“Like what?” Melody asked, refusing to look at him. She had no idea condensation patterns on glasses were so fascinating.
“I had to talk to my lawyer, Mateo. I had my will redone. Called my insurance company. And this.” He held up a piece of paper.
Frowning, Melody took the paper. “A marriage license?” Her thoughts spun. “You didn’t even ask me. People nowadays don’t get married just because they’re having a baby. And, besides, you can’t get married… Can you?”
“I don’t care what other people do. The only way I can properly provide for you and what did you call it?”
Melody rubbed her belly. “The little bean.”
Rafe nodded. “The only way I can take care of you is if you’re my family, Chela. Therefore, I will make you my family. Add you to my health insurance. Get you both in my will.”
Melody blamed the pregnancy hormones on the tears that slipped down her cheeks. “You want to marry me?” She looked at the paper again, seeking information. “Is your lawyer also drawing up a prenuptial agreement?”
“Do I need one?” Rafe placed his hand on her belly, a hairs breath away from the lower curve of her breast. Her heart beat a little faster in her chest, but Melody reminded herself that the last time she’d let lust rule, she’d gotten pregnant.
Which wasn’t an altogether bad thing. But still. Logic.
“I don’t know. Do you? What if I divorce you and take your money?”
Rafe shrugged. “You’ll use it to take care of our bean, right? And I can always earn more money.”
Melody licked her lips as she finally allowed herself to look into Rafe’s eyes. They were dark. Troubled. Begging for something she wasn’t sure how to give.
“What’s wrong?”
He lifted his hand and ran long fingers th
rough her hair. “I only have one request. Well. Two.”
The small living room grew swollen with heat and Melody’s mouth became dry as he stared at her. The man’s accent should be outlawed. Just that little hint of Nican was enough to curl her toes. “What are your requests?”
“That the only man you sleep with from here on out is me.”
Melody nodded slowly, as if in a trance. Like she’d want any man but him, anyway? “And the second request?”
“Is that if I ever hit you or our baby, you will leave me. Don’t ever take me back. And if it gets bad, go to Quinn or my lawyer, Mateo. They’ll know how to protect you.”
Melody was certain her heart was going to pound its way out of her chest it was beating so hard. “Does Daddy want to hurt his baby?” she asked, her voice suddenly small and weak.
Rafe shook his head. “A Daddy takes care of his girl. You know that.” He bent his head and rested it in the crook of her neck. He kissed her fluttering pulse and Melody felt simultaneously soothed and excited by his touch.
“Are you afraid you’ll hurt me?”
He nodded. “I’ve seen it, Melody. I’m big like my Roco, my father. Nicans are a traditional people. The men? They are in charge.”
Melody trembled at his words. “Like you?”
Rafe nodded as he twirled one of her curls. “My parents fled the Sandinistas in 1983 when I was six years old. As far as I’m concerned, I’m American.” He shrugged. “But old lessons die hard. Especially the lessons of my father.”
“Did your father…”
“It was a different time and place.” Rafe’s jaw firmed, his eyes growing resolute. “And look at you? So tiny I could lift you with one hand.”
Her breathing grew ragged at the raw pain in his voice. “I promise, Daddy. If you ever hit our baby or me, I’ll leave you.”
“And?”
Tears leaked from the corners of Melody’s eyes. “I will never take you back.” The words were torn from her. She couldn’t even imagine the life she would lead if she had to flee Rafe.
“Then marry me, Chela. Let me take care of you. Let me take care of you both.”
Having her Jaguar's Baby (Shifter Special Forces Book 5) Page 3
