Page 25 of Deceit & Destruction

He continues to stare at me for a moment then looks aimlessly into the parking lot. The silence is thick between us, and I struggle to find something to say. Suddenly he takes my hand and pulls me against his side.

“What—”

“Don’t look, but there’s a guy in an SUV, similar to the one that crashed into us and he’s taking pictures of us.”

Fear rips through me. We both agreed that our accident wasn’t really an accident, but between me moving and both of us skating around our attraction to one another, we really haven’t given it much thought.

“What? Where?”

He slings his good arm around my shoulders and presses a kiss to the top of my head.

“I said, don’t look,” he hisses. “I don’t think we should get in the car right away. What if whoever that is tries to run us off the road again?” He pulls back and lowers his gaze, staring at me for a moment. “Let’s go back into the hospital. We’ll grab a bite to eat in the cafeteria and call Webber.”

“What’s Webber going to do?”

“He can come, scope out the SUV, and tell us when it leaves.”

“But you have class.”

“And you got a daughter I’m not willing to risk.”

Chapter Eight

Mike Robinson

We were being followed.I just didn’t know who was behind the wheel and by the time Webber and Alex showed at the hospital the SUV was gone. A sickening feeling crept into my soul, but not to worry Cassie, I downplayed it. I think hearing the baby’s heartbeat and learning it was a girl, really fucked with me. The magnitude of what I had signed up for hit me like a ton of brinks. There was a baby girl coming into the world and I had signed up to be her father.

It doesn’t matter that my role in her life was conceived as a favor.

Nor does it matter that her mom and I are in a weird place, just getting to know one another—fighting our attraction to the other.

And it really doesn’t matter that I don’t know if I’ll have a place in her life when she is born. I’m here now and the sonogram photo Dr. Harnette had printed for me is burning a hole in the pocket of my jeans. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure no one—not Blackthorne or any members of the Scorpio Society for that matter—touch Cassie or that baby of hers.

I squeeze her hand as we reach the top of the landing, like the gesture will somehow affirm all the thoughts racing through my mind. She lifts her chin, her eyes finding mine. I can tell she’s nervous. Aside from barely eating anything, she hasn’t said more than a couple of words. Before we left the hospital, I asked Alex to call Victoria and Mila to see if they’d be up to having a girls night. I figured Cassie could use the reprieve and it would give me a chance to get my head sorted.

I’m about to tell her that the girls are waiting for her in their apartment when I catch sight of Coach Riley standing in front of my apartment door.

“Coach?”

He spins around at the sound of my voice and his eyes dart between me and Cassie before settling on me more permanently.

“Robinson, I’ve been calling you for days,” Coach says.

He has, and being the prick that I am, I forwarded every single call to voicemail. It’s not that I have anything against Coach Riley, I just don’t have the headspace to hear him tell me what I already know.

Cassie loops her arm through mine and Coach Riley’s eyes lower and slightly widen when they catch Cassie’s bump.

“So it’s true,” Coach says, bringing his eyes back to mine. “You’re really going to be a father.”

“We just found out it’s a girl.”

The corners of Coach’s lips curve.

“Little girls are the best.” He steps toward us and holds out his hand to Cassie. “Coach Riley.”

Releasing my hand, she shakes Coach’s.

“Cassie.”

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