Page 54 of Serendipity

He stiffened, and shivered under my touch. “This means less than nothing,” he growled, then his lips slammed against mine. I was imagining that I could taste Judas on his lips, as his tongue thrust its way into my mouth, his hand moving into my hair and holding me still with a tight grip. His kiss was angry, tasting of frustration and edged in sadness. But I kissed him back with all the hope in my soul.

My hands ran across his still bare chest, feeling old scars and bullet holes, and I wanted to taste every single one of them. When he bit my bottom lip, I whimpered, and when he lifted me and pressed me hard against the wall, I moaned. Fuck. Yes.

The sheer raw carnality of Goliath made me wet. I feared and desired him in equal measures and it set my rampant libido on fire. I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him into my body.

Then the baby kicked. Hard. Goliath reared back, dropping me from his arms in surprise or horror or regret, or something, and only catching me mere inches before I hit the floor, like he suddenly remembered I was pregnant. He held me until I got my feet under my body, and then let me go like I was diseased.

“I hate you,” he said with such venom I choked out a pained sound. He whirled away and strode down the hall, slamming into his room with such force that the windows rattled.

I sucked in a shaky breath. At the end of the hall, I could see Solomon’s golden eyes, even in the darkness. He blew me a kiss and then went back into his room. At the other end was Judas, who stared for a moment, before nodding and turning back into his own room.

I jumped when two arms banded around my waist.

“Shh, it's just me. You okay?” Cain’s smooth voice soothed my shaken nerves. I just nodded, because I wasn’t prone to lying to anyone, least of all Cain.

“I’m fine. He’s just…”

Cain squeezed me tighter and kissed my temple. “I know, Sweetheart. Come on, we’ll go back to bed. You look exhausted.”

I let him bundle me back into bed, and wrap his huge body around mine. It had been a hell of a day.

NO ONE MENTIONED what happened in the cellar that night. I didn’t tell a soul, but I had a feeling that the Horsemen all knew what went on down there. Solomon was extra attentive the next day, bringing me breakfast in bed, then taking me on a long ride down the highway in the sunshine. He’d found a beautiful grassy spot near the lake and made love to me until my eyes crossed. Cain took me to the diner for lunch, then pulled me behind the ugly beige building and kissed me until my lips were swollen and my hair mussed. I’d gotten some serious death glares from the waitresses after that.

Judas had pulled me into his office that afternoon, staring down at me like he was trying to judge how I felt without actually asking me. Then he’d spread me across his desk and devoured my pussy like I was his last damn meal.

Goliath avoided me like I was contagious.

It set the tone for the following month. I fought the instinct to nest, a part of me still worrying that this wouldn’t be permanent. That eventually I would need to run again, or the guys would make me leave after the baby was born. Apparently, it was hard to shake the habit to move around. Never stay

in one place. Always look over your shoulder. It was a mentality that had settled in my subconscious over centuries, and I knew it would take decades to rid myself of it, if I ever got that opportunity.

Sweetie had asked when my doctors appointments were, and I had to lie. I was worried if they did the ultrasound, they’d be able to tell that the baby wasn’t entirely human. No, avoiding human medical facilities was paramount. Maybe nothing would come of it, but maybe it would be that one small mistake that led to everything turning to shit. Which pretty much summed up my mental state. I was here, waiting for all my happiness to collapse in a heap around me.

Because I wasn’t allowed to be this happy, to feel like I’d found my home in the arms of the Four Horsemen.

I’d popped even more, and now I wondered how I didn’t just topple over when I leaned forward more than ninety degrees. Getting up and down the stairs was becoming exhausting. Most of the time, if there was no one around, I just let Cain carry me up.

Luckily there weren’t any feminists to judge me in an outlaw MC, but still, I was a strong independent woman and all that. But I’d be damned if Cain carrying me up the stairs didn’t make me feel like a Queen.

I wandered down the hall, in Cain’s massive Damnation shirt today. The baby was sitting low, and my yoga pants dipped low over my pubic bone. I stopped outside Judas’ office door and knocked softly.

I found myself drifting toward one or another of the guys all the time now, a little because my libido was in freaking overdrive, but mostly just because I liked to be with them all the time.

“Come in,” he said softly. I stepped into his office and my heart did a weird little flipflop at the smile on his face. Judas didn’t talk about his feelings or his past. Mostly we didn’t talk much at all.

But that soft look on his face was filled with emotion, and I could wait for words. He stood and came around from behind his desk.

He wrapped his arm around my back and kissed me gently, the rough scratch of his beard on my chin felt delicious. I kissed him back, running my tongue over his lower lip, making him let out a little grunt of pleasure. “Mmm, you taste good. Such a distraction,” he chastised as he pulled away. “I’m up to my ass in paperwork, but right now I want to spread you on the couch and see if you taste this good everywhere,” he rumbled against my lips, making my nipples hard. He sighed and stepped away, rubbing a hand over my stomach. “How are you feeling?”

There was always a touch of sadness coloring his voice when he asked me about the baby. I knew why. Solomon had explained. But I didn’t know what to say, how to act, without making out that I was trying to replace his wife and son.

“Fine. The baby isn’t moving around as much now it's so cramped in there, but it shifts every now and then to let me know it’s okay. My back aches. My ankles look like hams and I’ve developed this weird blotchy rash on my neck, but other than that, I’m good,” I laughed.

Judas kissed me. “You look fucking beautiful right now. Sit down. I’ll rub your feet.”

I looked at the low couch warily. I was pretty sure if I got down there, I was never getting back out again.

Judas must have seen me eyeing the couch like it was an alligator, and pushed me gently into it. “I will help you back up, I promise. Relax.”

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