Savior (Blackwings MC - Devil Springs Book 3) Page 7

  I was sitting at the kitchen table staring at a bowl of grits trying to decide if I really wanted to test fate when my mother dropped into the chair beside me. “Sweetheart, remember what the doctor said. Don’t force yourself to eat if you don’t think you can keep it down.”

  I sighed and sat back in my chair. “Mom,” I whined. “I’m the only pregnant person in the world who can’t gain weight. Look at me,” I said and waved my hand up and down my body. “I look like the pregnant chick in that vampire movie.”

  Mom scoffed. “You most certainly do not. She was much farther along in her pregnancy than you are when she looked so sickly.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Thanks, Mom.”

  “Any time, dear,” she said and patted my hand.

  “Mommy! Mommy!” my daughter squealed as she came running into the kitchen.

  “Good morning, Riles! Did you have a good sleep?” I asked.

  “I did! I dreamed I was a fairy princess and lived in a big castle by the sea. Nana was my fairy grandmother, and you were the fairy queen. We had big, fluffy dresses, and we got to eat ice cream whenever we wanted. Even for breakfast!”

  “Sorry, little princess, but you’re not having ice cream for breakfast,” I laughed.

  “That’s okay. I love Nana’s breakfasts,” she said excitedly.

  Riley was a morning person, just like her father. My son, however, was just like his mother and took a little longer to be pleasant in the morning.

  Right on cue, he stumbled into the kitchen and fell into the chair. Then, he proceeded to lay his head on his folded arms. “Morning, Mommy,” he grumbled.

  “Good morning, Brax. Did you have a good sleep?”

  “Yes,” he sighed.

  “Sit up, honey. Here’s your breakfast,” my mom said and placed a bowl of cereal in front of him.

  The kids wolfed down their food while I continued to look at mine like it might contain poison. “After you put your dishes in the sink, go upstairs and get dressed. Wash your faces and brush your teeth, too. We have a few errands to run today,” Mom said to the kids.

  “Where do you have to go?” I asked.

  “They both have doctor’s appointments today for their yearly checkup. Then, I’m taking them shopping for back-to-school clothes. We’ll be out most of the day.”

  “Mom,” I said. “You don’t have to do that. I can take them once I get better.”

  Mom shook her head. “Honey, school starts next week. And besides, I don’t mind helping. I just wish your father was in town so I didn’t have to leave you here all alone.”

  “I’ll be fine,” I assured her. My dad was going back and forth between Croftridge and Devil Springs. Most of the time, he could work remotely, but occasionally he needed to be on-site in Croftridge for a few days.

  An hour later, I was resting on the couch while Mom was herding the children out the front door. “We’ll be back later this afternoon. You call if you need anything.”

  “I will,” I promised.

  I picked up my e-reader to continue reading the debut novel by Teigh Byrd when the front door opened. “Sorry, honey, it’s just me. Uh, I forgot to tell you that a visitor would be stopping by. Well, gotta go,” she said and disappeared right before Savior stepped into the room.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mumbled to myself.

  “If you want me to leave, just tell me. I don’t want to upset you, but your mom said you would be at home alone today and thought it would be a good time for us to talk,” he said.

  I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly. “Fine. Come in and have a seat.” I didn’t want to talk to him, but I knew I would have to eventually.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “I’ve only puked once today.”

  “You’re still sick?”

  I snorted. “Yeah, and apparently I’m going to be sick for a while, possibly through the entire pregnancy.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said sincerely.

  “It’s not your fault. It’s just something that happens sometimes.”

  “I mean about everything. I—”

  I cut him off. “We’re not talking about that today. One thing that was blatantly clear when I was in the hospital is that stress makes things worse for me.”

  “Okay,” he agreed quickly. “Um, is there anything I can do to help?”

  “Thanks, but I’m good right now.”

  “I didn’t mean just right now. I meant any time. I get that we don’t really know each other, and we have a complicated history, but I want to be involved. I want to go to appointments, or at least know about them, and I want to be there when the baby’s born.”

  I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, taking a moment to process his words. I knew, deep down, that regardless of our past, I couldn’t and wouldn’t keep him from his child. I also knew, deep down, that the accident wasn’t his fault. But none of that made the situation any easier. “Maybe we should start by getting to know each other,” I suggested.

  He nodded. “What do you want to know?”

  “Why did you move to Devil Springs?” I asked.

  He grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m a member of the Blackwings MC. I joined the Croftridge Chapter but was transferred to the Devil Springs Chapter at the beginning of the summer. It wasn’t my choice to move here.”

  “Did you know I was here?”

  “No, I didn’t. I knew you weren’t in Croftridge anymore, but I didn’t know where you went, and I didn’t try to find you.”

  “How did you know I left Croftridge?”

  He sighed heavily. “Because I was doing things for your kids. I wasn’t trying to make up for what happened, but I was trying to help out where I could.”

  I gasped and slapped my hand over my mouth. “That was you?”

  “The school lunches, the Christmas fund, the random packages on your porch, the complimentary meals at restaurants. Yeah, those were all from me,” he confessed.

  My eyes filled with tears as my heart ached in my chest. “Disney World?” I whispered.

  He nodded once. “Yeah, that was me, too.”

  I couldn’t contain my emotions any longer. The tears spilled down my cheeks, and I curled in on myself while I desperately tried to choke back the sobs. I didn’t know where the gifts came from, but I never suspected they were from him. In my mind, he was a faceless man driving a truck, not a real person who struggled just as much as I did with the aftermath of the wreck.

  Savior’s strong arms surrounded me and pulled me against his firm chest. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry,” he said softly while he gently rubbed my back.

  “Why did you do all that?” I mumbled against his shirt.

  “Because I lost my parents when I was younger. I was lucky enough to have a grandfather who was able to raise me and provide for me. I just wanted to help them have the same thing.”

  His reply had more tears leaking from my eyes and soaking his shirt. And then it happened. I choked on some rogue snot and threw up all over him. I quickly turned and grabbed the small trash can that traveled from room to room with me, but it wasn’t necessary. Everything in my stomach was all over the man on my couch.

  My cheeks flamed with mortification. “I’m so sorry. Oh, kill me now.”

  He pulled his shirt away from his body and said, “It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t warm.”

  “Stop talking,” I ordered and covered my mouth with my hand. Gross.

  “Sorry,” he laughed.

  “Let me get you a towel or something.”

  “No. I’ll get it. Are your towels in the bathroom?” he asked and pointed down the hall.

  I cocked my head to the side and slowly nodded. “Yeah, it’s the second door on the left.”

  “I know. I’ve used it before,” he said and disappeared down the hall.

  I managed to make it to my own bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. Miraculously, I didn’t have any vomit on
my clothes but decided to change into something fresh anyway.

  When he returned to the living room, I was on my knees scrubbing the few smalls spots on the couch. “I could’ve done that,” he said from above me.

  I turned to look at him, and my mouth dropped open. He was standing beside me in nothing but a pair of boxer briefs, and I was eye-level with the goods. “Oh, I, um, you, it’s, yeah,” I stammered and turned back to the task at hand.

  He chuckled. “I tossed my clothes in the washing machine. It’s not like you haven’t seen it all before.”

  Yes, I had seen it all before; well, most of it. But, I was pregnant, and although I was sick, my sex drive wasn’t. I blinked up at him and couldn’t hide the want I was feeling.

  “Fuck,” he cursed. “Don’t look at me like that.”

  “Like what?” I asked, even though I knew exactly what he meant.

  “Like you want me to fuck you.”

  I bit my lower lip and contemplated what to say next. Did I want him to fuck me? My vagina certainly did. Was it a good idea? Again, my vagina was all for it, but my brain had a different opinion.

  “Sorry. Pregnancy hormones,” I said with a shrug.

  “Pregnancy hormones?” he asked, sounding confused.

  “Well, this is slightly awkward,” I laughed. “Um, pregnancy hormones sometimes send a woman’s sex drive into overdrive.”

  He sucked in a sharp breath. When I glanced up at him, he was staring at me with an almost feral look in his eyes. And his hard cock was making my mouth water.

  “Avery, I don’t think this is a good idea.” He took a step back, and when the backs of his legs hit the sofa, I rose to my feet and planted my hands on his chest. With one firm shove, he went down, and I climbed on top of him.

  “I do,” I said before I covered his mouth with mine.

  His hands came up and threaded through my hair while I devoured his mouth. His fingers tightened, and he gently pulled my head back, breaking the kiss.

  “Not like this,” he breathed. Before I could argue, he stood with me in his arms and started for the stairs. “Where’s your bedroom?”

  “The door at the end of the hall,” I mumbled against his neck. I couldn’t get enough of him. He smelled divine and tasted even better.

  He kicked the door closed and carefully placed me on the bed before he climbed over me. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he said softly.

  I looked away from him and shook my head. “I’m—”

  He stopped my words by capturing my lips in a soft kiss that quickly intensified. He carefully pulled my top over my head and tossed it to the floor. I was a little uncomfortable because we’d only had sex in the dark and he could see all of me with the light streaming in from my bedroom window.

  My insecurities vanished when his hands cupped my breasts and he rubbed his thumbs over my extremely sensitive nipples. I moaned loudly, causing him to grin. He lowered his head and flicked one with his tongue while he continued to pass his thumb over the other. My nipples had always been sensitive, but they were a hair-trigger when I was pregnant.

  “Please don’t stop,” I begged.

  I felt him smile against my skin before he moved to the other side. I was writhing beneath him and shamelessly grinding myself on his thigh.

  All too soon, he released my nipple. I wanted to cry out in frustration, but he didn’t give me a chance. He quickly removed my shorts and panties, and then he was on his stomach between my legs. With his hands holding my thighs wide open, he slowly licked the length of my center. Over and over again, until I was ready to explode.

  “Please, please, please,” I chanted.

  He rose to his knees and shoved his boxer briefs down his legs. He came down on top of me and froze. “Fuck,” he whispered.

  “What?” I gasped somewhat frantically.

  “My wallet’s downstairs.”

  “So?”

  “Condom,” he said simply.

  “I’m already pregnant,” I stated.

  “I’m clean.”

  “Me, too.”

  “You sure?” he asked.

  “Yes! Please, just—” My words morphed into a sigh of contentment when he slid his length into me. “Yes,” I breathed when he started to move.

  His movements were slow and controlled, almost restrained. “You won’t hurt me or the baby,” I said softly.

  “I know,” he said and kissed me as he continued his gentle pace.

  He broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to mine. With his intense gray eyes locked on mine, we reached our climaxes together. And I knew, once again, everything had changed.

  16

  Savior

  A few days later, Coal and I were in Copper’s office, at his request, when he delivered news neither of us was expecting. “I’m putting you two in charge of running the gym. I’ve had our lawyer look over the paperwork and everything’s in order. You start tomorrow.”

  I gaped at him. “I don’t know anything about running a business, Prez.”

  “I’ll handle the business side of things. All you two need to do is work out a schedule so that at least one of you is there to open and the other is there to close. Once Grant is back on his feet, he can help cover the hours in between. Oh, and two of the staff members contacted me about continuing their employment. After Spazz ran background checks on them and I personally interviewed them, I agreed to let them continue working at the gym, but you’re probably going to need to hire a few more people,” he said.

  “Okay. Wow. Um, thanks, Prez. What time do we need to be there tomorrow morning?” I asked.

  “It previously opened at five and closed at eight. Let’s keep the same hours for a week or two and see how it goes. If you’re not doing a lot of business during the early hours or the later ones, we can readjust the opening and closing time.”

  “Got it. Thanks again, Prez,” I said.

  “Thanks, Copper,” Coal added.

  “You’re welcome. Coal, you’re good to go. Savior, I need a minute before you leave.”

  Coal nodded and left the office. As soon as the door closed, Copper leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest. “What’s going on with your girl?”

  “She’s not my girl, Prez,” I corrected.

  “She’s carrying your baby.”

  “Yeah, she is,” I agreed. “She’s home from the hospital. She still gets sick several times a day, but the medicine they gave her seems to be helping.”

  “And how are things between you and her?” he asked.

  “Less fucked up than they were.”

  “Well, I suppose any improvement is better than none. Is she going to let you be a part of the baby’s life?”

  “She says she is.”

  He nodded. “Good. You let me know if that changes and we’ll get Tina to handle the custody agreement.”

  “Thanks, Prez.”

  Beep.

  Beep.

  Beep.

  I groaned when my alarm clock went off at four o’clock in the morning. I wasn’t one to sleep extremely late, but I wasn’t one to rise before the sun was up either. I stumbled into the kitchen and managed to get a pot of coffee going before I made my way back to the shower.

  When I returned to the kitchen, Coal was standing at the counter with two mugs in front of him. Without a single word, he shoved one in my direction. Yeah, it was going to be a long day for both of us. After our meeting with Copper, we’d agreed to work open to close for the first few days to see how things went.

  “I don’t know about you, but my ass is going to be taking a nap in one of the offices sometime today.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, same here. This ass crack of dawn shit is going to suck.”

  “Maybe the place won’t be busy and we won’t have to do this much longer,” I mused.

  Coal and I arrived at the gym fifteen minutes before it was supposed to open. I was a little on edge when we first got there, but everything was fine. We disarmed the ala
rm, turned on all the lights, and sat there for almost two hours before anyone showed up.

  For the next two days, no one showed up before seven o’clock, but people were rushing to get out the door at eight o’clock when we closed. Coal and I discussed it with Copper and we decided to move the gym’s opening and closing time two hours forward.

  Coal and I were still opening and closing the gym together, but we each took extended breaks during the day. For mine, I usually went back to our apartment for a nap, but it had been over a week since I’d seen Avery, so I texted her and asked if I could stop by for a visit. She replied instantly saying I could, and fifteen minutes later I was knocking on her front door.

  When she opened the front door, I knew she wasn’t feeling well. “Are you okay?” I asked.

  She nodded. “Yeah. I had a rough night last night, and this morning wasn’t much better.”

  “Is there anything I can do?”

  She flopped onto the couch in her living room and covered her face with her hands. “I don’t think there’s anything anyone can do,” she said and sniffed.

  I gathered her in my arms and smoothed my hand over her very tangled hair. “There’s got to be something I can do. Whatever it is, just name it.”

  She pressed her face against my shirt and hiccupped. “There is one thing, but I hate to ask.”

  “What is it?”

  “Will you help me wash my hair?” she asked and started to cry again. “The hot water from the shower makes me sick, and I can’t tolerate a cold shower. Leaning over the tub makes me sick. Everything makes me sick. I’m sorry. I’m just so miserable right now.”

  “Where’s your shampoo and conditioner?”

  “Upstairs in my bathroom.”

  I ran upstairs and grabbed the bottles from her shower as well as a towel. After putting them by the kitchen sink, I scooped her from the couch and placed her on the kitchen counter.