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I huff as he carries me out. Of course there’s a car ready to go. I bet he had it on standby.
“Why later? I can eat it on the ride there,” I say sweetly even as the car pulls away. “Have Clayton bring it or Gray.”
“How are you feeling?” He ignores my suggestion.
“Just text them.” I pat his pockets for his phone. I’ll do it myself. He grabs my hand, stopping me.
“How are you feeling?” he asks again.
“I’m fine. I was just—” I stop talking as another contraction hits me, this one harder than the last. The pain is deep and unrelenting, and my desire for the food sparks into maniacal anger. “You did this to me!” I point at him. The car jerks, picking up speed. “I’m going to kill you.” I grab his shirt as the pain takes over my body. “I knew I was saving your death for something. This is it.”
“Breathe,” he says in my ear, pulling me close to him. His voice calms me even though I consider wrapping my hands around his throat and squeezing. I do as he tells me, because usually his way is the easy way. The contraction fades again as I rest my head on his shoulder. His hand rubs my back.
“Did you text them about my lemon tart?” I don’t see his cell phone anywhere. What has he been doing this whole time?
“I’ll get your tart, vixen,” he assures me. My eyes meet his. “It’s going to be okay.”
“I know.” I lean in, kissing him. I could do anything with Luke by my side. He not only gave me strength but freedom too. He makes me feel alive and loved. This man is my everything. He knows what I need before I even do.
“I bet you’re glad you didn’t off me all those years ago. Think of all you’d have missed out on.” He tries to lighten the mood before he kisses my lips. I love this man more than I ever thought possible. He is my other half, my love, my protector, and my life.
“The night is still young.” I smile against his mouth. “Let’s go have our baby girl.”
“As you wish, my little vixen. I love you, Cassandra. More than my own life.”
I know he does. “You won’t be paying that price.” I kiss him again. “At least for tonight,” I add. Gotta keep a man on his toes. “Unless you forget that tart.” I shrug and send another smile his way.
We pull up to the emergency entrance at the hospital. Luke begins to open the door, but I stop him. “I love you, Luke. Thank you for the wonderful life we share. Thank you for seeing me before I even saw myself. Most of all, no matter what I say during this delivery, thank you for giving me this baby.”
Before he can reply, my next contraction takes hold. “I will bury you where no one will ever find you!” I yell as he helps me out and rushes me into the emergency department. “I will end you, Luke.” I grip his shirt in my fists and stare up into his eyes. “End you!”
“As long as I’m with you, I won’t mind one bit.” He scoops me into his arms and carries me inside, our little family springing to life and our future brighter than I ever thought possible.
I’ll get around to killing him later. Much later.Maybe never? . . . Well, let’s not betoohasty.
LOAN SHARK’S OBSESSION
LOAN SHARK’S OBSESSION
MINK
I know a priceless object when I see it. Always have. It’s a gift, or perhaps a curse. The moment I get a glimpse of Laura, I get the same feeling as when I see a stolen work of art from a master. It’s real. Authentic. And it makes everything inside me hunger to possess her. But Laura can’t be bought, and she’s turned me down every time I’ve approached her for nothing more than a date. Giving up isn’t an option, not when I’ve found a woman so rare, so I call in all of her brother’s loans. She’ll offer herself to save him, and I’m just the sort of man to take advantage. And I do. I take it all. But I also want to give her something I’ve never offered to anyone else. When she finds out who I really am, will she accept my heart or leave me empty handed?
1
LAURA
“Thanks for the ride.” I huff out a breath and hope I’m not late. I’ll never hear the end of it, and Star will make my night horrible. I think she looks for reasons to be mean to me. I have no idea what I ever did to that woman. If anything, she should be the happiest freaking woman in the world.
“Is that piece of shit done for?” I hold my breath as he glances at me before taking a sharp left to try and avoid the traffic on the strip. He’s not the best driver, but beggars can’t be choosers when you’re bumming a ride. It’s still early, but there’s always traffic in Vegas.
“I hope not. Betsy has been with me forever.” I love that little Beetle. Until today she was always the one thing I could rely on to be there for me. But she only coughed and sputtered when I turned the key this time.
“I’m surprised the thing made it this long. Get something new.”
Ah. It’s not as if I can run out and pick up a new car. Maybe Scott could, but there’s still a good chance it would be stolen. Which makes me stop and think for a minute that this car could be stolen for all I know. I’m not asking because I’d rather not know, and I need the ride.
“You want me to see if I can get someone to look at it?”
