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She was pregnant.
And I was beginning to feel what Nik felt.
Keep them close.
Don’t let them out of my sight.
Protect.
Protect.
Protect!
The word echoed inside my head like a bell tolling, making it impossible to hear anything else, not even the blood rushing through my ears.
My breath came faster and faster as each minute ticked away with no word from anyone, until it became too much. With a growl, I pushed my chair back from the table while Seller was still in the middle of some ambassador visiting DC who needed extra security. He called after me, complaining that I needed to know all of what he was going over.
It was something Braxton needed to know about, not me. He was the one on the East Coast. He was only a short drive from DC. He could and would handle the ambassador and his wife’s visit. My top priority was Mia, and she was driving me fucking crazy. I needed to hear her voice before I threw a chair out the fucking window—or at Seller’s head.
Either option might have relieved some of the aggression building inside me, but I knew the satisfaction would just be momentary. The only thing that would ease the beast inside me was Mia. Her voice. Her scent. Her touch. Only then would the calmness come and I could breathe easier again.
As soon as I crossed the threshold out of the room, my phone was to my ear. It rang six times before she answered, sounding out of breath. “Hey!”
“How are things going?” I asked, trying my hardest to keep my voice steady.
“Found my dress,” she informed me, still breathing heavily. “Now I’m trying not to ruin it by puking all over it.”
“They can make another one if you do,” I assured her. “Do you need anything? Crackers? Maybe some toast? I knew I should have brought you some in bed before I left this morning.”
“Momma brought me some right after you went to your meeting. It helped for a little while, but I’ve been feeling nauseated on and off all morning.” I heard her swallow and then sigh in relief. “That tastes good.”
“What does?” I demanded, mentally taking notes on anything that could help her through the morning sickness. Anything to avoid more time in emergency rooms with her stuck with needles so they could pump her full of fluids because she was so dehydrated from being unable to keep anything down.
“Lemon-lime soda. The fizziness eases the nausea for a little while.”
I would stop and buy a trunk full on my way home. Or rather, on my way to Mia’s parents’ house in Malibu. We were still looking for our own place. Her parents wanted us to find something in their neighborhood. Mia wasn’t a fan of that idea. We had a few listings we were considering. Mia was the one on the fence about them. I would have lived with her in a shack somewhere in the middle of the woods if that was what she wanted. It didn’t matter to me where we lived or what the place looked like. I just wanted us in our own house.
Not even when we lived in Virginia while going to college had we been on our own. Braxton and Nevaeh were there too. It hadn’t been a bad thing. We’d both liked having them around, but with a baby on the way, it was time for it to be just us.
“Are you going back to the house to rest?” I asked, collecting the rest of my stuff from my office. Pocketing my keys, I grabbed the files I needed to review later that evening and hurried outside.
“We actually have a few more errands to run before we can head back to Malibu. It’s just small things that Momma needs my opinion on for the wedding.” I heard a door shut and then her sigh of relief as she shifted around, getting comfortable.
“Put your seat belt on.”
Her little huff would never not be sexy. “I was doing that, Beast. Relax.”
“What kinds of things for the wedding?” I asked, unlocking the door to my SUV. The thing was built like a tank. It had the best safety features on the market, which I needed not only for Mia’s sake, but for the little one who would be in a car seat for the next several years. “I’ll meet you there.”
“I’ll have Momma text you the address,” she said, sounding tired again. “I’m going to nap on the ride to wherever we’re going. Love you, Beast.”
“Love you, firecracker,” I rasped as I started the SUV, waiting impatiently for Emmie to text me.
Chapter 3
Mia
Exhausted after another eventful morning of puking, I hobbled to the sink to rinse out my mouth and then reached for my toothbrush. Behind me, where Barrick had taken up residence, holding my hair and rubbing my back while I had my head in the toilet, he watched me with concerned dark eyes.
