Sunny

I woke with Zeke’s hand on my breast, his mouth on my neck and his hard length digging against my butt.

“Morning,” he said, all sleep husky, against my ear.

“Morning,” I said back then gasped when his hand trailed down my stomach, then lower.

He growled and goose bumps lifted across my skin.

“Mmm, already nice and wet, Sunshine.”

His mmm had a sleep roughness and vibrated through me, making me shiver. “Yes,” I said, or more breathed on another sigh.

“Feel what you do to me?” he said, grinding his hips against me.

I felt it all right. I moaned, desperate for him.

A second later my thigh was lifted over his and he was sliding inside me. I fisted the sheets and groaned at the feel of him filling me. So good. So freaking good. His mouth stayed attached to my throat, kissing and nipping while he thrust slow and deep into me from behind. I arched, tilting back, taking more of him.

Zeke cursed. “Love how much you love me inside you,” he said.

Then there was no more talking, because he dropped his hand between my legs and started playing with my clit. I reached back, digging my nails into his ass, and cried out a minute later, coming hard, revealing in the feel of Zeke doing the same.

We lay like that for a while, no one saying anything while we caught our breath.

“I gotta take off early this morning,” he finally said. “Make sure you set the alarm after you, and go straight to work. Text me today, let me know where you are. We have a lead, and I’m hoping like fuck it’ll lead us to our guy. But until I know more, I need you to be vigilant, understand?”

A curl of fear tried to take hold, but I refused to let it. “Yes, of course.”

He kissed the side of my neck and climbed out of bed. The intimacy of that kiss hit me, hard. It wasn’t the first time—he did it a lot while we were in this bed. Kisses, touches, that had nothing to do with sex. I’d tried not to let them get to me, but add in the snuggling on the couch, the chicken soup, the sweet words, the way he always held me through the night, and I wasn’t fully convinced that he didn’t maybe have some feelings for me as well.

I watched him get dressed after he came back from the bathroom.

My gaze moved over the ink on his smooth, muscled back. “That tattoo on your back, does it have special significance?” I asked. I’d been wanting to ask ever since I’d seen it, but hadn’t had the courage until now.

He’d stilled, back still to me, and finally he shook his head, not saying anything.

A lie. Obviously.

I wanted to push, but he wasn’t going to share. He didn’t want to. In other words, I was delusional. He may like spending time with me, but nothing had changed. There were no growing feelings, not on his part. He said he cared about me, but the man was a closed book. He didn’t like to share. He didn’t like messy emotions or connections, and that included with me.

He finished dressing, shoved on his boots, and walked to the door. “Remember, let me know where you are today.”

“Okay,” I whispered around the stupid lump of emotion in my throat.

Then he was gone.

I lay there for a while longer, trying to work out how I was going to get out of this mess I’d gotten myself into, unscathed. I knew better, but here I was, on the cusp of heartbreak, and I had no one to blame but myself. I squeezed my eyes closed and took several steadying breaths to fight back the emotion rising. Because I knew what I needed to do.

I needed to end this thing between us, for my own sanity.

Shoving back the covers, I climbed out of bed. As soon as my feet hit the carpet, my hand flew to my mouth and I half ran, half stumbled to the bathroom, barely making it inside. Clutching my hair with one hand and gripping the toilet seat with the other, I emptied the meager contents of my stomach.

I took an hour before I could make it back to bed. I crawled in, trying to slow breathe, to calm my queasy stomach.

My conversation with Dr. Evans played thought my head.

I shoved it back out.

There was no way I was making it to work, no way I could face it. I’d just have to leave the shop shut.

Five hours later, I was sitting on the couch, watching terrible daytime TV. I felt a lot better, but still off, not well enough to risk going into work and humiliating myself in front of another customer. I’d called Julia. She was doing great, and so far Bobby hadn’t been able to find her. It was nice to hear real happiness in her voice and I hoped I got to hear more of it.

I’d been thinking of hiring her to help out at the store for a while. Working alone was hard at times. Especially when it was busy or if I had other things I needed to do. It would also give me more time to create. I could work out the back while Julia manned the counter.

Could it work? Could I really be Julia’s boss after everything—

Someone knocked at the door.

I frowned and climbed off the couch. My belly lurched a little, but thankfully the leftover soup I’d eaten stayed where it was supposed to. I peeked through the peephole.

Crap.

Bobby stood there, staring back. He smiled on the other side of the door, like he knew I was there, eyes softer than I’d ever seen them, which meant I didn’t trust it one bit.

“Sunny?” he called. “Look, can you please let me in? I just . . .” He held up a bag. “I know Julia doesn’t have a lot of her things. I just . . . I thought you could give this to her?”

I wanted to tell him to get lost, permanently, but I knew Julia wanted her things. I took a closer look at him. He looked sober at least. He’d never been physically violent to me, and after the way Zeke sent him on his way, I doubted he’d try anything. He also knew I wouldn’t think twice about calling the police on his ass if he did.

I sighed, unlocked the door, and pulled it open. “Fine, then I want you gone.” He had two big bags of stuff, too big for me to carry. “Put them there.” I motioned to a spot just inside the door.

“Can we talk?” he asked.

The timer went off in the kitchen. I’d finally felt like eating, so I’d thrown a frozen pizza in the oven. I hustled down the hall and Bobby followed me into the kitchen. “There’s nothing to talk about,” I said, pulling the pizza out and dumping it on top of the oven.

Crap.

I just remembered I hadn’t told Zeke what I was doing today. I’d kind of been occupied with feeling like death to remember calling him with my whereabouts.

I turned back and Bobby had moved closer, all fake softness gone from his eyes.

“I need to speak to Julia,” he said. “You need to tell me where she is.”

I took a step back. “You know I can’t tell you that . . .”

“Yes, you can,” he gritted out. “And you will.”

I didn’t know what to say. He was frightening me and I sure as hell didn’t want to make him angrier, but there was no way I’d tell him were Julia was.

He took another step closer, and I retreated, until I bumped into the oven at my back. “I think you should leave.”

“I’m not the type of man you can play games with, Sunny. You think that asshole boyfriend of yours will stop me from getting to my wife? You think I’m scared of him?” He reached over and tapped the side of my head, hard enough to hurt. “Come on now, don’t be stupid. You know me better than that.”

I flinched and jerked back.

“She’s my wife, she belongs to me. I won’t let her take it all away from me.” He shook his head. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with or what I’m capable of, but if you continue to keep me from my wife, I promise you, you’ll find out.”

The hair on the back of my neck lifted.

I was more than frightened now. I was terrified.

My phone started ringing and I jolted, yanking it out of my pocket and checking the screen. I quickly answered it. “Hello.”

“Sunny,” Zeke barked. “I told you to let me know where you were today.”

“Bobby’s here, dropping some things off for Julia,” I said.

He was quiet a beat. “Make it sound like I’m nearly there, okay? Do it.”

“I’ll see you in a couple of minutes then,” I said, doing what Zeke told me to.

Bobby snatched my phone out of my hand, hit END CALL, and flung it aside. “We’re not done. Me and Julia, we’re not fucking done, you understand?”

I stood there, pressed against my kitchen counter, trying not to hyperventilate.

Bobby’s dark eyes moved over my face, then one of his hands shot out and he grabbed my jaw, hard enough to leave a bruise, forcing my head back. “This conversation isn’t finished,” he spat. “I promise you I’ll be seeing you again soon.” Then he turned and strode down the hall and out the door.

I stood there frozen for a second, before I managed to shake off the fear. I ran to the door and slammed it, threw the locks, then raced back to my phone. It was ringing, had been since Bobby hung up on Zeke. I quickly answered. “He’s gone.”

“Did he hurt you?” Zeke asked, voice like a whip.

“No. He just . . . he threw around some threats, then left.”

“I’m nearly there. Don’t move.” Then he disconnected.

I paced the hall, waiting, scared out of my mind. The door all but flew in ten minutes later. Van and Jude were with Zeke. Both men ignored me and stormed the house, while Zeke strode to me and tugged me into his arms, cursing repeatedly.

“I’m okay,” I said against his chest.

Zeke didn’t answer, just held me. I could feel his heart thumping against my cheek. Boots thumped toward us, then Van and Jude were there.

“House is clear,” Jude said.

“Check those bags,” Zeke said, motioning to the ones Bobby had brought.

Both Van and Jude riffled through them. “Just clothes and shit,” Jude said.

Van stood and looked down at me. “You doing okay, Sunny?”

Zeke loosened his hold enough for me to straighten. “I’ve been better.”

Zeke lifted a hand, his skin rough and warm, and slid it under my chin, tilting my head back. His jaw tightened. “That motherfucker touched you?”

“He just grabbed my jaw . . .”

“Hard enough to leave a fucking mark,” he growled.

“How’d he get in?” Van asked.

“I, ah . . . I let him in.” All three men towering over me frowned, brows lowering. “He said he had Julia’s things, and he looked sober. I thought it’d be okay, until he started threatening me if I didn’t tell him where Julia was. I’ve never . . .” I shook my head. “I’ve never seen him like that. I mean, he’s always been an asshole, but this was different. He seemed more in control, which was more frightening than anything.” I felt Zeke turn to stone against me.

Jude shook his head. “Shit, wrong call, Sunny.”

“I’m getting that,” I said. God, I was such an idiot.

Van’s hands went to his hips, his eyes on Zeke. “You think this guy’s a real threat?”

“I’m not risking it. I’m moving her back to my place,” Zeke said. “Then I’m tracking this asshole down. Time we had another chat.”

Jude dipped his chin. “Good idea.”

“Um . . . is anyone going to ask what I want?” I asked.

They ignored me and carried on talking like I wasn’t even in the room.

After talking for a while longer, planning out my life, Van and Jude finally left.

Zeke looked down at me. “Pack a bag. Enough stuff for a couple weeks. You’re done with this place until we know for sure you’re safe here.”

What?

“I am safe here. I won’t answer the door next time,” I said, and there was no missing the desperation in my voice.

“I don’t trust him. I’m not letting him hurt you to get to Julia.”

There had to be somewhere else. I knew I couldn’t go back to Zeke’s, sleeping in his bed, pretending I didn’t care as much as I did. I couldn’t do it. I’d go anywhere but Zeke’s house—because I wanted to so damn badly. I wanted to rely on him. I wanted to let him protect me and take care of me, crawl into bed with me every night and blow my mind, then hold me while I slept. But it was all a lie and the more I lived it, the harder the hit of reality would be when this was over.

“I’ll stay with Julia,” I said. “Her place is only small, but it’ll be fine for now.”

He stilled, brows lowering. “No. You’re coming with me . . .”

“You can get me to Julia’s without Bobby following, yes?” I pushed.

His jaw hardened. “You’re not going there.”

“Her place is safe, has decent security, you made sure of it yourself. I’ll be okay there.”

He stared down at me, eyes a little wild. I stared back and inwardly pleaded for him to see it. To figure it out without me having to say the words. My phone started ringing and I was glad for the interruption. The last thing I wanted was to share my stupidity, that even after everything he’d said, I’d still fallen for him. I checked my phone.

My doctor.

“I need to take this,” I said and pulled free of his hold.

He still hadn’t said anything, was still watching me as I put my phone to my ear. “Hello.”

“Hi, Sunny. Dr. Evans here. Sorry I didn’t call your results in earlier. Things have been a little hectic here today.”

“It’s fine, really.” I walked down the hall to the kitchen and out of Zeke’s earshot.

“Sunny,” she said gently.

Oh God.

“You are pregnant.”

I grabbed for the counter.

I stood in stunned silence as she made me another appointment, so we could work out my dates, and discuss what I wanted to do. Then she disconnected.

I stayed where I was, staring blindly out my kitchen window.

Pregnant.

A baby.

Zeke’s baby.