Cady woke with a start, frowning into the darkness, wondering what woke her up. The room was quiet, except for a soft snore coming from Jameson. She glanced over with a smile, watching him sleep. He was pale in the moonlight, his mouth slightly open, and now that his eyes were closed, she noticed how long his eyelashes were.

He’d been a gentleman tonight. When they got to his room, she thought he might push for sex, but he just remarked on how tired she looked and told her to get some rest. He was absolutely right, she’d been crazy exhausted, but she was still a little disappointed.

If she’d made it clear she wanted to more than just sleep, she was positive he’d take her up on it. But even though she wanted to, she just cuddled up to him on his huge ass bed and fell asleep. Honestly, snuggling with him was just as amazing as having sex with him was, although in a very different way.

When he was holding her in his arms, she felt completely safe, like nothing and no one could ever harm her, or her baby. Like he would take care of her if she’d just let him. Like she had a real friend. All of her previous friendships had been temporary, mostly with other strippers, and she never really felt close to them, even after years of friendship.

But here she was, a few days after meeting Jameson, feeling closer to him than she ever had with anyone. Closer than she thought she’d ever feel to someone. There was no one on the planet like him.

A band of painful pressure tightened around her belly, and she gasped, sitting up. Breathing through it, she put her hands on her belly and waited for it to ease. Maybe she ate something bad tonight. She’d made porkchops, macaroni and cheese, and corn. And it’d been delicious, but maybe the porkchops were bad or something.

Frowning, she glanced at Jameson, who was stirring a little. Her movements must have disturbed him, but he just rolled toward her, put his hand on her leg, and settled back down.

If something she cooked had been bad, wouldn’t he be feeling it, too?

The band of pressure hit her belly again and she grimaced. And then it hit her. She hadn’t eaten anything bad. These felt like what she imagined contractions felt like. Fuck, fuck, fuck!

Clutching her belly, in full blown panic, she got off the bed, trying to walk the pain off. She heard Jameson sit up behind her, but she didn’t look at him, just continued to pace.

God, please, don’t let anything happen to my baby, she prayed. Please, please, please.

“Cady? What’s wrong?”

Breathing easier as it faded, she looked at him frantically. “I think I’m having contractions.”

His sleepy look vanished in an instant and he shot out of the bed so fast, he blurred. “What? Are you sure?”

She shook her head helplessly. “No, I mean, I’ve never had them before. But I’m pretty certain. Are you feeling okay?”

He frowned as he reached her, his hand going to her belly. “What? Yeah, I’m fine, but why the hell are you asking?”

“I thought maybe I ate something bad, but we ate the same things. If you’re not feeling sick, I don’t see how this is anything but the baby.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Fuck. It’s way too soon for this, right? Even those fake contractions?”

“Braxton Hicks? Yeah, I’m pretty sure you don’t feel those until the end of the pregnancy. I’m just now getting to the five-month mark. You said you have a midwife here?”

“Yeah, but she wouldn’t be equipped for this. We need to go to the hospital. Denver is about an hour and a half away, so we need to hurry.”

“What? Why wouldn’t she be able to handle this?”

“She delivers babies. That’s about it. She’s not trained in anything else, and she wouldn’t have the experience to be able to tell you what’s wrong.”

“That’s it? How can that be it? Why is she not trained in anything else? Surely, pregnant women in Durga need more care than just having their babies delivered!”

He shook his head. “Women here are very healthy. They never get sick or need anything more than help with deliveries. Hell, we don’t even have regular doctors.”

She stared at him, unable to speak for a moment. “How the hell does no one get sick here? That’s not possible.”

“It is here. We need to get you to the hospital, Cady.”

“But I’ll have to give them my ID! You said it yourself earlier. And come to think of it, that’s probably how Winston found me in Tulsa. I saw an obstetrician while I was there. I can’t go to a hospital, Jamie. He’ll find me again.”

Her panic was nearly overwhelming her, but when he took her hands in his, it calmed a fraction. “Sweetheart, you have to go. It could end badly for you and your baby if you don’t. And the second they do what they need to do and say you’re both okay, we’ll be out of there. Maybe he is watching for that shit, but we’ll be gone before he can get there. And if he looks for you, it’ll be in Denver. He won’t know you’re in Durga.”

Biting her lip, she nodded. He was right. Hell, even if she didn’t have Jameson there and Durga to come back to, she still needed to go. She couldn’t afford to take the risk. She didn’t know what she’d been thinking to argue in the first place. The panic had just completely taken over for a moment.

“Okay. I’ll get my shoes on. Can you drive me?”

“Fuck yes. Try to keep me away.”

She turned away, smiling over the fierceness in his voice, when the band of pressure tightened again. Gasping, she stopped, cupping her belly. It wasn’t as strong or as painful this time, but that didn’t necessarily mean the danger was lessening.

Jameson rushed to her and put his hand on her belly. “It’s happening again, isn’t it? Does it hurt very much?”

She shook her head. “That one didn’t hurt much at all.”

“A little pain is still too much. Hurry and get your shoes on. I’ll meet you by the front door.”

Nodding, she rushed to her room where she’d left her shoes, breathing a sigh of relief when the pressure eased. She turned to leave and then cursed, backtracking to get her purse. She’d need her ID.

The thought of having where she was out in the universe was nerve wracking. Hospital records were supposed to be confidential, but Winston was powerful enough, and unscrupulous enough, to get the information. She wouldn’t rest easy until they were back in Durga.

And she’d never forgive herself if something happened to Jameson because of her. He could take care of himself, she knew that, but Winston fought dirty. And as much as she knew Jameson was right, about her giving birth and letting her whereabouts be known then, when she was all alone, she thought it was something she’d have to do. She couldn’t take the risk that Winston would find out about Durga and come here.

And it wasn’t just about her. It was because she wouldn’t be able to handle it if she led danger to Jameson or Tarun.

When she went downstairs, Jameson was waiting on her, completely dressed, holding his truck keys in his hand. He led her outside quickly, helped her into his jacked-up red Chevy, and climbed in on the driver’s side. She winced as it started with a loud growl, knowing it probably woke the neighbors up, but her baby was more important than their sleep, so she refused to feel bad about it.

As they set out down the road, she put her hands on her belly, closed her eyes, and prayed. She couldn’t lose her daughter. She’d lose her mind if that happened. She was going to pray all the way to Denver, and hope God was listening.

Jameson paced through the waiting room as Cady filled out the paperwork. Why the fuck they were making her do it instead of taking her back was beyond him. They said it was hospital policy and she wasn’t in obvious distress, and he’d been about to lose his shit when Cady touched his arm and shook her head, saying it was okay.

It sure as fuck wasn’t okay, but she was stressed enough as it was without him adding to it. But the moment it looked like her contractions were getting bad again, or like she was in pain, he’d fucking find a doctor and make them check her out. By force, if he had to.

They’ll be okay. They will. Fine, they’re fine, his tiger chanted.

And as if he didn’t have enough on his mind, his damn cat was driving him insane. He’d been saying the same thing, over and over, almost nonstop since they started the drive here. Jameson tried to reassure his animal at first, but nothing got through, and he knew nothing would until the doctor said she was okay.

An hour and a half of that was enough to make him lose his mind.

Cady turned her paperwork in and snagged his hand on the way back to her seat, pulling him down to sit beside her as she threaded their fingers together. “Calm down. They’ll call me back soon, and if anything happens, we’re right here. And you’re supposed to be the strong one. The rock. Don’t lose it on me now.”

Exhaling, he rubbed his free hand over his face before lifting her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “I’m sorry. I just couldn’t handle it if anything happened to you or the baby. I hate that they’re making you wait.”

She looked at him, expression soft. “We basically just got here, Jamie. We haven’t been waiting long. And the contractions have tapered off a lot. Everything’s gonna be fine.”

Before he could reply, her name was called. Relief filled him, and they stood up, walking toward the woman who was waiting. She smiled at Cady but didn’t take them further.

“We’re going to take you to the maternity ward, just in case. And it’s family only at this time of night. So if this gentleman isn’t related to you, he has to wait for you out here.”

Fuck. He’d lose his mind if he had to wait out here for Lord knew how long, without knowing what was going on or if Cady and the baby were okay. Resigned, he started to let go of her hand, but she tightened her fingers around his, not letting go.

“He’s the baby’s father,” she lied calmly. His head whipped toward her, but he wasn’t about to dispute it, especially if it meant he could go with her.

The woman nodded with a smile. “Then follow me, Mr. and Mrs. Daniels.”

Shit, it worked. Being called Mr. Daniels was a little weird, but whatever. He was rolling with it.

They made their way to the maternity ward, and she led them to a private room. “Okay, Mrs. Daniels, there’s a gown on the bed there. Go ahead and get completely undressed when you put it on. The doctor’s going to want to examine you thoroughly. The nurse will be in just as soon as you’re done. Just crack the door open when you’re ready.”

As soon as she left, shutting the door behind her, he crossed to Cady, pulling her in close to kiss her. “Thank you. It would have killed me to be stuck in the waiting room, not knowing what was going on.”

“You’re welcome. I could tell you hated it when she told us that, but my lie was just as much for me as it was for you. I don’t want to do this alone.”

“You’ll never have to,” he vowed, not thinking about how his words sounded until her eyes widened.

But she didn’t get mad or freak out. She just kissed him again and turned to undress. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen her naked, but this felt different, so he turned his head until she had the gown on.

“Go ahead and get in the bed. I’ll crack the door open.”

He’d no sooner sat in the chair next to the bed than a nurse bustled in, asking questions and hooking Cady up to monitors. He watched with interest, trying to get comfortable in the hard chair. Everything pointed to them being here for a while.

But when a doctor came in and said he was going to do an ultrasound, just to make sure everything was okay, he sat up with interest. Cady looked over at him with a smile on her face as the doctor squirted some kind of goo on her belly. She was clearly excited, and hell, he was, too.

The doctor rolled an instrument of some sort on her belly, and the sound of a fast heartbeat filled the room moments before the image of the baby appeared on the screen. Holy shit. That was Cady’s baby. Hell, he considered her his, too.

This was the most amazing fucking moment of his life.

There’s our cub. And she’s just fine, his tiger whispered inside him.

Cady gripped his hand tighter and he glanced over at her to see tears rolling down her cheeks. He would have been alarmed if it weren’t for the joyful smile on her face. The doctor was talking, but between staring at his mate’s face and the image of his cub on the screen, he didn’t hear a word he said.

“So she’s okay? My—our baby’s okay?” she asked softly.

And fuck, he knew she said our for the doctor’s benefit, but hearing her call her baby theirs was life.

The doctor smiled. “I was just about to ask if you knew what you were having. Yes, she’s fine. A little small for her gestation, but nothing to worry about. Maybe try to eat a little more, but don’t overdo it. She could just be naturally small. However, you’re dehydrated, and your blood pressure’s elevated. That’s not a good thing, but I don’t think it’s a huge issue. Just keep an eye on it, because it could become life threatening. I think a combination of the two is what made you have contractions. I’m going to give you some fluids here, get you hydrated. And when you get home, I want you to rest as much as possible for the next few weeks. Not complete bedrest, but sit and relax as much as you can, okay?”

“I’ll make sure she does,” Jameson said, squeezing her hand when she started to protest.

She nodded at the doctor and he wiped her stomach down, telling her a nurse would be in soon to put the IV in. As soon as he left, she turned to Jameson, eyes narrow.

“I don’t have a few weeks to rest and relax, Jameson. And I can’t stay in this hospital longer. I can drink some water when we leave. We know the baby’s okay now, so we need to go.”

She started to release his hand, but he refused to let it go. “We’re staying here until you’re released. Let them give you the fluids you need, then we’ll leave. And you absolutely have a few weeks to rest and relax.”

Blowing out a breath, she shook her head, expression exasperated. “I’m leaving at the end of the week, remember?”

“You don’t have to. And you probably shouldn’t. You can stay at my house until the few weeks are up. I insist.”

“Even if I stayed, I still can’t just do nothing. I have to pay you back for letting me stay there, for the labor and parts for my car.”

“You don’t have to. Stop arguing, Cady. I won’t be swayed on this. Your baby is far more important.”

She opened her mouth, probably to argue some more, but the nurse came back in. She could pick it back up once the nurse left, and Lord knew, she probably would. She was stubborn as hell, but he’d make her see reason. He wasn’t going to back down on this, and she’d figure that out soon enough.

She’d figure out soon enough that he wasn’t planning on ever letting her go.