Chapter Nine
Things were tense between Killian and her when they left the guestroom, but Luna temporarily forgot why she was mad when the smell of food wafted into her nose.
Meredith and Daric had prepared a feast and the large kitchen island was heaped with food. There was a big dish of scrambled eggs, waffles, French toast, sausages, bacon, beans, fried mushrooms, a carafe of fresh orange juice, and a large pot of coffee. Her stomach gurgled hungrily, but no one made a comment though Daric smiled when he passed her a plate.
“Eat up,” Meredith said, her plate already piled high. “Don’t worry, there’s enough for all of us.”
Much to her annoyance, Killian took the plate from her hand and began to put some eggs on it. “I can do it myself,” she said, trying to make a grab for the plate.
“Sit,” he replied, pointing to the empty stool next to him. She pouted but sat down anyway. When he was satisfied with the amount of food on her plate, he placed it in front of her.
She would have protested more, but she was hungry. She dug in, putting a forkful of eggs into her mouth. It was so good; creamy and fluffy and seasoned just right. A moan escaped her throat which made Killian shoot her a heated look. Her cheeks flushed and she quickly swallowed her food, washing it down with orange juice.
“Good stuff?” Meredith asked with a raised brow.
“Yeah, thanks.”
“Sounded like it.”
She blushed even harder, wondering if Meredith’s enhanced hearing had heard what happened that morning in the guest room. Oh God, how embarrassing. This wouldn’t do. As much as it was nice to sleep in this luxurious apartment, she shouldn’t get used to it. But what was she supposed to do now? Killian knew about the baby. He was right about one thing. It wasn’t right to keep him away. Plus, what did she know about raising a Lycan? Would it transform right away and turn into a wolf? What would she do if her child attacked someone? And, there was someone out to get her. One of the reasons she didn’t protest when Meredith took her home was she was scared. Those men from last night meant to kidnap her. Who were they?
“Stop worrying, sweetheart,” Killian said, intruding on her thoughts. “I’ll take care of you from now on.”
“I’m not moving in with you,” she said, sounding miffed.
“Uh-huh,” he said absentmindedly, taking a bite of his waffles. “Meredith, I need to go to the office and sort out a couple of things. Will you take Luna to the Enclave for her appointment, please?”
“Of course,” Meredith replied. “I need to see Dr. Faulkner, too.”
“Is everything all right?” Daric asked, his face drawn into a frown.
“It’s all fine, just a routine checkup,” she assured her husband. “Luna, you’re about Jade’s size. She dropped off a couple things you can borrow for now. We don’t have time to swing by your place. Dr. Faulkner’s expecting us in an hour so we’ll cab it there, okay?”
She shrugged. “That’s fine. I don’t work at the gallery today, but I have the dinner shift at the restaurant.”
Killian frowned, but said nothing and kept eating.
Once they finished breakfast and the dishes were put away, Luna went back to the guest room with her borrowed clothes, showered, and got ready for the day. As soon as she came out of the bathroom, Killian was waiting for her. He grabbed her by the waist, bent down and planted a hard kiss on her mouth, leaving her breathless when he finally pulled away.
“See you later, sweetheart,” he said with a charming smile before he walked out of the room.
“Huh? See you…what?” Luna blinked several times, trying to get out of her daze. She braced herself against the wall, her knees refusing to solidify from their jelly-like state.
“Luna, honey, ya ready?” Meredith called out.
“Coming!” she said, grabbing her coat and walking out to the main living room.
She and Meredith grabbed a passing cab outside. Luckily, the streets of Manhattan had already been cleared of the snow and they made good time going to the Enclave.
“So, is the Enclave like the Lycan headquarters?” she asked as they approached the complex of buildings on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
“Something like that,” Meredith said. “The Alpha and Lupa live here, as well as the Beta—that’s the second-in-command— and his family, plus most of the two hundred or so Lycans in the city. There’s apparently some sort of magic spell around the place that makes humans ignore it,” she explained. “It’s like a mini-city and the medical wing is there, too. Of course, there’s the Fenrir Corporation headquarters.”
Luna wrinkled her nose. “Fenrir? That’s the big conglomerate, right?” From what she could recall, Fenrir was in everything from manufacturing to construction.
“Oh yeah, Grant Anderson is CEO of Fenrir.”
“Wow, Lycans really are everywhere,” Luna remarked.
Meredith said nothing as they entered one of the buildings in the complex. The other woman seemed to know her way, so Luna followed her until they reached the medical wing. A nurse in a white uniform led Luna to an examination room where Dr. Faulkner was already waiting. The doctor asked her some standard questions, as well as some non-standard ones (though she’d never been to a prenatal exam, she was pretty sure no other doctor had asked her what types of injuries she’d survived.) He took a vial of her blood and other samples, gave her some advice and asked her to come back. Mostly though, he advised her to eat more and try to gain a few pounds. Easier said than done, but if she kept hanging around Meredith, she had a feeling that wouldn’t be too difficult.
“My turn,” Meredith said as Luna exited the room. “Wait for me, okay? Then we can go hang out and get some lunch or something.”
“Sure.” Where would she go, anyway? Would the Lycans let her leave? Looking around the waiting room, she contemplated her future. This baby was the most important thing in the world right now, and she supposed she could swallow her pride and accept something from Killian. Food expenses. Transport to prenatal appointments. Medical expenses. Did Lycans have insurance?
A ringing sound from her purse jarred her out of her thoughts. Her phone! It was one of those old flip phones that didn’t have a lot of features, but she could call and text. Plus, the battery life on the thing was phenomenal.
“Hello?” she answered without checking the number.
“Luna, hey.” It was Artie from the Tisch Gallery where she worked.
“Hey, Artie, what’s up? I’m not scheduled today, am I?” She was pretty sure she wasn’t supposed to be in today, but maybe she got her dates wrong.
“No, it’s not that. Listen,” Artie paused. “I got a strange phone call a couple minutes ago. Some guy called and he said you were quitting.”
“What?” Luna shot to her feet, ignoring the strange look the nurse gave her. “Who?”
“Er, he said he was your boyfriend. The father of your baby.”
Killian! Damn him. How did he find out which gallery she worked? “No, that’s not right.”
“So you’re not quitting?”
How dare he? “No, I’m not. It must have been a prank call…or something.”
Artie breathed a sigh of relief. “Great, because I don’t wanna have to get someone new.”
“Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She hung up and tossed her phone into her purse. “Goddammit.” She was so angry, she kicked the couch. “That piece of shit.”
“Ready, Luna?” Meredith asked as she came into the waiting wrong. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“It’s your asshole brother, that’s what’s wrong,” Luna cursed. “He called the gallery where I work at and told them I was quitting!”
“He did? That asshat!” Meredith’s nostrils flared, and she cracked her knuckles. “I swear, these men sometimes…”
“Good thing the gallery called me. And—oh crap—the restaurant!” If Killian found the gallery, then he surely knew about the Emerald Dragon by now. He might already be on the phone with Mrs. Tan. Her heart sank. Mrs. Tan always respected her employees and to that she was grateful. Hearing from someone else that she quit would definitely make the older woman lose respect for Luna.
“I have to go downtown,” she insisted. “Now.” She hoped it wasn’t too late.
“Now? But we haven’t had lunch.”
“I’ll get you some good Chinese food.” If I’m allowed back at Emerald Dragon.
“Fine, let’s go.”
***
The tiny, older Asian woman peered up at Killian with a razor-sharp gaze. “You say you’re Luna’s boyfriend?”
Why did this old woman make Killian feel like he was a schoolboy in the principal’s office? “Um, yes ma’am.”
“Hmmm.” Silence. “She didn’t tell me the father was in the picture.”
“I am. Now.”
“Hmmm.”
Killian shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. “Look, Mrs. Tan, I came here to hand in Luna’s notice.”
“Hmmm.”
He tugged at the collar of his shirt. “Luna’s getting far too pregnant to be working on her feet.”
“I was working in this restaurant for every one of my pregnancies,” she declared. “They had to drag me out when my water broke.”
“Right. But since I’m here now, she doesn’t need to wait tables anymore.”
“Oh yeah? Why did she have to come work here in the first place, hmmm? Where were you then?”
Jesus Christ, how hard was it to quit around here? “Look, that’s not important.”
“Luna’s a good girl,” she declared.
“I know that.”
“So why would I just let her go with some stranger? You come in here, telling me one of my employees is quitting and I should just let her go?”
The woman did have a point. But why was she so difficult? It’s not like he walked in here and carried Luna off on his shoulders. Maybe he should have and he wouldn’t be standing here like a prisoner in front of a firing squad.
The door to the restaurant flew open, sending the cold air inside.
“Mrs. Tan! Don’t listen to him,” Luna pleaded as she burst through the door, Meredith trailing behind her. “You!” She shot daggers at Killian. “How dare you!”
How the fuck did she know he was here? “Sweetheart,” he greeted, standing up to put an arm around her.
She shrugged him off. “Don’t ‘sweetheart’ me, you asshole!” Her eyes blazed, the color shifting into a darker amethyst. “Are you trying to get me fired from here, too?”
“Look, I told you, you don’t need to work anymore. Whatever you want, you’ll have it. I don’t care what it costs.”
“Why won’t you listen to me, you stubborn man?”
“I’m stubborn?” Damn woman.
She let out a cry of frustration. “I’m so sorry for the confusion, Mrs. Tan,” she said to her boss. “I most certainly am not quitting.”
“I hate to lose such an excellent waitress,” Mrs. Tan tsked. “Customers love her. I bet some of them won’t be coming back when they find out she quit.”
“Meredith,” Killian said. “Make sure the office sends out for lunch here two times—” The old woman coughed and raised a brow. “Make that three times a week.”
Meredith suppressed a smile. “Will do.”
“Make sure you order the egg rolls and lo mein,” Mrs. Tan instructed.
Luna’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and when she opened her mouth to speak, the crafty old woman raised a hand to silence her.
“Is this man really the father of your baby?”
“Er, yes,” she answered.
Mrs. Tan looked at Killian. “You rich? You can provide for her?”
“Yes,” he said without hesitation.
“Good,” she nodded and then turned to Luna. “You’re fired.”
“What?” she asked, her voice pitching higher than normal. “Please, you can’t fire me! I need this job.”
Mrs. Tan took her hands. “No, you don’t. You have a man to take care of you and the baby, right?”
“But…but…”
Killian gave Luna a smug smile. “Say goodbye, sweetheart.” He tugged her arm, dragging her out of the Emerald Dragon.
“We have excellent packages for wedding banquets!” Mrs. Tan called after them. “I give you good price!”
Killian waved goodbye to the old woman and continued pulling her along for half a block until she pulled free.
“Did you just bargain for me for some egg rolls and lo mein?” Luna shouted at him, her hands stiff at her sides.
“Technically, honey, he got you and the lo mein,” Meredith quipped.
“Sweetheart,” Killian soothed. “Aren’t pregnant women supposed to not get stressed?”
“I’m invincible, you ass,” she retorted. “And I needed that job.”
“You don’t need any job,” Killian insisted.
She let out another frustrated scream and put her hands up. “I’m going home.”
“Good, let’s get out of this cold.” He grabbed her elbow.
“I hope you’re taking me to my apartment. In the East Village.”
“No, I’m not. You’re going to my place.”
“Are you going to toss me over your shoulder and take me there?” she dared.
He was sorely tempted but didn’t press his luck.
“Killian,” Meredith said, putting a hand on his arm. “Take a chill pill, okay? Good. Now, I’m gonna go home. You guys sort this out. Why don’t you go somewhere with Luna and talk? And—I can’t believe I’m saying this to you, but—have a real, adult conversation. Stop trying to bully your way into her life, okay?” She turned to Luna and gave her a hug. “You have my number. Call me for anything.” She gave Killian a last warning look before she pivoted towards the subway entrance on the other side of the street.
Killian sighed. “Fine. I took a car today. I’ll bring you to your place.”
***
New York City covered in snow was probably one of the prettiest things Luna had ever seen, but sulking in the front seat of Killian’s Jeep, she could hardly enjoy it. The nerve of this man thinking he could just swoop in and rescue her like she was some damsel in distress. True, she was about one late paycheck away from living on the streets, but she didn’t like having to be saved, especially not by some boorish alpha male like Killian.
She looked over at him, and while she forced herself to frown when he smiled at her, her traitorous little heart did flip-flops. This was the old Killian. The one who could make her laugh with a corny joke or make her dizzy with one look. Right now though, the look that followed that smile sent tingles straight between her legs and her nipples tightened in anticipation. Their activities that morning flashed in her mind, and she licked her lips. God, that orgasm was incredible. It had been too long. The memory of Killian’s lovemaking made her ache. She bit her lip to stop herself from moaning aloud. The Jeep suddenly stopped and when she opened her eyes to ask him if they were at her place, his turquoise eyes bored right into her.
“Stop looking at me like that,” she snapped.
“Then stop thinking about sex,” he answered back in an amused tone. “I can smell you. Are you wet right now?”
Oh fuck. Pregnancy hormones strike again. “I—”
Killian reached over and hauled her onto his lap, reclining his seat to make room for her. His large fingers dug into her hair, pulling her head down for a kiss. It was uncomfortable at first, but Killian made her straddle his lap, cradling her belly between them. She sighed and leaned down against his chest. His hands gripped her waist, moving and grinding her back and forth on his hard-on, which was now pressing up against her core.
“Fuck, baby,” he said as he tore his mouth away from hers. “This morning was just a prelude. I need you now.”
Glancing outside, she realized they were outside her building. “Let’s go up to my place,” she urged, unlocking the driver’s side door. Her knees were shaking as she got out of the car. Killian slipped out, grabbing her ass and giving it a hard squeeze. She gave a yelp and bounded to the entrance of her building.
“I can’t wait to be inside you again,” he whispered into her ear as she fumbled with her keys to the front door. “We might not make it to your apartment this time.”
“Stop…distracting me,” she moaned as a hand cupped her breast.
She somehow managed to open the front door and sprinted towards the stairs, Killian hot on her heels.
“Don’t run,” he growled, grabbing her hand as she reached the top. Killian was two steps below her, so they were almost the same height.
Facing him, she flashed a sassy smile. “Or what?” She swore she saw his eyes glow and excitement zinged through her body. He smashed his lips against hers, pulling her off her feet and half-carrying her the rest of the way to her apartment.
“Killian,” she moaned as he pressed her up against the door. To her surprise, the door swung open and they stumbled inside.
The desire that had been coursing through her suddenly fizzled out, replaced by cold fear. Luna’s eyes scanned the inside of her place. The sheets on the futon had been ripped off and the small table was tipped on its side. Her laptop was smashed on the floor. The dishes lay broken all over the linoleum floor, and the hotplate had a hole in the middle. A soft cry escaped from her mouth and strong arms wrapped around her, dragging her outside.
“Luna,” Killian soothed as she turned in his arms and pressed her cheek to his chest. She breathed in his scent, letting it calm her as her body began to shake. “I won’t let anything happen to you,” he promised. “I swear, I’m going to find out who’s out to get you, okay?”
She nodded and let him lead her outside. He helped her into the backseat of the car and clicked the seatbelt into place. “I need to make a call, stay here,” he instructed as he closed the door.
Luna wrapped her arms around her belly, taking deep breaths as she watched Killian. His back was to her, but she could see the tension in his body as he spoke on the phone. He ended the call, ran his palm down his face and took a breath. Then, he dialed another number. After a few minutes, he slipped the phone back into his pocket and walked back to the car.
“Shit,” he slapped his palms on the wheel. “Sorry. I just got off the phone with my boss. I forgot to tell him I wanted some time off, and now he’s sending me overseas.”
“You’re leaving?” While she was still annoyed at him for his antics, the thought of not being with him made an ache build in her heart.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he said, turning the key in the ignition. “Sebastian promised it wouldn’t take long and he’ll give me the time off I need after this. I called Meredith. You’re staying with her until I get back.”
“What about my apartment? Do we need to file a police report?”
He shook his head. “I’ll take care of it.”
Luna leaned back against the leather seat, wondering what ‘take care of it’ entailed.