Page 33 of Four Times Forever

"Aw." I frowned at her.

She looked over at the files and ran her hand up my back. "You didn't come to bed last night?"

I smiled, but didn't turn away from the pages I was flicking through. "I've been busy."

"I know, I've barely seen you since you found out I was pregnant. What's the matter? Don't you want this baby?" She started pulling away, but I gripped her arm, put the file down and turned to face her.

"Not want our baby?" I asked, placing my hand over her belly. "Are you crazy, woman? It's the best news I've had in a long time."

And the scariest, because it meant that promise I made? The one where I told her I'd stay away from violence? Yeah, that promise was no more. I had a family to protect. A baby was involved. And the Colombine family had to have heard the news about Carter's death already. I couldn't sit around and hope that they didn't come knocking, that they didn't put two and two together. That risk was too expensive. I had to be sure that if they came knocking, I'd be prepared.

"I'm going to be a father." I wrapped my arms around her back, pulled her closer and looked down into those big brown eyes. This, here, was my world and I just had to learn to be a bit more inconspicuous with my business, because she couldn't expect me to be casual with her and our baby's life. It wasn't going to happen.

"Yeah, you are, daddy." She smiled, staring at my lips.

Tempted by the hunger in her eyes, I kissed her, but the files were calling me.

Files on the Colombine family that I had gathered over the years, being that they were one of my rivals. And my contacts, the loyal ones who hadn't already switched over to another mob organization with the highest offer, those who wouldn't sell me out for money. Because while I was well off, I'd been out of that life for a while and my legitimate business path wasn't bringing in as much money as crime used to.

"What's so important, anyway?" Ann-Marie groaned and reached for the files, but I swiped them.

"This is confidential information." I waved it in her face.

She rolled her eyes and took it out of my hand. If I had held on tighter to it, it would have roused her suspicion. Sure, it was written in code, but still I couldn't be too careful. My heart tightened beneath my piercing ribcage, but she dropped it and took my hand. I tried not to let my breath escape me in a rush.

"Why don't you come baby shopping with me? My memory is a mess at the moment and I don't want to leave the house and not remember why." She laughed, flashing her drop-dead gorgeous smile and remarkable white teeth, and slight overbite, at me. Our child was making her brown skin glow more than usual. She sparkled like gold before me.

"It's not that bad, is it?" I cupped her face.

"Are you kidding me? I'm surprised I didn't walk out the door without pants on. Come on. I'm sure you'll love it." She smiled.

"But I've got to work." I mimicked that cutesy voice she was putting on. "Soon, there'll be a third person to provide for."

She rolled her eyes again. "Yeah, I'm sure we're going to starve." Ann-Marie let her eyes take in the mansion in a quick sweep before looking back at me like I was an idiot. It pushed a grin out of me. "I miss you. And I want to do this with you. Please?"

I was putty when she batted those long dark lashes at me. An hour's worth of shopping for our child wasn't going to kill us, was it? The Colombine family and the police had had over a month to react. There had been nothing but silence.

"Fine," I said on a breath.

"Yay!" She grinned, taking me by the hand and tugging me out the door of the office as if she was afraid I'd change my mind.

"Slow down." I laughed and pulled her to a stop. "You're lugging around a lot of weight here. I don't want you to strain yourself."

She spun around and her mouth dropped open. "I'm not even showing yet."

"I'm talking about me, you muppet," I teased, wrapping my arms around her. "You're still as tiny as ever."

Her lips twitched into a smile and she wrapped her arms around my neck. She let her eyes rake over my face and they settled on my lips again. "You know, forgetfulness isn't the only side effect of this whole pregnancy."

"No?" I asked, my eyes finding her lips as well.

"No." She shook her head. "My hormones are all over the place. One look at your blue eyes and I'm all flustered." Her cheeks flushed.

"I'm confused." I leaned down to brush my lips across hers. "Did you want to go shopping or did you want something else?"

"It's been a while since I've had sex in a car." She pressed her lips to mine, moaning and sending my own hormones into a frenzy.

Our kiss deepened and my hands tingled for her ass, so I filled them with her cheeks.

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