Page 69 of Recaptured by the Crime Lord

He could see that she wanted to talk about the specter, that she wouldn’t let it go. He rolled so she was beneath him and crouched over her as he fucked her. Lyla’s lips parted and her eyes went blind with need.

“I put this in you,” he said, rubbing his hands over her belly. “You both belong to me. Nothing will take me from you.”

“But, Gavin—”

“No.” He kissed her long and slow. He loved her taste, her scent, everything about her. “He needs to die.”

***

If he didn’t want to know the sex of his child so badly, he would have run like hell. It looked as if there had been a pink and blue explosion in his home. The staircase and ceiling were decorated with pink and blue balloons. There were glitter banners and everyone wore a bow or bow tie to show which side they represented.

Lyla wore a bow in her hair and a bright pink shirt, clearly declaring that she was Team Girl. He allowed Janice to pin a bow to his shirt because he sure as fuck wasn’t going to pin it in his hair. There were pink and blue cupcakes, napkins, utensils, straws, the works. The men migrated outside while the women chattered inside and played guessing games.

“Hey, boss. You looked at the proposal yet?”

Marcus approached wearing a blue shirt with a paper bow tie beneath his chin.

“Is that why you decided to come? To bother me?” Gavin asked.

“I knew you wouldn’t give me an answer yesterday. So, what’d you think?”

“I think it’s going to be a tight fit.”

“So you read it?”

“Most of it.”

Gavin sipped on his pink drink and nearly spit it out when he realized it was pink lemonade. Shit. He put the glass on a passing waiter’s tray and snatched a small plate of finger foods and tried not to grimace. This so wasn’t his scene. He would feel like an idiot if he weren’t looking forward to cutting the three tier cake that would reveal the baby’s sex.

“You have feedback for me?” Marcus bounced on his toes. “I can take it.”

Gavin gave him a cool look. “I’ll let you know if I have any questions.”

Marcus looked crestfallen. If Gavin had a heart, he would have felt a flicker of remorse. He spotted Lyla’s mother and scanned the crowd for the father, but didn’t see him. His sources told him that Pat Dalton worked at a gas station. Lyla’s parents were barley making ends meet, but that wasn’t his problem or hers.

Carmen barreled towards them. “Come on, daddy! It’s time!”

Gavin didn’t need to be told twice. He shouldered his way through the crowd. The cake was white and decorated with baby shit like bottles, booties, stuffed animals and blue and pink dots. Lyla’s eyes lit up when she saw him. She handed him the knife.

“It’s time,” she said.

Gavin felt a buzz of adrenaline as he asked Lyla where he should cut. He was dimly aware of camera flashes, Lyla squeezing his arm and the sound of his heartbeat. He poised the knife above the smooth frosting, closed his eyes for a bare second and said a silent prayer before he cut. Carmen screamed as he raised the blade, but he couldn’t see a speck of cake on it.

“Cut again!” Carmen screamed impatiently.

Hand shaking, he sank the knife home again and lifted a thin slice of cake. His body went numb.

“It’s a girl!”

CHAPTER TWELVE

Lyla

Lyla felt like a blimp as she tried to keep up with Alice’s fast, energetic pace. It was a daily struggle not to give into the urge to wear sweat pants and laze around the house. Finding clothes that fit was a bitch. She complained to Carmen who took her on a shopping spree two days ago. Gavin put his foot down about her going to the dog shelter and she had to admit he was right. She wouldn’t be able to handle some of the bigger dogs if they decided to yank her along the path and she couldn’t lean over to pick up poop so... yeah. She had to be content with Beau who she took to the gun range and everywhere else she could. He didn’t even need a leash, he was so attached to her. He never left her side and when she indulged in an afternoon nap he climbed into bed with her. Of course, she didn’t tell Gavin since he still referred to Beau as “dog.”

“You were great with the kids yesterday,” Alice said enthusiastically.

“They were a handful, but adorable,” Lyla agreed.

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