Page 107 of Ruthless Beasts

What he really meant was he needed time alone, time to process, time to unwind, and I could respect that. I tapped the roof of the car a few times. "Come in when you're ready."

"Yeah." He looked off to the expanse of our yard, off to the corner where the rose garden was, dismissing me.

Another tap on the roof and I pushed off, taking the steps to the house two at a time. I nodded to the guards as I passed before I entered our home and was enveloped in the calm comfort of the place. I inhaled as I closed the door, smelling a deliciously sweet scent that could only mean one thing. Following the smell, I found Bellamy in the kitchen, talking to Drew as she ate a spoonful of cookie dough.

"I don't think that's safe," I barked, and she jumped, spinning around with a spoon in her mouth.

"Mercer." She dropped the spoon on the counter, holding her palm to her chest. "You scared me."

"I doubt that cookie dough is safe to eat raw," I reminded her.

"But baby likes cookie dough." She gave me puppy eyes. "Don't you want to give the baby what the baby wants?"

I laughed. "That shit will work on Ace, not me. You know her safety is my priority."

"It will—" she gasped, her eyes suddenly going wide. "You're bleeding."

I glanced at my arm; the sleeve torn open from a bullet and blood coating the skin. "It was a graze."

Her hands were on me in an instant, the cookie dough forgotten as she moved to inspect every inch of my skin, searching for more damage than what was visible, except her stomach prevented the closeness she wanted, forcing her to keep a small distance between us. Fuck, she was so damn cute when she cared.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked at my friend who spent his evening protecting what was most important to us. "Drew, leave us, please."

His eyes sparkled knowingly, humor coating his words. "Yes, sir."

I flipped him off, and he laughed, but he followed orders, exiting the kitchen, taking the other guards in the vicinity with him. Good. I didn't need witnesses right now. I only needed my girl.

"Jesus. What the hell happened, Merc?" She bit her lower lip as she examined the damaged skin.

"Just a little confrontation." I reached up, freeing her lower lip from her teeth before leaning in to kiss her. When I pulled away, I reassured her, "Ace took care of it."

She rolled her eyes. "Doesn't help that you came home injured."

"This is hardly an injury. Plus," I grinned, "I know what could make this feel better."

"A good cleaning, some ointment, and a Tylenol?" she deadpanned.

"Hmm. Maybe." I leaned down, burying my nose in the crook of her neck and inhaling. "But I was thinking this sweet body around my cock would be just what the doctor ordered."

"I'm serious. You should get that cleaned out. What if it gets infected?" She tried to push me away, but I was stronger than she was.

"I'm serious too." I bit down on her shoulder, and she gasped. "There's nothing like a good woman to ease away the adrenaline rush."

"Is this a ploy to get up my skirt?" she asked.

I let my hand fall to her thigh, pushing away her skirt and dragging my fingers up her bare thigh. "Do I need a ploy?"

My hand found the junction of her thighs and I cupped her pussy, tearing a whimper from her throat. "No."

"Didn't think so." My lips sucked against her skin, drawing the luscious taste of vanilla into my mouth as I pushed aside her panties, toying with the short little curls between her thighs. I let my tongue glide over her throat, before I demanded, "Turn around, baby. Put your hands on the counter and hold on."

I spun her, releasing her cunt long enough to grab her hands and link our fingers so I could place her palms on the marble countertop of the kitchen island. Then I let go, gripped her skirt, and pulled it up to her hips, bunching it against her back so I could tear off her panties. With her panties gone, I smacked her perfect little ass before grasping it. "Can I confess something?"

Her voice was strained when she answered, "Always."

"When you first came here, I thought you were hot. But what pregnancy has done to your body, stretched and molded it, made these hips wide and this ass look even more delicious… I doubt I would have been able to keep my hands off you if Adam didn't give me permission. You had the power to ruin alifelong friendship." I leaned in to whisper in her ear, "So fucking powerful this body is."

Then I pulled her hips back, released my cock from my jeans, and yanked her body toward me as I sunk into the warmth of her pussy. I wasn't gentle, but she didn't seem to mind as she groaned out my name, her body clenching around my cock so hard my vision blurred.

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