Page 2 of Fierce-Michael

“Let’s eat and have this beer while you process it. Maybe she’s working tonight and we can swing over there. I knew you didn’t want to go there again so wouldn’t have suggested that place without giving you a heads-up.”

“Thanks for that,” he said. Michael picked his beer up and hated that he couldn’t enjoy the taste of it with all this shit going through his brain.

The two of them finished their meal within an hour and were out the door. He was glad Owen was going with him. He might need the moral support.

They drove the fifteen minutes to the bar where Electra worked. He parked in the back, saw her little bright yellow sedan, and knew she was working.

“Is your heart racing?” Owen asked.

“It might if I can get it out of my throat,” he said.

Owen put his hand on Michael’s back. “Let’s hope that person is wrong.”

He opened the door and they walked in, his eyes moving around the place and landing on Electra’s back. He’d notice that bright-colored red hair anywhere. She was more of a blonde but said she didn’t want people to judge her as a blonde bimbo and dyed it fire engine red.

In his eyes, it didn’t matter what color her hair was, once she opened her mouth they got an idea of her personality.

“Can we have a table in Electra’s area?” Owen asked, pointing to Michael’s ex.

“Sure,” the hostess said. “Follow me.”

They moved to an empty table and took a seat. Two minutes later Electra walked up and she was clearly pregnant in her fitted T-shirt and tight black jeans. She’d had a smoking body on her before and all that changed was the watermelon in front of her with a tiny apron tied under it.

“There you are,” Electra said all excited. “I lost your number and was hoping you’d come back. Boy, do I have news for you.”

He looked at his best friend and knew his mouth wouldn’t open.

“I’ll say it for you,” Owen said. “Fuck!”

1

A LONG ROAD

Five Years Later

“What are you doing here?”Michael asked his cousin and boss, Alex Marshall-Fierce. “Don’t you have a doctor’s appointment or something?”

His cousin shouldn’t be on the floor when she was due to have her third child in about a month or so. Only second pregnancy and he’d been shocked when he found out she was having another as she’d said no more after her twins, Cameron and Regan, were born almost five years ago.

He’d be the first to say that things don’t always go as planned when kids are involved though.

“Cade will be here in thirty minutes to take me,” Alex said. “I’ll be back after.”

“You still shouldn’t be on the floor,” he said. “Your husband is going to kick your butt if he finds you here.”

“I can handle my husband just fine. All I have to do is start to fake gag and he’ll go running.”

Michael laughed. He’d never met a man with such a weak stomach as Cade Fierce. “Is he going to change diapers this time around?”

“He is going to,” Alex said firmly but was grinning at the same time. “He’s the one that got me pregnant again.”

“Well,” he said. “I heard that it’s your fault. Thatyouwere the one on the pill.”

His cousin growled at him. “And I still got pregnant. I don’t know how the hell that happened. I’ve never missed one pill and don’t think I was on anything that would have countered it.”

Michael grimaced. “Cade joked that the kids got into your pill pack and pushed a few of them out on you.”

“Yeah, he says that to everyone. The worst part is, it might be true, but it’s not like I could go back in time to see if things were off.” She shrugged. “It is what it is. I think if I was sick this time around or carrying twins again, I’d be more upset. I’m breezing through this one.”

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