Page 72 of Deadlier Obsessions

Again, I whisper to her, “Just because you weren’t attacked physically like she was, doesn’t mean you didn’t go through it too. It’s okay to feel whatever you feel.”

Lucy doesn’t respond, she just wraps her arms around me and holds me tight, and I know for once I said the right thing. Like she frequently tells me, I tend to be a bell-end most of the time, but I can be more than that. I am capable of being the soft place she can land, either of them.

I turn quickly to a bizarre sound. “What the fuck was that?”

Stella turns bright red and covers her mouth in shock. “My stomach.”

Sebastian chuckles. “Mama is hungry.”

I set Lucy on the bed beside me and stand up. “Alright. Let’s get the babies fed.”

SEBASTIAN

After ordering room service, we talk quietly, but we’re so watchful of our ladies that I think we’re starting to irritate them, but I think we’re still waiting for them to have some huge reaction to what happened to them. I know they’re safe now, andthey got to see that fucker suffer, but there has to be shit they’re holding in, doesn’t there?

“Dammit, Sebastian, stop giving me the puppy dog eyes, I’m fine,” Stella finally says, laughing quietly as she reaches over and squeezes my hand. She and Lucy are managing to actually eat without feeling sick, so at least we don’t have to worry about that right now. Stella’s also feeling better since she had some sleep, thank God.

“Yeah, Pretty Boy, our ladies are just fine now, right? It’s not like you didn’t know we were coming to rescue you or anything.” Gage doesn’t frame it as a question, but I think it is one, as he lifts his eyebrows at Lucy and Stella in turn.

“I was worried you’d think we left on purpose,” Lucy says, not for the first time, because she’s very sensitive to triggering Gage’s abandonment issues.

“It’s okay, baby. We saw your live feed, or heard it, and we knew you were taken from us. It doesn’t matter now though, because you’re safe, and you’ll never be at risk like that again. In the future, we’ll be all up in your business when you’re at book stuff, and we’ll be watching for any assholes who want to try anything.”

“Situation normal, then,” Lucy says with a giggle, grabbing a fry from my plate, since hers is empty already. I push the plate closer to her, and she grins as she stuffs a handful of them in her mouth. Say what you like about someone taking food from your plate, but feeding my women makes me fucking ecstatic. Especially now we’re feeding our babies through them. Oh hell. I grab the plate again and pull it away from her.

“Are fries good for babies? I really need to read up on this shit, so I can make sure I’m not letting-”

“Wait, letting? Excuse you, Sebastian, but we’ll eat whatwefeel is right for our babies!” Lucy snaps, having shifted so fast from cute and giggly, to savage and kinda scary.

“Hormones?” Mav asks with a laugh, practically petting her head like a fucking dog. Dude, I don’t think that’s the best move right now. If he loses a finger, he’ll bitch for weeks about it.

“Pretty Boy didn’t mean anything by it, baby. He just cares,” Gage says in a calm tone, resting a hand on my thigh and squeezing gently. Okay, who’s this and what did you do with my man?

“Gage is right. Wow… have I ever said those words before?” I ask with a grin, relieved when both girls giggle again, even though that hand tightens dangerously on my thigh. Joke’s on you, baby, I’m into that shit.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

LUCY

I’d like to say we had a pleasant night’s sleep before we set off on the final leg of our journey, to get home at last, but it would be a lie. Stella woke up three times from nightmares that twice had her screaming, and it took all of us surrounding her with our love, for her to calm down enough to sleep again, just to wake again a few hours later.

I wish she hadn’t gone through what she went through, or that I could have been the one to take that pain for her this time, because she always practically sacrifices herself to save me, and I feel responsible for what she goes through when that happens. I know she has the purest heart ever, and I know she would do this for any of us, but I wish she’d stop risking herself like this. Especially now there’s a baby growing inside her.

After showering with Sebastian, before Gage and Mav take Stella to ‘bathe her’, I’m left alone with my girl, while the guys load bags into the town car, again one of Gage’s owned cars, driven by one of his people. Yes, our man haspeople. He’s only taking us to collect a rental to drive home, so we can be alone, but still…

“Stel, can I ask you something?” She pauses mid button of her blouse and looks at me tiredly.

“I’m okay, if that’s what you’re about to ask. I’m sorry I kept you all awake though.”

“I do care about that, and I do want to know what’s haunting you in your dreams, but I need to talk to you about something else.”

She sits on the bed and lifts her hands. “Anything, girl, you know that.”

How do I say this without hurting her feelings, because that’s the last thing I want…

“I need you to look after yourself better. No, wait, that came out wrong. It’s not about that, it’s about not putting yourself in danger, especially to protect me.” I don’t think that’s any better, but I can hardly take it back now. She looks a little hurt by my words, which is the last thing I wanted.

“Stel-”

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