Page 40 of Ours

“Oh, thank God,” she whispered, placing her free hand on her abdomen.

Comforted by the movement, she apologized to her daughter in the same way Kade had only minutes prior. Happy tears filled her eyes as she counted the various kicks and flutters. They were strong and true, letting her know that everything was as it should be, and for her not to give up. It was the reassurance she desperately needed.

“We’re survivors, aren’t we?” she said softly. “Now come on, we’ve got a visitor.”

Taking in a cleansing breath, she used her newfound burst of energy to step into her panties and change into Kade’s wrinkled shirt. Moving as quietly as possible, she walked towards the doorway. There was no way she was going to stay hidden away in the bedroom. She deserved to know what was happening.

Tiptoeing down the hallway towards the mansion’s foyer, she kept her ears perked. Off in the distance she heard Kade’s deep voice rising in agitation, and another male’s that seemed just as annoyed. While she couldn’t make out the words, she knew they were having an argument. Wanting to know more, she continued further down.

Padding her bare feet over the mahogany wood floor, she swallowed hard as she noticed Kade’s foreboding form at the end of the corridor. Even with his back turned, he was clearly inAlphamode, with his shoulders hunched and his strong legs spread in a grounding position. He looked poised to strike at whoever stood before him.

Sensing that something was clearly wrong, she took a step backwards in retreat. Without realizing, her heel landed on an old plank. As the weight of her body fell on the already damaged piece of mahogany, a loud ‘CRACK’echoed through the hallway.Alerting everyone within earshot that she was waiting in the wings.

“Fucking hell!”she hissed.

Before she had a chance to react to the situation, her eyes widened in fear as she noticed a large German Shepherd bounding out from Kade’s shadow. Barking and snarling, the beast lunged down the corridor towards her. Flinging her arms outwards, she screamed in terror. Unable to run, her body froze in place as the hellhound raced closer.

Whipping his body around, Kade’s dark eyes narrowed as he noticed Lexi pressed against the wall. He should have known she would follow. Why thefuckdidn’t she ever listen to him?

“HALT!”he exclaimed.

Within a blink of an eye, the shepherd stopped dead in its tracks three feet away from where Lexi stood. Obeying Kade’s word, the foreboding dog sat on its hind legs and let out a sharp bark in response.

“Guter hund,” offered the mystery guest standing behind Kade.

Breathing heavily, Lexi moved her gaze from the dog to the man now standing side by side with Kade. She recognized him as one of the Skulls. The one namedMaddoxthat she wanted to gut like a fish at The Wilde.Why the hell was he there?

Giving Lexi a scathing look, Kade slowly dragged his eyes from her to Maddox, and back again. Not only had she disobeyed him, but she dared to leave their room clad only in a threadbare shirt andpanties.It made his left eye twitch in exasperation. They woulddefinitelyhave a conversation about this.

“I told you to stay in bed,” he growled.

Straightening her posture, she tugged on the hem of her shirt to cover her underwear from Maddox’s prying eyes. Staying mindful of the fierce looking dog, she raced to think of something that would soften the blow. Not that it would really matter, she already knew that she had royally fucked up.

“I, uh...I heard you call my name,” she said, clearing her sore throat. “So... I, uh...I thought you wanted me to come say hi to our guest...uh, hi Maddox. I... I trust you’ve been well?”

With a cocky smirk on his bearded face, Maddox allowed his blue eyes to take their fill of her barely clothed body. He wasn’t sure if Kade had roughed her up or sexed her up. Knowing his boss, probably both. He couldn’t blame him; he would do the exact same thing if he had that pretty little thing in his bed.

“I have, thanks Miss Curtis. It’s good to see you again,” he said.

Plastering a fake smile on her face, she nodded her head cordially. Yeah, she was sure he enjoyed seeing her in all her disheveled glory. It made her skin crawl. “And uh...who do we have, here?” she said, motioning to the German Shepherd.

Etching a deep frown on his face, Kade bristled with annoyance. He didn’t appreciate her little naive act, but he had to save face. He couldn’t treat her like a subordinate in front of his Skull. Maddox couldn’t think that he and Lexi were equals within the hierarchy.

“This is Cupcake. He’s going to stay with you while I’m gone,” he answered, walking towards the dog.

Lifting a brow, Lexi focused on the black and brown canine. It still looked like it wanted to tear off her face.Cupcakewas too sweet of a name for the beast. Diablo or Demon seemed much more appropriate.

Standing next to the dog, Kade snapped his fingers once and pointed at Lexi.“Hier! Riech!”he ordered in German.

Springing into action, Cupcake jumped towards Lexi. With his pink tongue hanging out, the shepherd made a beeline for her naked legs.

Unsure of his intentions, Lexi instinctively recoiled. She was a dog lover, but this particular canine made her nervous. He certainly wasn’t Leo’s sweet little corgi.

“It’s ok, Lexi. He’s just going to smell you,” Kade said.

Muttering something under her breath, she made herself stand as still as possible. Watching the shepherd intently, she shivered as his cold nose moved from her bare feet, up her legs, towards the edge of her panties.

“Does he really need to getthisclose?” she squeaked as the dog began to smell her intimate areas.

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