Page 295 of Kissing the Villain

LUCA

Alex layacross the bed on her stomach, staring at me without speaking. She had been acting strange all day, constantly fidgeting and avoiding my gaze whenever our eyes met.

“What’s going on, baby girl?”

“I have to tell you something.” She cleared her throat. “You won’t like it.”

I loosened my tie as I approached the bed. “What did you do?”

“I’m pregnant,” Alex whispered.

The entire world felt like it had stopped at her words. My heart raced so fast I could hardly catch my breath. She couldn’t be pregnant, not with our wedding this weekend. Not with The Carver on his way. Drake had a lead on the man we believed was the real identity of The Carver. He’d been following him for the past day, tracking his online activity, but he still had the advantage over us.

“Did you hear me?” Alex sat up and clapped her hands to snap my gaze back to her. “Say something, Luca. I’m freaking out and need you to say something. Tell me we will be okay.”

I stared at her, unblinking, shocked by her words. “Why wouldn’t we be okay?”

I sat on the bed beside her, attempting to steady my nerves. It felt as if someone punched through my back and ripped my heart out of my chest. With my enemies on the hunt for Alex, I was already working around the clock to eliminate the threats.

A baby? Of course, I had imagined us having a family, but not now. Not with all the bullshit we had endured in the past month.

“Are you sure?” I choked out.

She nodded. “I took three tests earlier with Kali.”

I removed my cell phone from the inner pocket of my suit jacket. “You need a blood test to confirm. An ultrasound to see how far you’re along.”

“You seem upset.” She stroked the top of my hand with her fingers. “I told Kali you wouldn’t be happy with me.”

“I’m not mad,” I said without hesitation. “No, baby, this is a good thing. I want nothing more than to have a family with you. I’m just worried about The Carver. I don’t know what to do… Maybe we should elope and get out of here for a while until shit calms down.”

She slid her fingers beneath my chin. “Luca, we are not running away. This isn’t you. You never make decisions out of fear.”

“I worry about keeping you safe. Now I have my child growing inside your belly.” Staring down at the bed, I laced my fingers between hers and studied the diamond on her finger. “We need more time to plan.”

“We have a plan,” she insisted. “I know you hate dangling me like a carrot in front of The Carver. I hate it, too, but we have no choice. If he wants me, then he better come and get me.”

“If something goes wrong… and he hurts you or the baby… I won’t be able to forgive myself.”

“This is our only chance to lure him out of hiding. Once he’s dead, we don’t have to worry about anyone coming to collect.”

I slid the pad of my thumb across her bottom lip. “What happened to your pills? We were so careful. I even checked to make sure you picked them up from the pharmacy. You’ve never missed a pill.”

Alex rolled her eyes, a smile in place. “You’re such a psychopath.”

“I’m your psychopath. Deal with it, baby.”

“I wouldn’t have you any other way.” She bit her lip. “There’s one more thing. Promise not to flip out on me.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “What?”

“This baby could be Marcello’s.”

My heart plummeted into my stomach. It felt like someone was stabbing my heart, ripping it to shreds.

“Fuck,” I groaned. “It was one time. I doubt this is Marcello’s baby.”

“It only takes one time.”

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