Page 61 of Flirt

I caught up to her in the hallway and threw my arm over her shoulders. I leaned my head closer to hers, so my lips were at her ear. “Later at Whispering Nights, I think I’ll test how long you can go before you’re begging for my dick,” I whispered, dropped my arm from her shoulder, and started down the stairs.

“Sometimes you are a pain in my ass,” she said, so low I almost hadn’t heard her.

“Want me to show you later how much that’s true?” I answered as I reached the bottom of the stairs, then burst out laughing when a fuzzy slipper flew past my head.

Epilogue One

Flirt

Seven months later...

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Christ, I had witnessedand done things in the military that left marks on my soul but watching my woman in pain as she struggled to bring our son into the world had stripped every nerve and kicked all rational control to the curb.

“Goddammit, Mac, can’t you do something!”

“Am I going to have to call security to drag your ass out of here? Everything is great and going as it should,” Mac said, and I saw her roll her eyes at Gabriella.

Gabriella leaned back on the pillow and looked up at me. “Max, it’s okay if you need to step out for a minute.”

“What the hell, Gabriella? I am not going anywhere. And if anyone even thinks about throwing me out, they better have their life insurance paid up.” I looked pointedly at Mac, not caring that she was a brother’s ol’ lady. Later when Coast punched me, I would deal.

“Mac, I am so sorry,” Gabriella said, which had my head jerking in her direction instead of glaring at Mac.

“Why are you apologizing to her? She’s the one sitting calmly on the stool doing nothing to help with your pain.”

“Doing good, Brie. Next contraction should do. I want you to bear down hard. Let’s get this little guy out before his daddy has a nervous breakdown.”

I watched Gabriella nod, then saw the pain in her eyes as her breathing picked up, and she squeezed my hand. I supported her back when she rose, and then her eyes closed as she did what Mac had asked of her. She went from bearing down to a scream that ripped my heart out. I opened my mouth and was prepared to rip into Mac when the baby’s crying penetrated my ears.

I helped as Gabriella relaxed back into the bed, kissed her forehead, and when I turned, Mac was laying Ethan on Gabriella’s stomach. I cut the cord and continued to watch in a daze as Mac did her thing, then wrapped a cloth around him.

“Let’s get him weighed and measured and cleaned up, and we’ll bring him right back,” Mac said and handed him off to the waiting nurse beside her.

She went back to taking care of Gabriella, then when she was done, she walked across the room to where the nurse had Ethan.

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