Page 24 of Giving It to the Man-Whore

“I did the same on the guy that thought he could put a hand on you.” Councilman Wallace had wanted her to leave her husband. He’d been the last man she was with. The thought of leaving Pea had scared her. She loved Pea, and that had given her cause to think about the past few years.

She’d put this divide between them. They’d been married and seeing other people, and it had been all her fault.

“Is that why you’ve been looking pale and sick? You’ve stopped your coffee, and your wine?” he asked, kissing her neck.

“Yes. The scent of coffee drives me nuts. It sends me to the toilet faster than anything. I hate salted crackers, but they’re the only things that keep my stomach at bay.”

He chuckled. “I saw my stash of salted crackers had been raided.”

“I was going to replace them when I went to the store. I hate shopping.”

“That’s not like a woman to hate shopping. I think I need to get a doctor to examine your head. Clearly something is wrong.”

“Yeah, it’s wrong, all right. I’m weird. That’s the problem.”

He kissed her head, and his fingers teased over her stomach. “That explains the sore tits, and why you tensed up whenever I kissed your stomach.”

“I was worried that if you found out, you’d be angry.”

“Why would I be angry?”

“We’ve been married a long time, but we’ve never talked about kids, Pea. This is really alarming news.”

She heard him sigh. He didn’t let her go. “It’s not alarming news. We’re going to have to babyproof this place. I’ll make some adjustments to the spare bedroom, and we can begin planning a nursery. I’ll get a crib for the days we spend at the clubhouse. All of these changes are minimal. You’re not alone in this.”

Tears fell down her cheeks, and she glanced down at his hands, holding her stomach. “What if I’m a bad mother? What if I screw up and our kid becomes a murderer, or I’m too selfish? I nearly destroyed my relationship with Penny. We’re talking about a baby, Pea. An innocent little life.”

He held her even tighter, and then suddenly, he moved.

She watched through blurry vision as he removed his leather cut, and began to strip down naked.

Pea didn’t say anything, and neither did she, waiting for him to do whatever he was going to do. He left the bedroom, and next she heard the bath water running. Seconds later he came back as the bath was filling. He took her hands, and stripped off her clothes, getting her naked.

He knelt down on the ground, and watched as he placed a hand over her stomach, pressing a kiss to it.

No words were spoken as he stood up, and took her back toward the bathroom. The tears had stopped, and he climbed into the tub, still holding her hand as he waited for her to join him.

She sat down, and he was at her back.

“I read in one of those fancy magazines you like to read that a nice warm bath is similar to chocolate or flowers,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. “You’ve got a bruise on your face from Tara hitting you, and there’s a scratch.”

She reached up to touch her face.

“Don’t worry about it. It makes you look like a badass bitch. When our kid goes to school, keep the bitch fighting to a minimum. I don’t want anyone thinking that I’m beating you in my spare time.”

Mel burst out laughing. The idea of Pea hitting her was ridiculous. He’d never hurt her. It made it even harder for her because she’d hit him, and she hated that she had.

“What’s going to happen to Tara?” she asked.

“Her ass is going to get kicked out of the club. No one wants her, least of all me. She was causing trouble.” He took her hand, locking their fingers together.

“We’re going to be parents, Pea.”

“I know. I don’t know if I should feel sorry for the kid, or tell him or her that they’re in for a treat.”

She glanced up at him. “You think we’re going to be good parents?”

“I don’t know why you think we won’t be. You’ve got this notion that we’re bad people.”

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