Page 50 of Reaper Razed

She glances away, but I hold her chin in my grasp and gently turn her face towards me. “Did they make you?” She drops her eyes again, and I lean forward and kiss her forehead. Her eyes flutter closed as I hold my lips there before pulling back, wiping my thumb under her eyes to wipe the tears. “I won’t let anyone hurt you again, okay?”

She nods. “But what if he finds out and tries to come for my baby?”

“Do you want him to be a part of the baby’s life?” She shakes her head.

“Does anyone else know who the father is?”

“Ray… Ray knows everything.”

I nod in reply. “As far as anyone’s concerned, this baby’s mine, got it?”

“What?” She gasps.

“This baby’s mine. We can be together. We can not be together. I will support and protect you whether you want to be with me or not, but this baby is mine.”

“Tank… I—”

The nurse walks in and brings a blanket, a pillow and a jug of water.

“Get some sleep, love. You don’t have to decide now.” I pull the picture off the table, stroke my thumb over the grainy image, and can’t help but smile. I'm gonna love this child with all my heart. It's gonna be my missing piece, my family. Hopefully, Skye will feel the same. There has definitely been some flirting, which I tried to stop, but now that I've found out her real age, I don't feel so creeped out by my feelings towards her. She could be my forever.

Skye

As I wake, he’s still asleep in the chair, the picture of our child clutched to his chest, and a smile tugs at my lips. Can I have it all, the guy I can’t stop obsessing over and our child? Well, my child, but does he really want this? What if he just wants the baby and not me? What if he’s only saying I can be a part of it so he can keep the child? I mean, I barely know him, but there’s a pull, and I can’t deny there’s an undoubtedly strong attraction, and I can’t stop thinking about him.

“Morning, love,” his gruff voice comes through my thoughts, and my eyes snap to his.

“Hey, handsome.” I grin at him.

“Handsome, huh?” He grins. “I like it! Now, how are you feeling?”

I sit up straighter in bed. “It doesn’t hurt anymore, not like before. It’s a little tender, but I’m okay.”

Sliding onto the edge of the bed, he takes my hand in his. I'm not sure what he’s searching for, but he takes in every detail on my face. Bringing my hand to his lips, he gives it a kiss, and I’m sure my cheeks blush. He’s so gentle it’s a complete contradiction to his gruff voice and his sheer size. He’s only about five-foot-nine, but the guy is built! And he’s so handsome with his hazel eyes and golden brown hair, all tousled with sleep. I want to run my hands through it, so I reach up, and as my hand touches it, I grab it back. “Sorry, I …”

He grins at me. “You can touch me. I won’t bite,”

I slide my hand to his cheek. “I can’t ask you to do what you said yesterday. That’s a massive commitment, and we barely know each other. I can’t tie you to me for my own selfish gain.” I sigh as my eyes drop to his lips and back again to his eyes. His tongue flicks out and licks his lips again as my eyes drop back down as he smirks,

“Kiss me, Skye.” He smiles at me, and my hand drops away from his face.

“I… I… c-c-can’t. I…”

He cups my face with his hand, and I soften into it. “You don’t have to. Just if you want to, you can. I’ll wait for you.” He brushes his thumb across my cheek back and forwards and just stares into my eyes. It’s not weird; it’s not uncomfortable; it just feels safe. I close my eyes and just lean into his hand.

The door clicks open. “Morning,” the nurse says as she blatantly checks Tank out. I scowl at her, which makes him grin, but he doesn’t move his hand from my face or his gaze from my eyes. I smile and roll my face and kiss his hand. “Doctor will be in shortly with your results.” She nods and leaves when neither of us acknowledges her.

“Okay.” The doctor walks in smiling. “All the tests came back good, nothing to worry about. Just take things easy, and if anything else happens, come straight back in, okay?”

I nod.

“Do you want to know the sex?” the doctor asks. “When we did the blood work, we tested for abnormalities and did a full work-up.”

“You can tell the sex?” He grins.

“We can.” The doctor holds his tablet to his chest.

I glance at Tank, and he smiles back. “Your choice.”

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