And Baby Makes Three Page 7

  He stripped off the last of his clothes and was moving toward her with his erect cock jutting out from between his legs. Marie carefully got to her knees and took his rod in her hands.

  “Baby, you don’t have to do that,” he whispered and moaned when she licked the tip.

  “I know I don’t have to, but I want to taste you,” Marie said.

  She took him deep in her mouth and began a slow torturous tease with her lips and tongue. She felt the muscles of his thighs flex and tighten beneath her fingers. She picked up the speed, suctioning her lips tightly around his cock and the in and out pace had him bucking in pleasure. He pulled her to her feet carefully, but she could feel the restraint in him.

  God, she couldn’t wait for him to take her hard and furious again after the baby was born. He devoured her lips, penetrated her mouth with his tongue while his hand was between her legs teasing the most sensitive part of her. He slipped his fingers between the sensitive folds of flesh and rubbed her clit. She whimpered into his mouth and he slipped his fingers deep inside her. Her juices ran down his finger and she could feel it coating her thighs. She ground against his fingers, wanting more and feeling the invisible cord of her orgasm begin to tighten.

  She tore her mouth away from his and threw her head back, panting and moaning his name. “Oh, Brody, oh, yes, I’m going to come.”

  “Damn, yes, let me feel you come, feel your pussy clench around my fingers,” he whispered into her ear. “God, I want to taste you while you come.”

  He got quickly to his knees and sucked hungrily at her clit as he penetrated her faster with his fingers. Her elbows were braced against the counter as she let go and gave into the orgasm that swelled inside her body. His muffled groan came from between her legs. As the last of her release faded, he kissed his way back up her body and sucked at her nipples. He turned her around so that her ass was pressed against his cock.

  Marie bent over the counter so that her hands instead of her stomach were braced against the marble countertop. She felt him run the tip of his cock up and down the swollen lips of her sex before penetrating her from behind, and she cried out as need lanced through her.

  Brody grabbed her hips and began a steady thrust that built the fire in them both. Even in his need he still had a care to her condition and took them both to the edge of reason while showing the upmost restraint. Marie felt herself slipping over into the abyss of passion and embraced it fully.

  She heard Brody moan and kiss the skin of her bare back as his seed filled her. In the aftermath, he picked her up like she weighed nothing and took her to the bathroom and, in his usual way, carefully cleaned her and helped her get dressed. Back downstairs, she ate lunch and watched as he put together the swing and bouncy chair while every so often she would comment. Later, she kissed him goodbye and watched him drive away for training. Marie leaned against the doorjamb with a smile on her face.

  Brody was unlike any other man and she fell more in love with him each day. She closed the door and went back to the living room to put her feet up and watch TV. The perfectly assembled baby accessories stood in the designated spot in the living room and anticipation filled her. In a few more weeks, Grayson would be there and they would be able to hold their little boy.

  It was much later when her doorbell rang and Marie frowned. She had on flannel pants and one of Brody’s T-shirts to sleep in, along with warm socks. She would probably be asleep by the time he came home, so as she made her way downstairs she wondered who was at her door. She left the chain on and opened it a crack to reveal a face that could sour any mood.

  Charlie stood at her doorstep wearing the puppy dog look of a man who thought he could charm his way into any life.

  “What the hell do you want?” she snapped.

  “Baby, don’t be that way. Let me in so we can talk,” Charlie pleaded.

  He looked the same, but she could see behind the handsome face and green eyes the ugliness hiding beneath.

  “First off, I’m not your baby and when we signed those divorce papers, anything we had to say was done,” Marie said. “Say what you need to say and get off my property.”

  “I need a place to stay, until I can get on my feet,” Charlie said. “I kind of got kicked out of my place.”

  “Go to the veteran office at Walter Reed. You’re a soldier who served in Iraqi Freedom. They’ll take care of you,” she said flatly.

  “They’ll give me a cot for a few days. No home cooking like you could, babe.” He tried his charming smile. It failed miserably.

  “So you thought you’d come to see good ol’ Marie who will take you in because she loves you so damn much?” Marie asked.

  “Yeah, we still have that connection. Everything that happened was because I was messed up, baby. Come on, let me in,” he encouraged softly.

  “My fiancé wouldn’t like that so much,” Marie said mildly. “I’m due with his baby in a few weeks and we don’t like unwanted guests.” His eyes narrowed. “You went and got pregnant by some dude? You cheated on me?”

  Marie laughed incredulously. “We’re divorced, you fool, and I miscarried after you kicked the shit out of me. Leave now or I’ll call the police. I think that restraining order is still in effect.”

  “You fucking bitch. I should cut that kid out of your stomach,” he snarled.

  “I’m calling the police now,” Marie said coldly. “I don’t fear you anymore and if you do anything to me, Brody will hunt you like a dog. I hear Marine Special Forces like a good hunt, except scum like you wouldn’t be much of a challenge for them. Leave my house and do not return.”

  She closed the door and put the lock on not trusting him in the least.

  Then everything happened in slow motion. She heard a loud bang and the door frame splintered and felt it hit her in the back. It propelled her forward and she hit her stomach against the coffee table before falling to the ground. Pain radiated through her and she curled up in a ball and wrapped her hand around her belly as he came inside. Charlie grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her to her feet.

  “Do you think I’m scared of some puissant of a man you’re fucking?” he snarled in her face and his breath reeked of stale alcohol.

  “I installed security—a silent alarm—after we divorced. The cops will be here in a few minutes and you’ll be in jail for the rest of your life,” she whispered. Charlie wasn’t the smartest man and she hoped her bluff worked. She felt her stomach tighten and pain radiated down her back.

  She saw him glance around worriedly for a while and then punched her in the face and she fell to the ground again with a cry of pain. “Bring your bastard into the world with a black eye, bitch. Tell your man it is courtesy of me.”

  She heard him run away and the pain became worse. Marie managed to get to her knees and pull the cordless phone off the table, not caring that the base crashed to the floor. She called the only person she knew would save her. Brody. Brody would come and take care of her. He answered on the second ring and she whimpered in relief as she heard his voice.

  “Hey, babe, what’s up? You caught me just as Rafe and I were ready to show these guys how it’s done,” Brody said.

  “Help me,” she whimpered. “Brody, come home.” His voice instantly took on alarm. “Honey, what’s wrong? Shit, are you in labor? It’s early, way too early.”

  “Charlie, he broke down the door…I hit my stomach…he punched me,” she managed to say.

  “Hold on, baby, I’m coming. Do you hear me? I’m coming. Stay on the phone,” Brody yelled, then he spoke to Rafe, “Call nine-one-one. Her fucking ex broke into the goddamn house. She’s hurt.”

  “Marie, are you there, sweetheart? I’m on my way. The ambulance is en route.” His breath came faster, panting in and out and she knew he was running.

  Pain radiated through her stomach again and she moaned in agony.

  “Brody, it hurts.”

  “It’s okay, baby. You’ll be okay. Grayson will be okay,” he said into the phone fr
antically.

  His voice seemed farther away now, shrouded in a cloud of haze and she sank blissfully into a darkness that was swallowing her mind. “Marie!” was the last word she heard Brody shout before she succumbed to unconsciousness. Maybe when she woke he’d be there and it would have all been a dream.

  “I’m going to fucking kill that bastard,” Brody snarled and paced up and down the room.

  “Calm down, Brody, you don’t want her to wake up and see you acting like this,” Rafe said.

  He couldn’t even bear to look at her in the bed. She was lying there looking so fragile, a bright purple bruise covering half of her face and her eye was swollen shut. Her stomach…well, baby Grayson was okay. The fast thumping sound that filled the room was his heart beat, steady and strong. The doctors said they had managed to stop the contractions. The good part was both mother and son would be fine and upon hearing that, he’d taken the breath he seemed to have been holding for hours. The bad part was the rage that burned in him was unlike anything he’d felt before.

  He wanted to kill Charlie. He wanted to see the man dead for what he did to his Marie. For that, he paced like a caged bear, wanting to tear everything apart with his bare hands. Ivy sat beside the bed, silent tears trickling down her cheeks and when she took a breath it hitched and she blew it out slowly, trying to calm herself. Rafe kept looking at her worriedly and he had every right to. The four—almost seven—of them were like their own little family, and no one messed with their family.

  Marie moaned from the bed and whimpered, “Brody.” He was by her side instantly and took her hand. “Baby, I’m here. It’s okay, everything is just fine.”

  She slowly opened her good eye, and the other was just a slit because of the swelling. “Grayson, the baby. I can’t feel him!”

  “Shh, he’s fine, you’re fine. The doctors just gave you something to make sure you wouldn’t have contractions and so you’d sleep,” he explained gently.

  “Oh, it was all my fault. I was trying to get Charlie to leave. I goaded him and told him I was pregnant and happy.” Marie licked her lips. “He didn’t like that and kicked the door down. Everything started hurting and he hit me.”

  Brody kissed her gently. “No, baby, he came to our home and he is the one to blame. He could’ve walked away, but he didn’t. Now I’m going to hurt him.”

  “Oh, Brody, no,” she moaned. “Let the police handle it, don’t get in trouble. Please don’t go, don’t leave me.”

  “I won’t get in trouble and I won’t leave you, honey,” he wiped the tears that had started trailing down her cheeks and kissed her eyes gently.

  “You rest, okay, sweetheart? We’ll be right here.”

  “Rafe, watch him. Don’t let him get in trouble, not over Charlie, not over him…” Her voice trailed away as she fell asleep again. The medicine in her IV kept her relaxed and calm but didn’t affect the baby.

  Brody looked over at Ivy. ‘Watch over her until I get back, will you?” Ivy threw an alarmed look at Rafe and then nodded. “I’ll keep my eye on her. From what I remember her saying, Charlie liked to hang out at Whiskey River Bar. The one with turtle racing and hacky sack and all that crap. Make him regret what he did to her. Rafe, don’t let him get arrested.

  Marie will have all our asses on a skewer.” Rafe smiled and kissed her. “Ma’am, yes, ma’am.” Brody nodded, half relieved and half surprised that she wasn’t going to raise a fuss about him going to find Charlie. Marie was hurt and upset and she didn’t understand that as a man he had to defend her. He had to take a piece out of the man who attacked the woman he loved. He and Rafe left the room and he took one look back at Marie in the bed and closed his eyes. Coming to the house and finding her on the kitchen floor was etched in his memory. Her face contorted in pain and even then the swelling of her face was evident. Even then all she thought about was the baby.

  Don’t worry about me. Take care of Grayson.

  A mother’s protection was fierce like a mother lion fighting for her cub. Well, he was daddy lion and Charlie was going to feel his rage, every last bit of it as he pounded him into a pulp.

  The night air was cool as they strode outside and Brody didn’t even pause to take in a deep breath. By the time Rafe got into the passenger seat, he was pulling out of the parking lot with tires squealing.

  “Damn, Brody, let me get my seatbelt on,” Rafe growled.

  “Tell me if that was Ivy you wouldn’t be on a rampage trying to tear trees out of the ground,” Brody snarled.

  “Yes, I would, that’s why I’m going to let you get your fight on so you can satisfy that testosterone fueled anger you’ve got going,” Rafe said.

  “But you’re going to do this the right way. He is going to throw the first punch and then you’re defending yourself. I don’t need you up on a court martial with our move getting ready to happen.”

  Brody tried to breathe past his anger. “Just stop me before I kill him. I could do it easily without a second thought.” Rafe slapped his hand on his shoulder. “That’s why Ivy let me tag along, so I can be the voice of reason. And because if she wasn’t pregnant she would be in this backseat with a baseball bat.” The thought of Ivy swinging on men twice her size made Brody smile.

  The women in their lives were spitfires.

  He knew exactly where Whiskey River was and soon was pulling into the little dead-end bar in a bad part of town. He’d partied there once and met some women who weren’t much to look at or not someone you wanted to take home to mom. Needless to say he went home alone, and wanted to sanitize himself after the experience.

  Whiskey River was a place for cheap beer and women that were loose in morals and body. Needless to say, it was one of the reasons he started throwing parties so his guys wouldn’t need to be disinfected after a night at the flea-ridden bar. They stepped into the little bar and instantly stood out. The music was a tad too loud and the eyes that stared at them were either interested or wary—or both.

  Rafe went up to the bartender who was also the owner and whispered in his ear. He nodded and Brody caught the subtle move as he pointed out Charlie. The bartender was an ex-Marine that tried to run a clean, honest place with no drugs, just didn’t have the best clientele. But he was well known for not taking any bullshit and definitely not playing bodyguard to someone like Charlie. Brody assessed the man as he moved forward.

  Charlie was about two inches shorter than him but broader across the back. He threw a shot of whiskey back and rubbed the back of his neck and shifted his weight. Brody saw the weakness in his right leg and worked it out in his head how he could use that to his advantage. He pulled up a stool next to Charlie and ordered a drink while Rafe stood close by. He took a sip of the whiskey sour and grimaced because it was made with more whiskey than mix. He pushed it aside because he certainly didn’t want alcohol on his breath when he went back to the hospital. Marie didn’t need that.

  “So, you’re Charlie?” he said casually.

  “Yeah. What’s my name got to do with you?” Charlie shot back.

  “Just want to make sure I have the right guy, the one who kicked in the door to my home and punched my very pregnant girlfriend.” Brody’s voice was deadly.

  “You’re the sucker who knocked up that whore.” Charlie roared with laughter and it took everything out of Brody not to beat his head into the bar. “I’m sorry to tell you, buddy, that chick’s been used and abused.”

  “No, used and abused by you, you mean,” Brody said and raised his voice so others could hear. “It takes a big man to use his fists on a woman who is half his size and pregnant. Kind of like stacking the deck in his favor. Am I right or am I right?”

  The woman standing beside him and who he was talking with before Brody came over moved away with disgust in her eyes. The bar flies at Whiskey River weren’t known to be partial, and to have them walk away from you was a new kind of low.

  “Where you going, baby?” he said with the charm of a snake.

  “Over here wher
e the real men are. I don’t drink with abusers. You hit a pregnant woman.” She shook her head. “You’re a fucking creep.”

  “Poor Charlie, you’re batting zero, but what else could we expect from a pathetic lowlife like you?” Brody chuckled. “Washed out of the Army because you’re a bit too unstable in the field. Oh, yeah, I heard about you.

  Too scared to fight so you pretended to go insane and when you did go out you ended up under a Humvee crying while your platoon was fighting for their lives.”

  The bartender laughed. “Oh, if you hear him tell it, he saved them all.” Other people laughed and Charlie snarled at Brody. “Shut your mouth or I’ll shut it for you.”

  “I’m no woman, Charlie, even though I think a few of these ladies could take you on,” Brody said. “I just wanted to see the man who hit my girl before the cops pick him up and take him away. If the Army made you cry, you ain’t seen nothing yet. In prison, they’ll make you cry and sing a whole different tune when those guys are tagging your ass.”

  “Fuck you,” Charlie shouted. “All you motherfuckers wish you were like me.”

  Brody shook his head. “A loser? I’d say no to that. I’ve got a woman and a baby on the way. Even when you hit and beat her, you never got her to feel lower than you. When you cheated, it hurt for a while until she met a real man and, in case you didn’t know, I meant me. You’re a footnote in her past, something not even worth remembering. She’s right. I don’t even need to hit you, you’re pathetic enough as is. Why waste my time on garbage like you?”

  Charlie let out a roar when Brody turned his back on him and then he felt Charlie’s hand on his shoulder.

  Thank you, he thought with evil delight and let himself be swung around. He caught Charlie’s punch on the chin, but he didn’t really feel it with the adrenaline that was rushing through him. The next swing he blocked and had the satisfaction of planting his fist in the center of Charlie’s gut. The man gagged, ready to spill the alcohol he consumed on the floor. Brody kicked his injured knee and relished in his scream. He knocked Charlie to the floor and began rearranging his face until Rafe caught his hand. Charlie was moaning in pain on the floor. He dragged his hand away from Rafe, ready to hit him some more when Rafe caught him in a half nelson and dragged him up.