Claimed By The Devil - Joanna Blake Page 0,68
know you’re still young, but I have to tell you, that is what I want from you.”
I nearly spat out my coffee. He did mean me. He wanted . . .
“You want . . . babies? With me?”
He leaned back in his seat and gave me a lazy smile.
“As soon as you’re ready. I want as many as you want. Probably more.”
“But you’re . . .” I was going to say a badass. I didn’t expect someone who looked like him to be all about being a dad.
“I’m what?” he asked softly. Was I imagining it, or was he holding his breath? “Too old for you? Too counter-culture? What, Melissa?”
“Too gorgeous,” I blurted. “You look like you should be on a photoshoot dripping with Victoria’s Secret models, not settling for a chubby girl and wanting to settle down.”
He clenched his jaw. The look he leveled on me was angry. Angry like he’d been when I hid the stack of bills. My stomach did a little flip-flop.
“Is that really how you see yourself, Melissa?”
“What do you mean?” I stammered, suddenly realizing I should have kept my mouth shut. I wasn’t afraid of Nick. Not really. But I could tell he was furious. “Chubby?”
He nodded grimly.
“I mean . . . yes?”
He shook his head.
“No. I will tell you a million times if I have to. But it’s probably better if I show you.”
“How can you show me I’m not chubby? I mean, I know I am. Compared to other girls.”
He smiled at me, but there was an edge to it. It promised retribution. I swallowed the rest of my coffee just as Dana came over with our food. He just stared at me for a minute, not touching his utensils. Then he cut himself a big bite and chewed.
“Enjoy your food because there’s going to be a reckoning when we get home.”
I think I audibly gulped, literally like a cartoon character. Nick just smiled calmly. I knew he would never hurt me. Even if he did . . . spank me again.
I squirmed a little in my seat and his smile widened.
“Eat up,” he repeated. “Make sure you get a little bacon in each bite.”
I cut into my food and closed my eyes in ecstasy. Ice cream for breakfast was decadent in the extreme. But the saltiness of the bacon cut the sweetness in an absurdly delicious way. Nick was right.
Nick was pretty much right about everything.
Chapter Forty-Four
Jack
It was like a scene out of a spy movie.
The sexy redhead had no idea she was being followed. She wore sunglasses and a long black trench coat that hugged her ridiculous curves. Her long legs were encased in tight black jeans and she had high-heeled booties on that clicked when she walked against the cold marble floor.
She was beyond hot and alluring. She might have thought she was in disguise, but no one who knew her would be fooled. Never mind that she was impossible to miss. I almost smiled at the film noir image she presented.
Almost.
But I didn’t smile. I didn’t smile because she was in big fucking trouble. My wife was lying to me. To my face. She was hiding something from me. And I had a terrible feeling that I knew what it was.
Because I had her phone on GPS. And I knew she’d been sneaking back and forth to the hospital. I was fucking terrified. I had been for weeks.
And so, I was following my sneaky ass wife. The woman I loved more than should be humanly possible. The mother of my children. She was my better half, and more.
I nearly stopped when I saw where she was heading. The oncology ward. I didn’t want her to walk through those doors. I didn’t want to know. I watched her pause, take a deep breath, and square her shoulders. My heart twisted as she held her head high and pushed through the double doors.
My wife had moxie. There was no doubt about that. But I knew she had to be scared.
So why the hell was she doing this without me?
She wasn’t. That’s why. She must have known on some level that I would find out. She had to know I wouldn’t let her face this alone. I growled a little under my breath, and a passing nurse looked at me, alarmed. I tried to smile but it came out a grimace.
I barely noticed as she scurried away. I was scary looking, end of story. I should have known smiling wouldn’t help.
I