Claiming His Unexpected Baby (Assassins Guild #2) - Michelle Howard Page 0,53
Amar.”
Amelie snorted and paused in her cutting. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
Scarlett peeked over her shoulder and eyed the lean assassin from head to toe before facing Amelie again with a smirk. A devilish glint lit her blue eyes. “I would not kid about a man who looks like him.”
Blowing out a breath, Amelie shook her head. “I know nothing. He’s Sulen’s friend and helped save Fleur.”
“He’s in the Guild too, right?”
Amelie grimaced. “I’m not sure how much I’m supposed to say about that. Sulen renewed his contract for another two years and I have to start being more careful of how I discuss his absences.”
Scarlett shrugged and hopped up to sit on a stool. “Say what we’ve been saying. He’s gone for work. No one’s questioned it before and shouldn’t now. If they do, blow them off.”
Amelie sighed, wishing she had her friend’s cavalier attitude. Pulling out dishes to serve the dessert, she said, “Hopefully, no one probes too hard.”
Scarlett snagged a plate and utensil, digging into the creamy filling of the square on her plate. She angled her body to a slant and licked the white fluff while watching Amar. He happened to look over at the right moment and stilled.
His lids grew heavy and the corner of his lips tilted up. He said something to Sulen then headed for the door.
“Damn,” Scarlett muttered after he left.
Amelie was still chuckling when Sulen joined her and looped an arm about her waist. “What are you two up to?”
“Nothing.”
***
Sulen curved his arm about Amelie’s waist as she cut and served cake to everyone. He buried his nose in her hair and closed his eyes. The scent of her washed over him and he took a moment to be thankful that he’d found her. When he’d vowed to find the one who forged a connection with him, he could not have expected that he’d find a ready made family.
Fleur giggled at something Saedra said and curled up on the sofa beside the woman. Garik stared and Sulen felt his smile grow wider. Garik was in for a time as a parent. While Sulen hadn’t been prepared to be a dad, at least Fleur was at the walking and talking stage. Garik would have to do it all from the beginning and Sulen didn’t envy him.
“Are you okay?” Amelie asked.
“Happy,” he said.
Scarlett leaned forward on the counter with her plate and fork in hand. “Mushy talk later. Tell me about your friend, Amar.”
Shocked, Sulen read the interest in Scarlett’s gaze. He considered what he knew of Amar and thought of him with Scarlett. Humor erupted. “I think I’ll leave that for you to discover.”
Epilogue
The baby’s coming.
Sulen read Amelie’s message blinking on his comm when he woke up. It took a moment then he shot straight out of bed.
The baby. The baby was coming. Wasn’t it early? Why hadn’t she awakened him?
The answer was obvious. He’d just returned from a mission in the middle of the night and she’d probably thought he needed his sleep. How many times had he told her he was used to operating without rest for days at a time?
Jamming his legs in his pants and foregoing shoes and a shirt, Sulen crossed the hall and flicked on the light. Fleur’s sleeping face was turned in his direction. His heart clenched as it always did knowing this tiny princess belonged to him. Being a father hadn’t been something he’d imagined but he couldn’t envision a life without her in it now.
“Fleur?”
Her head popped up, no signs of sleepiness. “Is it baby time?”
Sulen chuckled. “Yes. It’s baby time.”
She cheered and slid out of bed to race to her closet, flinging the doors open. He left her to get ready and grabbed a shirt and his shoes. Little time had passed when he and Fleur rushed out the door and drove to the medical center.
The halls were empty other than a few uniformed staff members walking around. He held Fleur cradled against his chest and stopped a hurried woman in a lab coat. “I’m trying to find my bond mate. She’s here—”
“The baby’s coming,” Fleur whisper yelled.
That brought a smile to the weary lined face. “Usually, there are plenty of babies coming this time in the morning but I happen to know of only one that was born just five minutes ago.”
They’d missed the fireworks. Sulen tried to feel regret but his fear about the whole thing had him more relieved than anything. “Can you tell us where to go?”
“Down the