Part 11 (2/2)
”f.u.c.k that. She can f.u.c.king wait her turn.” The woman buried her hand in his hair, then jerked on the blond strands. ”Now get back to licking, or momma's gonna take it out on your a.s.s.”
Bethany nearly choked on her sudden laughter. The last thing she'd expected was to catch Deacon's brother in the act. Unlike the last time, where the sight of the woman moaning over her Sir's desk had made her beyond hot, the sights and sounds of this bossy lady did nothing for her other than give her a severe case of the giggles.
”Dear Lord, Steven. Don't leave the woman hanging. Just make sure you clean up after yourself or your brother will kick your a.s.s.” She gave the woman an apologetic look. ”Sorry for the interruption...carry on.”
Then she slipped back down the hall and glared at the chuckling bartender. She planted her hands on her hips. ”Think that's funny, do you?”
Tim nodded and wiped at his eyes. ”As h.e.l.l.”
She gave a reluctant smile. ”I've got to learn to knock. Let's just hope Deacon doesn't catch wind of what his brother is up to. He'll be p.i.s.sed if Steven f.u.c.ks up his deal with that particular vendor especially after all the haggling he had to do to get the rates he wanted.”
”True.” Tim busied himself behind the bar. ”So what had you so hot under the collar you want to tear a piece off Deacon?”
She sighed and slipped onto the barstool. ”Him...just being him.” She propped her chin on her hand, as Tim made her a s.h.i.+rley Temple. ”For some reason he thinks he can boss me around.”
”Well, that's what Doms do, sweetheart.” He gave her a wink as he added a plump maraschino cherry to the sparkling pink soda.
She shook her head, but accepted the drink. ”In the bedroom only. He knows better than to try and dictate to me about my job.” She took a sip the flavor of ginger ale and grenadine bursting along her tongue. ”You'd think he'd realize that.”
Tim leaned up against the bar. ”Right now you have that man running scared. He's not thinking clearly about anything other than losing you.”
She furrowed her brow. ”He hasn't lost me yet. But if he doesn't straighten up his act, he may. Accusing me of crazy a.s.s things, then telling me we're gonna get married just because I'm pregnant.” She toyed with the straw. ”Sometimes I wonder about him.”
”Look, I know things are rough between you two right now. An unplanned pregnancy will do that.”
”Especially when the man in question doesn't want to have kids. I nearly had to beg him to think about it as a possibility in the future.” She chewed on her lower lip, fearful that Deacon might never warm up to the idea of being a Dad. That he'd marry her, but then become a stranger - not a real partner - only existing in their home. Self-doubt filled her. Was she doing the right thing? ”Maybe he's right.” She squeezed the bridge of her nose. ”Perhaps he isn't cut out for this parenthood thing. h.e.l.l, I don't think I'm ready either.”
”Before you do something rash, Bets, talk to the man.” Chet appeared beside her. She gaped at him. With his left eye blackened, his nose purple and swollen, and an oozing cut on his upper lip, her friend looked like he'd been on the losing side of five rounds with George Foreman.
She pivoted in her seat. ”What the h.e.l.l happened to you?”
”Your boy-friend is what happened.” Chet muttered, before stiffly turning to Tim. ”You won't have an ice pack or three behind there, would you?”
”Sure thing, slugger.” He reached under the bar, pulled out a Ziploc and filled it with crushed ice, some cubes, and a bit of water. Handing it to Chet, he shook his head. ”Maybe next time you'll think twice about challenging Deacon for her, hmmm?”
Bethany groaned. ”d.a.m.nit, Chet. You didn't!”
Holding the makes.h.i.+ft ice bag to his nose, Chet shrugged. ”Maybe next time he'll think twice about making you cry.”
She rolled her eyes. ”I'm supposed to cry I'm freakin' preggers.” She slapped at his arm. ”So what the h.e.l.l did you say to set him off?”
He tried to give her an innocent look. ”Who said I said anything?”
She gave him a pointed glance. ”Dude, you told the president of the university that even if he gave you a full ride you weren't going to date his horse-faced daughter.”
He shrugged. ”She was a clingy, whiney b.i.t.c.h who only wanted to date me to get back at her ex. I didn't need that kinda of drama in my life.”
She arched a brow at him. ”And the fact that she wanted you to tie her up and spank her had nothing to do with it?”
”Maybe.” He rolled his shoulders. ”You know me too well. Ropes and floggers are great as long as they are being used on me. Marking up my woman is medieval.”
”Anyone ever tell you you're a bit of a sn.o.b?” Tim growled.
”All the time but I love what I love.” Chet lifted the ice pack off his nose. ”d.a.m.n, your man has a killer right hook. But it was worth the five grand to find out his intentions.”
”What do you mean five grand?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
”Good going, genius.” Tim groaned. ”I'm pretty sure Deacon didn't want her to find out...”
”What? That he got into a big enough fight with me that his uncle fined both of our a.s.ses?”
Her mind whirled. The only way LeRoy would fine the men was if... ”Don't tell me you got into a knock down - drag out brawl at the club.”
He grinned. ”Yep, and I got the gra.s.s stains to prove it.”
”Idiot!” She smacked him upside the head despite the bruises. ”What the h.e.l.l were you thinking!”
”I wanted answers.” He rolled his shoulders, then fell silent.
Bethany waited impatiently for him to continue, but as the silence dragged on, she grew irritated. ”And?”
”That man loves you and the babe you carry.”
She placed a hand over her stomach. ”Do you know he thinks he's not capable of being a dad, because his own father walked out on him?”
Chet shook his head. ”No, but that would explain part of the reason he wants the baby badly enough to risk losing his members.h.i.+p at the club.”
She looked at him blankly. ”What do you mean?”
”You know I don't talk much about Elaine, right?” Chet s.h.i.+fted on the barstool.
”Your last mistress? The one who died in the car accident.” Bethany remembered hearing about the freak accident that had killed Chet's lover. A semi driver on the Eisenhower had fallen asleep at the wheel and slammed head on into Elaine's car, killing her instantly.
He nodded. ”Yeah.” He set the ice pack on the bar. ”But what no one knows is that we'd just found out that she was pregnant. She was talking to me on her Bluetooth when it happened. She'd been to the doctor, and even though she'd thought she'd never have kids because of a medical issue, she was nervous but happy. She said it was because she was carrying a piece of me inside her.” He took a deep breath. ”I heard the same thing in Deacon's voice today. He might not have planned on this, but he wants both you and the child you made together.”
”He has a h.e.l.luva a way of showing it.” She couldn't keep the whiny tone out of her voice.
”So he can be an a.s.shole at times he's a typical man.” Chet shrugged. ”But knowing you you love him all the more for it.”
She sobered. It was true. When other people saw nothing but the a.s.shole faade he showed the world, she remembered the man who had given her a job when she was still reeling from her breakup with Ryan. When others saw him as a dominating p.r.i.c.k, she saw a man who knew exactly how to trip her trigger. But more importantly, when others were p.i.s.sed off because of his possessive att.i.tude, she felt loved knowing that if he truly didn't care, he'd have let her do anything she wanted. ”I do. He may not be every woman's dream man...”
”But he's yours.” Chet propped his elbow on the bar. ”So the question is...what are you gonna do about it?”
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