I gave him a huge smile that contrasted with the crease I felt in my forehead. “How do you go from caveman to sweet guy?”
He laughed. “Which do you like better?”
I tapped my finger on my lips. “Mm. I think… kind of both.”
He laughed harder.
I gripped the waist of his swim trunks and leaned in. “Caveman doesn’t mean you can order me around, though.”
He lost his smile. “Then don’t throw yourself in front of flamethrowers or try to protect me.” He rested a hand on my stomach. “Protect him. Protect you.”
“Him, huh?” I asked. “You think it’s a boy?”
“No idea. But I want a boy,” he said like a kid about to stomp his foot, trying to get his way.
I giggled. “It’s not up to you. That magic sperm of yours has already decided.”
He slid his hands up my thighs. “Seriously, Layla.” His green eyes narrowed. “I know you’re a fighter. That’s what I love about you. But the stakes are now higher.”
I pressed my forehead to his. “I promise, Sam. I will put myself and our baby first.”Our baby.Whoa! That came out too easily.
As Sam’s warm breath breezed over me, as my pulse quickened and my heart raced, something my uncle Jack said punched me in the gut.“It’s time to do something with your life.”Of course, he hadn’t meant with vampires.
Still, Sam loved me. He had a soul, and he felt emotions just like humans. And we wanted the same thing—family and to rid the world of evil whether human or vampire. He hadn’t come out and said that exactly, but he didn’t have to.
He cupped the back of my neck and peppered kisses over my face. “Even over your sisters?” The skepticism in his tone wasn’t a surprise.
“As much as you love your sister, I love both of mine. That will never change. But the baby’s safety comes first.”
He helped me off the counter. “That’s all I needed to hear.” Then he tugged me to him, and my tits mashed into his chest.
“Ow.” If I didn’t believe I was pregnant before, it was beginning to become evident now.
He froze. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”
“My breasts are a little sore.”
He inched back and gently cupped them, grinning like a teenage boy touching a woman’s breasts for the first time. “One thing I can promise you. I’ll handle these babies with care.”
I snorted. “You’re definitely a tit man.”
He massaged my breasts. “I’m a Layla man.”
We both laughed, and wow—it felt freeing to laugh together.
“Sam, one last thing.”
He gave me a wolfish grin and traded my tits for my hair. “You’re about to rip my shorts off?”
“Sex would be great. But it’s not that.”
He pouted.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m going to need Dr. Vieira and Jo to guide me through this pregnancy. I can’t do it alone. So I would like to stay in the women’s barracks.” As much as I wanted to curl up next to him every night, I needed a little more time by myself. I’d never had a chance to get to know who I was. My sisters or my parents had always been around, and given the new trajectory my life was on, it would be good to sort out my feelings, to understand myself. Because I didn’t anymore.
28
SAM
