Zodiac rolled off the bed and joined me in front of the mirror. His gaze held mine in the reflection.
“I am never having another kid. Though you claim to be a good mom, here you are stealing this special moment from Wilbur’s dad. Seems sketchy.”
Leaning back against him, I sighed. “Your begging isn’t working.”
Zodiac grinned, flashing his perfect teeth.
“How come your teeth are so nice if you grew up unloved?” I asked.
“I loved myself, and I took good care of my teeth. Got the wonky ones fixed once I had money. No one values me like I do.”
“Are you trying to make me cry so I’ll agree to let you join me at the ultrasound?”
“No. You’ll obey without any theatrics from me. You can’t help yourself. You know you screwed your first kid out of a dad, so you’ll overcompensate with this one.”
“Hey, jackass,” I said, turning around to scowl at him. “That kind of talk will keep your dick out of my mouth forever.”
“I can get blowjobs from chicks at the clubhouse.”
“If you give me a disease and mess up this kid, I will fucking kill you,” I snarled. “Then, I can tell Wilbur anything I want about his dead daddy.”
“Fine, I’ll keep my dick dry with other women until you’ve delivered my kid. Then, I’m having an orgy.”
“Oh, that’s fine,” I told him and stroked his cheek. “I’ll be bored with your dick by then anyway. Let’s go upstairs before Sutter thinks we’re fucking.”
“We could have fucked twice in the time it took you to get ready.”
“Only because you come so fast.”
Even without looking back at Zodiac, I knew he was grinning. The man was well aware of his sex skills. Last night, the only way to keep him from fucking me was to fall asleep. The guy could just keep going and going and...
When I reached the top of the stairs, Sutter hurried over to me. I smiled at his worried face.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, sounding so protective.
Leaning down, I whispered, “Just foster kid hangups. No worries.”
Sutter glanced at Zodiac, who was focused on several people standing across the lake. He walked away from us and kept an eye on whoever he saw.
“He never had a real family,” I told Sutter. “It messed him up. He both wants to be close to us and feels like getting close is dangerous. I’m choosing to be patient with him.”
Sutter was a special kid. Sometimes, I felt like he didn’t belong in our family. Right now, as he studied Zodiac, I saw a lot of my dad and brother in Sutter’s expression.
“I’ll be patient, too,” Sutter said after a moment. “He’s the baby’s dad, and his club is your club’s ally. Being impatient with him would be a mistake.”
“Oh, my God,” I cooed and kissed all over his face, “you’re so smart.”
Sutter pretended as if he would squirm away, but he didn’t actually go anywhere. I suspected he missed me last night. I know I felt weird being hours away from my boy.
After I cuddled Sutter against me, we walked over to where Zodiac eyed someone. I followed his gaze to see Joker Curran and his son Tricky standing outside, grilling like they often did together. Joker was an affable guy with a burly build and red hair. His son inherited his looks but not his brains.
“What’s got your back up?” I asked Zodiac.
“I wish I had kept my interest in you more discreet. That way, my enemies wouldn’t put two and two together when they see you knocked up.”
“There are no secrets in the Sleepy Eye Community. Tricky will always know my business. My mom and Amanda are friends. My dad and Joker hang out. Even if you kept your obsession with my hot body on the down-low, they would have learned you were my baby daddy.”
“Tricky will never be my friend.”
