Heck, even when Armani is being a jerk, he still insists on protecting me, sending security to keep an eye on me, doing everything in his power to ensure I’m safe. He ran into a burning building to rescue me, didn’t he? The man cares about me, even if he has trouble admitting it to himself. And it’s no wonder, considering the fucked-up childhood he had and the fact that he lost the two females he cared most about in the whole world at such a young age.
Looking down at the picture in my hand again, I trace the shape of the little bean one more time. It’s finally really dawning on me that I’m going to be a mom in less than seven months, and something is opening up inside of me. A deep well of acceptance and love that feels natural, as if it’s been there all along. Just waiting for a minuscule human with a newly beating heart to reveal it. No matter what this baby’s family looks like, or what kind of care their biological father can or cannot offer, I’m going to make it my mission to be sure that he or she feels cherished and wanted every single day. They’ll never have to grow up feeling like I did.
After we get out of the car at home, I make my way to the stairs, figuring Armani will be rushing off to the Bellanti offices since he already missed a good chunk of his workday thanks to my appointment. But instead, he follows me up to the bedroom. Maybe he wants to talk.
Crossing my arms, I look at him and wait.
But instead of speaking, he locks the door behind him and strides purposefully toward me. I’m half expecting him to start a fight, half expecting him to rip my clothes off. What I’m not expecting at all is the way he lowers onto his knees before me.
Shocked, I stand there frozen as he takes my abdomen between his hands and stares at the space he cradles with his palms. My breath hitches. He leans closer and rests his forehead there and just…stays.
I gently lace my fingers against the back of his head, afraid he’s going to pull away the second I do. But he doesn’t. This big, imposing man simply remains on his knees in front of me, touching the space where his baby is growing. I don’t know what it means, and I don’t care. It’s enough for me to close my eyes and appreciate this moment.
Armani exhales, his warm breath seeping through the fabric of my T-shirt.
“I…have to tell you something,” I say hesitantly.
Armani doesn’t move. “I’m listening.”
I know it might not be the right time to tell him about Orloff’s appearance after my brother’s funeral, but it’s been nagging at me and I need to get it off my chest.
“At my Sean’s funeral—well, afterward actually, at my parents’ house—I saw Orloff.”
Immediately he stands, tensing up. “Orloff showed up at your parents’ place?”
“Yes. I mean, he wasn’t inside the house. But when I left I saw him driving down the street in an SUV. He looked right at me. We made eye contact.”
“How is that possible?” he says, clearly agitated. “I had security all over that neighborhood—”
“It was just a drive-by,” I tell him. “I’m sure if he tried to get out of the car or go inside the house, your guards would have intervened. This was more like…a warning. A threat.”
He starts pacing, pulling out his phone as he runs a hand through his hair.
“Fuck. Why didn’t you tell me sooner? We’re tracking his car, so it must have been a different car than what he usually drives. I need to get my men on this.”
“Hey.” I reach out and grab his arm, tugging until he stops pacing and faces me. “I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d freak out like this. And I’m already under enough stress, and there’s nothing you can do about it because it already happened.”
“I can keep it from happening again,” he insists. “No more going off property without a guard at your side. Two guards. And I’ll tell security to treat every single unidentified vehicle as a potential threat. I’ll send people to surveil Orloff and get a GPS on the new SUV, and—”
“Armani. Stop.”
“No. I won’t stop until Orloff is out of the picture. For good. Even if I have to take him out myself. He’s not going to hurt you or this baby, and he sure as hell isn’t going to come creeping around you again.”
He’s gone full-on alpha male, the intensity rolling off him in waves. His fight-or-flight instincts are kicking, and he’s ready to fight. But I don’t want him to. Not right now. So I grab the phone out of his hand and set it on the dresser, then turn to face him again.
“Just be here with me, okay?” I plead. “That’s what makes me feel safe. Even when you’re being an asshole and I can’t stand you, I still feel better knowing you’re next to me.”
Something in his expression shifts. And then, without a word, he shrugs out of his jacket and tosses it onto a chair. He unfastens his cuff links next and pulls his shirt hem free from the waist of his pants.
“If you’re trying to seduce me now, it won’t work,” I bluff.
“Liar,” he says, a smirk tugging at his lips.
He peels off his shirt, revealing those sexy tattoos hugging all that glorious muscle. Damn him. I can’t tear my eyes away.
Dropping onto the bed as a hot ache blooms between my legs, I feel equally aroused and irritated at my own weakness when there’s so much more we have to discuss, about the baby and everything. But I know what I need right now, and talking isn’t it.
He unzips his pants and shoves his briefs down, revealing his thick, hard cock, and my mind narrows down to one thing only. Now it’s my turn to drop to my knees, my mouth already opening as his hand slides to the back of my head.
