Gunnin' for You (Rolling Thunder series Book 4) (2 page)

He shook his head as he looked at his bike. “Now you’ll have to follow me home to clean my bike; it’s the biker rule.”

Emma furrowed her brow. Still stunned, she squeaked, “You want me to follow you home?”

“You’re the one who doused it with baby formula. It took me five hours to clean it up this weekend. Seems the least you could do.”

“I…I didn’t…I don’t…” Exhaling loudly, Emma looked at him, and with resignation in her voice said, “I…can’t…do…that.”

It was her fault, she knew that. She had never cleaned a motorcycle in her life. If it took him five hours, it would take her a month!

He laughed out loud. Emma gazed up at him and sucked in a breath. Wow, he was beautiful. Holy shit!

Something he saw in her face made him laugh harder. “Naw. I’m just messing with you. I don’t let anyone touch my bike. But it was worth it for the look on your face. Thanks for the laugh, though; I needed that.”

Gunnar pulled into the grocery store parking lot and parked his bike in the closest space to the door he could find. He pulled in to the back of the space so some knucklehead didn’t decide to screech into the spot at high speed only to see his bike parked there too late. Using his heel, he dropped the kickstand down and tilted his bike to the left. Looking over at the Camry in the next spot, he noticed it was a newer vehicle. Perfect. Someone with a new car wouldn’t be careless by swinging open their door and banging it against his baby. She was sparkling clean after sitting at the shop all winter, and he wanted it kept that way for a while.

Just before dismounting, a little gal with long, wavy blonde hair juggling three grocery bags caught his eye. Her tight fitting jeans hugged her lean legs and the boots they were tucked into shaped her calves perfectly. He caught glimpses of a yellow blouse as she worked on pulling keys out of her front jeans pocket. He grinned as he watched her show. She was oblivious to his presence as she finally maneuvered the keys from her pocket and promptly dropped the middle bag she’d been holding. It broke and the groceries she had just purchased were strewn across the parking lot behind her Camry. “Shit,” she muttered as he watched a can roll towards him. He chuckled to himself as it hit his boot. The carnal thoughts fleeting through his mind as he stared at shiny brown eyes were powerful. He dismounted and leaned down to pick up the can and he caught a whiff of her perfume, powdery and fucking sexy. His nostrils flared as her fingers brushed his, causing a jolt to run through his body like lightning.

Then the clumsy little wench dropped the formula. He watched as it dripped off the perfectly polished chrome, and he mentally calculated how long it would take him to clean that off. That’s when he decided to have a little fun.

He walked over to the remainder of her groceries strewn on the ground and noticed diapers, more formula, and a few baby bottle liners. He began helping her load her wayward groceries in the trunk of her car and stood to look at her.

Beautiful. No. Gorgeous. Tiny little waist and a perfect handful of tits. His dick wiggled in his pants as he assessed her assets.

Finding his voice, he asked, “How old is your baby?”

Emma blinked and looked into her trunk. She shook her head, “I don’t have one. My sister is due any day now and I wanted to stock up a little. She’s as big as a house.” She smiled.

Gunnar felt…relief. Her bright yellow lace shirt, brown leather belt that matched her boots and hugged her calves to her knees—lined with baby formula running in rivulets down them—accented her body perfectly. When she smiled his cock twitched.

“Well, I have to go. I’m sorry about your bike. I didn’t mean to do…that.” She motioned toward his bike. “And your jeans. Sorry about those too.”

Gunnar shook his head, “No worries.” What? No worries? What was wrong with him?

“Hey, what’s your name?” he asked, trying to detain her as long as he could.

She closed the trunk and walked to the car door. Stopping, she looked at him and a soft smile played on her lips. “Emma. What’s yours?”

“Gunnar Sheppard.” His voice was dry and tight.

Emma slid into the driver’s seat. He waved and moved out of the way. His opportunity was passing him by. He didn’t know anything about her except her name was Emma.

“Good luck with your sister’s baby.” Lame. His brain wasn’t connecting with his mouth.

She glanced out the window of her car as she put the key in the ignition and smiled. His groin ached and tightened. She backed up and waved as she put her car in drive and drove away. He should have asked her out.

Shit!

Chapter Four

Ron pushed Ashley in a wheelchair into the hospital at three forty-five a.m. Emma briskly walked alongside, trying to keep up. Ashley was excited, Ron was excited, and Emma was panicked. Holy shit! Her sister, her only sibling, was going to have a baby—right now!

Emma was sure she prompted this labor. At supper time, she had related her story about hot biker guy and the groceries and the baby formula all over his bike. Ron and Ashley laughed so hard tears ran down their faces. All of a sudden, Ashley froze. Emma and Ron froze as they watched Ashley.

“Holy shit! I think I’m in labor,” Ashley exclaimed.

Ron jumped up and started throwing dishes into the sink. “I’ll get your suitcase and the baby’s bag; Emma, can you start the car and get it warmed up?”

Instead of rushing out the door, Emma stared at Ashley as she breathed through a labor pain. Ashley glanced at her and smiled, “It’s okay, Em. That one wasn’t bad. I don’t think we have to run to the hospital right now. We’re supposed to wait until the pains are about ten minutes apart.”

Ashley hoisted her girth up from the table and started walking around the kitchen, hands pressing into the small of her back. Emma, still frozen to her seat, watched not sure what to do.

Ashley turned, saw the look on Emma’s face, and burst out laughing again. “Is that what you looked like when you realized what you did to sexy biker guy’s ride?”

Emma furrowed her brows and shook her head. “Stop making fun of me! That was mortifying.”

Ashley was still laughing when a gush of water spewed down her legs. She quickly looked up at Emma who stared at the puddle of water at her sister’s feet. Both women looked at the floor and it was Emma’s turn to start laughing.

“Glad you weren’t there, or you would have busted your water all over his bike.” As their eyes met, they both began laughing again. It had always been this way with them.

Ron walked in and looked at the water on the floor and the two women laughing.

“What’s so funny about... What is that? Did you pee…?”

“No. My water broke.”

“Holy shit! We have to get going.”

Ashley calmed Ron down and explained why they shouldn’t go to the hospital just yet. They sat in the living room for nine hours. Ashley sat on towels, in case all of her water had not gushed out, passing the time until they could bring her to the hospital and “get the baby out of her,” as she kept saying. She switched between lying down and sitting up. Ron would rub her back, and then she would need to get up and walk, only to sit right back down and have Ron rub her back.

“God, I have to go to the bathroom again,” she moaned.

“No, Ash, you’re going to squirt the baby right out of you into the toilet. I don’t want my niece or nephew being born in a toilet.”

Ashley sighed. “I’m not going to squirt him out, Em. You watch too much television.”

Emma wrinkled her face as Ashley slowly waddled to the bathroom once again.

As they sat in Ashley’s hospital room, nurses came in here and there to check her and the baby’s vitals, as well as any progress being made. Emma watched in horror as her sister’s features contorted in pain. Sweat dripped down her bright red face and her blonde hair was plastered to her head. Ashley and Ron were panting, quick little huffs of breath as Ashley let out a yowl. Emma thought she would pass out watching her sister in so much pain.

The current nurse, Janie, announced, “You’re dilated to nine centimeters. It won’t be long now.” She pulled her gloves off. “I’m going to get a doctor.” Emma watched Ashley and Ron beam at each other.

“I’ll wait outside, Ash.” Emma stood to leave.

“Don’t you want to watch your niece or nephew come into this world?”

Emma stopped and looked at Ashley. She raised her brows. “Really? Isn’t that embarrassing or…gross?”

Ashley giggled and was immediately hit with a sharp labor pain. Ron started instructing her on her breathing. Her face burned bright red as her tired eyes closed, and beads of sweat slid down her face.

Nurse Janie came running in with a doctor in tow and they proceeded to get to work. Emma didn’t know if she should run out of the room and head back to Chicago or just stay and watch. So far, it’d been pretty terrifying. Ashley’s face was constantly contorted in agony. Childbirth was certainly not the least bit glamorous.

“Okay, Ashley, the baby is crowning,” Janie informed her.

Emma peeked over the doctor’s shoulder and saw the top of a head come peeking out of her sister’s bottom. Holy shit, that looked horrifying! Emma looked at Ashley’s face and almost passed out.

“Okay, Ashley, we need you to push.”

Ashley bore down, and with a loud grunt, she pushed until the veins popped out on her face. Jesus! Emma looked down to see the baby’s head slide out and the doctor turned the baby so it was face up. Nurse Janie suctioned out the nose and mouth and wiped away some goo from its face. “We need another push, Ashley,” the doctors said, “and your baby will be here.”

Ashley reared up as Ron said, “Okay, Ash, push with your abs this time.”

“Shut up, Ron; I know what I’m doing.”

She pushed like never before. She panted and grunted, and as Emma watched with both shocked fascination and awe, she saw a baby fly out of her sister’s nether regions. “Holy crap! It’s a boy!” Emma exclaimed.

Tears ran down Emma’s face as she stood transfixed, staring at her new nephew. The doctor and Janie laid him on Ashley’s belly as they wiped him up. As they suctioned more goo out of his mouth and nose, he started crying—a weak, but sweet little cry. Ashley started bawling like her baby.

“I have a baby! I have a baby!”

Ron hugged Ashley and kissed her face, her head, and her neck as his tears mixed with hers. Emma watched like she was sitting in a movie theater. It felt so surreal.

“Em, I have a baby!”

Emma nodded. She couldn’t say anything; her throat was so tight. She walked to Ashley’s side as the doctor instructed Ron on how to cut the umbilical cord. The tears in Ron’s eyes had Emma’s eyes watering. She’d never seen him so emotional, and he was probably as terrified as Emma at watching a human shoot out of Ashley’s private parts.

Nurse Janie cradled the baby in her arms and walked to a little table in the room with a light above it and laid the baby down. She cleaned him up and weighed him, measured him, and listened to his heart and lungs. When she was confident she had everything she needed, she wrapped the baby in a blanket and walked over to Ashley and laid him in her arms.

Emma stood watching the whole thing in amazement. Ron sat on the edge of the bed with Ashley, and Emma leaned down and kissed her sister’s head. She looked down at her brand new nephew in awe. He was fast asleep, not caring a thing for all these people in the room who wanted to meet him. Ashley and Ron positively glowed.

“What do you think, Em?”

“I don’t know.” Emma’s words were slow and soft. Ashley looked at her and smiled.

“Your face is going to stay like that if you don’t stop looking that way.”

Emma shook her head. “I’m stunned. A little grossed out too. I just saw a little person come out of your…you know. Holy shit, Ash. Gross.”

Ashley laughed again, “Yeah. You should have been me. Hurt, too.”

Emma could only nod, “I bet it did.”

“I want to hold him,” Ron said, watching his son with so much pride on his face. Ashley giggled and handed their son to Ron, who quickly cradled him to his chest.

“What’s his name?”

Emma smiled as she watched her big ol’ brother-in-law make cooing sounds to his son. Ashley looked up at Ron and said, “Tyler.”

Ron’s head snapped up. “Really, Ash? I thought you didn’t want to name him Tyler.”

Ashley nodded and smiled as she laid her head back against the bed and closed her eyes for a moment. Nurse Janie came around the bed, “Can we get you into a new gown and change the bedding before you nap?” Ashley opened her eyes and nodded. Ron stood up and walked over to Emma and placed Tyler in her arms. Emma started to protest, being new to this baby thing, but Ron insisted. “I want to help Ash, Emma; and you need to meet Tyler.”

Emma promptly sat in the nearest chair and looked at her nephew as he slept blissfully unaware in her arms. Rocking back and forth, Emma relaxed and realized she was content sitting with Tyler. She finally understood what people meant when they said it was peaceful rocking with a baby. Before she knew it, Ashley had been cleaned up, changed, and new bedding placed on her bed. Janie walked over to Emma.

“May I bathe him?”

Emma smiled at her. “You have the greatest job.”

Janie nodded. “Yes, I do. I love this. I can’t wait to have my own someday.”

“After watching this all the time, you aren’t scared? It looks like it hurts like hell.”

Janie smiled. “It’s a pain that brings such joy.”

Emma nodded. “Well that’s true. Are you hoping to have a baby soon?”

Emma watched her handle Tyler, wanting to learn what to do. She followed Janie across the room to the bath. Very efficiently she rested one hand on his tummy, and filled the baby bath with the other. As she squirted baby soap into the water, the fresh scent of clean baby filled Emma’s nostrils. Mmm, fresh baby.

“I’d love to. We’ll see. I’ve only just met someone special.”

Chapter Five

Jeremiah ran to the car and started it. He turned the heater on, tapped the trunk button to open it, and quickly walked into the house to grab Joci’s and the baby’s bags. He mentally checked that he had everything they needed. He wasn’t home when the twins were born. Serving in Iraq saved him from this type of stress. Thinking on it now, this would rank right up there with being shot at; his nerves were wound tight. Rotating his head as he set the bags into the trunk, he closed the lid and hustled to help Joci to the car.