In Blood and Worth Loving 3 Kiss Cover (27 page)

She shuddered. Lord help anyone on the receiving end of the venom she heard in his voice.

“
You
’
re perfectly safe.
”

“
Then I think it
’
s best if I relocate.
”

He sighed.
“
How can it possibly be best for you to relocate away from all the people who care most about you?
”

“
I can
’
t face seeing him knowing that he wouldn
’
t even try to learn to care for the part of the baby that
’
s mine. That refusal tells me just how little he thinks of me.
”

“
No. It doesn
’
t.
”
He turned to face her.
“
You
’
re looking at this from a human woman
’
s prospective. I don
’
t know any full-blood who would feel differently, Desi. Hell, there are even human males who would feel the same
way he does
. Moving away from your support system under these circumstances is going to be a mistake. You
’
ll be all alone with no emotional support when you need it most.

“
You need to take a few weeks to rethink things before you decide to go it alone. I know you can do that if you had to, but you don
’
t have to. It
’
s foolish to cut yourself off from the people who care about you just to avoid seeing him.

“
We
’
re all aware of the situation and will bend over backwards to ensure you don
’
t have to see him.
”
He turned and drove off the property.

Who knew the full-blood who had a reputation as a bad-ass party boy could be so sensitive or make such sense?
“
Thanks, Max.
”

“
For what?
”

“
For caring enough to argue the point with me.
”

“
Did I argue it successfully?
”

“
I
’
m not sure but I
’
ll take your advice and
not make a final decision for
a few weeks.
”

“
While you do that I want you to know I’ll be there with you every step of the way. And if you decide to move, I’ll come with you and see you safely settled in.
I’ll stay as long as you need me to.
”

Her throat tightened with tears. “You will?”

“
You’re not alone and won’t be unless that’s the way you way it. Hell. Who am I kidding? We’re not going to let you go it alone–even if you want to.
The Stoners are in for the duration.”

Touched, she reached out to squeeze his hand.

* * *

“
Go ahead. Tell me you think I
’
m wrong and get it over with. Everyone else has.
”
Conner sat at the table on his condo
’
s balcony staring at Max four weeks later.
“
And when you
’
r
e done doing that tell me how the hell you became her confessor?
”

Max arched a brow.
“
I suggest you tone it down a notch or two or the next thing you know, you
’
ll lose your mind and take a swing at me. And let me remind me, I
’
m not Adrian or Sin. I
’
ll slap your happy ass off this balcony and when you hit the ground below, I
’
ll already be down there waiting to throw your ass back up here.
”

He was no more of a physical match for Max than he was for Sin-Bad, but he was almost agitated enough to hit him anyway. Almost. Whereas Sin-Bad would probably have just warded him off Max really would toss him off the balcony. Of course he wouldn
’
t actually hit the ground but he decided he could do without the indignity of righting himself in midair to keep from landing on his ass.

“
Fucking manic.
”

Max smiled.
“
Stick and stones, Conner.
”

“
Why is she confiding in your crazy ass?
”

Max shrugged.
“
Instead of worrying about why she is, you should be happy she is. Each time she does, I do my best to make the case for her remaining in the area and I encourage her to try to see things from your prospective.
”

“
Really? And how
’
s that going?
”

“
Lousy,
”
he admitted.
“
But then look what I have to work with
;
a dumb ass full-blood who took over a year to face the obvious and then made a royal mess of everything. Nevertheless, she
’
s still here. So shut the fuck up, you ungrateful bastard, and wake up and smell the damned coffee.
”

“
What
’
s that supposed to mean?
”

“
She
’
s not going to change her mind. So if you want her back, you
’
re going to have to change yours.
”

“
How can I?
”

“
Given how you feel, how can you not?
”
Max countered.
“
And she does have a point. The baby is half hers. Just cling to that half.
”

“
And what if the baby looks like him? Am I supposed to raise his spitting image?
”

Max arched a brow.
“
I
’
m sorry. Why didn
’
t you tell me?
”

He frowned.
“
Why didn
’
t I tell you what?
”

“
That you were brutally raped and impregnated trying to protect her?
”

He inhaled slowly as the import of Max
’
s words sank it.

“
Granted full-bloods have practically cornered the market on selfishness, but you take the damn cake. If you weren
’
t raped, maybe you
’
ll tell me why the fuck we
’
re talking about what
you
can
’
t handle instead of what she
has
to handle?
”

What the hell could he say to that?

“
Have you given any thought at all to how abandoned she must feel?
”

“
I didn
’
t abandon her! I made sure she was financially provided for and if she some
how
manage
s
to blow
the money as
Rayna
surely
would, I
’
ll give her more.
”

“
Big shit! Both Adrian and Jayvyn would have given her money. Hell, so would I. Do you really think that
’
s all she needs? She
’
s
nurturing
a baby whose genetic make-up she fears. Even as she
’
s decided to keep the baby she
’
s afraid the child will have the genes of a rapist and if it
’
s a boy she might not be strong enough to try to shape him in the way she wants.

“
I
’
m telling you, Conner, she
’
ll never need you more than she does now. If you can
’
t hang, you
’
re going to blow it for good this time. And I
’
m warning you, I
’
m not going to leave her struggling alone. And who knows where that might lead?
”

Conner stared at him.
“
What? What the fuck are you implying Max?
”

“
Just what you think I am. As your friend, I
’
m giving you fair warning. If I can catch her interest, I
’
ll have absolutely no problem standing by her and accepting her child. Granted, she
’
s not my usual type, but she
’
s earned my interest by her determination to stand by her child
–
even if it costs her the man she loves.

“
And if she
’
s not interested in me, maybe Macarik can get the job done.
”

“
Macarik? He
’
s in love with Shanise!
”

“
Who I hear has gone and broken his heart by falling very hard for another man. I hear she
’
s engaged to this man. Macarik blew it. You want to join him in his misery or watch him climbing out it with Desi
’
s help? She
’
s going to need help raising the baby. Who better to help her do it than someone she already knows and who is already fond of her?
”

Conner clenched his
right hand into a
fist. The thought of her with one of his so-called friends infuriated
him
. He stared at Max.
“
Touch her and I
’
ll stake your ass and as for Macarik
–
”

“
You
’
ll leave him the hell alone or I
’
ll be tempted to show you just how crazy I can be. You walked away from her and left her when she needed you most. Do you know almost every time I
’
ve seen her in the last few weeks, I can see she
’
s been crying? She needs someone to lean on. So what
’
s she supposed to do? Spend the rest of her life alone to please you? Fuck you!

“
If you don
’
t want her, trust me, there are others, human and full-blood who do. Because I value our friendship, I
’
ll give you a little time to rethink your position
–
”

He slammed his fist down on the table top.
“
There
’
s nothing to rethink!
”

“
If you really think that you
’
re a fool who doesn
’
t deserve her.
”

“
And you think you do, you crazy ass bastard?
”

“
I know I don
’
t but unlike you, I wouldn
’
t be crazy enough to insist a woman choose between me and her child.
”

“
I have news for you, Max. Human woman do it all the time.
”

“
Do they?
”
He shrugged.
“
We both know any woman who
’
d choose a dumb
ass man over her child wouldn
’
t be worth having. Think about that before you continue to pass judgment on her or dare to think she doesn
’
t have a right to be happy with the man of her choice, you stupid ass bastard!
”
He got up and stormed off. Moments later, Conner heard his entrance door slam shut.

While he knew Max was right and he wanted to be there for her, he couldn
’
t see himself feeling anything but malice for Hartford
’
s child. He rose and paced the length of his balcony for several minutes trying to calm his rage. When it didn
’
t work, he did something he hadn
’
t done in years he ran across the balcony and jumped off. He free fell for several feet before he pulled up and flew towards the night sky.

The previous month had been long and angst filled. Despite the countless fems he
’
d bedded and whose blood he had ingested, Desi had never been far from his thoughts. And none of the encounters had made a dent in the deep-seated hunger for her that grew more intense with each interlude.

He couldn
’
t
raise
Hartford
’
s child but he doubted he
’
d be able to forget her. What the hell was he supposed to do? Deciding he needed a fuck and some
sustenance
he headed to Foreplay, a hedonistic club in the city suburbs that catered to vampires and adventurous humans.

As soon as he arrived a tall, nicely padded fem with dark hair and beautiful brown eyes slipped her arm through his and leaned over to nip at his neck.
“
Conner
, lover
. What a nice surprise. I hear you
’
ve finally come to your senses, gave up that silly human bitch, and are on the prowl again. Let
’
s fuck.
”

Annoyed by her reference to Desi, he shook her ha
n
d off and stepped away from her.
“
Where
’
d you hear that?
”

“
Where didn
’
t I hear it? Everyone is talking about what a narrow escape you had and how Hartford actually did you a favor by tapping her fat ass and knocking her up
–
”

Conner lost it and backhanded her, knocking her down. Then he stood over her.
“
Who the fuck are you to
imply he did me a favor by
rap
ing
her?
Have you ever been raped, you stupid, jealous bitch?
”

“
None of that shit in here, Redwolfe.
”

He turned and found himself facing two full-blood bouncers as the fem bounded to her feet and flew at him. He gripped her by the throat and held her off before he tossed her at the bouncers who danced out of the way before charging towards him.

He stood his ground.

Sebastian Stoner suddenly stepped between him and the bouncers.
“
Why don
’
t we all calm down?
”
He looked at the fem.
“
Are you all right?
”

“
Fuck both of you.
”
She glared at Conner.
“
You
’
ve made an enemy.
”

“
If you don
’
t get the fuck out of my sight, you
’
ll be a dead enemy.
”

She stared at him with her incisors bared before she turned and stalked away.

Sebastian put an arm around his shoulders and forcefully walked him out of the club and into the parking lot where he rounded on him.
“
What the fuck is wrong with you? They
’
re called fems for a reason
;
they
’
re female.
Yes, they’re far stronger than any human male and can fend for themselves, but they’re female.
And unless they attack first, no full-blood worth the name has any right to hit one.
”