The Alpha's Baby (16 page)

"Why don't you come over tonight?" her mom said. "I'm making stuffed peppers. You love stuffed peppers."

"Not tonight." Emmy had to come up with a game plan. That way, she would be less likely to jump out a window due to prolonged exposure to nagging.

"But I'm making my famous coconut cake," her mom said.

"Not tonight." Not even the richest cake in the world would convince her to enter her mom's house unprepared.

"Oh, phooey." Her mom sighed. "Fine. Call me before you come so I can cook you something. I still say you're too skinny."

She rolled her eyes. "All right, Mom."

"Bye, sweetie," her mom said. "Love you."

"Love you too."

Emmy ended the call, wondering when she was going to have the courage to face her parents after her mistake.

****

Nothing made a woman hungrier than puking. At least, it seemed that way to Emmy as she stumbled out of the kitchen, feeling ravenous. She headed out to the dining room, expecting to see Sebastian parked at a table with his laptop where he'd been all day.

Unfortunately, when she headed around the corner, he was still at his table, but he wasn't alone. Annabelle and Tina were hovering over him, making goo-goo eyes. An angry tiger roared in her belly that she was ninety-nine percent sure hadn't been there before. Either that, or it had been hiding in a dark corner, concealing its carnivorous intentions.

Scowling, she marched toward Annabelle and Tina, thinking of all the ways that she could make their lives miserable if they didn't get away from Sebastian in, oh, the next two seconds. Like usual, they were so busy talking that they didn't notice her coming up behind them.

"Why don't you go out for smoothies with us?" Annabelle tossed her platinum hair over her shoulder.

"No, thank you. I'm not much of a smoothie fan." Sebastian shook his head. "Besides, I'm already spoken for. It would be inappropriate."

"It's just lunch," Tina said. "And we could get Chinese instead."

"Or Mexican," Annabelle suggested.

"I know this great Indian place." Tina batted her eyes.

Sebastian shook his head, frustrated. Unlike Annabelle and Tina, he'd noticed Emmy was there and rolled his eyes at the two girls.

"How about Thai?" Emmy placed her hands on her hips as both Annabelle and Tina froze in horror. "I bet you'd love Thai."

"You know what, Thai sounds amazing." Sebastian's stood up and kissed Emmy on the lips.

"You two are together?" Annabelle gaped.

"I'm her fiancé." Sebastian gave a satisfied smirk.

Annabelle gazed at Emmy with unflattering disbelief. "Really?"

"Yes. And I believe your job is to man the register, not pick up guys." Emmy gave her a pointed look. "Unless, of course, you'd prefer not to have a job at all."

"Well, there weren't any customers around." Annabelle was already inching her way toward the cash register.

"So sorry." Tina dashed off as Annabelle followed behind her.

Shaking her head, Emmy turned her attention back toward Sebastian. The man wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her closer.

"How long were those two bothering you?" She pressed her palms against his muscular chest.

"It felt like forever." Sebastian moaned in frustration. "I'm in my thirties, and they're, what, eighteen? I don't understand why they thought their behavior was appropriate."

"Girls like older guys." Which unfortunately had the angry tiger roaring again.

"Hmm." Sebastian patted her rear end fondly. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-eight," she said.

"That makes me an older guy." Sebastian nuzzled her neck.

"Guess I'm lucky."

 Even though she shouldn't have been canoodling in the middle of the bakery, Sebastian's body pressed up against hers felt oh so right.

"So, how much do you like older guys?" He grinned at her teasingly.

"Well enough to go eat Thai with them," she said.

"I want to do more than eat Thai food with you." His grin widened. "I was thinking more along the lines of a sexy afternoon in bed. Though I think bringing dessert into the bedroom would be acceptable."

"Yummy." A shiver ran down her spine.

"Just wait until I break out the chocolate sauce and whipped cream." He pressed a hot kiss against her earlobe.

"Mmmm." She squeezed her eyes shut. "Sounds like the beginnings of a delicious fudge sundae."

"Oh, it's delicious, all right." The man winked. "Do you want to know where I'll put the fudge?"

She licked her lips. "Why don't you tell me?"

"I think I'll start with your lips"—he brushed his fingers across her mouth—"and then I'll pour some on your stomach all the way to your cunt."

"Sebastian!" She glanced behind her to make sure nobody heard such dirty talk.

"After that, I'll probably take some ice cream and put it right on your ass." Sebastian pressed his palm against her butt cheek. "Then I'll lick everything off you until you're screaming."

She swallowed. "I think you forgot the cherry. A sundae isn't a sundae without a cherry."

"I didn't forget the cherry." He brushed his hand against her crotch. "It's my favorite part. Didn't you know?"

"No, I didn't." Her eyes widened.

He leaned forward so he was whispering in her ear. "And since it's my favorite part, I always eat it nice and slow."

She gasped.

"What do you think?" His eyes danced as she stared at him. "Do you want to have a sundae? I'll buy everything. All you have to bring is yourself."

Oh God, her cunt was overflowing. "O-okay."

"Good." He pressed her against him, and it didn't escape her attention that he shifted so her large breasts were brushing against his chest.

As she drooled and dreamed about being covered in fudge, the moment was interrupted by Sebastian's phone ringing. Cursing, the man released her.

He checked the caller ID. "It's my brother."

"You can answer it." That way, she'd have time to recover. She was so hot that she was worried her brain might liquefy.

Nodding, Sebastian answered the phone.

"Hey, Zeb, what's up?" he asked.

Unfortunately, Zeb's response made Sebastian's face drain of color. Her heart pounded, and not because she was excited by the idea of dessert.

"Is there something wrong?" She tugged on Sebastian's sleeve.

He met her eyes and nodded. His brother said something into the phone, but she couldn't make out what he said.

"I can't leave now, Zeb." Sebastian grunted. "I have to look after Emmy."

She tensed. It didn't seem right that Sebastian had to stay at the bakery for her sake. If something was wrong with his brother, then he should have gone to him.

"Sebastian," she said.

"I'll do what I can from here." He ignored her and began to pace. 

"Sebastian!" she cried.

The man lowered his phone from his ear.

"I don't know what's going on, but if it's an emergency, you don't have to stay here with me." She didn't want to keep Sebastian from his brother.

"Of course I do." He shook his head. "You're the mother of my child. Just because my brother is hurt—"

"Your brother is hurt?" she interrupted.

"Yes." He winced.

"Then you need to go to him." There was no other solution. "I'll be okay here."

"Jake could hurt you if I'm not around." His fists clenched at his sides.

Even though she was nervous, she had to see reason. "How? I'm in the middle of a crowded bakery. He can't do any serious damage."

"He came after you last time." A vein pulsed in Sebastian's jaw.

"Well, he may have threatened me a little, but he didn't do anything."

"He could now," Sebastian said. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Then I'll go with you to see your brother."

His face hardened. "Absolutely not."

She was shocked by his intense reaction. "And why not?"

"My brother, ugh, isn't exactly in a hospital," he admitted.

"Then where is he?" She raised an eyebrow.

"He's got himself in a spot of trouble," he said.

"A spot of trouble? There you go, being vague again."

He shrugged.

"Are you going to call the cops?" She gritted her teeth.

"Cops?" Sebastian shook his head. "I can't do that."

"Why not?" Oh God, he was into something illegal, wasn't he?

Sebastian's brows furrowed as if he was thinking hard. "My brother, ugh, has an interesting past."

Oh great, her baby's uncle had a criminal background. She sighed. No wonder he acted like he had so many secrets. Well, no matter what, they would be discussing this later.

"Okay." She ran her hand through her hair. "You have to explain everything when you get back, but, for now, go help your brother. I'll be okay without you for a couple of hours."

Despite her words, Sebastian didn't raise the phone to his ear.

"Well?" She stared at him expectantly.

He gritted his teeth. "I don't know about this."

"What other choice do you have?" It wasn't like he could be much help over the phone. "I'm not in danger right now. Your brother is. Go to him."

Groaning, Sebastian nodded. "Promise me that you'll be careful, sweetheart. Eat lunch in the bakery and make sure that you watch your back at all times."

"I will." She placed a protective hand on her stomach.

"And if I'm not back by tonight, have somebody walk you straight to your car. Don't dawdle. Drive straight back to your apartment. Understand?"

"It's crystal clear." She gave him a thumbs-up, trying to pretend that his intense instructions weren't giving her the heebie-jeebies.

"You are going to do what I say, right?" He gave her a hard stare. "I know I sound like an ass, but I'm just trying to protect you."

"My baby's well-being is at stake here." She nodded. "Of course I'm going to listen to what you say."

"Good." His eyes darkened. "Then I guess I'll go to my brother."

"It's where you need to be," she said, even as her nerves grew.

"You're an understanding woman." He gazed at her with adoration.

Before she knew what was happening, he seized her arm and pulled her against him. He tangled his hands in his hair, then forced his lips against hers. As he kissed her fiercely, he thrust his tongue into her mouth. While she gasped in shock, he ran his fingers along her lower back. She held onto him, digging her fingers into his shoulders and not wanting to let him go. A moment later, he broke free from the kiss. She swayed as she tried to recover from his intoxicating embrace.

"Be careful." He laid a kiss on her forehead.

She nodded. "Uh-huh."

Sebastian kissed the top of her stomach. "You be careful too, baby."

His concern for her and his unborn child warmed her heart.
He's a good man,
she thought, as he shot her once last concerned look before striding out the door with his phone pressed to his ear. She stared out the window long after he was gone.

****

Night came, but Sebastian hadn't returned. She kept looking out the window for him, but the man was nowhere to be seen. Still, she supposed that Jake hadn't shown up either, so she should have been counting her lucky stars. As she paced around the kitchen, she heard the door open. Donavon came inside in jeans and a T-shirt. She'd called him to ask if he would escort her to her car, and he'd come over despite the fact he wasn't scheduled for work.

"I'm at your service, milady." Donavon bowed at the hip.

She raised an eyebrow. "You're over the Batman act, I see."

"I was feeling more like a knight in shining armor today," he said.

"Well, then, I'm a lucky woman." She just couldn't bring herself to say the word damsel. "Do you want twenty bucks? You did drive all the way over here just to walk me to my car. I should give you something."

"Don't worry about it." Donavon waved away her offer. "This is the least I can do for my awesome boss."

"Awesome boss, huh?" She raised an eyebrow. "The others don't seem to think so."

"Who, Annabelle?" Donavon grinned. "Don't take her too seriously. I'm pretty sure she's been a bloodsucker since the moment she was born."

Okay, she was definitely giving Donavon a raise. "You're my favorite employee, do you know that?"

"Ah, shucks." He turned red.

Emmy smiled due to his bashful reaction and grabbed her purse. "Well, let's go. It's getting late, and I have to be up early tomorrow to start baking."

"I'm ready for duty." He saluted.

She studied him. "Are you a soldier or a knight in shining armor?"

He winced. "I'm not really sure."

"Well, loyal soldier or dazzling knight, let's go." She pulled the strap of her bag over her shoulder.

Nodding, Donovan opened the backdoor for her. After she walked outside, she looked up. Thunder cackled and lightning whipped across the sky. She shivered in apprehension, but she quickly pushed away her bad feelings. A little rain wasn't a bad omen. It was Seattle, after all. Rain was constant. She headed over to her car and unlocked the door.

"Thanks again for helping me, Don." She climbed behind the wheel.

"No problem." Donovan nodded. "Let me know if you need anything else."

Boy, he was helpful.

"Don't you ever quit on me, you hear." She pointed at him. "Valuable employees like you are few and far between."

Even if he had a bad habit of mixing up salt and sugar.

"I'll stay at your bakery until I'm old and gray." He took a step back.

"Good." She nodded. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye."

She waved at him and then shut the door.

After she watched Donovan climb into his car, she pulled out of the parking lot and drove onto the main road. Rain came pouring down from the dark clouds, spattering the windshield. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel, cursing the god of rain. Tonight she was anxious enough without having to deal with the sheets of water pouring down from the clouds.
Almost home…almost home…
she chanted in her head as she placed her foot on the pedal.

She watched her headlights dance on the wet sheen of asphalt as she drove to her apartment. Just as she was heading down a secluded road, a person stepped right in front of the car. With a scream of horror, she stamped on the brake. The car screeched and careened.