Dom Fever (Devlin Black #2) (2 page)

“Devlin.”

A frown came to my face as I handed Ava over.

“We’re going back to my place while I pack. Then we’
ll head…home.”
Home.
With a real family, albeit not one with a wife or sub, but I had my daughter. And… I glanced over. “We’ll stop by the drug store on the way. You can run in and grab a test. I
will
be in the restroom with you while you take it. That’s final. Don’t even think about trying to argue your way out of that one.”

I gestured with my hand and she began
heading toward the walking path. Silence settled over us, but I noticed she still appeared uncomfortable. Like something was wrong.

“I was going to tell you about her on Friday,” she said, lowly.

“You should have told me a hundred Fridays ago.” I kept my attention on Ava as she squirmed in her arms. Victoria’s face was taking on an unnerving color. She’d been pale before, but not to where there was something off about it.

“You want to walk?”
Victoria lowered her to the path between us and Ava grabbed her fingers, reaching up to grab mine too. The action pulled me from my concerns over Victoria. How many times had I seen this same scenario and yearned for it? Fire burned my eyes at the small hand that grasped my index finger. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d shed a tear, but in that moment, I crumbled to pieces under the touch of a toddler. I breathed in deep, closing my eyes to the agony of what had been stolen from me.

To have seen her born. To hear her heart beat
from the womb. To see her look at me for the first time, or to walk. I’d missed it all. No thanks to the woman who I’d believed I was in love with.

That was a lie. I still loved her. But I
didn’t think I could forgive her. Not after what she’d done. It killed me to think about it.

The sweet sounds of Ava’s
babbling brought me back to watching her. The pace was slow, but I was perfectly content with that. Each step was building me up, making me feel even more like the father I was. Would she cry if I tried to pick her up? I wanted to hold her to me, study every little facial expression she made as we stared at each other.

“Devlin?”

My eyes narrowed, my happiness washing away as I glanced at the mother of my child.

“What?”
All the contempt I held was thrown in her direction as I glanced up. It left just as fast as it had come. Her hand clutched to her stomach and she grimaced in pain, swaying to the side, as if she were off balance.

“What is it?”
I stepped forward as she continued to stumble and move away.

“Something’s not right. I think I’m going to be sick again.”

Chapter 2

Victoria
 

The words were barely audible as I let go of Ava’s hand and rushed off the asphalt to fall to my knees and get sick. Stabbing shot across my stomach and bile burned my throat as I heaved.

Vertigo took over and I felt myself sway. Devlin’s deep voice hummed in the background, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. Roaring pulsed in my e
ars and sweat was beginning to cover my skin. My fingers dug into the grass and dirt as I fought to keep myself upright.

“Jesus,” he whispered behind me.

I could feel his hand on my arm, more to steady me than anything.

“I’m calling an ambulance. My car
’s too far away.”

Arguing was out of the question. My mouth wouldn’t work. I knew if I tried to say no, I’d get sick again. Food poisoning. It had to be.

Deep breaths eventually had me able to turn to see him crouched down beside me, holding Ava on his hip. She was crying, staring at me. By some grace of a higher power, I was able to sit down and lean forward.

More deep breaths.

“They’re on their way.” He tucked the hair behind my ear and I looked up, my head swaying as my balance was thrown off.

“I ate
at a new restaurant for breakfast. I’m guessing we have our culprit for the supposed morning sickness.”

A twitch by his slightly narrowed eyes led me to believe he wasn’t happy about it. I looked back down
, trying to stop the dizziness. My stomach was already starting to churn again and I couldn’t ever remember being so ill. Not even when I was pregnant with Ava.

“Paramedics should be here soon. Just hold on. We’ll get you checked out.” I could hear him move closer. “
Where did you eat? I’m so going to have their fucking asses.”

My head jerked up, my eyes blazing. “W
atch your mouth.” The last part was a growl and I reached out, trying to catch myself.

“Sorry. This is just horrible. Look at you. You’re as pale as a ghost.”

“Ma ma.”

I glanced
up at Ava and tried to give her a reassuring smile, but all I could do was try to swallow past the excessive saliva in my mouth. Chills were starting to set in and my jaw chattered as I tried to get a grip on myself.

“I think…” I sobbed past the pains and aggravation of being sick again.

“Shh, it’s okay. Just…” He stood, looking around. “Where the hell are they?”

Before I could stop myself, I was rolling to
my side. Nothing came up, but it didn’t stop the process, which was even worse. By the time I was done, I was so weak, I felt my head lower to the grass. Everything was spinning and I felt so tired. Maybe if I just slept until they arrived…

“
Victoria.” A hand shook me and I barely realized it was Devlin. My eyes fluttered open and I could see his fear. It drew in his eyebrows and left his brow creased. The phone was back in his hand and he was looking at me and then to it, back and forth. My lids closed again and darkness blanketed over me. I liked it here. Dark…like Devlin.

****

Beeping had me shaking my head. I flew forward, my eyes snapping open as I stared around at the surrounding curtain. Devlin jumped up, holding a basin out to me and I grabbed it without pause. There was still barely anything that surfaced. My throat tightened, burning like fire.

Flashes of the ambulance ride and questions during admission came flooding back. I reached for the water Devlin held and took a small drink. An IV was already in and I knew they were monitoring me. Blood had been drawn and with the hours that had already gone by, I knew it wouldn’t be long before they came in to tell me what I already knew. Damn Mexican food place. I was never going there again.

“Where’s Ava?” I looked around, feeling panic set in. She’d been here the last time I was awake.

“Your mom came and picked her up.
I told her I would stay until they released you.”

“Thank you.”
I nodded, lowering my head back to the pillow. Death would have been a piece of cake compared to what I was going through. The stabbing in my stomach remained, but not as intense. Still, the vomiting was the worst.

“She looks like me.” He pushed his hands in his pocket and stared over. “I almost can’t believe how much. I think the only thing she has
of you is your mouth. She has both of our hair color.”

“Trust me, I know how much she looks like you. I saw it from the moment she was born.” I regretted my words instantly. Anger mingled with raw pain flashed over his face and I gave him an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. I truly am. If you would have seen what I did though…”

He held up his hand. “Don’t even for a second make it seem like I would have done the same thing as you. I wouldn’t have. Why? Because I would have
never
, no matter how horrible I thought you were, kept something so important from you. So fucking life-changing. God dammit, Victoria.” His hand rose, his fingers running through his hair. “I still can’t believe what you did. Then, when I point blank asked you, not once, but
twice
, if you needed to tell me about having a child, you lied. Lied,” he exploded.

The hectic activity outside the curtain seemed to go silent at his yell.
My eyes closed, too weak to stay open a moment longer. I forced myself to face him. “I said I was sorry. I had to make sure you had changed for good. Hence, Friday.” The emphasis I tried to apply wasn’t there.

“This isn’t the time,” he said, lowering his head. “You’re sick and this conversation can wait until later.”

The curtain was pulled back and we both looked over. Dr. Keller, the emergency room doctor, walked forward. I didn’t know him very well, but we had met on occasion.

“Ms. Farris.”

“Dr. Keller,” I said, pushing to sit up. “Food poisoning, am I right?”

“Salmonella, yes. But…” he
glanced between us.

I looked over at Devlin and then back to him. “It’s okay. You can say
whatever you need to. I don’t mind if he hears.

He nodded. “The bloodwork came up with a decent HCG count. You’re pregnant
, Victoria.”

My lips parted and I jerked my attention to Devlin,
whose eyes were wide and blinking rather rapidly. He swallowed hard and turned to me.

“Anyway, we’ll move you to a room
upstairs and keep the fluids going while we monitor you overnight.”

I nodded, staying qui
et as he slipped out of my sheltered area.

“I knew it,” he said, shaking his head. “Even after the food poisoning was obvious, I still knew.”

The tears were uncontrollable as they slid down my face. I rolled to my side, pulling the cover up over my head as the sobs wracked my chest. I’d known the consequences when he asked if I was on birth control and yet, I’d still let him continue. Let him make love to me.

“
Victoria.” A hand settled over my shoulder through the sheet and I tried to ignore how his comfort helped. I’d been alone when I found out about Ava. But now…he was here. The father of both of my children.

“Hey.” He pulled down the sheet
, tapping my leg for me to move over. Although my first reaction was to stay where I was, I needed his comfort. Wanted to bury my face in his chest and release my fears to the one man who was the root of them all.

Devlin crawled up to lie down beside me and the moment his arm
came out, I launched myself into him. His fingers brushed back my hair and I held around his chest as tight as I could.
Just this once
. After the shock wore off, I’d be fine. I’d step up like I did with Ava and put together a plan. But for now, I needed him.

“Do you not want this baby?
Because if you don’t…” He broke off, hugging to me tighter. I knew where he was going and it only made me cry harder. “I
know
you don’t want it. If you…”

Again, he got quiet. I pulled back, lo
oking up into his saddened face. He thought I’d abort. It was so obvious by the way he wouldn’t even look at me.

“I kne
w what I was doing and what could happen.” My fingers clung to his shirt as I tried to make my mouth work. My words were slurring, raspy from the rawness. “I’m having this baby,” I managed to get out.

A deep exhale left him and h
e pulled me back into his body, hugging me tightly. The growth on his cheek pulled at my hair as he rested his face to the top of my head. “Thank you,” he whispered, so much emotion in his words that it only brought more tears. But they didn’t fall. My eyes closed, breathing in his cologne as we held to each other. Just as I was drifting off, the sound of the curtain caused me to jump awake.

“I’m here to take you to your room.” A male nurse
held on to the back of a wheel chair. Devlin stood and a female nurse entered, unhooking the IV. As I sat down and covered myself with the blanket he handed me, I still felt dizzy. And cold. The chills were coming back and I pulled the blanket up. The chair began to move and I prayed he made it to wherever we were going fast. The moment we got on the elevator and he hit the third floor, I felt panic set in. I worked on that floor! I should have known now that I was confirmed pregnant that they’d put me on the maternity floor. Shit.

Movement left me swaying and I gripped to the arm of the chair, praying I didn’t get sick. Not yet. Not again.

“You okay?” Devlin grabbed my hand.

“I don’t know yet.”

He waved the basin and handed it over. I tried not to look at it as I placed it on my lap. The more I let it get to me, the more my mind would force me to get sick.

The door opened and the nurse pushed me out,
heading in direction of the nursery where I worked. My arm came up, my elbow bending to rest on the arm of the chair so I could lower my head and try to hide as we passed. Luckily, I didn’t see anyone and the automatic doors opened, leading me to safety. Or so I had thought.

Rita
, one of the nurses who worked with me walked out of a patient’s room, wheeling a baby right toward me. But she wasn’t looking down. She was too busy drooling over the big, bad, famous bachelor behind me.

I brought my head down even more, trying to swallow against the pressure in my throat. God, where were they putting me? I needed
to be in my room before I got sick out here in the hall, in front of the one person who would love to blurt my personal life to the world. She was the leading gossiper in the group, and all I wanted to do was hurry and escape her notice.

I closed my eyes while we traveled even
further. When I opened them, she was gone. In the middle of the hallway, Devlin finally turned, bringing me inside. Another nurse came in behind us and I stood from the chair, nearly collapsing into the bed. As my eyes rose to Devlin, I didn’t miss the uncomfortable way he shifted while he glanced toward the short haired blonde who could have killed him with her glare. What was this? I cleared my throat as they both glanced over to me. The woman’s short hair swung under her chin as she walked forward.

“I’ll just hook up your IV. Dr. Pena is on duty tonight an
d he’s already been notified you’re here. He’s ordered a sonogram to check on the baby and make sure everything is alright.”

Although she talked and fixed the IV, I didn’t take my eyes off of Devlin. His body was stiff, his arms crossed over his chest. The way he refused to look at me, I knew.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name?” I smiled up at her as she looked over to me.

“Hannah. Nothing at all like a flower.”

My head spun to Devlin, who had his lips pressed together. Was he trying not to laugh?

“I beg your pardon?”
A flower? What in the hell was she talking about?

“Never mind.” Annoyance was still there while she finished up the IV, but she kept quiet during the blood pressure and temperature readings.
“That’s it for now. Call me if you need anything. The button’s right there on your bed.” With that, she turned, giving Devlin one last look before she disappeared.

Still, he refused to look at me.

“That was interesting,” I said, jealousy thick in my tone. I hated that I felt possessive over him. He wasn’t mine. Never had been. Yet, I couldn’t stop the hurt that threatened to cave my chest in.

“She…we.” He shook his head, moving to the window.

“You two had sex.”

He nodded, but didn’t turn around.

“I’m sure she won’t be the last we run into.” I lowered the bed and turned on my side, away from him. What was I going to do? Pregnant again, by this man, and now we were going to be under the same roof? How long was that going to last? Forever? Jesus, I hoped not.

“I can’t change my past,
Victoria.” I turned back around as he leaned against the ledge. “If I could take it back, I would. Maybe then I would have at least seen my daughter being born.” The way he said it didn’t sound like a jibe. The tone was too full of sadness, but my guilty conscious became defensive. Instead of saying something that I knew would start another fight, I shut myself off to everything.