Monroe, Marla - The Edge of Night [The Protectors 3](Siren Publishing Classic) (35 page)

“Fuck, you’re tight, baby. That’s right. Squeeze me.”

He began fucking her deep and slow, but soon increased his speed as she pulsed around him, squeezing him with her vaginal muscles. Amanda wanted him to lose control. She needed that to know that she meant something to him, even if nothing more than a damn good fuck.

Morgan’s dick tunneled in and out of her at a faster and faster rate until he began to lose control of his rhythm. He reached around and tapped her clit with his finger in an effort to make her go first. She squeezed him with all her might and was rewarded with his grunt and spasm inside her even as she climaxed around him. She felt the hot streams of his cum inside her womb. Not for the first time she wished her baby was his.

* * * *

Morgan fought to catch his breath without drowning them both in the tub. He reached around Amanda and pulled the plug to let the water out. Then he carefully stood up and stepped out of the tub, snagging a towel as he did. He bent over and helped Amanda stand up so she wouldn’t slip.

“Come on out, baby, and let me dry you off.”

“Hmm, I think I want a nap before dinner. You can all eat without me,” she told him.

Morgan laughed. “Not on your life. You won’t get back up and eat. You eat first. Then you can get in bed.” He continued drying her off, and when he came to her rounded abdomen, he hesitated and found himself wishing the baby were his. Then he cursed himself for being foolish. He popped her on the ass and told her to get dressed while he dried off. She frowned at him before leaving him alone in the bathroom to brood.

He knew his time with Amanda was fast drawing to an end. Why did it feel like the end of his world as well? Yeah, she meant a lot to him, but it wasn’t like he was in love with her or anything, right? Besides, she was pregnant with another man’s baby, and any baby wasn’t what he needed right now.

You’re an idiot, Morgan. You’ve gone and gotten hooked on a woman you could never live with. She’s not for you.

He finished drying off and walked into the bedroom to find that Amanda had already dressed and left the room. Part of him was a little relieved. He needed a few minutes to get hold of his emotions. Part of him wanted a life with her in it, the part that kept conveniently forgetting she was pregnant. And it wasn’t so much that it was another man’s child, it was just that she was pregnant.

If things had been different…but they weren’t. The facts were what they were, and he needed to get her settled and ride. It was past time for him to pull out. He had two more days.

“Hey Morgan! Soup’s on!” Tyler called from the kitchen.

Morgan drew in a deep breath and let it out before zipping up his jeans and pulling on a T-shirt. He walked out of the bedroom, a smile fixed on his face. His attention immediately went to where Tyler and Dodge were serving Amanda a plate of spaghetti. Jealousy colored his gaze a hazy red, and he had to bite his tongue to keep from telling them to get away from her. She didn’t belong to him.

“Man, this is amazing, man,” Justin said. “You better get some before it’s all gone.”

Morgan dished up a plate and sat across the table from her instead of next to her like he really wanted to do. She looked into his eyes with a silent question, and he felt like he’d kicked a dog. She didn’t understand why he’d suddenly changed his way of treating her. Any other time he would have been sitting next to her feeding her. Instead he was across from her feeding himself.

Fuck, he was screwing this up. He needed to begin distancing himself from her so it wouldn’t be so difficult when the time came for him to leave, but he hadn’t meant to hurt her. He was no good at relationships anymore, if he ever had been to begin with. He and his wife had had plenty of trouble the five years they had been married. If he were honest, a lot of it had probably been his fault. He’d enjoyed being on the road with his friends too much. Maybe he wasn’t cut out for anything other than a casual relationship.

“Dude. Where are you, man?” Jethro interrupted his thoughts.

“Hum? Sorry, just thinking about how to set up Tuesday. What am I missing?”

“We were talking about going for a ride tomorrow after lunch. You in?” Tyler asked.

“Count me in. Need some time on the road again. Dodge? You coming?”

“If my leg isn’t bothering me too much, wouldn’t miss it.”

They worked out a route and talked about bikes and rallies they’d all attended in the past. Morgan noticed Amanda was silent and stared at her plate while they talked about getting out the next day. Guilt slid through him at leaving her alone. He shook it off. Damn it, he wasn’t her keeper, and she’d be completely alone once everyone left by the end of the week. That didn’t sit too well with him either.

He was just about to say something to her when she got up, taking her plate with her. She raked what she hadn’t eaten into the garbage and rinsed her plate in the sink.

“I’m bushed, guys. I’m going to bed. Talk to you all tomorrow morning.” She smiled and waved at them before walking back toward the bedroom.

Morgan almost got up to go see about her, but made himself stay where he was. He needed to pull away now, or it would hurt worse when he suddenly left. Right now, it seemed to be hurting him just as much. He wanted to go and tuck her in bed and kiss her good night.

He let the others pull him into the conversation going on, and for the next three hours, they talked bikes, hot rods, rallies, and their days together in the army. Tyler hadn’t been in the same group with him and the twins. Tyler and Dodge had been in a later group he’d ended up assigned to. Tyler was there when he lost his wife. He’d hit the road with him when he’d gotten on his bike and driven off to lose himself in an alcoholic daze for nearly a year.

Tyler would let him drink for a while and wallow in misery, then pull him out of it and make him ride. He owed a lot to Tyler for keeping his ass alive during that time. He and Riley had made sure he didn’t die in some rat-infested dive.

Jethro and Justin had watched his back when he’d been in the army before they’d all been split up and reassigned during some shake-up the army went through. He had missed his old buddies, but eventually learned to trust some of the new ones, like Tyler and Dodge.

Finally, they all called it a night and wandered off to the different rooms. He opened another beer and sat alone in the living room, reliving some of the memories there. He could almost hear the fights he and his wife had had there. He could remember the good times, too, though. Maybe all relationships had the same ups and downs, only about different subjects. Maybe he wasn’t as bad at relationships as he thought, but then again, maybe he was.

Morgan turned up the beer can and drank the last drop. Hell, it was late. He needed to get to bed. He was sure Amanda would be asleep. He could slide in and not wake her up. He wasn’t in a good place to talk with her right now.

After turning off the lights and disposing of his empty beer can, Morgan checked all the locks on the doors as if he’d never been gone, then slipped into the bedroom and peeled out of his clothes. When she didn’t make a movement or sound, he figured he was home free. He carefully climbed between the covers and turned onto his side with his back to her.

Almost as if she sensed his being there, she rolled over and snuggled up to his back. One arm wound around his waist. He could feel her body heat, and the soft swell of her breasts pushed against his back. He could feel the difference in them from two weeks ago.

Groaning, he turned over and let her snuggle closer. He pulled her head to his shoulder and relaxed, slipping into sleep knowing he was going to pay for not keeping her at a distance before it was over with.

Chapter Twenty-Six

“I’m scared, Morgan,” Amanda whispered as they walked into the bank.

“Nothing to be nervous about or scared of,” Morgan told her.

He kept a calming hand on her lower back as they made their way to the desk in the back where they’d talked with one of the bank managers before. He introduced them and asked about the room they had reserved for conducting their business. The female manager smiled and led them to a small room. She promised the notary would be with them in just a few minutes.

“This is going to work, right?” Amanda asked, her voice shaky.

“Yes. It’s going to be fine. Just remember that this man is never going to bother you again. Keep in mind what a scumbag he is, and you’ll be all right.”

There was a light knock at the door, and a young woman in a suit walked in with her small bag holding her notary supplies.

“I take it our other party hasn’t arrived yet? Good. I was afraid I would be late.” She held out her hand and introduced herself.

Someone else knocked at the door. Morgan nodded for Amanda to stand behind him as the notary opened the door and admitted a tall, husky man of about six feet, weighing a little on the hefty side. His dark brown hair was thinning on top, and he looked all of his forty-two years. The idea that Amanda had been with this man amazed Morgan. She could do so much better than Guy Winthroup. Hell, she could do better than him.

“I understood Amanda was going to be here,” he said and started to back out of the room.

Amanda disobeyed him and stepped out.

“I’m here. Come in, and let’s get this over with. I don’t ever want to see your face again after today.”

“Who is this?” he asked her, pointing to Morgan.

“I’m her bodyguard,” Morgan informed him.

He felt Amanda jerk a little at that. He hadn’t told her how he would introduce himself, but maybe he should have.

“Bodyguard? Why does she need one?” he asked with a smirk.

“It seems someone has a good deal of money shelled out to bring her in to them, dead or alive. I’m here to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Evidently Guy hadn’t expected him to say anything that specific in front of a witness. The notary gasped, but quickly regained her composure and continued setting up her paraphernalia.

“Let’s get down to business,” Morgan suggested and seated Amanda across from the slimeball.

Guy let out a breath and took a seat. He crossed his arms as if he had nothing to worry about.

“Here are the papers drawn up by her lawyer. You can read them if you would like, but you’re signing them before you leave this room or the deal is off,” Morgan told him.

Guy took the papers and looked through them. Then he looked through them again. Sweat beaded up on his forehead. He nodded and took out a pen to sign them, but the notary stopped him.

“I need you to use my pen, please. They like for you to sign in blue ink. It copies cleaner,” she said.

“Fine,” he snapped and grabbed the pen.

After signing the first copy, Morgan slid another copy across the table. He signed it without even looking at it. He handed the pen back to the notary.

“Is that everything?” he asked.

“Do you want a copy of what you signed?” Morgan asked.

“I never want to see any of this again.”

“Then we’re through with you. You’re free to go. Just remember what I told you over the phone the other day.” Morgan smiled at the man, making sure it was his coldest, deadliest smile.

Evidently it worked since he fumbled, nearly tipping the chair over as he hurried to leave the room.

“Well, he was ready to leave,” the notary said.

“He had somewhere he had to be,” Morgan told her. “We’d like two copies of the papers, and then we want to access her safety deposit box.”

“Of course. Here is one copy.” She handed over one signed copy. “I’ll make the copies of this one and be right back.”

“It’s over, right?” Amanda asked him.