Trouble in Hell (Hell Night 1)

I take a seat before she can finish, setting one water in front of her. Her lips snap shut and form a straight line.

“I saw you were almost out, so I got you another water.”

Her gaze flickers to the new glass. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Picking up my burger, I take a bite. “How’ve you been feeling?”

“Great actually,” she answers, playing with the condensation on her glass.

“Spoke with Mick. Unfortunately, he’s not able to do a rush job on your car.”

She nods. “Yeah, I called yesterday when I didn’t hear anything.”

Picking up a fry, I shove it in my mouth. “You should probably have your car replaced. Seems to be a piece of shit if you can’t even get parts for it anymore without bending over backwards.”

She gives me one of those half-smiles where only one side lifts. “You sound like my brother, Kian. He’s been telling me for years I needed a new car.”

“Smart man,” I mutter and take a swallow of my water. I turn my plate so the fries are facing her and push it to the center of the table. “Eat.”

The word comes out an order and she lifts a single brow. “I’m not eating your lunch.”

“You’re eating for two, so you need them more than me. Besides, I won’t eat them all.” The last part’s a lie, but I don’t feel any compunction saying it.

She looks at me doubtfully, as if she knows I’m lying. I’m not a small man by any means, and I could put away two meals this size, but I hold her gaze and match her raised brow. Finally, she gives in with a sigh, grabs the mayonnaise, and squirts a small circle on my plate out of the way of the rest of the food. I almost gag when she dips a fry and eats it.

“That’s disgusting,” I tell her just in case the look on my face didn’t portray my abhorrence to the combination.

She picks up another fry, smothers it, and shoves it into her mouth. “Normally I would agree with you, but apparently, Bubba likes it.”

I wince at that Godforsaken name. All I can picture is a huge man covered in tattoos in prison garments forcing another man to play bitch for him. There’s no way I’m telling Remi that though.

“Oh!” she suddenly squeaks and straightens in her seat. Her hands fly to the top of her abdomen.

“What is it?” I ask, dropping my burger and leaning across the table.

“A hard kick against my ribs. He’s been real active the last couple of days.”

I relax back in my seat. “No pre-labor pains?”

“Just a few aches in my lower back, but I figured they were from carrying around the added weight.”

“And the kicks, how long have they been coming from the top of your abdomen?”

“A couple of days.”

“Hmm… Sounds like he’s head down,” I comment.

“Does that mean…” she trails off, not needing to finish. Worry lines her face.

“Not necessarily. The baby can switch positions back and forth several times before you go into active labor. However, I highly suggest you contact your brother and ask him to escort you to Colorado. You really shouldn’t be traveling alone so close to your due date. Especially since you’ll be another week or two along by the time Mick gets done with your car. That’s too much of a risk.”

Her bottom lip settles between her teeth and she nods. “I’ll call him tonight and see when he can make it down here.”

I pick up my burger and finish off the rest of it while she devours the fries, leaving me only a few. I don’t mind. For some asinine reason I enjoy watching her eat.

“So, you’re the only doctor around here?”

I wipe my mouth with a napkin. “Yes. Although Susan’s a nurse practitioner, and can do damn near as much as me.”