Tainted Heartbreak (Tainted Knights 3)

I found her standing in front of the mirror that hung from the back of her closet door. In nothing but a pair of panties and a bra, she held a dress up in front of her, contemplating it thoughtfully. Her hair hung over her shoulders in loose curls, and she had taken a little extra time with her makeup. She looked beautiful and delicious.

Shutting and locking the door behind me, I cleared my throat loudly, accidentally causing her to startle.

“You scared me!” she squealed as she tossed the dress to the floor.

My tongue suddenly felt like it was glued to the roof of my mouth, and my cock swelled against the fly of my suit pants. That damn little baby bump was sexy as fuck. Unable to keep my hands to myself, I pulled her into my arms and rubbed a hand over her stomach. With a soft sigh, she tipped her head back, showing me the hunger banked in her fawn eyes.

Instead of kissing her like I ached to do, I rubbed my nose against hers and stepped back, willing my cock to settle down as I took a seat on the edge of her bed. “Well? Let’s see the other options, Dreamer. I need to feed you and my baby girl soon, so get a move on.”

She gaped down at me for a long moment, then a smile teased at her lips and she turned with a little swish of her glorious ass and pulled another dress from her closet. “How’s this?” she sassed, holding it in front of her.

It was a short-skirted red dress, and I knew if she wore that, it would be game over. There was no way I was keeping my hands to myself all night if her ass was going to be playing peekaboo with me every time her back was to me.

I shook my head. “Next.”

Three more dresses later and she was pulling the knee-length blue dress over her head and turning so I could zip her up. I took my time, letting my thumb skim over her soft skin as I pulled the zipper upward. Goose bumps popped up where I touched, causing her to shiver. I allowed myself a second or two to savor the moment and kissed the base of her neck before stepping back.

“Ready?” I choked out.

“Y-yeah,” she said breathlessly and grabbed a pair of ballet flats. Slipping her feet into them, she took my hand.

I took her to the restaurant I used to work at before the band got signed with Petrova. I didn’t have a reservation, but the second we walked through the doors and my old boss saw me, he was seating us. He liked to tell people he helped make me and Tainted Knights famous, and I let him hold on to that delusion as long as it meant good service the rare times I ate here.

He stopped beside one of the best seats in the house, a window table for two. I held Amara’s chair as she took her seat, before taking my own. A waiter appeared with a bottle of wine, but I shook my head at him. “She can’t drink,” I told the guy. “And I’m not going to either.”

As he walked away, Amara picked up her menu. “This place is really nice. How did you get us a table so easily? There were people waiting impatiently out there, and that guy didn’t even say a word before he was seating us.”

“I used to work here,” I told her and she laughed.

“Yeah, okay.”

“No, seriously. When I first moved here, the First Bass gig paid well, but it wasn’t enough to cover all my bills. So I had to find an actual job.” I shrugged. “Waiting tables was about the only thing I could find that didn’t interfere with my time with the band.”

“Huh, I never knew that about you,” she murmured thoughtfully. “Tell me about it.”

“It was hard work, but the tips were really good.”

She smirked knowingly. “Did you get hit on a lot?”

I groaned. “So many times. I got phone numbers written on receipts or folded up under my tips. Most of them were from older chicks, too.”

Amara laughed. “How many of them did you hook up with? Be honest. How many cougars taught you a few things?”

“No way. I’m not walking into that trap.” I caught her hand and kissed her fingers before entwining them with mine.

“That many, huh? Relax, I’m not going to get pissed at hookups that happened before we met. We both have a past.”

Jealousy punched me in the gut like a sledgehammer, and I tightened my fingers around hers. “Let’s both pretend like we were each other’s firsts, okay? I don’t want to think about you with some other motherfucker.”

“You’re really cute when you get all jealous. Your nostrils flare and your lips curl.” Giggling, she reached for her water glass with her free hand. “It’s adorable, really, but you don’t have anything to worry about. You’re the only guy I’ve ever fallen for.”

“Then I’m one lucky sonofabitch,” I told her honestly.

Another waiter appeared beside our table, ready to take our order. I waited for Amara to tell him what she wanted, then ordered a steak and baked potato for myself. As the waiter walked away, I focused on Amara and the baby. “How have you been feeling? One of the books I’ve been reading says you might still have some morning sickness.”

She blinked rapidly at me as if she didn’t understand the words I’d just spoken. “You’ve been reading books about pregnancy?”

“Figured I needed to know what was going on with you since you weren’t here to ask personally. Has the morning sickness stopped?”