Steel 7 (Multiple Love)

“If he does, the U.K. police will contact the U.S. He won’t get away with it, but it could end up being much more complex to deal with.”

“Whatever happens, at least we’ll know who we’re dealing with.” Connor rubs his face, the stress of the past few days showing in his gray pallor and the darkness around his eyes.

“What would the charges be?” Mo asks.

“Harassment, maybe? And something to cover the water incident. I don’t know what that would be called here? Crime definitions aren’t the same world over. We’ll just have to wait and see. We don’t know it’s him yet. His refusal to have his prints taken could just be genuinely about not wanting to have his personal identifiers on record. I get that.”

“And then we’d be back to square one.”

Connor sighs, glancing around at the rest of us. “Whatever happens, we’re keeping Luna under our protection. It might not be official anymore, but we’re fathers to her baby. We’re family now. No one can stop us from being with our girl.”

“Our girl,” I say softly, letting the feeling wash over me.

Smiles form on the mouths of my friends. “Look at Jax getting all sentimental about his feelings,” Ben laughs.

“Hey, you’re forgetting that this idea was mine in the first place, and you all thought I was crazy.”

“To be fair, you only told me about that,” Hudson reminds me. “And yes, I did think you were crazy for even hoping that Luna would look in our direction.”

“Not so crazy now,” I smile.

“So, what are we going to do now?” Elijah asks.

“We’re going to go see our girl,” Connor says, already striding in the direction of the door.

We find Luna curled up on a chair in her hotel room, reading a book about pregnancy that she must have ordered in. Her long chestnut hair is swept over one shoulder, and her sweet little nose is wrinkled in concentration. When she looks up to find us gathered in the doorway, her smile is one of pure joy.

“Did you know the baby’s heart will start to beat soon? They can see it on a scan this early?”

“No, I didn’t know that,” I say, slumping into the seat next to her. “What else did you find out?”

“That morning sickness can last a long time, but ginger can help to settle my stomach.” She points to a steaming mug of yellow-looking liquid and a plate of cookies.

“Sorry about the sickness,” Asher says. “But the cookies look good.”

“And you’ll be pleased to know that there are no problems with having sex either.”

“Pleased is an understatement,” I say, rolling my eyes theatrically.

“Of course, Jax would be more concerned about his cock than anything else,” Connor says. “Don’t worry about sex right now, sweetie. Just concentrate on you and the baby.”

Luna blinks, her face falling like she’s a kid and someone just stole her teddy bear. “But what if I want the sex?” she says softly.

“Then we’ll be more than happy to give it to you.”

“GENTLY!” Connor shouts, his military training coming out. “Gently, and not all at the same time. We need a schedule.”

“I’m not breakable,” Luna says. I can see this is really affecting her, and I understand it too. She might be having a baby, but she’s still a woman. The part of her that wants to hold onto herself is there, fighting to keep at least something the same.

“No, you’re not breakable,” I say firmly. “You’re the strongest woman I know. What Connor is saying is that we’ll take it slowly and see how you feel. Everything’s new for all of us, and that’s okay. Being with you is what counts. We don’t need to swing from the chandeliers for it to feel fucking amazing.”

“Thanks, Jax, for that eloquent and touching summary,” Elijah says. “Luna, we’re yours. You tell us what’s good and we’ll deliver. That’s how it is now…it’s how it will always be.”

“Now that’s profound,” Mo says. “But he’s right. We’ll do everything we can to keep you safe and happy, and if that means sex, then we’ll put aside our own feelings and just do it.”

There’s a rumble of laughter, and even Connor seems to relax a little.

“So, when’s the sex happening then?” I ask.

“For fuck’s sake,” Hudson mumbles, but he’s quick to shut up when Luna stands, dropping her soft white robe to the floor and revealing her beautiful – and very naked – body beneath.

“Now, that’s what I’m talking about,” I say, tugging off my shirt in one fluid move and stalking Luna like prey.

“Jesus,” Connor says.

“I don’t think this is his scene,” Elijah laughs, but he’s following me anyway, his trousers already unbuttoned.

“Just remember, to be careful,” Connor says, but he’s shirtless too, his hand rubbing his tattoo in that way he always does when he’s thinking about life.