Hard Days Night (The Firsts Book 8) (41 page)

“May I hold her?” he asked Erin, as he approached.

“You’re the baby-daddy.  Sure.”  She sounded irreverent, but he could feel her respect of him and his position.  He recognized her and knew that she had been in his village once a long time ago.

“
She’s so…” Ahmose found he couldn’t think of a word that fit.  Beautiful, lovely, perfect…all seemed too small.

“I know,” Erin said, because she understood.

Holding Brigitte, her head in his left hand, her body cradled in his right, he looked down at this little person he’d made with Mal.  He loved his son and daughter back home in Africa with their mother, as much as anything in his life, but this child, this miracle, was such a surprise, he still couldn’t process it.  But she was reaching for him, tentatively, now that he was here, as if she was uncertain of him.  He knew, though, already, that he loved her as much as any other in his life, as much as the two children he had been raising back home, this baby’s siblings.

Lifting his head, he asked.  “She and Mal are doing okay?”

“Beautifully.  They’re both healthy, happy, and safe, and you can’t ask for more than that.”

Ahmose felt the tension now, and knew the statement for what it was.  Erin was warning him that he could not just take them from this place.
  He understood completely.

It didn’t
matter, they would be going home with him.  He would have his daughter at home in his village, protected by dozens of first bloods, by her birthright and a father who loved her more than the world itself.  The beautiful L.A. detective?  He knew now, after six months of grieving, after seeing her again, he wanted her just as much. 

He hadn’t known.  Destiny seemed to have toyed with him over the past few years, tugging at his heart and mind, ripping into him, then lavishing the gifts of the universe on him.  But he knew now, he had no doubt.  This sharp-tongued, stunning woman was meant to be his.  As much as he’d thought that Starla was destined to be his mate for the days after he’d seen her at the waterfalls, as much as he’d loved his moments with Mal in California, and then
returned home to miss her desperately, he knew this was eternal.  She was his, even if she didn’t know it yet.  He would just have to win her, because the universe had spoken to him.  They were to love and travel this path through the years together now. 

Erin’s sharp gaze was appreciated, because he knew that she loved his daughter and
Mal, too. 

He smiled at her.  “I will not take them from you.  But they will be going home to Africa with me.  Erin, you may accompany us and return to the village.  I can see they are family to you now and that is more important than anything in the world, yes?”

The elegant redhead paused, her eyes sweeping over him carefully, scanning his face, his stance, his arms holding the baby she loved.

“Yes,” she finally said, simply, then stepped forward to take Brigitte back into her arms.  “Then you had better go find your woman.  She’s on the beach.
  She’s with a human male.  Do not hurt him.”

Erin walked back up the steps and disappeared into the house.

Ahmose stood for a moment.  She was with another man?  Air-displacement couldn’t let him move fast enough.  He arrived a few dozen yards from the small bonfire on the beach, two heads leaning close, near the flames.  His first instinct was to take the man and fling him into the ocean.  His second was to behead him.  He went with the third.

Slowly, tamping down the steam in his head, he walk
ed over to the cozy couple.

Earlier that night, when Jack arrived for their
date
, Mal had dressed carefully, casually, with no attempt to attract.  She knew it wouldn’t make a difference, it just seemed prudent.

After they set up a bonfire, and began cooking the fat little hot dogs on Jack’s small grill, he looked up at her, and
took her right hand, slipping the fingers from both of his hands around her palm.

“Mal, you know how much I adore you.”

Nodding, she curled her fingers around his.  “I do.  You know I adore you, too.  But I need to tell you something.”

When he stiffened, she knew he got it.  He knew by her tone and words that she was going to shoot him down before he ever got a chance to fly.

“Jack, Brigitte’s father, he’s here.”

That surprised him.  Erin had told him that the father of the baby was well and truly out of the picture forever.

“Okay,” he responded, waiting for her to tell him what that meant.

She continued.  “He’s, um…
wow, this is complicated.  I don’t know where we go from here, but I can’t make any decisions until I do.  You understand?”

Jack did. He thought he might have gotten the kindest pre-
Dear John
note ever.  Because he knew that if she thought of him like he thought of her, this man’s arrival wouldn’t have mattered.  His eyes moved across her lovely face.  It really did break his heart to know they wouldn’t have a chance to be together.  Deciding to be the bigger man, he nodded at the news.

“I get it.  You have to give him a chance.”

“Oh, hell, no.”

Just when he thought he couldn’t be surprised again, she did it. 
What?

“
Sooo…you don’t want to give him a chance?”

“No. I don’t know. 
Maybe.  Fuck, I
said
it was complicated.  Can I confide in you?”

He couldn’t answer, but he nodded his agreement.

“This man is, for lack of a better way to say it, bigger than life.  He’s powerful, forceful, intractable…like a hurricane.  He overwhelms me, and I just don’t think I can live like that.  I’m worried for Brigitte, if he takes her to his people in Africa, who will she become?  Would I be doing the right thing for her?  I had a plan to return to my mother’s home in Hawaii and raise her on sand and surf and popsicles.  I don’t know, Jack, this has upset things. I thought I knew what our future would be, and now
he
has shown up.”

Jack
and Mal had been leaning close over the flames when a voice interrupted.

“
He
is here,” said the deep voice behind them.

The
y both turned, Jack standing immediately, disappointed to see how huge Mal’s former lover was.
Figured
.

Mal couldn’t move.  She
had known there was a chance that Ahmose would come, but she didn’t think it would be this soon, and she hoped that he wouldn’t come down to the beach.  Now, here, in front of her and Jack, angry, he did what he always did…he took her breath away.  But when she noticed his attention turn to Jack, she moved quickly.

“Uh, yeah, Jack, this is Brigitte’s biological father, Ahmose.  Ahmose, this is Jack, a dear friend who has been good to us here on this island.”

The look Ahmose threw Mal could have melted her where she stood.  “I am Brigitte’s father.  Biological and every other way that exists, little detective.”

Jack looked at Mal. 
“Detective?”

Mal shook her head. “Pet name, it’s stupid.  Ahmose, would you mind waiting for us at the house?”

It hadn’t been a request, it had been a demand, and he knew that.  He folded his thick arms and didn’t move.

“I think it’s better if
this
man leaves and I stay.”

Sighing, Mal knew not to try to change a
hurricane’s mind.  She turned to Jack.

“Jack, what I had been trying to say is that I have to work through some things with Ahmose before I can consider anything else.  He’s not going to leave, so would you go on home tonight and I’ll call you tomorrow?”

He didn’t move.  Jack just stood, legs apart, arms folded, and stared at Ahmose.  Eventually he looked at Mal.  “Are you sure?  I don’t trust this guy.”

“I get that.  But he’s
fine, he isn’t a threat or problem.”  She glanced up at Ahmose.  “Really, he’s as fluffy as a kitten.”

Smiling, Jack lowered his head,
then looked back up at Mal. “Okay.  If you need me…”

“She won’t. 
Ever.”  Ahmose answered for Mal, who groaned.

“You see, Jack?  Like a childish kitten. I’ll see you tomorrow.  The idea of the picnic was a good one.”

With one last glance, Jack started back up the beach.

“Fluffy as a kitten?
  You felt a need to try to emasculate me?”

“Hardly.
You’re all man, anyone with eyes can see that.  It isn’t possible to miss you.  Anything about you.”

Ahmose was silent, his eyes sliding to the remnants of the sunset, bright vermillion lining the watery horizon.

“It’s beautiful here.  I see why you came.”  Then he looked back at Mal.  “I’m glad you understand my nature.  I am male, but I am also vampire, and that means that other men cannot touch my woman.”

“I understand.  But I’m not your woman.”

She was in his arms in less than a whoosh of air.

“You
are
my woman,” Ahmose said, simply.  “What we didn’t know, was that you were from that first night.  My child grew inside of you from that first night.  We were meant to be.”

Her arms now around his neck, Mal let her sandals fall into the sand
and put her legs around his waist.  “Getting pregnant doesn’t imply anything, Ahmose. It happens every day.”

“Not to a vampire.”

He nuzzled in under her hair, then lifted his gaze and caught hers.  “It’s more than that, you know it is.  I don’t think you’ve stopped thinking of me, either.”

Now it was
Mal’s turn to look away.  He was right, but she wasn’t ready to admit it.  Once she did, she would give him power over her that she wasn’t ready to give.

“We were good together.  But that was
only two nights. It’s not anything to build a life on.”

“Our daughter is.”

He had her there. He was right.  Her eyes went to Ahmose and locked.  She could see it, the depth of his emotion.  He
had
missed her and felt deep pain when he thought that she was gone.

She wanted him, yes, it was true.  Denying it seemed as childish as what she’d just accused him of. 
“Could I convince you to make love to me?  Slowly, and properly this time?  I know I sound contrary, but right now, at this moment, all I want to do is feel you again.  I don’t think you mind, am I right?”

Mind.
  Mind?  Fuck, he didn’t mind!

Ahmose
took Mal’s hand and pulled her with him, slowly, down the beach.  He lowered her gently onto a blanket he’d left just inside of a cave cut out of a low cliff facing the sea.

“I found this cavern
last night before I returned to my room.  It actually goes far enough back around that curve that it would be safe for a vampire to overnight.  The point, though, is that it’s lovely here, and private.  I want to make love to you all night, Mal. I need you to see that we are meant to be together.”

“Erin will expect me back.”

“Erin knows I’m here.  No she won’t.”

“I need to feed Brigitte.”

“I understand.  You can see that it won’t take but a moment for me to get you home so that you can take care of her when you need to.”

Mal looked around her.  Candles lit the corners of the cave, a bottle of wine sat near wine glasses, and she saw an iPad lying on one big rock.  He’d gone to the trouble to romance her.  Her eyes shot up to him, squatting beside her now.

“You’re really trying to convince me, aren’t you?”

The megawatt smile that invaded her heart immediately was so charming from a powerful
man, she did exactly what she promised herself she wouldn’t do.

Mal sat upright.

“Take off all of your clothes.”

Ahmose hesitated only a moment, but when he did so, they were gone in a moment too.
  He stood in front of Mal, the most erotic naked man she’d ever seen. 

“Please repeat the courtesy,” he asked,
a full-blown erection waiting for her. 

Mal couldn’t stop staring at it, and moved forward on her knees to touch him, with her fingers and then with her tongue.

Ahmose shot backward as her tongue slid all the way around the head of his cock.

“Please remove your clothes.”  His voice was hoarse now.

Slowly, because she was less sure he would find her post-baby body that amazing, Mal began to peel off her dress and the lace leggings she’d donned underneath.

“I just had a baby, remember that.”

“You look perfect, as you always have.”

“Oh, there’s some flab.”

Finished, she threw her underwear onto the pile of clothes they’d discarded.

“There’s perfection.  I need to sink into you.”

He didn’t hurry, but he moved forward and lifted Mal up to meet his torso, her legs immediately curling around his waist again.  He backed against the cavern wall and lifted her, his eyes on hers.