MoonlightDrifter (9 page)

Chapter Ten

Allie yawned as they boarded the
plane a few days later. She was definitely not a morning person. As they
claimed their seats, Cain giving her the one by the window, she rubbed her
tired eyes. They’d stayed up until after midnight watching old TV shows, the
black and white kind. They’d had fun, but it hadn’t been the smartest thing she
had ever done.

“We’ve got four hours,” Cain
said. “Why don’t you close your eyes? You can rest your head on my shoulder if
you want. I’ll wake you when we’re landing.”

“What are you going to do?”

He reached into the bag under his
seat and pulled out a paperback novel. “I’ll catch up on my reading.”

She yawned again. “If you
insist.”

Cain wrapped his arm around her
and pulled her in as close as the seats would allow.

The four hours passed quickly and
before long, Cain was shaking her awake. She blinked her eyes a few times to
adjust to the light and then stretched. As the plane touched down, she gripped
the armrests. It came to a stop.
the
captain removed
the Fasten Seatbelts sign, and everyone began moving around the cabin. Cain
urged her to wait until the crowd had passed
them,
worried she would be pushed and possibly hurt. She snorted, thinking he was
being a tad overprotective, but she gave in to him.

The crowd finally thinned and
Cain stood, helping her to her feet. He gathered their bags from under the
seats and the overhead compartment before ushering her off the plane. They’d
packed light so they didn’t have to wait for baggage. Stepping out into the
bright Vegas morning, Cain looked for a shuttle or cab that could take them to
their hotel. He didn’t have to wait long.

After the tiresome morning she’d
had, Allie was anxious to see the hotel where they would be staying. She’d
heard their room had a good view of the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Hotel. She
couldn’t wait to see Vegas lit up at night! Even more, she was looking forward
to gambling a bit tonight, as she’d never done it before. The slot machines
always looked like so much fun in the movies. Cain had pulled out two hundred
in cash for them to gamble with. It wasn’t a lot, but it would be enough for
them to have some fun.

They checked into their hotel
room and rode the elevator up. When they walked in the door, Allie was awed by
the place. She went around the room, touching every little thing, and then went
to the large windows to look out at the Vegas strip. It was a lively place, no
matter the time of day, and she wondered if the people milling around below
were just heading home from a night of frivolity, or if they were just
beginning their day. Because of the time difference, it was barely after seven
by the time they were done exploring the room. The court house wouldn’t be open
for another hour.

“Want some breakfast?” Cain
asked. “You didn’t eat anything before we left. I’d imagine there’s a good restaurant
downstairs. If not, we can get out and explore, find a place that looks good.”

“Food sounds good.” She smiled.

He took her hand and led her back
downstairs. They found a place to eat, taking their time with their breakfast.
Cain had asked the front desk for directions to the court house when they’d
arrived. When they were finished eating, they walked the strip before going to
get their license. Cain had the folded reference page in his pocket, ready to
go. A half hour later, they’d completed everything that needed to be done and
were told they could get married as early as that night. Having already made
plans, they decided to relax their first night in Vegas by enjoying the sights
and shows.

They stayed out until well after
the strip was lit up, stopping in several casinos to try their luck, and just
to look around and take it all in. Neither of them had ever been to Vegas
before. By the time they were worn out and ready for bed, it was well after ten
that night. They returned to their hotel room, weary and ready for a good
night’s sleep. The next day they did more sightseeing and prepared for their
wedding that night.

Seven o’clock rolled around all
too soon, but Allie was ready to go. She’d purchased a peach silk sheath dress
for the occasion and wore matching shoes. Her hair was swept up in an intricate
knot with little tendrils curling around her face. She’d even gone so far as to
put on make-up, something she didn’t do often. Cain looked especially delicious
in a pair of black slacks and a white button down shirt that showed off his
tan. He’d opted to not wear a tie, but had a nice sport jacket that matched his
slacks.

Hand in hand, they approached the
chapel. They’d paid for a few extras, like pictures and a bouquet. Allie didn’t
remember much of the ceremony. It sort of passed in a blur, with both of them
saying “I do”. They’d exchanged rings and now she had a beautiful platinum band
studded with diamond chips nestled against her engagement ring. She didn’t know
when Cain had bought the rings, but she was glad he’d thought of it. He wore a
matching platinum band. They had a few pictures taken and waited while they
were printed off.

“So, wife.” Cain smiled. “Are you
ready for the honeymoon to begin?”

She smoothed her hands up the
lapels of his jacket. “You know I am.”

“Since you can’t have champagne,
I have some sparkling grape juice waiting for us in our room, and some
chocolate dipped strawberries.”

She smiled. “You’re going to
spoil me.”

Outside of their hotel room, Cain
opened the door and swept her up into his arms. He carried her over the
threshold and kicked the door shut. He refused to put her down right away, even
when she began to squirm.

“Have I told you lately how
beautiful you are?” he
asked,
his gaze warm and
tender.

“No,” she said softly.

“Well, you are. You’re the most
beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and words can’t express what it means to me
that you agreed to be mine. I’ll spend the rest of my life cherishing you, and
any children we have. I never want to hear that you regret being with me,
Allie. I know I’m an ass, and that I get on your last nerve, but I love you and
I’ll love you with my last breath, even beyond that.”

Tears gathered in her eyes at his
touching words and she cupped his cheek before pressing her lips to his. When
she pulled away, a tear trickled down her cheek.

“I love you, Cain. I know it may
not seem like it, but I can’t fight it anymore. Tonight has been the happiest
night of my life, and I look forward to many more nights with you by my side.”

He kissed her, nearly consuming
her. Gently setting her on her feet, he began undressing her. Allie broke away.
“Bedroom, Cain. We’re going to do this right.”

He swept her into his arms and
carried her to the bedroom, laying her on the bed. All she wore were her
panties and thigh-high silk stockings. The white stood out in contrast against
her tanned skin, and the tiger tattoo running down her thigh and across her
hip. He lifted her leg and kissed the inside of her ankle. Trailing kisses up
her leg, he reached for her panties and slid them down her legs.

She reached for the stockings,
but he stopped her. “Leave them on. It’s sexy.”

Allie smiled at him and laid back.
Cain undressed quickly, his erection standing tall and proud as he stepped out
of his underwear. She licked her lips, knowing exactly what she wanted. Sliding
off the end of the bed, she landed on her knees before him. Allie looked up at
him, her gaze fastened on his, as she licked the length of his cock. He groaned
and closed his eyes a moment before fastening those incredible eyes on her once
more.

She swirled her tongue around the
head before taking him in her mouth. Inhaling, she took in his scent as his
taste exploded on her tongue. The pre-cum seeping from his slit was salty, but
she couldn’t get enough. She wondered what it would take to make him come in
her mouth, to completely lose control. As she swallowed him down again, she
flicked her tongue back and forth against his shaft, drawing a groan from her
big, bad tiger. She nibbled and teased, stroked and licked, until his hips were
jerking in time with her mouth.

Cain speared his fingers through
her hair and thrust further into her mouth. She relaxed her throat, just like
she’d read about, and took as much of him as she could. Just when he was
getting wild, he withdrew from her lips and pulled her to her feet.

“I need you. Now.” His eyes
blazed and she saw the tiger lurking there, just under the surface.

He flipped her around and bent
her over the foot of the bed. Allie’s hands curled into the bedding as she held
on, knowing it was going to be a wild ride. There was something untamed about
Cain in that moment and her heart raced with excitement. She felt the head of
his cock rub up and down her wet folds before breaching her. With one mighty
thrust, he filled her completely, making her gasp and fight to adjust to his
girth. It was pleasure mixed with pain but, oh, so good.

Cain gripped her hip with one
hand, leaned over her and grabbed a handful of her hair with his other. Leaning
down until his lips touched her ear, he gently blew.

“Are you ready for me, Allie? Do
you want this as much as I do?”

“Yes,” she said on a sigh.

Cain backed up, gripped her hips
with both hands, and began thrusting into her with powerful strokes, enough to
lift her up onto her toes. She clenched her inner muscles, squeezing his cock,
wanting to push him until he let the beast within loose. She wanted to feel the
raw power of him, wanted to be surrounded by his scent. Sweat slicked their
bodies as he pounded into her, giving no quarter.

Allie felt her orgasm building,
felt the tingle all the way from her toes to the top of her head, and then she
was coming, screaming out his name as she felt his cock pulse inside of her. For
once, he didn’t bite her, but he did nuzzle her neck when he was done, placing
a gentle kiss there.

“Want to check out the spa
downstairs?” she asked.

He winced. “You’re going to be
mad at me.”

“Why?” she looked at him over her
shoulder, as he withdrew from her body. Then rolled over to face him.

“Since you’re pregnant, you can’t
get in the spa tub. If I’d thought about it when I booked the room, I would
have chosen another one. The hot water is bad for the baby.”

She grumbled under her breath.

“Come on,” he said, helping her
to her feet. “Let’s get you rinsed off, dressed for bed, and I’ll order room
service to go with those strawberries. How does steak sound?”

“With a loaded baked potato?”

“You bet.” He grinned. “I’ll even
tell them to add in a house salad in case that doesn’t fill you up. Then we can
munch on the strawberries for dessert while we find something to watch on TV.”

“After the busy day we’ve had,
that sounds wonderful.”

Chapter Eleven

Their time in Vegas ended more
quickly than they wanted, and they were
back
home in a
few days. Cain had received a call while they were gone, letting him know he’d
passed the first round for the police department. He’d had an appointment to
take his psych eval and get the other tests out of the way the day they arrived
home. Two days later, he received the call.

“Hello.” He put the phone on
speaker as he gathered some things to take to Allie’s. They hadn’t closed on
the house yet and he was bouncing between his place and hers.

“Mr. Boudreaux, this is Officer
Kelly Smithers with the Ashton Grove Police Department. I’ve been tasked with
calling you to inform you that you made the cut. We’d like to offer you one of
the three spots we have open right now. Are you still interested?”

His heart thudded in his chest.
“Yes! Definitely!”

“Stop by today to fill out the
paperwork for Human Resources and pick up a uniform purchase order. We use the
store over on Bell Haven; they outfit both us and the fire fighters.”

“I know the place.”

“We’ll see you shortly.”

Cain hung up the phone and
immediately called Allie. She didn’t answer so he left her a message telling
her he had good news and would be late getting to her place. It would easier to
move into her apartment, but he hated to move his stuff twice. So, he would
hold out until Matt told him they could close on the house. Then they could
move everything at once into their new home. A bunch of the guys had already
offered to help them move, knowing Allie didn’t have any business trying to
lift so much as one box. If Cain had his way, she’d head over to the new house
and clean or just chill out while he and the guys got the truck loaded.

Grabbing his duffle bag with a
few changes of clothes and his keys, he headed for the police department. He
was anxious to get the paperwork out of the way and make his new job official.
Officer Cain Boudreaux. Had a nice ring to it.

At the police department, he was
shown to an interrogation room, handed a stack of papers and a pen, and then
the woman left him alone. He figured if he had any questions, he’d have to
stick his head out the door and flag someone down. The place was busy, with
several men in cuffs waiting to be taken to a holding cell. With a shiver, he
remembered that cell all too well. Thankfully, they hadn’t held his
transgressions against him. He had a feeling it had to do with his military
background.

It took him an hour to complete
the forms and receive his purchase order. When he reached the uniform store, a
perky blonde helped him. He had to admit, the uniform looked good on him. He’d
noticed the blonde’s appreciative gaze, but all he could think was
Will Allie like it?
He hoped so. For
better or worse, she was now a cop’s wife. As he’d filled out that paperwork
today, he’d been happy they’d gone ahead and gotten married. It had allowed him
to add her to the insurance coverage, ensuring her and their baby would be
covered. He didn’t even want to think about how much a hospital delivery would
cost without insurance.

Putting his street clothes back
on, he carried the uniform to the counter. The blonde smiled at him, her eyes
lighting up. He felt the urge to wave his left hand under her nose, making sure
she saw his wedding band. Either she hadn’t noticed, or she just didn’t care.
Cain had always heard cops had a high divorce rate, a good portion from them
cheating on their spouses, but that wouldn’t be him. He was with Allie, and
only
Allie, until the day he died.

“The fit was perfect. According
to my purchase order, I need two more, and a bunch of other stuff.”

She nodded, retrieved the
uniforms for him then started gathering the utility belt, shoes, and anything
else he might need. When it was all said and done, he bid her farewell and
carted his purchases out to his truck. It bothered him that he hadn’t heard
from Allie all day and he rushed to the apartment, anxious to see her and make
sure she was okay.

When he pulled up, he saw Jenny
sitting on the steps. “Hey, Jenny. How’s it going?”

She gave him a worried look. “You
need to get to the doc’s office. Like now.”

He froze. “Why?”

“Darcy ran Allie to the doc’s
office about an hour or two ago. Allie was freaking out in her apartment.
Apparently she’d started spotting.”

Cain didn’t need to hear anything
else. He jumped into his truck and took off, tires squealing. When he pulled in
at the doctor’s office, he barely remembered to turn off the truck and close
the door before he rushed inside. The receptionist saw him coming and motioned
for him to enter the back area. A nurse met him in the hall.

“We wondered when you might show
up.” She smiled, but it looked strained.

“What’s wrong? Where’s Allie?”

“She’s okay, right now. The doc
took her to the hospital so he could monitor the baby. They left about twenty
minutes ago.”

Cain ran out the door and sped
the whole way to the hospital. About five blocks away, he was pulled over by a
police officer. He slammed his hands against the steering wheel, anxious to be
by Allie’s side. He didn’t give a shit about the ticket, it was the fact the
officer was holding him up that bothered him. He rolled down his window and
waited, hands on the wheel so the officer would see them and not have to worry
about a weapon.

The cop approached his window.
“Did you know you were speeding?”

“Yeah. I did. My wife was taken
to the hospital about a half hour ago and I’m rushing to get there. She’s
pregnant and they’re concerned about the baby.”

The officer rocked back on his
heels. “You’re the new guy we just hired, aren’t you?”

Cain nodded.

“Hope your wife and baby are
okay. I heard you’re starting out on evening shift, so I guess I’ll see you at
work in a few days. Be careful and try to slow down.”

Cain thanked him, rolled up the
window, and took off again. Once he was out of sight of the officer, he floored
it again. He rushed into the hospital, skidding to a halt at the reception
desk. The woman held up her finger while she finished her phone call, Cain’s
pulse racing the whole time. When she was done, she smiled.

“What can I do for you?”

“My wife, Allie Boudreaux, was
brought in a little while ago. She’s expecting and her doctor was worried about
the baby.”

The woman tapped on her keyboard.
“She’s in the maternity ward, room C8.”

“Where’s that?”

“Go down this hall,” she said,
pointing behind her. “Take the elevators up to the third floor. The maternity
ward will be to your right. You’ll see the room numbers posted beside the
doors. If anyone stops you when you enter the maternity ward, just tell them
what you told me.”

He nodded and took off. As he
entered the maternity ward, he scanned the doors until he found the right room.
Not bothering to knock, he pushed it open and hurried inside. Allie lay in the
bed in a hospital gown, some sort of contraption strapped to her stomach. Cain
hurried to her side, taking her hand in his.

“Hey,” he said softly. “I got
here as fast as I could. Jenny told me what happened when I got to the
apartment.”

She turned worried eyes his way.
“I didn’t want to scare you. I thought the doc would tell me it was nothing and
send me back home.”

“Honey, you should have never
tried to go through this by yourself. All you had to do was
call
me, or answer the phone when I rang you earlier.”

“I’d already started spotting by
then and I was worried you’d hear the anxiety in my voice and know something
was wrong. I haven’t had a chance to listen to your message yet.”

He smiled. “I was just calling to
tell you I got the job. I went and filled out paperwork and picked up uniforms,
which is why it took me so long to get here.”

“That’s wonderful!”

“How are you doing? What did the
doctor say?”

She touched the band wrapped
around her middle. “They’re monitoring the baby, making sure it isn’t in
distress. They said the heart rate was a little elevated so they wanted me to
stay for a little while and see if it evens out.”

A nurse bustled into the room,
pushing a machine. “Allie, your doctor will be in momentarily. Since the
fetus’s heart rate isn’t decreasing the way we’d like, he wants to do an
ultrasound. It’s just to make sure everything is okay.”

Allie gripped Cain’s hand
tightly.

The doctor entered the room and
smiled at them. “Let’s see what that baby is up to.”

He removed the monitor from her
stomach, squirted a cold jelly like substance on her still flat tummy, and then
pressed the wand to her, smearing the jelly around. A picture popped up on the
machine and Cain was startled to realize that instead of looking at something
the size of a peanut, they could see arms, legs, a body and head. What the
hell? He knew his sister had always delivered about a month early, but surely
the baby wasn’t developing that fast!

“Hmm.” The doctor frowned. “When
did you say you conceived?”

“About a week ago.” Allie looked
at him anxiously. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“Your baby looks several months
old right now. I’m a little concerned about how quickly it’s growing and
developing. The good news is that the baby is moving pretty well. It does,
however, look like
it’s
being deprived of oxygen.
That’s a bad thing, in case you were wondering.”

Allie paled and Cain felt like
the world was tilting under his feet.

“Let’s see what else we can
find.” The doctor moved the wand around some more. “Aha! See that mark right
there?”

He pointed something shadowy out
on the screen. It looked like a small line.

“What is it?” Cain asked.

“That’s a small tear in the
placenta. Now, if Allie was close to delivering, this wouldn’t be a huge issue,
we would just schedule a C-section. However, in the first trimester, this could
end badly if we aren’t cautious. As I’ve already told her, no more caffeine. At
all. In addition to that, I’m going to recommend strict bed rest for at least a
month. After that, I want her to come back in and we’ll check again and see if
the tear has mended itself.”

Allie looked ready to pass out,
and Cain wasn’t too sure that he wasn’t right there with her.

“Bed rest?” he asked.

“I want her flat on her back, in
a bed, only getting up long enough to use the bathroom. She needs to limit her
movement so we can try to rectify this.”

“I understand,” Allie said. “Am
I… am I going to lose the baby?”

“Not if I can help it.” The
doctor smiled. “Now, let me get your discharge papers ready and I’ll see you
again in a month.”

When they were left alone, Cain
leaned down and pressed a kiss to Allie’s forehead. He watched he pulse pound
in her throat and wished he could ease her worry. He knew it couldn’t be good
for the
baby,
especially know their child was in
distress. It would be all too easy for her to lose it. Not that he would love
her any less if she did, but the thought of their baby not making it was enough
to make his eyes tear.

“We’ll get through this Allie. I
swear to you, I’ll do anything I can to make this time easy for you. I think we
need to hold off on moving until we know you’re off bed rest. It would be too
stressful for you and the baby right now. When it’s time to pack, I’ll have the
guys help me and we’ll pack your place for you. I don’t want you to do anything
more than shout orders from the bed or couch.”

She nodded, squeezing his hand
once more.

“I’m sorry, Cain.” Tears dripped
down her cheeks. “You tried to tell me. You told me to slow down, to stop
drinking coffee, and I didn’t listen. This is
all my
fault.”

He smoothed her hair back from
her face. “No, honey. This isn’t your fault. Don’t you even think of blaming
yourself for
this.
Sometimes these things just
happen.”

She nodded.

A nurse came in with their papers
and he helped Allie get dressed. Making sure he took his time getting home,
obeying the speed limit, he worried what this was going to do to Allie. She was
strong, definitely tough, but she’d looked so broken lying in that bed, waiting
to hear what would happen with their child.

Epilogue

One
month later

Cain entered the apartment,
carrying a box of Chinese take-out. Allie had been craving some vegetable lo
mein with sesame chicken. He knew it wasn’t good for her, but he hated to take
away what little pleasure she could find right now. She’d been a trooper,
staying in bed. He’d brought the TV from his dorm room and hooked it up in the
bedroom for her. He’d made sure she had cable. A DVD player was out because she
couldn’t get up to change the discs. The women of the pack had made an effort
to check on Allie while he was at work, making sure she wasn’t alone for more
than a half hour at a time. Their support had touched him.

Allie had gotten bad news during
her visit that morning. The doctor said it looked like the tear was trying to
repair itself, but it hadn’t healed completely. She was on bed rest for another
two months. Matt was being great about holding the house for them until they
were able to move in. He said he didn’t want Cain to worry about making
payments on something he couldn’t live in and keeping up payments on two other
places. Allie had had no choice but to give up her job. The pack had liked the
idea of a building manager so much that Connor hadn’t had a choice but to hire
someone else.

If Allie was bothered by the loss
of her job, she hid it well. Connor had told her that she could keep the
apartment rent free, but she hadn’t felt right doing that. So Cain was paying
for both the dorm and the apartment. It was chipping away at his savings, but
it was worth it, just knowing Allie was safe and comfortable. Matt had heard
what a financial strain he was under and had knocked another five thousand off
the house.