Page 27 of Cruel Salvation

Chapter9

He scrambled off her,his dick still hard and covered in the evidence of the hottest fucking encounter of his life. His fingers speared through his hair as he sat with his knees bent and tried to absorb what Nazareli had just said to him.

It was a dream come true. Here he was, a father. He knew his life would never be the same again. He was going to be a father and Nazareli was going to be the mother of his child.

The reality of it hit him and he began to laugh. Joy bubbled up inside him and he had to force himself to breathe to try and control the overwhelming emotions bubbling inside his chest. He pulled Naz into his arms, his lips taking hers in a tender kiss. He’d always dreamed of this moment and now it had finally arrived. He was going to be a father. They’d created a new life together, and he couldn’t wait to meet his child.

He smiled against her lips. “Are you happy about it?”

“I don’t know.”

Damon pulled his head back and looked at her, seeing the fear on her face. Suddenly all the nausea made sense, and so did the sudden outbursts of emotion that weren’t something he’d would normally see from her.

“Okay, talk to me.” She tried to pull away and he wouldn’t let her. “No, don’t do that. Don’t run, Naz.”

She yanked away and he let her go this time, watching her pull the sheet around her nakedness as she began to pace. He wanted to go to her, to soothe all her fears but he knew she had to gather her thoughts without any pressure from him. He knew already that he wanted this child, but he wouldn’t ever force her to make a decision about her own body.

“I’m not running.”

“Then talk to me. I’m assuming this child is mine.”

She glared at him, and if he was a lesser man, he’d have shrivelled at the furious look she gave him, but it just made him want to roll her beneath him and fuck her until she was soft and pliant and screaming his name again.

“Of course, it’s yours.”

“Good.”

“Good! How can you say this is good? I’ll be a terrible mother. I have no motherly instincts at all. I’m a contract killer, for God’s sake.”

“And a very good one, and I’d trust you with my life or my child’s life any day of the week.”

“Stop it. Don’t patronise me, Damon. I know what I’m capable of and I know what I’m not capable of. I don’t have the same nurturing instincts as most women. I have shit for motherly instincts.”

“You mean like the way you killed that guy by breaking his neck? So quickly it looked like he might have broken his neck falling down the stairs? No one could have done that the way you did it. Not unless you had years of practice. The fact that you did that without hesitation speaks volumes about you and how you’d handle a dangerous situation.”

“How the hell do you know about that?”

He could see the shocked look on her face. “Nadia told Gideon how she was proud of you for taking out the trash, and any man who could hurt kids is worse than trash.”

He watched her plop down on the bed and picked up his boxers with a sigh as he moved towards her.

“I know that it will be okay. I trust you. I trust that you’ll be a wonderful mother. You care about people, Naz, and you’ve already shown that this baby is important to you. I know it will be okay and I know you won’t fail.”

She looked up at him, her eyes huge on her face, the fear and anxiety plain in her features. “You aren’t the first man to be horrified at finding out that they were going to be a father. But I need you to understand that I can’t, and I won’t, ever ask you to give up your job. I can’t ask you to give up who you are because I can’t do that either. I can’t be with you and ask you to be someone you’re not. I can’t ask you for that sacrifice.”

He shook his head. “You’re not paying attention Naz. I’m not horrified and you’re not asking me to do anything. It’s not a sacrifice, it’s my privilege. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you and our child safe. Whatever you ask of me, I’ll do it.”

She looked away and he hated the look of self-doubt on her normally confident face. “Listen, baby, I want you and I want this baby, but whatever you decided I’ll support you.”

“And if I don’t want to keep the baby?”

He swallowed past the knot in his throat at the thought of her not wanting to continue the pregnancy. “Then I’ll support you.”

“Don’t you want to be a father?”

“Of course I want to be a father, but I won’t impose my will on you. I won’t try to make you do anything you don’t want to do. I respect you far too much for that. Only you know what is right for you, Nazareli.”

She walked towards him, and he felt his throat tighten as he swallowed, trying to push down the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm him.