Jules a reed security ro.., p.28
Jules: A Reed Security Romance, page 28
“You should lay down.”
“No, I need to walk. My whole body is cramping up.”
Julian walked with me around the small space, which barely had room for me to walk through, let alone him also. Chris and John were nowhere in sight. Slowly, my body started to relax and the cramps slowed to nothing more than occasional twinges. My legs felt better and my circulation seemed to return full force.
“I’m going to step outside and talk with Ice and Chris. Why don’t you relax. Take a shower or try to get some sleep.”
I didn’t feel like I could get any sleep, but I also wanted to stretch out on the bed and lie down. The mattress wasn’t the best in the world, but after tucking pillows all around me, I finally felt comfort returning to my aching body. It didn’t take long for sleep to overcome me.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Jules
“WHAT’S THE PLAN?”
“We’ve got to take things easier on her,” Chris said. “I forgot that women aren’t supposed to sit for long periods of time in the third trimester. We’ll have to make more frequent stops and have her get out and walk around.”
“We’re still a few days away from where we need to be.” Ice pulled out a map and pointed to a location. “This is where we’re headed, but we have to stick to back roads as much as possible. It’s going to extend our drive time, but that’s our only option at this point.”
My phone buzzed and I pulled it out to see a text from Knight.
Knight: Search has extended past state lines. Watch your ass.
“Shit. The search has extended past Pennsylvania.”
“Damn, they moved fast.” Ice shook his head as he studied the map. “We should cut through here. It’ll get us out faster.”
“That’ll make us more visible. We can’t afford that.”
“I agree with Ice. It’s not the highway, but it’ll get us to our destination faster. Don’t worry. We won’t get you caught.”
“You think I’m just worried about myself and Ivy? Fuck no. You guys are putting your necks on the line for us. You’ve left your families behind. There’s no fucking way we’re doing anything that could get you caught up in this shit. As of right now, no one suspects you two.”
“Look,” Ice said. “We have plenty of contingency plans. Knight has safe houses across the country and vehicles that he’s put in place in case we get into trouble. I say we take the chance now while we’re still ahead.”
“He’s right,” Chris agreed. “We’re two states out of their scope. We need to do this now.”
“Fine,” I sighed. “We should probably hit the road in the middle of the night, get some driving in while it’s still dark out.”
“We’ll take watch. You two get some sleep,” Ice commanded.
“I can take third watch,” I suggested.
“No. Absolutely not. You’re wanted right along with her. You can’t be seen just as much as she can’t.”
I glared at Ice, pissed that I was just finding out about this now. “What the fuck? When did that happen?”
“When you were professing your undying love to her,” Chris grinned. “I was touched. Really, man. It brought tears to my eyes.”
“Shut the fuck up. As I recall, you were fucking sobbing on the phone to Axel when he told you he made it through BUD/S.”
“Hey, that kid was telling me that he owed everything to me. When your kid is born and says some shit like that to you, we’ll see how well you hold up.”
“Whatever. I’m getting some shut eye. We’ll be up at three o’clock.”
I walked back in the room and locked the door. Ivy was lying on the bed, sleeping peacefully. It was the first time in a long time that I got to watch her, to know that she was mine and we’d be together. She didn’t know it yet, but I was certain of it. There was no way I would ever leave her side again. She was mine and I’d prove my love to her somehow.
✯✯✯✯✯
I watched Ivy’s eyes flutter open, her green eyes clearing as she woke up. She’d gone to bed without dinner last night and I was sure she was starving. But I couldn’t pry myself from the bed right now. I just wanted to look into those eyes and feel everything she had to give me. I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out to touch her.
“I love you,” I said softly, brushing my thumb across her plump lips.
“Don’t, Julian.”
“I can’t stop. I won’t ever stop telling you or showing you how much I love you. I was wrong, so fucking wrong, but I won’t ever be that stupid again.”
“It’s too much right now. Just a week ago, you thought I was guilty, that I was a liar. I can’t just go back to the way things were.”
“I’m not asking you to. All I want is for you to love me back, flaws and all. We’ve both made mistakes, but we can push past this. We can-”
“I can’t. Not yet.”
The heartbreak in her voice nearly gutted me, but I couldn’t just give up. I rolled her over to her back, pinning her arms above her head as I straddled her. “You will,” I said fiercely. “You can and you will because we were meant to be together. There’s no fucking way that we’ve gone through all this shit, that we made a baby together, and now it’s all over. It’s not and it never will be. I’m yours until my dying breath.” I kissed her soft lips, slipping my tongue inside. “I’m yours, Ivy.” My tongue trailed along her jaw and up to her ear. I nipped at the lobe and sucked it into my mouth. “You’re mine and you always will be.”
My hand slid under her shirt and cupped her breast. The lace of her bra was rough against my skin and sent shocks down to my groin. I pushed my hardening cock against her core, needing her heat to surround me. “Say it, Ivy. Tell me you’re mine.”
She moaned as I thrust against her again. We were both riding a tidal wave of emotions, but this was fucking real. This wasn’t something that would go away when I was done fucking her. I took her mouth hard, possessing her with my body and soul. “Tell me, babe. Say it for me. Let me know you’re mine.”
“Julian,” she moaned. “I’m yours.”
“That’s my girl.” I kissed my way down her body, pulling her pants down and inhaling her intoxicating scent. She was wet for me. She needed me just as much as I needed her. I spread her legs and took what was mine, licking and sucking that beautiful pussy until she was writhing and moaning. Her cum hit my tongue and I sucked harder, pulling every last shred of her orgasm from her body.
Her heart raced out of control, her pulse jumping beneath my fingers. I wanted to give her time to recover, but I couldn’t. I needed to feel her wrapped around me, taking my cum like she did when we made our baby. I pushed slowly into her, careful not to go too fast.My heart thudded in my chest as I looked into those beautiful eyes. She was begging me to love her and never leave her. There was no chance of that ever happening. How the hell I had made it so many months without realizing what she meant to me was something I couldn’t comprehend.
She wrapped her arms around me, pulling me closer to her. Her lips skimmed across mine in between gasps, but I needed more. I crushed my lips to hers as I slowly fucked her. Her belly pushed up against me with every thrust. I wanted to take her harder, but I knew that wasn’t a good idea right now. It had been too long for her.
“I’ll never leave you again,” I whispered as I peppered kisses over her face. “I’ll never doubt you again or break your heart. It’s safe with me. I promise.”
She tightened around me, pushing me to my limits. I spilled myself deep inside her as I continued to rock in and out of her.
“Never again, baby. I swear to God, I’ll never make you feel like nothing ever again. Please forgive me,” I pleaded as I rested my forehead against hers. If she told me no, I was pretty sure I might actually die of a broken heart.
“I do forgive you, Julian.”
I sighed in relief and kissed her tenderly as I continued to slowly fuck her. This was my woman, my life, and the person that calmed me in my darkest hour.
“I love you. We’re going to get married and have lots of little ones running around. The boys are going to be tough like me and the girls are going to be beauties just like their mother. We’re going to have it all, Ivy. This is just a rough patch, and when it’s over, we’ll never deal with any shit like this again for the rest of our lives. I swear it.”
“I just need you. I’ll take the good and the bad as long as I have you.”
“So, does that mean you’re going to marry me?”
“I was under the impression I didn’t really have an option.”
“You don’t, but I still want to hear you say yes.”
Technically, she never did say yes because I pushed back inside her and took her again before we had to leave. I just took her screaming my name as the answer to my question.
CHAPTER FORTY
Ivy and Jules
IVY
I walked into the gas station with Jules right beside me. I had been needing to pee for a good half hour, but we were in the middle of nowhere. I quickly made my way to the bathroom and sighed with relief when I was able to let go. I washed my hands and washed my face. I felt grimy after sitting in the SUV for hours and hours.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, Julian was leaning against the opposite wall waiting for me. He still looked at me like he did before his coma, which surprised me since I was so much bigger. But to him, I was glowing and sexy.
“Feeling better?”
“Yes. I really needed that stop.”
“Good. Let’s grab some munchies for the road. We have a few more hours to go.”
“And then we’ll be there? No more driving?”
“Nope,” he grinned. “You’ll be able to sleep all night and wake up next to me with nowhere to go.”
“Thank God,” I groaned.
We walked up and down the aisles, picking out snacks for the road and then headed to the register. The cashier was an older man with kind eyes. He stared at my belly for a moment and then started ringing up our purchases.
“Don’t have too much longer, do you?”
“Just a little over a month left.”
“You’re one lucky fella.” He smiled at Julian and then looked at my bare ring finger. “Don’t wait too long to tie this one down. She looks like a keeper.”
“It won’t be too much longer.” Julian slid his arm around my waist, but then tensed as he looked up at the tv playing in the corner. The cashier noticed and glanced that way. I followed his eyes and almost gasped when I saw my picture on the tv. They were saying I was a murderer who escaped right after sentencing. Then there was a phone number to call if anyone saw me and were warned to call the police and not engage with me.
My body swayed slightly as the report really hit me. I was considered a murderer by everyone in the United States. That report would reach my parents. Julian squeezed me tighter, trying to draw my attention. I finally looked up at him, realizing that both he and the cashier were staring at me. I was shaking bad. The cashier cleared his throat and continued ringing us up and then gave Julian the total.
The cashier kept looking over my shoulder, but I knew I couldn’t look. Julian wouldn’t want me to. I stood there trying to calm my racing heart. I knew I was failing miserably at appearing fine.
“You two have a nice drive now.” He leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, “There’s a beautiful drive just outside of town on old Route 10. It winds through the mountains and has lots of roads that branch off into the wilderness. If you’re not careful, you could get lost up there.” He winked slightly and then turned around to clean off the side counter. “Have a nice day now. Come back soon.”
We turned and headed for the door, but that’s when I noticed a big, burly man dressed in black staring at me. He looked down at his phone and then back at me. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him. I knew I shouldn’t be looking, but I needed to know what he was thinking. His gaze shot back up to mine and then he reached inside his jacket.
✯✯✯✯✯
Jules
I knew we were fucked the moment the old man looked at the tv and then stared at Ivy. If he saw through her disguise, so would everyone else. It wasn’t like we could conceal her all that well. She had a huge belly sticking out. You can change a lot about someone’s appearance, but that wasn’t one of those things. If someone like that old man saw the report and immediately looked closer at Ivy because she was pregnant, they would see who she really was. We wouldn’t get as lucky with everyone else as we did with the old man.
Ivy was tense as we walked toward the door. She kept staring at the man to my right and no matter how many times I pinched her side, she wouldn’t look away. Based on the way he was checking out his phone, staring at Ivy, and the gun he was carrying in a shoulder holster, he had to be a bounty hunter.
His hand slipped inside his jacket and I knew we were fucked. I had a weapon on me, but I wasn’t going to use it unless I had to. I shoved Ivy toward the door and grabbed onto the postcard rack, spinning around and shoving it into him. He jerked backwards and fell over a display. I shot out the door, jumping in the SUV right behind Ivy.
“Go!”
Ice threw the SUV in gear and squealed out of the parking lot. There was a time for discretion, but this wasn’t one of those times. We needed to put distance between us and that man.
“We’ve been spotted. The old man at the register said that we should take old Route 10. He said there were lots of roads and if we weren’t careful, we could get lost.”
“See? Not everyone thinks you’re guilty,” Ice said cheerfully as he raced down the road, weaving in and out of traffic.
“Or he was afraid she would kill him,” Chris said cooly. “She’s like our secret weapon. Someone thinks they can fuck with us, we shove Ivy in front of us and they all turn tail and run. That’s a lot of power, little lady.”
“Except, I didn’t actually kill anyone, so what happens when someone isn’t scared by the extremely pregnant woman that cries at the drop of a hat?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Chris grinned. “Any man will turn and run when he sees a crying woman.”
“Don’t worry, babe. We’d make sure you had a gun.”
“Or a rope,” Ice added. Ivy punched him in the shoulder from behind. “What? Too soon? Shit,” Ice swore as he took a hard right, trying to lose the tail we had picked up. “I can’t shake this guy.”
“Take old Route 10. The cashier said it winds through the mountains. We can try to lose him up there.”
Ice turned down old Route 10 and sped up. I pulled out my gun, as did Chris. We had to be prepared for whatever went down.
“Do we have any other weapons packed?”
“In the trunk.” I climbed over the seat and pulled up the case from the flooring. Chris wasn’t lying. They packed like we were going on a mission. I pulled a vest out and climbed back over the seat.
“Ivy, let’s put this on you.” She lifted her arms and I wrapped it around her body. It wasn’t big enough for her, but at least it was additional protection. I gripped her cheeks in my hands, forcing her to look at me. “Ivy, it’s going to be fine. We do this all the time, okay? I swear, we’re going to get out of this. It’ll be fine.”
“I trust you. But, Julian, don’t think you’re going to get out of changing diapers if you get shot.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I climbed back over the seat and got to work.
“They’re coming up fast,” Chris clipped. “Put your foot down, Ice. Let’s lose these fuckers.”
“The road has ice on it. Damn, should have stayed at a lower altitude.”
“Chris, how far is the next vehicle that Knight hid for us?”
“Two hours away. Fuck, I think we need to head in a different direction after we shake these guys. We can’t have police snooping around so close to where we’re staying.”
I texted Knight, wanting to let him know our plans.
Jules: Have a tail. After we lose them, we’re moving on to different location. I’ll let you know when we figure out where we’re headed.
Knight: If you can make it, head to Colorado for my house. I’ve updated it quite a bit, but with a few instructions, it shouldn’t be too hard for you to get in.
Jules: Fuck, why do you have to make everything so complicated?
Knight: For situations just like this.
“Knight’s telling us to head to his house in Colorado.”
“We have to lose these assholes first,” Ice grumbled. He made a sharp right, sending me flying against the other side of the SUV. “Fuck, these guys just won’t let up.”
He sped up, climbing higher and higher up the mountain.
“You want me to pull out the launcher?”
“Fuck no. We’re not far enough away from town to pull out that shit. Just let me get higher up the mountain. Maybe we can get him to lose control and fly over the edge.”
“What?” Ivy shrieked. “Please tell me you’re not planning on playing chicken on a mountain road.”
“Nah. Chicken is when you’re driving head on toward someone. This is more like NASCAR.”
Ivy stared at Ice in the rearview mirror. “How do you figure?”
“There’s always someone causing an accident. That’s all we’re doing, with slightly worse consequences.”
“Slightly worse consequences,” Ivy repeated.
“Well, yeah. I mean, one wrong move and we’re all going over. But don’t worry, sweetheart, I used to play a lot of Mario Cart.”
Ivy looked to me, sure that Ice was fucking with her. He wasn’t. Chris just shrugged and kept checking out his side mirror, and Ice was banging his thumbs on the steering wheel like he was a drummer.
