She let out a long slow breath. "Cobra, don't let your ego be the reason we break apart. The chances of him being yours is just as good. Jamie is your son. You are the only daddy he knows." She nearly choked on the last words.

I pulled her into my arms and just breathed her in. We stood like that, neither speaking for a long moment, just remembering what it felt like to be close to one another.

I love her so f.u.c.king much it's killing me.

My mind flashed back to the day she told me she was pregnant. I'd come back to the new home we'd just bought and moved into a few weeks before. We'd decided that staying at the club as we had for the last two years wasn't the place to raise a family.

We'd found a three-bedroom bungalow reasonably close to the compound that needed a new kitchen and some fixing up. The price was good because of its condition, and I wasn't afraid of a bit of work to make it the home I wanted my kids to feel safe in.

Mia had fallen in love with the place because it had a huge dark-pink bougainvillea climbing the pillars of the front porch that reminded her of the home she'd left behind. And when she saw the s.p.a.cious bedrooms, she immediately a.s.signed the one next to the main bedroom the baby's room. Her face was flushed with excitement as she planned how she'd decorate it. I just smiled and left her to it. I was more interested in making babies than in decorating baby nurseries.

We christened every room in the house, f.u.c.king on the bare wooden floors amidst boxes and pieces of worn furniture we'd sc.r.a.ped together. We didn't even have a bed yet, just a borrowed mattress on the ground. It didn't matter-we were young and in love, and as long as we could curl up in one another's arms, my c.o.c.k still inside her as we drifted off to sleep, we were content. Mia didn't care for material things. She said my love was all she needed for a happy life, and that she'd live in a s...o...b..x as long as it was with me.

How happy I was back then.

My life was simple yet perfect. By day I ran the MC as VP to my ailing father, and nights were spent making love to my woman.

When I got home that night, tired from club business and worn out from little sleep, since my wife had become obsessed with having s.e.x six weeks ago, she'd already run a bath and was lying in it, bubbles surrounding her glowing face.

Grinning, I stripped as quickly as I could and climbed into the bath behind her. This was one of my favorite ways of f.u.c.king. I'd lift her onto my c.o.c.k and she'd ride me as I played with her t.i.ts or rubbed her c.l.i.t with my thumb, her moaning loud enough for the neighbors to hear, splashing water everywhere while chasing her o.r.g.a.s.m. What better way to end a busy day than by f.u.c.king my stress away?

That night there was something intangible in the air. It crackled with electricity, and I couldn't wait to bury my c.o.c.k inside her.

The room was filled with the aroma from the many fragranced candles she liked to burn while we bathed together. I liked the romantic atmosphere it evoked, although I'd never admit it.

I kissed her neck as I always did-it was one of her most sensitive zones and always made her melt into me, becoming my wanton s.l.u.t in ten seconds flat. My hands were on her p.u.s.s.y, searching for the hard nub, when she stopped me by placing her hand on mine.

"I have something for you," she said. I could hear the smile in her voice.

"Yeah? Well I have something for you too." I laughed, nudging my hard c.o.c.k into her back.

She slapped my thigh playfully before reaching forward for something that lay in the soap dish. It was covered in tissues . . . wet tissues.

She turned in the bath to face me. My c.o.c.k stiffened. Bubbles covered her t.i.ts, but I could still spy her large brown nipples peeping through the white foam. I sucked in a breath as my gaze slowly moved up to her face. I'd never tire of staring at her beauty.

The expression on her face was one of excited antic.i.p.ation, her eyes wide and her lips dewy as she handed me something.

"Here, open this."

With a crazy sped-up heartbeat, I held the stick in my hand. I knew what it was without looking. We'd spent a f.u.c.king fortune on these pregnancy tests in the last few months. I dipped the device into the water to melt the tissue paper away and then stared at the red line on the stick.

Positive. Mia was having a baby. Our baby.

My heart filled with the kind of pride and joy I'd never experienced before. It was different to other kinds of emotions. We were going to be a family.

"What do you think?" she whispered, nearly breathless. Her cheeks were pink and her eyes glittered in the candlelight.

"I think it's a boy. We'll call him James . . . Jamie . . . for my grandfather."

She laughed. "I take it you're happy then?"

"Happy? That's an understatement. I'm f.u.c.king ecstatic!"

The smallest amount of sadness flickered through her eyes for a fleeting second. "Missing your mama?" I asked. Sharing her . . . our special news with Esme and her mother would be important to her. "I'll help you get a message to them, I promise."

She bit into her lower lip to stop it from trembling. I leaned forward and pulled her into my lap, then kissed her lips softly.

"But first, I need to celebrate by filling you with my c.o.c.k."

She smiled down at me as she held onto my shoulders to help her rise up from the water. I guided my eager c.o.c.k to her entrance, then held onto her waist to guide her slowly onto my erection.

"I'm not going to break, Cobra. If anything, I want it hard and fast, baby. Being pregnant has made me even hornier. I need to feel your thick c.o.c.k deep inside me."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. f.u.c.k me like you mean it."

I loved her dirty mouth. "Come here, woman," I groaned as my hand slid around her neck to pull her mouth to mine. If she wanted to be f.u.c.ked hard, who was I to deny her?

I emptied my b.a.l.l.s into her with hard fast f.u.c.ks, making her scream my name so that it echoed back to my ears off the tiles of the bathroom.

Pulled from my memories by the soft touch of her hand on my cheek, I leaned my forehead against hers.

Back to the present. Back to h.e.l.l.

What the f.u.c.k was Daemon doing with Jamie? What was he trying to achieve by taking him from us? I was sure he wasn't interested in playing the paternal role in the boy's life. I just couldn't see him as a daddy.

"You truly are the only father that boy knows," she said.

I shook my head. She didn't understand.

"You've told me before. It's hard to grasp though. I'm just a simple man and the possibility that the child I love with my whole heart was fathered by another man is tearing me the f.u.c.k apart." My shoulders slumped forward as I let go of her, sank back into the chair and covered my face with my hands.

She knelt down in front of me and took both of my hands into hers, pulling them away from my face. I guess she was wearing thin on patience with me and I couldn't blame her. "Don't let it." There was an edge of despair in Mia's voice. "Cobra, please listen to me."

Her fingertips feathered over my worried brow, then traced down the rough stubble on my cheeks. Her voice was soft and soothing, yet strong at the same time, similar to when she spoke to the children. "It takes more than being a sperm donor to be a father. It takes courage and commitment, time . . . and above all, love. Jamie wouldn't care where his DNA came from as long as he felt loved and cared for. That's what really counts. That you keep loving him, no matter what. It's the unconditional love you have for him that makes you his daddy."

She lifted herself and kissed my brows softly. I closed my eyes and soaked it up. How I need her love. I sat mEsmerized as she gently kissed over my eyelids, then the tip of my nose and chin, then both my cheeks. I was waiting with bated breath for her to get to my lips. They were starved for hers.

My lips tingled, burning for her kiss.

But it never came.

Chapter 35 Cobra.

Reluctantly opening my eyes as someone knocked on the heavy wooden door of my office, I was greeted by Hammer clearing his throat nervously. He stood hesitantly shuffling from foot to foot, agitated and edgy.

"What's up, brother?" I growled, certainly not in the mood for interruptions. I had a lot on my mind, and club business wasn't too high on my list of priorities right now. Yet Hammer never came to my office unless it was really important. "Speak to Ryder about club s.h.i.t. That's what f.u.c.king VPs are for. I'm busy."

"Sorry, Mia. Ryder is the one who sent me," he explained half apologetically. "Cobra, you have a visitor at the gate. He wants to speak to you."

"Tell him to f.u.c.k off. I have nothing new to say to anyone."

Ryder appeared behind Hammer. "It's Summers. f.u.c.ker wants to speak to you about Jamie." Ryder's gaze flickered to where Mia was still kneeling by my feet. "Sorry, Mia. This is important, and I think Cobra needs to deal with it now."

"Unless he's here to tell me that he has found my kid, I don't wanna see his ugly f.u.c.king mug," I barked. I needed to finish this conversation with my wife. It was long overdue.

"Um . . . I've let him in already. I think we should hear what he has to say. I made him wait in the clubroom. Ox is watching him."

With a deep sigh, I looked down at Mia. She gave me a small sad smile and nodded once.

"Maybe it's something new." She rose to her feet and brushed her palms down her skirt to smooth it.

"I'm sorry," I said, meaning every word.

She stood on tiptoes and kissed my neck. "Go."

Her kiss burned into my skin as I grabbed my cut off the back of the chair and slipped it on. Lately I hadn't worn it much, but since I was facing the cop I wanted him to remember who he was dealing with.

"Get the f.u.c.ker a beer. And all of us, too. I can't face him on an empty stomach." I couldn't remember when last I'd had a decent f.u.c.king meal. I'd scratched around in the take-outs the boys brought to my office, but since I had no appet.i.te, I'd take a few mouthfuls before it made me feel sick.

"It's eight in the morning," Hammer said, his eyes wide.

"Since when do you care what time it is? It's always f.u.c.king beer time," I roared, irritated that he'd questioned me.

Ryder laughed, but it wasn't genuine. "Everyone's on f.u.c.king edge and it's getting worse by the day. We need to resolve this soon or the club will fall apart. We need Jamie and our f.u.c.king pres back, Cobra. Get us back to normal."

"Normal? What the f.u.c.k is normal?" Everything that appeared normal apparently wasn't. Nothing on earth could surprise me anymore.

Ryder patted my back. "Normal is having coffee in the morning. I ordered us a large mug each. Looks like you need a caffeine fix."

He grimaced as I killed the cigar in the overflowing ashtray before following me to the clubroom. This better be good.

"Summers," I growled as I lifted my chin to greet him. He stood as I approached, waiting for me to reach the long table.

I nodded toward the chairs so that everyone could take a seat. Hammer had latched on too, and I didn't have the energy to tell him to get back to his job.

"So, I hear you have news about Jamie? Don't make me wait, man."

Summers cleared his throat. "Yeah. We've found where Daemon and his men are hiding out. We used infrared to scope out the place and we've seen Jamie. The good news is your son's alive. That's always a good start."

I pushed up from my chair. I couldn't sit still in one place. "You found them? Why didn't you call me sooner?"

Summers shrugged. "We had to make sure. There are certain rules to follow."

"f.u.c.k the rules. f.u.c.k everything. I wanna know where they are. I want my boy back to his momma and my f.u.c.king brother dead." White-hot pain sliced through my head, squeezing my skull.

"No. We do it my way. The right way. If my partner and boss even knew I was here telling you our plans before the op, they'd have my b.a.l.l.s. But since you and Ryder . . . since Ryder and I . . . oh, f.u.c.k it . . . I just wanted to come tell you that we're raiding the place tonight and we're getting your son back."

"We're coming with you," Ryder burst out.

Summers shook his head. "No f.u.c.king way. I came as a courtesy because of s.h.i.t that went down in the past. But you abso-f.u.c.king-lutely cannot interfere in special ops business. We had to set it up as a f.u.c.king raid; it's the only way we can get in there legitimately. You'd be in the f.u.c.king way and we'd have to f.u.c.king arrest you."

I paced the room, feeling helpless as f.u.c.k.

"You have to get him out breathing I know you cop types . . . you don't care if you get hostages out dead or alive, as long as you can file your f.u.c.king report that the job's done."

Summers narrowed his eyes while clenching his jaw. "You're going to have to trust me on this. I'll do everything I can to get the boy out alive. I feel partly responsible for his disappearance, so I have a vested interest in seeing this turn out well." He scrubbed a hand over his face before turning to stare me in the eyes. "But you have to understand that there aren't any guarantees. We have no idea how your f.u.c.king twin will react . . . what he may do to the boy when he realizes we're there."

Ryder's brow creased into a deep frown. "That's exactly why at least one of us should come with you. We know the f.u.c.ker and what he's capable of. We know how he thinks. I'll go."

He held up a hand just as Summers was about to speak. "Don't say no just because that's protocol. Think about it. You need one of us to help you outsmart Demon. He's got that name for a reason. The man would kill his own mother for a buck. He's a f.u.c.king psychopath, if you haven't worked that out yet. He kills for pleasure . . . he won't care about Jamie."

Summers took a sip of his steaming coffee. I could practically see the cogs turning in his brain.

I agreed with Ryder's logic. "I should be the one going. I've known the motherf.u.c.ker and the way he thinks since we were born. I'm the logical choice here." The sooner I got my hands around Daemon's f.u.c.king neck, the sooner I'd be rid of that lowlife for good.

"The coffee's good," Summers said, smacking his lips together.

"Yes or no?" I growled, my patience non-existent.

Summers leaned forward, steepling his fingers in front of his chest. "This is my mission and I won't tolerate any interference." The corners of his mouth twisted into a smirk. "However I can see the value of having someone who knows our opponent to help us gain an advantage. But it will be my way or the answer is no."

Ryder's jaw ticked as he clenched his teeth. I knew that gesture well-he was trying his best to stay calm and not lose his s.h.i.t with his future brother-in-law.

Hammer had been silent the whole time, following the conversation with interest. "What's your deal?"

"There's no way I'm taking Cobra. It's the same as not operating on family if you're a doctor. I may consider taking you, Ryder. But you'll stay behind the lines in the vehicle and be in radio contact. Nothing more."

"f.u.c.k, I can't be . . ."

Summers leaned back in his chair, his mouth set in a thin line. "That's my deal. Take it or leave it. I'm not risking any one of you f.u.c.king this up with your inexperience. I want the child alive as much as you do. One wrong f.u.c.king move and the whole thing goes to s.h.i.t. You want that?"

We practically shook our heads in unison. "Of course not, you idiot," I said.

"I'll send Savage to pick Ryder up at nightfall. You'll stay in the vehicle at all times. He'll park five hundred miles up the road from the target building while we wait for the right time to hit. We've already staked out the area and that's the closest we can get without being easily spotted."