Prowled Darkness (Dante's Circle, #7)(6)

He licked his lips as he studied her face. She was paler than he remembered, but that could have been from the shock of seeing him. Her shaggy red hair was longer now, brushing her shoulders in layers. When he’d last seen her, it had looked as though she could afford to gain a few pounds. Now, she was round with his child and had filled out nicely. He wanted to reach out and cup her face or even put his hand over her belly, but he didn’t.

He didn’t know what to do and that wasn’t like him.

In fact, he hated it.

“Eliana…”

She held up a hand. “Not now. My ankles hurt and I have to pee. Again. I don’t want to go back in there though because I don’t think Tristan will be able to hold back the mob a second time. So, did you drive here? Or do we need to take a cab? Either way, let’s go. We can go to my place because you sold yours.” She raised her chin as he tried to process the fact that she’d been to his place after he left. Or rather, what had once been his place. “Yeah, I went to your old condo. Sue me. I was trying to tell you about little squirt here. But whatever. So, cab or car?”

He blinked. “Little squirt?”

She pointed at her belly and raised a brow. “Car or cab?”

Apparently, she wouldn’t be talking about any true details until they went to her place and he’d have to be fine with that. Because, frankly, his mind was still whirling over the fact that she was pregnant. He’d gone into the bar to find her so he could figure out what they were going to do about mating.

He’d never once thought she could be pregnant.

That changed everything.

And yet, it didn’t change a thing.

He cleared his throat as she shuffled from foot to foot. Her ankles were hurting, she’d said. So maybe he needed to once again get his head out of his ass and take care of the woman carrying his child.

“I drove,” he finally said. “Here, let me help you.” He took her elbow, hopefully keeping her steady. He honestly didn’t know what to do to help her. He may have been around some pregnant women in the Pride before, but he’d never really thought about how to help them beyond protection.

When she didn’t pull away from him, he counted that as a small victory and led her to his Range Rover. She raised a brow at him when she saw the SUV, and he shrugged.

“I sold the Mercedes.” He’d picked her up in that car when they were dating, and had sold it once he’d thought he would be spending the next few years with the Pride, working on his destiny. “I’m renting this.”

She flinched slightly as he said it, and he wanted to curse at himself. Way to make it plain that he wasn’t staying for long. And frankly, remind her that he’d left in the first place. He hadn’t even told her that he wasn’t staying, and yet the car sort of made that statement for him.

Instead of trying to explain, he helped her with her seatbelt and closed the door. He took steadying breaths as he made his way to the other side of the SUV and jumped in. This wasn’t what he’d thought he’d be doing once he made his way back to the human realm, but now, he couldn’t think of anything he’d rather do.

He had to fix this thing between him and Eliana. Because if he didn’t, he wasn’t sure what he would do.

They were silent as they made their way to Eliana’s home. It wasn’t lost on either of them that he remembered how to get there even if he’d never been to Dante’s Circle before. He’d never actually been in her home as he’d never wanted to let things get too serious, but he’d picked her up from there numerous times. They’d only ever slept together in his bed. And his shower. And on his table.

But he’d never made love to her in her home.

He’d tried to keep that distance.

And, apparently, he’d f*cked up in doing that. He’d f*cked up in a lot of things with Eliana.

When he pulled into her driveway behind her beat up old truck, he barely had time to turn off the engine before she had her seatbelt off and was trying to wedge herself out of the Rover.

“Wait a minute,” he snapped. “Let me help you before you get hurt.”

“Too late,” she whispered, and he cursed. “I’ve been getting out of cars on my own for a long time, Malik.”

“But you don’t have to do it alone now,” he said, hoping she understood he meant more than just the vehicle.

She shook her head. “It’s never as easy as that.” But she waited for him to help her out of the Rover. That had to count for something.

His hands shook as she slid down his body, her belly protruding and scaring the shit out of him. When he felt a slight push at his own stomach, he froze.

Eliana blushed and tried to pull away from him. “That’s just little squirt making his or her presence known. Just a kick. You don’t have to freak out.”

Malik’s tongue went dry. He swallowed hard so he could speak. “It’s my first kick,” he whispered. Something else she’d said triggered his mind. “You don’t know the sex of the baby?”

“I wanted it to be a surprise,” she answered. “I don’t know why now that I’m trying to figure out the nursery and everything. But I just went green and yellow.” She shrugged. “And as for the kick? You could have felt them all if you’d been here, but you weren’t.” With that parting shot, she slowly made her way to the front door.