I glance up to see Phoenix has her cradled against him. He’s murmuring in her ear, and she’s nodding. When he’s done, he tilts his face toward me. “Time to get her home. She doesn’t give a shit about the cake.”
I sigh, but it’s not that big of a deal. I don’t think Kane will care what cake is served at the reception. This wedding is a show of power more than it is declaring undying love. A cruel fact, maybe, but a fact all the same.
“Chocolate fudge with whipped cream instead of frosting,” I tell the woman who’s looked vaguely terrified since the moment we came in for our appointment. She knows if she fucks this up, there will be hell to pay.
At the very least, her business won’t survive.
“No problem. Just send me the estimated guest list, and I’ll be sure to get it done and delivered. Oh,” she says as we rise, “and make sure we have access to a freezer. The whipped cream will melt otherwise.”
I nod. We’re not unreasonable dicks, and if Kane’s happy, this little bakery will survive for decades.
Phoenix walks on Alice’s arm as we head out, and he ducks into the back seat of the Jeep with her as I climb behind the wheel. I check my mirror to see her curling into his side, and seconds after I pull out onto the main road, she’s dead asleep.
He strokes her hair as my gaze flickers between the mirror and the road.
“Do you think she wants a coffee?”
“Don’t be stupid,” Phoenix rumbles at me, trying to keep his voice down. “That’s bad for the baby.”
“Pretty sure that’s an old wives’ tale,” I answer back.
His brows furrow. “You really want to take the risk with our child?”
Our child. It sends my heart racing.Shit. There are moments when it’s real, and then there are moments when it’s so fucking real I feel like I’m going to vibrate out of my skin.
“How is she?” I ask instead of voicing what’s really on my mind.
Phoenix bites his lip and strokes the side of her face when I glance at him again. “She’s been better. Sleeping terribly.”
“Makes two of us,” I say, shifting in my seat. I groan when the plug grazes my prostate, and Phoenix laughs. “Shut the fuck up.”
“It’s not my fault you don’t know how to behave,” he says.
“It’s not my fault you’re Daddy’s favorite,” I shoot back.
He just smirks a little more as he rests his head back and closes his eyes. “He’ll let you off the leash tonight.”
It’s annoying that he knows, but I also love that. I’m hoping that Ari and Phoenix will be with Kane as I get off. I hope Alice watches.
My foot presses a little harder on the gas pedal, and I can hear Phoenix chuckle as the car picks up speed.
We make it home in record time, and I’m squirming with discomfort as I try to walk without jolting my goddamn prostate every three seconds. My cock’s aching from being locked behind the cage, and I’m ready for this to be over.
A small part of me wants to demand Kane admit that I was right to do what I did because Alice needed him, and he was hurting her. But that would be adding fuel to the fire. I don’t mind being a brat, but now isn’t the time for it.
I can see the stress lines in Kane’s face as he comes around the corner just as we walk in through the garage door. Something’s happened. He kisses Alice swiftly, then gives me a hot look before tugging Phoenix close and whispering into his ear.
All the smirk is gone from Phoenix’s face, and they disappear, leaving a sleepy Alice leaning against the wall.
“Darling girl,” I murmur.
She walks into me, wrapping her arms around my waist. I rest my stump on her shoulder and my hand at her hip, and I swear I can feel the barest swell in her lower stomach. Maybe I’m crazy, but her body definitely seems different.
My phone buzzes, so I shift her to the side to dig it out of my pocket.
Kane: Ari will free you from the cage and the plug. I planned something special, but Phoenix and I have to head into the office, so it needs to wait.
Me: What’s happening?