Pregnant for Danger

It was hot.

Like really, really hot.

Lena Donovan was sweating like it was an Olympic game, her wet hair clinging to her face in all directions, and her clothes were clinging to her body like a second skin she presently couldn’t wait to do without.

In all her twenty-six years on earth, she'd never felt as tired than she did at that moment. A hot bath was much needed; a delicious glass of her favorite red wine in one hand, a Lorraine Heath historical romance novel in another and the last thing she wanted to do or see was the moron following her.

Hello, stalker much?

“Stop!” he shouted from behind her.

When someone yelled stop, she never knew if it was in the name of love, or Hammertime, or if she should really listen.

She didn't want to. She honestly didn't, really because she knew that her resolve would break if she did. And that was the last thing Lena wanted.

Most of all, she was angry. Who said anger had to be a bad thing? It wasn't, if one knew the right thing to channel it to. And right now, she was channeling every spark of anger in her to the scorching hot cup of coffee in her hand.

She'd just come out of The Taste, the little cafe on the other side of her house. Black coffee was good for the soul, and it was safe to say she was an addict. Besides, one was never fully awake without coffee.

Against her better judgement, Lena turned. And came face to face with the asshole who broke her.

Again.

“What do you want this time, Matt?”

Matt was her ex. Ex boyfriend, to be precise. A shitty one, but one nonetheless.

Now one might be wondering, why? Why weren't they on good terms like most ex-boyfriend and girlfriend? Why was she itching to bash his oh-so-handsome face in the wall? Why was she fervently praying he'd just take a walk someday and never come back?

She’d tell you why.

Why, because he was a fucking lying cheating bastard. They'd been together for two years and all she got out of that relationship was fake orgasms, lies and deceit.

Matthew Langley had toyed with what Lena called her heart. He'd yanked it out of her chest with a knife, scrunched it up in his hands, threw it to the ground and stomped on it with those good-looking timberland boots of his.

Wow... Visuals, Lena.

And as cliche as it sounds, she didn't think she could ever forgive him for it.

“Wait. Please just hear me out. I've been trying to talk to you for—”

“Shut your lying face up, twat.” He wasn't lying though. He'd tried calling her, texting, WhatsApp-ing. Name it. “Are you so daft? Did it even occur to you that maybe the reason I didn't pick up or reply to any of your stupid messages is because I have absolutely no interest in talking to you?”

“For the love of God, just—”

“I know the Bible talks about forgiveness and all, but I'm pretty sure Jesus would hold my purse while I kicked your ass.” She gave him a look.

He sighed in frustration, running his hands through his hair. “Don't be so stubborn. Just listen to me. That night was a mistake. I drank too much and I didn't know what I was doing.”

Jesus. It had to be the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. “We had one argument. One fucking argument. And then you stormed out. And what you're trying to tell me is that you ended up naked in a hotel with that crazy bitch riding you?” She laughed humorlessly. “If you expect me to believe that, then you're out of your fucking mind.”

If that was his pathetic attempt at an excuse, then he really was stupid. Matt and Lena had been a little shaky for a few months. They'd been walking on eggshells, treading carefully. She loved him. And he'd love her. At least, that was what she was led to believe. They had fights, big and small, and every single time he ended up with someone else. Lena tried to make herself believe that eventually their love would triumph, despite everything they went through. She desperately wanted to believe it. Because, goddammit, she didn't want to lose him. To lose the only person she had.

But not anymore. What we allow is what will continue. She wasn't brought into this world to suffer, she'd decided. One day she just didn't care anymore. If you wanted to walk out of her life, then go ahead. Hell, she'd hold the door wide open for you.

Lena didn't realize he'd come close to her until she felt his hands curl round her body.

What?!

“Get the fuck away from me, you idiot!” She shoved him off with all the energy she could muster. Without thinking, she emptied the now warm cup of coffee on him.

Giving him one last glance, she turned around and walked away from him. It was like something entered her because right then, she didn't feel just anger anymore.

She was mad.

Furious.

Red. All over.

“And another thing!” she yelled, turning on her heels to meet his eyes. “Quit telling people that you 'lost' me as if you're some sort of victim in this whole story. Try telling the truth for once in your miserable life—you had something good and you fucked it up all by yourself. How many more chances did you expect to get huh? How many tears did you think I was going to give you? 'Lost me.'...you didn't lose shit. You had two choices—to do better or to stay the same. Ironically, I had the same choices you did. So, while you chose to stay the same, I chose to do better... and fucking leave.”

She hadn't expected it to hurt this much but it did. It fucking did. And she hated it.

Lena took several breaths to calm down, mostly because she could feel her eyes becoming moist. Crying in front of this idiot would be a huge blow to her ego.

Matt was standing there all wet, looking flabbergasted. She'd honestly never spoken to him that way before. Thank God. Maybe now he'd really realize that she was dead serious.

“Lena. Please. I'm sorry. It won't happen again. You're the only good thing I have,” he sniffed.

“Had,” she corrected. “Only good thing you had.”

God. Common sense was so rare these days that it should be classified as a super power.

“One more chance. To prove myself. That's all I'm asking for,” he pleaded as he swiped at a drop of coffee that threatened to blind his right eye.

“I'm done, Matt. I've moved on. You should do the same. The pity train have just derailed at a corner of Suck-It-Up-and-Move-On and crashed into We-All-Have-Problems before getting to a stop at Get-The-Hell-Over-It. Good day and go fuck yourself.”

And with that, she felt him standing in the middle of the street, feeling better than she had in a long, long while.

It'd been a long day at the office, especially after that entire ordeal with Matt in front of her apartment building yesterday, which she couldn’t stop thinking about. All Lena wanted as she stepped into her apartment was a hot bath and maybe twenty hours of sleep.

But no, because her two idiot best friends were breathing down her neck in a futile attempt at getting some info about her meeting with Matt the previous day.

“So, what did you do?” Caroline questioned. “Come on! Say something—”

“I'm giving up on you,” Gabe finished with a smirk. To be honest, he wasn't really that interested in the conversation. Everyone knew he never liked Matt from the start, and he couldn't be happier that they'd split up.

“Asshole. I wasn't going to say that.” Care rolled her eyes.

Caroline Robyn and Gabriel Cage, Lena’s two best friends in the world.

The three of them couldn’t have been more different yet they all managed to make it work. They'd all met in freshman year at college, the best and worst years of Lena's life, and they'd all just instantly clicked. It was like a 'where have you been all my life' kind of moment.

Care was a baker. She owned a bakery shop at the other side of town, a good twenty minute drive from Lena's crib while she and Gabriel worked in an advertising firm. Worst part? He was her freaking boss.

The irony.

“Lee, spit it out, for fuck’s sake. I don't have all night. I got like two different cakes to bake and people to fire. I want the whole gist, everything. From the top,” Care whined as she leaned in for the juicy story.

“Honestly, guys, it's a long story,” she sighed.

“You know an even way to make a long story short?” Gabe didn't wait for an answer and continued. “By not telling it to me at all.”

Care shot him a look. “Speak for yourself.”

He rolled his eyes in response.

“Same old thing. He just wanted to get back together—”

“Over my dead body,” Gabe caught her off. “I'd sooner have a vasectomy without anesthetic.”

Care chuckled. “He's right.”

“You don't think I know that?” Lena asked no one in particular. Getting up from the couch, she strolled to the kitchen for a glass of wine, needing something strong. “And I've told you this thousands of times, I'm over the dude. I don't care about him anymore. Nothing he says or does will change my mind.”

“Good.” Gabe nodded emphatically.

If Care had something to say, she swallowed it. The conversation was done and over with. At least for that day.

Lena passed the wine around, letting everyone help themselves to it. Alcohol was something they only took at night. Never in the daytime. Scary experience. She had a huge scar on her left butt cheek to prove it.

“So, Gabe, what's been up with you?” Care asked with a raised brow. He'd found someone. And they knew this because he always was a secretive bitch when he was hiding something and Gabriel Cage was a terrible liar.

“Uhhhh... What?” he asked with a not-so-innocent smile plastered all over his face.

Gabe was hot. Not just hot. But smoking, panty-dropping hot. He was well built, lean with muscles. Brown hair that looked like a dozen hands had run through it. Rough but sexy. He had green eyes, those kinds that screamed look-at-me-I’m-sexy, chiseled face with razor sharp jaws. He was the exact kind of man that Lena took interest in.

Only difference was, he was her best friend. The brotherly kind.

So yeah, she could totally see why he had women flocking round him like he was the cure to freaking cancer.

“I know you're hiding something and don't give me that look, you know it's true. I just want to know who she is,” she demanded.

“Who 'who' is?” he asked with a blank stare.

“Lover girl. Your new bish,” Care snorted before gulping down her glass.

“For God's sake woman, watch your tongue,” Gabe scolded with a frown. “And for your information, she's not a bish.” He got up and walked down the hallway to the bathroom, waves of anger practically pouring out of him.

Lena raised a brow. “I think you hit a nerve,” she whispered, holding her glass to her lips.

Care shrugged in confusion.

****

Gabriel was the kind of person you went to for 'fun'. Yeah, he knew how to party. There was never a dull moment with him. Always cheerful with a smile plastered on his face. Except at work where she'd rarely seen him smile.

Lena could honestly count on one hand how many times she'd seen him angry. And few of them was with Matt.

College changed them. Gabe had been a shy introverted geek when they first met. Always had his head lost in one book or the other. She and Care practically had to drag him to parties, bonfires, birthdays. Anything that involved alcohol, tight spaces and sweaty bodies. Then June came along and everything changed. Even now, it was still a mystery how she'd managed to pull him out from under his shell. But she did.

A month with her and he became distant. Different. Strange. June was the kind of girl every mother warned their sons about. Bad news. She wandered down the wrong path, drugs, alcohol, sex... and pulled Gabe along with her. And like the gullible moron that he was, he followed.

Fast forward to six months, she dumped him for someone more fun, she'd said, leaving him to reflect on his life and the mistakes he'd made. She’s had her fun, had preyed on his innocence and when she was filled, she moved on.

Lena had never seen Gabe look more miserable than he did back then. She and Care did everything they could think of to keep him from sinking into depression but it was a futile attempt.

Long story short, he picked himself up, and made the typical vow to never let any woman make fun of him or his feelings again. The years that followed, he went through women as frequently as he changed underwear.

So, sue her if she was surprised to see him getting worked up over one of his bishes, as Care so blatantly put it.

“I think I need a drink,” Gabe said as he turned to the bartender. “Something strong, please.”

They were at a downtown bar—mostly frequented by rich people ranging from athletes to celebrities to business moguls—because Gabe said he needed to cool off, and being the good friends that they were, they followed suit because Gabe should, under no circumstances, be left alone to 'cool off.'

Seriously.

Music blared from the speakers, pounding her ears. She couldn't hear herself think, it was that loud. Neon lights danced around the room, creating a kaleidoscope of colors. The floor was packed with people dancing, shaking like earthworms mostly, making out, drinking. Weird. One would think people would stay in their homes on weeknights.

“I need to get laid,” Care whined from behind Lena. “I've been suffering from vaginal emptiness.”

Between the three of them, Lena thought only she had come to find the right penis for her vagina.

“When was the last time you had sex?” Gabe asked her, holding a bottle of beer in his hands. He took a long gulp, swiping his mouth with the back of his palm.

“Three days ago.”

Lena's eyes widened. Three days ago? And she said she's suffering? She hadn't had sex in two months and she was doing just fine.

Lena turned to her. “You're insane.”

“Well, get in line. I haven't had sex in almost seventy-two hours and I feel like I'm dying,” Gabe said as his eyes scouted the club, no doubt searching for his newest addition to '1000 notch in my bedpost.’

“Perv,” Lena muttered under her breath, taking a sip from her bottle. She'd taken two bottles already and she was seriously feeling the effects of the goddamned liquor. Her eyes were spinning and the room was upside down. She blinked a couple of times, trying to clear her sight.

“Prude,” he muttered back, rolling his eyes.

“I am not!” she shot at him.

“You so are.” He raised one of those perfectly shaped brows of his.

“Are not!”

“Are too!”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“Ugh, God, shut the fuck up, both of you. You're gonna give me a fucking migraine from all these fucking yelling. Add that to the loud speakers and I'm deaf forever.” Care scrunched her face up in annoyance. “I want to dance. I'll be over there.”

She pointed to an empty space at the far end of the club, getting up from the seat next to Lena.

Lena blinked again as she watched her walk away.

Why the hell was she seeing two Carolines?

“Drink responsibly. It's on the label,” Gabe deadpanned.

“To me ‘drink responsibly’ means don't spill it,” she shot back.

Lena left him at the bar, not wanting to hear any more lecturers on drinking. She could see Care dancing alone with a bottle of beer in one hand. Her body swayed to the rhythm of the song blaring from the speakers. She instantly recognized the song as Chainsmokers ‘Closer.’

Lena had never been a fan of dancing. Mainly because she didn't know how to and she never cared to learn. But that didn't mean she couldn't move her body.

She wouldn't call herself Nicki Minaj, but she had an impressive backside, with surprise surprise, relatively small boobs. What could she say? One couldn’t have everything.

She let the beat of the music fill her ears, empty her mind. She let the feeling of being free—something she hadn't felt in two years—consume her. With everything she'd been through, from her parents’ deaths to her breakup with Matt, everything, she at least deserved to be completely free. Maybe not happy, she wasn't sure she'd find that in the near future, but free.

To be completely honest, Lena felt like crying. Trying to come to terms with the fact that she was an orphan hadn't been easy. One minute they were there, and then the next they weren't. She felt pity for herself. Growing up, she never had anything easy. She'd had to work and fight for everything she got, not because she couldn’t get it another way, but because her parent’s had never let her forget that life was a blessing and tomorrow was a gift. But she never knew the value of having one's parents by their side until she lost hers.

It was funny how a few moments could change an entire life. If her parents hadn't died, she wouldn't be alone. Sure, she had her best friends, but nothing compares to the love of a parent. If her parents were still alive, she would never have dated Matt.

Matt, who made her question her worth. Matt, who made her bend her morals every single time he fucked up. Matt, who sucked everything good from her life and left her a sizzling, hot mess. Matt, who brought down her self-worth, self-esteem to a big zero. It was a miracle she managed to free herself from him.

He was bad for her health.

The song changed and another came on. This time it was a slow song, a breakup song. Adele's ‘Love in The Dark’ filled the club and she felt her body move to the rhythm.

She listened to the lyrics, because you have to admit, Adele would always make you stop and listen. It seemed like she was talking directly to Lena and a stray tear ran down her face. It hurt. It freaking sucked to have friends and still felt like it was her against the world.

A sad smile formed on her lips and she lifted her hand to flick at the tear.

Fuck this shit.

She turned to leave the club when something, or rather someone, crashed against her.

She smelled it before she felt it.

MacDowell’s. Fucking MacDowell’s.

Some idiot had just spilled his fucking drink on her.

What the actual fuck?