A Mate for Kai (The Program Book 6) (18 page)

He frowned. “We should double check that it’s still okay. We’ll ask the healers at tomorrow’s appointment.”

Don’t show your disappointment. Don’t you do it
. “Yes…that’s a great idea.” Kai was right. They needed to be responsible about this. The baby came first…always.

“What’s one more cold shower?” He grinned.

Ruby shrugged. “I’ll have to bring
myself
to orgasm again tonight, but hey.” She tried to sound flippant.

Kai groaned. “That’s too much visual for one male to handle.”

“I’m sorry. Dragon shifters tend to be very open about these things. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable,”

“It’s not that, although…uncomfortable is the right word.” He readjusted himself in his pants and gestured to the shirt in her hand. Ruby handed it to him.

“You can’t talk about touching yourself again unless we’re naked.” The muscles on either side of his neck bulged and his jaw looked tense. “Make that unless you’re on my cock or maybe you could show me but only if your mouth is wrapped around…let’s drop this line of conversation.” He pulled the shirt over his head.

“No more talk of anything to do with sex.” Her voice was high pitched. Her insides tightly wound.

Kai shook his head. “Not right now at least. I want you to be open with me. To be honest with me about everything.”

She nodded. “I will be.”

“Maybe we should go back now,” he growled.

“We definitely should.” She agreed as he grabbed her hand. They walked in silence. It should have been awkward between them but it wasn’t, it was companionable. Once they reached the castle entrance, he released her.

Her mind raced. Her body had decided it was fully onboard with the plan. Having sex with him wasn’t the best idea but right now it seemed like the only option she had.

She had noticed how the vampire females looked at Kai. There were plenty of them that were interested in him. He could have his pick. Kai had chosen her. Had he done so to simplify things, because it was the most logical thing to do or was there more to it? Only time would tell. Only, they didn’t have much time. Blaze would be back in twenty days. Maybe they would be mated by then, but she knew if things didn’t end up working out then she would need to come up with a plan.

It was for the best.

It was perfect.

Why hadn’t he thought of it sooner? Like, at least a week ago. It could’ve solved a ton of frustration on both their parts.

This would take care of his biggest problem. He couldn’t help but to grin. Hell, he felt like whistling a tune. His euphoria evaporated when he spotted Jordan outside his door. Damnit! It had been a couple of days since he had seen her. He did need to feed and she would know that. So, here she was. Here for him, like she had always been.

Jordan had offered to rut him every time he took blood from her. When he refused she gave him some more of the silent treatment. She was convinced he was going to fall for Ruby and that she was going to tear his heart out and feed it to him. Those were her exact words. Not his.

Her take on it was that if Ruby had lied to him about something so important, there had to be more. Jordan was convinced it would happen again in the future. It was just a matter of time. Kai wasn’t buying it. He understood why Ruby had done what she had done. Without going into any detail, he had explained it to his best friend along with his feelings on the subject, namely, he had forgiven Ruby. He had told Jordan he had moved past it.

Jordan had called him an idiot. A
as-blind-as-a-bat idiot
was how she had put it. It angered Kai that she wouldn’t accept his feelings. He’d heard her out and still stood by his original decision. She should respect that.

Kai smiled at her even though she didn’t return the favor. She was still his best friend and they would get through this. He knew she was afraid for him. Jordy was worried he would get hurt.

“Hi,” he said, as he neared his door.

“How was your walk?” She rolled her eyes to remind him that she thought his daily walks with Ruby were a moronic idea. Her words.

“It was great, thanks.” Better than great.

She sniffed at him when he approached. “Did she show you her breasts or something? Sheesh…you really smell.”

“Like a bull in musk.” He mumbled, choking out a laugh. Was it Jenson, or Stuart…who had called him that after he met Ruby for the first time? He opened his door and gestured for her to go in.

“Nail on the head.” Jordan pointed a finger at him. “You stink like a bull in musk. Pathetic.”

“Hey, I’m a male.” he said. Jordan was particularly chatty this evening. It was a pity she was in such a terrible mood.

She scrutinized him for a few seconds. “Really? You’re totally going to start rutting her again aren’t you?” Her voice was an angry rush. “I can tell. I’m surprised it hasn’t happened already.”

Kai had just closed his front door. He held the air in his lungs for a moment before releasing it. Then he turned.

Jordan looked upset. Like ready to cry upset. Her lip quivered.
What the hell!
“Jordy.” He narrowed his eyes on her. “What’s going on here? Am I missing something?”

“You’re thick as two planks on top of two planks, you know that don’t you?”

“Okaaaay.” He didn’t like where this was going.

“I love you, Kai.” A tear rolled down her cheek. An honest to god tear. Fuck.

Don’t let this be what I think it is. Please no!
“I love you too, Jordy. You are my dearest friend. By best damned friend. I hope you know that. Ruby doesn’t change that. It shouldn’t change anything.”

There was another lip quiver, followed by another heavy tear. He watched as it rolled down her cheek, along her jaw, it hung onto the end of her chin for a good few seconds before splashing onto her t-shirt. All the while he prayed that he had misread this.

“I don’t want to be your friend anymore. I can’t be your friend anymore because I love you, Kai.” Rushed and angry. “I fucking love you.” She finished the sentence on a whisper which turned into a sob.

He’d never seen her like this. A mess. Why hadn’t he seen this coming? “Let’s sit down.”

She shook her head. “This is the part where you tell me it’s not like that for you. That you don’t feel the same.” More tears and more anger. “I’ve tried to tell you. I tried to get you to notice me. To make you feel jealous but it didn’t help. Nothing has helped. I’ve pretty much thrown myself at you and…crickets.”

“When did your feelings change?” He felt shell-shocked. Like a bomb had been dropped on his fucking head.

“I realized it after you came back. I knew that this female had messed with your head. I could see you couldn’t stop thinking about her. I was jealous…I still am. You were mine first. I’ve known you for so damned long. We grew up together, Kai. The thought of losing you to her.”

“You wouldn’t lose me. I’m still here. I’m still your friend…Jordy…”

“I want more. I want you…” She closed the distance between them and cupped his face with both her hands. “I want there to be an us.”

He closed his own hands over hers. “There is an us…just not that kind of us.”

She made a noise of frustration and pulled her hands away. “You know what I mean.” She sniffed. The tears still fell.

“Please, Jordan. You’re right, I don’t feel that way about you. I do love you but not like that.”

Her eyes widened, they locked with his. “Give me a chance to prove w—”

“No,” he growled. Kai didn’t need proof of anything. He didn’t see her like that. Jordan was the most important person in his life right now. Once his baby was born that would change. His son or daughter would become the most important.

For a very long time it had been just him and Jordan against the world. At least, it had felt like that. She was important to him. He huffed out a breath. “No,” he whispered. “We would regret it.”

“Don’t tell me how I would feel. It’s her isn’t it? If it weren’t for her you would have agreed to us. We wouldn’t be fighting. It’s killing me, Kai.”

Would he have taken her up on her offer? “No, Jordan. You’re wrong. I would never have put our friendship in jeopardy. You deserve happiness. There is a male out there for you. Hell, I’ve punched plenty of males over the years for disrespecting. I think Jenson has an enormous crush on—”

“Don’t try and set me up with—”

“I’m not. Not at all.” He paused for a moment. There was only one way and that was to be straight with her. “We’re friends, Jordy. You’re important to me but there will never be more.” He kept his voice even. “Ruby and I…” he grabbed the back of his neck and squeezed.

“You’re so going there and don’t even deny it.” She sounded defeated.

“I’m not denying it.”

“Bastard,” she growled. “You seriously need to have your head examined. She’s bad news. You don’t have to mate her to be able to be a father to this child.”

“I know that.”

“Do you?” She shook her head. “I don’t think you do. I’m sorry, I can’t give you blood anymore. I think we need to…give each other some space.”

Kai nodded. “I don’t want to lose our friendship but if that’s what you really want.”

“It’s what you want too. I noticed how you called me your friend, just now, instead of your best friend.”

“You know what I mean.”

Jordan nodded. “Take care of yourself. Don’t trust that female…please…just don’t. You’ll be sorry. Whatever you do don’t fall for her, she’ll chew you up and spit you out.” Jordan left.

Ruby had lied to him but she had her reasons. It was all understandable. He still wished that she had been honest with him, although, again, he understood why she hadn’t been. Most males would not have helped her. He wasn’t most males.

They were attracted to each other and compatible. It was her brother that was pushing the whole mating thing. That fucker king had Kai’s back to the wall. There was no fucking way he was mating Ruby because Blaze held a proverbial gun to his head. Could he fall for Ruby? He wasn’t sure. One thing was for sure though, he was not going to be forced into mating her.

Not a fuck.

****

Becky frowned. There was a squelching noise. Ruby grimaced. By the movement of her shoulder, he could see that she had retracted her hand. Becky lifted it and pulled the glove off, but not before he noticed a red smudge on the tip of one of her fingers.

Blood.

The coppery scent hit him. Only a few drops. His mouth watered as he remembered how good she had tasted. He also cringed as he recalled the pain he had felt when he took blood from her. Drinking from Ruby had been sweet torture. Agony and pleasure all rolled into one. He must be completely certifiable because he would drink from her again in a heartbeat. He was seriously hungry right now. His gums ached, his nail beds tingled. His eyes might even have been glowing.

Coppery, sweet, fiery hot. Such a tempting combination. His fangs erupted. Kai grit his teeth and tried to concentrate on what Becky was saying.

“There has been some ripening of the cervix,” the human said.

“What does that mean?” Ruby sounded excited but there was also an edge of panic to her voice.

Eleanor was beaming. “It seems your womb has begun opening in preparation for labor.”

Ruby gasped, she covered her mouth with both her hands. Her eyes were wide.

“Don’t get too excited,” Becky cautioned. “In my experience, it can still take weeks before the onset of labor once the cervix starts to ripen.”

Ruby dropped her hands to the bed with an audible plop as they hit the mattress.

“It can also take much less time. Normally a couple of days…a week but don’t get your hopes up,” she quickly added and Ruby smiled.

Kai could feel that he was also grinning. From ear to fucking ear. He moved closer to the bed and gripped Ruby’s hand. “It won’t be long now. The only questions are, when will it happen and are you going to birth an egg or a baby?” He put his hand on the curve of her belly. Her skin was soft and warm. “Our baby.” His voice was filled with awe. His chest swelled with pride.

Her hand covered his. It was much smaller. “Our little one. I can’t wait to meet him. Even if he is behind a shell at first.”

Kai choked out a laugh. “Do dragons have two birthdays? The day they were…released? And the day they hatched? How does it even work?” He pulled her gown back down.

Ruby laughed. “We only have one birthday…silly. The day we were hatched of course.”

Both Eleanor and Becky laughed as well.

Becky threw the glove in the trash. “I think it’s probably safe to say, at this point, that you are carrying an egg, otherwise, I’m sure the pregnancy would have lasted longer. There is no way to tell for sure until…the time comes.”

“Although it could still take a couple of weeks as Becky pointed out, chances are good you’re going to go into labor within the next couple of days.” Eleanor looked concerned. “You”—he was looking at Ruby— “need a cell phone. You need to call Kai…to call for help. I know there is a phone in your room but it’s not enough.”

Kai nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Better yet, maybe I should take some leave from work. I need to be able to be there for you…for him, when the time comes.” He looked down at her belly. He hated feeling so helpless. The reality was that there was nothing he could do. Maybe he would be useless for the labor and the release…birth…whatever it ended up being but he sure as hell would make sure he was there.

“Don’t be in such a hurry.” Becky narrowed her eyes on him. “This could still take weeks. I’ve known of women whose cervix ripen months before the baby was due. They ended up being three or four centimeters by the time nine months rolled around. They carried perfectly normally, right until the end. It happens. That’s the thing with pregnancy…even when we have all the facts, it still doesn’t always go according to plan.” She paused, looking at each of them in turn. “The thing is, we have no facts when it comes to this particular pregnancy. We have no idea what’s going to happen, we can only guess. Although chances are good Ruby will go into labor fairly soon, it might not happen that way. I agree with Eleanor, you need to have a cell phone, Ruby.”

Becky picked up a file that was on the desk next to her. “Don’t make any drastic changes to your life at this point.” She looked pointedly at Kai. “I wouldn’t go any extended trips outside of vampire territory but keep working…for now at least. Things could change, we’ll have to take it day by day.”

Everything the healer had said made sense. There was a driving need to take control of the situation somehow. He wanted to move in with Ruby so that he could be with her. At least then he would be at her side to protect her, help her. It was on the tip of his tongue to suggest it. Instead, he nodded. “You are right. I will make sure my superiors are aware of the situation.”

Ruby squeezed his hand. He hadn’t realized he was still holding it. “It’s going to be okay. I know it is.”

Fuck! He hoped she was right. Kai nodded.

Becky wrote something inside the file before closing it and putting it back on her desk. “Fine. I’m happy with your progress.”

Eleanor folded her arms. “Yes, things are progressing nicely, child.” She smiled warmly at Ruby.

“Great,” Becky said. “We’ll see you in…three days.”

“There was one thing we wanted to ask.” Ruby got up off the bed.