Free Damaged and the Bulldog by Bijou Hunter

with her baby bump. I looked away, giving them privacy. The way they
were so casually intimate with each other made me hunger to see Dylan. I wanted
his arms around me, his lips on mine, his hot breath on my skin, my name
whispered in his hungry voice.
    Desire scared me as much as sex, but I craved
everything about Dylan. I wanted to share with him what Lark had with Aaron.
    “I didn’t mean to interrupt, but today was slow at the
shop. Everyone wants Jade to do their tats. I know she’s talented, but I sensed
they just want the hot chick,” Aaron said then added quietly, “I’m hot too.”
    Lark cuddled next to him. “If I wasn’t on bed rest,
I’d fuck that pout right off your face.”
    “Don’t worry, babe. I’m keeping track of every time
you say that, so you can make it up to me after the babies are born.”
    Smiling, Lark glanced at me. “We’re planning to ditch
the babies with other people a lot, so we can have alone time. You should
prepare for that.”
    I grinned. “I can’t wait to see your babies.”
    “Me either. I hope they have curls like Aaron.”
    Aaron sighed. “Please, let the boy have straight hair.
Trust me that the Shirley Temple look doesn’t work on boys.”
    Lark rubbed his head. “Hey, Winnie and Dylan are
together. Isn’t that great?”
    Aaron smiled at me. “Have you seen his bulldog tat?”
When I shook my head, he nodded. “He got it before the shooting. I doubt he’s
been walking around shirtless much since then.”
    “It’s a beauty,” Lark said, smiling at her husband.
“Aaron is so talented that the dog looks real. Pouty too. Kinda like Dylan in a
bad mood.”
    Even curious about the tattoo, I focused on my job.
“Do you want me to make you lunch?” I asked, standing up. “Lark was planning to
have a sandwich.”
    “Oh, and steamed veggies,” Lark added, faking
excitement. “Soft carrots, Aaron. Can you imagine?”
    “I won’t have to. I’ll have what she’s having,” he
told me then knelt on the ground to kiss the baby bump. “This is Leo. This is
Phoebe. I can tell by how they kick.”
    Lark looked at me and rolled her bright green eyes. I
still smiled at how excited Aaron was about his babies.
    As I made them lunch, I remembered when Dylan asked
about kids. We were cuddling on the back porch when he brought up the subject.
Dylan hoped for at least two because he didn’t like growing up an only child.
    “I don’t know if I’d be a good mother,” I told him.
    “Of course you will.”
    “I have moods where I’m not good for anything.”
    “We all do. That’s why we have each other.” When I
stared at him, Dylan finally understood. “Do you not want children?” he asked.
    Staring into his dark hypnotic eyes, I let myself
dream of a future where Dylan and I were together. If I learned to be close to
him, I could learn to be close to a child.
    Our child would be so loved too. Mom was already
knitting blankets for grandchildren she might never have. Dad figured Beckett
would get his wife preggers five seconds after walking out of prison, so he’d
bought himself a “Best Grandpa” coffee cup.
    “Yes, I want them,” I told Dylan. “With you, I want
everything.”
    I was thinking about Dylan’s smile when I brought
lunch out to Lark and Aaron. They’d changed positions, so he was sitting at the
end of the little couch with her head resting on a pillow on his lap.
    “I was feeling lightheaded,” she explained, reaching
for the food. “Ooh, broccoli.”
    Aaron smiled at his wife’s enthusiasm, but I could see
the worry in his blue eyes. Lark’s blood pressure wasn’t behaving and I sensed
she wouldn’t make it anywhere near her due date. Unlike Farah who was having an
easy pregnancy, Lark seemed miserable most days. Yet she smiled through it all.

Chapter Twelve ~ Dylan
    Nick annoyed me when we first met. He was too friendly
with Lark and I was too obsessed with my sister. Once I pulled my head out of
my ass, I viewed the world