Ashes(57)

Harper squeezed his hand. "No, they won't. And if anyone tries, we'll string them up by their intestines. We'll make an example of them to send a message of just how dumb it would be for anyone else to try."



Knox looked into her eyes, saw the promise of retribution right there, and nodded. It was a vow. "Come on, let's go to bed."



"I really don't think I could sleep right now." She was too wired.



His mouth set into a lopsided smile. "Who said anything about sleeping?"





CHAPTER TEN





Knox paused with the fork halfway to Harper's mouth, his forehead wrinkling. "You're going to work?"



Harper arched a brow. "What, you thought I'd spend the rest of the pregnancy sitting around, twiddling my thumbs?"



"A man can dream."



She rolled her eyes. "I took three days off, even though I didn't need them." She'd agreed to spend the time catching up on her sleep, but she'd really done it so that he had a little time to adjust to the idea that she was pregnant. Honestly, she'd also needed that time to adjust. Now that she had, the anxiety had been replaced by a scary anticipation. But it was a good kind of scary.



It was amazing just how different her world now seemed. Everything other than Knox had taken an emotional backseat to the life inside her. And that was the way it should be, she thought. It hadn't been that way for her own parents, but it would damn well be that way for her.



"I will admit that having your undivided attention during my time off was quite enjoyable." Obligingly, Harper ate the chunk of grapefruit that he offered her.



Since discovering that Harper was pregnant, a delighted Meg had tried filling her with fruit, vegetables, and other healthy foods. Knox often insisted on feeding her, which Harper would have quickly lost her patience with if she hadn't understood why exactly he was fussing. He was worried for her, and it got to him that he had no control over the matter. It made him feel helpless. She didn't want that. If letting him fuss over her made him feel more involved and not quite so powerless, she'd deal with it.



"And I enjoyed being able to give you my undivided attention for the past three days," said Knox. "Why not allow yourself to enjoy it a little longer?"



"You can't be with me all the time." She took a sip of her orange juice. "We both have businesses to run."



"I know." Knox sifted his fingers through her hair. "But my protective instincts are in a frenzy right now and it's making me paranoid over your safety."


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She gave him a reassuring kiss, humming because he tasted of coffee, porridge, and brown sugar. "I get that. My own protective instincts are a little hyper at the moment too, and my demon is on edge – seeing everything and everyone as a potential threat, which is going to get old fast. I need you to be the rational one. Besides, I have Tanner."



Knox wasn't so sure he could give her "rational". His demon snorted at the idea. "Keenan will now also be guarding you. One bodyguard for you, and one for the little person in there." He gently rubbed her stomach. "Do it for me. I need that peace of mind, Harper."



"I do understand that we need to tighten the security. I'm not going to fight you on it." Especially if it meant that her demon would relax just a little.



He nodded in approval and fed her a piece of kiwi. "Invite Jolene and the girls to the mansion tonight. We'll get them and the sentinels in the same room and give them the news all at once."



"You haven't told Keenan why you've assigned him to me?"



"Not the full truth, not yet. I didn't want to tell him before I told Levi, Tanner, or Larkin – they're immature enough to be jealous about it. And no, I'm not kidding."



Harper's mouth quirked. "Okay, so we'll tell everyone at the same time."



"Keenan thinks I've asked him to guard you because I'm a little paranoid about your safety, which is actually true. Both he and Tanner will remain inside the studio with you all day. When you leave, they'll leave with you."



Despite knowing it was necessary, her instincts reflexively balked at that extent of the overprotectiveness – they were sentinels, they shouldn't be lumbered with babysitting duty – but she didn't argue. Common sense told her that it was better to be safe than sorry. The baby's safety came before her pride and touchy independent streak.