Marie Harte - Zack and Ace

“And we’re having a baby,” Kelly added softly, grabbing his attention once more.

“Holy shit. A baby?” Hale asked.

Caitlyn squealed and hugged Kelly. Ace and Zack beamed proudly, and Derrick didn’t have to ask who the father was. The way their scents joined as one, all three of them would claim this kid. The way it should be, a child protected by its parents, as well as his or her extended family. He grinned with the others as they shared heartfelt congratulations. A baby. How about that?

“Well, I for one am going to teach this kid how to deal.” He hugged Ace and Zack, then kissed Kelly on the mouth with a smack, just to irritate her mates. Ace growled, but Zack shook his head, grinning. “First rule of thumb,” Derrick proclaimed, “is to never bring flowers to a girl. And two, chocolates are the sign of a sap.”

“Ass.” Roane glared. He’d recently wooed Caitlyn with both flowers and chocolates.

“Derrick, you need help.” Hale sighed. “You don’t even know it’s going to be a boy.”

“The odds favor male Circs. But hell, I’ll give you two-to-one it’s a girl, just to shake things up.” Derrick loved betting on a long shot.

“You’re on.” Roane flipped him off. “And you owe me for that sap crack.”

“Leave him be, Roane.” Caitlyn snuggled against her lover. “Can’t you see what’s happening? It’s like fate is about to slap Derrick upside the head with a mate. And then we’ll give him so much crap, it’s not funny.”

Hale laughed. “Oh, yeah. I can’t wait to watch him fall all over himself over some woman. And she won’t be easy. Oh, no. Hard-ass Derrick Packard will fall for some ball-busting chick. I can just see it now.”

Everyone broke into laughter but Derrick, who suddenly couldn’t stop thinking about S. Torrence and her role in Kelly’s supposed “escape.” Talk about a ball-busting chick. Any woman who would go up against Elliot Pearl had a set, or a death wish waiting to happen.

“Whatever, Hale. I think you might want to go easy on the whole mate thing, though.

Because if those five keep going at it, you and I are going to be hurting for sure.” And feeling the mating heat before their time. By Derrick’s calculations, they still had a few more weeks to go before they ended up doing each other. Derrick doubted Roane or the boy toys would share their mates, now that they’d bonded. Besides, the thought of sex with a pregnant Kelly didn’t sit well at all. As sexy as she was, Derrick couldn’t see taking her in his beast form and possibly harming her child. No way in hell.

“You know what, D? You’re right. What say we go grab a beer and let the newly mated celebrate?” Have sex, Hale might as well have said.

“Good idea.” Derrick followed him out the door, waving behind at the others. “Just promise me something,” he murmured as they entered his truck.

“What?”

“If I ever look at a woman the way our brothers look at their mates, shoot me, will you?”

Hale grinned. “No problem. I’m not all that eager for a mate, either, to tell you the truth. The only thing good about having one is that you no longer have a need to…you know.” Hale quickly glanced out the window of the truck, as uncomfortable about the mating heat as Derrick. “Don’t get me wrong. Ace and Zack fit. They’re mates. But me? I just want to control my beast. I hate it controlling me.”

“Amen.” Derrick steered them away from the compound.

“Where are we going?” Hale asked.

Derrick didn’t realize he’d started back toward Pearson Labs until he noted the signs they passed. “I was thinking.”

“Shit. This can’t be good.”

“S. Torrence. We don’t know much more than that she supposedly helped Kelly. I want to know what that woman did in Pearson Labs, and why she decided out of the ‘goodness of her heart’ to give Doc some encoded disc. About time we found some answers, instead of waiting on the fucking PPA to attack or Harry to call, you know?”

“Not bad, D. I like the way you think.” Hale pounded his shoulder. “It’s for the greater good, after all. And it’ll keep us away from all those hormones clouding the compound. I don’t know about you, but one female Circ in the house is bad enough on my sex drive. Two is going to have me perpetually horny.”

Derrick frowned. “Yeah.” His thoughts turned again to Kelly’s “savior,” his instincts telling him to find the Torrence chick quickly. If the damned woman had lost a lot of blood, she might not be around much longer to answer his questions. His beast snarled at the thought.

“And Kelly’s pregnant. Don’t pregnant women have a ton of hormonal changes?” Hale asked. “Mood swings, and they get all horny at certain times while they’re carrying?”

“Shit. I don’t think I can deal with another mating heat as ramped up as the last one Caitlyn caused. Now we have to deal with Kelly’s hormones, too?” He groaned.

Hale paused. “Drive a little faster.”