Devotion (Club Destiny #7) (13 page)

Cole’s words soothed him, his lips did as well. With his gaze pinned on Cole’s, Luke forced a smile and a nod. He knew Cole supported him, just another in the long list of reasons why he was in love with the man.

“Let’s get this over with,” Luke barked, doing his best to remember Cole’s words.

When they reached the main entrance, Luke opened the door, allowing Cole to enter first, and braced himself for what was to come. He wanted to have an open mind, but more than that, he wanted to have a conversation with Cole. Asking the man to go into business with him, officially, was the only thing he could think about. Before he could act on that, footsteps sounded on the concrete floor, and Luke looked around at the vast, empty warehouse space until he noticed the source of the sound.

Coming toward them was a man. A rather imposing figure, dressed head to toe in one of those expensive ass suits like Tag Murphy favored. This man reeked of money and power.

When the man reached them, he held out his arm and Luke immediately returned the gesture, shaking the proffered hand.

“Xander Boone,” the man said by way of introduction.

“Luke McCoy,” he replied and then Cole did the same.

“Trent’s told me a lot about the two of you,” Xander stated firmly in a no-nonsense rough baritone that echoed through the cavernous warehouse space. “What do you think?”

Luke almost made a smart ass comment, but he held it in, letting his gaze roam the area and then back over Xander. Standing at six-foot-five in bare feet, it wasn’t every day that Luke met a man taller than him. Xander probably had an inch or two on him, and he was built more like a professional athlete than what one would expect of a business man. Luke wasn’t bulky the way Cole was, but Xander had some serious bulk beneath that fancy ass suit. His dark brown hair was perfectly styled, his light green eyes gave nothing away, and his strong, square jaw reflected no tension. All in all, Xander was an impressive man and clearly used to being in charge when it came to business. Intimidating almost.

Almost.

“Trent said you were looking to sell this place,” Luke began, glancing around.

From where he stood, Luke liked what he saw. It was a warehouse that had essentially received a modern overhaul. The floors were stained concrete, dark, chocolate brown with cream marbled through them that had seen a significant amount of wear over the years. The walls were constructed of glass windows. Top to bottom and on all four sides. In the center of the space was a square box of cement block walls that he assumed contained the restrooms since there weren’t any other enclosures within the warehouse.

“I previously leased it out to a call center, but they went out of business and went bad on the lease. No surprise there. I’m in the process of letting go of some of my properties, and I figured this would be a good one. As you probably noticed, it’s a little far out.”

Luke did notice that. In fact, it was quite a ways from their house, which meant that Luke would be spending a significant amount of time traveling if they did purchase it. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that idea.

“Only one floor, although I don’t think you’d have issues adding another, or even an additional section on top of that structure,” Xander stated, referring to the enclosed area Luke had been checking out.

“How much did Trent tell you about what I’m looking for?” Luke had to ask the question because he had a feeling this guy knew more than he would’ve expected.

“Enough,” Xander stated, meeting Luke’s gaze head on. “I’m aware of the fetish club. I needed to know in order to find an appropriate property.”

“Then you’ll understand my concern with all of the windows,” Luke added, moving farther into the space.

Plenty of ideas ran through his head, and he wished Sierra was there. He fully intended to get her help if they decided to move forward with another club. She knew what he liked, knew what he was looking for, and now that she had been to
The Club
, she could understand what he had in mind.

“The exterior windows are mirrored. They’re also backlit with fiber optics, which means when the shutters close,” Xander lifted a remote and hit a button, “from the outside, it will appear that there are lights on inside. It affords complete privacy, which I expected to be important.”

Definitely important, and an intriguing concept. The electronic shutters slid into place, blocking out all natural light at the same time the overhead lights clicked on with a gentle hum.

“What do you think?” Luke asked Cole, turning to face him.

“I like the concept,” he stated noncommittally.

That’s what Luke was looking for from Cole. He knew if Cole didn’t approve, he would’ve said as much. However, his statement told him that he could see this working for them.

“I’ll need to bring my brother by to see the place before I will consider anything more.” Luke turned, giving the area another once over.

“Here,” Xander said, holding out a set of keys along with the remote. “Feel free to stop by whenever you want. Let me know what you think, and I’ll stop by the club to pick them up when you’re ready. If, at that time, you feel as though this place’ll work for you, I’d like to talk about a few other things as well.”

The three of them were quiet for a minute as Luke took the keys and moved around the perimeter of the warehouse trying to envision how this would work.

“I’ll send over the specs, and all the information that I have on the property for the two of you to review. Just let me know one way or the other,” Xander added, sounding as though he didn’t care which way Luke’s decision went. Not much of a salesman, that was for sure. Or quite possibly, better than most.

Deciding he’d seen enough, Luke turned toward the main door, falling into step beside Cole. He would call Logan to let him know. At this point, if this decision was going to go in Trent’s favor, Luke liked the idea of the space. His only concern was the location. He’d have to talk that one out with Sierra and Cole. Then again, this wasn’t his decision to make. They were just as much a part of his decisions these days.

He was lucky in that regard, because, until them, he’d had no one to answer to.

He much preferred it this way.

Chapter Twelve

“Luke?” Sierra said when Luke grumbled a greeting.

“Baby? Are you ok?” Luke asked, and Sierra heard the panic in his tone, which made her smile. He’d clearly been expecting this phone call.

“That depends,” she replied, gripping the door handle of the Escalade as Cole drove.

“On?”

“Whether or not you’re ready to be a daddy.”

“Are you fucking serious?” Luke’s growl sounded a lot like Cole had just a short while ago when she told him she was pretty sure the baby was coming. “Where are you?”

“Cole is taking me to the hospital,” she answered, gripping the door handle and holding a protective arm across her protruding belly instinctively. “You might want to hurry.”

Sierra wasn’t sure she’d ever been in so much pain in her entire life. She was grateful that Cole was by her side, holding her hand as they rushed to the hospital while she listened to Luke on the other end of the phone. She could tell he was in a panic, and she honestly didn’t want to worry him, but knowing Luke, he wouldn’t listen to her anyway.

“Baby, I’m on my way now. Don’t hang up.” Luke’s desperation was palpable, reverberating through the phone. “How far apart are the contractions?” he asked.

“Three minutes,” she told him calmly.

Cole glanced her way, announcing loudly in hopes that Luke would hear that they were less than that at this point, but she managed to cover the phone as she laughed. She didn’t need Luke having a wreck on his way to the hospital. He sounded as though he were running as it was.

The contractions were actually about two and a half minutes apart, but her water was still intact and she hoped that it would remain that way until they reached the hospital. Cole had calmly called the doctor, informing her of the status of the contractions, and they were told that if they made it to less than three minutes and they were consistent, to go on over to the hospital. Sierra smiled as she remembered how Cole paced the floor, asking her every few seconds whether she was having another one.

She wondered whether it was normal to be scared. Or maybe she was just anxious. Either way, her heart was beating like she’d run a marathon when in actuality, Cole had practically carried her to the car. But, there was a nervous flutter in her tummy to go along with the rapid thump in her chest, so she was pretty sure she was just nervous.

Luke’s voice came back as he yelled at Kane. Sierra only could imagine what the other man was thinking at the moment.

“Baby, are you there?” Luke asked.

“I’m here,” she whispered, gritting her teeth as another contraction took hold. “Please hurry, Luke.”

“Don’t worry, baby. I’ll be there in five minutes.”

As it turned out, five minutes were actually more like ten, but Sierra stopped counting as soon as Cole pulled up to the emergency room doors, leaving the truck running as he practically leaped out of the vehicle while it was still in motion. Sierra tried not to laugh, which wasn’t all that difficult with the pain from the last contraction still fresh in her mind.

By the time they made it to labor and delivery, Luke was by their side, sweat dotting his forehead and his beautiful brown-green eyes appearing slightly dazed and confused.

It wasn’t until she was situated in a hospital bed, hooked up to machines that Luke and Cole both finally managed to calm down. Well, that was only partially true. It was after the nurse gave Luke a glare that pretty much told him not to push his luck, or she’d be happy to escort him right out of the room. Not that he would’ve allowed it, but Sierra knew Luke realized his hysteria wasn’t going to benefit any of them.

Ten long, incredibly painful hours later, Sierra was holding their baby girl against her chest.

It no longer mattered that the doctor had opted to get her rest in between checking in with the nurse on her progress, only having shown up twice during the long, drawn out process throughout the night.

All of the pain, both from the contractions and the giant needle they shoved in her back – an epidural they called it – were a thing of the past.

The fact that Luke had turned a not so attractive shade of green there for a few minutes or that Sierra had nearly broken Cole’s fingers during the last push weren’t important anymore.

The perfect tiny body lying against her breast was now the only thing that Sierra could focus on. She was beyond perfect. So tiny, yet she had her daddy’s temper and no qualms about expressing herself, and not at all happy about being extracted from her warm little cocoon.

Cole and Luke were both standing at the head of the bed, one on either side, each leaning over to peer down at their little girl. Sierra was pretty sure her heart wouldn’t be able to expand much more than it was already without bursting.

The next few minutes were a blur of movement, the nurse taking the baby, cleaning her up as the doctor finished the process of taking care of things down south. Cole and Luke both opted to follow the nurse, standing there like two kids in a candy store, eyeing the one thing they’d longed for more than anything.

With heavy lids, Sierra tried to stay awake, but the exhaustion was quickly pulling her under. The last thing she saw right before she gave in to sleep was Luke pulling Cole up next to him, their fingers cautiously linking between them. Sierra’s heart took a major tumble one last time before she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

~~*~~

Cole felt the breath rush from his lungs the instant Luke’s hand made contact with his. The last ten hours had been a complex mix of so many emotions, Cole wasn’t sure which way was up at the moment. Having Luke by his side suddenly helped ease some of the weight that had been steadily growing heavier on his chest for the last few hours. That and the fact that their baby girl was just as perfect as he imagined she would be and according to what he could tell, based on the reactions from the doctor and nurses, healthy as well.

He and Luke silently stood side by side, watching as the nurse handled the baby like she’d done it a million times, using random instruments to check her, suction her nose and mouth, as well as clean her. In truth, Cole wasn’t sure what he expected to see when the baby came out, but he had to admit, he felt a little like Luke looked for a brief second. That’s when reality broke through, and it dawned on him that their baby had officially made her presence in the world.

He remained right where he was, glancing over to see that Sierra had given in to sleep, and he couldn’t blame her. She’d been so strong, stronger than any of them probably expected. Then again, she had to deal with him and Luke. Cole smiled, remembering the way Luke had nearly launched from nervous father-to-be to neurotic in a few seconds flat.

That wasn’t the case now. He was pretty sure they were all a little shocked, sobered by the fact that they were parents, and the only thing that mattered from here on out was the baby girl with her little eyes closed, her tiny fingers and toes all perfect and entirely hidden from view inside the security that she had found nestled in a pink blanket right there in the bassinette.

“We’re going to take her to the nursery while mom rests for a few minutes. We’ll bring her back as soon as she’s awake. The two of you are welcome to come visit her,” the nurse told him after she finished putting the hospital bracelet on, checking Sierra’s, then Luke’s and Cole’s before wheeling their daughter out of the room.

Another nurse was caring for Sierra, and Cole suddenly needed a little air. Moving back across the room, he kissed her on the forehead lightly before disappearing out the door, not looking back to see that Luke was following him. By the time he reached the main entrance to the hospital, he was pretty sure he was shaking and on the verge of hyperventilating.

Within a minute of being in the fresh early morning air, he was feeling only slightly better.