After Midnight: (A Penguin Special from Signet Eclipse) (Killer Instincts) by Elle Kennedy Read Free Book Online

this point, we’ve got nothing to lose.” Morgan’s tone went brisk. “We’re just waiting for Noelle’s guy to get back to us with an address. Right now we only have the name of the village. You and Abby gather your gear. I’ll call you back when we have something.”
    “Recon gear or assault?”
    “Both. If we stake out the house and get visual confirmation that the Aberdeen boy is there, we move in.”
    “Roger that.” Kane disconnected the call and glanced at Abby. “Possible location where the kid is being held. We’re on standby until we have an address, but Morgan says to be prepared for an assault.”
    Her expression promptly turned grave.
    “What’s wrong?” he said instantly.
    Abby didn’t answer. She shifted her feet. Fidgeted with her hands.
    Kane didn’t think he’d ever seen her
fidget
, which only confirmed his suspicion that something was seriously wrong.
    Fuck. He was kicking himself for not seeing it sooner. Hound dog that he was, he’d kept getting distracted by the sex, and now he felt like the shittiest husband on the planet for not picking up on his wife’s distress.
    But he also knew better than to push her, so when she didn’t respond, he let out a sigh and said, “All right. We can talk whenever you’re ready, sweetheart.”
    He headed into the bedroom and grabbed fresh clothes from his bag, proceeding to dress in a hurry. It took a moment to register that Abby had lingered in the bathroom doorway, and was still wearing her towel.
    “Babe, we have to get ready,” he said firmly.
    “I can’t.”
    His fingers froze in the middle of pulling up his zipper. “What the hell are you talking about?”
    “I can’t be part of an assault team.” A tortured look marred her face.
    “Why the hell not?”
    She drew a breath, and he could sense her hesitation, see her struggling for words.
    And then she blurted out something he never expected to hear.
    “Because I’m pregnant.”

Chapter Five
    Abby braced herself for Kane’s reaction. A part of her expected him to respond in anger, yell at her for not telling him sooner, rail about the importance of the mission and how her absence might cause the whole thing to blow up in their faces.
    But the anger didn’t come. His face conveyed nothing but pure shock, followed by a burst of happiness that had his eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree.
    “You’re pregnant?” he echoed.
    She nodded weakly. Ever since Noelle had held up the plastic stick to show her that glaring pink plus sign, she’d been battling wave after wave of panic. She’d tried not to think about it as they’d headed to the next location on the list. Pushed it right out of her mind, and Noelle hadn’t brought it up either. They’d returned to the hotel and continued to focus on business, and the shower she’d just taken with Kane had been a nice distraction too.
    But she couldn’t ignore it any longer.
    The test had been positive.
    She was pregnant.
    And the only emotion she seemed capable of feeling was . . . dread. Bone-deep dread that not even Kane’s overjoyed expression could alleviate.
    The next thing she knew, her husband hurried over and threw his arms around her, his stubble-covered chin scratching her neck as he buried his face in the crook of it. “Fucking hell.” His lips brushed her ear. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? This is the
best news ever
.”
    Off the top of her head, she could think of at least a hundred things that would be better—at the top of that list: not being pregnant—but Kane sounded so thrilled she couldn’t bring herself to ruin the moment for him.
    He knew her well, though. In the blink of an eye, he’d pulled back to assess her face. Then he frowned. “You’re not happy.” The frown deepened. “Why aren’t you happy?”
    Abby swallowed. “I . . . don’t know.”
    “You don’t know what?” An edge crept into his voice.
    He released her and took a step back, those shrewd green eyes continuing to study