Ghostwalker 09 - Ruthless Game

amazing and perfect.”
    “I’ve been thinking about that, Rose. I think the only thing we can do right now is to keep him as warm as possible and feed him as often as he’l eat. Is he trying to eat yet?”
    “I’m not very good at this,” she admitted. “And I don’t think he’s getting much.”
    Kane moved around the bed to help her. He took the baby, cradling him protectively, while she tried to get herself into a more comfortable position. The baby felt featherlight to him. He looked down into the little scrunched-up face, and his heart expanded, his breath exploding out of lungs. His son. He’d never thought to hold his child in his arms.
    “You’re a little miracle,” he whispered to the boy. “Look at this, Rose. He has fingernails. They’re so tiny you can barely notice them.” He inserted one finger into the tiny fist in order to inspect the little hands more closely.
    He looked down at Rose, and their eyes met. Time seemed to stand stil as they smiled at each other. He felt a little lost in happiness. It wasn’t a natural state of mind for him. He’d never thought much about being happy. He just was. He had a family, made on the streets of Chicago, but nevertheless a solid family. He loved each of his brothers and sisters and was fiercely loyal to them as they were to him, but this ... Rose. The baby. Something like this could bring a man to his knees. He didn’t want to lose her once they were back in the real world, but he had no idea how to make her stay with him. His own parents hadn’t wanted him.
    “He’s beautiful, isn’t he?” Rose asked, her voice almost shy.
    “Because he looks like you,” Kane agreed. “Are you strong enough to try to feed him?”
    “The book said I should try right away.”
    She didn’t sound too sure. Kane handed her the baby and reached behind her to adjust the pil ows for her. He should have been a gentleman and given her a little space, but he couldn’t tear his eyes from the sight of her. Was there anything more beautiful? He doubted it. She cradled the baby to her, looking down at him with such love in her expression, Kane felt the wel ing of intense emotion al over again.
    She swal owed hard and looked at him. “I want you to know, Kane, I wanted him. Never once, not one single time, did I ever contemplate an abortion.
    When I suspected I was pregnant, I was apprehensive because I was afraid for him, but not because I didn’t want him.”
    He stroked tendrils of her hair away from her damp face. “I wanted him too, Rose. I wil admit I didn’t like the way he was conceived, but I wanted you to have my baby. I know you think my attraction to you is al about Whitney pairing us together, but he can’t make me feel admiration and respect for you. He can’t control my other emotions through physical chemistry.”
    “Thank you for that, Kane.” She nuzzled the baby’s mouth with her nipple.
    They both held their breath while he rooted around unsuccessful y for a few minutes. Rose was patient, but he could see she was afraid he wasn’t going to take the offering. Without warning he latched on, and both of them let out a loud sigh of relief and then looked at each other and laughed softly.
    “I have no idea how to be a mother, but I’m going to try, Kane,” she promised him.
    “I have no doubts you’l make a great mother, honey,” he said sincerely. “I wasn’t exactly raised with parents, but I had a few pointers from a couple of people. Between the two of us, we’l figure it out.” Everything inside him went stil , waiting for her reaction to his declaration.
    Rose looked up at him, searching his face. “I don’t want you to stay with us because you think you’re supposed to, Kane. I might not look it, but I’m tough. And I’m capable of protecting him from Whitney once we get out of here.”
    “I think you should know, Rose, for future reference, I rarely do anything because I’m supposed to do it. But I don’t want you to answer under false pretenses. I’m a soldier. Those in my GhostWalker unit are men and women I grew up with. We’re family and we trust one another. I know they’re coming for us. If you stand with me, they stand with you. They’l protect you and our son just as I wil .”
    Her gaze shifted from his. “You worked for Whitney.”
    “I was assigned to Whitney before anyone knew about the breeding program. He was already in trouble, hiding out, although he could use any military base in the world,