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Epilogue
Calista
The sight in front of me was beyond adorable. So much so, I could barely concentrate enough to record it with my phone. My gorgeous baby girl twirled across the dance floor in her purple leotard and pink tutu. Her long, brown hair was pulled into a ponytail that whipped back and forth, and her dark eyes were lit up with laughter. She was always happy when she danced, but she was on could nine this time around because of the tall, dark-haired man following behind her. His hair was tousled as usual, and I could see the outline of his nipple rings through the purple T-shirt that clung to his sculpted chest, one our baby girl had picked out so she and her daddy matched. The shirt hid all his tattoos, including the two names inked right over his heart—our baby girl’s, Madison, and mine. He had them done the week after she was born.
He was hotter than ever, even while failing miserably at the dance moves he was supposed to be doing. Not that any of the moms in the audience seemed to mind. When I’d signed him up to participate in the Daddy & Daughters special event at the school where she took her dancing classes, Madison’s teacher had told me it would fill up quickly once word got out. Judging by the lack of empty chairs, it looked like she was right. I couldn’t blame them, though.
My husband was damn fine eye candy—extremely loyal man candy at that since he never seemed to notice the flirtatious glances so many women sent his way. I noticed each and every one, but I didn’t let them get to me since I knew that if any of them were stupid enough to try to get too close to him, I could easily kick their asses. I was a mommy, but that didn’t mean I didn’t keep up with my fighting skills once I’d received the clearance from my doctor. And the first place I’d put them to use was a no-holds-barred spar with Chad, where I’d pounded his ass into the mat. Whatever Xander had said to them in their meeting the morning after we’d found out I was pregnant had worked because his attitude made a complete turnaround. But that didn’t mean I’d forgotten the shit he’d pulled back when Xander and I first got together, and I made sure he knew it.
“Did you see us, Mommy?” Madison screamed as she ran towards me.
I knelt down to wrap my arms around her as she crashed into me. “I sure did, baby girl.”
“Daddy and me danced so good togever.” She turned to look up at him when he joined us. “Didn’t we, Daddy?”
“You were amazing, Maddiekins.”
I could almost hear ovaries exploding all around me. Mine would be, too, if I wasn’t already pregnant again. When we found out Madison was a girl, Xander had sworn we couldn’t have any more children because it would just up his odds of getting tossed in jail for killing teenage boys later in life. After her third birthday, he’d been bitten by the baby bug again. It had taken him less than a couple of weeks to knock me up, and he’d breathed a huge sigh of relief last week when the ultrasound had shown this one was a boy. Then he’d mumbled something about needing the extra backup since Madison was a handful like her mommy.
“You did kinda amazing, too, Daddy.” She smiled up at him sweetly. “I’m sure you’ll do better next time if we practice lots and lots.”
“What an excellent idea, Madison. Daddy looked like he was having so much fun up there, I bet he wants to come to your classes to practice with you every day from now on.”
“Yay!” she screeched before running to the side of the room to grab her dance bag.
“You’re going to pay for that later,” Xander growled, as if we both didn’t know he’d have his ass right back on the dance floor any time Madison wanted him there.
“Oh, please,” I laughed. “Like I don’t know that I’m always safe with you.”
And I was…even when he was making me pay at night for whatever hell I’d raised during the day.
Bonus Scene: Naughty or Nice
Calista
“Mommy!” I blinked awake to a tiny hand pushing on my shoulder as my daughter whispered excitedly in my ear, “Wake up!”
“What’re you doing up so early?” I whispered back.
“Santa was here!” Her voice rose at the end, and my head jerked to the bassinet set to the side of the bed about midway down the length of the mattress. Mason, her nine-week old baby brother, shifted in his sleep but didn’t wake up. Before I reached out to pull her up, I tapped the button on my phone on the bedside table to check what time it was and groaned. It was barely after six o’clock in the morning, and he’d only been down for about an hour since the last time he woke up to feed.
Xander’s warm body pressed against my back, and then his strong arms stretched over my body to pluck her off the floor. “Cuddle with Mommy and Daddy for a little bit, Maddiekins. We’ll go down and open presents as soon as your brother is awake,” he promised in a husky voice.
“But that’ll take forever,” she complained.
“Impatient as usual,” I laughed softly. “Just like her daddy.”
Xander got her settled against his chest and wrapped his arm over my shoulder to pull me close. “I wasn’t the one who was unwilling to go slow last night and raced towards the finish line.”
“I didn’t hear you complaining,” I muttered, elbowing him in the side.
He bent his head low, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear. “How could I complain when your pussy was so fucking tight it almost strangled my cock?”
I flushed, remembering how good it’d felt as he’d pounded in and out of me in the shower. Then I sputtered when Madison wiggled between us and asked, “What’re you guys talking about?”
“Just the present Mommy gave Daddy last night.”
“More like the one Daddy gave Mommy,” I laughed.
“But you said no presents until Christmas morning!” she protested, glaring at Xander.
A plaintive cry pierced the air. “Saved by the bell.”
“Yippee! He’s awake now,” Madison sing-songed. She squirmed out of Xander’s hold to jump up and down on the mattress chanting, “Presents! Presents! Presents!”
“I’ll change his diaper and see if he’s hungry yet,” I offered. “You’re in charge of our other little handful. And no opening anything until we’re down there, too!”
He rolled off the bed and tugged a shirt on before scooping Madison into his arms. “Sure, give me the one with all the energy.”
“Breastfeeding decided it for both of us,” I pointed out. Kneeling on the mattress, I lifted Mason out of the bassinet and set him down to undo the clasps on his onesie and change his diaper.
Madison giggled as he lifted her high up over his head. His gaze slid down to my chest, and his dark eyes heated. “Too bad I’m going to miss it since Madison and I need to go down a
nd count how many presents Santa brought to see if she was on the naughty or nice list.”
“Nice, Daddy! Santa knows I was nice all year, and that I’m the best biggest sister, too,” Madison insisted.
“Then we’ll check Mommy’s presents, Maddiekins. Maybe she ended up on the naughty list.” He flashed me a wink as he walked out the door.
I’d definitely been naughty...but my husband liked me that way.
Devour Me, Baby
Guy Rule: Don't steal from the company pantry.
Celebrity chef Owen Walker was ready to hop out of the pan and into the fire the moment he laid eyes on Sienna Moore. The pretty college student was in his office hoping to land a job as a waitress, but he had another role in mind for her.
Sienna never expected to be personal assistant to the hot, famous chef she'd secretly lusted after. Let alone living in his house and sleeping in his bed.
Juggling her new job and school is a lot to handle... and that's before she discovers she's pregnant with his baby.
1
Owen
“Hey, Owen. What are you doing here?” The manager of Saphyre greeted me with surprise as I entered the restaurant. “I didn’t expect you back for another couple of weeks.” He lifted his chin at the young man standing at the host podium, then strolled over to me.
I smiled as I shook his hand. “We wrapped early, and I was anxious to get home.” I’d made a name for myself as a television chef and normally spent half the year in Los Angeles while my show was filmed. But, this restaurant was my true baby, my pride and joy. And, it was in my home town of Atlanta, Georgia. Over the last couple of years, I’d been becoming more and more weary of the travel and the upheaval in my life, never quite being settled.
