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Nothing I did felt significant. I helped rich men get richer. Helped Jasper make his clients as much money as possible.
It had never been my first choice. Or my second choice. Or even my third.
So it just seemed foolish to cling to it out of some desire for independence. Could a woman ever really be independent when she had personal security hired by her husband? When someone drove her to and from work every day? It felt like an exercise in futility, but I'd never again argue against the need for protection.
Not when I had a child to think of.
"Do you not like the job anymore?" Lino asked, eyeing me as I sat at the island.
"I do," I lied. "I like working for Jasper. It gives me more opportunity to torment him now that he's got the love bug." Lino turned, flipping the bacon and grabbed the ground beef to form patties. "Cheeseburgers again?"
He grinned at me in that mischievous way of his, and I fought the urge to sigh. The fucking man knew damn well I was pregnant. "You've been scarfing them down like a monster lately."
Sighing in frustration, I grabbed the box from my purse and set it on the counter. He grinned at me. "You can't just let it be a surprise, can you?" He washed his hands quickly, turning to the box and yanking the lid off. The stuffed horse looked tiny in his hands, but I knew it would be just the right size for our child to cuddle with. "A foal for my Stallion."
"We'll order cheeseburgers," he announced, spinning and turning off the heat on the stove.
He set the foal on the counter, and then stalked toward me. I ran for the stairs, giggling as he chased me. The happiness that exploded in my chest couldn't be stopped, couldn't be tamed.
Nothing would ever again convince me that this man didn't love me. Nothing would come between us.
Not with the way his eyes lit with joy as he followed me to the bedroom.
When I made it inside, I spun around to face him. His eyes sparkled with all the excitement I felt inside, and my face split into the widest smile I think my face had ever worn. "We're having a baby," he murmured, closing the distance between us. His hands touched my belly, sliding over the flat surface of it with awe on his face.
"We're having a baby," I confirmed.
"Ivory had the best doctor. We'll get you an appointment as soon as possible—"
"Lino, it's early. I'll call the doctor in the morning, but for now, we're fine," I reassured him with a giggle. "We'll be fine."
"I never dreamed that I could be this happy," he whispered, dropping to his knees in front of me. He lifted my shirt, pressing the side of his head to the bare skin of my belly. I ran my fingers through his hair, watching him press a kiss to the spot just above my belly button. "You're going to have the best mommy in the world," he whispered, and I resisted the urge to tell him that I doubted the baby could hear him just yet. It was too sweet to interrupt.
"I think that when life is better than you could ever dream, there's only one thing left to do."
He turned his attention back to me, standing and watching as I tugged the blouse off over my head. "And what's that, vita mia?"
"Make love to your wife," I whispered, sliding the zipper down on my skirt. I'd never get tired of watching his eyes heat like pools of molten lava, of knowing that I made him crave me so intensely. That he found me as addictive as I found him. Lino's shirt and sweatpants went next, his body naked thanks to his refusal to wear underwear at home recently. I loved knowing that if I tugged down his sweatpants or his shorts, he'd be naked underneath. That I could have him in my hand within seconds, and my mouth soon after.
I shucked off my bra, staring intently at the part of him I'd come to crave like a desperate addict. I couldn't go a day without him inside me, and the weeks when I'd been healing from the broken ribs proved that. I'd been like a mad woman, wanting and angry that he wouldn't give me what I needed.
Getting pregnant after that couldn't come as a surprise, not when we'd had sex constantly for days once I'd gotten the all-clear from the doctor. Lino's fingers hooked in the waistband of my underwear, guiding them down my legs slowly and teasing me as he helped me step out of them. His hand touched my jaw, cradling my face so that he could touch his lips to mine in a deep breath that felt like he inhaled me into his soul.
But it wasn't possible.
Not when I was already part of him.
Those hands came down on my hips, lifting me suddenly so that he could toss me into the middle of the bed. I shrieked when he came down on top of me, devouring me with his mouth.
My lips, my neck, my heart. He made his way to my stomach in a slow glide of lips and delicate nips with his teeth, and the way he hesitated at my stomach brought my eyes to his. He kissed the skin once, twice, three times. The joy in his eyes clouded over with worry, and I knew my stallion well enough to know that he thought of his own father. Wondered if his father had ever kissed his mother's stomach or been a good father. If he'd ever shown any promise to the child he didn't know yet. "You'll be an amazing father," I whispered, using my words and my love to chase away his doubts.
His eyes warmed, the clouds that lurked there fading away in the face of how much I loved him.
Love healed all wounds.
He lowered his mouth, and the first swipe of his tongue through me sent me soaring, sent the emotional moment to a new peak. He didn't explore, he couldn't explore something that was his, something that he knew better than I did, but he did take his time.
He worshiped every inch of me, bathing it in warmth and love until I writhed beneath him, desperate for him to send me over the edge. Burying my hand in his hair, I pressed him tighter, trying to take just a moment of control so that I could find my release. But Lino refused to allow me that control and pulled back to slap my pussy just hard enough that the skin tingled in the wake of the burn.
