Five
Sabrina clutched the sides of the toilet bowl, doing her best to keep her stomach from jumping up her throat and out of her body. The gagging was relentless, and she barely had time to gulp in air between retching fits. Thankfully, for her peace of mind, Roman remained silent; as it was, she could feel his unblinking stare and it made her feel sicker.
At long last, the nausea and retching ended and she was able to drag herself, weak and shaking, to her feet. She rinsed her mouth out at the sink and washed her hands before turning and using a towel of dry her hands. All of her motions were careful and slow, and she never once glanced in Roman's direction, not yet ready to face his condemnation of her keeping her pregnancy a secret from him. Finally, she was ready to leave the bathroom and turned to look at Roman, raising her eyes slowly to his face and bracing for whatever his expression revealed.
"Sabrina," he whispered, unable to say more. He knew what early morning nausea and vomiting meant. Having witnessed this kind of thing three other times in the three years of their marriage, his emotions were now torn between elation and gibbering terror. His eyes fell to her belly; was it rounder? "Sabrina…"
Sabrina felt as if a ton of weight was suddenly lifted from her shoulders; Roman's pole axed reaction was far from anything she had expected, and she reached out to take his hand and place it over her belly. "I didn't want you to worry," she whispered, reaching her free up to touch his face, "I know how heartbroken you were the other times. I wanted to make sure there was no danger before I told you."
Roman pulled away from her touch, still silent, still not reacting, and returned to the main room of the cabin. Sabrina frowned at his retreating back and followed slowly behind him. The silence stretched around them, tense and unbroken. She watched as he knelt before the fireplace and began to build a fire within the cold grate. Looking around, she noticed the tall decorated Christmas tree for the first time.
And that's when everything made sense.
Roman's late nights.
His leaving early before she awakened.
His harebrained idea to kidnap her.
The only thing that didn't make sense was her thinking that he'd been cheating on her.
"I'm so sorry."
Roman stiffened at her words but that was his only reaction.
"Oh, Roman, please talk to me," she cajoled, crossing the room to kneel beside him. "I understand everything now, and I'm sorry I suspected you." She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight.
Roman shook his head and Sabrina felt her heart give a painful lurch in her chest. "Okay," she said, releasing him and climbing to her feet once more, "You don't want to talk about it. Okay."
She turned on her heel and walked back to the bedroom, but before she could enter the room and put a closed door between them and give them both some much needed space, Roman was behind her, his arms wrapping around her as he propelled her towards the bed, his elongated fangs grazing her neck. He pushed her face down onto the bed and followed her down, his big body covering hers as he rolled her over beneath him. Automatically, her thighs parted to allow him into the cradle of her body.
Propping himself up on his elbows, Roman looked down at his beautiful wife. "I had it all planned out," he told her, leaning down to sample the honey of her lips, "Or I thought I did," he amended when he once again came up for air. He brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. "Baby, let's not fight," he whispered, "Let's forget everything that's happened, and pretend we just walked in and we can't keep our hands off each other one second longer."
Sabrina looked up at him, biting her lip. "I don't know," she hedged, looking him over in mock suspicion, "I might need some convincing…"
Roman dipped his head and gave her bottom lip a playful nip as he growled. Sabrina's laughter soon melted into sweet little sighs of pleasure as she succumbed to her husband's more than thorough skills of persuasion.
Later that day, Sabrina sat within her husband's embrace as they sipped hot cocoa and watched the snow continue to fall through the picture window. The lights of the Christmas tree twinkled and sparkled as crystal icicles caught and held their light and in the corner of the room, a small stereo softly played Christmas carols. Sabrina sighed in contentment and sipped her cocoa. Roman's hand rubbed gentle circles over her belly and she was certain that the child growing within her felt the same golden glow that imbued her heart.
"If it's a boy, we should name him Tobias," Roman murmured in her ear.
"Tobias?" Sabrina asked, wrinkling her nose. "Toby? Really?" She giggled.
"What's wrong with Toby?" Roman asked, sounding affronted.
"Nothing," Sabrina sputtered through her giggles, "If you're a basset hound."
Her giggles turned to outright laughter as Roman tickled her, and she hurriedly set her cocoa aside so it didn't spill just before he pulled her beneath him and kissed her breathless.
Roman pulled back to stare down at her, marveling at how beautiful she was with her cheeks pinkened by laughter and her eyes sparkling. "I love you," he told her as his hand roamed the length of her body.
Sabrina caught hold of his hand and pressed it to her belly. "Merry Christmas, Roman," she whispered as happy tears filled her eyes.
Roman kissed her slowly, his lips lingering over hers as he whispered, "Merry Christmas, baby."
And there, amid the glow of the fire and the Christmas tree, he made love to his wife, his heart full of joy, and his life as perfect as he could ever wish.
About The Author
Brenda Tetreault is the author of the paranormal romance series, The Nightshade Series, which include the novels Tempted, Salvaged, and Beloved. Brenda is known for a 'smooth yet sassy' writing style and a story written by Brenda certainly brings the heat!
Due to graphic language and sex scenes, Brenda's stories are meant for readers 18 years and older.
Follow Brenda:
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/BrendaTetreaultAuthor
Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3370827.Brenda_Tetreault
Twitter- https://twitter.com/BooksofBounty
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Murder, Mayhem, Monsters, and Mistletoe Page 39
