by Maya Banks
He started toward Dragon Lady only to see her cross her arms and scowl directly at him. He sighed. This was so going to suck.
* * *
Pippa was covered in some sort of muddy goo—or at least her face and belly were—but she couldn’t find it in herself to complain. Besides, it felt good. She was relaxed.
Somewhere down there someone was massaging her feet. She closed her eyes in bliss just as someone else put nice, cool cucumber circles over her eyes.
She almost laughed at how ridiculous she must look, but then it occurred to her that she was in heaven, and really, did it matter if she looked like a cream puff in a bikini with cucumber eyes?
The hands left her insteps and she grumbled her protest but then a new set of hands—firmer, larger, not nearly as smooth as the others—closed around her heel and began massaging.
Warmth spread up her legs and her lips parted as a sigh escaped where moments before she’d protested.
She liked these hands better. They weren’t as practiced or smooth. But they hit all the right spots.
The hands moved up her leg, tenderly applying just enough pressure. Rubbing, kneading, leaving no spot untouched as they ventured higher.
It occurred to her to be alarmed at the familiarity of this person’s touch, but it felt too wonderful to end just yet.
The hands left for the briefest of moments and then a warm cloth wiped gently at her belly, cleaning away the fluffy mixture of God only knew what.
Then those wonderful hands palmed the bulge of her belly and she sighed again. But when lips pressed to her firm abdomen, she reared up, cucumber slices flying from her eyes.
To her complete surprise it was Cam who stood there, his hands molded to her belly. And it was his lips that had pressed to her skin.
She tried to scramble up, but it was difficult and Cam put a hand to her shoulder, gently pressing her back down to a lying position.
“Why are you here?” she squeaked. “And what are you doing? Where’s my attendant? How long have you been here?”
Cam spread his hands out, palms up. “I’m it. I’m yours. Completely and utterly at your service to fulfill your every whim and desire.”
Her eyes rounded and her mouth flapped open and shut like she was a senseless twit.
He looked…broken. Hopeful and yet hopeless all at the same time. He looked tired. Worn. Worried. But more than anything he looked determined. There was a glint in his eyes that told her he wasn’t backing down this time.
“I’m not having a conversation with you with all this crap on my face and wearing nothing more than a bikini,” she muttered.
He bent down, captured her face in his hands and proceeded to kiss her breathless. When he finally released her, there was as much fluffy goo on his face as there was on hers. He looked…ridiculous.
She couldn’t help but smile. Then she laughed.
“I don’t care what you look like,” he said hoarsely. “You’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known in my life.”
She sighed, ignoring the flutter in her chest. “What are you doing here, Cam? I mean, really. What is it you want? We’ve said all that needs to be said. There’s nothing left to do but get upset all over again.”
His eyes became fierce blue orbs that burned a trail over her face. “No. Not even close. I have plenty to say and I want you to listen, Pippa. Really listen to me.”
She blinked at his vehemence. Well, she wasn’t having this conversation lying down. The very last thing she wanted was to feel at a disadvantage.
She struggled for a moment and finally reached her hand out to Cam. “Help me, please. If we’re going to talk, I don’t want to do it with us both looking like cream puffs.”
He clasped her hand and helped her forward until she swung her legs over the side of the reclining chair. She slid off and went to the sink to wash the remainder of the cream from her face. Then she dampened a cloth and returned to dab at Cam’s face.
He stood, completely still, while she wiped at his cheek. His eyes never left her, though. When the last bit of goo was gone, she took a step back, suddenly feeling the need to cover herself so she didn’t feel quite so vulnerable.
She grabbed a robe off one of the hooks and wrapped it around herself, tying the ends tightly over her swollen belly.
And still Cam was staring at her, unshakable. She was sure there was a message in his unshakable gaze, but it wasn’t one she could discern.
Then it was as if he couldn’t stand it a moment longer. He crossed the distance, dragged her into his arms and kissed her like there was no tomorrow.
He wrapped his arms tightly around her body, holding her so close to him that she couldn’t breathe. He shuddered against her. His lips moved over hers, devouring, hungry, desperate.
When he finally pulled away, she was shocked by the emotion so prevalent in his gaze. He had the look of a tortured man, someone who’d lost everything.
“I can’t live without you, Pippa,” he said in a low voice. “Don’t make me live without you and our son. I love you both so damn much. It’s eating me alive. I wake up thinking about you. I worry for you all day. I go to bed at night aching to hold you. Being without you is gnawing away at my soul. You are everything to me. Everything.”
She swallowed, her nostrils flaring as she tried to control her own emotions. She wanted to lash out but knew it solved nothing. But his words—words he couldn’t take back—still hurt. They cut deeply, a wound that was still open and raw.
“It’s awfully cliché to realize you can’t live without me and that you’ve seen the light after something life-threatening happens,” she said in a low voice.
“You’re wrong,” he said fiercely. “I already knew it. I fought it. But I knew. I already loved you. I never said I didn’t love you, Pippa. Never. What I said was that I didn’t want to love you. I didn’t just figure this out because of some damn fire. Did that scare me? Hell, yes. I haven’t been able to sleep at night for imagining you in that apartment and the unbelievable fear you must have experienced. I was coming for you that night. Ask me how I knew you were in the hospital, Pippa. Ask me, damn it!”
Her fingers trembled as she stared back at him. “H-how?”
“Because I drove like a bat out of hell to get to you after you left. I knew I’d just made the biggest mistake of my life letting you walk away. I was gutted. But I knew if I could just get to you that I could make everything all right. And then when I got to your street, all I saw were those lights and the flames and smoke and I wanted to die because I thought it had happened all over again but this time I could have prevented it. Just by telling you what was in my heart. Just by not being so damn afraid.”
Her eyes widened and her mouth popped open in shock at the vehemence in his voice.
“Hell yes I was terrified that I’d lost you. But that’s not why I’m here. It’s not why I’m putting myself at your feet and hoping to hell you’ll give me another chance. I love you, Pippa. I’ve loved you for so damn long and I didn’t want to. I fought it. But some things just are and one of those things is my love for you and our son.” She opened her mouth to respond, but he came in close again and put a gentle finger to her lips.
“Don’t talk. Just listen to me. Please. I have so much to say. So much to make up for.”
Mutely she nodded.
He framed her face in his hands and stared down at her with such torment in his eyes that it made her chest ache.
“I’m tired of fighting myself. I want a life with you and our son. I’m tired of always expecting the worst, of trying to forget the pain of losing someone and protecting myself from the worst sort of agony. If I only have a year with you, I’d take it and treasure it for the rest of my life and I’d die a happy man having that time with you even if it meant living the rest of my life alone.” The words, so heartfelt, so bleak and raw and powerful, shook her to the core. There was no mistaking the sincerity. The truth was there in his eyes to see.
His thumbs caressed a line over her cheeks. His hands were gentle on her face, and he stared down at her with so much love that her throat knotted and tears burned her eyelids.
“I’ve been such a bastard to you, Pippa,” he said hoarsely. “I’ve done everything possible to alienate you. I don’t deserve another chance with you or my son, but I’m begging. I’ll get down on my knees. I’ll do whatever it takes to convince you that I’m not that man. I’m better than that. I want to be better than that. I’ll spend the rest of whatever time I have with you proving to you that you can count on me.”
Her heart surged with love. So much her chest ached. “Oh, Cam, what you can do for me is stop expecting the absolute worst. I’ll never leave you if I can possibly help it. Me and our child will love you and stay with you.”
She reached up to stroke her hand over his jaw. “I’m so sorry for what happened before. But you’ve been given another chance. What you do with that gift is up to you.”
He caught her hand, turned his face into it and kissed her palm. “You are a gift, Pippa. I never imagined having someone like you. And now our son.” He choked off, caught his breath and for several long moments just breathed into her hand. “I love you. Please forgive me.”
Her heart nearly bursting, she pressed into his arms and wrapped herself tightly around him, squeezing hard until he had no choice but to feel her love from every angle.
“I do forgive you,” she whispered. “I love you, Cam. I love you so much.”
He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head as they simply held each other.
Then from behind came the sound of applause. They both whirled around, Pippa tucked protectively into Cam’s side, to see Gloria, Ashley and several other women standing in the doorway of the room.
There were smiles and tears on the other women’s faces.
“Well done, my boy,” Gloria said, giving him a thumbs-up.
Cam smiled back and squeezed Pippa a little closer to him. He was shaking against her. She glanced up, shocked to see just how close he seemed to breaking down.
She reached for his hand, twining her fingers with his and then pulled him toward the door that led out to the little tranquility garden. She waved to the others to let them know she was all right and then tugged Cam the rest of the way from the room.
The only sound in the lush open garden was water cascading over a fountain. The air was heavily scented with blooming flowers, their splash of color dominating the small area.
It was as if a hole had been cut out of the center of the building, leaving an isolated slice of peace for whoever ventured out.
“Sit,” she ordered Cam.
He sagged onto the bench by the fountain but he wouldn’t relinquish her hand. He tugged her toward him as if afraid she’d leave.
“I love you,” he said raggedly. “Say it again, Pippa. Tell me you love me and that you forgive me for being such a bastard to you. I need to hear you say it.”
She smiled, then leaned forward between his legs. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek on the bulge of her abdomen. She ran her fingers through his mussed hair.
“I love you, Cam. And I forgive you. I do.”
He let out a groan and his hold tightened on her. Then he raised his head so their gazes met.
“Come home with me, Pippa. Stay with me. I don’t want to spend another hour without you. Marry me. Love me. Spend your life with me. I swear I’ll make you happy.”
Her chest caved in a little more and she smiled until her cheeks ached. “Oh, yes. I don’t want to spend another hour away from you, either.”
“And you’ll marry me? I know it wasn’t the best proposal. I’ll get it right, I promise. I’ll get the ring and get on my knees. Whatever it is that makes you happy.”
She touched the lines of his forehead, easing them with her fingertips. “What makes me happy is you loving me.”
“Then you’re going to be one happy lady,” he vowed. “Because I’m going to love you with every breath I breathe, every minute of every day for the rest of our lives.”
EPILOGUE
The living room was alive with conversation and laughter. Cam’s house no longer resembled a somber cave; instead, it was light and airy. It was a house filled with love and happiness.
She settled onto the couch and hoisted her feet onto the ottoman, watching fondly as Cam and his friends oohed and aahed over a whole passel of babies.
Rafael de Luca and his wife, Bryony, had arrived two days ago with their daughter, Amy. Ryan Beardsley and his wife, Kelly, had been the last to get here and they’d flown in today from St. Angelo where they lived permanently. Their daughter, Emma, was nearly the same age as Amy. The two were born mere weeks apart.
Though it had been touted as a time for everyone to get together and visit, Pippa knew that Cam had arranged it to give her the kind of delivery surrounded by friends and family that she’d so wistfully dreamed of.
In addition to the love and attention he lavished on her at every opportunity, he’d set it up for her café to be staffed for the last month of her pregnancy and for a period of three months after the baby was born until she decided to return to it full time or not.
Finally, she was living the ultimate fairy tale. One she’d thought she’d be forever denied. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world.
Pippa liked Cam’s friends. They hadn’t been exactly as she’d expected. She’d thought they would be more like Cam had been in the beginning. Reserved. Standoffish. But they were warm, outgoing and exuberant people. She’d first met them when they all came in for Cam and Pippa’s wedding. It hadn’t been a huge affair. They’d both opted for a quiet gathering of close friends and family only.
Kelly was probably the quietest woman in the group, but Pippa liked her a lot. She had a sweet smile and she clearly adored her daughter. Her husband, Ryan, never strayed far from their sides.
Pippa smiled and then promptly grimaced when she was seized by another contraction. She recovered quickly, pasted back on her serene smile and glanced at Cam.
He was standing next to Ryan, holding Emma in his arms while the men talked and laughed. The interesting thing was that they weren’t discussing business. No, they were all trading baby stories and boasting about how their daughter was smarter, prettier and more clever than any other baby in the world.
Bryony rolled her eyes and flopped onto the couch beside Pippa. Ashley settled on the other side while Kelly sat in an armchair right beside the couch.
“I’m amazed by the change in Cam,” Bryony said quietly. “He seems so…happy. He’s not as dark and brooding as I remember. I don’t ever remember hearing him laugh. He rarely even smiled. You’ve performed a miracle, Pippa.”
“He’s great. He’s still way overprotective and he can get worked up when he thinks about something happening to me or the baby, but he’s really learned to let go and not dwell so much on the negative.”
Ashley reached for her hand and squeezed. “He loves you, Pip. You’ve been so good for him. You saved him.” Another contraction tightened her belly, and she nearly groaned aloud. Kelly frowned and leaned forward in her seat.
“Pippa, what’s wrong?”
“Shhh!” Pippa hissed. “Don’t let Cam hear. He’ll freak.” “Then tell us what’s wrong,” Ashley said in a quiet voice. “I saw that look, too. Are you having contractions?” Pippa blew out her breath. “Yeah, for a while now.” “What?” Bryony demanded. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because I didn’t want Cam to freak out and be stressed for longer than necessary. I’m not supposed to go into the hospital until they’re two minutes apart, anyway.”
“Uh, Pip, I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to be there before they’re that close together,” Ashley said.
“My doctor told me that I should come in when my contractions were five minutes apart, regular and lasting at least a minute,” Kelly offered.
Bryony’s brow wrinkled in concentration. �
�I think mine told me five to seven minutes apart and regular.” Pippa swallowed uncomfortably and then put a hand on her belly.
“Another one?” Ashley demanded. “Pippa, how far apart are they coming?”
“Closer than five to seven minutes,” she grumbled. “I know I read somewhere that I should wait to go in until they were two minutes apart.”
Ashley gave her a look of exasperation. “Where would you have read that? You refused to even look at the chapter in the childbirth book that dealt with the ninth month or any part of labor and delivery.”
Bryony was on her feet, pulling at Pippa’s arm. “Cam,” she called. “Pippa needs to go to the hospital.”
All four men whirled around and Cam’s brow immediately furrowed. Then when he seemed to realize the significance, he went pale and concern burned bright in his eyes.
He handed Emma back to Ryan and hurried over to Pippa.
“Honey, is it time?”
“Hell, it’s been time,” Ashley said in exasperation. “She should have gone hours ago.”
Cam’s gaze flicked from Ashley to Pippa. “What is she talking about?”
“I may have misunderstood when I was supposed to go to the hospital,” Pippa muttered.
She grimaced and closed her eyes as another contraction started low in her back. By the time she opened her eyes again, she was panting lightly and the entire room was looking worried.
Cam reached down, plucked her into his arms. “Let’s go,” he said as he strode across the room.
She laughed but settled against his chest as he made his way to the garage. Behind them there was chaos as everyone juggled babies and diaper bags and hurried to get to their vehicles.
Cam placed her in the passenger seat, then carefully put the seat belt around her and buckled her in. As he was about to pull away, she put her hand on his cheek and cupped it lovingly.
“Hey,” she said softly. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to be okay.”
He kissed her fiercely, then let his fingers linger on her face as she’d done to him. “I know. Now let’s get you to the hospital so we can meet our son.”
