My hands leave her hips, wrapping around her bum, and I dig the tips of my fingers into her skin. “I want you so much, Lorna, but I don’t want this to be over too quickly.”
She nods, never breaking the contact between our foreheads.
“We only get the first time as husband and wife once, but we have the rest of our lives for all of the other times. And in case you’re wondering, I don’t plan on sleeping tonight.”
“I support that decision one hundred percent.”
I move my hands lower, grasping the backs of her thighs and I lift, pulling her onto the bed and rolling so that I’m on top. She immediately bends her knees and brings them up so that my body is pressed between her legs.
I pull away from our kiss, and the way her eyes connect with mine in this moment hypnotizes me. Everything in this world apart from her disappears. Nothing else exists in this moment except us.
I grasp the sides of her gown and pull upward. With her help, we pull it off and she tosses it to the floor. I stop and move my fingers over the scar on her chest, still dark pink.
She brings her hand up and covers her left breast. “Don’t look at it.”
Lorna has struggled with the appearance of her healing body. Sure, it’s obviously slightly different from what it was before the shooting, but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful. And I won’t have her believing that it does.
I grasp her wrist and move her cupped hand away from her chest. “I love every part of you and that includes this part of you. You are beautiful and precious to me just as you are. Haven’t you figured that out by now?”
“I know that I am.” She places her fingertips against the ink on my chest. “And if I need a reminder, all I have to do is look at my name inked right here.”
“You’re always here inside my heart. Never forget that. Ever.”
Chapter 18
Lorna Duncan
Leith kisses me, and my body comes alive. I ache for him. Throb for him. Crave him. He’s the only man who has ever made me feel this way.
Leith is strong yet breakable. Aggressive yet tender. Demanding yet giving.
My husband is everything I need him to be. And he’s all I’ve ever wanted.
He moves down my body and grasps my hips, spreading kisses across the top of my pubic bone. His mouth sucks and nips at the skin above my slit and it’s maddening. “Leith.”
“You want my mouth on you, don’t you?”
“Never so badly.”
My body jolts when his tongue darts out, licking my clit. His tongue tickles the sensitive nub, and then he licks me in a long, upward swipe, over and over.
He flicks his tongue against the sensitive bundle of nerves and slowly pumps a pair of fingers in and out of me, rubbing the roof of my vagina. He knows every inch of my body and exactly how to pleasure it. “Ohh… right there.”
He stops and swallows. “I know the spot very well.”
I rock my hips in an up-and-down motion against his tongue. My body shudders, and a moan is released when he works my clit with the tip.
I raise my arms above my head and stretch, gripping the edge of the bed when his mouth covers my slit. I shake my head, probably knotting the back of my hair. But I can’t help it. It’s that fucking good.
He stops and moves over me, grabbing one of the half-dozen pillows on the bed. “Lift your bum.”
My hips rise and he stuffs a pillow beneath me, lifting my lower body from the bed. He pushes my knees apart until I’m spread wide, giving him full access to everything between my legs.
His tongue touches me again and I moan. I can’t help it.
One minute he’s licking my slit, the next he’s sucking my clit. I’m engulfed by pleasure, and he hasn’t even gotten inside me yet.
My back arches from the bed and I squeeze the edge of the mattress when I sense what is about to happen. “I’m coming, Leith. So. Hard.”
My body rhythmically tenses and relaxes. It contracts in a throbbing pattern close to a dozen times, strong at first and diminishing until they’re gone completely. A flood of bliss warms my body, especially my face, neck, and chest.
Leith crawls up my limp body until we’re face-to-face and presses a soft kiss to my mouth. “I love doing that to you.”
“I can promise you that you don’t love it more than I do.”
That look he’s giving me… he wants to flip me over and fuck my face into the mattress. But he won’t. At least not this time.
I arch my back, bringing us closer, and pressing our warm, flushed skin together. “Make love to me, husband.”
We’re face-to-face, his chocolate-brown eyes connecting with mine. He lifts his hand and cups my cheek, brushing his thumb along my jaw. “I love hearing you call me that. Say it again.”
“Husband.”
His body shudders. “Fuck, that just does it for me in all kinds of ways.”
He lowers his body against me, and his face hovers just inches from mine. I widen the part between my legs, inviting him inside me, and he adjusts his hips until his cock is pressed against my entrance.
I’m ready for this. More than ready. I’m drenching wet as I wait.
I grip his biceps, and his eyes are on mine when he enters me in a single slow thrust. Stretching me. Filling me. He goes motionless after he’s buried deep inside and moves his hand up to caress my cheek with his thumb. “Into me you see.”
“Into me you see.”
He moves slowly at first and gradually increases his pace. His arm snakes beneath me and he grasps the back of my neck, using his grip to hold me in place while he thrusts inside me.
Everything slows down—way down—and he pushes my legs back and apart, using his weight to press his body into mine as deeply as possible. He’s unmoving when he presses his forehead to mine and groans.
He doesn’t make a move to pull out. He simply remains still inside of me. And a moment later I feel a warm, wet ooze flowing out of me—the part of him that joins with the part of me to make a baby.
If it happens now, it happens. It would just be another part of our destiny.
His breathing against my neck returns to normal, and his eyes are full of satisfaction when they connect with mine.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
He presses a quick kiss to my mouth and pulls out, rolling to his back to lie beside me. He reaches for my hand and laces our fingers together the same way that he always does after sex. It’s so endearing.
“That felt different. Deeper.” Leith chuckles. “Not deeper in the physical sense. I mean more intense than usual.”
“I think so too.”
“The other husbands told me that it would.”
“The other husbands.” That makes me giggle a little on the inside. “All of you are married now. Did you think that was a possibility a year ago?”
He brings my hand to his mouth and kisses the top. “I didn’t think it was a possibility even four months ago. I was certain that I was going to go to my grave as a single man without a child. Not that I have some magnificent legacy to pass on to children, but still, I wanted a wife and family. And I only wanted that with you.”
“You have a beautiful legacy to pass on to your children.”
“Our children.”
“Yes, our children.”
A naughty grin spreads on Leith’s face and he tugs on my hand, cueing me to get on top of him. “Get up here. I want you to ride me.”
And I do. Twice.
Epilogue
Lorna Duncan
Seven years later
I stop in my tracks and stand tall, rolling my shoulders back and arching my spine. It’s an attempt—a rather poor attempt—to relieve the pressure in my lower back and pelvis.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. You remember how it is when you get this far along. Everything hurts.”
“My last pregnancy was the worst. My doctor said it was because all of those ligaments supporting
my womb had been stretched with the other pregnancies and there was less support,” Westlyn says.
“My doctor told me the same thing,” Shaw says.
“I can believe that.” This is number four for me and each pregnancy has gotten progressively harder.
Bleu pats the back of the stool. “You need to get off of your feet.”
“I don’t want to leave you girls with all of the cleaning.”
“I think the four of us can manage without you.” Bleu pulls out the stool at the bar. “Sit. Now.”
My girls. We always take care of each other.
“Do you feel like you’ll have a girl this time?” Bleu is never going to give up on me having a girl.
“I doubt it.” After three boys, I’ve come to accept that I’m probably never going to have a little girl that I can dress in ribbons and bows.
“Does Leith want a girl this time or is he content with his house full of boys?”
“He says he’ll be happy with whatever we get.”
“I really need you to have that girl. Actually, two would be great if you could manage.”
“I don’t know. I think we may be finished after this one.”
“I thought you wanted a big family.”
“Well, it’s one thing to say that and another to actually raise them.” I gave birth to our first son a few days after our first anniversary and I’ve continued to have a baby every two years. I’m tired.
“Two kids are plenty for Jamie and me. No more buns are going in my oven.”
Jamie and Ellison have two of the most beautiful little girls, both with black hair like their mother. The older girl is a comedienne like Elli, and the younger one is very bright, but quiet and contained, like Jamie. She listens more than she speaks. Both are so well behaved. Nothing like my trio of trouble. But I wouldn’t take anything in the world for my boys.
“My baby factory is closed too. My hands are full with three.” Westlyn has given Kieran two brawny sons to one day take over The Order, and she has the little princess she always wanted. They’re a lovely family.
“I thought we were finished at three but Mitch has caught baby fever again.”
“You don’t want another?”
“I would love to have another child, but you all know that my body doesn’t agree with being pregnant.” I can understand Shaw’s hesitancy. She’s had multiple complications with each baby.
Bleu nods in sympathy. “It feels like such a betrayal when your heart wants a child and your body won’t cooperate.”
Sin and Bleu have a beautiful family but her babies aren’t babies anymore. And she has wanted another child for years. She was so happy when she got pregnant by in vitro last year but then devastated when she lost the pregnancy. After the last transfer and losing some of the embryos to degradation, they’re down to their last three frozen embryos.
“It’s been a year. I think you and Sin should go for it again.”
Bleu stops loading the dishwasher and turns around. “We weren’t going to say anything until I made it to twelve weeks, but I can’t hold it in anymore.”
Ellison squeals. “Shut. Up!”
“Our London trip in July… it was to do another in vitro. And it worked.”
Ellison drops the towel in her hand and goes to Bleu, wrapping her arms around her. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”
“We didn’t want to go through telling everyone about a miscarriage if we lost another one. Last time was brutal.”
“I can understand that. How many babies are in there this time?”
“Only one.”
“I’m so happy for you.”
“We all are.”
“I tried to not allow myself to become too attached, just in case.” She touches her lower stomach. “But that’s been impossible.”
Ellison places her hand next to Bleu’s. “Of course, it’s been impossible. Because you already love this baby.”
“We haven’t told the kids yet. Just in case.” Wise choice.
“How far along?”
“Eleven weeks.” Almost to the beginning of that magical second trimester.
“That’s why you canceled lunch with us twice this month. You were sick.” I thought it was odd for Bleu to not come.
“God, yes. I’ve been so nauseated with this pregnancy. It was nothing like this with the boys.”
“You’re having a girl. I know, after having two. Mark my words.”
“Nothing would make Lourdes happier.”
“She and the girls are more like sisters than cousins, but she still deserves a baby sister after eight years with Liam and Harrison and their antics,” Ellison says.
“Well, Queen Lour has done a nice job of ruling over those two.”
“She has. I’ll give her that.”
Bleu’s daughter is strong and confident. She doesn’t allow her brothers or any other boys to steamroll her. That lass can brawl with the best of them. And I don’t find one bit of that surprising, considering who is raising her.
Warm, rock-hard arms wrap around me from behind. “We told the sitter that we’d be back by eleven and it’s a quarter till.”
“My fingers are crossed in hopes that she’ll still be there when we get home.”
“Who’s keeping the boys?”
“Sterling’s youngest daughter, Lilla. She does a really good job with them. I recommend her if you ever need a sitter.”
“She’s kept the girls for Jamie and me several times. She’s great with them.”
“Thank you for having us, Bleu. We enjoyed it.”
“I’m so glad you felt like coming. And happy early birthday, Leith, in case I don’t see you tomorrow.”
I lower the back of my seat after we get into the car.
“Having pains?”
“My back hurts.”
“You had back pain when you went into labor with Colin.”
“I remember.”
“Do you think you’re starting to go into labor?”
“Maybe. I guess we’ll have to wait and see if the pain gets stronger or peters out.”
“I hope this is it. I’m ready to meet him.”
“You’ll have the same birthday if he comes after midnight.”
“I didn’t even think of that.” Leith chuckles. “He’ll be the best birthday present I’ve ever gotten.”
While Leith gets the boys down for the night, I take a bath in hopes that the water will soothe my aching back. The warm water helps a little but not enough. This could really be the beginning.
I climb into bed, lying on my side, and breathe. In and out, slow and deep. One breath. Two. Five. And then the pain goes away. Until it decides to return again.
“How do you feel, mo muirnín?”
“Like my back is going to break in half when I have a pain.”
“Want me to rub it for you?”
“Yes, please.”
Leith kneads my lower back muscles every time I have a pain. It’s getting late, and I know he must be tired. He had a long day at the bar, but he doesn’t act as though he’d rather be doing anything besides comforting me.
There is no end to how much I love this man.
I get up to walk, hoping it might relieve the pain in my back. It doesn’t. I try bending over the arm of the sofa, but the pain only becomes worse. And real. Very real.
“Your contractions are getting closer.”
“And stronger.” Definitely stronger. “We should probably call your mum to come over and stay with the boys until we can work something else out.”
“I was pretty sure that tonight was going to be it, so I asked Lilla to stay over. She’s sleeping in the guest room.”
“That was a good idea.” An excruciating pain begins in my back and I grasp the doorframe. “Because this bairn is ready to come.”
I’m admitted to the hospital, and I quickly discover that this baby is coming a lot faster than the other three. There’s so much more pain, it’s excruciating, but at le
ast I’m dilating fast.
We’re at the hospital less than an hour when the nurse says that I’m ten centimeters and ready to push. Of course, I didn’t need her to tell me that. This baby is telling me that all by itself.
“I’ve got… to push… right now.” I can’t control it. My body is doing it all on its own.
Leith is at my side, holding my hand while they prep me for delivery. And everything happens so fast. Much faster than it did with Kendrew, Bowie, or Colin.
Leith brings my hand to his mouth and kisses the top. “I love you so much, mo muirnín.”
“Love you too.”
The next few moments are an agonizing blur, and then I hear our baby’s first cry. That sound—there’s nothing in the world like it.
“Look at what we have here.”
My doctor turns our baby around, and Leith and I say it at the same time. “A girl.”
“And the best birthday present ever.” Leith leans down and kisses the top of my head. “We have a daughter. Kendrew, Bowie, and Colin have a baby sister.”
“We never chose a name for a girl.”
“Well, we’ll be choosing one now.”
Our daughter is placed on the center of my chest and tucked inside my gown so that we’re skin on skin. Her mouth forms an O and she presses it to the skin on my chest, lightly sucking. I scoot her closer to my right breast; my milk production is always nearly nonexistent on the left side.
“A girl. I can’t believe it.” Leith lowers his face to our daughter’s. “Little lass, you don’t know it yet, but you have three older brothers, and they aren’t going to let a boy come near you. And neither am I.”
Leith Duncan. I’ve known him my entire life. I’ve always loved him in one way or another, but never more than I do today. Just when I think that I can’t fall deeper in love with him, I’m proven wrong.
He calls me his redemption, but it’s he who is mine. I have everything that I’ve ever wanted—a husband, a family, a house full of love—because of him.
He and our children are my dream come true.
Sin Series Stand-alone Novels Bundle: Endurance, Unintended, and Redemption Page 62
