As the priest performed the ritual, Kat felt for Lann’s hand. He squeezed her fingers. Cain was there, looking pleased. Erwan sat next to Cain, his weathered face pulled into a grin. Her parents sat behind Cain and Erwan. Her mother’s eyes shone with happy tears, and even her dad had to wipe an inconspicuous hand over his cheek.
Bono sat on the other side of the aisle with Maya. He carried the diaper bag. He’d bought a remote control helicopter as a baptism gift, even if Kat had laughingly told him that Thomas wouldn’t be able to play with it for at least another eight years. Maya wore a green outfit that matched her eyes, looking striking as usual. Clelia and Joss sat behind Maya and Bono, Clelia’s hand grasped in Joss’s big paw. Now that they had the serum, they wanted to start a family as soon as possible. Eve sat next to them, her face serene for the first time in months.
When the ceremony was over, they walked back to the castle for the lunch that was served in the garden. It was a glorious day, too warm for autumn, and Kat wasn’t sure that Lann had nothing to do with it.
As Joss poured the champagne and Lann handed the glasses around, Clelia cuddled Thomas in her arms. She lifted him and sniffed his diaper.
“I think he needs a change,” she said with a wink at Kat.
Bono stepped forward with the diaper bag slung across his shoulder.
Kat laughed. “You can put that down, you know. It won’t run away.”
Clelia handed Thomas to Maya. “Can you be a honey and do a diaper change? I think Kat needs to enjoy the last few hours with her parents before they leave.”
Maya gave Kat a bewildered look. When Kat shrugged, Maya looked back at Clelia with a plea in her eyes.
“Sorry,” Clelia said, “but I have to help Iza serve the lunch.”
Bono chuckled. “Come on, Maya. I’ll help you.”
Maya turned her nose in the air. “How difficult can it be?”
Cain’s laugh was low as he watched Maya stalk off to the house, holding Thomas out in front of her.
“Do you think she’ll manage?” Kat asked with worry.
“Don’t worry,” Clelia said. “Maya is very capable.”
While her mom and dad were talking to Lann, Cain took Kat aside. “Thank you for what you’ve done for my team. You’re a very brave woman.”
Kat smiled. “I’m afraid I can’t take any credit for being brave. I only tried to survive.”
“And you did a great job. Lann is a lucky man.”
She brushed a strand of hand behind her ear. “I’m a lucky woman.”
“I don’t know how Godfrey knew about Lann’s fertility, or how he found out that you were Lann’s mate, but I promise you I’ll find the answers, if it’s the last thing I do.”
“Godfrey did both Lann and me a favor. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be as happy as I am.” She wouldn’t be alive.
Cain nodded. “A good attitude to have.”
“Nicolas?”
“No trace of him. We didn’t pick up anything on the cameras from the exit.”
She hoped he’d gotten away. He wasn’t a bad person.
“Are you happy to go back to Santiago?” Cain asked.
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
“Lann told me you’re going to manage his library.”
“His librarian resigned.”
“It’s good that we’ll have another base. We need one in South America. The kind of life Lann leads, that all of us lead, isn’t always easy, but I know he’ll do great with you by his side. A woman can make all the difference.”
She got the feeling he was talking from experience, but she didn’t want to pry. Did he have someone in his life?
“You do realize Thomas will need a special education?” Cain asked.
“Lann explained that to me. I’ll make sure he’s as good as his daddy.” She winked. “And I hope he’ll have Lann’s accent.”
Cain chuckled. “I’m afraid he may develop a Spanish one.”
“You’re most probably right.”
Maya and Bono came back, Thomas in Bono’s arms.
“Did you manage all right?” Kat asked.
Bono’s shoulders shook with laughter. “Thomas peed on Maya just as she took off his diaper.”
Maya rolled her eyes. “I don’t see how that’s so funny.”
Cain looked amused. “He must know you like water.”
Maya snorted, but a smile split her face. “He smiled at me. He likes me.”
“Babies can’t smile this soon,” Bono said with an air of expertise.
“Well,” Maya said, cocking her shoulder. “He’s not your average baby.”
Lann walked up to Kat and put his arm around her. He bent down to whisper in her ear, “They’re going to spoil him.”
She leaned against him. “They’d better. They’re family. That’s their job.”
He pulled her a short distance from the others and kissed her lips. “Say you’re mine.”
“You know I am.”
“I want to hear it. Every day.”
“I’m yours,” she said, “and I’ll remind you in more than one way.”
He brought their lips together and sealed the promise with another kiss. It seemed appropriate that it was on the shore of the lake where she’d promised to become his wife. The trees changing to glorious browns and reds reflected on the smooth surface of the water. A new season had started. Their new life together had only just begun.
Somewhere on a different part of the planet, a disfigured man approached the embrace of his father with fear.
~ THE END ~
Excerpt from Hydromancist
7 Forbidden Arts, Book 4
Hydromancist (7 Forbidden Arts, Book 4)
Tough and invincible Maya Martin is part of Cain Jones’s team. Her ability to manipulate water makes the South African born hydromancist an invaluable asset to the paranormal crime taskforce. When AK-47s are smuggled from Mexico to Zimbabwe via Costa Rica, Maya is sent on a mission to destroy the arms, and to expose the syndicate. Her main suspect is the new Australian ambassador, Timothy Fardel, but the dark side of his personality is not the hidden truth Maya expected. Neither are the emotions that get in the way. Faced with honoring her oath or following her heart, Maya has to make a choice with detrimental consequences.
Excerpt
Timothy Fardel pulled his attention away from the woman dining alone at the table next to him and his guests for the tenth time that evening. He redirected his gaze to the couple across from him to give them his undivided attention. Billy Maloy, a potential American investor, was vacationing with his wife, Ann, in Costa Rica. Tim had invited them to the restaurant to convince Maloy that his money would be profitably spent in the Australian beef export market.
“Mr. Ambassador, if you’ll excuse my frankness,” Billy Malloy said, “it doesn’t make sense that my company should invest millions in the beef market, when the country is crippled by drought. During the last quarter…”
Tim stopped listening. He couldn’t help or explain it. His senses were drawn to the stranger’s sea-green eyes, the oriental vanilla smell of her perfume, and the gracious way her slender fingers moved as she toyed with her napkin. Beads rattled as she flicked her dreadlocks over her shoulder. Her smooth caramel skin would feel like velvet. He noticed, not without unjustified irritation, that he wasn’t the only man staring. With high cheekbones, a thin and straight nose, and full lips she appeared exotic.
Tim rubbed a finger over his lips. She wasn’t a local. He’d heard her asking the waiter about the specials of the day with an English accent he couldn’t place. Judging by her toned muscles, she worked out. She had an air of adventure about her mixed with self-assurance and female sensuality. In short, she was exactly his type.
Malloy droned on, “…if we have a repeat of the recession…”
The woman finished a blue cocktail with a glazed maraschino cherry and a paper umbrella. She popped the cherry into her mouth and licked a bit of sticky syru
p from her bottom lip. The waiter arrived with her meal. She had ordered steak and French fries … in Tesoro del Mar, San José’s best seafood restaurant.
“…just don’t see why I should give them a dime.”
At long last, Malloy stopped talking and sucked in a much-needed breath.
Ann, a pretty blonde who’d been pushing the point of her cowboy boot against Tim’s shoe for the last twenty minutes, gave a high-pitched laugh.
“I think Tim knows what he’s talking about.” She nudged him with her toe. “Don’t you, Tim?”
Tim lifted his hands. “Don’t take my word for it. I’ll let you in on national subsidiaries. If we weren’t sure about the future of the export market, do you honestly think government would’ve put its money there?”
Convincing Malloy wasn’t going to be hard. It was a done deal, if Ann Malloy could keep her feet to herself.
“If that’s the case, why are other investors dropping out?” Malloy asked.
Obviously eavesdropping on their conversation, the woman with the dreadlocks gave a knowing smile and cut into her steak.
“Maybe we should invite Tim out on the boat,” Ann said, “to talk some more.” She shot Tim a look he couldn’t misinterpret.
Damn, he needed that drink. He glanced around for their waiter. “If you don’t act quickly, Mr. Malloy, someone else is going to snatch up the deal.” He got to his feet. “Excuse me.” He nodded at Ann. “I’m going to check at the bar for our drinks. This is taking too long.” Slow service was a pain in his backside.
Deliberately, he took the long way around his neighbor’s table for a closer look. Tim admired her full breasts and long, deliciously arched neck. A vein throbbed under that velvet skin. He could see it pulsing, hear it pumping, and itched to taste it, to feel the flutter under his tongue. He expected her to lower her lashes under his uncivilized stare, but she met his gaze head-on, her strikingly green eyes locking onto his. He ran his fingers over the edge of her table as he passed.
“Do you seriously expect them to buy that horseshit you’ve been feeding them?” a silky voice asked.
He stopped dead, and turned slowly. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” she said.
“Are you talking to me, honey?”
“I don’t see any other shit talkers around here.” She leaned back in her chair, a challenge in her posture and expectation in the way she measured him.
He walked two steps back to her table. “Do we know each other?”
“No.”
His eyes were drawn to her lips as she offered him a smile. That generous curve was nothing short of scrumptious.
“As trite as it sounds, I think you would’ve remembered me.”
“Absolutely.” He assessed her figure-hugging dress. “New in town?”
She cocked a shoulder. “Maybe.”
“I’d love an introduction.”
She got to her feet. She was tall for a woman, a perfect kissable height for him.
“I don’t usually mix with government officials who steal unsuspecting businessmen’s money.” Her tone was amused rather than unfriendly. “Or their wives,” she added and, with a kiss over her shoulder, walked to the exit with swaying hips.
Tim had to remind himself Ann and Billy were watching. He glanced at the woman’s back one last time and continued to the bar.
“Manuel,” he said, reading the barman’s nametag, “I ordered three scotches more than fifteen minutes ago.”
Manuel took three glasses from under the counter. He took his time pouring the drinks. “A babe, that one.” His eyes moved to the door the woman had used to leave.
“Who is she?”
Manuel grinned. “How much is it worth to you?”
Tim studied the barman with new interest. Manuel was a clever observer. He’d do well in the diplomatic service. Tim took a bill from his pocket and left it on the counter. One way or another, he’d be able to find out. This was quicker, and, for some reason, he didn’t feel like wasting time. Manuel pushed a business card toward him. He picked it up and read the print.
Maya Martin, Tree House Lodge, Puerto Viejo, PADI Divemaster.
“She left this, why?” Tim asked. He was sure the beautiful woman had just thrown him a bone, and he already knew he was going to run like a tail-wagging puppy.
The barman pointed with his thumb to the wooden beam above where hundreds of business cards were pinned. “To put on the notice board.”
Tim pocketed the card and motioned to the drinks. “Get our waiter to bring this.”
Back in his seat, Ann’s tight smile confronted him. The waiter followed with their scotch, and he immediately swallowed a mouthful.
“So,” Tim leaned back in his chair, “back to business.” But his mind was elsewhere.
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Afterword
Dear Reader,
Thank you very much for joining me on Kat and Lann’s adventure. If you enjoyed the story, please consider leaving a short review on your favorite review or vendor site to help other readers discover the book. Every review makes a huge difference.
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Charmaine
Also by Charmaine Pauls
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(Enemies-to-Lovers Dark Romance)
Darker Than Love
(Second Chance Romance)
Catch Me Twice
Diamond Magnate Novels
(Dark Romance)
Standalone Novel
(Dark Forced Marriage Romance)
Beauty in the Broken
Diamonds are Forever Trilogy
(Dark Mafia Romance)
Diamonds in the Dust
Diamonds in the Rough
Diamonds are Forever
Box Set
The Loan Shark Duet
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Dubious
Consent
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The Age Between Us Duet
(Older Woman Younger Man Romance)
Old Enough
Young Enough
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Krinar World Novels
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The Krinar Experiment
The Krinar’s Informant
Seven Forbidden Arts Series
(Dark Paranormal Romance)
Pyromancist (Fire)
Aeromancist, The Beginning (Prequel)
Aeromancist (Air)
Hydromancist (Water)
Audiobooks
Standalone Novels
(Enemies-to-Lovers Dark Romance)
Darker Than Love
Diamond Magnate Novels
Standalone Novel
(Dark Forced Marriage Romance)
Beauty in the Broken
Diamonds are Forever Trilogy
(Dark Mafia Romance)
Diamonds in the Dust
Diamonds in the Rough
Diamonds are Forever
Box Set
The Loan Shark Duet
(Dark Mafia Romance)
Dubious
Consent
Krinar World Novels
(Futuristic Romance)
The Krinar’s Informant
Book Blurbs
Diamond Magnate Novels
(Dark Mafia & Forced Marriage / Revenge Romance)
Standalone Novel
Beauty in the Broken
Six years ago, Harold Dalton framed me for theft and sent me to jail to steal my diamond discovery. He gave his daughter to Jack Clarke in exchange for the excavation rights. Today I’m walking free, and I�
�m coming for him with a vengeance. Six years of cruelty make beasts out of men. I’m going to take back what he stole from me, and more. I’m not interested in his properties or shares. I don’t want his small change. I want his biggest asset. Beautiful, mentally unstable, Angelina Dalton-Clarke.
Worth billions, she’s the wealthiest widow in the country, and also the craziest. Her self-harming tendencies had Jack declare her incompetent before he put a gun to his head and blew out his brains. Lina isn’t allowed to touch a cent of her riches. Her father manages her finances. He has all the signing power. As her husband, that chore will fall to me. But if she thinks I only want her for her money, she’s sadly mistaken.
Diamonds are Forever Trilogy
Diamonds in the Dust (Book 1)
Men like us, we see things.
We do things, things that make us unfeeling.
That’s the price of power and money, of living la belle vie and running the French mafia. Then she came along like a pretty wildflower pushing through the cracks on a dirty pavement—fragile yet resilient, a breath of beauty among the filth. She was supposed to be just another job, a nameless person I was to pluck from her life and hand to my brother, nothing but a pawn in the gamble of our diamond business.
There’s a psychological label for men like us.
Aeromancist (SECOND EDITION): Art of Air (7 Forbidden Arts Book 3) Page 28
