“Am I too late?” Dane gasped. “Did I miss it?”
“Angie’s in labor,” Cody bellowed. The veins on his neck stood out. His face was red, his eyes wild.
“I know. I got your text.” He pried Cody’s fingers loose. “How’s Tina?”
“Tina? Tina? Tina’s fine. Angie’s in labor!”
“Where is Tina?”
“Angie’s in labor.” Cody scrubbed his face. His lips flapped. “In labor.”
Well shit. He wasn’t going to get any answers here. He pushed away from Cody and stormed to the nurses’ station. “Tina? Tina Coulter?”
The incomprehensibly calm nurse, dressed in crisp fatigues with lieutenant’s bars, smiled at him. “Captain Coulter?”
“Yes. Yes. Where’s my wife?”
“Right this way, sir.” She stood and led him through another set of double doors. Cody trailed along in his wake, mumbling something about Angie. In labor. And Christ Almighty. “She’s doing fine.” The nurse shot Dane a wink. “They both are.”
“Both?” Something skidded through him. Something thrilling and horrifying.
“Congratulations, sir,” she said as she pushed open a door, revealing Tina, his beautiful Tina, sitting in a rocking chair by the window of a hospital room bedecked with flowers, holding a tiny bundle to her breast. Sunlight shafted over her, embracing her as she stared down at an angelic face, a tiny mouth puckered around her nipple. “It’s a boy.”
A boy.
A boy.
Dane’s knees locked. Something swelled in his chest.
Tina looked up as he entered. Their gazes twined and his breath stalled. She looked like a Madonna holding his child, his son. Her lips quirked up in that smile he loved so very much. Tears filled her eyes.
Okay. They might have filled his too.
Somehow, Dane stumbled across the room, his attention transfixed by the sight of his wife feeding their child. “I’m too late,” he whispered.
She held out a hand. Stroked his wrist with a thumb. “You’re not too late.”
“I shouldn’t have gone. I should have stayed.”
“It’s your job, Dane. You had to go. And everything went fine.”
“Fine?” How could it be fine? He’d missed everything.
“He was just in a hurry, is all. Look at him. Isn’t he beautiful?”
He couldn’t help it. He couldn’t hold himself up. Dane slumped to his knees and embraced them both, one arm around her and the other cradling his baby. He stared at that fat, perfect face, all scrunched up as he fervently worked his jaw. Dane touched a tuft of down on a fragile head. His finger seemed too large, too rough, in counterpoint. He almost pulled back but didn’t. Couldn’t. “He’s perfect.” He looked up at her. Kissed her. “You’re perfect.”
She glowed. Just glowed. “I love you, Dane.” Her lips brushed his.
“I love you, Bambi.” He continued kissing her, despite her snort.
“Angie’s in labor,” Cody announced, from behind him. In case they’d forgotten. Because he hadn’t mentioned it for a moment or two.
They ignored him.
“We should pick a name we like, since we’ll probably be yelling it a lot,” she suggested.
He gazed down at the small human, the person they’d made. Yeah. He looked like a troublemaker. His chest swelled with pride. “Any ideas?”
“I thought we could name him Cody?” she said in a soft voice.
Dane snorted. “I like that.” Liked the thought of yelling that.
Cody fell to his knees at Dane’s side and gaped at Tina. “Really? You’d name him after me? Little Cody?” He reached out to stroke the child, then realized how close his hand was to his sister’s breast and lurched back. “Can’t you…” he waved at her chest.
“What?”
“Cover up or something?”
Tina glared at him. “This is what boobs are for, Cody. Besides, you’ll be seeing this a lot once your baby is born. Get used to it.”
He paled. “Angie’s in labor,” he murmured. Then he leaped to his feet and started pacing the room. “Angie’s in labor.”
Dane chuckled. “Shouldn’t he be in there?” Damn. He’d wanted to be there when his son was born. But his mission had taken longer than they’d expected and his flight had been delayed and there’d been a long line of cars at the gate waiting to get on base. Damn. He would have liked to have been there.
Maybe next time.
“He was in there,” Tina whispered. “They kicked him out.”
“They did?”
“I think, maybe, Angie did.”
“Good. Serves him right.”
“They said he was getting too bossy.”
“He does that.” When Cody had discovered Tina was pregnant, out of wedlock, he’d gone ballistic, badgering them relentlessly to tie the knot. Though Dane was always careful, apparently it only took one slip up.
It had been that afternoon. The afternoon he’d seen her with Ennis at the coffee shop and gone a little crazy and swept her off to a secluded cloak room. He probably would have remembered to use a condom, he probably could have controlled himself—if she hadn’t been bare assed naked beneath that cherry-spattered dress.
But she had been. Bare and wet and ready. And he’d lost control.
Made a baby.
And Cody had gone ballistic.
Never mind the fact that Dane had already proposed by the time they realized a child was on the way. Never mind the fact that Tina had gleefully accepted. Never mind that they couldn’t bear the thought of being apart. So much so that his mission, the one that had kept him away, was to be his last.
Nope. Cody didn’t care about any of the sordid details. All he cared about was getting a ring on his sister’s finger. He’d hounded them until the deed was done. He still brought it up every chance he got.
Dane hardly cared anymore. He had what he wanted. He had Tina. And their son…
Tina’s chuckle caught his attention.
“What?”
“Cody’s gonna shit a brick when he finds out.” She glanced at her brother, who was now sitting on the bed, rocking and checking his watch every second or so and mumbling to himself.
“What?”
“Can you keep a secret?”
“From him?” Dane thrust a thumb at the man who had made his life a living hell for three months. “Not a problem.”
“Angie’s having twins.”
“Twins?” Holy God.
Tina’s smirk indicated there was more. “Both girls.”
Dane shot a look at his friend, who was already frazzled and beset, in a world-class tizzy.
Cody with daughters? Daughters who would one day want to date? Men? Men who wanted to have sex with them? Maybe tie them up and spank their bottoms and make them do naughty, naughty things?
He threw back his head and barked a laugh. Now, that was something he couldn’t wait to see.
The lieutenant appeared in the doorway. Cody leaped to his feet.
“Captain Thompson?”
His throat worked. “Y-yes?” A squeak.
“Your wife is ready to see you now.”
“Is she…? Are they…? What…?”
“Everything is fine, sir. Your wife is asking for you.”
Cody shot a look at them over his shoulder. “I’m, ah, I’m going now.”
“Tell her hello for me,” Tina said, biting back a smile.
He nodded, a tight dip of this head, and then he tugged down his fatigues, slicked back his spiky hair, and headed for his doom.
Tina snorted a laugh. “He’s gonna shit a brick,” she murmured.
Dane snorted as well. Served him right.
His gaze flitted back to his son. He drew gentle circles on little Cody’s head. The baby’s eyes closed. His lips parted in a gurgle. And then he belched. Oh yeah, he was going to be a hellion, his bold, brash little man. Dane could already see him riding bikes with no hands, climbing trees and getting stuck, shooting ti
n cans with his slingshot.
Dane bent his head and pressed a kiss on his son’s forehead. He smelled of powder and baby. And Tina’s milk. A tantalizing combination.
His gaze drifted to her breast, distended and full, the nipple jutting prominently and ruched. Then up to her face. Her beautiful, beautiful face.
God, he loved her. Loved her more than he’d ever imagined was possible.
When Cody had fallen for Angie, Dane had thought him cowed by love and swore, upon all that was holy, he’d never be so whipped. He’d never be so lost in love he surrendered his manhood.
But if this was what it was, if this was what it felt like to be whipped, he’d take it.
Any way she wanted to give it to him.
And he hadn’t surrendered his manhood.
He’d stepped into it. Embraced it.
Funny, he’d thought he’d felt complete with Tina—these last nine months with her had been sublime. But now, looking down at his son, he realized there was no such thing as completion. There was room. There was always room for more.
He could visualize a herd of little Codys, wreaking terror on the neighborhood—
“I would love to have a daughter, someday,” Tina sighed, covering his hand with hers.
Dane’s breath stalled in his throat. Horror crept up his spine. He shuddered.
A daughter?
A little baby girl?
Who would one day want to date men?
Oh. Shit.
THE END
MORE MILITARY ROMANCES BY SABRINA YORK
Stone Hard SEALs (Action-Packed Military Romance Duet)
Sterling’s Seduction (Elite Metal Collection)
Tarnished Honor (The Incomparables: Heroes of Waterloo)
Snow Angels (Calendar Men Series from Decadent Publishing)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Her Royal Hotness, Sabrina York, is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of hot, humorous stories for smart and sexy readers. Her titles range from sweet & sexy to scorching romance. Visit her webpage at www.sabrinayork.com to check out her books, excerpts and contests.
For more information, or to connect with Sabrina, visit SabrinaYork.Com
Never Miss a New Book! Sign up for Sabrina’s Book Alerts Today!
Get exclusive reads, enter subscriber only contests and be the first to know about coming books!
CONNECT
Website: SabrinaYork.Com
Facebook Author Page
Twitter: @sabrina_york
Goodreads
Pintrest
Tsu
Books by Sabrina York
CONTEMPORARY
Stand Alone
Heartbreak on a Stick (Contemporary Romance)
Stone Hard SEALs (Action-Packed Military Romance Duet)
Tryst Island Series
Rebound Book 1
Dragonfly Kisses Book 2
Smoking Holt Book 3
Heart of Ash Book 4
Devlin’s Dare Book 5
Parker’s Passion Book 6
Wired Series
Adam’s Obsession Book 1
Tristan’s Temptation Book 2
Making Over Maris (FemDom) Book 2
REGENCY
Untamed Highlanders
Hannah and the Highlander Book 1
Susana and the Scot Book 2
Lana and the Laird Book 3
Noble Passions Series
Folly Book 1
Dark Fancy Book 2
Dark Duke Book 3
Brigand Book 4
Defiant Book 5
FANTASY
Lust Eternal
COLLECTIONS
Come Hell or High Water—12 Alarm Cowboys
Lithium’s Rescue (Elite Metal Ghosts)—Coming Soon
Sterling’s Seduction (Elite Metal Collection)
Tarnished Honor (The Incomparables: Heroes of Waterloo)
The Real McCoy—in the Cowboy 12 Pack
SHORT STORIES AND NOVELLAS
Laird of her Heart—First Story in the Dundragon Highlander Time Travel Trilogy
Pool Man
Extreme Couponing (Erotic Contemporary/BDSM)
Fierce (One Night Stand, Decadent Publishing)
Pushing Her Buttons (Erotic Contemporary/BDSM)
Man Hungry (Erotic Contemporary)
Rising Green (Erotic Horror)
Snow Angels (Calendar Men Series from Decadent Publishing)
Training Tess (Erotic Contemporary/BDSM)
Trickery (Erotic Contemporary with Magical Elements)
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Epilogue
MORE MILITARY ROMANCES BY SABRINA YORK
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Books by Sabrina York
Whipped Page 7