by Sam Crescent
“Is that a bad thing?” Rex asked, suddenly wondering if her sickness had been worse or better.
“Now, we just like to make sure Mom and baby are comfortable. If you’re vomiting every chance, then it’s not going to be good for either of you.” The doctor moved the little device thingy around. “Would you like to know the sex?”
He looked at Nora and watched as she bit her lip. “Would you like to know?” she asked.
“Yeah, I would. I think I’d like to be prepared for whatever our little baby can throw at us.” He squeezed Nora’s hand as the doctor chuckled.
“It’s nice to see a couple ready to do this together. I have so many patients who come in here, and it’s either one or the other determined to make this work. Rarely is it both.”
There was no way in hell that Rex was going to let his woman go. No chance of it. He loved her more than anything, and right now his second chance was happening. He was going to grasp it, hold onto it, and keep it.
“Right … let’s see. Some babies really don’t like to give away their secrets,” the doctor said. “Ah, there we are, you’re going to be having a boy. A beautiful baby son.”
“A boy, Rex. We’re going to have a boy.”
“I hope he’s nothing like me,” he said, laughing. Tears fell down his cheeks as he leaned in against Nora, but he didn’t care. They were tears of joy, and right now he was so damn happy.
“I hope he’s everything like you,” Nora said, whispering the words. “If so, he’s going to grow up to be a wonderful man.”
Pressing his lips against hers, Rex couldn’t believe his luck. How he had found the woman meant for him, he didn’t know. There was no way he was going to let her go.
“I love you, Nora. More than anything.”
She smiled with her own tears. “I love you, too.”
Epilogue
Ten years later
“Can you believe our kids are friends?” Alaric asked.
“Yeah, well I’m about to be a son down in a minute.” Rex rushed across his yard toward the large oak tree. Nora had loved this house from the moment they stepped foot in it. The biggest problem with the house was they had several large trees, and a son that loved to climb. His little monkey boy was driving him crazy. “Will, I told you to stop climbing trees!” William Donovan, ten years old, and getting cockier by the day, gave a little chuckle.
“Come on, Dad, this is so cool. You can see everything here.”
“Your mother is going to have a heart attack, and I don’t want that.”
“Ew, you’ll do that kissing thing you always do. I hate girls. I love Mommy though. She bakes the nicest cookies.”
Rex rolled his eyes, and felt Nora right behind him, wrapping her arms around him.
“Hey,” she said. “I’m not going to have a heart attack.”
“I keep trying to get him out of the tree.”
“Watch this.” She rested her chin on his shoulder. “William, darling, you know that chocolate fudge cake you love so much?”
“Yeah.”
“I just wanted to say all of your friends are already eating it.” Before she had even finished that sentence, William climbed down and was rushing toward the kitchen.
Nora laughed.
“Food. All this time, good food is what brings him down,” Rex said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, and kissing her head.
He turned toward his friend, Alaric, to see him with Bella in his arms.
“It’s good food,” Alaric said.
Ignoring his friend, Rex stared at his wife. Ten years of marriage, and he still loved her even more. Placing a hand on her slightly swollen stomach, he couldn’t believe the gift she was giving him.
“I love you,” he said. “More than anything. You’ve given me the entire world, Nora.”
Her cheeks heated. “You take the words right out of my mouth.” She pressed another kiss to his lips, and he couldn’t wait until the party was over. He wanted to be alone with his wife to show her just how much he loved her. Not that she needed it. He just loved to hear her cry his name when he was balls deep inside her. When he was, Rex knew there was no place better.
The End
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Other Books by Sam Crescent:
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**BONUS STORY**
YOU BELONG TO ME
Sam Crescent
Copyright © 2017
Chapter One
Quinn Powell stared down at the picture his sister, Dorothy, had sent him. It was of her birthday party, which he’d not been able to attend, and beside her stood Kaley Woods, her best friend. His sister had celebrated her twenty-first birthday three years ago, and this picture had been taken then. Dorothy had always been a force to reckon with. The moment she’d met Kaley in nursery school they’d been best friends. No one could separate the two even if they wanted to. Their parents were overjoyed by their strong friendship as neither would do anything to risk the other. Kaley wouldn’t go out to any wild parties, which meant Dorothy found other ways to occupy her time. Dorothy wouldn’t sit in the library all day reading books, so Kaley found ways to be with her friend. They were like chalk and cheese, yet the best of friends. Watching them grow up had been fun. Quinn was a good ten years older than the girls and had been expected to get them out of trouble, even though they were rarely in it. Kaley rarely spoke more than a few words at a time to him, and he’d done anything to try to.
Over the years, he’d noticed that about Kaley. She was a shy girl, almost withdrawn, apart from when she was with Dorothy. His sister brought Kaley out of her shell and forced her to live in the real world rather than her world of books.
He ran his thumb over Kaley’s picture, falling for her smile like he’d fallen for every single part of her over the last few years. She was a beautiful woman yet hid behind large clothing and glasses she didn’t need. He adored her curves, even though she had tried to diet over the years. Staring at the picture, he could make out her full tits, rounded hips and stomach, and juicy, thick thighs. He wanted her badly. Her curvy body wasn’t all he wanted either. Smiling, he found it so cute that she had her glasses on as well. He’d seen her slide them up into her hair several times as she moved around the house. Whenever he entered a room, the glasses would conveniently fall down onto her face, hiding her away. He didn’t know what she was hiding away, only that it would no longer work. He wanted her and had left her to live her life for the past six years without any interference from him. When she’d turned eighteen, Quinn had had every intention of getting to know her better, to seduce her. Dorothy asked him to let Kaley live her life, to go to college without the fear of an older, scarier boyfriend. His sister cared about him, but she also cared about her friend. Quinn respected Dorothy enough to stay well clear. Dorothy only asked for him to give Kaley a chance to live her life through college. She’d not said anything about the future. He’d given his sister Kaley’s college years, and the last time he spoke to Dorothy, he’d made his intentions known. He was coming back home to make Kaley his. His sister no longer demanded he stay away and had in fact started to send him pictures.
He was a Navy Seal and had the pleasure of working with a fine group of men who all worked for special top-secret operations that risked his life on a daily basis. He’d just signed the papers for his final mission. He was getting out, and, at the age of thirty-five, he was going to finally marry his woman.
Handing everything over, he grabbed his bag and looked toward his friend, Dale.
“Are you sure about this? There’s nothing more exciting out there.”
Quinn shook Dale’s hand. “I don’t need excitement anymore. I’ve got everything I wanted out of this life. It’s time for me to move on.”
“The guys are all going to miss you.”
“I may be out, but that doesn’t mean you can’t come and visit me. I’ll be expecting you.” He withdrew his hand, offering a smile. “Come visit me and I
’ll buy you all a beer.”
“Will do. The men are going to want to see the woman that has you leaving our asses.” Dale tucked the form under his arm. “How are you getting home?”
“Plane, taxi, Dorothy has refused to come and get me. She’s at the apartment where I’ll be staying.” His sister was known for being a pain in the ass, but he adored her.
“Okay. Your sister is waiting to give you a long talk, right?”
“You know her well. She’ll be ready to have my ass if I in any way ruin her friendship with Kaley. She’s not going to have anything to worry about. I’m perfect for Kaley.”
“Ah, the mystery woman has a name.”
Shaking his head, Quinn turned and headed out into the sunshine. He loved the summer a hell of a lot more than he did the winter. Everything always looked brighter to him. Climbing in the back of the guys’ car, he laughed as they talked nonstop about his leaving. They were all good men, and he’d miss them.
Quinn stood in the airport, and he took out the picture his sister had sent last. It had been taken four months ago, at Kaley’s twenty-fourth birthday. His sister knew about his feelings for her friend and had expressed her concern, but she hadn’t stopped sending pictures of Kaley.
His woman smiled back at the camera. In front of her was a large, chocolate-frosted cake. For the first time in a picture the glasses were not present and he was able to see her dark brown eyes. She smiled, and it lit up the whole of her face, making his chest tighten and his cock harden unbearably. Her hair was unbound and curled around her shoulders. The dress she wore showed a great deal of cleavage, more daring than anything he’d seen her in, as the hem ended before her knee. Kaley was pressing the knife into the cake. She practically sparkled with joy.
Quinn had already set the wheels in motion for him to be out of the Seals. This picture had only confirmed what he would do. It would only be a matter of time before another man saw what he did and fought past her boundaries to get to the woman within. He saw the sensuality within her. The need in her eyes to be taken, to be loved, shone brightly back at him. There was so much need inside her he was surprised Dorothy hadn’t pushed one of her male friends onto Kaley. His sister hadn’t, and so, Quinn was finally ready to make Kaley his. Even if his sister was nervous because he didn’t have the best track record, she knew he wouldn’t hurt Kaley, and that his feelings for her were real. He’d be the one to unlock the passion inside her. He alone would reap the rewards, and when it was all over, he’d be the one she fell in love with.
All he needed to do was persevere. It wasn’t hard. He’d been a Navy Seal; seducing a woman would be a walk in the park.
****
“I’m going to head to the library,” Kaley said, putting all of her notes into her bag. She’d taken an extra class at the college to pass her time, and now she was in graduate school.
“Okay.” Dorothy appeared out of the kitchen holding a wooden spoon. “You’re going to be gone until this evening, right?”
Kaley frowned at the hopeful look on her friend’s face. “Huh? What’s going on?”
“Nothing. Nothing is going on.” Dorothy rubbed the end of the wooden spoon against her head. Thick chocolate batter coated it, looking way too tempting.
Her suspicions rose as she looked at Dorothy. “You’re acting strangely.”
“It’s the summer. The heat is getting to me.”
Shrugging, Kaley put her satchel over her shoulder. She worked at the library five days a week and spent most of her evenings there while she studied. When she wasn’t working or studying, she wrote. Kaley loved to write stories, explicit stories filled with adventure and intrigue.
“Do you want me to pick something up for dinner?”
“Nah, I’m going to cook.”
Again, her suspicions rose. Between the pair of them, Dorothy rarely cooked while Kaley loved to cook. “I’m a little confused right now. Who’s coming to dinner?”
“No one. I’ve got the need to cook.”
With her hands on her hips, Kaley stared back at her friend. Dorothy’s face became devoid of any emotion.
“You can keep looking at me all you want, Kaley Woods. I’m not doing anything wrong. I need to cook, and it’s not your day in the kitchen, it’s mine.”
Shaking her head, Kaley walked to the door, guilty for her suspicions against her friend. “I’ll see you later.”
“Take care.”
“I will.”
She closed their apartment door, making her way downstairs toward the entrance. Kaley walked the several blocks toward the city library. It was a busy Friday morning, and she dodged as many people as possible on her way. The only problem with living in the city was the constant business of the people. They were always on the go, refusing to stop or apologize for banging into you.
Dropping her glasses onto her face, she tucked her head down, crossing her arms over her breasts as she walked up the entrance steps.
On the way inside, she stopped at the business section, gathering six books she’d need for studying.
Martha, a librarian in her forties, nodded toward her. “You’re back here again.” Martha had given her the job, showing her the ropes. Kaley liked the woman and considered her a friend.
“Yeah, studying.”
“Honey, you’re twenty-four years old. Surely there’s a man out there waiting for you.”
For some reason, Quinn, Dorothy’s brother, came to mind. Rubbing at her temples, she tried to force memories of him away. “No, no one.”
“You’re a beautiful young woman, Kaley. You need to stop hiding behind those glasses and those books.” Martha shook her head.
Not knowing what to say, she took the books toward the study area. She removed her satchel, pulled out her notebooks, and started to work. Every now and then she’d rub at her temple to try to clear the thoughts of Quinn.
He was the one man who always invaded her thoughts whenever anyone talked about a man. He made her so nervous that she made every excuse she could not to be in the same room alone with him. Since he became a Seal something had changed. He stared at her all the time. Each time he held her gaze, she was sure he saw a hell of a lot more than she would have liked. No matter how she tried to hide the desires running through her body, Quinn seemed to know.
You’re losing your mind again.
There’s no way Quinn could know. Her desires were locked up tight on her laptop where her stories were. Even Dorothy didn’t know about her more explicit stories. Kaley liked to write about alpha males who knew what they wanted and did everything in their power to show the woman how they felt. They were dominant, protective, and so damn sexy they made her wet just writing them.
Opening the first book, she pressed her thighs together to try to stem the arousal working its way up her body.
She took notes on the values and needs of business, only to stop as Quinn’s handsome image came to mind again. Pausing, she pulled her cell phone out of her jeans pocket to bring up his picture. This was one of the pictures Dorothy had sent her. It was taken by Dorothy as she held the phone up to take one of Kaley with Quinn. Quinn’s thick arms drew her gaze first. Growing up, he’d been tall but not filled out. Since joining the Seals, Quinn had filled out. His arms were huge, well defined by muscle. They showed his hard work. In fact, the whole of his body showed it. Quinn’s body was a piece of art.
Shutting off the phone, she forced all memory of Quinn out of her mind. No, she wouldn’t be thinking about Quinn. He was off limits.
He wasn’t just Dorothy’s brother, he was scary as hell. She rarely spoke to him and wouldn’t be alone with him anytime soon.
What if he’s got a girlfriend?
Licking her suddenly dry lips, Kaley stared straight ahead of her at the lines of books. Books never scared her or made her want something she couldn’t have.
Running fingers through her messy brown hair, she finally pushed Quinn aside. He was invading her study time. When she was done, she’d make a
quick stop at the store for some chocolate ice cream and a movie. Ice cream and a movie would make her feel better. Well, the ice cream would make her feel better. Dorothy wouldn’t ask too many questions if she appeared with ice cream, providing a romance movie came with it.
Chapter Two
Quinn grunted as Dorothy threw herself into his arms. “You made it.”
“I would have been here sooner if my sister picked me up.”
She blew a raspberry. “I’m already letting you crash here. Besides, don’t you feel like a loser staying with your much-younger sister?”
Closing the door, he dropped his bag. “You’ve not told Kaley I’m coming, have you?”
He knew his sister well.
“You’re in love with my friend. I know Kaley better than anyone, Quinn. If she knew you were coming here to stay, she’d be going back home. I don’t know why she’s so skittish around you.” Dorothy shrugged. “Anyway, she’s at the library and will be for the next—” she stopped to look down at her watch, “—three hours. You’re safe to unpack.”
They lived in a three-bedroom apartment. Both of their families had chipped in to make sure the girls weren’t in any danger. The apartment building was a good one and located in a decent part of the city. Quinn wouldn’t have Kaley living anywhere else, and neither would he let Dorothy.
Folding his arms over his chest, he stared at Dorothy. “What’s to say she won’t run away?”
“I won’t let her. I’ve already got a date lined up. My plan is to sit and eat, then remember I’ve got a date, leaving the two of you together. If I don’t, she’ll come up with a reason to be out of the apartment. It’ll work.”
“How do you feel about me dating Kaley?”
“You’re not interrogating me, Quinn. I’m happy for you both.” She cut off to start laughing. “Actually, it’ll be fun to see you working hard for something you want in life.” She snorted. “Kaley’s not so easily taken with muscles and your Seal past.”