Hers To Keep: THE QUINTESSENCE COLLECTION I

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Hers To Keep: THE QUINTESSENCE COLLECTION I Page 61

by Akeroyd, Serena


  He had no reason to trust in those words. No reason whatsoever. Those words had been used to hurt, to maim, to scar...

  Clearing his throat, he stated, "You know Janna?"

  She blinked. "Yes. How could I forget? The Bitchzilla ex who screwed you all over."

  Her wry tone had him laughing a little. "I was happy when she left."

  "You were?" That surprised her. "The others weren't though, were they?"

  He shook his head. "Nope. Sawyer was cut up about it. Her betrayal and everything. He really fell for her. The other women who..." He wafted a hand between them. "Did this with us, well, they didn't make as much of an impact because of Janna. We'd prepared ourselves to be hurt. Me included, though it was to a lesser extent."

  "Why are you telling me this?" she asked gently.

  "I'm trying to make you understand something."

  "Well, get on with it," Andrei grumbled. "Some of us are trying to sleep, dammit, and we don’t want to hear about things no man should talk about to his partner."

  Sascha elbowed him in the back. "Shut up, you. You can always go in another room."

  He was silent a second, then he huffed. "I'm shutting up."

  Devon's lips twitched at Andrei's easy capitulation. "In all these years, I've never met a woman who made me wish I believed 'I love you' was the cure all." He ducked his head, shifting his gaze from hers. "I want to tie you to us in every way I can, Sascha. I can give you the words, because they mean something to you. But to me, they're not enough."

  Her frown was slowly clearing. "I understand."

  "I highly doubt it," Devon answered glumly. "Still, I can try."

  "You need to show me how you feel because the words aren't enough for you." She snorted. "I can keep up with this. I'm not that slow."

  He smirked, reached over to trace her narrowed eyes—he'd pissed her off.

  "Good." Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to her lips. "The baby is a link I'll always be grateful for. One that, no matter what we do—and we're men so we're capable of a lot of stupidity, even Sean—will always bind us together. Always remind us of how we felt at this moment. On this vacation when you told us we were truly becoming a family. Thank you for giving that to us."

  He felt as well as saw her smile. "It was a happy accident."

  "Sometimes, things happen for a reason," he countered. "We need this."

  "Don't you think it's too soon?"

  He shrugged. "Maybe. Some people need time, Sascha. We're not them. When you know what you need, and that answer is right in front of you, why delay?"

  "We're going to be buried in diapers before I even have a chance to bring out the sexy lingerie."

  Devon grinned. "We can afford a nanny to change the nappies. And we have to teach the baby proper English. None of this American stuff. Diapers," he scoffed.

  "I refuse to use the word 'nappy,'" Sascha retorted.

  He shrugged. "You can't stop me from teaching him only British English."

  She pressed her nose to his. "And you can't stop me from teaching him American English."

  "True." He grunted, whined, "He's English!"

  "Stop whining," she teased. "And you don't know, he might be a she."

  "I'd prefer a boy. Less of a worry," he said simply.

  She chuckled. "I'll just have a word with my embryo, Devon. Let's see if I can put a word in for you."

  He eyed her askance. "You know that won't work, don't you?" Sometimes, he couldn't tell when she was joking.

  "Devon! Enough is enough!" Andrei burst, sitting up and glowering at him. "Some of us are trying to sleep!" he repeated for what felt like the hundredth time.

  Devon rolled his eyes than curved his arms around Sascha, hauling her against his chest and pressing her closer by resting his hands on her ass.

  She snuggled into him, and he smiled, utterly at peace with his world for once.

  The baby had been a surprise. He'd miscalculated that particular likelihood. Still, it couldn't have worked out better.

  They'd deny it all they wanted, but he knew his friends were relieved about the baby.

  They were too accustomed to being left, being abandoned when things got complicated. Though they said ‘I love you’ and meant it, it was hard sometimes to hear those words in return and believe them. Believe in them and the woman who uttered them.

  When a man had been taught a woman's word meant very little, it took a long time to combat that.

  Sascha had time, and now she was with child, they had no reason to fear she'd leave.

  Devon knew he could cope with anything this world could throw at him. Hadn't he lost his mother? Hadn't he seen her body in a bath of her own blood?

  But he knew, point blank, he couldn't be in a world without Sascha.

  His lips curved into a smile—maybe those words would substitute an 'I love you', he asked himself.

  He'd have to give it a try in the morning.

  Afterword

  This series has found a place in so many people’s hearts.

  I hope you’re as psyched as I am that Theirs To Cherish is now available on KU!

  Also by Serena Akeroyd

  Dragon Bound

  Coven

  Leman

  Eight Wings Academy

  Faeling for Them

  Faeling Hard

  Finally Faeling

  HawkRidge High

  Dare You To Love Me

  Dare You To Keep Me

  Hell’s Rebels MC

  Their Sinner

  Their Saint

  The Sex Tape (Co-written with Helen Scott)

  The Professor

  The Caelum Academy

  Seven Wishes

  Eight Souls

  Nine Lives

  Naughty Nookie

  Sinfully Theirs

  Sinfully Mastered

  The Gods Are Back In Town

  Hotter than Hades

  The Sun Revolves Around Apollo

  Five Points, Hell’s Kitchen

  A Screwed Duet

  Screw You

  Screw Me

  Filthy Feckers

  Filthy Hot (COMING SOON)

  FourWinds

  Queen of the Vamps

  Kingdom of Veronia

  Perry & Her Princes

  Her Highness, Princess Perry

  Long Live Queen Perry

  QUINTESSENCE

  Hers To Keep

  Theirs To Cherish

  Anchor Pride Series

  Claimed by Caden

  McKinnon’s Mate

  The Corsakis

  Three’s Never A Crowd

  Old Enough to Know Better

  The Federation

  A Menage Made on Madison

  La Belle sans La Bete Series

  Menage Material

  A Thoroughly Modern Menage

  Forever Theirs

  Secrets & Lies

  The TriAlpha Chronicles

  Origin

  Trinity

  Triskele

  Triad

  Triumph

  Trierna

  TriAlpha

  Los Lobos

  The Raw Touch

  The Salsang Chronicles (written with Helen Scott)

  Stained Egos

  Stained Hearts

  Stained Minds

  Stained Bonds

  Stained Souls

 

 

 


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