Defying Destiny
Page 43
thinking without having to ask. He
understood her fears as well as her hopes.
They kept no secrets.
“I’m not going anywhere, Maralee,” he
murmured, lowering his head to kiss her
soft lips. “You’re stuck with me whether
you want to be or not.”
“How could I not?” she asked him,
melting against him. With her distended
abdomen protruding between them, they
didn’t fit together as perfectly as before.
The baby gave a forceful kick of protest
and Nash chuckled, breaking their kiss.
“This one is definitely a girl,” he told
her with a gentle smile as his hands
moved to rub the sides of her belly. “As
wild and unruly as her beautiful mother.”
“After the twins, I was looking
forward to one more quiet and reserved,
like their father,” she said, grimacing with
mock distress.
He laughed. “Maybe the next one,” he
said, lifting one hand to stroke her hair
away from her cheek. “Besides, Carsha
wouldn’t forgive us if we had another boy.
She’s tired of being the only girl in the
family.”
Maralee chuckled. “I guess so,” she
said. Carsha was present in their home
more often than she was absent. She lived
in a small house with her family including
her new adoptive father less than a mile
away. “Who would have ever believed
that Rella and William would fall in love
at first sight?”
“They seem happy together,” Nash
said, staring down at her intently.
“Not as happy as we are.”
“I didn’t think happiness this perfect
was even possible,” he whispered. He
kissed her again, this time with a passion
guaranteed to consume them both. “Let’s
go upstairs and lock ourselves in our room
for a couple of hours.”
“But the twin—”
“Are with my mother.” He lowered his
mouth to caress the sensitive flesh beneath
her ear. “You know after the baby’s born
we’ll have to wait over a month before
we can make love again.”
Maralee gasped. “I’d forgotten,” she
said breathlessly. “Let’s go.”
She took his hand and pulled him up
the stairs, surprisingly swift on her
swollen feet. He laughed as she waddled
down the hall towards their bedroom.
Stacia, who held one wriggling Wolf pup
under each arm, peered out of the twins’
room as they passed.
“Keep an eye on the twins, will you,
Mother?” Nash asked as he passed.
Stacia grinned knowingly. “Not a
problem.”
“Hurry, Nash,” Maralee said, reaching
for his sleeve to pull him into the
bedroom. “I need you.”
“Yes, love. I’m here.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Olivia Downing writes love stories set in
fantasy worlds. She currently lives in the
Midwest and is working on several other
fantasy series. Olivia also writes explicit,
erotic romance novels under the penname
Olivia Cunning. For more information,
please
visit
her
websites
at
www.oliviadowning.com
or
www.oliviacunning.com.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 47
Epilogue