Stryder (The Black Stallion Trilogy Book 2)
Page 27
Adira just smiled and squeezed her hand. “Stryder isn’t a fool. If he hasn’t used protection, then something is pulling him to make a baby with the love of his life. Let’s go see if our men are going to be papas.”
“Are you all right?” Stryder asked after the evening meal.
Zoya looked up, seeing the concern on his face. “I’m just a little tired.”
“Too tired to play?”
His grin and the look in his eyes tugged at her soul. It was their night to use the playroom and she’d considered weaving some fantasy but couldn’t bring herself to do it.
“I’d rather take a walk, if that’s all right.”
“Sure, if that’s what you want.”
They walked past the garden, hand in hand, watching tiny bits of light flying in the leaves of the trees as fireflies began to blink, calling for their mates. When they reached the koi pond, he took her in his arms. “What’s wrong, babe?”
Zoya promptly burst into tears. Before she knew it, he was seated on the stone edge of the pond and she was cradled on his lap. “Shh, whatever it is, we’ll work it out,” he said against the top of her head.
“They were pink.”
“Pink? What was pink?”
Remembering how she and Adira had stood side by side, staring at the pregnancy tests, then at each other, then at the tests again, she said, “The lines. All four were bright pink… I had thought maybe they’d be blue but Adira said no so we don’t know if they are girls or boys…” When she felt his head lift from hers, felt him pull back, she shook her head, knowing she wasn’t explaining this right. “I’m pregnant.”
He took her face in his palms, his eyes soft, his voice husky. “I’m going to be a father?”
“Only… only if you want to be. I know you didn’t plan on this and I’m not going to make you—”
“Babe, do not make me spank my future wife and the mother of my child on the day she gave me an incredible gift.”
It took a moment for his words to register and another to be able to speak as his lips were fused to hers but when he released her, she said, “You… you said wife.”
“Damn straight I did. I’m not going to have my child grow up without knowing his, or her, father. I’m going to be there every step of the way, right beside their mother.” He grinned. “I know this is a little out of order, but…” He slid her off his lap, jumped from the wall and then went down on one knee.
“Zoya Morozova, will you make me the happiest man on earth by becoming my wife? Will you stand by me, love me, and share the joy of raising our child together? I love you more than I could have ever imagined. You are my heart, my soul… my world. Please say you’ll marry me.”
God, she loved this man. She loved his strength, his tenderness, his playfulness and his ability to be stern and yet never make her feel unwanted. But most of all, she loved the look in his eyes when she’d told him about the baby… their baby.
“Yes… yes!” she shouted, leaping into his arms. He stood and swung her in circles until her fears were gone as were her tears, replaced with laughter and hope.
Returning to the house, Zoya had barely stepped over the threshold before Adira gave a high-pitched squeal, which she immediately echoed as the two ran towards each other. The family watched as they joined hands and the two women danced about the room arm in arm, both chanting, “We’re gonna have a baby!”
Stryder laughed and said, “And you are all invited to the wedding!”
Maddox slapped Stryder on the back. “Congratulations. Man, who would have thought we’d both be papas at the same time? I’ve gotta say, this is gonna be one adventure I’m glad we’ll be experiencing together.”
Stryder laughed. “Congratulations to you, as well. I can’t even begin to imagine the trouble those two will get into for the next several months, but I couldn’t be happier.”
Anson slung his arms around his brothers’ shoulders. “Couldn’t happen to better men, congratulations to you both.”
“Thanks, Anson,” Maddox and Stryder chorused.
Drake waited until Adira and Zoya stopped spinning and then moved to slip an arm around the both of them. “I can’t tell you how thrilled I am and how blessed I feel because I’ve watched you make my sons incredibly happy. I love you both but I must warn you, I’m gonna spoil my grandchildren rotten.”
The women laughed, kissed his cheeks and watched as he drew Stryder into an embrace. Jennie stood with a peaceful look on her face and a smile as Zoya stepped into her arms. Jennie whispered, “I told you you were his world and now, with your child, you’ve only added to his universe.”
Happiness flooded through Zoya as she looked to see Stryder standing with his father, a man who had saved a little boy and taught him to become a man… a great man. And now, that man would pass along his love to yet another and she would cherish every moment. “Thank you, Jennie, I love all of you so very much.”
They did go to the playroom and Stryder made love to her gently until she giggled and told him that she was pretty sure that he could move just a little faster and thrust just a teensy bit harder. He’d grinned as he said, “Pregnancy does not give you the right to top from the bottom, babe.” She’d just smiled, wrapped her arms around his neck and her gorgeous legs around his waist and he was lost. After they’d exploded together, she’d fallen asleep only to wake when he shook her.
“It’s midnight. Time to call your parents. It’ll be 9:00 am in Russia.”
They’d made the call and she’d laughed and cried and her father, mother and grandmother had done the same. She’d been able to call several times since she’d come to the ranch and though she’d told him she’d never tell them all that had happened, she had wanted them to know that she was safe and happier than she’d ever been. They talked for an hour, Stryder able to follow most of the conversation but sure he missed some, as it was in Russian. Still, he accepted their congratulations on their upcoming nuptials and promised to love and protect their daughter for the rest of their lives. He’d been a bit surprised when she’d told them that she was expecting and yet proud that she didn’t see the need to hide the fact.
Not seeing the need to go back to her room, they were again in the dungeon, Zoya curled up beside him as he rubbed her flat stomach, imagining it growing.
“Are we still going to play when I’m as big as a whale?” she asked, her finger drawing little hearts on his chest.
He chuckled and bent to kiss the top of her head. “Babe, I don’t ever see the day when we won’t be playing.”
She giggled and lifted her head to kiss him properly. “You aren’t upset that my family won’t come to Texas for the wedding?”
“No, I understand. Your babushka isn’t well enough to travel,” he said and then smiled. “But that doesn’t mean that she shouldn’t see her favorite granddaughter. How about we honeymoon in Russia?”
“Really?” she said, sitting up, and he knew he’d made the right decision from the joy in her blue eyes.
“Really. And while we’re there, my gift to the family who were the first to love the woman I love will be a new phone system. Adira can not only speak with her grandfather, they can see each other, which I know makes a difference. Even thousands of miles apart, your family can watch you bloom and then share in the life of their grandchild.”
“That is an incredible gift, thank you, Stryder.”
“Nuh uh, my dear, in this room, you address me as Sir… or Master.”
Her smile lit her face and she changed positions, moving to lie across his lap. “Yes, Sir, and I’m ready for my spanking to remind me of the rules.” She turned her head to look up at him. “One of those sexy spankings if you please… Master.”
He most certainly did please.
Hours later, he slipped from the bed, drawing the covers up over her naked body, bending to kiss her cheek before he left the room. On his way back from the bathroom, a noise drew his attention to the operations center. From the clock on the wall, he
saw that it was almost four in the morning.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
Anson turned from the monitor. “Nothing. I thought you were with your bride-to-be.”
“I was and I will be again, but I heard you. I know you are practically melded to these machines, but not at this time unless there is something going on, so spill it.”
Anson used his foot to push a rolling chair towards him and Stryder knew that something had happened. He took a seat, rolling back towards his brother and praying that whatever it was, it wasn’t horrid.
“I think I’ve found the opening to get to Natalia,” Anson said. “The scuttlebutt is that Montez’s health is failing. If it’s as bad as people are saying, he doesn’t have long to live. I need to get to her either before he dies or immediately afterwards. There will be a lot of fighting to take over his enterprise as he doesn’t have any living biological children. He lost his son in the last turf war. I won’t have Natalia part of any business deal or passed to some other asshole.”
Stryder nodded. “Then we need to get to Argentina. I’ll tell Zoya…”
“You won’t be going,” Anson said.
“I sure as hell will be! Not only do I speak Spanish, I grew up in Rosario.”
“You left over twenty years ago and I’ve been boning up on my Spanish. I’m heading this mission and Pops is my second. We’ve got others we can call upon if needed…”
Stryder stood, his chair rolling backwards as he leaned towards his brother. “I promised Zoya that I’d make sure Natalia got out, that she was safe—”
“And you’ll keep that promise but it will be at my hands,” Anson said, also rising to his feet. “I’m not only going to do this, I’m going to do it my way. Just like Maddox knew he had to save Adira, and you knew you had to get to Zoya, I’m telling you, I’ve got to get to Natalia.”
The two brothers stood eye to eye, a foot apart, and Stryder could see the absolute certainty in Anson’s eyes. He knew that Anson was just as able to run an operation as he and yet it was hard to back down.
Anson grinned and reached out to put his hand on Stryder’s shoulder. “Not to be a copycat, but consider this not only a wedding gift for you and Zoya, but a baby shower gift for both of the papas to be. Think of the money I’ll save.”
Stryder shook his head but reached out and pulled his brother into a hug. “Go get her, Anson. Go get your Natalia.”
The End
About the Author
Maggie Ryan
USA Today Bestselling Author
#1 International Best Selling Author in Victorian/Historical,
Contemporary and Western Erotic Romance
Multi-award Winning Author
Fantasy is a world that offers endless possibilities. Whether you travel back in time to when the plains were open, take a journey to the cobblestone streets of London, take a stroll along the beach or walk through the streets of some foreign country, every letter of every word offers infinite possibilities. I love to write stories that take a reader on a journey, one they can disappear into and experience what might have been or what is to come. I never try to restrict myself to any one genre because there are just too many delicious possibilities out there and inside my head. I hope you will curl up in your favorite chair and take the journey with me. Happy Reading!
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Don’t miss these exciting titles by Maggie Ryan and Blushing Books!
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About the Author
Alta Hensley
Alta Hensley is a USA TODAY bestselling erotic romance author who has had #1 top-selling books in Dark, contemporary, BDSM, erotic science fiction, humor, and historical. She writes the naughty... and then the cure for it.
Being a multi-published author in the power exchange genre, Alta is known for her dark, gritty alpha heroes, sometimes sweet love stories, hot eroticism, and engaging tales of the constant struggle between dominance and submission.
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Other Titles by Alta Hensley
Anthologies
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In the Palace of Lazar - Book One
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