Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 111355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 557(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 557(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Cree stretched out on the bed, crossing his arms beneath his head. “I’m not going anywhere and I’m not talking, so you may as well come back to bed.”
It infuriated her that he gave her no choice, but then she didn’t have to join him in bed. She went to the hearth and sat in front of it bunching her legs up in front of her. Her mind had been so overwrought that she had forgotten about her wound and winced again from the catch in her side, though the only indication of it was a hunch of her shoulders and the pain-filled grimace she made when she stretched her arms to wrap around her raised legs.
Cree flew off the bed, and to her side, when he caught her reaction. “Damn it, woman, you’re stubborn.” He went to pick her up and she shoved his hands away, then tapped at her lips. “All right,” he relented. “We’ll talk, but briefly.”
She doubted that their talk would be brief but if he wanted to believe otherwise that was fine with her.
He scooped her up gently and deposited her on the bed with the same tender care, then got under the blankets to sit beside her. He reached out to take her in his arms and she brushed his hands away and tapped her lips.
He leaned over until the tip of his nose touched hers. “Don’t push my hands away when I reach for you.” She raised her hand to respond but he grabbed it. “Under any circumstances.”
Then he did something completely unexpected.
He splayed his hand across her stomach. “You and the babe are well?”
She nodded.
“How long have you known?”
Her fingers counted off a month.
“You’ve known a month?”
She nodded, scowled, and pointed at him wanting to know if he was angry, needing to know.
When he didn’t respond right away, she thought he didn’t understand her and she went to gesture again, but he stopped her. He rested his hand on her stomach. “I heard you. I am not angry. I am overwhelmed with joy that you carry our child.”
Our child. Dawn felt her breath catch. He was happy that she would have their babe. Her breath caught again only this time with worry and she patted his hand that continued to rest on her stomach and searched his face with troubled eyes. If he was happy why didn’t she see it in his eyes?
He leaned down and kissed her softly, then cupped her face in his hands. “I wish you would have told me sooner.”
Dawn cocked a brow in question confused by his mixture of joy and anger. Was he truly happy or...
He smiled and kissed her again. “Trust me, I am more pleased than you’ll ever know. Quickly though, I realized that I have failed, and rarely do I fail, to protect you not only from being harmed but from getting you pregnant while being my mistress and now failing to protect my unborn child as well. That is not acceptable to me.” He paused a moment to softly caress her cheek with his finger. “Tell me. You knew you were already with child when I told you to take the potion to prevent such a situation, weren’t you?”
There was no longer any point in hiding the truth from him and so she nodded.
“You could have aborted the babe by taken the potion, but you didn’t. You chose to defy me and protect our babe.”
She nodded again.
He cupped her chin. “This is one time I am grateful for your defiance.”
She patted her chest to let him know that she felt the same.
“While I wish to shout out the news for all to know, there is much to be settled first,” he said letting go of her chin.
She let him know that she agreed.
“There are possibilities now that didn’t exist before.” He took her hand again and brought it to his mouth to kiss it. “I must ask you something very important.”
She pressed her hand to her ear to let him know that she was listening.
“I need you to promise me that no matter what happens, no matter what you hear, no matter what transpires over the next few days or weeks that you will trust me, never doubt me and that you will remain by my side and not think it prudent to leave me.”
She cringed inwardly, feeling guilty that she had already given it thought, though she was quick to cross her heart and give her promise. And to seal it, she told him that she loved him, her hand going from her heart to his.
He pressed his hand over hers. “I am fortunate that you love me.”
She smiled, though it appeared more a gentle laugh as she nodded, as if she let him know that he was very fortunate to have her love him.