As soon as I walked into the garden – the little one that Nami loved so much, not the big one – I saw two familiar faces.
“Piper! Julien!” I stared at my friends as they hurried over.
“Nami called me when you guys landed in Italy,” Piper said, pulling me into a quick hug. “She wanted you to have someone here to stand with you.” When she stepped back to Julien's side, her smile faltered. “Unless you think this is too weird.”
“No.” I shook my head and gave them both smiles. “It's definitely good to see some friendly faces.”
“Yeah, those two don't exactly look like the friendly type.” Julien gestured over my shoulder.
I glanced back and laughed. Kai and Tomas were standing on either side of the entrance, looking very much like the menacing former linebackers I'd once thought they were. “Actually, they're good guys. Threatened to kick my ass a time or two...and one of them once said he'd castrate me if I got near Nami again, but we've worked out our differences.”
Julien glanced down at Piper, a smile playing on his lips. They had one of those moments of silent communication that I understood now.
“It's good to see you happy, Reed,” Piper said sincerely. “Ever since...well, it's all I wished for you.”
“I know,” I smiled at her. “I am happy, and I owe you two quite a bit for that.”
“Not at all,” Julien said. He held out his hand. “It's what friends do.”
“Yes,” I agreed as I shook his hand. “It is.”
The music changed as the string quartet saw the king and queen ready to enter. Piper and Julien hurried off to stand with a handful of other spectators I didn't know but assumed I'd be meeting later on. I took a step backwards until I was off the path and gave a slight bow as my soon to be in-laws walked past.
Halea followed them, dressed in a simple pale blue dress that made me realize that Kai and Tomas were going to have their hands full soon, keeping guys away from her. Halea and the queen moved until they were across from the other members of the audience and the king stood at the top of the path. He looked at me and I took a deep breath. It was my turn.
I walked up the path and took my place to the right, turning as the music changed again. It wasn't a traditional American wedding march, but that didn't matter. The moment I saw Nami walk between Kai and Tomas, nothing else mattered. The heat, the fact that my parents hadn't even acknowledged my invitation, not knowing how this country would accept me. Right now, I didn't care about anything except the beautiful woman walking towards me.
Her dress matched Halea's, a shimmering blue that contrasted with her darker skin and made her eyes glow even more brightly. She wasn't far enough along to be showing, but I found myself looking anyway. Beneath the soft curves of her body was a child. Our child. My heart constricted painfully and I wondered how my body could handle everything I was feeling. It was strange, I thought, how I'd once thought I'd loved Piper. What I'd felt for her was so small compared to what I felt for Nami, and even though it seemed impossible, I found myself loving Nami more with each passing day.
I barely heard King Raj speaking as Nami took her place at my side. As I'd been instructed, I held out my arm and she placed hers so that our hands were on top of each other. We'd agreed for a less formal ceremony, cutting out a lot of what the king had said at the prior ceremony, so it was only a short time later that I found myself repeating a vow to love and honor Namisa Carrmoni as my wife and my queen. Her voice was steadier than mine when she said her own vow, but I could see the tears glistening in her eyes as I slid her wedding band onto her finger. It was a beautiful piece of workmanship, surprisingly complementary to my grandmother's ring. Simple white gold, it had been handed down through the generations, though Tanek had refused to use it in place of his own mother's rings. I was glad he hadn't. It meant so much to Nami and there were no negative memories associated with it. While I knew both of us would never forget what had happened, neither of us wanted the memories to haunt us, taint what we had. Fittingly, the inscription on the inside of the band, roughly translated, said 'Your past is gone. We are the future’.
And then I was instructed to kiss my bride. I looked down at her and gently took her face between my hands. It didn't matter that her parents and sister were here, that people were watching. This moment was about her and me, a promise that this was it. Neither of us were going to run away. No matter what the future held, we would stand together.
I let her see all of that in my eyes and then I bent my head forward to, for the first time, kiss my wife.
Chapter 20
Reed
I stood over the cradle and looked down at my daughter. Four months and I still couldn't get over the wonder that was Angelique. My little angel. She'd been so small when she was born I'd been afraid to hold her.
I reached down and lightly touched the dark fuzz that covered her head. Her eyes were blue, like almost all infants were, but that could change. I knew the immediate family – the only ones who knew the truth of when Angelique had been conceived – were waiting to see if the eyes would grow dark like mine.
As the due date had gotten closer, I'd wondered if I would have the strength to continue to tell Nami that I didn't want her to do a paternity test. I'd truly believed that I didn't care who the biological father was, but there were times I'd doubted myself, wondering if I would feel the same if the child looked like Tanek. And then Angelique had been born and I'd known it didn't matter. She could have looked exactly like Tanek and she still would have been mine.
She didn't though. She looked like Nami. That was for the best, I knew. Even if people suspected that Angelique could be Tanek's, as long as she looked like her mother, the rumors could be kept to a minimum.
“Good-night, my angel.” Saja's native tongue came more easily now than it had a year ago when Nami had first begun teaching me. I'd actually caught myself thinking in it once in a while.
The people of Saja had been reluctant, at first, to accept me, but as Nami and I had toured the island on our honeymoon, they'd begun to thaw. Nami had told me once that it was because everyone could see how much I loved her. If that was truly the case, I didn't have to worry about it because I still loved her and I always would.
“She is sleeping through the night quite well.”
I didn't turn as Nami slid her arms around my waist. I felt her kiss my back before resting her cheek there.
“I know you didn't want me to.” Her voice was soft. “But I had to know, for me.”
I turned and looked down at her. The light in the nursery was dim, but I could make out the expression on her face. She was worried I'd be angry at her.
“I had the paternity test done. I had to know.”
I captured her always wayward curl. “I don't need a test to tell me that she's mine. Biology doesn't determine family.”
Nami nodded. “I know.” She reached up and ran her finger along my bottom lip. “And I think we should start trying to give her a brother soon.” Her eyes were the deep blue-green of the ocean. “A full-blooded brother who looks exactly like her father.”
“Nami?” I made it a question.
She nodded, a smile breaking across her face as she pushed herself up on her toes so she could press her mouth against mine. It was a hard kiss, a fierce one. “After all,” she continued. “Her father is the most handsome man in the world.”
I wrapped my arms around her and lifted her so that we were face to face. “Do you mean it?”
“Yes.” She rested her forehead against mine. “The test...”
“Not that,” I interrupted. “About wanting to try for another baby already?”
She laughed, a soft sound so as not to wake our daughter. “It probably won't happen right away since I'm still breast-feeding her, but yes.”
“We should still probably get started.” I shifted my grip on her, moving my hands down to grab her ass. She wrapped her legs around my waist and I walked her back to the wall.
??
?Here?” She gasped as I kissed her neck.
“Yes,” I said. “Here. Now.”
I tugged on the belt of her robe, making a sound low in my throat as the silk fell away to reveal her amazing body. She'd worried, I knew, that I wouldn't find her attractive after Angelique was born, that the way her body had changed would repulse me. I'd spent an entire night focused on worshipping every inch of her so that she would never feel that doubt again.
“What if she wakes up?” Nami asked, then moaned as I lowered my head to flick my tongue across her nipple. Her breasts were even more sensitive and responsive than they had been before. I'd actually made her come once just from paying attention to them. Turns out I love the way she tastes.
“I guess you need to be quiet then.” I grinned at her as I reached between us and pushed down the shorts I'd been planning on wearing to bed. Now I was thinking that naked might be the way to go.
I was already hard, my body begging me to bury myself inside her, but I waited. I twisted my fingers, ignoring the awkward angle, and slid my hand between her legs. She moaned again, biting her bottom lip to muffle the sound. She was already wet when I slipped a finger inside her. So wet and tight.
“Please, my love.” She dug her nails into the back of my neck.
I positioned myself and grabbed her hip, holding her as I slid home. We groaned in unison, eyes closing as we came together. With all of the responsibilities that came with being the heir to the crown, as well as refusing to yield to the common practice of allowing a wet nurse and nanny take primary care of our daughter, time alone was precious. And far too infrequent.
She clung to me as I moved in deep, even strokes that filled her completely. Her full breasts pressed against my chest and she wrapped her arms more tightly around my neck, her breath hot against my skin as she whispered endearments and encouragements in two languages.
I could feel the tension coiling in my stomach and fought against it. I needed her to come first. I swore quietly as her teeth scraped over my throat, then bit down. The pull of her mouth as she sucked on my skin made my muscles tremble and I knew I wouldn’t last much longer.
“Come, baby. Please,” I begged her, surprised that I could even remember the words.
She shuddered and I rolled my hips, pressing harder against her clit. Her teeth clamped down painfully on my neck as she came. The jolt that shot down through me met with the delicious pressure of her pussy contracting around my cock and that was it. I went down to my knees as I came, wrapping my arms around her and holding her to me, on me, as we rode the waves of pleasure. I could feel her heart thudding against her chest, beating a counterpoint to my own rapid pulse.
My legs began to cramp and I shifted us, wrapping Nami's robe back around her as I tugged up my shorts. I settled us on the floor, leaning back against the wall and pulling Nami onto my lap.
“So.” I threaded my fingers between hers. “I was thinking that for our one year anniversary, we could go back to Venice and then Paris.”
“Really?” Nami smiled. “That would be wonderful. A few days in each city.”
I nodded. I looked down at our hands, our rings glinting in the dim light. “And maybe we could end the trip in Philadelphia. Have Halea bring Angelique to us.”
“Philadelphia?”
“Piper and Julien did invite us to their engagement party.”
“They did,” she said slowly. “Is that the only reason you want to go? And why you want our daughter with us?”
“No.” I shook my head. “You know that my parents and I have been writing for the last few months.”
“I do.”
I'd ignored them until Thanksgiving, then had taken Nami's advice and told them about the baby. Things had been tense, but slowly easing since then. I'd even spoken to them twice. Once at Christmas and then to tell them that Angelique had been born. Neither time had been as bad as I'd feared. I didn't ask about the business and they didn't volunteer. They were still at the house on Chestnut Hill and Rebecca had run off with some rich married man, but it had been Piper and Julien who'd told me that. I could tell they were trying to be careful, and though they never came out and apologized, I knew they wanted to make up for what had happened between us.
“I think, maybe it's time for my parents to meet my wife and daughter.” The words weren't as hard as I'd thought they'd be.
“I'd like that very much,” Nami said. She kissed my chin. “Now, I think we should take advantage of the fact that our angel is sleeping and go back to our bedroom.”
I grinned at her and kissed the tip of her nose. “You've got to give me a couple more minutes before I'll be any good to you.”
She rolled her eyes. “I meant to sleep. We haven't gotten much of that either lately.”
I bent my head and covered her mouth with mine. The kiss was deep and thorough, leaving us both gasping for air by the time I raised my head.
“You win,” she said. “More of that, then sleep.”
“Deal.”
As we stood, I glanced over at the cradle one more time. My daughter. My angel. I smiled. Maybe she did look a little like me after all. Nami squeezed my hand and I let her pull me through the adjoining door and into our bedroom. Even as the door closed behind us, I took her into my arms and walked us over to our bed. I planned on taking my time now. If Nami had her way, we'd have half a dozen kids in as many years and who knew how many opportunities we'd have for leisurely love-making.
I wouldn't have it any other way.
THE END
All series from M. S. Parker
The Pleasure Series Box Set
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Casual Encounter Box Set
Sinful Desires Box Set
Twisted Affair Box Set
Serving HIM Box Set
Club Prive Vol. 1 to 5
French Connection (Club Prive) Vol. 1 to 3
Chasing Perfection Vol. 1 to 4
A Wicked Lie
A Wicked Kiss
A Wicked Truth (Release September 15, 2015)
Blindfold (Four part series coming in September, 2015)
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Acknowledgement
First, I would like to thank all of my readers. Without you, my books would not exist. I truly appreciate each and every one of you.
A big “thanks” goes out to all my Facebook fans, street team, beta readers, and advanced reviewers. You are a HUGE part of the success of my series.
I have to thank my PA, Shannon Hunt. Without you my life would be a complete and utter mess. Also, a big thank you goes out to my editor, Lynette, and my wonderful cover designer, Sinisa. You make my ideas and writing look so good.
About The Author
M. S. Parker is a USA Today Bestselling author and the author of the Erotic Romance series, Club Privè and Chasing Perfection.
Living in Southern California, she enjoys sitting by the pool with her laptop writing on her next spicy romance.
Growing up all she wanted to be was a dancer, actor or author. So far only the latter has come true but M. S. Parker hasn’t retired her dancing shoes just yet. She is still waiting for the call for her to appear on Dancing With The Stars.
When M. S. isn't writing, she can usually be found reading– oops, scratch that! She is always writing. ☺
M. S. Parker, A Wicked Truth
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