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  When he was done, the doctor pulled over the sonogram machine. My hand tightened around Remington’s and I couldn’t look away from his eyes as the doctor continued with his tests.

  “There’s your baby, Madame Michaels.” The doctor’s voice broke the tension-filled air and I jerked my gaze away from my fiancé and I blinked at the screen.

  The doctor looked at me, and then Remington, smiling slightly. “Very healthy and active.” He plucked some tissues from a nearby table and even before his hand could land on my stomach, Remington snatched them from his fingers, the fierce possessive look on his face.

  The poor guy! He obviously didn’t know what hit him as he blinked up at my scowling fiancé.

  The baby was doing well, but due to my previous medical history and today’s fall, the doctor advised that I should be on bed rest, at least for the next couple of weeks. After asking us to make an appointment to see a gynecologist in two days, he rose from his chair. Remington shot to his feet eagerly and the doctor shoved his hands in his pockets, taking a step back.

  “So let me get this straight. My fiancée should be on bed rest for the next couple of weeks. Is that correct?” Did he have to sound so smug about it?

  “Yes.”

  Remington’s hand shot out toward the doctor who slowly relinquished his with caution. “Thank you.” He grabbed my clothes and as soon as the door closed, he locked it and strode toward me. After making a fast job of dressing me while murmuring about doctor’s orders, he left the room and returned, pushing a wheelchair.

  “Jesus, Remington. I’m not an invalid,” I said, standing up from the bed.

  He raised his eyebrow, unleashing The Look, willing me into submission. I bowed to the pressure.

  “Remind me to use bleach to wipe out the image of him looking down your pussy,” he grumbled behind me as he pushed me down the hallway and toward the waiting area.

  Heat slapped my face. “Remington, he was just doing his job.”

  “I have done dirty things to your pussy,” he continued, as if he hadn’t heard what I said. “Things that have given me a Godly status.”

  “You realize you still have to work very hard to earn the points you lost, right?”

  He fell quiet. I looked over my shoulder and saw the haunted look back on his face again.

  “I know,” he said quietly.

  WE ARRIVED back home at around nine p.m., after Remington’s father was wheeled back into the ICU. The bullet had missed his heart by an inch. By the time we left, he was still drowsy, so Remington assured him he’d visit him again tomorrow.

  Adrien was already asleep. After letting my parents, sister and Estelle know everything was okay, Remington excused himself and headed to his office, but not before he gave me one of his patented looks. The one that said, stay put, I’ll be back. He was taking the doctor’s advice seriously. As soon as he left, I stood up and went to the kitchen.

  “How are you holding up?” my mom asked.

  “Good.” I shrugged.

  “Remington is quite a special man. I had my doubts but after seeing how he takes care of you, I couldn’t ask for a better person for you. He literally worships the ground you walk on. Although he glowers too much for a man so young, it doesn’t take away his appeal,” Mom said. I smiled tiredly while filing my glass with water from the tap.

  “He is.”

  She sighed. “You’re angry with us for not telling you the truth.” I looked over my shoulder to find my mother leaning on the island, her brow furrowed as she studied me.

  “I’m disappointed.” I joined her at the island and sat on one of the seats.

  “I would do it all over again if it meant protecting you.”

  “Funny. He said the same thing.”

  “Selene.” She took my hand in hers and I met her gaze. “Don’t waste time being angry at him. I respect him for what he did, and the fact he didn’t tell you, especially in the condition you were in, shows me how much he cares. Sometimes the people who love you do things that seem unfathomable at the time, but make sense in the end.”

  I knew this. Everything she said was true. I had spent the past six years trying to love a man who didn’t love me. Yet, here was one who was doing everything he could to protect me, even going to the extent of breaking his own rules. God, why did this have to be so hard?

  “Did—what about Diane’s father? Is he alive?”

  She nodded. “Sit down. We need to talk.” I did as I was told. “Your father knows about him. I also told Marley everything when she arrived from town. I was married to Diane’s father for three years before I realized he and I didn’t have a future. He wasn’t good to us. He was always suspicious that I was doing things behind his back. He would come home drunk, and hit me. Sometimes he seemed desperate and made me swear I wasn’t going to leave him. He would claim some people were following him because he had discovered some government secrets. He was a complete mess.”

  My heart was beating fast by the time she stopped talking. “He was schizophrenic?”

  She shrugged. “I didn’t stick around to find out. He terrified me and I knew if I didn’t leave, he would end up hurting us. Last I heard, he was being held in a psychiatric ward. I never looked back after that.”

  I quickly slid from my chair, rounded the island and hugged her tightly. “I’m so sorry, Mom.”

  She pulled back and smiled. “There is nothing to be sorry about. I met your father and everything changed. He made everything better, just like the way Remington makes your eyes light up.”

  We chatted for a little while until I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer.

  I yawned, tired. After saying goodnight to my mom, I excused myself and headed toward the stairs. Suddenly Remington was behind me. I felt his touch as he hooked his pinkie finger with mine and I shamelessly clutched it like my life depended on it.

  Once inside his room, I halted in front of the bed. “You don’t need to do this. I’m capable of climbing the stairs without falling, you know.”

  “I’ll carry you up and down the stairs. I’m following the doctor’s orders, you know, bed rest and no stress. I’m at your beck and call. Any time of day.” The way he was staring at me made my heart soften even more and the anger I held onto melt a little.

  I rolled my eyes and turned away from him, hiding a smile.

  He spoiled me and I really didn’t mind. In fact, I craved it. I wanted to be spoiled, and I was beginning to realize what I had been missing. But tonight, I needed space.

  I grabbed a T-shirt and shorts then headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

  “Where are you going?”

  I glanced up to see him frowning at me in the mirror. “I need space to think. I can’t sleep in here tonight.”

  He dug his fingers into his hair, frowning deeper, and then fixed his gaze on mine in the mirror. “All right. Just tonight?”

  I dropped my gaze to the toothbrush in my hand. “Just give me time, okay?”

  He nodded and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms on his chest and I knew he wasn’t leaving until I was tucked safely in bed.

  “Sleep in here,” he said when I left the bathroom with him hot on my trail. He grabbed his sexy black pajama pants and gave me a chaste kiss on my lips before throwing the heavy bedcover aside for me to climb in bed. After making sure I was comfortable, he pulled the cover to my chin then straightened and watched me.

  Christ, did he have to look at me with so much love? So much hope, adoration and longing? The man melted my defenses just by being alive and breathing. I knew there was no way I could stay away from him.

  “Bonne nuit, Selene. I’ll be across the hall from you.” He turned and headed for the door.

  “Bonne nuit, Remington.”

  Once he left, I switched off the lamp on the nightstand. Immediately I missed his warm body. But tonight, I needed some time away from him. I needed to think because my mind was in chaos and I had to come to terms with everything that had happene
d up to this moment before I could move forward with my life.

  He’d already assured me several times that he didn’t get involved with me because of the looks. I believed him, at least in the back of my mind. I’d seen how he looked at me with pure uninhibited love.

  I had been trying so hard not to break down until this minute, a huge feat. I’d been doing so well the past weeks. I hadn’t let my wayward emotions get the better of me. But I couldn’t anymore. My chest ached where my heart beat relentlessly. I wasn’t sure what I was feeling anymore; the shock of seeing Colette, the woman who had attempted to kill me turned out to be my half-sister. The memory of seeing the blood on my underwear. The relief I felt during the ultrasound . . .

  I buried my face in the covers and sobbed softly.

  There was a soft knock on the door followed by soft footfalls on the tiled floor.

  “Selene? Are you awake?” Marley asked. “I saw Remington go inside the other room so I wanted to check on you. Don’t tell me you threw your future husband out of his own bed?” She chuckled softly.

  “Oh, Marley.” I pulled the covers off my face and turned the light on.

  “Oh, my God, what’s wrong?” She climbed on the bed quickly. “You regret tossing him out, right?”

  My sister was just like me, deflecting serious situations.

  “Aren’t you freaked out about this? We have a sister we didn’t know about.”

  “Come here,” she said tugging my arm. I sat up and faced her. “I’m so sorry Colette tried to kill you. And I’m also so sorry I couldn’t be with you at the hospital. I was extremely worried about you but I’m glad everything turned out okay. Yes, I freaked out when Mom told me about Diane and then almost hit the roof when I heard she was Colette. Remington’s supposedly dead wife turned stalker. But you know what? She will get the help she needs.

  “I know you’re mad at Remington, but I think this is fate. Otherwise, why would God throw two women who are related, in his path?”

  I bit my cheek, mulling over her theory. “I guess I had better organize my thoughts by morning. Remington won’t stay away. I know him too well.”

  She hugged me then kissed my cheek and slid out of the bed. “Damn right, he won’t. I love you, sis.”

  “Right back at you, kid,“ I said, as I leaned over the nightstand and switched off the light, but not before I saw the fierce scowl on her face. She hated it when I called her kid, but sometimes, I couldn’t resist teasing her.

  Hours later, as dawn began to creep across the sky, I flipped from my back to my side and stared into the darkness. I hadn’t slept a wink. I wanted so badly to traverse the distance between me and where Remington slept, but I didn’t.

  I heard the door open, then soft footfalls as they headed toward me. Seconds later, I felt the bed dip, followed by a hot, hard body on my back. His scent slammed into me, stealing my breath.

  I pretended I was asleep, wanting to see what Remington was up to. He pulled me into him, laying his hand on my stomach, and groaned before pressing a kiss on my shoulder.

  “I know I lost points when I lied to you. I intend to earn them back and then some for the rest of our lives.” He kissed my neck.

  I curled into him, sighing. I hadn’t slept since I came in here. My pride had kept me from crawling to the room across the hall. I’d spent my entire life yearning for a man who would love and adore me for me. Craving it. A man who wanted to spoil me without asking for anything in return. I found him in Remington, yet here I was.

  “Did she ever tell you her reason for faking her own death?”

  He sighed, sounding weary. “Apparently, she thought if she came back to me, she would lose her freedom to live her life.”

  “I still don’t get it.”

  “Me too. She seems a little . . . unbalanced. Something is off about this situation.”

  Remington sounded so defeated and all I wanted was to turn around and comfort him. I opened my mouth and told him what my mother said about Colette’s father. After that, Remington was silent as he mulled my words.

  “I wouldn’t have guessed,” he finally said. “She seemed so normal before all this happened. Sometimes she would get needy, paranoid. She used to beg me to never leave her. I found it to be an endearing quality . . . Christ!” His body shuddered against mine.

  “I’m not going to let her win. She’s done so much, and almost succeeded. I’m still mad at you, Remington. I know you were trying to protect me. I understand that now, but I still can’t help feeling angry. Maybe it’s my pride, I don’t know, but just let me be mad at you a little longer, okay? It gives me a little control over this situation, even though I had none to begin with. I really hate feeling helpless.”

  He sighed and I tilted my head to meet his gaze. “Be mad at me, but at the end of the day, I want you in my arms where you can continue being mad at me while I make love to you.” He grinned roguishly. “I don’t mind at all. Even scream while I fuck you, pounding my cock inside you, and you screaming how angry you are at me.”

  “God, you say the most sexy things,” I said, fighting the heat curling between my legs. Damn him for making me want him, even though my head was in chaos. “I need to start looking after myself, if not for me, then for the baby.”

  “I will earn back your forgiveness,” he swore, his voice hoarse with emotion.

  Early spring

  SHE WALKED into our room, her hips swaying seductively. She pushed me back with a finger and I fell back, my eyes narrowed at her. “What are you up to?”

  “That’s for me to know and for you to find out.” She dropped on her knees and quickly undid my belt. The minute her fingers came in contact with my cock, I winced, and this time it wasn’t in pain, but the pleasure-pain that comes with having a hard-on the better half of the evening, and knowing there was no way to take care of it but bite your cheek and pretend you are having the time of your life.

  Today had been the yearly Pets Anonymous Auction. I had spent the night sitting next to Selene, my hands wandering restlessly all over her body, unable to keep them to myself. Then I dragged her into the women’s bathroom and gave her the best tongue-fuck she had ever had. She called me a god—a title I humbly accepted—before declaring my tongue was a work of art.

  Then, during the dance after the auction, her hands had spent four dances slipping inside my trousers, teasing me under the lowered lights. She’d whispered in my ear, daring me to come in her hand. Then she’d withdrawn that wicked hand before I could come, and pulled my head down, kissing me, destroying whatever reservations I had left after all that torture.

  And now, here she was, wearing tiny pieces of lace. The knickers hardly covered her pussy, and her breasts were so full they were pouring out of the little thing she called a bra.

  I could sneak my fingers under the flimsy material, rip it off her body, and fuck her from here to Sunday, but I was curious to see what she was up to.

  She leaned over, balancing carefully on the black heels she had been wearing the entire night, grabbed the red lipstick from the nightstand and applied it carefully, teasingly on her lush lips.

  Bloody fuck, fuck, fuck!

  “Selene?” My voice was hoarse with need. She had tried several times but always ended up bailing.

  “Shh. I have got some moves. I’m about to blow your mind.” My brows shot up as my lips fought a smile. “Do you think you’re the only one who watches porn?”

  “You watch porn? No wonder you’re not always in bed when I wake up in the middle of the night.”

  “Yeah, that’s the baby keeping me up at night, bouncing on my bladder. Jesus, he or she is quite the kicker.”

  I laughed, unbelievably turned on. “I want to draw you like this. Mon Dieu, you are beautiful.” I traced my hands along her full hips.

  “I might just let you. I love the first painting you did.” She pressed her lips together and my balls tightened as I watched the crimson lipstick spread seductively.

  I had finished w
orking on the painting weeks ago and now it stood in my art room. I could never get enough of staring at it.

  She placed the lipstick back, then cupped the base of my cock and lightly squeezed. Still holding my gaze through her lashes, she lowered her head to the underside of my balls, licking all the way up to the head. My eyes fell shut and my toes curled, my breath coming out in spurts. I threw my head back as that sinful mouth continued its ministrations and when I opened my eyes, I came face to face with the reflection of us in the mirror on the wardrobe. My gaze wandered down to her arse and I groaned.

  “Mon Dieu, you’re so beautiful. Just look at that arse.” I trailed my hands down her body, and she swatted them away.

  “Lie back.”

  “Oh, Bossy Selene is back, oui?”

  She didn’t answer back, but expertly licked and sucked me slowly, taking me deeper into her mouth.

  “Oh, fuck, Selene!” I shouted. “God, you’re going to kill me.”

  She moaned; I grunted. She murmured, “You taste so damn good. I can’t believe I’ve been missing this,” then took me into her mouth, and I lost focus. My hand tangled in her hair, guiding her on. Her hands applied the right pressure. I couldn’t take it anymore. My hand tightened, and my hips rose from the bed, jerking my cock into that talented mouth.

  “I’m about to come, Selene.”

  Her hand around my cock tightened. I tried to pull out but her grip told me she wasn’t letting go. I came hard, and she took it all. Swallowed it and continued to suck me gently as I came down from my orgasm.

  When I was able to move without feeling as though my knees would give way, I pulled her up on the bed and kissed her.

  Then I buried my head in my favorite place, at the crook of her neck. “Je t’aime, Selene.”

  “Moi aussi, je t’aime, Remington.”

  And then we fell asleep in each other’s arms. Me with my jeans pushed mid-thigh and Selene wearing those pieces of cloth that always teased me, my hand pressed against her left side, slightly below her breast, and the other on her stomach.