“You disturb me, but in all the right ways.” He pushed aside his concerns and extended his hand. She came to him, settling in his lap, and snuggling her head against his shoulder. “To what do I owe the honour of this visit?”
“I was lonely.” She pouted up at him and blinked her eyes innocently.
“Lonely? Or lusty?” He wiggled his eyebrows at her, knowing that the hormonal changes from her pregnancy were sending her libido into overdrive.
“Both.” She laughed and then pulled his head down for a kiss, tracing his lips with her tongue.
Kane groaned and opened to admit her, while grabbing her hips and shifting her body so that she straddled him. Pulling her shirt free, he worked his hands under the material while she sucked on his tongue. Her skin was warm and smooth. He moved his hands higher, searching for the clasp of her bra and was pleasantly surprised to discover she’d neglected to put on that piece of clothing. He broke away from the kiss and looked at her questioningly, while moving his hands to cup her breasts. She purred in pleasure.
“It seems you forgot something when you got dressed.”
“Uh-huh.” She winked at him. “I forgot something else, too. No panties.”
Unable to help himself, Kane growled and picked her up. Setting her on her feet, he made quick work of divesting both her and himself of clothing. Clearing his desk top, he laid her on the wooden surface then leaned over her. He nibbled on her neck and collarbone before working his way down to her breasts and then her stomach. Pausing there, he kissed the slightly rounded surface. His child was in there.
Kane pressed his ear to Elise’s belly listening intently. Sometimes, he was sure he could hear its heartbeat, despite the fact that Nadia, their resident nurse-practitioner, said it was way too soon. He gently rubbed the skin and whispered “I love you” to the child within.
Feeling Elise’s fingers combing through his hair, he looked up and flushed, feeling slightly embarrassed. She was smiling at him tenderly. “I love how much you love our baby already.”
He surged to his feet and bent over her, bringing his face close to hers. “I love his mother just as much.”
“I know.” She barely managed to get the words out before he captured her mouth with his.
Soon they were lost in the throes of passion. Elise’s legs wrapped around him as he moved within her, responding to her urgings. When he’d first realized she was pregnant, he had tried to alter their mating, thinking she was now too fragile for such a vigorous workout. Elise would have none of it. Their love making, for the present, remained as wild and as passionate as always. Her moans and sighs of pleasure matched the rhythm of his thrusts, until they turned into cries of release. Her body tightened around his and Kane gave a guttural cry as he too reached his climax.
Afterwards, he picked her up, grabbed a convenient afghan that was on an armchair, and wrapped her in its warmth before sitting down to cuddle in his chair. Elise nuzzled his neck. “Why were you looking so worried when I came in?”
Kane hesitated to tell her, but knew she’d find out one way or another. It was better coming from him. “Someone has found Ryne and is asking about his pictures.”
Elise stilled her movements and pulled away, looking up at him with solemn eyes. “The same person who was here?”
He nodded.
“It could be totally innocent. She said she was just writing an article about artists.”
“Would she travel all the way to Stump River, if that’s all it was?”
Biting her lip, Elise shook her head. “What are we going to do?”
“Nothing...yet.” Kane sighed heavily. “Hopefully, Ryne can deal with it and it stops there.”
“But what if it doesn’t? What if she’s working with someone? What if they come here looking for us?”
Kane shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to say the words, but knowing he must. “The Keeping is our most important law. Not just for us, but for our people everywhere. It’s kept our kind safe from persecution and allows everyone to live in peace. We can’t ignore it just because it’s inconvenient.”
“Inconvenient? “ Elise pushed away from him and abruptly stood up, protectively clutching her belly and the unborn child within. “Our lives, the lives of the pack members...” She choked on the next words. “The life of our child—those are more than inconveniences, Kane!”
“I know.” He got to his feet and wrapped her in his arms, rocking her gently back and forth. “I know. I don’t want our way of life to end. I don’t want to be responsible for ordering the deaths of our friends and family.” Kane put his finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him. He offered what little reassurance there was. “If it comes to that—if it appears that they will find us—we’ll send as many of the young away as possible. Other packs will take them in. Just enough of us will remain behind to make it look real. The humans will say it was just another cult suicide, and whoever these people are that are searching for us will be left with no evidence.” Elise whimpered and he hugged her even more closely. “The Keeping is law. Our existence remains secret, even if it means death.”