Chapter 16
She stood there a moment and just stared at the delightful scene. They were so absorbed in what they were doing that none of them noticed her standing there. It gave her a chance to take it all in, her heart swelling with love.
Her three-month-old triplets were draped over her husband's long lean body.
One of the boys, she could not tell from where she was standing if it was Antonio or Niko.
Without seeing their faces, she could never tell them apart.
Antonio was the first born and had a tiny mole at the side of his left nostril.
He was curled up under his dad's left armpit, diapered bottom in the air, dark head resting on Christos' chest. Nikos was on his right, a bunched fist on his chest.
His "Princess Athena," as he liked to call her, was settled on his chest, her pink frilly dress onesies fitting her neatly.
They had gone through a series of ear and throat infections and were growing in leaps and bounds. They were even crawling, including her daughter who had weighed only three and a half pounds at birth.
The press could not get enough of them, much to her annoyance, and they had had their first cruise just last week.
The maiden voyage of her small family-oriented cruise ship.
She had taken the one she had inherited and bought another one with the idea of doing a family tour of the states. The success was astounding.
She was balancing her work life and home life. Her schedule was busy, but she always made time for her husband and children. They were her first priority.
No doubt the day at the pool had tuckered them all out, because everyone including her husband was fast asleep on the padded floor of the playroom.
Since it was a Saturday, the nannies had been given the time off.
As in the tradition of the Kostas family, weekends were for family only.
The only reason she had gone out was to go with her sisters to see the newly erected soup kitchen that had been donated by her husband in the children's names.
The meetings, greetings, and conversations with the employers and employees had taken longer than anticipated.
Slipping out of her strappy sandals, she padded into the room. Lowering herself at his hip, she started to remove Athena when his eyes drifted open.
"Hi." The amazing emerald green depth warmed her to the core. His lazy smile, like always, did funny things to her heart.
"Hi. Sleeping on the job will get you fired," she whispered.
His smile widened as his eyes swept over her beautiful face.
She had lost the baby weight through sheer determination, taking up kickboxing in the process.
The pregnancy had done amazing things to her hair, which was now bouncy and had grown way past her shoulders.
She had left it loose and her makeup was flawless.
The lilac dress had a cinched-in waist and a flared skirt.
She had shed the jacket as soon as she reached the house and her caramel-colored shoulders were left bare.
"Stop looking at me like that." Even though it was supposed to be an admonishment, it failed. He was staring at her as if she was his last meal and it felt wonderful.
"Like I want to make love to you right now? I can't. It so happens I want to make love to my wife."
"Well, we can't." The idea was so appealing to her that for one insane moment, she thought about dumping the babies into their respective cots and dragging off her clothes.
Since they had started back intercourse, the sex had turned into something even wilder. They couldn't get enough of each other.
"Why not?" He shifted slightly, careful not to wake the babies.
"Obviously because of them." She nodded towards the children on his chest.
"Easily solved." He grinned at her. "Mother is on her way over in the SUV armed with the car seats. She and Dad are keeping the children, all of them, to give us, the couples, a night off. Oh, and your mother will be there as well."
"What?" She hissed. "Darling, we can't. The babies are too little. They're going to be too much."
"If you say no when they arrive, you're going to break their hearts.
" His eyes smoldered. "I want to do things to you that these little ones won't want to hear or see.
I want to start outside and work my way into the house.
I want you naked and panting. I want to sink myself so deep inside you, it will take sheer will and force to get me out. "
Her heart was pounding so hard, it felt as if someone was drilling inside her head. And her blood was boiling. It was a good thing she was sitting, or she would have keeled over.
"Their bags are already packed," he added, anticipating her next question.
His watch beeped.
"They're here."
"I..." She had to take a deep breath to steady herself. "I suppose since they're already here, then..." Pushing to her feet, she waited for the dizzy pleasure to pass before reaching for her daughter.
Grinning in anticipation, he scooped his sons up and rose lithely.
*****
He had accomplished the naked and panting part and so much more. As soon as the babies were safely secured in their car seats in the SUV, with very excited and beaming grandparents, and they said their goodbyes, he had picked her up and headed for the pool.
"My clothes!"
"Optional," he growled, already anticipating the taste of her on his tongue.
He had been afraid that after the trauma she had been through, it would mean her going into postpartum depression.
He had read up on it carefully and already decided that whatever it was, he would help her through it.
If it took therapy and patience, then that's what he was prepared for.
After all, she had done all the heavy lifting. He had merely been a bystander.
But to his shocked pleasure, after the two weeks during which she had started healing, she had been the one to initiate the lovemaking. And by God, her wildness had echoed something deep and primal inside him. He had practically eaten her up.
Now they were back inside the bedroom, their breaths steaming up the air, their bodies still vibrating and damp from the pool.
Three times. He shook his head mentally. And it still wasn't enough. It would never be enough.
She clamped a hand over his as he traced the path of the incision.
"You don't have to..."
"It's your battle scar." He shook away her hand and continued to trace the outline.
It was fading, thank Christ, he mused. Not that it detracted from her beauty.
To his mind, it added to it. It showed a woman who had borne his children and, against all odds, was now alive.
All four of them were alive and here for him to see and touch.
It was overwhelming to even contemplate.
"It is." She stared at him anxiously. Ever since that night he had gone off on her, she had been afraid that he would break again.
Lifting his eyes to hers, he noticed her anxiety and smiled reassuringly.
"I'm almost over it." He lifted a hand to cup her cheek.
"I still have bad moments, still hear your screams inside my head, but it's not as bad as it used to be.
If anything, this makes me love you even more.
" He shook his head. "I never thought that was even remotely possible.
What you went through those three days would have broken anyone, and yet you came up fighting. Suffice it to say that you're my hero."
She put her hand over his and turned her head so that she could kiss his palm.
"As you're mine," she told him softly. "Even though I was not conscious, I could still hear your voice, the words you said to me, the prayers, the pleas.
I heard it all and it brought me back. You brought me back, and the thought of my babies made me want to fight like hell.
I never expected anything like this. I thought my life was full.
I never thought I deserved any sort of happiness.
I had my career and to me that was more than enough.
" She smiled tearily. "But there was so much more.
There was you and now our children. Speaking of. .."
"No." His lips formed the word firmly. He knew exactly what she had been about to do. "They're fine. My parents raised four boys and we turned out fine. If there was anything wrong, they would have called." His eyes smoldered.
"Besides, I have plans for us. And the plan is to keep you in bed for the entire night.
" His mouth touched her forehead and then her cheek.
"We might get some sleep." His lips trailed down to her lips.
"We'll see how that goes." He was brushing his lips over hers and heating her skin.
"There's no guarantee. I want you." His voice thickened as his hands started wandering.
"I'm hungry for the taste and feel of you.
I'm not satisfied. There's this craving.
" He cupped her sex, eyes flaring when she arched into his palm.
"I love the way you tremble and cry out my name.
" He slipped a finger over and then in, blood pumping at the glazed look in her beautiful eyes.
"I want you to come for me." He stroked her and inserted another finger, pressing in deep.
"Just like that. Ah." His body jerked and he felt the blood surging through his loins.
He was painfully hard. "Give me everything, darling.
All of it." Bending his head, he seized her lips, the kiss turning wild.
*****
"I see you've finally surfaced." Liam Moses pulled out a chair and joined the rest of the crew around the table.
The card game was already in progress, the stakes high.
Signaling to the hovering waiter, he ordered his usual bourbon and proceeded to pick up his cards.
The poker was an annual charity game with selected players.
The winners were more into the pleasure of winning.