Chapter Forty-Three
Laurie
I watched, staring in awe like everyone else at the gigantic patch of sea spinning wildly around, far out from the Bastion’s walls.
“Is that …?” I couldn’t finish the question.
“Our prince,” Gisele said. “And a fine one he will be.”
A gust of wind blew in through the opening in the glass wall, pulling at my hair and flinging it out behind me. I steadied myself, watching the turbulent sea. I could only imagine what it must be like in there.
And then, all at once, it vanished, collapsing in on itself in a rush. Waves crashed and slapped against one another, the choppy seas covered in whitecaps moving in all directions.
Calm reigned in the bay as the fighting ceased. Dragons surfaced, some of them alighting on wings to the tops of the walls. All of them were looking outward. Waiting.
“There!” I exclaimed, pointing excitedly as another dragon rose in their midst, moving steadily back toward land. “That’s him.”
Rip entered the bay, spreading his wings wide and flapping as he picked up speed. He soared high into the air, then glided down toward me. I backed away from the opening as he came through it in a rush, tucking his wings in tight as they melded into his shoulders just before he landed on the floor.
“You,” he rumbled, sticking a finger at me before I or anyone else could speak. “You’re with me.”
“Okay,” I said, almost stuttering at the sheer demand in his voice. A demand for me.
I followed him down a hallway, hands locked together. A pair of doors beckoned us, and he led us into a set of lavish, but not opulent, quarters.
Rip threw the doors closed, then leaned the Trident against the wall in a rack specifically designed to hold it.
As soon as he let go, he sagged.
“Rip!” I cried, rushing to help him out, terrified he’d been wounded somewhere I hadn’t noticed. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
“Fine,” he gasped. “I’m fine. Just tired. Exhausted. Have to lie down.”
I got him to the bed, where he promptly fell asleep.
I lingered by his side for the first half an hour in case he awoke, but after that, I busied myself by familiarizing myself with the layout of the rooms. I tidied up a bit—it was obvious that a single male lived there—and just generally tried to keep busy.
Eventually, I took a nap next to him.
When I woke, he was on his side, arm curled over me, holding me in a protective embrace, his front pressed to my back. I liked it. I felt small, safe and nice and snuggly warm. He was a blanket who breathed and had morning wood three hours too early.
I fell back asleep, only awakening in the morning, feeling more rested than I had in a long, long time.
“Good morning, sleeping beauty.” Rip chuckled from nearby.
His voice reached me a second before my nose started to work. My smile turned into a face-splitting grin. “You have coffee here?” I gasped, the familiar aroma infusing my nostrils with its delectable goodness. There was no better way to describe it.
“Yes, we do. Can I interest you in a cup?”
“I’d take the whole pot if I could,” I muttered, rolling over, fighting the addiction. “Maybe in eight mon—oh.”
Rip was sitting naked on the edge of a sofa, his cock dangling half-hard between his legs. His pecs were firm and defined, his abs creasing his stomach.
I stopped dead, staring.
“Everything okay?” he rumbled. “I thought you loved coffee?”
“Yes. I do. Cock—ahem, coffee is good in the morning,” I muttered, stumbling from bed. “But not while pregnant. I have to fight the urge, to, um, drink it.
“You act like you’ve never seen me naked before,” he teased, picking up a mug from the table next to him.
“It’s just a rather lovely sight that I wasn’t expecting to see,” I said, slowly recovering my wits.
“I’m glad you think so,” he said with mirth, covering a smile by raising his own mug. “Maybe I can convince you to join me like this?”
I thought about it.
“Nope!” I yelped, running to the bathroom abruptly and slamming the door behind me.
“Laurie?” Rip asked, worry coloring his voice. “Are you okay?”
It was rather difficult to respond while hanging my head over the edge of the toilet and emptying up my guts.
“Don’t come in here!” I managed to shout out as he tried the door handle. Then I was busy heaving once more.
When it eventually settled, I sagged to the side of the toilet, managing to hit the handle before Rip disregarded my desires and came in anyway.
“Laurie …”
“Morning sickness,” I muttered. “Yuck.”
“Are you sure that’s all it is?” he asked, worried, handing me a glass of water, his cock dangling right next to my face. It would have been comical in any other situation.
I rinsed my mouth, pushing him back—careful of where I placed my hand to do so—as I used the toilet to dispose of that, too.
“I’m fine,” I assured him, feeling better already. “It’s … going to be that way for a while, most likely. It’s not the same as before. That felt wrong. This was just nausea. I don’t really know how else to describe it. This is normal. That wasn’t.”
“Okay,” he said, not quite convinced.
I got to my feet, patting him on his chest. “Can I take a rain check on that other activity?”
“Of course!” he said.
I quickly brushed my teeth while he waited, handing me a towel when I was done. Standing up tall after that, I took a nice deep breath and leaned against Rip, enjoying his support and warmth. He automatically wrapped his hands around me so that I couldn’t move. I didn’t fight it.
“I love you,” I whispered from what was quickly becoming one of my happy places—his arms.
“I love you, too,” he said. One of his hands slid down to my stomach. “Both of you.”
There was no controlling the shiver of nervous delight that ran through me, so I didn’t bother.
“I’m going to be a mother,” I said, still slightly in awe.
“And you’re going to be the greatest mother. I cannot wait to see you in action.”
“Thank you,” I said with a smile. “I’m looking forward to seeing Papa Rip.”
“Papa Rip?” he chuckled, my head bouncing slightly with his chest. “I sound like a grandfather already, and our first child hasn’t even been born.”
“First? You’re already planning for more?”
“As many as you want,” he said. “Yes. The more, the merrier. Dragon women aren’t always that fertile. Most families have a single child. I would love to have many more than that.”
“Let’s see how it goes,” I said, smiling. “But I’m open to the idea of it. I like carrying your child.”
“You do have an advantage over me in being able to do that,” he said. “But there’s something I can do that you can’t.”
“Which is?” I asked.
“Carry both of you,” he growled, easily lifting me and holding me to his chest as he carried me from the bathroom and back to the bed, where he lay me down amid the myriad pillows and covers.
“Cheater,” I purred as he got on top of me.
“Whatever do you mean?”
“You know I’m a sucker for being tossed around easily like that,” I said, sticking out my tongue. “Especially when you’re naked.”
“Oh, well, you haven’t experienced anything, then,” he teased.
“Huh?”
“You need to try it when you’re naked,” he said, tapping my breastbone.
I frowned playfully. “You just want to get me naked.”
“Yes, and?” he said, batting his green-blue eyes innocently.
Laughter burbled up out of my chest. “Well, listen, mister. If you’re getting me naked, you’d better make it worthwhile! I’m not going through all the effort of taking off my clothes just so you can ogle my tits!”
“As if that’s the only part of you I’d ogle,” he rumbled, lowering his lips to my neck. “Trust me when I say I want all of you, my love.”
There wasn’t much more talking after that.