Rissa continued her pacing, having kicked off her heels, gulping down the Midnight. Alec chuckled. "Come on, my darling. You weren't gone very long. How bad could it be?"
The laptop pinged to indicate the video had downloaded and Alec started to play back the film. He was laughing so hard tears streamed down his face. “Well, this isn’t what I expected, but it will do the job. It may be even more humiliating. Ashton will drop out just to make sure no one sees this pitiful performance. This would make him more a laughing stock than a scandal."
Rissa was fuming, pacing, and gulping down the Midnight. "Go ahead, laugh! It was definitely not funny from my standpoint. Alec, he was pathetic. I thought the old goat was going to have a heart attack and die before I could get out of there. I did as you asked, humiliated myself with that...that...limp dick old bastard, now I want satisfaction!"
Slamming the glass down, Rissa went for the box of cigarettes and lit up. Inhaling, throwing her head back, she sighed. "I feel filthy."
He took the cigarette from her hand and inhaled deeply before handing it back to her. He held her gaze as he exhaled. He slapped her ass hard as he directed her. "Then get upstairs and shower. And I'll join you shortly."
33
Shade carefully scripted his invitation to bel on the scrolled paper. He was asking her out on a date, just the two of them. Chuckling to himself, he remembered not so long ago, when he’d teleport into her condo and whisk her away to exotic places. But Lorenzo had brought an end to their spontaneous rendezvous, and Shade wanted to recapture some of that romance.
He’d arranged for Theresa, Luca, and Shannon to be home with Lorenzo. With Kate in the early stages of pregnancy, and the camp taking off, he knew he had a limited window of time for the two of them to enjoy a night out. As much as they both doted on Lorenzo, it came at a price, as they had little time for just the two of them, and he felt guilt for that. She deserved the world and he planned on getting it for her.
Finishing up the invitation, he let the ink dry before rolling up the scroll. "Damn computers have taken away the romance in this world."
Tucking the scrolled paper inside his leather jacket, he honed in on her whereabouts in the house, and felt she was asleep. He knew she tried hard to wait for him to return from the camp every morning, but with Lorenzo, and the pregnancy, she was getting tired more easily now.
Creeping up the stairs, he made a beeline for Lorenzo's room and found Theresa exiting. She gave him a smile, letting him know she’d just put Lorenzo down for a nap. As she left the room, he walked inside to check on his son. It was his habit now, one he enjoyed. Kissing the toddler softly on his cheek, brushing a stray curl from his eyes, Shade took a deep breath. The future of the Medici coven lay on the shoulders of this small boy, his one and only full-blooded son.
Quietly leaving the room, he closed the door behind him and made his way to the master bedroom to find his bel asleep. She lay stretched out in their bed, her soft curves covered in a white nightgown, her flaming crimson trailing across the white pillows and her lashes like crescent moons across her cheeks.
He walked silently to her side of the bed and laid the scrolled parchment on her bedside table, along with a perfect red rose. Smiling to himself, he knew she’d love getting out of the house and being alone together for one night. As he undressed, he heard her stirring and quickly slid into bed beside her, his death slumber coming on quickly. Curling into her, pulling her close in a protective embrace, he whispered to her. "Your warrior is home, mi amore."
Kate felt him as he slid into bed beside her, felt the heat of his body as he pulled her close and she nestled into him, her head on his shoulder, his arm encircling her. She’d fallen asleep waiting for him. She knew he’d slip into his death slumber soon. She felt him kiss the top of her head and sigh, his body relaxing, as they both drifted into a deep sleep.
The next sound she heard was the soft whir of the shutters, as they opened to the setting sun, and she felt him stir beside her. She was in the habit of getting up at least once during the day to be with Lorenzo, but she’d slept through the entire day. It made her aware of the new life growing inside her. She’d forgotten how much being pregnant had drained her energy, and she wondered, for a moment, how she’d ever keep up with two children. Lorenzo kept both of them running at full speed. She slowly stretched out beside him and felt the glorious pull in her muscles as she raised both arms over her head, and extended her legs, pointing her toes. She felt him nibble at her shoulder as he pulled her closer. She curled back into him, giving in to the feel of him and the warmth of his skin.
"I don't want to get up, lover. I want to stay here all night. I never get you all to myself anymore."
Shade stared at her as she woke and he knew this would be the last time he’d feed from her during her pregnancy, and he wanted the evening he’d planned to be a special one before he once again must feed from Luca. "I feel the same way, but I intend to fix that." His hands tangled in her mass of crimson as he snuggled into her neck and groaned.
She squealed and squirmed as he gripped her tighter and she started to giggle. She rolled on her side, trying to escape as he pulled her close, her back against his chest, as he threw one leg over her. They were both laughing when she saw the scrolled paper on the bedside table next to the long stem rose. She reached for the scroll. "What's this?"
He pulled her away, keeping the scroll just out of reach. "That is a message for my dolce amore."
She laughed again as he tickled her, and she lunged for the scroll. "Well, since you left it next to my side of the bed, I guess it is mine now."
She unrolled the scroll and read his hand-penned message, holding the red rose under her nose as she read. “Hmm, I guess dolce amore is out of luck, because I'm stealing her invitation for a night out."
Shade loved playing with her, he thrived on these rare moments they were alone. "Everything is taken care of as far as Lorenzo goes. He has a sitter, several as a matter of fact, all capable of handling him. We just need to be alone together, mi amore. That time will become even rarer, I am afraid, with Sophia on the way."
Kissing her neck, he wondered if she was up for this venture. Her energy was waning already. "How are you feeling? If this is something that will tire you, then we can easily just do something here at home."
Kate laughed. "Lorenzo is the one who tires me. I’d love an evening away, just the two of us. I love him to pieces, but we never have a minute alone anymore."
As if on cue, there was a tiny rapping at the door. Kate looked at him and shrugged. "Like I was saying..."
Shade tried not to laugh out loud. "Who dares try to enter this warrior’s lair?" Shade's voice boomed loudly; as they both awaited the answer. They heard a growling sound from the other side of the door as Lorenzo answered, "It's the dragon!"
Shade looked at Kate and winked. "Quickly, mi amore, get behind me, there is a dragon!"
Lorenzo bursts through the door, both arms extended, his hands claw like as he growled and catapulted himself onto the bed and into his father's arms. "I'm a Medici dragon, Daddy! I will eat all the bad people and fight with the warriors!"
Shade grabbed him up and wrestled with him on the bed. "Well, it seems as though you have become a vicious dragon. Now that you have that in hand, perhaps we should concentrate more on your studies. Mommy has lined up a tutor for you. Learning books is as important as learning dragon skills, si!"