“Don’t you dare!” She jabbed at his ribs with a cruel finger. “If you create a monster, you’ll have to deal with the raising of her. I’ll have none of it.”
His happiness flickered. “Do you think she’ll fear me? Looking as I do?”
Alexandra caressed him with all the tenderness the world contained. “She’ll love you, as I do. Your face will be the dearest sight, because to her it will represent home and love and safety and acceptance. Our children will be proud to have such a handsome, fearsome father.”
Piers cleared a gather of emotion from his throat, deciding to lighten the moment. “We can call her Katherine,” he suggested. “Kitty. After the animal who changed the course of my life for the better. Without him, I’d have married Rose.”
He caught her jab this time, not that it wasn’t deserved. “Don’t even speak like that,” she admonished him. “I can’t fathom it.” Her features fell. “I almost pity her. She’s lost everything. Her reputation, her title, what little fortune she had.”
He made a face thinking that Rose could rot in the drafty dowager house she’d been relegated to in some cold corner of Blighty. Just so long as he never had to see her again.
Freeing her hand, Alexandra ran a finger down the scar on his jaw, distracting him. “The beast that put this here was more than a mere kitty.”
“You’re right, as always,” he acquiesced. “Would you allow me to name our child Panther? Or Jaguar?”
She made a face “You’re right, Kitty is perfect.”
“You’re perfect.” He kissed her.
“We both know that’s a lie. I’ve been an absolute beast to you for a month.” She struggled to turn over, to find a comfortable spot.
“Only two weeks by my count,” he teased, chastised when her brow pinched into that endearing frown. He reached up to smooth it away. “You’re an adorable beast.”
She leaned her cheek into his palm. “When the baby can travel, where would you like to take her?”
He pulled her in tightly, fitting her lovely bottom in the crook of his body. “Let’s go home for a while. Let the staff meet our child and invite your parents from Hampshire. I’d like to take some time to see Mercury’s new foals. Besides, the Redmayne remains will be returning from the museum.”
“I love that idea,” she readily agreed. “I think I’ll miss a Devonshire summer by then. Less hot.” She brushed a damp curl back from her brow.
She shifted again as the distinct outline of a foot rippled above her navel and he pressed his hand to the little thing, wishing he could meet its owner more than anything in the world.
“I think I’ll go find Cecelia.” Alexandra yawned and stretched her naked body with an indolent grace. “We’re both going to swim beneath the waterfall today. The feeling of weightlessness is indescribable. It’s the only time my back doesn’t cause me conniptions.”
“I’ll come with you.” He heaved his body from the bed with great effort.
She threw him a saucy smile. “You weren’t invited. What if it’s just a swim for us ladies?”
“Do you really think Cecelia’s domineering, insufferable husband will be any farther than ten paces away?” He rolled his eyes. “If not coiled around her like a sea serpent?”
Another brilliant smile nearly blinded him with happiness as she scooted off the bed, her full breasts bouncing in such a way his mouth watered.
“And you’re any better than he?”
“Of course I’m better,” he snorted. “I can make it a good fifteen paces before I miss you and have to return.”
“There you go,” she teased. “Turning everything into a competition.” She kissed him, wriggling into a colorful little shift in such a way that made him glad they’d be at the water again, where she’d be wearing as little as possible.
“Before we return to Castle Redmayne, we’ll have to stay long enough for Cecelia to give birth. She could be as much as a month behind me. Perhaps she’ll have a girl, as well.” The idea seemed to thrill her. “They’ll be great friends. A second generation of Red Rogues.”
“Is the world ready for such a thing?” Piers slid his arms around his wife, humbled at the simplicity of their happiness. The all-encompassing entirety of it. “I shan’t mind remaining in paradise with you as long as you want to be here.” He cuddled her belly. “Besides, I’m anxious for Kitty to meet her Ramsay cousin.”
Also by
Kerrigan Byrne
The Highwayman
The Hunter
The Highlander
The Duke
The Scot Beds His Wife
The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo
Praise for Kerrigan Byrne
“Byrne weaves in such undeniable thrills and a sweeping sense of all-consuming passion that you may just end up falling for the story against your better judgment.”
—Entertainment Weekly on The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo
“Another winner in a stellar series.”
—Library Journal (starred review) on The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo
“Deliciously dark and dangerous historical romance … done to perfection.”
—Booklist
“Readers who feel guilty about craving the thrill of a Victorian bodice-ripper will appreciate the moral reassurance of Byrne’s sensitive characterizations.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Exceptional and compelling.”
—Library Journal
“The romance is raw, edgy, and explosive.… The path they take through adversity makes the triumph of love deeply satisfying.”
—Publishers Weekly on The Highwayman
“A truly mesmerizing series that highlights dangerous heroes who flout the law and the women who love them.”
—Library Journal (starred review) on The Hunter
“Dramatic, romantic, and utterly lovely.”
—BookPage