Eve Langlais (28 page)

Oh yeah, he’d forgotten his new scars, courtesy of the Dragon. The healing from his mother hadn’t been enough to erase the knotted white streaks of his last battle.

“A farewell gift from your ex.”

“I’m so sorry. Do they hurt?” she asked softly, sitting up on her haunches and leaning forward to trace them with her fingers.

“They’re still a little stiff, but a bit of stretching and exercise should take care of that.”

Suzie leaned in closer and traced the jagged streaks with her tongue and lips, as if her kiss could erase them. They didn’t disappear, but Hunter felt a whole lot better, make that a whole lot randier.

He wrapped his arms tightly around her and tumbled her back on the bed.

“You can play with those later,” he growled against her. “I want to touch you like I’ve been dreaming of doing for the last month.”

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He almost breathed a sigh of relief when she giggled, a happy sound that made his heart swell. Okay, so he was going soft, but only where Suzie was concerned. He’d still punch the living daylights out of anybody who dared remark on it.

He slid down her body till he could see her beautiful breasts. Pregnancy agreed with them. They were even more bountiful than before, and he worshiped them with his hands and lips, enjoying her little sighs and moans of pleasure as he played with them.

It had been so long, though, and he could feel himself already so close. The tantalizing feel of her body squirming under his made him so hard.

He nudged her opening and felt a glimmer of satisfaction when he realized how wet and ready she already was for him. Leaning up on his forearms, he thrust into her, looking her in the face as he did so, her eyes watching him dreamily as he slowly teased her.

“Please,” she whispered.

And that simple word was his undoing. He pumped faster, eyes locked on hers, enjoying the feel of her body as it met his thrust for thrust. When he reached the edge of the abyss, she was right there with him, screaming as her body melted and convulsed around his, a whirlwind of pleasurable sensations that left them both winded.

Collapsed beside her, he cradled her in his arms. She nestled against him and said softly, “I love you, Hunter.”

“Not as much as I love you,” he murmured back. Gone were the doubts and fears that had plagued him. He’d found his one true love. The one who made him feel complete, happy, and made him want to be a better man. The hunter had finally been caught in love’s net, but he had no intention of trying to break free. Truth be told, there was no place he’d rather be than wrapped in her arms and love.

And in the morning, after an almost sleepless night spent lovemaking, he still had a smile when two little imps dove onto the bed—at the crack of dawn—and said, “Hunta, why you and mommy naked?”

Suzie, thankfully, had an answer for that one. And just to be clear, he’d kill any man who accused him of blushing. Hunters don’t blush, much.

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Hunter stood on the back deck barbecuing while playing Frisbee at the same time with the twins.

Sound impossible? Not with an ambidextrous husband it wasn’t. Pretty handy in the bedroom sometimes too—sigh. . .

Jessie and Jared giggled as they whipped Frisbees at Hunter who caught them one handed while flipping the burgers.
Show off
, Suzie thought, grinning at the sight. The kids sure had thrived the last few months having a father around. Oh yes, Hunter had officially adopted them, to their glee, and they proudly called him Daddy. And he loved it! The first time the kids had called him by his new name, she’d thought he was going to cry. According to him, it had just been dust in his eye. Yeah right.

They’d gotten married months ago at city hall with just the kids, his mother and sister, and his coworkers from the agency. A simple ceremony to Beverly’s dismay. She’d complained, “Now how will I get my white wedding?” looking pointedly at Nat who, to her credit, had only stuck out her tongue in reply. Suzie had dressed in a simple white empire summer dress, and Hunter had been devastatingly handsome in a three piece suit. Nat—who actually wore a dress for the occasion—had been her maid of honor, and Bob, Hunter’s best man. They’d feasted at a restaurant before taking off to Niagara on their honeymoon, leaving the kids with their new grandma. Their wedding night still made her shiver. God, that man had talent!

Smiling in remembrance, Suzie lumbered out the backdoor, her eight month pregnant belly a ponderous, but welcome weight. Only four more weeks to go before they’d get to meet baby Jason.

Who needed an ultrasound for the gender when you had a mother–in-law who could just lay her hands on you?

Even the commander had softened when he heard the news. According to Beverly, he’d been strutting around crowing about the fact he was going to be a grandfather. Even better, he and Hunter were finally talking again. It was stilted and painful to watch, but at least they were both trying. The commander had even taken Suzie aside to apologize for his treatment of her—Suzie had checked the weather forecast right after to see if hell had frozen over. But it hadn’t, and pigs weren’t flying, yet. Just went to show that sometimes miracles could happen.

Hunter had been livid when he found out she’d forgiven him and invited him to be there when the baby was born. But his anger had been an easy thing to fix. A little strip tease and he suddenly ended up on the same page as her. Amazing man. The bigger she got with his child, the sexier he found her. He seemed to always be grabbing her ass, rubbing her big belly, or nuzzling her enlarged boobs—when the kids weren’t looking, of course. She might have felt like an elephant, but according to him, she looked like a glowing goddess, and he kept proving it to her. Over and over again. Boy, did she love him.

Only one baby in there this time, thank God, although Hunter had been disappointed. He still dreamed of half a dozen kids. Suzie had half a mind to give them to him. He’d turned into an awesome father, and his new job as head of the department of Realm Incursions meant he didn’t go out in the field anymore. Bob had left for the Realm, a promotion that had his jolly belly shaking with glee. And, of course, Hunter still had his private eye business, which had been picking up lately. He was just too good at finding things. He’d even had to hire an assistant investigator, his sister.

Yes, Nat had moved from the Realm into Hunter’s old house next door. Suzie had been ecstatic as she and her gruff sister-in-law had become the best of friends. Nat had not only taken a job helping Hunter with his detective work, but also taken over Hunter’s old position of hunter and tracker with the agency. The kids loved having their Aunt Nat nearby—she was currently teaching them hand to hand combat, using Hunter as her dummy. Poor man. Although, she found it hard to feel sorry for him seeing as he grinned and cheered every time the kids bruised him.

Even wilder than the commander apologizing, Nat had a boyfriend. A giant of a man with a hot body who was an up and coming UFC fighter. Nat had said with a wink that he made her almost feel 111

dainty and girlie. And nope, hell hadn’t frozen over when she’d said it. He’d won her heart after beating her in an arm wrestling match. It was love at first sight—er, pin.

Suzie eased her weight into her sling back chair on the deck with a sigh of relief. Yes, life was good, and it just kept getting better and better. Feeling the baby kick, she rubbed her belly with a smile. Strong little sucker, just like his daddy.

Suddenly, the air around her went still, an expectant hush that she could almost feel. That tingling electrical feel before something momentous happened. Suzie gasped as a multi-colored flash lit up the sky and radiated outward, going through her body like a shockwave. Hunter, in the middle of flipping a burger, actually staggered, and a flying Frisbee not only hit him in the head, he dropped the burger! A clumsy first.

The weird phenomenon disappeared as quickly as it hit, but the residual effect did not. The air now hummed lowly, and her yard seemed brighter. A whole new dimension seemed to have been added to the world, and everything felt more alive and vivid.

The kids squealed in the yard and, when they looked at Suzie, she could see them shimmer like they had back in the Realm before they shifted into dragonlings.

Uh-oh!

“What the hell was that?” exclaimed Suzie, first to recover the ability to speak.

Hunter looked around him, dumbfounded. “The boundary came down! Magic is loose in the world again.”

“How can you tell?” asked Suzie as junior in her tummy gave a few energetic kicks.

“I can feel it.” Hunter laughed. “I bet the commander and the council are wetting their pants right now.”

Suzie’s brow knitted in a frown. “What does that mean to us and the rest of the world, though?”

How would this change their lives?

“Magical things are about to happen, my love. The world is about to get a whole lot more interesting.”

And it did. Especially later that night in bed when Hunter, whose special senses were now awake again, showed her some new techniques that had her screaming in all the right ways.

The world, and their lives, would never be the same again.

The End

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Eve Langlais, who is in her mid-thirties, has been married (10 years!) to a wonderful man who gave her three beautiful (if noisy) children aged nine, six, and three. She works as a webmistress from home, and in her spare time (of which there is tragically too little) she likes to write, read, and Wii. She was born in British Columbia, but being a military brat ended up living all across Canada. She and her family currently reside in the historic town of Bowmanville, Ontario where she’s discovered writing is the perfect outlet for her vivid (sometimes twisted) imagination and hopes you enjoy the result.