A Demon's Desire (Demon Brothers' Trilogy Book 2) by Marie Mason Page A

difference between demons and devils? As the man came into view, Julie saw he was as tall and broad shouldered as his sons. He could pass for Rafe’s brother. But then, Rafe’s mother could be his younger sister, she looked so ageless.
    “I’ve invited the rest of the family to dinner so they could meet Julie. I hope you don’t mind, Rafe.”
    Rafe frowned at his mother’s words. It was closer to bedtime than dinnertime and he knew Julie was tired. Hell, he could stand a couple of hours sleep himself. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Julie needs her rest.”
    “Rafe!” Julie’s voice held a note of horror as if he’d revealed some dark, dirty secret. Well, he kind of had.
    He grinned down at her then kissed the top of her head. “We have to tell them sometime.”
    “Tell us what?”  He felt a large hand clap him on his shoulder and winced. His father, despite his advanced age, had not lost any of his strength.
    “Julie’s pregnant.”
    For a moment, it seemed as if time stood still. Rafe got dizzy then everything seemed to speed up before returning to normal. He’d never felt that before. Was announcing the arrival of a baby something special in heaven?
    “Oh, Rafe, that’s wonderful.” His mother clapped her hands together before pulling Julie out of his arms for another hug. “Our second grandchild is on its way. How marvelous.”
    “Thank you.” He heard Julie’s soft words and was relieved to see she was smiling at the attention his mother was giving her. He wanted—no needed—her to feel a part of the family. He grinned again as he placed his hands in the front pocket of his jeans and rocked back on his heels. He felt like he’d smiled more in the last twelve hours than he had his whole life. Maybe he had. And it was thanks to Julie. His mate. His woman. The mother of his child. An uneasy feeling swept over him as his demon woke inside him. Was it all too good to be true?
    “Now if only Remington would settle down.” A note of exasperation entered his mother’s voice as her gaze fell on her youngest son. Rafe wasn’t at all surprised to see his brother’s features hardened. What did surprise him was the look his brother gave Clementine when he thought no one else was looking.

 
     
     
     
    CHAPTER FIVE
     
     
    RAFE WOKE, DISORIENTED for a moment. A strange silence surrounded him then he remembered he was in heaven. Literally. He gazed down at Julie, her body curved to fit his, her hair rioting across his chest and realized that he’d be in heaven whenever he was in her arms. Then the events of last night came flooding back to him. Worry rolled over him again as he thought of what Luke might have in store for him. Or her. He was more concerned about her safety than anything. In normal circumstances, he would simply go back to hell and accept whatever punishment Luke meted out—a decade in a dungeon, a century in jail. It had never mattered before. But now…
    Now he had someone other then himself to think about, take care of. Hell, he had two someones now. His woman and his child.
    There was no way in hell he was missing a decade of his child’s life and he was not about to condemn Julie to years in hell. He hadn’t gone through so much trouble to find the way to break the family curse not to enjoy the benefits of being free.
    Luke be damned.
    Julie mumbled something and settled closer to him, one hand cupped trustingly against his bare chest. Her stomach pressed against his side and he barely resisted the temptation to touch her there, to see if he could feel his child moving, even though he was pretty sure it was too early for that to happen. He’d have to learn all he could about pregnancy to help her through the next months.
    Her luxurious mane of hair tickled his chin and he brushed it away, gently smoothing it off her forehead so as not to wake her. She slept with her mouth slightly open, her full dark eyelashes casting smoky shadows on her cheeks. Her color was good,