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

something he was glad to see. Despite his protests, Julie had insisted they have dinner with the rest of the family. Halfway through it, a bout of morning sickness had hit her. Hard. His mother seemed to think it was because she had traveled through the portal. Rafe didn’t know what had triggered it and didn’t care. Ultimately she’d been sick because of him. At least this time she’d let him in the bathroom. He’d held her hair back, washed her face and put her to bed. It had felt right to do those things for her. As if it was meant to be. As if she was, truly, made for him.
    Guilt hit him in the gut as he realized she had gotten the short end of the stick on this fate thing. She was now hiding because of him. She deserved someone other than a burnt out demon. But she was stuck with him. And he’d fight anyone, even the devil himself, if they tried to take her away.
    Chauvinistic masculine pride rose inside him when he thought of the twist fate had taken. She was carrying his baby. The pride was quickly replaced with the savage need to protect her and his child. His hand fell to the swell of her stomach, unable to stop himself from touching her.
    Before, she’d been deliciously curvy. Heavy breasts, rounded thighs, her stomach a soft cushion for his cock. Now, her stomach protruded more, her breasts were fuller and her hips had expanded. She was so damn lovely.
    His arousal let him know just how much he wanted her
    He laid there, his cock hard as granite, his hand protectively spread across her middle, happier than he’d ever been.
    After a time she stirred, and blinked awake. “Rafe?”
    “Right here, baby.” He leaned over and kissed her, a smile on his face, all the worry pushed aside for the moment. “Good morning, beautiful.”
    “Good morning.” The smile she gave him was shy. Identical to the ones she’d given him the night they had spent together. Those smiles had kept him going the entire time he’d been away from her.
    They stayed quiet for several more minutes. His mother had given her a diaphanous gown the color of lavender to wear. It was soft beneath the palm of his hand. He gently caressed her stomach. “Do you get sick in the mornings?”
    She’d stiffened beneath his touch, which was the exact opposite of what he wanted. He turned completely on his side, propping his head on his arm as he continued to stroke her stomach. After a moment, she relaxed beneath his touch again.
    “Sometimes.”
    “Are you queasy now?”
    She laid back, her hair spread across the pillow as she made herself more comfortable. “No.” Another moment of silence, then, “That feels good.”
    He smiled and bent to whisper in her ear as his hand moved lower, stroking across her upper thigh. “I know something that would feel better.”
    Her eyes popped open and he watched as her eyes grew darker. “We can’t.” She spoke in a whisper as well. The morning stillness seemed to demand this quiet pillow talk. Talk, that was about to turn to action.
    Gathering the thin fabric of the gown in his hand, he pulled it up until he revealed her thighs, not stopping until the material punched under the swell of her stomach. Damn, she was going to look so sweet with her stomach large and round with his child.
    “Open for me, baby.” He moved until he was kneeling between her legs. Underwear had not been part of her borrowed outfit for which he was grateful. Not that anything keeping him from his prize would have lasted very long. Her mound wasn’t completely shaved, just neatly trimmed. He loved the mystery that a woman’s curls gave her most intimate place. That first night together, after he’d gone down on her, she’d shyly confessed she didn’t know women shaved down there. So damn innocent, he thought again. Too damn innocent for him. Demon that he was, he acknowledged that wasn’t going to stop him from making her his.
    Wrapping his hands around her calves, he spread her legs apart. His dick stiffened as more