REGENCY: Loved by the Duke (Historical Billionaire Military Romance) (19th Century Victorian Short Stories) by Serena Vale, Tencia Winters Page B
Authors: Serena Vale, Tencia Winters
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hair dusting his pecs. “No, I mean the manuscript. I’ll give it to. It’s yours.” I’m yours. Hope sighed, leaving that last part unsaid as soaked in the feel of his body beneath hers. Another thought ran through her mind before she could stop it. I love you .
Chapter 6
Hope looked around in horror at the mess that used to be her apartment. It was completely torn apart. Someone had broken in, obviously looking for something. Looking for the damn manuscripts. She was really starting to wish she had just passed this job by.
She glanced over at Valentine, who had just finished sweeping her bedroom, and was now looking through her bathroom for clues. But then she wouldn’t have met him. She wrapped her arms around her middle, thinking of all the other things that wouldn’t have happened. In the end, she wouldn’t change that for anything.
Ignoring most of the mess, Hope went straight to her secret hiding place, dragged a chair over for extra height, and climbed up on it, pushing up on the false ceiling tile that blended seamlessly with the rest. After another solid shove, the piece came loose, and she carefully angled it so she could reach up into the whole it created, felling for the locked safe still nestled where she had left it.
After a minute of maneuvering, she had the case down and unlocked, looking again at the object that had caused her so much trouble. Replacing the lid, she locked it again, then went in search of Valentine who had disappeared into the bathroom several minutes ago and hadn’t come back out.
She stopped as she saw him, sitting on the edge of the bathtub, staring at something small and plastic in his hands. Her stomach dropped as she walked closer, recognizing the pregnancy test she had taken just days before.
Valentine looked up at her with unreadable blue eyes.
“Is it…” He stopped to clear his throat roughly. “Is it mine?”
Hope released a brief, hard laugh, but there wasn’t much humor in it.
“Of course it’s yours.” She sighed, then took a seat next to him on the cold ceramic lip of her bathtub. “I…I didn’t think I’d ever see you again. And after this, I figured you would just go back to Moscow, and I couldn’t, I just didn’t know how to...”
“You weren’t going to tell me?”
“Valentine, I don’t know what I was going to do. I just found out a few days ago, and then all this happened.” She gestured to her destroyed apartment. “I was still trying to figure things out when you just barreled back into my life, and everything turned upside down.” She felt tears threaten, but tried to hold them back.
He took her hand gently in his, twining their fingers together.
“Are you…are you going to keep it?” The words were dragged out of him, and her heart stopped at the thought.
“Yes! Absolutely! No matter what happened, Valentine, I…” Hope took a breath before continuing, “I’m so happy. It’s complicated, and it will be hard, but when I think about this baby all I feel is…joy.” Hope placed a hand over her still flat stomach, and then looked at Valentine, shocked to see his eyes glistening wetly back at her.
“I love you.” Those words wrapped around her heart, and refused to let go. Valentine continued, “Not because of this, not because you’re pregnant, although that makes me so happy. But because of you. You’re smart, funny, and beautiful, you make my life better, and you make me better.” He laid the softest kiss against her lips. “You might have to give up being a thief when the baby comes though.”
Hope gave a watery laugh, and kissed him back. “I love you, too.” She whispered the words against his lips, feeling lighter, happier, than she had in months. Finally, she pulled away, swiping at a stray tear that had made its way down her cheek.
“So what do we do next?”
Valentine gave a big grin, “Next, we catch the bad guys.” He stood, and held out his hand for hers. His grin morphed into a seductive
Chapter 6
Hope looked around in horror at the mess that used to be her apartment. It was completely torn apart. Someone had broken in, obviously looking for something. Looking for the damn manuscripts. She was really starting to wish she had just passed this job by.
She glanced over at Valentine, who had just finished sweeping her bedroom, and was now looking through her bathroom for clues. But then she wouldn’t have met him. She wrapped her arms around her middle, thinking of all the other things that wouldn’t have happened. In the end, she wouldn’t change that for anything.
Ignoring most of the mess, Hope went straight to her secret hiding place, dragged a chair over for extra height, and climbed up on it, pushing up on the false ceiling tile that blended seamlessly with the rest. After another solid shove, the piece came loose, and she carefully angled it so she could reach up into the whole it created, felling for the locked safe still nestled where she had left it.
After a minute of maneuvering, she had the case down and unlocked, looking again at the object that had caused her so much trouble. Replacing the lid, she locked it again, then went in search of Valentine who had disappeared into the bathroom several minutes ago and hadn’t come back out.
She stopped as she saw him, sitting on the edge of the bathtub, staring at something small and plastic in his hands. Her stomach dropped as she walked closer, recognizing the pregnancy test she had taken just days before.
Valentine looked up at her with unreadable blue eyes.
“Is it…” He stopped to clear his throat roughly. “Is it mine?”
Hope released a brief, hard laugh, but there wasn’t much humor in it.
“Of course it’s yours.” She sighed, then took a seat next to him on the cold ceramic lip of her bathtub. “I…I didn’t think I’d ever see you again. And after this, I figured you would just go back to Moscow, and I couldn’t, I just didn’t know how to...”
“You weren’t going to tell me?”
“Valentine, I don’t know what I was going to do. I just found out a few days ago, and then all this happened.” She gestured to her destroyed apartment. “I was still trying to figure things out when you just barreled back into my life, and everything turned upside down.” She felt tears threaten, but tried to hold them back.
He took her hand gently in his, twining their fingers together.
“Are you…are you going to keep it?” The words were dragged out of him, and her heart stopped at the thought.
“Yes! Absolutely! No matter what happened, Valentine, I…” Hope took a breath before continuing, “I’m so happy. It’s complicated, and it will be hard, but when I think about this baby all I feel is…joy.” Hope placed a hand over her still flat stomach, and then looked at Valentine, shocked to see his eyes glistening wetly back at her.
“I love you.” Those words wrapped around her heart, and refused to let go. Valentine continued, “Not because of this, not because you’re pregnant, although that makes me so happy. But because of you. You’re smart, funny, and beautiful, you make my life better, and you make me better.” He laid the softest kiss against her lips. “You might have to give up being a thief when the baby comes though.”
Hope gave a watery laugh, and kissed him back. “I love you, too.” She whispered the words against his lips, feeling lighter, happier, than she had in months. Finally, she pulled away, swiping at a stray tear that had made its way down her cheek.
“So what do we do next?”
Valentine gave a big grin, “Next, we catch the bad guys.” He stood, and held out his hand for hers. His grin morphed into a seductive
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