Page 19 of Sapphire

Chapter 18: Seamus

Another 2 months on.

I stepped into the bathroom, steam curling around me. I stripped off my clothes, leaving them in a haphazard pile on the tile floor, my eyes fixed on the frosted glass door that separated me from the woman who held my heart in her hands.

Kamilla. My queen, my love, my everything.

I slid the door open, my breath catching in my throat at the sight that greeted me. She stood beneath the spray, her head tilted back, her eyes closed in blissful surrender. The water sluiced over her skin, tracing the lush curves of her body. Her belly was round and full with my child, a miracle made flesh, and the sight of it made my chest tighten with an emotion too big for words.

She opened her eyes, her gaze meeting mine through the veil of steam. A slow, sensual smile curved her lips, an invitation and a promise all in one. I stepped into the shower, my hands reaching for her.

"Seamus," she murmured, her voice husky with need and love. "I was wondering when you'd join me."

I gathered her into my arms. The heat of her skin, the slick slide of her body against mine, made my blood roar in my veins. I dipped my head, capturing her lips in a kiss that was both tender and hungry.

She melted into me, her arms twining around my neck, her belly pressed against the hard plane of my abdomen. I could feel the quickening of our child between us, the tiny flutters and kicks that never failed to fill me with awe and wonder.

Slowly, reverently, I began to wash her, my hands gliding over every inch of her skin like a man at prayer. I cupped the heavy fullness of her breasts, feeling the way they ached and throbbed with the new life that swelled within her. I traced the delicate arch of her collarbones, the elegant line of her throat, marveling at the strength and courage that thrummed beneath her porcelain exterior.

I sank to my knees before her, pressing soft, open-mouthed kisses to the taut curve of her belly. My child, our child, growing and thriving in the warm darkness of her womb. I had never known a love like this.

"I love you," I said, my lips moving against her skin. "You are my heart, my soul, my reason for being."

Kamilla's fingers tangled in my hair, her breath hitching in her throat. "Seamus," she breathed. "I am yours. You and this child, you are my whole world."

I rose to my feet, gathering her into my arms and carrying her out of the shower. I set her gently on the bathmat, reaching for a towel and beginning to dry her. I patted the moisture from her skin, smoothing my hands over the ripe curves of her body.

I lifted her into my arms once more, carrying her into our bedroom. I laid her on the bed, crawling in beside her and pulling the covers over us both. I curled around her, my chest pressed to her back, my arm draped over the swell of her belly. Beneath my palm, I felt the strong, steady thrum of our child's heartbeat, the tiny kicks and flutters.

"Sleep now, my love," I whispered, pressing a kiss to the soft skin behind her ear. "I will watch over you, over both of you.”

Kamilla sighed, a sound of pure contentment, and snuggled back into my embrace. I tightened my hold on her, breathing in the sweet, familiar scent of her skin, feeling the way our bodies fit together like two halves of a whole. This was heaven, this was perfection, this was everything I had ever wanted or needed in this life.

My queen, my love, the mother of my child. My heart, my home, my forever.

Chapter 19: Seamus

Two months on

I leaned back in my chair, a glass of whiskey dangling from my fingers as I surveyed the two men sitting across from me. Finn, my brother in all but blood, and Liam, my mentee and friend.

We were celebrating, the three of us. Celebrating the fact that Finn was now a father, that he and Cara had brought a healthy, squalling baby boy into the world just a few short months ago. Celebrating the fact that soon, so fucking soon, I would be a father too, that Kamilla was round and ripe with my child. I couldn't wait to hold my son or daughter in my arms, to see Kamilla's eyes and my smile and a perfect fucking blend of both of us in one tiny, miraculous package.

"How's Natasha doing?" Finn asked, drawing me out of my sappy, sentimental thoughts. "Kamilla said she's settling in well at that fancy boarding school you found for her."

I nodded, taking a sip of my whiskey and savoring the smooth, smoky burn. "Aye, she's doing grand. Top of her class, from what I hear. Kid's fucking brilliant, just like her aunt."

Liam raised an eyebrow, his expression inscrutable as always. "And you're sure she's safe there? Hidden away from any Bratva bastards who might want to use her as leverage?"

I met his gaze steadily, my own expression hardening. "She's as safe as we can make her, which is pretty fucking safe. New identity, new backstory. Anyone who wants to get to her will have to go through us first.”

Finn nodded. "We take care of our own, and Natasha, she's family now.”

I felt a rush of gratitude to these men who had become my brothers, my fucking tribe. Because they got it, understood the lengths we would go to, the blood we would spill and the lives we would take, to keep the ones we loved safe. Natasha deserved a chance at a normal life, at a childhood free from the shadows and the schemes and the fucking sickness that pervaded every corner of the Bratva.

Kamilla had made that her mission to give Natasha back the innocence that had been ripped away from her, to let her grow and learn and thrive without the weight of her family's legacy crushing her slim shoulders. It was a beautiful thing to witness, the fierce, protective love that Kamilla had for her niece.

I shook myself out of my trance, turning my attention back to the men in front of me. Liam was staring into his whiskey, a frown pulling at the corners of his mouth.

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