Page 81 of Tempting Kat
Lifting her off her feet, I crush her against my chest. A sound escapes me—something primal, not quite a laugh or a growl, but something in between. My hands span her waist, fingers digging into her flesh as I hold her.
“Put me down, you caveman!” she protests, but her arms wrap around my neck, betraying her.
“Never,” I growl, burying my face in her neck and inhaling her scent. “You're mine now. Both of you.”
I carry her to our bedroom, unable to stop touching her. My hands roam over her body, settling on her still-flat stomach. The knowledge that my child is growing there, safe inside her, fills me with a fierce possessiveness that steals my breath.
I lay her down on our bed, my hands never leaving her body. She's still glaring at me, a storm in those green eyes I can't get enough of. But there's something else there too—fear,uncertainty, maybe even a hint of excitement she doesn't want to admit to.
“You're a manipulative bastard,” she whispers, but there's no real heat behind it.
“I know,” I agree, sliding my body over hers, careful to keep my weight on my forearms. My hand cups her still-flat stomach, thumb stroking the soft skin. “But I'm your manipulative bastard.”
Her eyes soften just a fraction, and I take advantage of the moment. I slide down her body until my face is level with her belly. Pushing up the shirt she's wearing—my shirt—I expose her stomach and press my lips against it.
“What are you doing?” she asks, her voice caught between annoyance and curiosity.
I don't answer her directly. Instead, I speak to her stomach, to the tiny life growing inside her. My child. Our child.
“Hey there, little one,” I murmur against her skin. “It's your dad.”
“Oh my god,” Kat groans, but she doesn't push me away. “You're ridiculous.”
I ignore her, continuing my one-sided conversation with her belly. “You hit the fucking jackpot with your mom, you know that? She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.” I press another kiss just below her navel. “Gorgeous green eyes that see right through bullshit. Curves that make men lose their minds. And these lips that say the filthiest things when I'm fucking her.”
“Conrad!” Kat smacks the top of my head, but I can hear the smile in her voice.
“What? Our kid should know how hot their mom is. How fucking lucky they are to have her.” I rub my stubbled cheek against her stomach, making her squirm. “She's going to teach you how to draw and paint. How to see the world in colors I never knew existed.”
I glance up to see Kat watching me, her expression softening despite herself.
“And I'll teach you how to drive your mother absolutely fucking crazy,” I continue, grinning against her skin. “It's one of my favorite hobbies. Top three, easily.”
“Asshole,” she mutters, but her fingers thread through my hair, a gentle contrast to her words.
“She's going to pretend she doesn't love us as much as she does,” I tell her belly, my voice dropping lower. “She'll roll her eyes and call us names, but don't let that fool you. Your mom loves deep. She just doesn't know how to handle it sometimes.”
Kat's fingers tighten in my hair, and I hear her breath catch. I've hit a nerve.
“She's stubborn as hell. We both are. We got our work cut out for us with you bambino.”
Chapter 25
Katarina
Iwake up with Conrad's words still echoing in my head. He fell asleep between my thighs, his face pressed against my belly, murmuring to our baby like some kind of possessive caveman. Our baby. Fuck.
I blink, disoriented for a moment until I realize Conrad's no longer between my legs. Sometime during the night, he moved. Now he's on his back beside me, his massive frame taking up most of the bed. He's stripped down to just his black boxer briefs, one arm flung above his head, the other resting on his stomach.
My eyes trace the hard lines of his body—the tattoos snaking across his chest, the defined muscles of his abs, the bulge in his underwear. Even in sleep, everything about him screams power and control.
And yet.
There's something vulnerable about him like this. Something that makes my chest ache in a way I'm not ready to examine too closely.
I'm pregnant. With Conrad Gallo's baby. The thought keeps circling in my head like a fucking shark.
I should be terrified. I should be pissed that he basically tricked me into this. I should be running for the hills.
