Page 125 of Hook

Cillian squeezes my shoulder and leans down to place a gentle kiss on my cheek. His lips are soft against my skin and the touch sends an electric current running through my body.

“I told you we can get a nanny,” he says, straightening to his full height.

I shake my head. “No, I’m his mom, and that means I’m going to take care of him.”

He chuckles softly at my vehemence. “Okay, but you could have someone help out a bit while I’m at work. Especially since you need to get back to your photography.”

I open my mouth to protest as Cillian has been pushing me to pursue wildlife photography as a career, but he silences me with a look. “We’ll discuss it over dinner.” He turns and walks away toward Alex’s nursery.

As I watch the monitor, I see him lift Alex from his crib. Cillian never fails to amaze me as he took to fatherhood with such ease, despite having grown up in an abusive home.

He speaks softly to our baby boy and sways him gently until he’s lulled into a peaceful slumber. My chest clenches as I know I’ve never known what love looked like before I met him.

Cillian tenderly returns our baby to the crib and then stands over our son for a moment, a look of pure adoration in his eyes. His devotion to both me and Alex swells my heart. I can’t help but be amazed by how much he loves us both.

It’s moments like these when I realize how deeply I love my husband.I’m amazed that something so pure and beautiful as our family could blossom from such dark and toxic beginnings.

Cillian admitted to me that the moment he set eyes on me, he knew that he’d marry me and I’d be the mother of his children.

Sadly, Cillian’s mom was not around to meet her grandson—she passed away due to a stroke linked to her dementia the month before Alex was born. It eats at him because she was so desperate to meet her grandchild.

The sound of his voice snaps me out of my thoughts. “Can I get you anything?” Cillian asks, standing in the doorway looking devilishly handsome in his tailored suit.

I force away the lump in my throat. “No, I’m alright.”

He slides into the chair next to me, never taking those chestnut eyes off of me. I place the book I’d been reading onto the coffee table and smile at my husband. “How was your day?”

He shrugs. “Same old. Not sure about Jake yet.”

Jake is his newly appointed second-in-command after Smyth’s betrayal. He was under immense pressure to appoint someone for months before finally deciding to pick Jake.

“He won’t betray you like Smyth did.”

His shoulders bunch at the mention of his former right-hand man. “How do you know that?”

My lips curl into a subtle smirk. “Because he’s not madly in love with you.” Tilting my head to the side, I gaze deep into his chestnut eyes—the ones that have always made me swoon. “Love makes people do mad things.”

I hear his teeth grind together. “Don’t I know it?”

I elbow him in the ribs. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He smirks. “Loving you made me fucking mad.”

“I think that ship had sailed long before we met.”

He arches a brow. “Perhaps.” Those chestnut eyes of his burn with fire as he grabs my hand and yanks me onto his lap. “But I became truly mad the moment we met. So mad that I’d do anything to keep you safe.”He grabs my wrist and yanks me onto his lap. “You know I’m not done with breeding you, princess. I want to keep filling that pretty little cunt and getting you pregnant with my babies.”

I groan as an ache ignites between my legs. “I’m not sure I’d survive raising more right now.”

He nips at my earlobe. “I told you, we’ll get a nanny.”

Sighing heavily, I roll my eyes. “And I told you—”

“Quiet, listen to your captain and be a good girl.”

My nipples harden at the demanding tone of his voice. He knows how to turn me on with a few simple words. “Cillian,” I breathe his name as he kisses my neck softly. “

“Yes, princess?”

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