Page 26 of Arranged with Twins

Leo

T he medical office of Dr. Kane smells like antiseptic, and the beige walls are covered with motivational posters about healthy pregnancies.

I sit beside Sienna in the examination room after the doctor has finished her part of the exam and tells us to wait for the ultrasound technician, telling myself I’m here for information and control, nothing more.

This is just strategic oversight of a situation that affects my interests.

The self-lie becomes harder to maintain when the ultrasound technician squirts gel onto Sienna’s stomach and positions the wand. The monitor flickers to life, showing grainy black and white images that mean nothing to me until the technician points to two distinct shapes.

“Congratulations,” she says with professional cheerfulness. “You’re having twins.”

The words stop me cold. Not one child, but two. That means there are two futures I’m responsible for protecting, two reasons for enemies to target Sienna, and two lives that will carry both our names into an uncertain future.

I watch Sienna’s face as the reality sinks in. Shock flickers across her features first, and then something that looks like wonder takes its place. She stares at the monitor where our children appear as shadowy outlines, and her lips part in amazement. “Twins,” she whispers.

The technician prints several images while explaining due dates and development stages.

She casually mentions Dr. Kane will refer us to a doctor who specializes in multiples while I absorb the information automatically and file away details about appointments and milestones while studying Sienna’s reaction.

When she places her hand on her stomach, the orange diamond ring catches the fluorescent light, and the future suddenly feels quite real.

These aren’t abstract consequences anymore.

They’re my children, growing inside the woman who’s become far more important than any business arrangement should allow.

The drive back passes in heavy silence. Sienna stares out the window while I navigate Manhattan traffic, and both of us process what we just learned.

My mind races ahead to practical considerations, like security upgrades, estate planning, and schools that can protect children with dangerous last names.

“Two babies.” Sienna breaks the quiet as we pull into my garage. “I can barely wrap my head around one, and now there are two.”

“We’ll manage.” The response comes automatically, though I’m not sure either of us believes it yet. There’s so much stuff piling up. It feels like it’s all about to topple over on us.

In my apartment, I pour myself a scotch and prepare sparkling water with lime for Sienna. She accepts the glass without comment and settles onto the couch while I remain standing, too restless to sit.

“You’re planning.” She studies my face with growing recognition. “I can see the wheels turning. Bulletproof cribs, no doubt.”

She’s making a joke but not really. “Would that be wrong?” I ask.

“No, it’s very you.” She takes a sip of her drink, then sets it aside with a sigh. “I just wonder if you ever think about anything beyond threat management and damage control.”

I sip my scotch before answering. “What else should I be thinking about?”

“I don’t know. Maybe normal things, like nursery colors, baby names, and if we want to find out the genders.” I hear wistfulness in her voice that makes my chest contract. “The kind of stuff regular expectant parents worry about. The cute stuff.”

“We’re not regular parents.” The reminder comes out sharper than I intended. “Regular parents don’t have to worry about kidnapping attempts or assassination plots.”

“I know that.” She stands and moves closer. “These babies are going to need more than just protection though.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying you keep everyone at arm’s length, including me.

If we’re going to raise children together, if we’re going to make a merger into a real marriage, you have to let me in.

” She steps closer still, until I see light blue flecks in her gray eyes.

“Why do you guard yourself so carefully around me if you don’t actually want me? ”

The question cuts to the heart of everything I’ve been avoiding. “Wanting you is the problem.”

She frowns. “How is that a problem?”

“You’re my greatest liability.” The words come out raw and honest. “The single point where my entire world could collapse. Every enemy I’ve made in twenty years now has a target they can use against me. A single point of failure.”

“So, you think the solution is to keep me at a distance? To treat me like a business asset instead of the woman carrying your children? How does that help you?” She sounds mostly confused by my thought processes.

“The solution is to be smart about this instead of letting emotions compromise our safety.” I drain my scotch and need the burn to steady my nerves. “Caring about you makes me weak .”

“Or maybe it makes you human.” She reaches up to touch my face. “When’s the last time you let yourself want something just because you wanted it, not because it served a strategic purpose?”

I should step away from her touch and maintain the distance that keeps us both safe.

Instead, I lean into her palm and crave the connection I’ve been denying myself.

“I want you.” The admission comes out like a confession.

“I’ve wanted you since before the first night we made love, and it terrifies me. ”

“Why?”

I hesitate, trying to articulate properly. “Wanting you changes everything. It makes every decision about more than just business or survival. It makes me vulnerable in ways I swore I’d never be again.”

“Good.” She brushes her thumb across my cheekbone, and the simple touch sends heat through my entire body. “I don’t want to be married to a machine who only thinks about profit margins and security.”

The restraint I’ve maintained snaps. I capture her face in my hands and kiss her with all the hunger I’ve been suppressing. She responds immediately and presses against me with equal desperation as she fists her hands in my shirt.

This kiss is different from our previous encounters.

There’s no anger driving it this time. Just raw need and the recognition that we’ve been denying ourselves something we both crave.

I devour her mouth with pure hunger, making no effort to hide how much I want her.

If I’m going to surrender to this, it’s going to be all the way.

When we break apart, we’re both breathing hard. “Are you sure about this?” I ask against her lips. “I won’t be able to pretend it’s just physical anymore.”

“I don’t want to pretend.” I hear certainty in her breathless voice. “I want this to be real.”

We stumble toward my bedroom while kissing and touching each other.

In my room, I step back and take a moment to just look at her.

She’s beautiful in the afternoon light filtering through the windows with her soft curves and fierce eyes.

The knowledge that she’s carrying our children makes her even more precious, more essential, and sexier than ever.

“I want to take my time with you.” My voice comes out raspy. “I need to show you how much you mean to me.”

“I’m not going to argue with that.” She reaches for the buttons of my shirt and works them open with steady fingers. “I want to feel everything.”

I help her with my shirt, then reach for the zipper of her dress. She’s wearing pale blue lace underneath, delicate and feminine, and the sight makes my cock twitch. “Beautiful.” I trace the edge of her bra with one finger while she shivers at the touch. “You’re so beautiful.”

She unhooks the clasp and lets the lace fall away, baring her breasts.

I can’t resist bending to taste her. I touch my tongue to her tight pink nipple, and she gasps, arching her back as she pushes into my mouth.

I take my time and lavish attention on each breast while she tangles her fingers in my hair and makes soft sounds that drive me wild.

“Leo...” She speaks my name as a plea as I glide my tongue down her body while occasionally pausing to kiss or bite gently.

She trembles with growing desire and presses against me.

I kneel before her and hook my fingers in the waistband of her panties, drawing them down slowly.

When she’s completely bare, I press a kiss to her hip bone, then another to her belly where our children grow.

There’s no external evidence yet, but they’re there.

“Our babies,” I murmur against her skin, the words coming out with a touch of awe. The reality of it overwhelms me that I’ll have a future I never dared imagine before.

“Yes.” I hear her voice break slightly as she looks down at me. “Ours.”

I guide her onto the bed and follow her down onto the soft sheets. She reaches for my belt, and I help her remove the last barriers between us. When we’re both naked, I settle between her thighs and spread her legs so I can lick her pussy.

She tastes like honey and salt, and I savor every lick and nibble.

I thrust my tongue hard into her opening, making her tense and cry out in pleasure before swiping up her slit to suck lightly on her clit.

When she’s accustomed to that, I vary my pace and lap at her clit with broad strokes, then focus the tip of my tongue on the sensitive bundle of nerves until she’s writhing beneath me.

“Fuck, Leo.” She gasps when I nibble on her clit before breathing harshly against it.

“Don’t stop.” She’s trembling beneath me, and her thighs tighten as much as they can around my head.

I shift slightly to make room and bring up a hand to slide two fingers inside her slick sheath. “Yes,” she whispers and trembles more.