Page 36 of Happily Ever After

She’d missed him so much. She might be dreaming. He might be a dream or an angel.

Flicka dragged her fingers through his hair, feeling the flaxen strands, willinghim to be real.

He crawled up her body, opened his pants, and plunged into her.

She grabbed his shoulders, dragging her knees up and feeling him stretch her.“Please—”

Raphael surged forward, his muscular body moving over hers. His shirt was soft on her skin, sliding over her flesh as he stroked inside her.

Too soon, too fast, the tension built in her, and she lifted her hips to meet him,seekingmore.

He gave hermore,filling her so that her world ripped apart.

Flicka gasped as the waves took her, throbbing from deep inside and plunging her into darkness and wild sound. Raphael strained above her, only grunting softly near her ear as his body clenched with his release.

Moonlight wove back into the room, and Flicka tried to keep from crying in the silvery dark.“Raphael.”

“I’m here,” he whispered. “I’m here. You were never alone.”

“I didn’t know if you were alive,” she whispered, looking at where his fist wrapped a handgun near her head. “I don’t know how anyone could have survived that.”

“The Rogues sneaked the girls out the back while you were diverting everyone’s attention with Monaco’s Secret Service invasion,” he said. “When the girls were gone and you weresafe, they launched flash-bang grenades into the warehouse. They got a gun to me and laid down cover fire, and I fought my way out.”

“I can’t believe you’re okay.” She wrapped her arms and legs around him, holding him and feeling his skin even as his shirt buttons dug into her chest. “I wanted to believe. I tried to believe. But I didn’t.”

“I wanted to get word to you, but I couldn’t figureout how.” Raphael backed up and stood on his knees, tucking his shirt into his pants. “Magnus and Aiden couldn’t get you alone to tell you I was all right. The plan to take you and Alina out of here is taking shape. I need you to tell me anything you can about your palace routine or security weaknesses. We’ll get you out soon, in a week or two at most.”

“Raphael,” she said, struggling to situp. She dragged the sheet over herself. “You have to take Alina and me out of here rightnow.We have to gonow.”

“But we don’t have a plan to evacuate you from Monaco and Europe yet,” he said, checking his weapons and reholstering them. The guns’ actions clicked in the dark. “We haven’t cleared a way out of the palace. We can’t do it now, but we’re in the strategy phase of the operation. Itshouldn’t be much more than a week.”

“But we have to gonow,”Flicka begged him. “Pierre’s going to talk to the doctor tomorrow. He’s going to prescribe abortion drugs. I don’t know if he’ll force me to take them or sprinkle them on my food, but he’ll make me take them. I’m sure of it.”

Raphael stilled. “Are you pregnant?”

Well, this wasnothow she’d wanted to tell him. “I got pregnant inGeneva. Or Gibraltar, I suppose, but yes. I’m more than a weeklate.”

Flicka’s eyes were accustomed to the dark, and in the pale moonlight, she saw the moment Raphael touched his chest and his breath hitched in his throat.

She asked, “Don’t you want—”

“Yes!”he said, his whisper turning to a hiss. “Oh, God,Flicka!”He grabbed both her hands and then cradled her to his chest. “You’re sure?”

“Absolutely. Confirmed by a doctor and everything. Timeline says the fatal night was three weeks ago.”

He reached for her and held her hands. His fingers were shaking. “I want to ask if you’re sure again, just to hear you say yes.”

“Then,yes.I’m pregnant. I’m sure. Test and everything.Yes.”

“I’ll get you out,” Raphael whispered. “I’ll get you outtomorrow.We’ll move everything up. We’llcome up with a plan.” He pressed her hands to his chest. His heart raced under her fingertips. “Be ready. Be ready to go. I don’t know how we’ll do it, but we will. Whatever happens, be ready. Be ready at every moment. Magnus or Aiden will be with you every minute.” He dropped her hands and fumbled around, frisking his suit jacket that lay on the other side of the bed. “I have protein bars. Don’teat anything he gives you. I’ll have Magnus or other people slip food to you all day long. You’ll need to eat. You’re eating for two. Are you sick yet? Are you okay? Jesus, Flicka. I’ll get you out tomorrow.I promise, I will.”

“But Alina—”

Thumps thudded on the bed, and she could see protein bars and shiny foil wrappers. “Her, too. I would never leave her. Just—be ready. Be ready for it whenit happens.”

“You could take Alina right now. Just pick her up and walk out. She probably won’t even wake up.”

“They would stop us. I wouldn’t make it out. Or they would discover that she was missing and redouble your security. It has to be done the right way because we won’t get a second chance.”