Page 101 of Malicious Marriage
“The fire that killed my siblings. I know.” Tension worms through my chest and I straighten up. “Don beat it out of a Russian general. I know what he did. Your father got a woman pregnant, someone I believe he was in love with. And Malcom was a jealous cunt.”
She slowly shakes her head. “I knew it,” she whispers. “He tried to say we were the same. But I knew I couldn’t be—”Cutting herself off, she looks back up. “I just can’t wrap my head around why you don’t hate me. I lied and I know it was terrible, but for so long I was so scared that if you learned the truth then how I felt about you wouldn’t matter and I would lose you. I know we married for a deal, but I… I love you. I fell so hard.”
“You could have told me the truth,” I say gently. “I would have understood. I might have been a little pissed off, but we’re all flawed. To me, I don’t understand why you didn’t tell me after we were married, but at the same time, we work differently.”
“I didn’t want to lose you,” she whispers tightly, and the bottle becomes further crushed in her hand. “I still don’t.”
“Then you won’t.” I sweep forward and take her hand once more. “I’m right here, Clover. I want to work through this with you. I want to be here for you. This marriage… we can make it work.”
“But I…” She pulls her hand away and it slips over her mouth. “I haven’t told you everything.”
Her words don’t affect the peacefulness that exists inside me now. “Whatever it is, we can work through it.”
She shakes her head quickly and then closes her eyes. “I’m pregnant.”
My mind stalls for a moment. Out of every possible idea I had about what the last secret could be, it was not this. “What?”
“I–I’m pregnant,” she stutters, her eyes still closed. “I found out… I found out after that full checkup you made me have after Ryan was run over. But I was too scared to tell you because I was terrified that you’d think I was trying to do what Trisha did and lock you?—”
Her words end up in a squeak as I sweep her up in my arms, bottle and all, and kiss her hard as joy surges through me like an explosion.
Pregnant!
Clover is pregnant with my baby!
“Holy shit!” I laugh as the kiss breaks, and her stunned face gazes up at me. “This is amazing! This is—” I catch myself and frown. “You faced Malcom while pregnant?”
“I–I… yeah, I…” She has no explanation. “At the time it just… You’re not mad?”
“Mad?” I hug her tightly again, spinning her around and around. “Clover, you’re fucking fantastic, you hear me? I love you and you… I’ve just watched you battle a terrifying, impossible situation, constantly putting yourself in harm’s way to protect others. You went across the world for your sister, put yourself in debt for Bobby’s wages, faced down Malcom… Our kid is gonna be the strongest fucker in the world!”
Slowly, a smile breaks out across her face, and finally, the tears fall. “Really? You… you’re happy?”
“Ecstatic!”
“Really?”
I cup her face with both hands, smiling from ear to ear. “I love you. So fucking much. You have no idea. Everything else can be worked out. Yes, God damn, I love you!”
Clover half-sobs, half-laughs and sinks into my arms as I kiss her for all I’m worth. We tumble onto the bed and once I start kissing her, I can’t stop.
“I love you too,” she gasps against my lips while her tears mingle between us. “So fucking much!”
She repeats that over and over like a prayer for the rest of the night as I can’t keep my hands off her even in the hospital.
EPILOGUE: CLOVER
Warmth sweeps down my spine in the form of Dean’s gentle kisses until he reaches the rise of my ass and then he pauses. His fingers sweep a soft line back up my spine to my shoulder as he kisses around my hip and then he very slowly rolls me over.
“Mmm, let me sleep,” I mumble while making no attempts to stop him.
“Can’t sleep,” comes Dean’s muffled voice from under the covers. “I have to pick your sister up from the airport in two hours.”
“Means we can sleep for another hour.” I don’t want to open my eyes. I’m chasing the lovely dream in my mind as it escapes my thoughts and leaves nothing more than a tingling warmth.
“Traffic,” Dean mumbles. His lips kiss a path over my stomach and then he buries between my thighs with a groan. “Besides, you don’t have to do anything. Just let me.”
His breath tickles against my pussy and I squirm, unsure if I want to move away or closer to his warmth. My answer comes in a roll of my hips when he slips his warm, soft tongue between my outer lips and licks over my clit.