Knox first introduced her to the housekeeper and maintenance guy – both of whom were natives of a neighboring island but also belonged to their lair. It was clear to Harper by the way they chatted to Tanner and Levi that the sentinels had accompanied Knox here plenty of times.
The interior of the spacious, stylishly furnished villa was beautiful. Bright walls, gleaming floors, and high windows that took advantage of the idyllic ocean view. The bedroom was her favorite part of the villa. It had a hot tub, a canopy bed with white drapes that kept out the mosquitos, and a gorgeous balcony that overlooked the sea.
Each of the sentinels had their own room at the other side of the villa, which gave Harper and Knox plenty of privacy. She was glad of that, because she could be kind of noisy in bed and the sentinels would no doubt immaturely tease her about it.
Dressed in a neon-pink bikini, she’d just finished applying sun lotion when Knox walked into the bedroom. His eyes darkened as they roamed over her, and her demon stretched languidly. Harper let her own gaze explore his powerful build, lingering a little on the growing bulge in his shorts. “I’m happy to skip the swim and take care of that, just so you know.”
Knox stalked over to her and trailed his finger over the swell of her breasts, inhaling the fruity scent of her sunscreen. “Very magnanimous of you,” he quipped.
“I’m all heart.”
He dropped to his knees and kissed her stomach. “I don’t know why it turns me on knowing that I put a baby in you. I really don’t.”
She swallowed. “I’m not complaining, in case you were wondering.”
He stood, mouth curved. “Come on.” He linked his fingers with hers and led her downstairs and out onto the deck, facing the beach. Tanner and Levi were already sprawled on sun loungers, soaking up the sun.
Harper almost winced at the smothering heat. “That sand’s gonna be hot.”
“Want me to carry you to the water?”
Pride made her spine snap straight. “I can manage.”
Knox’s demon chuckled. “If we run, it’ll hurt less.”
“Then we run. Ready?”
He nodded. “Go.”
Harper took off and, God, it was like stepping on hot coals. She rushed to the shoreline and pretty much sloshed into the sea rather ungracefully. She’d braced herself for the shock of cold water, but the water was surprisingly warm as it lapped at her body.
She watched as Knox dunked himself and then stood straight. Water poured off his head and slid down his body in a way that made her mouth dry up. “You should do that again. And again.” Chuckling, he guided her deeper into the water and pulled her against him. He kissed her gently, softly… then dunked them both, the bastard. She coughed as their heads broke the surface. “You could have warned me!”
Knox and his demon smiled. She always made him think of a hissing, spitting kitten when she snapped at him. He smoothed his hands up her back. “Sorry, baby.”
“No, you’re not.” She saw a dark shadow under the water and almost leapt out of his arms. “Jellyfish!”
Tightening his arms around her, Knox looked around. “There are no jellyfish.”
“I saw jellyfish.”
“There are no jellyfish. Relax,” he soothed. “Breathe. Take in the view.”
Harper took a long breath. Under the scents of salt water and seaweed were the smells of tropical flowers, sunscreen, and the food coming from the villa. Hooking her arms around his neck, she looked around as they bobbed in the sea, water rippling around them. Waves tumbled into rocks, tossing up foamy sprays of water. There was a dock nearby where jet skis and powerboats idled. Beyond the green mountains, in the far distance, were other small islands.
“Well, does it have your stamp of approval?”
“It does.” Even though the heat of the sun pricked her skin and felt oppressive on her chest, she absolutely loved the place. “But if you’re hoping I’ll agree to stay here for the rest of the pregnancy, you’re out of your demonic mind. I don’t hide.”
“It wouldn’t be hiding.” He kissed her shoulder, fingering her bikini strap. “Stress is not good for you or the baby.”
“Oh, don’t play the baby card with me, Thorne.”
“This – quiet, peace, safety – is what you need right now.”
“And staying here for a few weeks would be awesome. But I would lose my mind sitting around here for the rest of the pregnancy with nothing to do.”
“There’s plenty to do and see here. Rivers. Creeks. Jungle. Mountains. Waterfalls. Ancient ruins. You could not be bored.” He paused at the cry of a pelican that flew overhead. “Your friends and family can visit you. I’ll be here.”
“Not all the time.”
“I can be, if that’s what you want.”
She almost snorted, but then she realized… “You’re serious.”
He sighed at her astonishment. “Harper, when are you going to realize that you’re my priority? You come first to me. If you want me to take the next twelve weeks off work to be with you every moment of this pregnancy, that’s what I’ll do.” His demon would love that anyway.
Touched, she swallowed hard. “I wouldn’t ask you to do that.”
“Being with you twenty-four seven would be no hardship.” Beneath the water, he traced her hipbone, knowing her little raven tattoo was right there. Being that ravens were cunning, strategic tricksters, she felt she could relate to them. Knox suspected they also made her think of her family. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you’re happy and safe.”
“And I love you for that, but I still can’t stay holed up here.” She smiled, adding, “We can, however, relax here for a little while. That sounds like an awesome plan to me. Besides, we have a nursery to design and baby… stuff to order.”
“Stuff?”
She shrugged. “I’ve never cared for a baby. I don’t know a great deal about what that entails, what we’ll need, or how much of it we’ll need. What I currently know is courtesy of the Internet.”
“We’ll be fine. If we weren’t delaying the announcement of the pregnancy, we could have hired people to prepare the nursery for us.”
She welcomed the ocean breeze as it tugged at her hair, which hung in wet ropes down her back. “No, I’d rather be part of designing and readying it anyway.”
“All right, that’s what you’ll do.” He dipped his hand inside her bikini bottoms, cupping her ass. “So, you’re happy to stay here for a little while. How about a month?”
She frowned. “A week.”
“That’s too short.”
“All right, two weeks.”
“Still too short. Three weeks. And if you do get bored, we’ll leave earlier.”
“Fine, three weeks.”
“Good girl.” Of course, he’d do his best to convince her to stay longer. It was that fact alone that stopped his demon from sulking.
“Don’t think I don’t know you’ll try and talk into me stay – jellyfish!” She pretty much tried to climb up his body, not appreciating his chuckles at all.
“There are no jellyfish.”