Page 45 of Daigo

"Yep." She nodded. "This absolutely sexy and buff masseur who has been coming by to offer his services. And you're the one paying him, no less."

"Is that so? Where can I find this Sven?"

"With all the money you're shelling out, he's probably opened his own shop by now."

"You're a moron," he told her mildly as he set to work on her ankles.

When she didn't respond, he looked up to see her staring at him with an intense look in her eyes. "What is it?"

"I love you."

"Sven not enough for you?"

"No." She shook her head. "You're more than enough for me. Did I tell you that your mother stopped by for a visit? At first, I thought it was your underhanded way of checking up on me."

"What makes you think it wasn't?" He pressed down on the soles of her feet to work out the kinks and had her sighing.

"She was coming from a luncheon," she murmured softly as he pressed down lightly. "She told me about her husband. What went on in her marriage."

He looked at her in surprise. "She did?"

Shelby nodded. "I cannot imagine what she went through, what you went through."

"Father had a cruel streak. I got to leave and go to school and then college, but she had to stay." He shrugged. "I asked her once why she stayed, and she told me it was because of me. He threatened to stop her from seeing me."

"And he would have made good on his threat. You're nothing like him."

"I should hope not. He was incapable of loving anyone. He saw us as possessions."

"That you could come from something like that and be the man you are, it's... well, it's pretty damn amazing."

He slid his hands up her calves and kneaded the flesh slowly. "I thought I was-" He looked at her. "Before I met you, I didn't feel much. I used women. There was the physical aspect and nothing more.

"He programmed me to think that's all there should be. But I felt empty. When I met you, I started feeling everything. There was this rush of emotions that threatened to engulf me. It scared the hell out of me."

His hands went to her thighs and started rubbing and stroking the muscles there. She was wearing a rich burgundy robe and nothing else from her shower. She had stopped wearing panties to bed because they chased her thighs. His voice thickened, and his skin was starting to heat up.

"Until you." He parted the robe, his hands spanning the bulge of her belly. "I never knew I could ever feel this way. Until you."

When he bent his head to kiss her stomach, Shelby arched in response, her hands diving into the thick denseness of his hair. "You made me feel so alive." His lips drifted further down, blazing a path to the core of her. Every rational thought fled from her when he went even further down.

Chapter 12

“I look like a house.” Shelby fussed with the folds of her dress as she stood in front of the full-length mirror. “Maybe I should stay home. I doubt you’d want to be seen with me at this point. I’m an embarrassment.” Lifting her head from her reflection, she met his eyes in the mirror.

They were going to the spring gala at his club, an annual affair that combined several charities. It was an event that brought out most of the members, nationally and internationally, and also celebrated the club’s anniversary. It was a huge event, and there was going to be press, both national and international, to record the significant milestone.

They would be spending the weekend there and traveling back early Monday morning. Even though they would be traveling on the private jet, Daigo had still cleared it with the doctors. She was almost six months into her pregnancy and was being monitored twice a week.

It seemed to Shelby that she had grown twice as large as she had been last month.

“Fishing for compliments?” her husband asked mildly. It was a black-tie event, and he was shrugging into his jacket. They could have left last night, but the weather had been iffy. It was bright and sunny today, and the afternoon was perfect for flying. Moving toward her, he clamped his hands on her shoulders and stared at her through the mirror.

In recent years, Romano’s had added a “multiples” maternity section to their store. The electric-blue dress Shelby was wearing was new and part of their stock. It was cleverly styled to downplay her baby bump, the skirt a swirl of chiffon and wool that drifted to her ankles. The top was snug, fitting her generous bosom to perfection and dipping between her breasts where the sapphire and diamond necklace snuggled in her bosom.

Her skin was creamy and flawless, and to him, she was glowing. Pregnancy had made her blossom. To him, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her hair, which had grown, was professionally and artfully styled into healthy curls that tumbled past her shoulders. A sapphire clip swept the left side of her hair away from her face. Matching sapphire and diamond earrings were at her lobes.

“You’ll need a wrap. It’s still chilly out.”