Once he sat her on the edge, he spread her legs and broke the kiss. "Maybe I should have dessert first."
Her gaze burned. "I think you're right."
And so he knelt, and Stone took his time licking, lapping, and nibbling between her thighs until she screamed his name.
By the time he was inside her, had bitten her neck, and they both came, blessing the kitchen with its first set of orgasms, Stone still had trouble believing this was his life now.
However, as Reika laid her head against his shoulder and they merely held one another, murmuring words of love, Stone knew it wasn't a dream. He was happy, more than he'd ever dared to be, and all because of a sunny, amusing witch who'd appeared out of nowhere, only to find she was exactly where she belonged.
With him.
* * *
Turnthe page for a bonus epilogue….
Bonus Epilogue
Stone watched as Nora handed the small, wrapped bundle to Reika and still tried to take in what had just happened.
He was now a father.
Reika smiled down at their baby, gently kissed his head, and then raised a hand toward Stone. "Come meet your son, Stone."
He'd faced enemies in the heat of battle, had won an untold number of fights as a child to survive, and had even endured ten years of slavery.
However, none of those compared to the fear he felt in this moment.
Reika wiggled her fingers. "Come on. Otherwise, I'm going to name him Oscar instead of Haru."
They'd argued about names for months. Haru had been their compromise—to honor Reika's father and to also have Harry as a nickname, if needed. He grunted. "He'll be teased for Oscar."
She smiled, and then he finally noticed just how tired his wife looked—pale with dark circles under her eyes and her hair plastered to her head with sweat.
Birthing his supposedly huge child, according to River, had been hard for her.
Feeling like an arsehole, Stone sat beside her and kissed her forehead. "Sorry, love." He lowered his voice so that River and Nora wouldn't hear. "I'm just afraid I'll fuck up. I don't know how to do this."
She leaned against his shoulder and stared down at their son. "Neither do I. But no one will be able to protect Haru better than you. And you know that. So stop worrying." She looked up at him again. "Just hold him, Stone. He already wants his dad."
Taking strength from the faith in his wife's eyes, he kissed her lips and then gently lifted the tiny bundle into his arms.
While Haru had looked big in Reika's embrace, he was so tiny in Stone's large hands. One wrong move, and he'd kill his son.
But then Haru squirmed, and he held his son against his chest. The slight weight and heat did something to him, and suddenly Stone knew he loved his child as much as his wife. He'd do anything and everything to protect him, not to mention give him the love and caring Stone had always wanted as a boy but had never received.
Reika put an arm around his back and with her other one, readjusted Haru's blanket. "See how he settled down? He just wanted his daddy."
For a minute or so, they merely stayed that way—Haru in his arms and Reika against his side.
The moment was one he'd never forget for the rest of his life.
Then River cleared his throat and Stone glared at him. The fae witch put up his hands. "Sorry, but I'm not quite done with Reika. Why don't you go by the window and talk to your son while I finish up here?"
Reika moved her hand to his cheek and Stone looked down at her. "Let River handle the afterbirth and then we can all cuddle again."
He grunted. "I don't cuddle."
She smiled. "Yes, you do. And you love it."