“It’s you who is growing so much better with age. There should be a law to curb your improvement.” She nipped his chin, caught his groan of pleasure in hungry lips. “I constantly want to devour you.”
Hunger blazing in his eyes, he pressed himself between her spreading thighs. “Devour away. I’m self-regenerating.” He suddenly groaned, grimaced. “I didn’t promise you the most important thing.”
She wrapped her legs around his hips, pulling him back to her. “Nothing is more important than having you.”
“Yes, there is. Safety. Yours, Rico’s and that of everyone you love. I promise you my near-fatal slipup will never be repeated. If I feel I can’t be sure of that, I’ll scrap this identity and start from scratch.”
Terrified all over again, she clung to him. “Oh, God, Richard, how did it happen?”
He told her and she sank back in relief. “You don’t have other people who want to kill you, do you?”
“Actually, it’s in everyone’s best interest to keep me safe...so I can keep them safe.”
“If so, what’s with your security fetish?” At his rising eyebrows, she grinned. “Yes, I’ve noticed our security detail everywhere. I know if I’m being watched. Comes from my years in Colombia and then on the run.”
He groaned, the knowledge of her ordeals something she knew would hurt him forever. “It’s been a well-established paranoia since I escaped The Organization. Knowing what it would mean if they ever found out I defected, and who I am now, I’d rather always be safe than sorry.”
“But you are generally safer than anyone on earth, barring that aberrant situation, which could have happened to anyone.”
“It should have never happened to me.”
“And it won’t happen again, if I know anything about you. So we’re not in any danger by association. What are you worried about, then?”
His lips twisted, as if she’d asked him why he breathed. “I’ll always worry, because you and Rico are not inside my body, where I can monitor where you are at all times, and where I can keep you safe every second of every day for the rest of my life.”
After another ferocious hug, she pulled back, grinned up at him. “Welcome to love. And to parenthood.”
He squeezed his eyes, gritted his teeth. “It’s always that bad, isn’t it?”
“Far worse.”
His eyes opened, blasting her to her marrow with his adoration. “I love it. I love you. Darling...”
Her phone rang. They froze for a heartbeat before they both lunged for it.
It was Rico. Shaking, Isabella put him on speaker. He sounded sleepy, but exactly like their perfect little boy.
“Uncle Antonio told me who he is and what happened and that he didn’t expect me to wake up so soon, and that my head is as hard as my father’s. You’re my father, Richard, right?”
Richard covered his face with his hands for a second, dragged them down over it, his eyes filling again. “I am your father, Rico. And Father is what I want you to call me from now on. I’m sorry I left, but your mother and I are coming right now, and I’ll tell you everything as soon as you can handle long talks. But I want you to know one thing. I’m never leaving you again. Ever.”
Rico’s squeal of delight was cut short before he slurred for them to hurry up. Antonio came on and told them to come only if they were rested, as Rico was already asleep again.
With the call over, Richard looked at her, his eyes reddened, his expression disbelieving again. “This is too much, my love. Too many blessings.”
Overwhelmed by everything, too, Isabella clung to him. “Can you handle one more? You might have to make space inside yourself for one more person who’ll love you forever.” He pulled back, eyes wide in shock. She bit her lip, pulled at a patch of his chest hair. “I suspect we made another baby.”
“You suspect?” he rasped, looking shell-shocked.
“Want to find out for sure?”
He exploded from her side, cursing that he’d shredded his clothes, called Murdock, told him to get him intact ones and the helicopter.
She giggled at seeing him all over the place, flustered, no doubt, for the first time in his life. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to buy a pregnancy kit.”
“By helicopter?”