Rule's Property (The House of Rule 2)

"It's not that simple."

"It's entirely that simple."

She relaxed her hands, giving herself over to him, but said no more.

"Baby," he began gently, "You had no family. None at all. Our kid, or kids, if we have them, will have my mom and my brothers and sister and their future families. Trust me, my siblings will eventually get married, they'll have families, and any children that we might have will be loved by not just us, but by their grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins."

Courtney sucked in a breath, his words hitting her brain in a rush. Nick did have a huge family. And they were her family as well. She felt her face flush and at her silence, he seemed to understand she was really listening and he pressed further. "What we ought to do, if you decide you want a kid, is to have a shit-ton of them. We could have four or five and then they'd never be alone. God forbid, even if something happened to us, they'd have each other, right?"

She licked her lips, totally gobsmacked. She swallowed and held his eyes. "I've never . . . I've never thought about it that way. The thought of having kids, leaving them orphaned, has always terrified me so much that I've never thought about having a bunch, instead of just one."

He swirled his hand up and into her hair, holding her closer. His forehead fell to hers and he said gently, "Well think about it. You don't have to decide right now." He lifted his head and continued, "Stay on the pill if you want. I'll even wear condoms for double protection if it'll make you feel better. We'll decide this stuff later. But baby, please, please say you'll stay married to me. Let me put my rings on your finger and please, leave them there."

"Are you sure, Nick? I might never change my mind."

"It's a chance I'm willing to take. I need one thing and one thing only in my life to make me happy. And that's you." They stared at each other as the tension between them began to build. His eyes dropped to her lips and Courtney felt a flare of butterflies at the same moment as a rush of wet heat came between her thighs.

"I love you," Nick groaned as his mouth dropped to hers. His kiss was all things: gentle, loving, possessive, forceful, a promise.

Courtney kissed him back, pushing against the hand that held hers captured. He let go, and immediately, she sank her fingers into his hair.

His scent was all around her, his hard muscles surrounding her and she tried to stop herself, but she couldn't contain her need. She had to lift her hips, just so.

His hand trailed up and lifted her chin. "Ask me nicely."

"Nick, please," she whispered, not wanting to say it.

"No. I want to hear you say the words. You've been putting me through hell and back." He reached down and kissed her so aggressively her brain almost splintered in two. Without her volition, her hips lifted against him again, begging for him. He tore his lips from hers. "I've already held you down against your will and abused your sweet little butt, no way am I going to be accused of a worse crime."

His words were half-teasing, half-serious, and Courtney speared her fingers through his hair and smiled up at him. "You're forgiven. Love me, Nick. Make love to me, please."

A sizzle hit the air as a feral look transformed his expression. He shifted his legs, surged back and with a power and dominance she'd never felt from him before, thrust inside her with one powerful stroke.

Courtney was inundated by the exquisite fullness she'd quickly come to crave. As he pushed in and held himself there, she knew in that second that the situation between them really was killing her too. She couldn't live without him and she never wanted to have to try. This was killing them both and she couldn't keep it up another moment.

Swallowing hard, deciding to trust him to know what was right, trusting him with her entire heart, she whispered, "Nick."

Continuing to hold himself deep inside, he took her chin with one hand and nipped at her bottom lip, before opening his eyes. "What, sweetheart?"

She stared at him for several long seconds as the heat began to build between them. "What, baby?" he asked more gently.

"Did you mean what you said?" she asked, her voice full of entreaty.

"I usually mean what I say," he answered carefully, kissing her on the lips before stilling again and catching her eyes with his.

"About . . . about the children," she elaborated.

His shoulders stiffened almost infinitesimally as he took a sharp breath. "What about them?" he asked gently.

"Can we have a bunch?" she asked quickly. "You really meant it, right?" As she watched him, she couldn't stop her lips from trembling. "I couldn't have just one. We'd need four or five, at least. You're right, they'll need to always have somebody else, you know? In case something happens to us."