Spotilicious (Jaguartow)

He knew that the extent of his wealth, which he was making no effort to hide, made Kelly slightly uncomfortable. But he wanted her to understand that he could provide for her. There was nothing that she needed to worry about when she was part of his life. He was a man who could provide for her and their growing family.

The private jet taking them from New York back to Las Vegas was a small luxury that he had Reid organize for them. He had enjoyed seeing Kelly’s reaction to the opulent, luxurious cabin that was just for them.

She had confided in him that she had only been on a plane a few times in her entire life, and he wanted everything from this point on to be an experience that she would never forget. She still had not agreed to move to Las Vegas yet, but she had agreed to come out and stay with him for the weekend. He knew that this was his opportunity to fully introduce her to what her new life would look like. He felt reasonably confident that even without his normal powers of persuasion at his disposal, he would be able to convince her that it was worth it to stay. Of course, the most persuasive part of the entire arrangement still hadn’t taken hold, because Kelly stubbornly refused to believe she was pregnant.

“So tell me again what you do,” she said as she turned back to him.

Marc couldn’t help himself from reaching over and pushing a stray strand of hair out of her face. He smiled softly at her and couldn’t stop himself from giving her a sweet kiss. He loved the way that she melted in his arms when he did. “My family runs a series of businesses in and around Las Vegas. Those businesses run the gamut from gambling to entertainment to hospitality and everything in between,” he explained.

Kelly wrinkled her nose. “That sounds pretty vague.”

Marc chuckled. He loved that his mate was always so free in the way that she spoke to him. He wasn’t used to it. As the alpha, it often seemed as if people walked on eggshells around him. “It’s just a lot to take in. Basically, I am the CEO of DaVaca Enterprises. Every business we own ultimately reports up to me.”

She snuggled into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and enjoyed her closeness. He knew that he was already getting used to her scent, that unique smell of apples and cinnamon that reminded him of fall. He enjoyed having that scent on his clothes, and he would enjoy it even more on a daily basis waking up with it in his nostrils because his woman was in his arms.

“Well, Mr. DaVaca, you sound very, very important,” Kelly drawled in a mocking tone. She looked up at him with a slight expression of confusion. “Which is another reason that I still don’t understand why you would pick somebody like me.”

He frowned and took her by the shoulders gently pushing her away from him so he could look her fully in the face. “You are my mate. That is what the universe tells me. So there is no one else out there for me but you. You are perfect just the way you are.”

He caught the slight look of hope on her face just before it fell.

“I barely graduated from high school. I waitressed for years to put myself through college. I thought I married a decent guy but he turned up to be an asshole who cheated on me every time I looked away. He always said I was no good. I’ve been on yo-yo diets for what feels like my entire life. I’m a good twenty pounds overweight. I’m nothing but an administrative assistant for some loser at a car dealership. My life is boring. It’s nothing like yours. We have nothing in common, so why would you ever want me?”

It broke Marc’s heart to hear her talk about herself the way that she did. It was so obvious that no man had ever treated her the way that she deserved to be treated.

He kept his expression solemn. “I know we haven’t known each other for long, Kelly. I know this all feels like a whirlwind to you. It does to me, too, but I’m not afraid of it because I know that it’s right.” He touched the area over her heart. He could feel its beat speed up. He hoped that she always felt that way about him. “But from what I have gotten to know about you, I can tell that you are warm and generous and kind. You have a light inside of you that draws people to you. Don’t let some asshole from your past convince you that there’s anything wrong with the way that you look or who you are. You want to know a secret?”

“Ooh a secret. Do tell.”

“I think your curves are sexy as hell, and I would rather look at your body naked underneath me writhing in my arms any day of the week then some twig of a woman on the cover of some magazine who people say is beautiful, but really isn’t. You have everything going for you. Especially now that we’re together. I’m going to treat you like a queen. You’re going to see that you’re going to have everything that you deserve.”

He could see tears shimmering in her eyes, and he slowly wiped them away. “You will never have a reason to cry again. I swear it.” He pulled her into his arms and rocked her gently against him. A short time later, he heard the first sounds that told him she’d fallen asleep, and he relaxed into his seat. He would enjoy the moments like this as often has he could. He knew that with his business dealings, things would become more difficult for them to be able to spend as much quality time together as he wanted, but he would do everything he could to make sure she had a full life surrounded by family and friends who appreciated her. Especially once the baby came.

They arrived in Las Vegas, and he thought it was amusing how she insisted on freshening up before they could leave the plane. She said that she didn’t want to meet anyone he knew looking like a hideous mess. With her slightly ruffled hair, flushed skin, and hooded, sleepy eyes, he thought that she never looked sexier. That was what he told her with his mouth and his hands after he followed her into the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, they emerged from the plane onto the tarmac, and he smiled with satisfaction seeing the small row of hickeys on the side of her neck that her makeup couldn’t hide. He was glad to see her wearing his marks. He intended to possess her body and soul, just as she had already possessed his.

He helped her into the waiting limo and gave the driver an address. He pointed out several of the local landmarks to Kelly as they drove down the Strip. He could tell that she was already feeling perkier than she had on the plane. Las Vegas had that effect on people. As long as he had lived there, he knew that he wouldn’t ever want to live anywhere else. Vegas had an energy all its own.

When they pulled up outside an office building, she looked at him with a questioning look.

“I know that you’re having a hard time believing you’re pregnant with my cub,” he said. “I wanted to address that and get it out of the way now, so we can move on.”

Kelly looked at him with a hesitant look. “So we’re at a doctor’s office?”

“Yes, because I want you to believe me. Everything I’m telling you is true. This is the first step.”

He helped her out of the limo and up the stairs into the office building. He enjoyed having her next to him, and he felt the settling of his life now. This was just the first step of many. He was planning to introduce Kelly to his inner circle as soon as they were done at the doctor’s office.

He could tell that Kelly was surprised when they got right in. The DaVaca clan didn’t wait for any doctors, doctors waited for them. They were ushered into a small examination room, and he noted the look of apprehension on her face when she saw the ultrasound machine waiting there. The doctor didn’t waste any time asking her to lie down on the table and expose her stomach. He began an examination and asked a bunch of question about her health. The nurse took her blood sample. And when she finished, the doctor turned on

the ultrasound machine. Two of his assistants in white coats hovered behind him.

Marc held Kelly’s hand even as the doctor began the scan over her belly. Kelly cringed a little when the doctor pushed the wand slightly harder. Her mouth dropped open when they both saw the small flickering image on the monitor. The doctor typed some commands on the keyboard and they could hear a steady heartbeat through the speaker.

Kelly and Marc traded gazes.

“Congratulations!” the doctor said. “See that peanut over here? It’s the baby and the baby looks great. I’d say you’re about six weeks along, based on the size we see here.”