Dawn was approaching, and the sun had nearly crested over the horizon, when I finished for the night and started for my room. As I neared it, however, I felt Vienne’s presence grow stronger with every step I took, causing a smile of realization to spread across my face.

As soon as I opened the door, I saw the lump on my bed under the covers where she lay.

I immediately started toward her but a whimper from the corner of the room waylaid me. I turned to blink in surprise, not realizing a crib had been stationed there until the baby inside it started to stir. Shaking my head, I smiled before changing my course to check on the babe.

Anniston had kicked off her blanket and lay on her back windmilling her legs with a speed that made me chuckle, while she gurgled, blowing bubbles from her mouth.

“Well, hello there.” I picked her up, grinning softly. “It’s nice to see you in such good spirits. Happy to be home again with your mother, I presume?” Then I nodded and shifted her up against my shoulder so she could rest her cheek against me. “Yes, I would be too.”

But as soon as I went to pat her back, I felt wetness against my fingers. Ah, damn. She’d pissed through her clothes. Again.

“Now I see what woke you.” I winced through a knowing nod. “I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t be able to sleep, covered in my own urine either. Let’s see what we can do about that.”

I’d never changed a nappy before, but Anniston didn’t seem to mind my fumbling attempts. She quite enjoyed the added freedom to kick even more when I peeled away all the wet material cloaking her. It made me feel bad about having to wrap her up again. But she didn’t seem to mind that either. I laughed and shook my head, sure she was going to be either a swimmer or a runner, what with those legs of hers.

But then I checked out the nappy I’d just fastened into place and groaned. It looked quite crooked and out of sorts.

How the hell did Vienne always make them look so neat on this squirming kid?

Oh, well. Anniston didn’t seem to mind. I swear the babe actually grinned up at me, happy to simply be alive.

My heart melted. I blinked a few times, refusing to cry over changing a simple, damn nappy. But she was such a cute little thing. And she was alive. Mere hours ago, I had feared I’d never see her again.

“Well, then,” I said, clearing my throat and picking her up so I could stroke her head and kiss her soft cheek. “We bumbled our way through that mess, now didn’t we?”

“I think you did splendidly,” a voice answered from the bed.

I glanced over, lifting one eyebrow to find Vienne still lying under the covers but perched upright on one elbow with her chin resting in the palm of one hand. She smiled a smile that melted me all over again.

Like mother, like daughter, I suppose.

“My lady,” I said, my cock perking to immediate attention. “I believe you’ve wandered your way into the wrong bed.”

“Did I?” she asked, glancing around as if noticing for the first time that she was indeed in another bedchamber than her own. “Hmm. I could’ve sworn this room was yours.”

My smile was slow and predatory. “It is.”

Her gaze returned to me, the light in her eyes warm and inviting. “Then I’m exactly where I want to be.”

I drew in a sharp breath. “Are you sure? You haven’t even been a widow a full day yet.”

She flipped the sheets off her to reveal nothing but bare woman underneath, the curve in her hips dipping down to her waist only to flare back up toward full, proud breasts. My gaze slid up her long shapely legs, and a moan worked its way from my throat. I felt suddenly very awkward about holding a small infant in my arms while in a state of full arousal.

But, damn…

“I like that answer.”

She nodded. “I rather thought you might.” Then she glanced at her child and lowered her voice. “She’s fallen back to sleep if you want to lay her in her crib and join me.”

Did I ever?

I almost woke the kid up again in my haste to return her to her bed. Behind me, a honey-blonde vixen laughed softly at my fumbling attempts, and it was the sweetest sound in the entire realm.

But I still paused a moment after laying the babe down to watch her shift onto her side in a more comfortable position and open her mouth as she fell into a deeper sleep.

Glad she’d been returned to us, I reached down to set my hand on her warm head before pulling away to turn my interest to her mother.

“Now,” I said, prowling toward the bed and frowning when I saw she’d recovered herself with the sheet. “Where were we?”

“I believe you were just about to join me in here so you could finally get a spot of rest after a long night’s work.” She lifted the sheet just enough to invite me under it with her but kept her naked body covered.

“Rest?” I snorted and shook my head, thinking she’d quite lost her mind. As I stripped off my own clothes, leaving a pile at my feet, I grinned and shook my head. “I finally have my one true love in my bed, alive and in person, and you think I can even think of sleep at a time like this?”

I gripped the covers, lifting them more, and crawled onto the mattress with her. Then I kept going until I was all the way on top of her, our legs twining, stomachs snuggled and chests kissing. Though she must feel my erection grinding right up against the cleft between her legs, she frowned in concern, gently wiping a strand of hair out of my eyes. “You must be exhausted.”

I pressed my cock more insistently against her womanhood. “I think I’m getting a second wind.”

But my suggestive smile died when I took in the dark gouges under her eyes that revealed her own fatigue. I brushed her hair across her cheek as well with the backs of my fingers and found a bruise on her jaw. My stomach tied into knots.

“What about you?” I murmured in worry, kissing the bruise lightly. “You’ve experienced more firsts and traumas than I did today… Or can we safely put it all in the past and call it yesterday yet?”

She gave a half shrug and even vaguer smile. “I’m doing okay.”

“Vienne,” I said, clearly knowing better. “You lost your child for a while, then found out you’ve been betrayed by your sister and husband, and…”

I winced and shook my head, wondering if mentioning more would make it worse for her. I decided not to even bring up the Far Shore prince she’d killed or any of the stuff Allera had filled me in about her parents and school. Her sister had fucked her over royally. There was no way she could be fine after that.

But she merely looked at me with affection and a lucidity that told me she wasn’t out of her mind with grief. She was dealing with it, processing, and moving along.

Clasping my face between her hands, she said, “I find that I would like very much for someone to distract me from all that right now.”

“Mmm,” I said. “I think you have a volunteer.” Leaning in, I brushed the end of my nose along her jaw. “Yes, you definitely came to the right place for some proper distraction.”

“Good.” Opening her legs under me, she invited me in with a smile, only to pause in concern. “Wait. Is that a bruise growing under your eye? And your nose. It looks swollen. Your nose wasn’t swollen the last time I saw you.”

I groaned, thinking about Nicolette’s head-butting one true love.

“I’ll tell you all about that later. But first… This.” I entered her, slow and steady and with enough pressure to make sure she felt every inch.

Her breath caught and eyes widened. “Oh, dear.”

“Too much?” I asked, slowing to a stop while I left her half impaled.

“No!” she grit out, digging her nails into my shoulders and shimmying her hips to take more of me. “God, Urban! Don’t stop now. Don’t—”

My grin teased rakishly.

Then I pushed the rest of the way inside her, and she gasped, her body convulsing reflexively around mine.

Our dreams had been powerful, but they could never be this. Here and now… This was the real thing, potent and amazing. My cock pulsed within her, making her gaze flare with more surprise as I set my hands on her knees, holding her open and forcing her to feel it all without a ribbon of restraint.

“Oh God,” she whimpered, throwing back her head and moaning as I let her adjust to all of me.

The hard nubs of her nipples rasped against my chest, I lifted up on my forearms so I could examine them. I knew she wanted me to suck on them the moment her gaze shifted to my mouth. But I smiled at her, feeling the need to tease and draw this out, distract her for as long as possible.

My hips undulated slowly as I began to slide out of her before heaving back in. She shuddered from the impact, her breasts bouncing and inner muscles tightening, locking us into an intimate bond that caused each thrust to feel like rocket blasts going off on the insides of my eyelids. I clenched my teeth, the veins in my neck straining as I tried not to feel it so intensely, so I could last longer, but fuck. It felt so good.

“Damn you, damn you,” she moaned, wanting the release I was intentionally holding just out of both our reaches. I knew one more touch in just the right spot would do it, but… Not yet. Too soon. I wanted to play a little first.

“Damn me?” I asked on a husky, amused laugh as I lowered myself just enough to grin into her eyes. “I’m just trying to grant my one true love her ultimate wish for distraction. What? Am I not succeeding?”

“Could you succeed a little less?” she groaned, clutching the muscles in my back, her fingernails digging in. “Because I want my fucking orgasm. Right. Now.”

My gaze went foggy and my body buzzed even harder. “Damn, I love it when you cuss.”

“Fuck you,” she gasped before jerking my face down so she could capture my mouth with hers, and that… Now that was my undoing. Suddenly, I was the one caught under her spell.

Groaning, I locked my tongue with hers and kissed her for all I was worth, spiking deep and hard inside her, because this woman, this beautiful, brave, timid, lovely, kind woman… She was mine. All mine. In every way possible.

She was a fucking goddess.

And she owned every piece of me.

When she hooked a leg around mine and forced me to roll across the bed with her, I was helpless but to follow her lead, landing on my back with her straddling my hips so she could slam down on my lap, forcing my cock to go deeper, faster, harder, and exactly where she needed it.

“I really do want to do this with you while riding on Elliott,” she rasped, catching my eye.

“Okay.” I gazed up at her in wonder and cupped her breasts in my hands before lightly nipping the nipples between my thumb and forefinger. It was the zap she needed to reach her climax.

“Oh God. I love you… I love you!” she cried out, staring into my eyes as her pussy locked tight around me.

I threw my head back and roared, pouring everything I had into her. And she took it, greedily absorbing whatever I offered.

“I love you too,” I gasped, gripping her hair as the last bit left me.

I’d never felt so drained and yet completely filled after a round of sex in my life. When she collapsed on my chest, panting and sweaty, I think I momentarily passed out from the intensity of it.

When I came to, dazed in the most pleasant way possible, she was pressing light kisses to my neck and her warm body was curling around mine. Our legs tangled and arms wrapped around each other. I tugged her close and kissed the top of her hair.

“That was abso-fucking-lutely amazing.”

Vienne lifted her face to grin. “Best dream yet.”

“Except we’re not dreaming.”

She bit her lip and squinted. “Are you sure about that? Because this feels way too good to be true.”

I chuckled and kissed her lips softly. When she kissed me back, I pinched her bottom.

She squealed and jumped before smacking my shoulder. “Urban! What the hell?”

I threw my head back and laughed. “Proof we’re definitely awake,” I explained, but she narrowed her eyes, so I shrugged. “What? The orgasm I gave you didn’t seem to convince you so I thought a nip of pain might.”

Her gaze was dry as she shook her head. “Consider me convinced. Just don’t do that again, unless you want repercussions.”

My eyebrows winged up. “Repercussions? That sounds kinky.”

Vienne giggled and shook her head. “Why do I have a feeling I’m going to have my hands full with you, Prince?”

“Probably because I plan to bother you constantly every day with my undivided love and devotion for the rest of my life,” I guessed.

Her grin bloomed before she kissed my nose. “Then I guess I better get used to it, because I plan to do the same for you.”

With a sigh, I smiled up at her. “My love,” I murmured in approval.

Stroking my face with her fingers, she nodded. “My love.”