Dangerous Beauty: Part Three: This is War (85 page)

“Tell that to me five years ago, Nathan. I’d probably punch your rich ass in the face.”

Nathan chuckled. “Carter Alexandria Matthews wasn’t as mean as Carterina Anastacia Salerno. She wouldn’t have hurt a fly. She was a kind waitress with a heart of gold.”

Carter laughed. “You’ve been a bad influence on me, Nathan Salerno. I was trying to be a good girl until you pulled me over to the dark side. Now I’m killing people with machine guns and working in two very different mafia families. Shame on you.”

Nathan gave her a crooked smile as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “The dark side is the only side on which Nathan Salerno exists.”

Lifting her from the floor, he buried his face in her neck and he exhaled a long breath. He’d never get enough of feeling her in his arms. She was so perfect, and she belonged to him. He couldn’t believe he’d almost lost her last night. Softly he grunted against her neck, making her giggle.

“Would you stop doing that? You know I’m ticklish.”

Grinning, he moved her hair to the side and kissed the sweet spot on her neck.

“Mmm,” she moaned. “I love you so much, Nathan.”

Her fingers slid into his hair, caressing his scalp just the way she knew he liked. Nathan held her tighter. “I love you too, baby,” he whispered in her ear.

“How’s your head feeling?” she asked, running her finger gently over the admittedly still sore spot on his head.

She had already made him go see a doctor last night after they’d had finally gotten to leave the S.O. building. They were going to go straight home, but after they’d received word that the boys were okay, Carter had insisted, knowing herself how bad head injuries could be.

Nathan hated doctors, but he’d gone to appease her. She had been shaken when he’d hit his head during the attack. After the doctor had spent more than a little time convincing her that he was okay, and also examined the wounds she had gotten when she’d protected him in his unconscious state, they felt a little less worried. The tight belt had pressed deeply into her skin when she had held on to him, leaving her with some severe bruising. She’d been walking around the entire night in pain and Nathan hadn’t even known.

“I’m all right, Carterina,” Nathan reassured her. “I promise. The doctor already told you I was fine …”

“I know, bubby, but you hit your head very hard. I’m still worried.”

“I’ll be fine, I promise.” He placed her on her feet and turned her to face him. “How are you feeling? Are you still in pain?” He undid the buttons of her shirt, opening it and letting it fall down her arms to the floor.

“A little,” she whispered with a soft smile. “But I’ve felt worse …”

Moving closer to her, he then pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You were incredible last night, Carterina.”

She shook her head and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Not as incredible as my husband.” She gave him a gentle kiss on his lips. “You saved my life once again, Nathan Salerno. You’re such an amazing man.”

Nathan never could resist kissing her every time she spoke to him like that. She had an extreme amount of emotion and passion in her words. His fingers slipped into her thick hair as he pressed his lips to hers. “I love you, Carterina Salerno,” he sighed in a breathy whisper right before he kissed her deeply.

Carter moaned when Nathan’s kiss journeyed to her jaw, then to her neck. He felt a tear fall down her face and hit his cheek.

“It’s finally all over now, bubby,” she said breathlessly. “Everything we’ve been faced with since we met. We can finally be happy now. You, me, our boys … and in about seven more months, our third child.”

Nathan paused when she said the words softly in his ear. He looked into her eyes, not sure if he’d actually heard the words he’d thought she’d said. “Carterina, are you—”

“Seven weeks,” she answered with a teary smile. “The doctor just told me last night. He checked me while you were getting tests done on your head, and we have a healthy baby growing in my belly. Only one this time, just like you promised me.” She sniffled and wiped her eyes as Nathan remained frozen at the news. “Nathan,” she laughed softly. “Say something, honey. Aren’t you happy? We’re having another baby.”

Was he happy? Did she seriously have to ask that?

Nathan cupped her face. “You’re serious, baby?”

Giggling, she nodded. “Yes, silly. Seven weeks. We were pregnant before we even started trying.
And
I was still on birth control.”

Nathan laughed. “The odds are not in our favor on that one, baby.”

“I think I’m beginning to accept that—”

Her words cut off with a scream when Nathan lifted her into the air and brought her in for a tight hug.

“So you are happy?” she giggled.

Nathan answered her with a kiss that he hoped conveyed every bit of the happiness and love he was feeling in his heart. He was happy. Carter, Aleksandr, and Maksim made him the happiest man in the world.

Their shower was relaxing, intimate, and exactly what they’d both needed after the long night they’d had. They washed away the night, held each other close, and finally made slow, passionate love against the shower wall under the soft streams water falling down on them. Nathan found her hand above her head and intertwined their fingers as their bodies moved together in sensual, fluid motion. He never once took his lips from hers. Even when the heated sensations coursing through his body intensified they remained connected. He caught every single moan and cry of pleasure that she gave him with his kiss. When the combination of both emotion and intense sensation pushed them over the edge, they came together. Nathan released her hands and she clung to him tightly as her body shook in his arms.

Once their bodies calmed, Nathan took a moment to relax against her as the water continued to fall over them. Carter locked her legs around him and kissed his face gently. Nathan felt better now; he felt balanced again. Now all he needed to do was go downstairs and get their sons.

He carried Carter from the shower to their closet, where they slipped on some comfortable clothing, and then journeyed to the basement hand-in-hand to get their babies.

~*~

Carter held tight to Nathan’s arms as he unlocked the basement safe house door. They descended the stairs together, both of them excited to finally see the twins. Carter knew they were sleeping, but she selfishly planned to wake them. If only for a moment, she needed to hear her babies’ voices.

Once they made it down the steps, Carter looked around until she heard soft snoring coming from the living area. She squeezed Nathan’s hand and he nodded, silently telling her that he’d heard it, too. She was unable to hide her anticipation and desire to hug her brother and her babies.

They were perfect. Perfect, healthy, and sleeping soundly on the living room couch. The twins were both balled up next to their snoring Uncle Gabriel. Their little faces were flushed and their tiny bodies shook with hiccups as if they’d been crying all night. Smiling, Carter leaned into Nathan’s arm while taking a deep breath in effort to calm her emotions. She knew that if she didn’t she’d run over to her babies a sobbing mess. Carter had just been so scared last night; she didn’t think it was possible for her to not cry when she finally got the chance to hold them in her arms.

Not wanting to disturb the boys just yet, Carter released Nathan’s hand and went over to her brother. She knelt down in front of him and placed a soft kiss to his cheek.

“Wake up, my love,” she whispered.

Gabriel’s hazel eyes peeked open and focused on her. When he realized who she was he gasped, immediately pulling her up from the floor into a crushing embrace.

Carter hugged him back, feeling her eyes becoming misty. “Gabriel, honey. I’m okay …”

“You scared the shit out of me, Carter.” Releasing her from the tight embrace, he reached forward and cupped her face. “How many times a day do I tell you that I love you?”

Carter gazed into her brother’s teary eyes and smiled warmly. She’d never understand why anyone would think him heartless, emotionless, or mean. He was so sweet to her, and to his nephews. The time in their lives that they’d spent apart seemed to not even exist. She loved him with her whole heart, like she’d known him her entire life.

She placed a gentle hand on his cheek. “You tell me every day, my dear brother.”

They placed their foreheads together and he closed his eyes. “Then I will tell you twice a day from now on. Sometimes three times a day.”

“But I already know, Gabriel …”

“I nearly lost you again. I prayed for the first time since I was a child. I promised God that I’d cherish you and Nathan, that I’d be a better person … and that I’d try my best to be nice.”

She laughed softly. “You
are
nice.”

He gave her a wicked smile. “I’ve met many people throughout my twenty-five years on this earth, love, and you are the only one to ever say that I’m nice.”

“They just don’t know you like I do.” Carter lightly kissed her brother on the lips, then his cheek. “No one will ever see in you what I do, my love. We’re connected. We’re twins.”

Gabriel nodded in agreement. “Really good looking twins …” he muttered.

Giggling, she hugged him as tightly as she could. “Really
sexy
twins.”

Gabriel chuckled. “You are a crazy girl.”

They pulled back from their hug and Carter gave him a playful punch on the arm. “I’m not as crazy as you …”

He smirked and went to go hug Nathan. “She’s crazier than me,” he said to her husband.

“Ten million times crazier than the both of us … combined.”

Gabriel laughed … a little harder than Carter thought was necessary. She rolled her eyes.
It wasn’t that damn funny, and I’m not that damn crazy
. But she didn’t get that upset at their jab at her sanity because she loved to see how much they loved each other. Nathan and Gabriel hitting it off as well as they did when Gabriel first moved on the estate had been a huge relief for Carter. They were both amazing, loveable, anti-social assholes. They completed each other.

The two of them hugged and spoke to each other in soft tone while Carter knelt down in front of the couch, where Aleksandr and Maksim were still sleeping.

First she kissed her precious little Maksim, then her equally as precious little Aleksandr. They stirred and stuck out their little lips like they always did when they first woke up. Unable to resist their adorable ducky lips, Carter gave them both kisses.

“Aww, my precious babies,” she whispered, “Mommy and Daddy are home …”

As soon as they heard her voice, both of their tired grey eyes peeked open. Carter rested her head in front of them, staring into their eyes until they focused on her face. Maksim was the first to react to seeing her. His eyes opened wider right before he made the most heartbreaking little
boo-boo
face Carter had ever seen.

He got up into the crawling positing and came across the couch to her as quick as his tiny legs would allow. “Ma-ma?” he cried.

“Come here, my Maksi.”
Carter already had her arms open. Maksim came straight off the couch and into her arms.

“Ma-ma! Ma-ma ...” Aleksandr jumped up.

He moved as quickly as his brother had. Carter had already gotten up on the couch so that it’d be easier for him to come into her arms. “It’s okay, my Sandr … Mama is here now.”

“Some go, Ma-ma,” Aleksandr cried. “Maksi
have
m-monster.”

“Have monster, Ma-ma?” Maksim added through his tears.

Carter squeezed both Aleksandr and Maksim harder than she ever had before as they cried to her. God, there were no words to describe how much she’d missed them; she’d been so afraid that something had happened to them. They both continued telling her about the monsters and she couldn’t help but feel so bad that she and Nathan hadn’t been here to protect them. They hadn’t felt safe; that just didn’t sit well with Carter. She knew that it wouldn’t be easy for her to forgive herself for not being here for her babies.

Closing her eyes, she breathed them in, trying her best to calm her emotions and take comfort in the fact that they were safe. They still smelled like the baby shampoo she’d washed their hair with before she dressed them for bed yesterday evening, their lotions still smelled fresh on their smooth, light-brown skin, and their pajamas still gave off that fresh laundry scent. It was perfect … It was home. It felt so good to be home.

She opened her eyes when she felt Nathan sit down next to her. Just like he always did, Aleksandr perked up when he saw his papa. His legs started bouncing on Carter’s lap and he gripped her shirt, shaking her as if to tell her that
da-da
had just arrived.

“My da-da!” Aleksandr exclaimed excitedly. “Da-da, Ma-ma! My Da-da.”

“Hi bambino. Come here to Papa …”

Carter shifted on the couch to make it easier for Aleksandr to lunge into his father’s arms.

“Oh!” Nathan laughed when Aleksandr hugged him tightly around his neck. “Did you miss Papa, bambino?” he asked, kissing his cheek.

Aleksandr lifted his head and nodded with teary eyes.
“Mish-u, Da-da. Maksi and Sandr have monster out-side.”