A Reluctant Companion (35 page)

She nodded against his shoulder. “I know. That wasn’t the worst thing I endured that day.”

He winced. “I know.” Tiernan relaxed his clenched fists and started stroking her hair. “I don’t deserve your forgiveness.”

“I don’t know. You hurt me, but I’ve hurt you the past few weeks too.” She kissed his chest. “Since you were too modest to mention your favors, I never thanked you properly.”

He frowned. “For what?”

“Susan’s clinic.” She kissed lower. “My parents’ winery extension.” Her mouth stopped at his nipple, and she flicked her tongue across it like a cat with cream. “Pardoning my idiot brother.”

He groaned as she sucked on the hard nub. “I did those things because you make me want to be a better person, not because I was trying to force you to forgive me.”

She chuckled before moving her mouth to his other pec, torturing his nipple with rough licks and delicate nibbles. “Whatever your motivation, I should still thank you.”

With a moan, he buried his hand in her hair. “Perhaps you should.” Guiding her head lower, his stomach clenched when she kissed her way down the dusting of hair directing her lower. Tiernan bit his tongue when the wet heat of her mouth cradled the head of his cock before slipping down over the length. She sucked and bobbed, her busy little tongue drawing erotic designs on the underside of his erection. He thrust against her, hazily thinking he should slow down and pull back, so he didn’t choke her.

Madison chased the thought right from his mind when she bit him gently around the base before scraping her teeth up the sides of his cock. The little bit of pain heightened his pleasure, and he knew he was going to come. With shaking hands, he tried to pull her head back. “Watch out.”

She resisted his efforts and sucked harder. Surrendering, he let go with another release, ecstasy spiraling through him and pulling him into a vortex of sensation. His only anchor was Madison, and he held on to her tightly, calling her name almost in desperation. He couldn’t lose her again. There was no way he would ever survive being without her. Head over heels in love with her, he’d fallen so hard he would never find his way back to the man he’d been before. As awareness returned, and she cuddled against him, he found he was just fine with that. Nothing in the world mattered more than Madison and their baby. The idea of ever again being the aloof, self-involved man whose sole focus was the Federation left him cold. Fortunately, his generous lover had all sorts of ways to warm him up, and they spent the rest of the night exploring them.

Chapter Twenty-One

Madison had expected to have some morning-after regrets, to second guess her decision to put the betrayal behind her and move on. To her relief, she had nary a flicker of doubt as she woke up beside her lover. Her only moderate regret was perhaps a lack of sleep. She was exhausted from their marathon lovemaking and couldn’t stifle a yawn.

He grinned. “I wore you out.”

To her amusement, he also yawned. “It looks mutual, my love.” Trailing her hand up his chest, she rested her palm between his pecs. “I had planned to go to the clinic today.”

He frowned, but didn’t issue a dictate. She gave him points for diplomacy when he said, “Maybe you should take a nap this morning and go in the afternoon.”

Madison nodded, having already reached that conclusion. “I think you should join me.”

Tiernan lifted a corner of his mouth. “We both know there won’t be any sleeping if I stay.”

Sticking out her lower lip, she said, “I need you more than sleep.”

He shook his head, softening the rejection with a kiss to her forehead. “That might be true for you, but she needs her mother to rest.” He rubbed her stomach.

She put her hand on his, pressing it against her belly. “You keeping saying ‘she’. Do you want a girl?”

“I want her to be healthy most of all, but I just feel like it’s a girl.” He pushed hair off her face with his free hand. “Or maybe it’s wishful thinking. I want a baby just like you.”

“I’d rather have a little boy.” She stretched a bit, bringing his hand over to the side of her tummy. “He’s kicking. Can you feel him?”

He nodded. “Yes, she’s active.”

Madison grinned. “Well, I still say he will be a copy of you, down to your incredible hazel eyes.”

He shrugged. “She might have my mother or father’s eyes. I’m apparently a mix of the two. My mother had vivid green eyes, and I’ve heard her companion had brown eyes.” Tiernan kissed the side of her mouth. “I’d rather she have your blue eyes.”

“He or she will be perfect just as they are.”

As though agreeing, the baby picked that moment to kick under his hand. Madison frowned, making him frown. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I guess the baby is just participating in the discussion. He hit me and kicked me at the same time.” She pointed to another spot a few inches above where his hand rested. “Talented already, isn’t he?”

“Yes, she is,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

*****

Madison put off returning to the clinic until the next day. She had been nervous to see Vinny and Figg, since they had been injured indirectly because of her, but both expressed gratitude to find her doing well and seemed to be happy to be back on her security detail.

The clinic was in its new building, and the sight filled her with satisfaction. It was neat and well kept, in a safer neighborhood, but still within walking distance of the old clinic. The reception area was much more controlled chaos, and she hid a grin when she saw Lucy give Vinny a discreet kiss.

Susan seemed surprised to see her, but soon found Madison tasks that weren’t strenuous. Organizing the new filing cabinets might have been mind-numbingly boring if she hadn’t spent weeks cooped up in the Seattle-Archer Government Building.

Surprisingly, just a couple of hours left her tired—and she couldn’t blame Tiernan for keeping her up all night again, since he’d spent a good part of last night catching up on his missed sleep. After battling heavy eyelids for a few minutes, she sought out Susan apologetically. “I think I need a nap,” she said as soon as her friend finished with her current patient.

Susan nodded. “That’s completely normal.”

“It seems ridiculous to me.”

Her friend smiled. “Give yourself a break. Growing a new human is hard work.”

She didn’t argue with that. “Okay, you talked me into leaving early.” At Susan’s chuckle, she hugged the other woman. “Thank you so much for everything, Susan.”

She patted Madison’s shoulder. “It was my pleasure, honey. You’re like the daughter I always wanted.” Her voice was thick for a second, but she cleared her throat and sounded normal again. “Joan is coming by tomorrow.”

Madison stepped back with a nod. “Yes. Will you be with her?”

Looking regretful, Susan shook her head. “Sorry, Madison. I am booked solid.”

“That’s okay. I’ll see you the next day.”

“I’ll be glad to have you, but you mustn’t overdo it.”

Waving her hand, Madison said, “Don’t worry. I already promised Tiernan I wouldn’t, and I’m sure he’s timing me.” She grinned to indicate she was fine with that.

Susan pushed hair out of her face as Lucy led back another patient. “He does worry about you.” With a small wave, she led her next patient back into the room.

Madison left the clinic feeling happy and content. She had missed doing something useful, and while it was debatable how necessary organizing files was, it was wonderful to be back at the clinic. Not that taking a nap wouldn’t also be wonderful, she conceded, as she smothered another yawn.

*****

Joan arrived just after she had finished lunch the next day. Madison greeted her with a hug, and they chatted about her general health for a few minutes before the midwife requested she lie down.

Once in position, Madison stayed still as Joan measured her belly with a cloth strip marked with inches. Seeing the other woman’s frown made her heart rate jump. “What’s wrong?”

Joan looked up at her with a slightly unfocused expression before blinking. “Oh, nothing to worry about. You’re just measuring a few weeks ahead.”

Madison frowned. “I’m sixteen weeks. I can’t be any farther than that, since I didn’t miss my tea at all until that time.”

Joan shrugged. “Even contraceptive tea isn’t always effective, but I’m sure your dates are right, dear. Every woman grows at a different rate.” She rooted around in the brown leather bag she’d brought before bringing out a wooden horn about eight inches along. “And you should be far enough along now that we can hear the little one’s heartbeat.”

“What is that?” Madison studied the device as Joan brought it to her stomach. She winced a bit when the midwife pressed it into her flesh before bending to place her ear at the other end.

“It’s a Pinnard horn and very useful for hearing the heartbeat.” Joan repositioned slightly. “In fact, I prefer it to some of the equipment we used at the hospital. It’s more precise, without so much background noise.” She smiled. “Yes, there’s the little love.” After falling silent for a bit, she said, “The heartbeat is nice and strong.”

Standing up, she moved the horn to a different spot. “I’m going to see if we can figure out how the baby’s positioned.” Her expression told a different story, and it was obvious she was looking for something as she bent to the horn.

Madison swallowed the lump in her throat. “Please tell me what’s wrong? Is the baby okay?”

Joan put up a hand to request silence, and after what seemed an interminable wait, she stood up again. Her smile was reassuring. “The baby is fine. Both are fine.”

Madison blinked. “What?”

Joan’s grin widened. “You’re having twins, dear.”

She blinked again. “Whoa. I did not expect that.”

Her midwife chuckled. “Most people don’t, but it’s more likely to happen when it runs in the family. Well, fraternal twins run in families. Identicals are just a happy accident of nature.”

She cocked her head. “I don’t remember any twins in my family.”

Joan put the horn away. “Since the commander was a twin, he’s more likely to father a pair.” Suddenly, the old woman’s face paled, and she swayed.

Madison got up in a hurry, taking the other woman’s arm to lead her to the settee. She held off questioning Joan until some color returned to her skin. “Tiernan was a twin?”

Biting her lip, Joan finally nodded. “I wasn’t supposed to say anything. Commander Archer swore me to secrecy.”

She must be referring to Catherine Archer, since Tiernan had been a baby. “What happened? Did the baby die?”

Joan shook her head. “Oh, no. He was a sweet little thing with the most beautiful green eyes, just like his mother. Most babies are born with blue eyes, but Tiernan and his brother both had their eye colors right from the start.”

Madison sank down beside the other woman. “What happened to the baby? Tiernan’s brother?” Had Tiernan known? He’d certainly never mentioned it.

Again, the midwife hesitated. “It was tragic.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “So he did die.”

She shook her head. “No. Commander Archer was a good leader, but cold.”

Madison nodded her agreement, having reached that conclusion just by what Tiernan had revealed about his childhood. “I can imagine.”

“She didn’t want the Federation torn apart by two heirs, and she said there was no room for co-leaders. A commander had to make the final decision with no one having the authority to question him.”

Madison grimaced. “She was thinking all this as she held her babies?”

Joan scowled. “No, dear. She found out in her second trimester she was having twins, so she had time to think and plan. When the babies were born, she never held the younger one. Instead, she had me take him to his father, and troops escorted them from Seattle-Archer, along with instructions never to return.” Looking disgusted, she shook her head. “The woman just sent away her infant without looking back, as though he was no concern to her at all.”

Madison’s heart stuttered at the thought of giving up one of her babies. She’d barely begun to adjust to the idea of two, but she couldn’t imagine getting rid of one, especially for the so-called good of the Federation. “What a horrible woman. Still, perhaps that baby was the lucky one.” She frowned. “Being so cold, I’m surprised she didn’t just have the baby killed or something, to permanently remove proof.”