The Skilled Seduction (49 page)
Read The Skilled Seduction Online
Authors: Tracy Goodwin
fabric of her chemise atop her belly. “Good night, little one.”
“I’ve been considering names quite a bit lately,” Victoria threaded her fingers through Tristan’s thick mane.
“And?” Tristan rested his cheek against her belly.
“I would like to name our son Ian,” Victoria twirled one of his wayward locks between her fingers. “After my brother, Sebastian.”
She didn’t offer a further explanation, there was no need. “What makes you so convinced that our little lamb is a boy?” he asked, turning to face her.
Victoria’s smile widened. “Call it intuition.”
He arched his brow then turned his attention back to her belly. “You are already one lucky boy, Ian. For, not only is your mama’s intuition infallible, but she is a wonderful woman and loves you very much. As I know from firsthand experience, one is capable of anything when Lady Victoria MacAlistair believes in you.”
Victoria’s heart swelled with a combination of adoration and intense pride. Tristan had come so far, grown so much in the past year.
His transformation was one of epic proportions.
Tristan flattened his palm against her belly, his warmth emanating through the fine fabric of her chemise as he continued his soliloquy. “Your mother is also fiercely tenacious and will fight for those she loves. Your mama is smart and incredibly perceptive, as well, because she knew my heart long before I ever did.”
The baby kicked, causing Victoria to squeal. “Did you feel that? He kicked.” She placed Tristan’s flattened palms atop her belly. Another kick followed.
“This lad is a strong one.” Tristan’s excitement was evident in his tone.
“He likes hearing his father speak to him.”
“In that case,” Tristan settled gently against Victoria’s distended stomach. “I shall tell you more about your mama.”
Stroking his hair, Victoria listened intently to her husband’s every word as Tristan humbled himself to her and their unborn child. “You will never know the extent to which your mother is willing to go to protect her family, but you will always know that she loves you and believes in you. Because she loved me, believed in me, long before I ever deserved it.”
“Tristan MacAlistair, you have become a hopeless romantic!”
“No,” Tristan teased, shifting his weight. “I am blissfully happy,” he kissed her belly. “I am thoroughly content,” he added his lips trailing towards the valley between her full, rounded breasts, where he kissed his wife once again. “And,” he paused, kissing her neck, “I am fervently in love with my wife.”
His lips trailed upward, where he tenderly brushed them against hers. He then caressed his wife’s cheek. His gaze tender, his words rich with emotion. “After all of the heartache we caused, I would still do it all a hundred times over, if it meant we would end up here, together, with our precious children.”
Victoria clasped his face in her palms. “I feel the same.”
There is nothing she wouldn’t do for him, for such a life as the one they had been blessed with.
“You are my greatest love, Victoria,” his mahogany gaze held hers. “My dearest wish come true.”
How long ago had it been since she had hoped for a love to withstand the test of time? Here, staring into the depths of her husband’s smoky gaze, Victoria knew she had found just that. This remarkable man loved her more than she ever thought possible.
Pulling him towards her, Victoria brushed her lips against his in a profound kiss. Gentle yet passionate, sweet yet possessive, her husband’s intimate kisses were her favorite gift of all for he relinquished his soul to her in his every kiss.
“Thank you for loving me,” she said simply, well aware of how difficult it had been for him, well aware of the risk he had taken.
As if reading her thoughts, Tristan added in a raspy baritone. “You were worth the risk, Victoria. You are my love, my salvation. My miracle.”
For a man who had once denounced Him, God had proven Tristan wrong. He embraced his wife, and she settled against his chest, her hand resting against his heart. Pressing his lips against her auburn curls, he inhaled deeply, reveling in the scent of sweet oranges. His wife would never cease to surprise him. The thought was enough to make his heart beat quicker, hope flooding his veins.
Dear God, thank you for this life you have given me.
So often of the same mind, Victoria whispered “We are blessed.”
She was correct and Tristan silently vowed to spend his life proving that he was worthy of such a gift. For Victoria was indeed a gift from God.
Salvation from the man he had become.
“I love you,” he whispered, such a small statement yet one brimming with meaning.
When she replied, her cadence was rich with emotion. “I love you, Tristan.”
Tristan had found his heart. It had belonged to Victoria all along. And even though it had taken him far too long to admit it, time is what made today and every day forward that much sweeter.
Dear God, thank you for this woman.
Blissfully content, with Sophie sleeping next door and their newest addition in Victoria’s protective cocoon, Tristan cradled his wife in his arms while a lifetime of these moments flashed before Tristan’s eyes.
As he joined her in peaceful slumber his lips curled into a soft grin.
There was no place he’d rather be.
About the Author
In addition to being a wife and mommy to an exquisite son and daughter, Tracy Goodwin is also the #1 Bestselling Author of sweeping Historical Romances fraught with passion, hope, danger, and redemption. Not surprising, having created epic tales of happily-ever-afters since she was a little girl. As her imagination blossomed, so did Tracy’s stories of heroes and heroines living in magnificent estates surrounded by landscapes the vivid colors of Impressionist paintings. What is more romantic than stories of forbidden love and redemption, of flawed heroes and heroines overcoming obstacles to be rewarded with an epic romance and a happy ending?
What could be more touching than Jane Austen’s Mr. Darcy declaring his love for Elizabeth, Emma finding love in the familiar visage of Mr. Knightley, or Charlotte Bronte’s Jane returning home to Mr. Rochester at last? Such were her thoughts when Tracy read Judith McNaught’s novels, eventually meeting the author in person. This helped Tracy acknowledge that writing Historical Romance was her “dream.” As her own characters developed, their stories yearning to be told, Tracy’s husband encouraged her to write the novel of her heart,
Dance with Deception
. With that, the
Scandalous Secrets
series began proving that dreams do come true ...
To learn more about the
Scandalous Secrets
series and other upcoming releases including Audio books, please visit Tracy’s website
www.tracygoodwin.com
. While there, you can also reach her via Email, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter or complete the Contact form. Remember to like Tracy’s Facebook fan page at
www.facebook.com/AuthorTracyGoodwin
or join in the conversation at
www.tracygoodwin.com/blog
and at
www.RomancingTheTV.com
.
Acknowledgments
Each novel in the
Scandalous Secrets
series is dedicated to my wonderful readers with heartfelt appreciation. Thank you for making each of the novels in the
Scandalous Secrets
series bestsellers! These characters are precious to me. I hope you feel the same.
Heartfelt thanks to my dear friend, Jeannie Ruesch, a talented author who has created a series of covers that I absolutely adore. I am proud to be your cohort dishing all things TV at
RomancingTheTV.com
.
Thank you to my copy editor, Mary Metcalfe, for being so incredible! You mean the world to me and I am blessed that you entered my life.
What can I say to bestselling author Deborah Macgillivray? Thank you for your friendship and support! You are an amazing woman and I’m honored to call you my friend.
A special acknowledgement to all Autism and ADHD moms – you and all special needs moms are incredible. I donate the proceeds from my novels to my son’s Autism treatments, understand the battles we fight and the high cost. If you ever need an ear, contact me. Together we will make it through.
I also owe a debt of thanks to bestselling authors Hannah Howell, Barbara Dawson Smith and Gayle Wilson for giving me such lovely author quotes and to bestselling author Lucy Monroe for allowing me to be a guest blogger at her website. It was more than I could have ever dreamed possible from talented authors whom I truly admire and respect.
Titles in the Scandalous Secrets Series
Dance with Deception
– Scandalous Secrets, Book 1
(Sebastian and Gwen’s story)
Enticing Eve
– Scandalous Secrets, Book 2
(Colin and Eve’s story)
The Skilled Seduction – Scandalous Secrets, Book 3
(Tristan and Victoria’s story)
The Wolf of Winterthorne – Scandalous Secrets, Book 4
(Logan Ambrose’s story – Coming 2016)
Please visit
www.TracyGoodwin.com
and
www.facebook.com/tracygoodwin.author
for further information on release dates, upcoming projects, and more information on the
Scandalous Secrets
Audiobooks.
Table of Contents
