Page 64 of Mercilessly Bred

She quickly covered her mouth, looking embarrassed. I grinned at her while Maxwell chuckled.

“Barclay has special skills too,” I informed her.

Maxwell left the room, the door closing behind him with a soft click. Belle and I continued our conversation of baby names until a knock sounded at the door and the doctor stepped inside. He examined Belle, checking her vitals and asking her how she was feeling. Relief washed over me as he gave her the all-clear to leave. But my attention turned to Fiona, who was still sleeping soundly in the next bed. The doctor explained that they wanted to keep her for observation, and I couldn’t help but worry about what else could go wrong.

As we left the hospital, I held Belle’s hand, keeping both of us grounded and steady. All I knew was that I wanted to get her home to rest, and hold her in my arms all day long. Because Belle and our children were all I ever needed, and I didn’t even know it until she showed up at my castle. Her gentle persistence had dismantled the walls I had built around my heart, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

Epilogue: Belle

The castle was quiet. It always was at night.

My appetite was out of control these days, which was to be expected near the end of pregnancy. With twins, no less. So, when I woke up ten minutes ago with a craving for something sweet, I knew I had to get down to the kitchen.

I was tiptoeing down the stairs, trying my best to remember the safe path that Sebastian had shown me about a million times already. The new security system he installed two months ago had invisible sensors in the floors spread throughout the whole castle. If anyone walked on them, an alarm would sound and the authorities would automatically be called.

I already knew this was true because I’d tripped the damn thing twice already. So far, Sebastian had smoothed things over, but I wasn’t too sure that the authorities would be forgiving a third time.

I paused about twenty feet from the kitchen, looking at the floor in front of me. Was the sensor to the right or the left? I racked my brain, trying to remember where Sebastian had stepped when he’d shown me.

If only I hadn’t been distracted by staring at his ass.

This pregnancy had affected my appetite for sex as well, not that Sebastian minded. He was more than happy to keep me satisfied in that way.

But where was I supposed to step?

Maybe I should just go back to bed.

Because of the growling rebellion in my stomach, I couldn’t turn back now.

Knowing there was one sensor in this area, I figured I had a fifty-fifty chance of evading it. Taking a deep breath, I moved toward the right side. At first, nothing appeared to happen, and I let my guard down, thinking I had made the correct decision. However, within a moment, the alarm abruptly sounded, filling the previously quiet space with a deafening wail. I recoiled in fear, observing the massive steel shutters descending over the windows.

“Belle!”

Sebastian’s roar had me scuttling into the kitchen in a pathetic attempt to escape his wrath.

“Sorry!” I yelled over my shoulder as I pushed open the door.

I flipped the light switch, the blaring of the alarm continued to assault my ears. Ignoring the noise, I rummaged through the cabinet, my nostrils filling with the sweet aroma of the newest chocolate creation from Carrington Chocolate. The caramel filling seemed to beckon to me, and I couldn’t resist the temptation to sample the confection. With trembling hands, I opened the wrapper, savoring the crinkle of the plastic packaging. Suddenly, I became aware of Sebastian’s presence in the kitchen. I hadn’t heard his footsteps over the sound of the alarm, but I could feel his eyes on me as I took a bite of the chocolate, the rich, creamy texture melting in my mouth.

A startled yelp escaped my lips as he suddenly wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, waving his phone in front of me. I drew my eyes to the bright red dot pulsing on the screen, and I couldn’t help but cringe as I clutched the chocolate in my hands. As his thumb deftly tapped the screen, six empty boxes appeared before us, and I realized he was disarming the alarm. In a matter of seconds, the deafening noise subsided, and the previously red dot now glowed a calming green.

“I’ll text Maxwell so that he can inform the authorities,” Sebastian said, letting out a sigh. “Again.”

I popped the chocolate into my mouth and leaned back into his embrace. “Why can’t you just label the safe path with glow in the dark dots?”

Sebastian laughed, nuzzling his face into my neck.

“That would be a pretty bad idea. You know, because we don’t want the criminals to know where to step.”

I shrugged. “Yeah, I know.”

The door on the opposite side of the kitchen, the one leading to the servant’s quarters, swung open and three of the kitchen staff came in, still wearing their bedroom attire. They all stopped mid-step and gasped when they looked in my direction.

Confused, I stepped out of Sebastian’s hold to turn and look at him. Gaping, I ran my eyes over his completely naked form.

Giggling sounded from behind me, and I turned to see the women leaving the way they’d come. With my hands on my hips, I faced Sebastian with pursed lips.

“You can’t do that. You can’t just walk around naked.”