Page 43 of Sandro

I smiled. “I know what you mean.” I kissed him again quickly, pulling away before either of us could consider deepening the kiss. As much as I would enjoy making love to him until the sun came up, we both knew that Leo’s energy was going to be zapped from him within the hour, and we still needed to clean up. “Do you want a shower?” I asked. “Or would you prefer a bath? Either way, I’ll take care of you if you become too sleepy to finish cleaning.”

Leo sighed. “Always being so considerate,” he said just before he yawned. “I think a quick shower now, a longer one when we wake again.”

I smiled down at him. That was probably the best choice, considering. “Do you need me to carry you into the bathroom?”

“I should be upset about you even asking, but I’ve gotten used to you pampering me like that. But I can walk,” he added.

I nodded, kissed him again quickly, and then slowly pulled out of him. I felt the loss of being inside him immediately, and although I was looking forward to the next time we made love again, the need to take care of my beloved was growing. I scooted off the bed, then helped Leo, and when his legs seemed to protest at being used, I easily scooped him up into my arms. I was going to start by carrying my beloved to the bathroom. He sighed and laid his head against my shoulder, and I realized I felt happy and content for the first time in entirely too long. I definitely needed to explore that and more with the gorgeous man in my arms.

Chapter 18

Leonardo

“Have you thought about baby names yet?” Abel asked.

“No. I know we should, but I honestly haven’t thought about anything, really.” I placed my hand on my stomach, which definitely had a bump now. I was about halfway through my pregnancy, and although I wasn’t showing unless I was naked, I was beginning to wonder if I was going to be able to carry the baby to term. The sharp pains I was experiencing, along with the feeling of being completely bloated, had me worried. But I didn’t dare mention it to Sandro because he’d been through so much already. He’d nearly died, and his brother had been killed. His birth family wanted nothing to do with him, and if his own beloved couldn’t even carry his children, what good was I to him?

“Your aura has turned blue.”

I blinked several times before it registered what Mazzi had just said to me. “I don’t know what that means. Why is my aura blue?” I knew what an aura was. We all had one. But was it bad that mine was blue?

“It means that you’re sad, upset, or possibly worried,” Mazzi said. “Is everything all right between you and Sandro?”

I couldn’t help but smile at the mention of my mate. “We’re doing good,” I told him. I looked over at the baby that Abel was holding and suddenly felt a longing that I hadn’t expected. “He’s such a good baby,” I said without thinking.

Abel’s smile grew. “He is. They both are, and I know I’m incredibly lucky that they’re not little terrors like they could be. But they’re amazing little ones, and I wouldn’t change a thing about either of them.”

I felt another sharp pain and winced. I quickly covered it with a forced smile, but apparently, Mazzi had been staring at me intently because he noticed.

“What’s wrong?” Mazzi asked. “Are you having pains? You winced and reached for your stomach again.”

I winced. He had definitely seen. I glanced around, looking for one of our mates, and was thankful I couldn’t see any of them nearby. I was under no illusion that they weren’t far and couldn’t get to us in an instant if needed, but I really didn’t want to worry Sandro. I desperately wanted to give him the family he deserved.

“I feel…things,” I whispered.

“What kind of things?” Abel whispered back.

“Pains. They’re sharp but gone as fast as they hit. And there’s like…gas or something that just won’t go away. It’s like this intense need to fart, but that absolutely won’t happen, no matter what I do to help that along.” I’d tried. Many times, I’d sat on the toilet in hopes that I’d be able to pass things, but whatever it was, it just continued to bubble along in my stomach. I tried changing what I was eating. Still the same things.

Mazzi gave me a sweet smile. “It’s all right,” he told me. “Nothing is wrong with you or the baby.”

“Nope,” Abel added. “My pains were intense at times, and I was sure I was losing the babies.”

“That right there. I’m terrified that’s what is happening, and I really want to give Sandro a baby. He deserves a family more than anything.”

Mazzi reached out and grabbed my hand, giving it a tight squeeze. “Those are growing pains,” he said.

“Huh?”

“Growing pains. Your body is stretching and growing. It has to in order to make room for the baby. It’s perfectly normal, and you shouldn’t worry about it. If you were to be losing the baby, the pain wouldn’t go away. And that fullness? Do you feel something like bubbles?”

I nodded.

“Oh, I had that too,” Abel added. “I think we all do.”

Mazzi smiled over at Abel. “That’s the first movement from the baby.”

I gasped. “It is?”