Chapter 29

ROBIN

Robin was now coming close to her fifth month and was looking forward to her next ultrasound. Both she and Luca had decided to find out the sex of their baby.

She was a little concerned, though, that she hadn’t felt the baby kicking. She didn’t dare tell Luca or he would have rushed her to the hospital.

Having read that some women don’t feel any kicking till they are twenty weeks along, she figured she’d wait till her doctor’s appointment.

Her new bodyguard was older and not very friendly; he would answer her questions and then clam up. She’d complained to Luca, and all he’d done was smile and say at least he was doing his job and not getting the hots for her.

If only he knew it was easy slipping away from him when she wanted to be alone, hiding out in the garden. She felt bad about doing it. If Luca knew, he would fire the man on the spot.

This one afternoon, she sat on the sofa sketching. Luca was working out in the gym, and Grazia had another one of her headaches and was in bed. She was alone till Filippo returned home, and he sat down next to her.

He looked over at her drawing and smiled. “That’s lovely, you really captured Grazia, though I doubt she would appreciate the wart on her nose and holding a broomstick,” he said, laughing, making her laugh.

“No one was meant to see this!” She giggled and blushed. “Filippo, why is it you’re not married? Or don’t have a girlfriend?”

“Well, Robin, I have not met anyone I care enough about. I do date a lot, but it never lasts. I find most women too clingy. There hasn’t been one that gets my juices running as you do for Luca.”

Just then, she yelped, and she touched her stomach.

“Robin, what is it? Are you okay?”

A huge grin appeared on her face, and she looked at Filippo. “The baby moved. Oh, it’s kicking me.” She rubbed her belly.

“What? It’s really moving? Let me feel.”

Without asking, he placed his hand on the spot that was moving and left it there, making her uncomfortable. Moments later, when he still didn’t remove his hand, she stood up. “I’m going to find Luca to tell him.”

“Yes, he’ll want to know. It was wonderful, feeling a tiny life moving inside you, Robin. I am very happy for you.”

Robin was upset about how Filippo was being intimate that way. It was one thing to want to feel it moving but another to do it without asking, not to mention leaving his hand there.

She didn’t see Luca till she bumped into his bare chest, which was sweaty from his workout.

“Slow down, my little bird.” He laughed, steadying her before she fell. “Where are you going in such a hurry?”

Seeing her hunk of a husband, she forgot about the incident with Filippo, and smiling, she took his hand and placed it on her belly. “Feel that, Luca, our baby is finally moving.”

Squinting, he held his hand to her stomach, and when he felt a flutter of movement, he sank to his knees. His eyes filled with tears as the movement continued, and he looked up at her.

“That is so amazing, a miracle.” He kissed her stomach through the material of her dress. “My precious baby, it’s your daddy here. I love you.”

Standing up, he cupped her face in his hands, a tear slid down his face. “I love you so much, and you are giving me the greatest gift of all.”

His lips came down hard on hers, his kiss passionate and filled with love. “Come, take a shower with me. I’m feeling a little dirty.”

“You can’t possibly find me attractive in this condition,” she cried out, pulling away.

“Oh, but I do,” he said and taking her hand, he led her up the stairs to their room.

LUCA

Later as she was drying her hair in front of the mirror, Luca came up behind her, his arms going around her waist, caressing her belly. “You have never been more beautiful than you are now.”

She smacked him playfully when he started sucking on her neck, making her all hot and bothered again. “God, you can never get enough.”

“No, you’re right, I can’t. Besides, I need to punish you.”

Looking in the mirror at him, she stiffened. “What do you mean?”

“Did you really think you could get away with sneaking away from Chad, your bodyguard?”

Seeing the surprise in her eyes, he laughed. “Yes, I know all about it, the trips to the stable and garden and down to the river.”

“But how did he know?”

“Watching you is his job. He’s good at it, and when he told me about it the first time, I told him to go ahead and let you. But he was to follow without you knowing.”

He turned her around to face him, his fingers trailing the top of the towel she wore. “Now for your punishment.”

He ripped off her towel and lifted her up onto the counter, gripping her legs, pulling her close.

Letting his own towel drop from around his waist, he slid swiftly into her warm, wet pussy and started pounding his erection deep inside her.

ROBIN

Robin leaned back, resting the palms of her hands on the counter, moaning and crying out in a low and husky voice. “Oh yes, punish me more, harder.”

Her head was swirling with incredible pleasure. She wondered how he could do it as often as he did. First in the shower, bending her over, and now, just moments later, taking her on the counter, but she wasn’t going to complain.

When he was done satisfying his lust, he carried her to the bedroom and laid her down. Getting in, he covered them with the blanket. “Promise me no more sneaking away, please. It’s for your own safety.”

“Okay, Luca, I promise. But I’ll have to think of other ways to get you to punish me,” she said and started giggling.

LUCA

It was time for her next ultrasound, and they were both excited to find out the sex of the baby.

Luca was holding off doing the baby’s room until they knew. He helped her up onto the table, holding her hand while they waited for the doctor.

“I bet it’s a girl,” Robin said excitedly.

“Na, it’s a boy,” Luca said, running his thumb over her fingers.

They didn’t have to wait long as the female doctor came in, all smiles. “So are we ready?” she asked, getting the gel ready.

“We sure are, and I can’t wait till you tell my wife I was right about it being a boy,” Luca said, beaming from ear to ear.

He watched the monitor when the doctor ran the thing along Robin’s stomach. The baby was so much clearer than last time and big, he thought.

The doctor didn’t say anything as she kept going back and forth, her face looked pinched, and she was frowning. Getting up, she looked at the couple. “Excuse me a moment.”

“Is something wrong?” Luca asked, holding Robin’s hand when she looked at him with a worried stare.

“Just give me a minute.” Then she was gone like a shot.

“Luca, did you see her face? Is something wrong with our baby?” She shed a tear, clutching his hand tighter.

He never got the chance to answer her because the doctor came back with another doctor, a male one.

The male doctor picked up the wand, and saying hello, he started running the scan over Robin, making little grunting sounds.

“What’s the problem?” Luca barked, worried as shit that it was bad news.

The older doctor smiled. “There’s no problem, but I do have some surprising news. It wasn’t noticeable before, but now we see two babies.”

“Twins,” Luca and Robin said together. Their jaws dropped open, and their eyes locked.

“I take it that’s good news.”

“Hell, yes,” Luca said. Leaning over, he kissed her full on the lips, not caring that they were being watched.

“Would you still like to know the sex of your babies?”

“Yes,” they both answered.

“Okay, I see one boy and, erm…a girl.”

After Luca threw a ton of questions at the doctors, he was ready to take her home.

He was worried that she wasn’t nearly as big as some women at that stage, but once the doctor assured him that Robin and the babies were healthy, he relaxed. But she was told to get plenty of rest and avoid stress.

Robin’s face turned red as an apple when Luca had the nerve to ask the doctor if it was okay to have sex and for how long.

Mad at him for embarrassing her, she wouldn’t talk to him on the drive home, and leaving him standing in the corridor, she went to their bedroom.

Twenty minutes later, he showed up with some roses from the garden and a bowl of strawberry ice cream, her favorite.

When he flashed her a smile, the one that showed off his dimples and held out the peace offering, she just couldn’t stay mad.

“Do you forgive me?”

“Give me the ice cream and I’ll think about it.”

“I had to ask that question. I don’t want to do any harm to you or the baby,” he said, giving her that wicked smile. “Now I know we can enjoy each other for quite some time yet.”

“If I let you.” She batted her eyes at him.

“You will,” he said with a smirk on his face.

FILIPPO

That night over dinner, Filippo couldn’t help but notice the way Luca and Robin were acting, all smiles and stealing glances at one another as though they were sharing a secret.

“You two look like the cat that swallowed a mouse. What’s up?”

“Should we tell them, sweetheart?”

“Yes, Luca, go ahead.”

“We found out today that Robin is having twins,” Luca said, beaming with pride.

Filippo and Grazia stared at them. She was speechless, but not him.

Getting up, he kissed Robin’s cheek and gave Luca one of those manly chest bumps and high-fived him. “Twins, that’s wonderful.”

“Great, two kids running amuck.” Grazia snorted.

“Now, Grazia, be happy for your cousin. I’m going to open a bottle of champagne, and we’ll celebrate.” Filippo went and brought back the finest champagne money could buy.

LUCA

After downing two glasses, Grazia excused herself, saying she had another one of her headaches.

Shortly after, Robin, too, went to bed, leaving the men to enjoy their drink. Though she was having an easy pregnancy and did not experience much morning sickness, she did tire quickly.

They were to attend a party the next night, and they wanted her to be well-rested.

When Luca came to bed, she was fast asleep. He was feeling a bit frisky and wanted to make love to her but didn’t have the heart to wake her.

So stripping down, he went and took a cold shower, hoping it would calm down his hard-on.

ELEONORA

Eleonora’s phone rang, waking her from a deep sleep.

“What?” she snapped and sat straight up in bed.

“Twins! They’re having fucking twins! A boy and a girl. Now what happens? This is getting too complicated. Your damn plan won’t work with two babies.”

She listened, horrified at what the person on the other end said. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

“There has to be another way. I don’t think I can go through with it.”

Again she listened.

“Okay, you’re right. It needs to be done.”

She hung up, her stomach twisted in knots. Picking up the phone, she pushed redial.

“It’s me. Why can’t we just give one away? Okay, okay, good night.”

She slammed the phone down and rubbed her forehead, wondering what she had gotten herself into.