Deadly Addition (Hardy Brothers Security Book 9) Read Online Free

fell onto the bed. “I’m … relieved.”
    “I noticed.”
    “I … just didn’t want you to think I would be upset,” he admitted.
    “Duly noted,” Mandy said, brushing his brown hair away from his forehead. “I’m very careful.”
    James wrapped his arms around his naked wife, resting his head on her abdomen. “Thank you for being careful.”
    Mandy swallowed her upper lip. “Are you okay?”
    “I’m great now,” James said.
    “Good,” Mandy replied. “Breathe.”
    “I’m breathing.”
    “Is now the perfect time to plan a vacation to New Orleans?” Mandy had always wanted to visit the city, and she wasn’t above playing James to get what she’d always envisioned.
    “I’ll buy a house there,” James said, pressing his lips to her belly.
    Mandy ran her hands through his hair. “It’s okay.”
    “I know,” James said. “It would have been okay either way.”
    “I admire the way you stepped up to the plate,” Mandy said. “I especially liked how you kept saying everything was fine.”
    James shifted, his brown eyes meeting the clear blue seas reflecting from his wife’s face. “It would have been okay. I love you. I’d love anything that came from you.”
    “I know,” Mandy said, keeping her voice level. “I actually really appreciate it. I loved you before, but I love you even more now.”
    James sighed, rolling to his side and pulling his wife onto his chest. “I love you.”
    “I love you, too.”
    James pressed his lips to his Mandy’s forehead. “Thank you for not being pregnant.”
    “Thank you to being there for me no matter what,” Mandy replied.
    “I … I’m there for you no matter what,” James said. “Nothing will ever change that.”
    “I know.”
    James tightened his arms around Mandy’s lithe frame. “So, wait, who’s pregnant?”

Three
    “What are you doing, sweetheart?”
    Emma glanced up from the laptop. She’d been researching baby sites, excitement and worry warring in her brain. She minimized the Internet window and focused on Finn. “I was just checking my email.”
    Finn fixed Emma with a questioning look. She’d been an emotional mess for weeks. He loved the woman. He basked in her warmth. For some reason, he was unsure. “You’re okay, right?”
    Emma pasted a bright smile on her face. She was a model. She did this for a living. She could put on a show, even if her heart wasn’t truly in it. “I’m fine,” Emma said. “Why do you ask that?”
    Finn gripped his hands together, unsure. “I’ve been a little scared, sweetheart.”
    “Why?”
    Finn ran his tongue over his bottom teeth, considering. He’d never lied to her. He didn’t want to start now. “You’ve been kind of distant lately.”
    The statement floored Emma. “I have?”
    Finn immediately regretted his admission. “No,” he said. “Well, I’ve been worried.”
    “About what?”
    “Honestly?”
    Emma nodded.
    “I’ve been worried you’ve been losing interest in me,” Finn admitted.
    Emma’s face drained of color. “What? Why?”
    “You’ve just been off,” Finn said, reaching for her hand. “It’s like … it’s like you don’t want to be around me.”
    “Finn, that is just … don’t be ridiculous,” Emma said, fighting to control her breathing. “I … I’m so happy with you.”
    “You are?” Finn’s face was so earnest, it punched a hole in Emma’s heart.
    “I am,” Emma said. “I … I’m so sorry you’ve been worried.”
    Finn leaned down, kissing the only woman who had ever managed to chisel away at the wall around his heart. “I just want you to be happy.”
    “I am happy,” Emma replied, grabbing the back of his neck and pulling him close. “I’ve never been this happy.”
    Finn kissed her. “It’s nice to hear.”
    Emma smiled. “I’m really happy.”
    Finn kissed her again. “I’m happy, too.”
    “Really?”
    “Really,” Finn said, wrapping his hand around Emma’s neck. “Really happy. I’m really happy,