Taken by Desiree Broussard

Chapter 1
December 2051
    “Dammit, Keely,” Kosmas said with a groan, flinging himself away from her to his back, on the bed next to her. “You're like a drug for vampires.” His hand skimmed along her curves before tugging her to his hard body. “I can't ever get enough.”
    Keely grinned as she snuggled up to him on her side, her face resting on his chest. Kosmas pulled the comforter over her before wrapping his arm around her blossoming stomach. He always treated her so thoughtfully, but many times she wondered if it were only due to her pregnancy. She hoped not. A girl could get used to his kind of nurturing.
    “Sure you will,” she retorted, her eyes closed from the pleasure of his embrace. Kosmas had just made wild passionate love to her, and she was still reeling from it. “It's only a matter of time. My stomach is growing by the day. Pretty soon, I'll be too big, and you'll wonder why you were ever attracted to me in the first place.”
    “Bullshit,” he growled, his hand moving in slow circles to gently rub the mound underneath the comforter. “You've got me all wrong. Watching you swell with my child is extremely erotic. It's a constant reminder of how much I enjoyed getting you pregnant. Knowing that you're so fertile makes my shaft ache. I warn you now... I foresee many, many children in our future.”
    Keely giggled. “Do you now? So you're going to keep me the vampire version of barefoot and pregnant?” Surprisingly, she didn't find the idea unappealing.
    Kosmas scowled at her words. “No, I have no intentions of keeping you barefoot. No mate of mine will ever go without, especially since I'm rich enough to supply you with thousands of pairs of shoes. Are you worried about whether or not I can provide for you?” His swarthy face had hardened into a mask, his deep sense of pride stung at her words.
    Clearly, he wasn't familiar with that saying. Keely chuckled as she shook her head. “It's just a human figure of speech. Barefoot and pregnant refers to a female whose life revolves around anticipating her husband's every want or need and providing him with as many children as she can.” Or that he wanted, but she didn't add that on.
    At her explanation, Kosmas perked up. He stared down at her with a mischievous gleam in his dark eyes. “Oh, really?” he mused out loud. “I believe I like the sounds of that.”
    She reached for a small pillow to whack him. “That's too bad,” she said in mock exasperation, shaking her head. “I'm not offering.”
    He laughed in response before pulling her close again. “I'm just teasing you, my love,” he reassured her, his voice thick with amusement. “I'm completely satisfied with you just as you are. I can only hope you're as happy with me as I am with you.”
    Keely softened against him, her heart overflowing with love. “That's an understatement,” she replied, enjoying the feel of his warm body pressed against hers. She fell silent for a moment before adding, “I don't just feel joy, it's something much stronger than that. It's like everyday I wake up, and I'm just filled with this ecstatic kind of happiness about my life. I feel alive in a way I've never felt before. It almost seems like a sin for someone to be as happy as I am, Kosmas. What I have with you is special. I could have never had this with anyone else. You're not just my mate, you're my soul mate, and I'm just thankful to have you in my life.”
    She stopped, wondering if she sounded corny. Although he was hers, he was also a male vampire, and most males weren't known for their emotional side. And although they'd been mates for months, not to mention she was carrying his heir, Keely still had her moments of insecurity. Kosmas was everything she ever could have wished for in a mate and more. But she hadn't come to him whole. Instead, she was a woman that had seen the very worst in life, and it had left its mark on her. Both good and bad. It made her appreciate what she had with him more