Tempting Eden by Michelle Miles

He kissed the top of her head.
    “Welcome home, love,” he said. “It’s not much
but this is only temporary until the baby is born. And then I’ll
move us.”
    “Where?” she asked.
    “To a better place. More suitable for a
baby.” He stroked her hair. “I love you so much.”
    “I love you too.”
    “As soon as I can get a doctor here I want to
have you examined. To make sure the trip didn’t hurt you or the
baby.”
    That was a relief. She smiled. “Thank you. I
would like that.”
    “Before we go too much further there is
something I must confess, Eden.”
    A bit a fear sliced through her. Was he about
to give her some bad news?
    “While we were apart…” he began. He pulled
away, held her at arm’s length. “I had to…do something.”
    Oh, god. He slept with another woman.
    “The day we made the agreement…about me
coming back for you. Do you remember?”
    “Of course I do.” She put her hands on either
side of his face. “Sabre, I’m not afraid of anything you have to
tell me.” Except if he cheated on her. Then she’d kick him in the
balls. Hard.
    “I had to bring back a human female for Dr.
Franco. So I…” He paused, swallowed so hard his Adam’s apple
bobbled.
    She understood. “You brought him someone
else?”
    “Yes. I had to. Or he would have killed my
sister.”
    Momentary relief was replaced by disgust. She
understood why he did it but it still made her skin crawl. There
had to be another way. Some other way for these people to reproduce
without resorting to kidnapping.
    “There is something else I need to tell
you.”
    Now what? She waited, shifting her weight
from one foot to the other.
    “I must confine you here until the baby is
born. If Franco discovers you he’ll turn you into his lab rat. I’ll
never see you again.”
    He hugged her tight. She’d have to stay here
in this claustrophobic room? What had she gotten herself into?
She’d never be able to breathe fresh air again or see the stars and
the moon. Or the sun.
    That’s what I gave up to be with him. To have
his child. And I don’t regret it. Not one bit.
    She shoved aside the dismal thoughts. She had
him. And she was free of her awful life. Now she could reinvent
herself. She could be someone else. A hero. She could take the
reins of her new life, embrace it. Or she could sit here and wallow
in self-pity longing for the life she once had. She would allow
herself to mourn that life and then she would move on.
    She wasn’t going to wallow. She was going to
do something worthwhile.
    “We will find a way to free the women,
Sabre.”
    “Now there are at least twenty.”
    “Twenty?” She gasped.
    “I had to send my men to bring them back.
Franco threatened us.”
    “Okay then. We’ll figure out a way to free
them all.” And get rid of this monster, Franco.
    “Franco has them guarded and locked away. I
doubt he’ll let them go so easily.”
    “Then we’ll have to enlist your friends’
help, won’t we?”
    “You are amazing, Eden. But I don’t want you
anywhere near the fight. I have a feeling there will be a
confrontation soon. I’m glad you’re here.”
    “So am I.” She yawned. Fatigue finally set in
and she couldn’t stop the weariness that pressed in her bones.
    “Go rest.”
    But she didn’t want to sleep yet. She wanted
to make sure this was real. That Sabre was real. That she hadn’t
dreamed it all.
    “No, I don’t want to rest. I’m not ready to
rest yet.” She pushed out of his grasp and stepped away from
him.
    She could see the fire flash in his eyes as
he quirked a sly grin. “No?”
    “No.” With a slow hand, she unzipped the
front of her suit and slithered out of it. His gaze raked over her
naked body as he took her in. “I want you to make love to me.”
    “With pleasure.”
    He wasted no more time as he scooped her up
and carried her to the bedroom. When he put her down, she wrapped
her arms around his neck and pulled him down to the bed. Her legs
went around his