The Marriage Clause Read online

  “I think it’s going to be so sexy when they’re full of milk,” Mikael said huskily. “You are so fucking hot.”

  “I want to taste you,” she said suddenly.

  His eyes widened in surprise. “Can you do that?”

  “There’s nothing that says I can’t and I’ll know when to stop,” she answered.

  His cock was rigid and achingly hard when she settled herself on her knees between his legs. Mikael watched her and held his breath and she ran her hands down his hard thighs. When she took his cock in her grasp and stroked him with long firm strokes, his breath hissed out between his lips. He lifted his hips reflexively in tandem to the rhythm of her hand. She met his gaze and he knew she was watching the pleasure cross his face from her touch alone. Mikael held his breath as India’s lips wrapped around the head of his shaft and then a low moan left his lips. She took him deeper into her mouth and he thought he could die from the pleasure of the sensations coursing through him. Her mouth and tongue worked to build the fire inside him.

  When he couldn’t stand it any longer Mikael pulled her toward him and took her lips in a hunger-filled kiss. Mikael made sure she was lying comfortably on her back before he touched her. She was pregnant and while he could still give her pleasure, he needed to make sure that she was in a position so that she wouldn’t be hurt. There was no way he could put his own need above her safety. His slipped his hand between her legs to caress her pussy. She was slick and moist and slid his two fingers deep inside her. Her body bucked against him and she cried out in pleasure. Mikael took his time and built her pleasure to new heights.

  She spread her legs and took his fingers deeper and he sat up so he could watch his fingers slip in and out of her sex. She was amazing and beautiful to watch as he pleased her with his hand. India would arch off the bed and the tiny cries of passion were driving him crazy. He used his thumb to circle the sensitive nub of flesh in between the pink folds of her pussy. Her breath became frantic pants and she grasped the sheets. His fingers glistened with the juices her body created and he felt the walls of her pussy clutch at his digits.

  “I’m going to come Mikael.”

  The way she said his name with a breathless whisper-frantic voice almost made him lose control. He pressed his fingers faster inside her and he sucked her nipple deep into his mouth and she cried out as her orgasm rocketed through her. The need to bury his cock inside her became his only thought. He loved her and maybe that was what made it different, to be in love the person who shared your bed. All day, every day there was only India, her smile, her kiss, her scent—it was all about the way she made him feel.

  Mikael helped her turn to her side facing away from him and ran his hand down the sexy dip of her back. He caressed her thighs and ran his hand over her burgeoning belly and full breasts arousing her once more. He pressed kisses on her shoulders and neck as she reached behind her to stroke his cock. He angled himself and she arched back to give him the access to enter her from behind. He slipped into her and the heat of her pussy closed around him as he groaned through gritted teeth. She pushed back to meet his thrusts and he played with her nipples as he took her. India’s cries mingled with his low guttural moans.

  “Give me more,” she begged. “I want to feel all of you.”

  “Yes, God baby, I can’t stop,” Mikael groaned.

  “You don’t have to, love me.” India laced her fingers with his.

  There was never a point he would’ve said no to her, or wanted to. India got on her hands and knees, and Mikael followed her and thrust into her. Their pace became frantic, their breathing echoed each other’s while his fingers caressed the soft skin of her thighs.

  “Yes, Honey, I’m going to come,” she cried out. “Come with me.”

  “India, I am baby, let go.”

  Her body clenched around him like liquid heat and Mikael felt his balls tighten and his own orgasm begin. His groan mixed with her cries of bliss as they went over that passionate edge. She fell against the bed and Mikael followed, his arms automatically wrapped around her cocooning her in his embrace. He turned so she was on her side and her belly was pressed between them. But they were still close enough that her belly was touching his torso and he felt the baby’s small movements again.

  “Guess who’s awake,” she said sleepily.

  “I don’t mind at all.” Mikael moved and came back with a warm, wet wash cloth and a dry one. She murmured in contentment as he cleaned her up and then came back to lay next to her. “Now my soon-to-be wife, you go to sleep and me and my daughter are going to have a conversation. I read they can hear around now and I want her to know my voice.”

  “Okay.” India laughed and yawned. “You keep her entertained, it’s good practice for those three a.m. feedings.”

  Mikael did just that, even as her breathing deepened and he knew India was deeply asleep. He talked to his baby, and every time she moved in her mother’s stomach he was still amazed. When he felt sleep taking him as well, he pressed a kiss against her stomach. Mikael moved up the bed to hold her in his arms and closed his eyes. He was holding his wife and his child at the same time. He was the luckiest man in the world.

  Chapter Six

  India looked at the stenciling she had on the walls of the second bedroom and sighed. Now they would be moving and she’d have to start all over again. After they signed the paperwork with Gran and Brownie, Mikael wanted to start the renovations immediately and get the move done before fall.

  That, and as the pregnancy progressed she was getting bigger. She wanted to help as much as she could before it was too much for her. Luckily, she kept the original design and she wasn’t too far into the project and Mikael promised to help. She was worried about the loss of the income from paying Gran rent. But Gran assured her the house was paid off and accepted India’s help to pay the taxes on the property each year. Still, she managed Gran’s bank accounts and helped her get the bills paid every month. India still planned to put the nine hundred and fifty dollars she paid in rent into the bank account each month. All these thoughts were going through her head as she stared at the walls and she didn’t hear Gran come into the room.

  “Are you trying to peel paint with your mind?” Gran asked.

  India turned and laughed. “No, just running things through in my head.”

  “I’ve got something for you,” Gran said. “Something you may want to pass on to the baby.”

  India looked at the box. “What’s in there?”

  “Come on, I’ll show you.” Gran smiled and walked out the door.

  In her room Gran sat on the bed and India did too. She opened the box to reveal a folded blanket in soft pastel colors and a rabbit that matched.

  “Do you remember these?” Gran asked.

  “Sniffles and my blanket.” India gasped in delight. “I haven’t seen these in forever.”

  She lifted them to her nose and inhaled. They smelled like lavender, and she knew that Gran had taken loving care of them all these years.

  “Do you remember the last time you had these?” Gran asked gently.

  India shook her head. “No.”

  Gran played with the hem of her shirt. “You were three and I came home to find you watching TV by yourself and your mom was gone. Tears were on your cheeks because she’d spanked you and said hateful things to you. You told me everything in your tiny baby voice. I never wanted to hurt a person more than I wanted to slap the piss out of her that day.”

  “Oh Gran,” India said softly.

  “You looked at me and said ‘I was bad Gwan,’ you couldn’t pronounce Rs then. I said ‘no Honeybee, you are the best baby in the world.’ But you gave me sniffles and that blanket and said you wouldn’t take them back until your momma came home.” Gran shook her head and a tear slipped down her check. It broke India’s hear to see the past still caused her so much pain. “You had such a bad time sleeping that the only way I could get you to fall asleep was to be in bed with me. But you were so stubborn even t
hen and you never took them back, and as you grew and your mom didn’t come home you forgot about them.”

  “Gran, she hurt us both.” India took her Grandmother’s hands. “You didn’t have to keep these all this time if they caused you pain.”

  “They didn’t cause us pain, she did,” Gran said. “I needed to keep these because I made them for her and then she gave them to you. God knows your mom wasn’t a good mother but you will be. The baby deserves to have something that was yours that you love and comforted you even if it was for a little while.”

  “The baby will love it and the baby will love you,” India said. “I don’t remember her, but I do remember you held me every night, and I remember that I never felt anything but love as I grew up. I lost a mom but you lost a daughter, still the two of us together we made a family.”

  “I’d have it no other way.” Gran pulled her into an embrace. “I can never forgive her for leaving you alone that day or how cruel she was to you. But that’s my burden to bear when I meet the big man upstairs.”

  “That won’t happen for a long time, you’re not leaving us for years, we need you,” India said.

  “You’ve got Mikael, Honeybee,” Gran pointed out.

  “And I need you and Brownie for the days he’s being a butthead,” she pointed out.

  Gran laughed. “Like you can’t be as stubborn as a mule yourself. You two will be fine.”

  “I love you, Gran.” India hugged her again, tight.

  “Not as much as I love you, Honeybee, and I’m so very proud of you,” Gran said. “Now we need to buy baby soap to wash these so they’re all clean for the baby.”

  “I’ll get some,” India promised. “I have to get changed and head to the doctor. It’s my check up, and today we get to find out the baby’s sex if they can get a clear picture.”

  “It’s three to one for a girl.” Gran stood and headed toward the door. “I’ll be working on the flower pots out front. I’ll let you know when Mikael shows up.”

  “Thanks, Gran,” India called as she went into the bathroom.

  They had a three o’ clock appointment at Dr. Highland’s office and got there about ten minutes late. Luckily the doctors offered a twenty minute window before they cancelled the appointment. New York traffic could be everyone’s worst enemy on some days and when Mikael stuck his head out the window to yell at a yellow cab driver it had to be a bad day.

  He was excited to see the baby through the sonogram. Nurse Rhonda put India through routine of weight, urine check, and baby length check. She had a glucose test to make sure she was not on the cusp of gestational diabetes, and that came back normal. Finally, they were back in the sonogram room where the same technician as before was running the equipment. After she charted the baby’s growth and took her measurements she took pictures of the baby in three and four-dimensional views for them.

  She moved the wand over India’s belly. “Let’s see if we can find a gender on this little one, come on show me what I need to see.”

  India looked over at Mikael who was sitting still as he intently watched the monitor. She shook her head and smiled, hoping he took a breath soon before he passed out from holding it.

  “And there it is, clear as day, you’re having a girl,” the technician said with a smile.

  “Yes, I knew it!” Mikael stood and did a quick fist pump. He caught himself and sat down with embarrassment on his face. “Sorry about that. I got a bit carried away.”

  “We see that.” India bit her lip to keep from laughing. “I guess I owe you twenty bucks.”

  “I’ll buy you a Frappuccino from Starbucks with my winnings.” He leaned down to kiss her. “We’re having a little girl.”

  India nodded. “Yes we are.”

  “She’s healthy and exactly where she should be at this time of your pregnancy.” The technician helped her wipe the gel off with a towel and Mikael helped her sit up.

  They left with more print-outs of the baby’s face for themselves and their grandparents. True to his word, as they drove through the city, India happily drank her Frappuccino. His telephone rang and he pressed the bluetooth on his earpiece to answer it.

  “Hello?” He listened for a moment before speaking again. “Yes sir, I can come back immediately after I take my fiancée home. Can I ask what this is about?”

  India looked at him curiously and watched his face become a hard line of anger.

  “Yes sir, I’ll be there immediately.” He hung up the phone and stared at the traffic in front of him intently. She noticed his hands were clenched around the steering wheel.

  “What’s wrong?” India asked fearfully. Did he have to be deployed again? Would he even be home for the baby’s birth?

  “It seems Celeste filed a complaint against me for physical abuse and some breach of contract nonsense.” Mikael’s voice was hard.

  “What?” India said outraged. “You never touched her, and what contract did you sign?”

  “Nothing, and now I need to head back to Fort Hamilton to see my commanding officer,” he explained.

  “I’m going with you,” India said with determination.

  “You can’t, Honey. They won’t let you in the meeting and it could run for a while. Those chairs aren’t comfortable for a soldier, let alone my pregnant fiancée.” Mikael put on his left hand signal and merged into traffic. “I’ll come home as soon as it’s done. Tearing down a few walls may make me feel tons better after this.”

  “I need to be there for you.” India put her hand over his as he drove. “We’re in this together no matter what.”

  “It won’t be long. I know for a fact I never touched that woman in anger or hit her, and you can’t bring some kind of bullshit ‘I was supposed to marry you but didn’t claim’ in front of the Judge Advocate General,” Mikael said. “It’s going to be a piece of cake to defend myself and prove her for the liar she is. She broke into my lockbox for goodness sake.”

  “Did you report it?” India asked.

  He shook his head. “No, of course not. I told her get out of my apartment and my life. I didn’t expect she was going to be a malicious bitch and try this shit.”

  “It’s Celeste. We should have never put anything above her, she’s a snake, everything is below her,” India replied. “Oh, I want to smack her in the mouth for her lies.”

  “Let’s talk about something else. This won’t be an issue for long, it will be taken care of,” Mikael said. “What do you think for baby names, since we’re having a girl?”

  India smiled. “I have the perfect one if you want to hear it.”

  Mikael glanced at her before putting his eyes back on the stop and go traffic in front of him. “Of course I want to hear the name, hit me.”

  “Isabella Bronwyn-Etta Nolan,” India said. ‘I always loved the name Isabella and now the Grans can’t think we love one more than the other because their names are a hyphenated middle name for her.”

  “I love it, they would never fuss to each other or us but they’d wonder why we picked one over the other,” Mikael agreed. “Isabella is a beautiful name, she’ll have a name fit for a princess.”

  “Oh no, we will not be spoiling this little princess, boundaries daddy. You can’t let her win you over when she bats her eyes at you,” India teased him with the warning.

  “You’re a fine one to talk, you’ll spoil her rotten too.” Mikael laughed.

  “We’ll monitor each other, how does that sound?” India said.

  “What we’ll do is love our baby girl and treasure her,” Mikael said huskily. “We never got that from our parents and we’re going to be better than them.”

  “Gran said the same thing and damn straight we will,” she answered.

  She left it at that, not wanting to bring him down again with Celeste Covington’s nonsense and the fact that she was trying to destroy his life, their lives. She wouldn’t let that happen, and if Celeste wanted a fight she was about to get one. Mikael had more people than just her in his corner.
You waged war on one and all the others would rally to his defense. Mikael wasn’t some easy mark and Celeste was about to learn that the hard way.

  Chapter Seven

  “I can’t believe this.” India paced the floor and rubbed her tummy. It was like baby Isabella was voicing her opinion as well. “What did she think she was going to gain by doing this?”

  Her grandmother watched her with worry on her face while Brownie sat tapping her fingers angrily on her thigh. Mikael sat back and she could see the lines of worry in his face even though he was trying to play it off. He’d brought them all together when he got home to tell them what Celeste had done. Getting a lawyer to file a complaint with the Judge Advocate General of the military, she had lodged an outrageous complaint against Mikael for the charge of adultery and demanded compensation. It could ruin his career and drop him down in rank if that happened. It pissed India off that one woman could be so vicious, and she wanted to smack Celeste silly.

  “She wants money, the little trollop,” Brownie said. “And she doesn’t care who she has to run over to get it. I got a call from her today saying I could make this go away.”

  “Did she mention money, Brownie?” Mikael leaned forward. “That could prove a big asset to my JAG defense lawyer.”

  Brownie shook her head. “She’s much too smart for that, but the intent was clear and I recorded the call. While she never mentioned money it can show intent.”

  “How did she get a lawyer to file such a ridiculous charge anyway? It’s a military court, can a private lawyer even file papers there?” Gran asked.

  “He can, and even though he did it, a military lawyer will be assigned to actually run the case. Her lawyer will be there to look out for her interests,” Mikael answered. “We were never married, but she is claiming I intended to propose and you got between us and she should be compensated for that and the abuse I inflicted on her. Apparently I mentally abused her for the year we were together, and I have post traumatic stress disorder that I refused to get treated.”