Getting to his feet, he lifted her up and thrust into her. Harper felt him shudder as she squeezed him tight. Grabbing her hands, he held them above her head as he forced his cock deeper into her heat. Rocking hard and fast, he took her, pushing and pulling in and out.

Harper cried out, and her legs tightened around him. She might not be able to have her arms around him, but she could hold him with her legs. She planned to hold on and never let go. Arching against him, she moved harder against him with the help of the shower wall. "I love you, Nikolai." Harper mewled and whimpered, again ready to come.

Nikolai leaned forward, nuzzling her neck, the feel of his teeth and hot breath on her skin took her over the edge she had been balancing on.

"Nikolai!" The sound of her own heart beating drowned out anything else. She felt the splash of heat deep inside her as Nikolai found his peak, and Harper shuddered uncontrollably in his arms.

The soft whisper of Nikolai's voice dragged Harper out of her haze, and she blinked in surprise when the ceiling of her bedroom came into focus.

Huh?

"Hey. There you are," Nikolai murmured, pressing his lips to her forehead. "You had me worried for a second."

Harper could hear the concern in his voice and wondered how long she had been out of it. Certainly long enough for him to get them out of the shower and dry her off. "What...what the hell happened?"

Nikolai smirked. "What can I say? I'm just that good."

She slapped him on the chest but laughed. He really had been that good. Harper opened her mouth to make a snide comment when the light shining through the blinds caught her attention. Was that sunlight? "How long was I out, Nikolai?"

"Not long." He kissed her again as though he couldn't get enough. "I'm going outside to check in with the agents and get an update. Will you be okay here?"

She smiled lazily. "I think I'll manage. Just outside, right?"

He nodded. "Just outside, no further. Hell, I won't even leave the doorway. Promise."

"Okay," she whispered, feeling sleep pull her under once more.

Later, Harper woke in total darkness with the bed dipping beside her. Having lived alone for so long, it startled her, making her jump up into a sitting position while yanking the covers over her nakedness.

"Easy, love. It's me." Nikolai crawled in beside her, pulling her into his arms. He kissed her sweetly and tucked them in good and tight. All her worry drained out of her, and Harper relaxed with her back against his bare chest, feeling safer than she ever had. No more lies between them, and a clear future ahead. The comfort of his embrace had her falling fast asleep.

7.

The sun peeked through the curtain, streaming straight into her face. Harper rolled over, trying to escape the bright blinding light from hell, but couldn't. With a groan, she reached for Nikolai. Instead of finding the solid rock wall of delectable muscles, she found a cold, empty bed. Lifting onto one arm, she pried her eyes open, and alarm filled her. He was gone. What the hell?

Struggling to breathe, a million things raced through her mind. She fell back against the pillow, staring at the ceiling. Just as she started to get up and get the hell out of dodge, the door opened. In walked Nikolai, carrying an old, scarred wooden tray.

Harper sagged in relief and examined the contents of the tray. Buttered toast, pancakes, maple syrup, cooked eggs, a small amount of bacon. Beside the full plate was a glass with a single rose and a coffee mug filled with the strongest brew.

"Breakfast is served, ma'am," he said with a flourish.

Harper laughed, feeling suddenly light and full of joy. "All this for me?"

"No," Nikolai snorted. "You're good, but I don't think you could shovel all of this into such a tiny frame."

"Hey!" she said in mock outrage. "Was that a height joke? You'll pay for that one."

Try as she did, Harper was unable to keep a straight face. She knew she was a short ass, and embraced it.

Glancing at the plate, she grinned when she noticed the syrup drizzled over the pancakes spelled out I Love You.

She raised a brow in question.

Nikolai shrugged. "I can be romantic."

Harper snickered. "Sure you can."

A finger nudged her chin up, only then did she realize she had dropped her head. "I'll prove it to you. Every day."

She blinked at him. "Every day? That's a tall order."

His lopsided grin reminded her of the charming and goofy young man he was when he thought no one was looking. "Good thing I can fill it."

Harper bit her lip. "You are trouble, Agent Holter."

He hushed her with a single finger pressed against her lips. "It's Mr. Holter now. If we're doing this, we're going to do it right and with a clean slate, away from all this. You with me?"

She nodded. Harper didn't plan on going anywhere. Certainly not while she felt as though she was wrapped in a silken cocoon of euphoria.

"Then let's enjoy today. They want to move us again this afternoon, and then hopefully after that, we will be on our way home."

"Home?" she said with a mix of curiosity and amusement.

"Yeah. My identity hasn't been blown, so I'm free to return to my roots, as they say." He chuckled, oozing roguish charm. Harper was a sucker for him, always had been. "I never did tell you I have a little brother, did I? He's a chef. Owns his own restaurant and needs help. Figure it would be a good place to start while we work out what we want to do. Just promise me one thing, okay?"

She eyed him warily, her amusement fading as she regarded him with searching gravity. "What?"

"No need to look like that. I promise if I intend to have my way with you, you'll know about it." Nikolai gave her a rakish grin.

Oh, the man was trouble.

"Then what?"

"If things get hard for you, or they don't feel right, tell me? Don't keep it bottled in. We're being honest now. No more lies."

Harper threw her head back and laughed. "None, whatsoever? You sure a dirty liar like you can handle that much truth?"

"I think I can manage it," he said with a deadpan expression before pointing to the tray. "Now drink your coffee before I finish it."

Giving a ridiculous giggle Harper knew she should be embarrassed by, she leaned forward and kissed him briefly.

With a look she hoped was sultry, Harper said, "I can think of a few other things I'd like to drink..."

Quick as a flash, Nikolai had the tray and the covers on the ground while Harper laughed like a loon.

With a sexy leer, he bent down to brush their mouths together.

"Now that's an order I can fill."

Epilogue.

Harper placed a hand above the swell of her ever-growing belly as she used the other to push open the door of the restaurant. The main rooms were empty; it was a Monday night, and they remained closed those evenings.

She had been surprised when Nikolai had called her and asked her to come to his brother's restaurant. Her new brother-in-law, Mason, had driven her, given she was so far along. Fitting behind the steering wheel was no longer an option in her last trimester.

Her smile stretched wide when she caught sight of Nikolai issuing orders to the few staff members through the doorway that led to the kitchen. Watching the way those staff held on to his every word and immediately moved into action amused her.

Once a Fed, always a Fed. Giving orders always came so easily to him. It was following orders that Nikolai had trouble with, according to her Uncle Collin.

She chuckled when she thought of the overly-reserved man she had come to know. Now there was a man who liked giving orders. Pity for him he had been surrounding himself with people like herself and Nikolai.

When he caught her looking, he snapped out a few more directions before moving towards her.

"Hey. You're early." His eyes flicked to her hand placed on her belly, and he noticed her wince. "Are you okay?"

Rolling her eyes at the concern she heard, Harper opened her arms for the embrace she knew was coming. Nikolai seemed to take any and every opportunity to hold her as close as possible since they had discovered she was pregnant.

"I'm fine. Your child's going to be a kick-boxer, I'm telling you."

Pulling back to look at her, Nikolai's eyes light up with pride and amusement. "That's my boy."

"Hey," she said in mock outrage, gently slapping his chest. "She might very well be a girl."

"Two girls in my life? I could only hope to be so lucky."

Harper melted at the heart rendering tenderness of his haze. The man was too damn smooth.

"What are we doing here?" She looked around, surprised to find one table in the middle of the restaurant completely set. Candles were lit, silverware sat in the correct order, waiting to be used, all sitting on the finest satin linen. "What is all this?"

"This," Nikolai answered with a wave of his hand, "is romance. I know things have been crazy these past few months."

Raising fine, arched eyebrows, she snorted. "Few? Have you seen the size of me? This is more than a few. Besides, let's face it, things have been a whirlwind since the moment I met you."

There was a pale blue lightning of amusement between his lashes. "True. And this is my way of making up for all the mayhem I brought into your life."

"Very sweet of you."

He studied her face with his enigmatic gaze for an extra beat, his features sobering, bordering on painful. "You've given up so much. And all I seem to do is ask for more."

"It's nothing I haven't willingly given, Nik," she said in an attempt to reassure him. She hadn't seen him like this since she had followed him here after their extraction. "I really haven't given up that much, and what I've received in return is so much more than I could have ever had without you."

He seemed pensive now, not disturbed or angry. "The only thing you got to keep from your life before was your name, and even then not all of it. The only people in our lives that know the truth about you is your uncle and my brother. You've had to lie to everyone you meet. How can you say that it wasn't that much, Harper Monroe?"

She grimaced at the used of her fake surname. "I get what you're saying, but I honestly think you are working yourself up over nothing. What is this all about, Nik?"

His deep sigh set alarm bells off in her head, those sounds turning into sirens when the man's expression morphed into something far more mischievous, and he dropped to one knee.

"Oh, shit."

Nikolai chuckled from his position on the ground, his hand slipping into his pocket to pull out a black satin-looking box. An arched eyebrow indicated his humorous surprise. "Not the reaction I was going for, but I can work with it."

She trembled, one hand coming to cover her mouth, and the heavy lashes that shadowed her cheeks flew up.

"Harper. You've given me so much over this last year," he whispered, Nikolai's face was full of strength, shining with a steadfast and serene peace. "You gave me hope, love, and now a child. Will you give me one more thing and let me give you something in return?"

Joy bubbled in her laugh. "Yes."

His grin flashed briefly, dazzling against his olive skin. "Marry me and let me give you my name. Something that can really be yours and not something some admin at the Bureau made up for you?"

"Yes," she whispered through tears, eyes widening as he popped open the box to reveal the gorgeous princess-cut engagement ring. Her trembling turned into a full-body shake as he slipped the ring on her finger and she reached out to tug him to her before she even realized what she was doing. "Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes."

His lips pressed against hers, then gently covered her mouth. The moment they touched, all thoughts ceased for her. Harper felt like she had suddenly been consumed with heat, burning more intensely than the summer sun. Her arms came up to wrap around him and pull him tighter to her. She could feel Nikolai's cock hardening against her under the feel of Harper's body grinding against his. Strong, thick arms encompassed her in warmth.

God, she loved this man.

Eventually, air became necessary, and Nikolai pulled back only enough to breathe. "I'm really glad you said yes, otherwise this could have been embarrassing," he murmured, tilting his head in the direction of the kitchen.

Harper laughed when she saw not only the wait staff who had been brought in tonight, but Nikolai's brother, Mason. The lot of them stood crammed together in a huddle while peering through the doorway.

"She said yes," Nikolai called over to them with a huge grin.

His announcement was met with a volley of cheers, and she buried her face into him. "Oh, God."