"In the end, the blood lines doesn't matter, only the child," Rhoan said. Then a grin split his lips. "Of course, we could imitate Talon and try the whole cloning issue, but setting up the lab and finding a willing scientist could get messy and expensive."

I smiled, as my brother had no doubt intended. "When do you need an answer?"

"My sister reckons she'll be good to go in a couple of months. Her own pups will be past the diaper stage by then, and she'll have more energy for the pregnancy."

"And you've sat her down and explained the dangers?" My gaze jumped between the two of them. "Does she really understand that this may not be a regular pregnancy in any way, shape or form, simply because no one knows what my eggs will do once they're fertilized?"

"She knows," Liander said, face somber. "I wouldn't risk my sister's life by not giving her all the facts, Riley. But she really wants to do this for us."

Then she was a sweetheart. But I guessed I would have done the same for my brother, had I actually been capable of carrying a child.

"Okay, I'll get back to you on it soon." I hesitated, then grinned. "You do realize, of course, that a week of roast dinners could influence the outcome."

Rhoan snorted. "Have belly, can be bribed."

"Totally." I shoved some lamb in my mouth and chewed happily. "I think breakfast should come into the equation as well."

Liander glanced at my brother. "I can see her stretching this out for as long as possible."

Rhoan gave me a warm smile, happiness in his eyes. "We can fix that easily enough. I'll just start doing the cooking."

I just about gagged at the thought. "God, no. Anything but that."

His smile gave way to an outright grin. "I cook as well as you do."

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of. Quinn will have to start paying for more dinners if that happens."

The vampire in question snorted softly. "Even I would struggle to support your appetite full time."

I met his gaze, a sensual smile playing about my lips. "Oh, I don't know," I said archly. "You're doing a pretty good job of it now."

He leaned forward and kissed me. His lips were so warm, so inviting and delicious, that the kiss quickly deepened, becoming a sensuous exploration that had me aching in an instant.

"Oh, get a room you two," Liander said dryly.

I grinned, twined my fingers through Quinn's, and stood up. "Good idea."

I dragged him to my bedroom, closed the door, and kissed him again, this time fiercely. His arms wrapped around me, dragging me closer, until my body was molded against his and I could feel the slow beat of his vampire heart and every intake of breath. He might not be human in any sense of the word, he might not be a werewolf nor the man I'd spent half my life longing for, but he was very much the man I needed in my life. The vampire I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

And no matter what fate had planned, I would fight for this. Fight for us. It might have taken me altogether too long to realize just what this vampire meant to me, but now that I had I had no intention of letting go.

"I can see you as a mother," he murmured, his fingers sliding underneath my t-shirt, sending delicious tingles of desire scampering across my flesh as he lifted my shirt up and over my head. "I think you'd be a good one."

My gaze searched his. "But can you see yourself being one of the dads? You once said you couldn't stand children."

"Riley, this will be your child, and it'll be as close as I'll ever get to having one of my own. That makes the difference." He smiled. It was such a sweet, warm smile that my heart just about melted. "And you are wearing far too many clothes for my liking."

"This from the man wearing a suit," I said, tackling his shirt buttons. When they were all undone, I pressed my hands lightly against his skin, letting them rest on the hard planes of his stomach, reveling in the pleasure of simply touching him. Then I slowly slid my fingers upwards, enjoying the firmness of his toned body, luxuriating in the way his muscles quivered and jumped at my caress.

My hands slid under the material at his shoulders, my thumbs hooking both shirt and coat and slowly sliding them down his arms. Only to come to a dead halt at his wrists.

"Damn," I said, raising my gaze to his, laughter bubbling through me. "I forgot about the shirt cuffs."

"It never happens in the movies, does it?" he said, amusement touching his lips as he undid the problematic cuffs.

"It's the magic of the big screen," I said, watching the play of his muscles as he pulled off his jacket and shirt. Loving the way his gaze held mine, full of promises, full of desire.

"Bet you've never seen this done on the big screen." He bent, and in one smooth motion, scooped me up into his arms.

I grinned and flung my arms lightly around his neck. "The hero carries his heroine to the bed and ravishes her senseless in all the best romances."

He arched an eyebrow, bedevilment dancing in his dark gaze. "But does he do this?"

And with that, he tossed me. I yelped as I flew through the air, then laughed in delight as I hit the bed and bounced several times. "I don't think there are many human males who could throw their women with such ease."

"And there aren't many human females who have an appetite as strong as yours."

"Know this for a fact, do you?"

"Yes. I've been around a long time, remember."

"A very, very long time," I agreed solemnly. "I'm amazed you can still manage to get it up."

He took a swipe at me, but I rolled away from it with a laugh. "And there I was about to add something very nice."

I raised an eyebrow. "Like?"

"Like every day I thank fate for putting such a stubborn, sexy and altogether wonderful werewolf in my life."

Something inside me went mushy. "I might just let you bite my neck for that."

"I might just hold you to that." He bent over the end of the bed and reached for my jeans. I arched my hips to make the zipper easier to reach and his smile grew.

"Such an eager pup," he murmured, hooking the waist of my jeans and panties and pulling them swiftly down my legs.

"Well, I can't have you fumbling around taking forever to get down to business. I do have to go to work soon, remember."

"After being on this earth for twelve hundred years, I'd like to think I'm beyond mere fumbling."

He dropped my clothes to the floor then tackled his own. My grin grew as his body was revealed, my gaze drifting up the lean muscular planes of his legs to the rampant hardness of his erection.

This man was desire personified, and it was all I could do not to jump his bones right there and then.

"Every man fumbles," I commented dryly, "because every man sometimes lets the little head think for the big one."

On hands and knees, he walked up the bed, straddling my body but not actually touching my flesh. His scent, his desire, filled every breath, making my body burn and my heart ache.

"There have only been two times in my life that I've allowed the desire for sex to overrule my better judgement," he said softly, his dark gaze burning into my mine and his expression serious. "And in the second case, it's the best thing that has ever happened to me."

Then his lips dropped to mine and he kissed me. But it was more than just a kiss, more than just a meeting of lips and desire. It was heart if not soul, and the only place I wanted to be, now and forever.

There was no more talking from that moment on, just caressing and kissing and pleasuring. I explored his body as fully as he enjoyed mine, taking my time, letting the pleasure build and build, until it felt like every part of me was wound so tight it would surely break. Then he entered me, and everything did shatter, the power of my orgasm tossing me about like a leaf in the storm. When his teeth entered my neck, I came a second time, the pleasure of that one action sweeping through me like a tide.