Sexy Beast III. Morgan Hawke

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      Anton Cheval checked the calendar one more time, then gazed steadily at his very pregnant mate. She stood in the doorway to his office with all the grace of an African queen: elegant, self-confident, and sexy as hell, despite the fact she was into her eighth month of pregnancy. “We’re pushing it, love, flying to San Francisco for your cousin’s wedding. What if you deliver early?”

      Keisha laughed and Anton knew he was going to cave. So many were in awe of him, but never this lovely woman. No respect from her at all. He had to bite back a smile.

      “Then you, my love, will deliver our daughter.” She stepped into the room, covered his hand with hers, and placed her other palm over his heart.

      He felt the damned thing skip a beat. She had no idea how much power she held over him, how much he needed her. Anton covered her hand and pressed it against his chest. “It’s not something to joke about. I’m terrified of anything happening to…”

      “Nothing will happen. Besides, we’ll have Stefan and Xandi along, and Oliver, too. I imagine he knows how to deliver babies, right?”

      “Oliver is good at many things, but I’m not sure the practice of obstetrics is in his repertoire. We have two weeks. If you’re still feeling this good, then we can…”

      Keisha shook her head. “No, we don’t have two weeks. We need to be there in less than a week. I am not going to miss Tia’s bachelorette party, even if I can’t drink those fuzzy little concoctions she loves.”

      Stefan and Xandi wandered into the room. Anton looked up and shrugged his shoulders. Stefan was the brother he’d never had, the son he loved, and the lover who kept him sane at times like these. “How do you feel about this trip, Stefan? I’m concerned about the girls traveling so far this late in their pregnancies. I could fly down on my own, perform the ceremony as I promised Tia and…”

      “Not in this life you won’t!” Keisha stood and glared at Anton. She reached for Xandi and the two women clasped hands.

      He knew then the battle was a foregone conclusion. Stefan caught his eye, shrugged his shoulders once again, and then burst into laughter. “It is a matriarchal society, you know.” He leaned over and kissed his mate. “When you mate with a Chanku bitch, she gets the balls.”

      Anton raised his eyes to the heavens…actually, to the large chandelier over the dining room table. “There are days, Stefan, when I wish I’d never divulged that bit of information.”

      Keisha stood up. Her body was heavy with her pregnancy, but he’d never seen her more beautiful. Nor, Anton thought, had she ever been more powerful, more sure of herself. “Your divulging information makes no difference. We are what we are. We need to leave by Thursday. Can you make arrangements so the plane is ready to go by then?”

      Anton nodded, but the sense of misgiving wouldn’t leave him. Xandi’s pregnancy wasn’t quite as far along as Keisha’s, but both women were well beyond the time when doctors would normally allow them to travel. However, their doctor, one of the few familiar with the Chanku species, had found no reason to inhibit travel, at least for another few weeks.

      Damned charlatan. Unfortunately, the man was brilliant and someone Anton had learned to respect.

      “The plane will be ready. As will I. We leave on Thursday.” He glanced over Keisha’s head and caught Stefan’s eyes. The bastard had a grin on his face a mile wide, but then he loved it when Anton lost a battle. Damn, if he didn’t love the man, he’d kill him where he stood.