Page 179 of Stars in Umbra
He opened the door to his suite and let her in first.
Inside, the lights adjusted to their presence, dimming to a soft amber hue.
The chaos of the past day clung to them, but here, in his sanctuary, silence offered them space to breathe.
The balcony doors sat open, letting in a cool breeze and a distant murmur of night traffic.
He kicked off his boots, then turned to her. ‘Relax, sit down,mi kaya.’
But Rina wasn’t settling.
She slid off the top of her armored skin suit, revealing a vest.
She discarded the clothing on the divan.
She toed off her boots and paced, arms crossed, her gaze flicking around the space without focus.
Mo tilted his head. ‘You’re restless, baby. What do you want to talk about?’
She paused mid-step but didn’t look at him.
‘What’s going on,mi kaya?’ His voice was quieter now.
For a long moment, she said nothing.
In time, she slowed, strode to the couch, and slumped into it.
Her gaze was so solemn, his soul kicked in panic.
He was by her side in seconds.
‘Woman, speak. What thefokkis wrong?’
His growl was authoritative, commanding that she glance up at him, blinking.
She bit her lip, then blurted. ‘I’m pregnant.’
Mo froze.
His vision and thoughts stuttered, and his heart hammered in his chest with a heavy, disbelieving beat.
His breath hitched halfway between disbelief and reverence, and he took a step toward her as if proximity to her might help anchor what he had just heard.
‘Say that again,’ he murmured.
His vocalization was raw and hoarse as he sank to his knees in front of her.
‘I’m pregnant,’ she repeated.
His hands moved before his mind caught up.
First, they went to her face, cupping her cheeks with a gentle touch.
One hand remained on her face.
The other glided lower, his fingers splayed across the flat plane of her abdomen.
His breath hitched as he sensed the pulse of life stirring beneath her skin.
