Sunday Share: The Knight and Maggie's Baby, by Lisa Mondello

Today Lisa Mondello is sharing an excerpt of The Knight and Maggie’s Baby plus she’s giving away a copy to one commenter. Read the excerpt and you’ll definitely want to get in on a chance for a copy of this book! (Or better yet, buy a copy right away and start reading.)

The Knight and Maggie's Baby, by Lisa Mondello

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Heat level: sensual

Amazon, BN, KOBO

Sometimes fate needs a little help…

Jonah Wallace knows what it’s like to grow up without love. Despite having more money than the Queen of England, his childhood was cold and stale as he grew up in boarding schools. He’s dedicated his life to helping homeless and displaced children find the love and support they need by creating the Haven House Foundation, work that resulted in him being Knighted by the Queen.

Now that he’s living in America, his work is going along just fine…until his grandfather gives fate a little nudge by insisting he take a wife before he can inherit.

Coffee shop owner, Maggie Bonelli, is pregnant and the baby’s dad has gone AWOL. She knows too well the pain of growing up without a daddy. So when Jonah Wallace comes into her shop proposing marriage for a year, she takes him up on his offer, even if it’s only for a year. Live in a mansion and give her baby a name and a daddy to call his/her own. But can they keep their perfect arraignment strictly business…or will fate’s helping hand bring them love at last?

EXCERPT:

“Jonah?”  Maggie's voice was just a breath above a whisper, sheer music to his ears.

“Yes, Maggie, it's me.”

Her hands flew to her eyes and she rubbed them with the heels of her palms before looking up at him again.  “For a minute I thought I was dreaming.”

Jonah couldn't help but smile, and wondered what kind of dreams she was having to make her look so peaceful and angelic when he'd first come into the room.  Was she dreaming of him?  Of the baby?  Of the life she'd have once she and the baby had left him?

A fire began to brew deep in his gut.  He wanted to think she'd been dreaming about him.  Just as he'd spent all his time doing lately. 

“I'm sorry I woke you,” he said, absorbing the space between the closet and the bed. 

He was by her side in an instant, sitting beside her on the bed.  He wasn't quite sure how he'd gotten from point A to B, but there he was, reaching out to her because he couldn't help himself.  He needed to touch her.  Now that she was awake, it was like an invitation.  One he couldn't refuse.

“No, don't apologize.  I...”  She buried her face in her hands.

On impulse, he saddled up beside her in the middle of the big bed, gently pulling her hands away from her face.

“Maggie?  What is it?”

She shook her head.  “I shouldn't be here.” 

She was trembling.  When Jonah tilted her chin up to look at her, tears streamed down her cheeks, and his heart nearly shattered.  Oh, God, he never should have gone to England and left her alone.

Frantically brushing her hair away from her face, he said, “What's happened?  Why are you crying?”

She sniffed, taking in big gulps of air in an effort to control herself, but she lost the battle and wailed, “I'm fa-a-a-a-ttt!”

“Wha, what are you talking about?”

“I came...in...to...your room tonight.”  Maggie sniffed a few more times and hiccupped some sobs back before going on.  “I didn't have anything...comfortable to wear...anymore and I thought...”

Jonah glanced down at her clothes and for the first time realized that Maggie was wearing one of his white dress shirts.  She was naked beneath his shirt!  Even as pregnant as she was the shirt left room to spare and hung dangerously low off her bare shoulders.  The sleeves were cuffed a few times and bagged on her arms.  

Jonah's insides jumped into overdrive, making his groin grow hard.  He couldn't believe just how impossibly sexy Maggie could be eight months pregnant wearing a plain white cotton shirt.  He longed to run his hand over her thighs like he'd dreamed of doing so many times when he'd lain awake at night in this very room without her.  And now she was here, in his bed and naked beneath his shirt.   Oh, Lord, have mercy!

Trying to ignore his aching arousal, he stated the obvious.  “Of course you're going to get bigger.  You're pregnant.” 

She threw him a cynical look and sniffed, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.  “No kidding.  It's kind of hard for me to forget.”

He couldn't help but laugh, but stopped the instant her sobs erupted again.  He scooped her into his arms. 

She wailed against his bare shoulder.  “I came in here tonight because I...nothing fit me and I thought...I'd be able to fit into one of your shirts.”

“That's okay.  You look...”  Oh, Lord, he was in trouble.  What could he possibly tell her that would help?  Hey, Maggie, you're the sexiest creature I've ever seen and you're driving me insane right now?  My whole body is tight and aching because I want to make love to you?  Right now.  I want to be inside you right this damned minute! 

Somehow he didn't think telling her the truth was going to help.

“Huge!  That's what I look like,” she finally said.  “I'm big and fat and-”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

“Look at me.  I'm as big as a house!” she sobbed, throwing her hands down the front of her to reveal her ample belly.

Jonah pulled her back into a tight embrace, reveling in the feeling of her body so close to his, feeling the swells of her full breasts press against his bare chest, knowing that nothing lay between them now but the thin cotton of his dress shirt.  It was driving him insane.  And right now, he decided sanity was way over rated.

With her head tucked under his chin, he chuckled at the lunacy of it.  She didn't have a clue what she did to him. 

“Maggie, I wish you could see yourself through my eyes.”

“Believe me, I do.  I'm getting so wide I'm filling up the mirror.”

“Don't be like that.”

“How can I not?  How can you possibly look at me and not be completely turned off?”

A wry grin tugged at his mouth.  “Were you hoping I would be turned on?”

Pulling away, she averted her gaze.  Even in the darkness, he could tell she was blushing.  And he wondered just how much of her body was blushing.  Oh, how he wanted to know.

She sniffed back another sob and flipped a lock of hair behind her ear.  But it was no use, with her head bent down it fell back into her face.

Jonah tipped her chin up, then brushed his fingers along her jaw.  “Because if that's the case, then you got your wish.”

~*~

Dear Readers:

Most of the time we read romances where the love scenes are between a man and a woman and the woman is NOT pregnant.  I don't know many woman who feel their sexy best when they're 8 months pregnant, and the heroine in The Knight and Maggie's Baby is no different.  I recall being pregnant and not being able to see my feet.  This is where Maggie's at in this scene.  And the way Sir Jonah Wallace handles it is...oh, so sweet.  Makes me fall in love with him all over again!  Here is a very touching and loving scene from The Knight and Maggie's Baby.

The Knight and Maggie's Baby is Book 3 in my Fate with a Helping Hands series, also available as a BOX SET.

     The Knight and Maggie's Baby Book 3 (Fate with a Helping Hand)
     The Marriage Contract Book 2 (Fate with a Helping Hand)
     All I Want for Christmas is You Book 1 (Fate with a Helping Hand) .99 cent

Where to find Lisa: http://www.lisamondello.blogspot.com

Leave a comment or question (and contact email, please) for Lisa and you could win a copy of THE KNIGHT AND MAGGIE’S BABY! She will pick a winner on Wednesday.

Thank you so much for sharing with us today, Lisa.  Have a great week!

Stacey Joy Netzel