She’d never seen such intensity in his eyes. Under his scrutiny, she became self-conscious. She hadn’t lost every ounce she’d gained with Elizabeth, and most days the few extra pounds felt good, womanly. Now she wasn’t so sure. “I…guess I’m not quite the same as I—”
His voice trembled slightly. “You’re perfect.” He met her gaze and there was a sheen of moisture in his eyes. “And after how I treated you seventeen months ago, and even just now, accusing you of trying to trap me into marriage, you should have forbidden me ever to touch you again.”
Her throat closed. He was so hard on himself, more judgmental than she could ever be. “Nat, don’t—”
“But you let me touch you, let me love you, because you have a good and generous heart.” He moved over her, his gaze holding hers. “And for that, I’m eternally grateful.”
“I could never turn you away,” she whispered.
“You should.” He eased the tip of his penis inside her and closed his eyes. “God knows you should.”
“I can’t.” She cupped his buttocks in her hands. “I want this as much as you.”
He opened his eyes. “Then, besides being too generous, you’re a fool, a bigger fool than I am. And I’m going to take advantage of that, Jess. One more time.” He thrust forward and closed his eyes with a groan. “So sweet. Oh, Jess.”
She dug her fingers into his buttocks and held him tight inside her. Yes, the condom made a difference, separating them in a way that seemed unfair. She wanted him flesh to flesh, as close as they’d been before. But she couldn’t have that, and what she could have was very good indeed. He filled the emptiness that had tortured her ever since he left.
He opened his eyes, and they were blazing with passion. His voice was thick with restrained desire. “When I’m inside you like this, I own the world.”
She stroked her hands up the knotted muscles of his back and slipped them around to cradle his beloved, bearded face. “So do I.” Her smile quivered as she gazed up at him. “I thought this was going to be fast and furious.”
“It will be, the minute I move. I just want to savor this part, the first time I push deep, and I’m leaning over you like this, looking into your eyes, watching them get all dark and soft, seeing your cheeks flush. And your freckles stand out.”
“They do?”
“Yeah, and I’ve missed that so much. I’ve missed every crazy thing about you, Jess. Your herbal teas, your bossiness—”
“I’m not bossy.”
He chuckled. “Yes, you are.”
“I’ve missed your laugh.” She felt his penis stir within her and knew he’d begin to move soon.
“I’ve missed your happy little moans.” He eased down onto his elbows, so that his chest brushed her nipples. “Lace your fingers through mine,” he murmured. “Like we used to do.”
She knew exactly what he meant. It had been their favorite way of making love. She slipped her hands under his so they were palm to palm, fingers intertwined.
Looking deep into her eyes, he gripped her hands tightly in his. “I’ve missed the way your mouth opens, just a little, when I start stroking.” He eased back and came forward again. “Like you want to be open…everywhere.” He picked up the rhythm.
“I missed the look in your eyes when you’re close to coming,” she whispered breathlessly. “You look like a fierce warrior.”
He pumped more vigorously, and his voice was hoarse. “Then I must look pretty fierce right now.”
“Yes. Magnificent.” The grip of his hands was almost painful, but she didn’t care. His frantic desire drove her straight to the edge of the precipice with him.
“Oh, Jess.” He gasped for breath as he plunged into her again and again. “Can you?”
“I’m there, Nat. Love me. Love me hard.”
He groaned. “Oh, Jess.”
They came apart together, clutching each other wildly as their control shattered.
As they lay panting and spent, she caressed his sweat-soaked back. “Welcome home,” she murmured.
ALL HIS LIFE people had accused Steven Pruitt of being an egghead. By now he was damn proud of the label. In fact, he figured that his eggheadedness was the key to making him enormously rich. Someday he’d be the one staying at the Waldorf. Right under Russell P. Franklin’s nose.
In the meantime, he had to be patient. When he thought of the money he would wring out of Russell P. when this thing came down, he could be patient. Trailing Jessica wasn’t so different from some of the investigative-reporting assignments he’d had. He’d never needed much sleep, and catnapping on a bench where he could keep tabs on the entrance to the hotel was uncomfortable but bearable.
Some people might think six months of trailing someone in order to kidnap them was too long. But they didn’t understand the thrill of the chase. He hadn’t understood it, either, until he’d begun following Jessica. Once he’d found out what a rush this cat-and-mouse game could give him, he’d decided to enjoy it for as long as his money lasted. He’d probably never get to feel this much like James Bond again in his life.
He ought to be good for another month or two. What a feeling of power he felt whenever he made her run. By now he knew her well, probably better than the guy she was shacked up with in the Waldorf.
The guy was an unexpected turn of events, but Steven didn’t consider him a major obstacle. He might even be of some help. He and Jessica obviously had something going between them, and there was nothing like a little hanky-panky to make people careless. That was all Steven needed to make his dreams come true when he was finally ready to make the snatch—one careless moment.
A KNOCK AT THE HOTEL DOOR woke Nat from a dreamless sleep caused by pure exhaustion. He staggered out of bed, not quite sure where he was.
“Maid service,” called a woman through the closed door.
Everything came back to him, and he glanced over at the bed to see if Jess was still in it. The bed was empty. He panicked. She’d left him after all. She didn’t trust him not to call her parents and give her location away.
“Come back later!” he called to the maid. Then he heard water running and dashed into the bathroom to find Jess calmly brushing her teeth. Naked.
“What’s wrong?” she asked around a mouthful of toothpaste foam.
“I thought you’d taken off.” He grabbed her and kissed her, foam and all. And just like that, once they were skin against skin once more, he was in the same condition he’d been ever since he and Jess had arrived in this hotel room. Apparently he’d stored up a lot of sexual tension in the past seventeen months, and he’d become very particular about who could relieve it. He’d narrowed the candidates down to one, as a matter of fact.
He filled both hands with her breasts. “Come back to bed,” he coaxed between kisses.
“We need to call the ranch,” she said.
“We will. But I need fortification first.” A true statement. And despite her protest, she was responding, heating up like the blast furnace he knew she could be.
Her words came out breathy and excited. “We’ll call right after?”
“We’ll call right after. I promise. Please, Jess.” He was begging and he didn’t much care. Besides, it looked as if he could win this one, and making love to her one more time would give him courage for that phone call. He started backing his way out of the bathroom, bringing her with him. “Come in where the condoms are.”
She tugged on him, and she’d found a very effective handle. “I have a better idea.”
“There is no better idea.” God, he loved it when she wrapped her fingers around his erection like that. He wondered if he should try some caveman tactics and throw her over his shoulder, except he hated to interfere with all that terrific fondling she was doing.
“Toothpaste,” she whispered against his mouth.
“Yeah, I know.” In his gusto to kiss her he’d smeared both of them with the foam. It was all over his beard and her chin. “I probably have it everywhere.”
<
br /> “Not quite.” Leaning back, she grabbed her toothbrush from the counter where she’d tossed it, stuck it in her mouth and worked up another head of foam.
“What in hell are you—”
“Tell me if you like this.”
Before he understood her intentions, she’d dropped to her knees and taken his penis in her toothpaste-filled mouth.
He gasped as cool tingling foam met hot pulsing flesh. Then he groaned in delight as she added embellishments with her tongue. Gripping the counter, he closed his eyes. Oh, this was good. This was very good. Heaven. He wanted it to last forever. His grip on the counter tightened as he trembled and fought for control.
Then he made the mistake of opening his eyes. The mirror running the full length of the counter reflected Jess, totally involved in her task. He came in a rush. The sensation was so intense that if he hadn’t been holding on to the counter, he would have toppled over.
He stood there gasping and quivering as she licked him clean and slowly rose to kiss him gently on the mouth.
“How was it?” she murmured.
He sucked in a shaky breath. “Okay, I guess.”
“Liar.” She kissed him again. “I wasted you.”
“You did.” He managed to focus long enough to look into her laughing eyes. Then a really unpleasant thought occurred to him. “Where did you learn that?”
She chuckled. “I’m so glad you can be jealous, too.”
The wonderful languor that had settled over him disappeared. He’d asked her last night if there was anyone else, but he didn’t ask if there had been anybody else. He slid his hand behind her head and held it gently but firmly so she couldn’t look away. “Where, Jess?”
Her expression wasn’t the least bit evasive. Instead, she seemed extremely proud of herself. “I read it in a book.”
His tension melted, and he smiled. “Oh.”
“Unlike some people in this bathroom, I haven’t even been naked with anyone since you left, unless you count my obstetrician, Cliff.”
Nat wasn’t sure he could tolerate even that thought. He didn’t know where this possessiveness was coming from, but it was very strong. “Is he single?”
“No.”
“Good.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her cheek against his chest. “And now that we have that settled, can we call the ranch?”
He knew the time had come. Although he didn’t look forward to talking with Sebastian about the situation, he couldn’t postpone it any longer. “Okay.”
“Before you do, I need to tell you something.”
His gut tightened. “What?”
“I wanted to make sure I was the one to tell you about Elizabeth, so I didn’t tell Sebastian you’re her father. When you call, he’ll be hearing that news for the first time.”
Nat grimaced. If he’d been dreading the phone call before, he purely hated the thought of having to make it now.
CHAPTER SIX
SEBASTIAN DANIELS got down on all fours so his wife, Matty, could prop Elizabeth on his back.
“Giddyap, horsey!” Matty said.
Elizabeth chortled and bounced as Sebastian whinnied and started off around the living room. Matty walked alongside to steady the baby and make sure she didn’t fall.
Sebastian hated having only one week in three to spend with Elizabeth, but it was the only fair arrangement, and Sebastian valued fairness. When Jessica had named him the baby’s godfather, she’d also included Travis Evans and Boone Connor in that honor. The kicker was that each of them thought they might be Elizabeth’s daddy. All three of them had been pretty drunk the night of the avalanche reunion party, and each of them vaguely remembered making a pass at Jessica, who had stayed sober and driven them back to their cabin.
Ever since Jessica had left Elizabeth on Sebastian’s doorstep eight months ago, the men had hotly debated the baby’s parentage. Finally they’d submitted to paternity testing and discovered none of them was the baby’s father. Trouble was, they and their wives had become so darned attached to the little cutie-pie. Until the real father showed up, or Jessica came back to clear up the mystery, they’d agreed to take turns with Elizabeth.
The baby trade always took place on Saturday morning, and whenever he picked up Elizabeth, Sebastian was on top of the world. The following Saturday, which happened to be today, was a different story. But both he and Matty tried to keep their sadness from Elizabeth.
Besides having to deal with Elizabeth leaving, Matty was extremely hormonal in this fifth month of her pregnancy. He loved the way her belly had begun to round out, and she seemed softer all over. She wore her blond hair loose all the time now, and Sebastian could barely keep his hands off her. But he’d noticed she could get weepy at the drop of a hat, and this morning he’d noticed her swiping at tears when she thought he wasn’t looking.
Elizabeth seemed oblivious to their distress. Decked out in denim overalls and a bright red shirt, she laughed and bounced happily on Sebastian’s back. Every so often she kicked his ribs with her moccasined feet, which was his cue to snort and pick up the pace. His knees were sore and his ribs were getting tender, but he didn’t care a bit. He hoped that just this once Travis and Gwen would be late.
They weren’t. The doorbell chimed at eleven, right on schedule.
“That’ll be them.” Matty lifted the baby off Sebastian’s back.
“Travis never used to so damn punctual,” Sebastian grumbled as he got to his feet and brushed off the knees of his jeans.
“I think it’s Gwen’s doing. Marriage to her has really domesticated that man.” Matty propped Elizabeth against her hip and started toward the door.
“Here, let me take her,” Sebastian said, hurrying after her. “You shouldn’t be carrying—”
“I’m fine. Let me keep her a little longer,” Matty said, a slight quiver in her voice.
Sebastian backed off. When she got that little tremble in her voice, he knew she was close to tears. He’d adjusted to her frequent crying, but she hated turning into a water faucet all the time. She’d cried more in the last couple of months than in the entire ten years they’d been neighbors, before they got married, and he knew it embarrassed her to be so emotional. It made him feel manly and strong, but he didn’t dare tell her that, or she might whack him with the frying pan.
He was doing everything he could to stay on Matty’s good side, because then he could enjoy one of the other side effects of pregnancy. Much to his surprise, Matty wanted to make love more often than ever, and he was quite happy to oblige.
He thought about that as Travis and Gwen came in, all smiles because they were about to make off with Elizabeth. Once they left, he’d coax Matty back to the bedroom. A hot session in the old four-poster would help ease the pain of having to be without the little girl for two weeks.
Gwen was dressed to emphasize her Cheyenne ancestry, with her long dark braid and a fringed outfit. Sebastian had seen the combination on her before, but for some reason he couldn’t put his finger on, she seemed different today. Maybe she was trying out some new brand of makeup or something. Gwen was much more into that sort of thing than Matty.
Travis was his usual debonair self, strolling in with one hand behind his back. “Hey, Lizzie!” he said. “Lookee here!” He brought his hand out from hiding and waggled the raccoon puppet he held. “Hello, Mizz Lizzie,” he said in a falsetto. “Wanna come home with me?”
Elizabeth squealed and wiggled impatiently as she held out both arms toward the puppet. Matty relinquished her to Travis.
Sebastian had always been a little jealous of the way Travis could charm the baby in two seconds. “Show-off,” he muttered.
Travis whipped the puppet’s head around toward Sebastian. “Spoilsport,” he said in falsetto.
“Okay, you two,” Gwen said, stepping forward. “Play nice.”
“We always do,” Sebastian said with a wicked grin aimed at Travis. Then he looked at Gwen. “Say, are you trying out a ne
w shade of lipstick?”
“No.” Gwen seemed taken aback.
“Lipstick?” Matty chuckled. “You are the last man on earth I expected to comment on a woman’s lipstick color.”
“I just think Gwen looks different today. I thought it might be the lipstick.”
Gwen gave him a startled glance. “You really think I look different?”
“I’m probably imagining things.”
Travis gazed fondly at his wife. “Oh, I wouldn’t say that.”
“Then there is something different.”
Gwen looked at her husband and smiled. “In a manner of speaking.”
Matty figured it out before Sebastian did, and she hollered with delight as she threw her arms around Gwen. “When? When did you find out?”
“About a half hour ago,” Gwen said, hugging her back. “We wanted you two to be the first to know.”
Sebastian eyed Travis and tried to pretend great seriousness. But inside he was jumping for joy. To his way of thinking, the more babies around, the better. “Seems to me the last time this happened, the guy responsible got tossed in a snowbank,” he said. Travis and Boone had lost no time wrestling him out the door the night Matty announced she was pregnant.
“See, I plan these things better than you, Daniels.” Travis looked ready to burst his buttons with pride. “I waited until the snow melted and I had a baby in my arms. Plus, you don’t have Boone around to help, so I reckon I’m pretty safe.”
“Don’t count your chickens, buddy. The day’s not over yet.”
“This is so wonderful,” Matty said. “Does your mother know, Travis?”
“Not yet. Like Gwen said, you two are the first.”
“Luann will be out of her head with happiness,” Matty said. “I’d love to see the look on her face when—” She stopped as the kitchen phone rang. “Excuse me a minute,” she said as she started toward the kitchen. “That might be the vet. Stay right there until I get back, okay?”
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