Reprieve (Love's Second Chance Book 1)

by Scott,Scarlett

  “Sophie.” Trevor said her name, partly plea and partly like a prayer. He leaned back, pulling his lips from hers.

  Heat shimmered in his gaze as he regarded her for a moment. She wondered what he saw in her eyes, if he could see just how desperately she loved him.

  He held out a hand to her. “Come with me.”

  His voice was low, husky with passion and she knew as she looked at him that if she took his hand and went with him, there would be only one ultimate conclusion. They would make love. She knew too that she could just as easily tell him no and he would leave her in peace. Being with him like this, making love with him, it was dangerous for Sophie. But she loved him so much.

  “What about my canvas and paints?” she asked, her mind already decided.

  “Gather them up on your lap.”

  Sophie did as he asked, though it was no easy task. Errant paint tubes kept rolling back into the sand. It had taken her three trips to get that much of her painting supplies out onto the beach that morning. When she had as good a grip as she could manage on everything, she looked up at Trevor. “Why? What are you—”

  Before she could finish, Trevor neatly scooped her and her painting supplies off the sand and into his arms.

  “Trevor,” she protested even as she snuggled closer to his broad chest. “With the baby and all my painting supplies, I must weigh a ton! You’ll hurt yourself.”

  “Sweetheart, right now I’m only concerned about the quickest way to get you off this beach and into my bed. Besides, you’re a petite little thing and Baby is still small.”

  Sophie found herself mesmerized by the view she was presented of the bronzed, strong column of his neck. She couldn’t help herself. She shifted in his arms and pressed a kiss to his skin. His pulse thrummed a steady beat. His jaw clenched and he kept his eyes determinedly set on the path he was making to the house’s back door.

  Emboldened by his reaction, Sophie pressed a kiss to the hint of his chest exposed at the collar of his shirt. She flicked her tongue out against his warm, salty skin.

  “Christ.” Trevor hissed a breath through clenched teeth. “We won’t make it to the house if you don’t stop.”

  She kissed his chest again, then his neck, reveling in the power she had over him. His passion transformed her into a woman she had not known she could be. He made her feel alive.

  Trevor muttered a curse and lengthened his strides.

  Moments later, he was carrying her into the house, through the hall to the bedroom. He didn’t stop until she was deposited on his bed. Her paint tubes rolled across the mattress. One look at him made her drop her canvas onto the floor. It didn’t matter that the fresh red strokes of sunset she’d applied were now smudged and smeared across her shirt. The only thing that did matter was Trevor’s hot eyes devouring her, Trevor purposefully unbuttoning the front of his white shirt.

  She reached blindly for the remaining tubes of paint in her lap, sending them clattering to the floor to join the canvas. In the next instant Trevor was on the bed, atop her, his muscular thighs on either side of hers. He braced himself on his arms, careful not to put too much of his weight on her. He gave her a sexy smile. “Now, sweetheart. Now you can kiss me.”

  Sophie slid her arms around his neck and kissed his smiling mouth. Her tongue tangled with his and she savored the taste of him, the slight tang of coffee and something else that was purely Trevor and purely delicious.

  His erection jutted against the apex of her thighs and she arched up against him, wanting him so badly she ached with it. Trevor tore his lips from hers, showering kisses down her neck, nipping lightly at her skin as he went. His mouth found the sensitive patch of skin behind her ear, then his tongue flicked over her. Sophie slid her hands down over the bare, rippling muscles of his back. His skin was fiery and smooth at the same time, a heady combination. And she wanted more.

  “Trevor.” She moaned his name, nearly in a frenzy for him after just a few kisses.

  “Do you feel it too, Sophie?” His hot breath tickled her neck as he murmured the words in her ear. “God, you make me crazy with wanting you. Just to taste you, to touch your sweet skin, to feel you.”

  His words touched something inside her, making her heart swell with even more love for him. She kissed his proud jawline, caressing his back with her hands. “I feel it too,” she whispered.

  His tongue sent a wet trail down her neck. His hands cupped her breasts through the thin fabric of her shirt. Her nipples peaked and hardened instantly.

  Trevor looked up at her even as his thumbs grazed the hardened nubs. “I want to go slowly. I want to make you ache for me.” His tongue slid into her mouth as he sealed his proclamation with a kiss.

  When the kiss ended, Sophie was gasping for breath. “I already do ache for you.”

  A slow, seductive smile curved his lips. “Not enough, sweetheart.”

  As if to prolong the torture, his fingers slid each button on her shirt from its mooring. With every button opened and each expanse of skin newly revealed, Trevor laid kisses in a line down her torso. Finally, he reached the last button and pulled her shirt completely open.

  His gaze fastened hungrily on her breasts, then the small mound of her belly. A wave of uncertainty crashed over her. Would Trevor be put off by her pregnancy? Would he find her unattractive? Her fingers moved to pull the ends of her shirt back together. Trevor’s hands halted her.

  “Don’t,” he said, part plea, part command. “You have never been more beautiful to me, sweetheart.” He released one of her hands and placed his large one over the swell of her belly. “I want you all the more for knowing you’re carrying my baby.”

  “Oh, Trevor.”

  He kissed her again, a kiss rife with passion and hunger and possession. It was a kiss that claimed her heart and soul for his own once and for all, achingly sweet but seductive at the same time.

  He slid a hand beneath her back, then she felt his nimble fingers unhooking the clasp of her bra. His hand guided her into a semi-sitting position as he divested her of both the shirt and the bra. Then his skilled hands were skimming the undersides of her breasts in a back and forth motion, making her nipples tighten even more.

  Ending their drugging kiss, Trevor once more turned his full attention to Sophie’s breasts. He continued to massage them as he lowered his dark head to place a kiss on the hard peak of first one breast, then the other. Sophie moaned, her fingers sinking into his hair, loving its luxuriant texture against her skin.

  “Tell me what you want next, Sophie,” he commanded, his voice a dark growl.

  She arched against him. He blew air lightly across one of her nipples.

  Sophie gave in to him, unable to help herself. “Your mouth,” she said. “I want your mouth.”

  “Where?” His lips skimmed her rib cage. “Here?” He moved higher, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. “Here?”

  He was torturing her, making her say aloud everything she wanted from him. She understood on a visceral level his need to lay claim to her, to make her his. The knowledge heightened the eroticism of the moment.

  Trevor kissed her collarbone. “Here maybe?”

  She gritted her teeth. “You know where.”

  He chuckled, the sound husky and deep and somehow seductive. “Good things come to those who wait.”

  She bucked against him when his scorching, wet mouth closed over one of her nipples. He laved and sucked, his tongue twirling around the crest, over the taut bud again and again until her breath came in shallow gasps.

  Before she could recover from the sensuous onslaught, Trevor’s hands found the zipper in the waistband of her skirt and unzipped it, tugging both the skirt and her underwear down over her ankles. His hands lingered there, caressing her calves up and down.

  Sophie watched him, kneeling over her, head bent in concentration. He looked up at her suddenly, his gaze striking in its brilliance. Trevor did not speak, didn’t need to say a word. The look he sent her spoke volumes.

&
nbsp; Then he bent his head once more and kissed a slow, steady path up the curve of her right leg. His tongue flicked out against her feverish skin as he reached her knee. With his hand, he gripped her ankle and pushed so that her foot lay flat on the bed and her knee was bent. His mouth trailed up her thigh and Sophie lost her ability to breathe.

  His dark head continued inching closer to the apex of her thighs and that part of her that was practically begging for him. Oh my goodness. He buried his face between her legs.

  Her body was completely engulfed in flames of Trevor’s making as he explored her with his mouth. Sophie’s back arched off the bed, her moans ringing through the bedroom. His tongue delved inside her, lingering to caress her sensitive sheath. He sucked her clit, raked his teeth over the nub, rubbed his scruff against her wet skin. When his tongue slipped inside her again, she couldn’t help herself. She came, hard and wild.

  As she spiraled back down to earth, Trevor kissed the soft curve of her belly, then her navel, his tongue dipping into the hollow.

  He looked up at her again. “Are you burning for me yet?” He kissed a patch of skin above her bellybutton.

  “I’ve been burning for you forever,” she told him, breathless. And it felt as if she had been burning for him forever. Sophie couldn’t recall what her life had been like without Trevor. She only knew she never wanted to experience it again.

  Trevor smiled and kissed the valley between her breasts. “Have I ever told you that you’re exquisite?” A kiss landed on her neck.

  “No.”

  “Well you are.” Finally his lips returned to hers for another deep, heady kiss that sent even more heat coursing through her veins. “God, I can’t wait another second,” he growled against her lips.

  Suddenly, he was inside her with one swift, hard thrust, filling her body and sending waves of heady passion crashing over her. His tongue sank into her mouth. Trevor was all she could feel and she reveled in it, in him. He pulled out almost completely, then sank inside her again, beginning a heady rhythm that had both of them peaking violently within moments.

  Trevor remained within her as they lay together, chests rising and falling with heavy breaths, hearts beating in sync. He gazed down at her, trailing a hand over her cheek, and she became aware for the first time she was crying.

  “Tears again?” He leaned down to kiss her lightly on the lips. “I’m beginning to feel insulted, sweetheart.”

  Sophie reached up to cup his face in her hands. The stubble on his cheeks was rough and abrasive against the sensitive skin of her palms. “Tears of awe,” she murmured, drawing his head down for another kiss.

  Their lips clung, almost as though they were two lovers who had been separated for years instead of a man and woman who had just made love. When the kiss ended, Trevor rolled to his side with her, holding her against the solid, warm length of his body. Sophie couldn’t quite manage to stifle the yawn that suddenly bubbled up within her.

  Trevor chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “It’s probably a good thing for you that I don’t insult easily.” He looked down at her with a tender smile. “Sleep here in my arms.”

  And Sophie did just that.

  Trevor lost track of how long he lay in bed with Sophie watching her sleep. It didn’t matter. He could watch her like this forever, the lines of her beautiful face softened by slumber, her luxurious brown hair fanned out over his pillow.

  God, it was incredible how moments like this could become so precious to him. He wanted to spend every morning with her lying in his arms. The word forever had never sounded so amazingly good.

  He loved Sophie. Christ help him, he was a hopeless case as Danielle had said. There was a ring lying in a box inside his top dresser drawer that attested to that. But he was past caring about maintaining his pride. Past caring about Peter and old memories and ghosts. Past caring about anything but Sophie and their child together.

  Their child.

  Just the thought of the baby Sophie carried made Trevor’s heart expand in his chest like an inflatable raft. It was the most amazing feeling to know he and Sophie had created a life together. The damnedest thing was that he’d never once, in all his adult life, seriously entertained the notion of fatherhood. Now nothing seemed more perfect than to build a life with both Sophie and their child.

  He had intended to use this week to seduce her slowly, but two days of keeping his distance had all but rendered him insane. This morning had not been planned, but it could not have happened better.

  Sophie stirred just then, puffing out an adorable little sigh as she rolled onto her side. Trevor couldn’t quite resist snaking an arm about her waist and pulling her against his body. She curled against him, her sweetly rounded belly brushing his and their legs entangling.

  “Mmm.” Sophie nestled even closer to him and nuzzled his neck. “You shouldn’t have let me fall asleep.”

  Trevor smiled down at her indulgently, brushing his knuckles against her sleep-flushed cheek. “I’m told pregnant women need their rest. Besides, I love watching you sleep.”

  She wrinkled her nose in a way that again seemed adorable to him. Adorable was apparently the word of choice in his love-struck mind.

  In that moment, as she lay naked in his arms, all Trevor’s well-rehearsed speeches disintegrated in his mind. He laced his fingers through hers.

  “Sweetheart, I need to be honest with you.” The words emerged from somewhere deep inside his soul. Her body stiffened with sudden tension. “The two of us in this bed together feels like home to me. You feel like home to me, Sophie. I want to wake up every morning with you and come home at night to you and our baby.”

  Sophie’s gaze probed his. “I know this baby was unexpected, Trevor. Please don’t feel like you need to compensate for that.”

  “I don’t, Sophie. Hell.” He paused, feeling as though he had just lost some precious footing here. “God knows I don’t know how to be a father. And yes, there was a time when I never thought I’d be one. But I want this baby and I want you. I want us to build a life together, a real life together. I can live with you loving Peter more. No one would be a better husband to you than me, Sophie. No man would love you more.”

  He cupped her face in his hands reverently. Shock flared in her eyes and her kiss-swollen lips moved to speak several times before she managed to find her voice.

  “Trevor, I—”

  “No.” He stopped her, pressing a quick kiss to her mouth. It terrified him to think she might reject him or that she might confirm his fears that she could never love him. Never had he felt as though his entire world depended on a few words. But Trevor did now and he was determined to postpone the final reckoning until he said everything he needed to say.

  “Sophie, I’m in love with you. I want you to be my wife.” He put a finger over her lips when she would have spoken. “Don’t interrupt, sweetheart. Before you answer me, I need to tell you that I don’t expect to take Peter’s place in your heart. I admire your loyalty and love for him, though at times I’ve been insanely jealous of it. I won’t ask for anything more than you can give. I love you enough for both of us.”

  Tears were streaming down Sophie’s face. Nothing had ever moved her more than Trevor’s simple, humble speech. Words clamored on her tongue, eagerly awaiting release, but when she opened her mouth, all that emerged was, “Yes.”

  “Yes?” Trevor’s eyes blazed brightly with an exhilarating concoction of love and hope.

  “Yes,” she confirmed, struggling to find her voice. “But there are some things I need to say to you too.” She took a deep breath. “You know I loved Peter and I always will. He and Elizabeth will always be with me, but there’s room in my heart for more than just their memories. I love you, Trevor, and this baby we made together. I don’t love Peter more. It’s just a different love. I love what we had together. But when I’m with you, I feel a love I never imagined could exist. You saved my life and you made me whole again. And I love you more than words can express,
as silly as that may sound, more than anything.”

  He crushed her to him, burying his face in her hair as he had done so many times before. “God, I love you, Sophie.”

  She smiled through her tears and hugged him for all she was worth. Somehow, this wonderful man had found her and turned her life around, making her dreams come true.

  “Not as much as I love you,” she whispered. “Not as much as I love you.”

  Read on for an excerpt of Book 2 in the Love’s Second Chance series, Perfect Persuasion, available now.

  Perfect Persuasion

  Love’s Second Chance Book 2

  After a wild weekend of passion on a business trip, Claire discovers she’s pregnant with her boss’s baby. It wouldn’t be such a big deal if Logan wasn’t the world’s most arrogant jerk. But he is, and she decides to keep the pregnancy a secret, even if it means losing her job.

  It doesn’t take long for Logan to realize what’s going on and he isn’t happy Claire tried to hide the truth from him. To make matters worse, he and Claire can’t seem to agree on anything other than the insane attraction that keeps sparking to life between them. One minute they can’t stand to be in the same room and the next, they can’t keep their hands to themselves.

  Even as their mutual attraction heats up, both are determined to guard their hearts. Claire can’t make sense of Logan’s hot-then-cold personality and Logan wants more from Claire than she’s willing to give. Can they meet each other halfway before it’s too late?

  “Oh my God, where have you been?”

  Claire frowned at her disheveled, out-of-breath assistant. Jamie had a friendly, open face and barely cleared five feet, even with the spiky heels she loved to wear. Today, the heels were scarlet, coupled with a matching leather miniskirt and a black feather boa-like shirt. Her naturally blonde hair was a shade of red rivaling her shoes.