by T. F. Walsh
She closed her eyes, just feeling. She was as vulnerable here as it was possible to be, but there was nothing to be afraid of. She was open to him, taken by him. His tongue slid over her and she shivered, feeling her body begin to weep for him. Then thought vanished as she rose and crested, her body shaking, her voice coming out in a keen at the intensity of her orgasm.
When she was done, as her shivering climax stilled, he lifted his head and pillowed his face against her belly. He was breathing nearly as hard as she was, caught up in her ecstasy. Her hands slid down her own skin until they touched his hair, slid into its thick silk. He looked up at her face and smiled.
“Come inside,” she whispered.
His smile deepened and warmed. There was a moment’s pause as he fumbled in the pocket of his cast-aside jeans for a condom, then he kissed his way back up her body. He licked her breasts, one nipple, then the other, kissed her collarbone, her throat, her mouth. Finally, hand on her thigh, he pressed her open and slid inside her.
She let out a slow, deep breath, feeling him slide in. He kissed her again, savoring her mouth before he began the rhythm. He rose above her, and feeling his movement inside her, she suddenly realized she was no longer afraid. Her heart was safe with him; she knew that now. Fear was no longer relevant.
The realization made her want to weep. The tears gathered on the edges of her lids until she could no longer fight them. He saw, and kissed her damp cheeks even as his own climax took him over. With his lips against her tears, he stilled inside her, pressing hard into her, the warm sensation spreading up into her chest. She could feel him come, could feel his body tauten, feel him pulse. Finally, he let out a ragged breath and opened his eyes. His face was wet, and she touched the tears with the tips of her fingers.
“I’m coming home with you tonight,” he said. He lifted a hand, cupping her breast, stroking her nipple with his thumb. “But only on one condition.”
She blinked, startled. “Condition?” She thought they’d covered everything, settled all their differences. What was he going to do now? What was he going to say that would ruin it all?
He brushed her hair back from her forehead. “Yes. Just one. Just one little one.”
“What?”
“You need to turn the heat up at night.”
She laughed, relieved. “God, that’s all? You scared me.” She touched his face, feeling the beginnings of rough stubble. “Okay, I can do that.” Pulling him closer, she whispered into his ear. “But I still think heat’s for wimps.”
Epilogue
April in the Rockies was unpredictable, but for this day the weather had cooperated.
Standing on the ridge behind her house, just above where the backyard began its dizzying descent down into the valley, Joely shaded her eyes and peered toward the distant peaks.
“So much for that snow the weatherman predicted yesterday.”
Perry grinned. “He didn’t know you were getting married today.”
“Oh, that’s right,” said Joely with a grin. “I forgot to call him.”
The last few months had been wonderful. Starting life all over again with Rey was an adventure she was glad she hadn’t missed out on. It had been a great deal like the first months of their marriage, way back when, but sweeter in some ways. In other ways it was bittersweet, as they thought about what they’d lost, but they tried not to dwell on that aspect of it.
Given what they’d been through, it seemed only appropriate to Joely that they commemorate this new stage in their relationship. Especially now.
“So how are you feeling this morning?” Perry asked.
“Better. I actually managed to eat a little breakfast this morning instead of just saltines.”
“No barfing on the groom, now,” Perry cautioned.
Joely grinned. “Why not? This is all his fault.”
“Now, now, what happened to all those promises about unfair blame? Last I heard, it took two to make a baby.”
Joely’s eyes twinkled as she stroked her barely-rounded abdomen. It would be a while before she started to show. “Yeah, I guess I have to admit I was there.”
“So when is the groom due to arrive?”
“Three. He went into work this morning to finish up some things so he won’t have to worry about them while we’re gone.” They were honeymooning for four days near Mesa Verde. Low-key, but that was what they both wanted.
Rey had found a job, not in Denver, but at a small but well-established law firm in Evergreen. He’d taken a sizable salary cut, but the cost of living here wasn’t nearly as high as in Manhattan. He seemed to enjoy it, too, once he’d adjusted to the slower pace. It was an opportunity to learn more about family law and environmental issues, and that also had proved a benefit. It seemed to Joely he was more at peace with himself and her and the entire world than he ever had been before.
And now there would be a baby. They’d need to look for a larger house—Joely’s little cabin was barely big enough for herself and Rey, much less a child and all the necessary accoutrements. That, too, they’d take one step at a time.
Rey arrived home early, and at four o’clock they stood in front of a minister, reciting newly written vows.
Joely took Rey’s hands in hers and looked into his dark eyes. “With the good times ahead and the bad times behind, I pledge myself to you, heart, soul, and mind.”
His mouth quirked a little. She knew it was miserable poetry—she didn’t care. His wouldn’t be any better.
“We made our mistakes but we move on in love, for where two hearts are mended, God smiles from above.”
“I pronounce you re-wed,” said the minister. She, too, wore a silly grin. “What God has brought forth, let none set amiss, now seal your new love with a re-married kiss.”
Joely laughed out loud. That hadn’t been in the program. But Rey cut her mirth short with a firm kiss, his hand cupping her belly. After a long, gentle moment, he tilted his head back.
“You’re never getting rid of me now,” he said.
She tapped the end of his nose. “Good. That’s the way it should be.”
And there, under the April sun, with his hand against the soft curve of her abdomen, she knew it was the way it would always be.
This edition published by
Crimson Romance
an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
57 Littlefield Street
Avon, MA 02322
www.crimsonromance.com
Copyright © 2013 by Katriena Knights
ISBN 10: 1-4405-6783-2
ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-6783-4
eISBN 10: 1-4405-6784-0
eISBN 13: 978-1-4405-6784-1
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, corporations, institutions, organizations, events, or locales in this novel are either the product of the author’s imagination or, if real, used fictitiously. The resemblance of any character to actual persons (living or dead) is entirely coincidental.
Cover art © Istockphoto.com/Stock Shop Photography LLC, Gremlin
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