“Aren’t you?”
Gina hesitated for a long moment before finally deciding to be honest with Corinthians. She loved Mitch. She had known that before she had agreed to his offer of giving them another chance. But he was back to working again. Although he was now the boss and made his own hours, a part of her got nervous each and every time he got involved in some business deal. Although he had been doing a good job balancing his time with her and whatever business he needed to take care of, she was afraid he would again find she wasn’t enough and would go back to being the workaholic that he used to be.
“Yes,” she said softly. “I’m afraid.”
“Of loving him?”
“No, I’m afraid of him not loving me, the way I want and need to be loved. I don’t think I could handle playing second fiddle to his job again.”
Corinthians chuckled. “Honey, I doubt very seriously that you ever will. Everyone can see that you, and only you, have Mitch Farrell’s complete attention. Remember that night last week when the two of you were over to our place? He couldn’t keep his eyes off you and when he got that call on his beeper, he didn’t leave. He stayed right there.”
Gina nodded, remembering. “But it shouldn’t have bothered me if he had left. There will be times when he’ll get an unexpected business call and have to take off. I should be at a point in our relationship where I’m fine with it and don’t feel threatened.”
“Then why do you feel threatened?”
“Because I lost the number-one spot in his life before.”
Corinthians reached across the table and captured Gina’s hand and squeezed it gently. “I believe Mitch knows the mistake he made doing that and regrets it, Gina. In my heart I believe he doesn’t plan on doing it again. But I don’t think you’re being fair to him. He’s trying so hard to make things up to you and still you’re remembering the past and holding it against him. At some point you have to forgive him and believe in a future for the two of you. It’s going to be up to you, Gina, to put things behind you and move on.”
Gina tilted her head to the side and studied her sister-in-law. “Sounds like you’re speaking from experience, Corinthians.”
A gentle smile touched the corners of Corinthians’s mouth. “I am. Your brother and I couldn’t stand each other. For nearly three years after we first met we could barely tolerate the sight of each other, and being in the same room for any length of time was a total nightmare.”
“Wow,” Gina whispered softly, finding that hard to believe.
Corinthians’s smile widened. “Believe it or not, but things were just that bad. And only because neither of us would let go of the past, which had a lot to do with how we first met.”
Gina nodded. As usual her curiosity was piqued but she knew Corinthians wasn’t ready to divulge the details of that quite yet. “So, when did the two of you put things behind you and move on?”
Corinthians chuckled. “Not until my father intervened and sat us down and talked to us. I guess you can say he forced us to see the light and we’re so thankful that he did. It was only then I discovered that Trevor loved me and he discovered that I loved him. But I would advise you not to wait for anyone to intervene in your case, Gina. It’s going to be up to you to do it. And if you love Mitch as much as I believe you do, then you will.”
Gina was still remembering the conversation with Corinthians while taking her shower later that night. Coming out of the bathroom she glanced across the room at the clock. Mitch had called a couple of hours ago and said he would be detained for a while because he was at the trailer waiting on an important business call.
She tried not to think about the fact that his job was keeping him from her. She went into the living room and decided to find something to watch on television. An hour later, after having watched a program she’d found interesting, she turned off the set and went into the kitchen.
The table was still set for the dinner she had prepared for them and she could feel herself getting angry and annoyed. How dare Mitch do this to me? She had just opened the refrigerator to start putting the food away when the phone rang. She quickly picked it up. “Hello.”
“Hey, baby, sorry I was delayed. I just finished that business call I told you about. Unfortunately, it took longer than I expected. I’m about to leave. I’ll be there in half an hour.”
“Don’t bother.”
“What?”
“I said, don’t bother. I’m ready for bed.”
“So?”
“So, I’m ready for bed. I went to the trouble of cooking you dinner tonight thinking you’d be coming here when you said that you were and now everything is cold.”
“Dinner? Oh, I’m sorry, honey, I didn’t know. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It was supposed to be a surprise.”
“And I ruined it. I’m sorry you’re upset.”
“Yeah, well, I should have learned my lesson by now, don’t you think? It’s not the first time your job came before me.”
There was silence on the phone, and then Mitch spoke. “I’m on my way, Gina, and your butt better still be up when I get there.” Gina could tell from the tone of his voice that what she’d said had really angered him.
“My butt…how dare—” She stopped speaking when she heard him hang up the phone on her. She became furious. “I can’t believe he had the nerve to do that! Oh, just wait until he gets here. I will definitely tell him a thing or two! I don’t care if I never see him again. Just wait!”
Gina was still fuming half an hour later when she heard Mitch’s car outside. She barely gave him time to knock before snatching the door open. “How dare you say such a thing to me, Mitch Farrell!”
“And how dare you say such a thing to me, Gina!” he said, coming into the house and slamming the door shut behind him. “You are spoiled and selfish!”
“I am not spoiled and selfish!”
“Yes, you are. Case in point: last Monday, you were supposed to meet me at Sisters for dinner at six. You got there at seven-thirty. Did I get upset?”
She glared at him. “No, because I called and told you I was running behind and would be late.”
He began pacing the floor to walk off his anger. “And then last Wednesday, you were supposed to meet me at the ranch at four, but you didn’t get there until six.”
“Yes, well, I got detained. I got a business call at the last minute from a publisher interested in me doing an article for their magazine. I told you that.”
“Yes, you did, and I understood, didn’t I?”
“Yes.”
“Then why can’t you afford me the same courtesy, respect, and trust? I called to let you know I was waiting on an important business call and would be a little late. Granted, time went a little beyond what I had expected, but still, I would think being a businessperson yourself that you would have understood. Instead, you got royally and I do mean royally pissed and decided to throw things up in my face about my past deeds. I thought we had gotten beyond all of that. Haven’t I proven to you over the past five weeks that you mean everything to me and that I love you? So I’m going to ask you again, Gina. Why can’t you afford me the same courtesy, respect, and trust that I give to you?”
When she didn’t answer immediately, he walked over to her and stood in front of her. The eyes that glared at her were livid. The corded muscles in his neck were straining, his jaw was clenched hard and his nostrils were flaring. “Why can’t you, dammit?”
Gina glared back up at him, not knowing what to say. So she told him the truth. “Because you’re right,” she said softly, breaking eye contact with him and looking down at her hands. She took a deep breath and met his gaze again. “I am spoiled and selfish.” Feeling tears sting her eyes she added, “But when it comes to you, I can’t help it. I want you all to myself, Mitch. I had to share you the last time and won’t share you that way again.” A tear slid down her cheek and she wiped it away.
Mitch swallowed his anger as he looked at her. He saw h
er hurt and tears, but more importantly, he saw her uncertainty. Four years of playing second fiddle to his job had really done a number on her. It would take time and patience for her to feel she had regained that number-one spot in his life.
He reached out and smoothed a few strands of hair out of her face and leaned down and stroked his tongue across her lips. “Oh, baby,” he murmured softly against her mouth, nibbling gently on her lips. “Don’t you know that you will never share me again? Work is work. You are you. I know where to draw the line now. I had that pretty well figured out before I returned to Houston. You are the most important thing in my life, Gina. Please believe that.” Then he kissed her, his tongue thrusting deep in her mouth, making them both groan.
Kissed out of her mind, Gina felt herself drowning as Mitch sucked the very air from her lungs. She wasn’t sure if she would ever breathe again, but if she had to die, then this was just the way to go. His tongue, hot, intimate, and delicious, was inside her mouth mating with hers and sending pleasure waves to all parts of her body, making it ache.
He broke off the kiss and framed her face with his hands. “I love you, Gina. I love you.”
She closed her eyes and felt herself being lifted into big strong arms. She knew exactly where he was taking her and could barely wait to get there. She reopened her eyes when she felt him place her on the bed. He stood back and for a few minutes he simply stared at her. And then she saw what he had wanted her to see all along. It was there, clearly in his features, especially his eyes. He loved her. He had always loved her and he would always love her.
“Oh, Mitch.” She reached out her hand to him and he took it and joined her in bed. With agonizing slowness he removed her gown and then removed his own clothes. As usual he placed a condom on the nightstand next to the bed. He had yet to use one of them, she thought. For a man who used to believe in doing everything at the right time, he hadn’t been able to pull himself out of her to put a condom on. But the thought that they had been taking a risk each and every time they’d made love hadn’t bothered her. Nor had it seemed to bother him. After each lovemaking session, they would promise themselves that they would get it right the next time; however, they never did. And something deep inside Gina told her that they never would.
First he began tormenting her breasts with his mouth and fingers, and pretty soon she was thrashing about in the bed, begging and pleading for him to stop, to continue, to hurry up…whatever.
Then his fingers, slowly and deliberately, began blazing trails over her body for his mouth to follow. No part of her was left untouched and untasted as desire cascaded over her. Tension was building everywhere, causing every inch of her to throb out of control.
“Now, Mitch!”
“Not yet.”
Not yet! What does he plan to do? Torture me to death? “Mitch, please, now!”
He ignored her plea and continued what he was doing, sending the most incredible pleasures racing through her body. She curved her hands around his shoulders to stop him from pushing her over the edge and out of control but it was a waste of her time and effort. He was deliberately driving her insane.
“Mitch!”
It was then and only then that he parted her legs, lifted her hips and entered her, filling her completely and sending a bolt of heat through the most intimate part of her body. He then set the pace, withdrawing slowly and reentering, over and over again, each time going deeper and deeper. Her entire body began trembling from the impact of the sensuous rhythm he had established. Excruciating pleasure shattered her mind as he increased his pace, faster and faster, and adjusted his body to go deeper and deeper. When the explosion came, it was like a torpedo hitting the both of them hard and at the same time, sending them whirling into a space that was void of anything and everything but the two of them. It was an experience so emotional and tender, they clung to each other, soaring together beyond the stars and the moon and then slowly returning to earth and reality.
But not for long.
Mitch suddenly felt fully rejuvenated; the need to have her again rammed into him. He began pumping vigorously into her, over and over, relentlessly.
“Mitch!”
When the second orgasm came crashing down on them both, so soon behind the last, they both screamed out at the top of their lungs as they soared to heights so high, swift, and powerful, they thought death would surely follow.
They lay for a long moment in each other’s arms, not saying anything, still in awe at what they had just shared. Finally, Mitch spoke when he saw the unused condom on the nightstand. “We goofed again, baby.” He then thought about their bodies’ double explosion and added, “Big time.”
She smiled as she snuggled close to him. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll get it right one day.”
“I may have gotten you pregnant tonight. You were real hot inside both times, and I filled you up pretty good.”
Gina smiled. She had always appreciated the fact that she and Mitch had been able to talk candidly and frankly to each other in the bedroom. That sort of sexual communication only enhanced the sensuality they shared. “Don’t worry about it. I didn’t get pregnant tonight,” she whispered, turning in his arms and looking at him.
“You sound pretty sure of that.”
She leaned over and softly kissed his lips. “Trust me, I am.”
He lifted a brow, wondering if she had gone on the Pill or if she had used some other type of birth control and had failed to tell him about it. “How can you be so sure?”
She met his gaze and a smile tilted each corner of her lips. “Because a woman can’t get pregnant when she’s already pregnant.”
Gina saw his forehead bunch as he tried figuring out just what she meant. Then she saw the crinkle of happiness that immediately appeared in his eyes and the grin that suddenly shone on his mouth. “You’re having a baby?” he asked in awe, barely able to contain his happiness and excitement.
“That’s what the doctor said this morning.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I had planned to. Tonight. That was the reason for the surprise dinner.”
Mitch pulled her into his arms. “Oh, sweetheart, I can’t believe it. A baby. We’re going to have a baby.”
She nodded and wrapped her arms around him. “Are you happy about it, Mitch? I mean, are you truly, really happy?”
He leaned down and gently kissed her lips. “Yes, I am truly, really happy.”
She leaned back in his arms, contented with his answer. “I hope you know what this means.”
Mitch shook his head smiling. “No, what does this means?”
“It means, Mr. Farrell, that as soon as it can be arranged, you’ll have to make me Mrs. Mitchell Farrell all over again.”
He pulled her closer to him. “And it will be my pleasure. You’ve always been Mrs. Mitchell Farrell, Gina. In my heart you were always my wife.”
“Oh, Mitch, I love you so much.”
He leaned over and kissed her, thanking God for giving him this second chance with her, and believing in his heart that this was how things were meant to be. They were supposed to be together, and this time he was going to make sure it lasted forever.
Epilogue
A Month Later
Only family and close friends were invited to witness the marriage of Mitch and Gina. Corinthians’s father, the Reverend Nathan Avery, had been more than delighted to perform the ceremony. Trevor had happily served as Mitch’s best man and Corinthians had been Gina’s matron of honor.
They hadn’t told anyone about the baby, deciding to keep it their secret for a while. As Gina glanced around at the number of pregnant women in the room, she knew when the time came she would be in good company.
Syneda, Clayton’s wife, was due to have her baby in a few months and Jake’s wife, Diamond, was not far behind. Then there was Dex’s wife, Caitlin, who had recently found out with an ultrasound that they were having a son. Last, but definitely not least, was Nettie, the owner of Sis
ters, who was married to Ashton Sinclair, one of Trevor’s best friends. Everyone was excited with the news that Nettie was having triplets, all boys.
Gina glanced across the room at Mitch and smiled. He was talking to her brother and just looking at him sent heated desire racing down her spine. She couldn’t wait for them to be alone later.
“You look absolutely radiant.”
She smiled when Corinthians’s compliment snagged her attention. “Thanks, and I feel radiant as well as very happy. Today has been a very special day.”
Corinthians chuckled softly. “The first of many more to come.”
Gina’s smile widened when she thought of what her future had in store. “Yes, the first of many more to come, and I appreciate everyone who came to celebrate our joyous occasion.”
Corinthians took a sip of her punch, then said, “Speaking of joyous occasions, I wonder what’s wrong with Alex? He seems bothered about something.”
Gina glanced across the room at the man Corinthians was talking about, Alex Maxwell. He was Trask’s brother and a close friend of the Grant and Madaris families. Her smooth forehead furrowed. “I don’t know, but it looks like he’s glaring at Christy Madaris.”
“Hmm-mm, I think you’re right,” Corinthians said as her gaze followed Alex’s and lit on the beautiful young woman with vibrant red hair who had arrived moments before and was circling the room. Christy was the Madaris brothers’ baby sister and when it came to Christy, the brothers were overprotective.
Gina shook her head smiling. “I can’t believe how Christy has grown up, and she’ll be graduating from college next spring. I can remember when she was a teenager who had a big-time crush on Alex. I’d often wondered if she would grow out of it, and apparently she has.”
Corinthians nodded as she glanced back across the room to Alex. He was still glaring at Christy. She remembered a time Trevor wore a similar expression when he looked at her. A slight smile touched her lips and she wondered if perhaps history was about to repeat itself.
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