Power of Love
Page 15
“I can’t move. Not for a minute. I’d get arrested.”
She laughed.
“More to the point,” he said at her ear, “if you move, if you even so much as breathe on me, I’m going to disgrace myself. Let me just hold you.”
They stood in the pouring rain for several minutes, forehead to forehead, arms around each other, not moving, not speaking, just being together in each other’s arms right where they belonged.
Joe gave a heavy sigh. “Right. We can go in now.”
“Umm, I think you still have a little problem.”
“I know I do, and not so much of the little. I’ve decided there’s only one way to deal with it.”
He took hold of her hand and pulled her back into the building. “I’ve something to show you.”
Poppy grinned. “I’ve already seen it.”
Joe rolled his eyes, but when the doors of the elevator closed, he had a thought. He flicked the hold switch between floors and gave Poppy a cheeky grin.
“Want to see it again?”
He’d barely finished the last word before Poppy had his zipper down, his cock out and her lips wrapped around it. Joe slumped back against the wall and groaned.
“Oh Jesus, Pop. I missed this. I missed you.” Joe groaned as she dipped her tongue into the slit on his crown, dipped and dipped until he wanted to grab her ears and push her head down. Her fingers caressed his balls, stroked the strip of flesh beyond and Joe did an honest-to-god gurgle. Long, slow sweeps of her tongue down his length and he was ready to explode.
He jerked her to her feet, backed her to the wall, pushed up her skirt, pulled aside her panties and thrust inside her. Their bodies heaved and then she melded into him, her legs around his waist as he drove into her with fast upward strokes, each one sending a wave of pure ecstasy shooting down his spine. Poppy yelled as she came. Joe caught her cry with his mouth and let her catch his bellow.
She collapsed against his chest and Joe held her as his cock shuddered inside her, the tight tremors fading to faint flutters. He kissed her softly. “Miss me?”
They jumped when the alarm on the elevator began to sound. Joe lifted her down, straightened her up and tucked himself away.
“Do I look okay?” Poppy asked.
He took in the flushed cheeks, the swollen lips and the glazed look in her eyes.
“Nicely fucked,” he said.
She hit him.
Back in his apartment, Joe stood Poppy in front of a closed door. “You need to take a look in there. Try not to scream.”
Her shoulders reversed into his chest.
“Tell me you don’t have a pet snake,” Poppy said.
Joe bit back his laugh and urged her forward. “You already met my spitting cobra.”
“Does this have something to do with you appearing in Nottingham?” She turned to face him. “How long have you been here? What happened after you got your white feathers? Did you meet the big guy?”
Joe wasn’t sure how to explain any of it, but he tried. “I woke up here this morning. This time Desiree wasn’t late, she was waiting. She said there had been a mistake and I had another chance. I’d died before my time. I was supposed to survive the fall, but because I believed it was all your fault and you’d let me go, I didn’t fight to live. I was made a seeker while G decided what to do.” Joe opened his arms. “Now He has. There was no relative in Nottingham. They decided a twin would work. My wings were removed while I slept and I was told I could start my life again in another city. Not sure why they picked Nottingham, but I’ve always fancied myself as Robin Hood. I have a job with the police, my life back and you back.” His pulse surged. “Now open the door.”
Poppy turned the handle and pushed. Joe guessed it took a moment for her brain to register what she saw. He caught her as her knees buckled. All her things were there, her clothes, books, CDs and—much to his disappointment—all her girly DVDs.
“I guess they want us to live together,” Joe said. “If that’s all right with you.” He winced. Christ, couldn’t he do any better than that?
“Is that what you want?”
The uncertainty in her voice hit him hard. He’d fucked up everything so far in their relationship but he wasn’t going to lose her now. Joe pressed his face into her hair. “How can you even ask? This is exactly what I want, only if you say no, then all of this is for nothing. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, looking after you, loving you. I love you so much, Poppy. I should have told you a long while ago that you’re my life. Without you, I’m nothing.”
He kissed her but kept it short. She still hadn’t seen what he needed her to, something that had sent his stomach into freefall and it was still bouncing.
“What about my job? What about—”
“Everything is sorted. Wollaton police station expects you on Monday. A transfer from London. I’m going to be at HQ in Arnold.” Joe clutched her. “We’ve been given a new start, Poppy. I don’t know how, but somehow everything is right again.”
She stiffened. “What…what’s that?”
At last.
“A present from G,” Joe said. Please let it be okay. Please.
In the corner by the window was a baby’s crib. A huge wooden structure, painted yellow with mobiles hanging over it at either end. One with dangling angels playing harps and the other with fluffy clouds and rainbows.
“You want to start a family?” Poppy whispered.
Joe slid his hand over her stomach. “We already have.”
He felt the breath lurch out of her lungs and he steadied her against him.
“I’m going to have a baby?” she whispered. “Oh fuck. But you said—”
“I was wrong.”
“Can I have that in writing?”
“Poppy?” Joe swallowed hard. “I’m happy. Aren’t you happy too?”
“Happy? But I thought you—”
“I’ve changed. I know it’s hard to believe and I still won’t let you get rid of my collection of marbles so don’t ask, but I’ve done what I should have done a long while ago. I’ve grown up.”
“Pregnant?” she whispered.
He knew this was a lot to take in. “Desiree said they were in a panic when they realized I was different to most seekers, somehow still partly alive. I wasn’t supposed to be able to make love, let alone have lively sperm. Apparently I was super-fertile.” He grinned and Poppy rolled her eyes, then glared. “G had to break the normal rules of life and death because getting you pregnant was some kind of miracle.”
He hoped she thought it was only he wasn’t sure what she was thinking. He’d spent the whole of their time together trying to persuade himself Poppy would be no different to the others, trying to deny what he felt for her. He didn’t deserve her but Joe intended to spend the rest of his newly gotten life trying to be a better man—one who did deserve her.
“Pregnant,” she murmured.
At least she sounded as though she believed it now. “Are you okay?”
“I feel sick.”
“That’s normal. I’ve been reading—”
“Reading?”
“Don’t sound so surprised. I do know how to read. I want to do everything right.”
She gave him a little smile and the weight lifted from his heart.
“Apparently this only happens once every five hundred years or so. G had to look up how He handled the situation last time and decide whether to make me a full angel or return me to life. Guess He thought I’d be more trouble up there than down here.”
“Thank God,” Poppy whispered. “I mean, thank you God.”
“I got the feeling G isn’t too sure how this will turn out.” Joe patted her stomach.
Poppy gulped. “You mean, if the baby will have horns and a tail, or wings and a halo?”
Joe smiled. “It doesn’t matter, because we’ll love them whatever they’re like.”
Poppy was quiet for a moment. “Them?”
He cleared his throat. “Twins. Aft
er all, turns out I’m a twin.”
Joe caught her as she fell. He lifted her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.
“Wet clothes, off now.” He began to strip her.
“Twins?” Poppy said.
“Apparently, it runs in the family.”
“That’s not funny, Joe.”
He pulled off his wet shirt, jeans and pants and tossed everything into the bath. When he came back, Poppy lay where he’d left her. He pulled the duvet over them and wrapped his arms around her.
“We’ll be fine,” he said and kissed her wet hair. “I’ve got you and you’ve got me and we’ll never let each other go. I’ll even stay in the delivery room with you. Everything’s going to be great.”
“Easy for you to say, you don’t have to give birth. Though I’m looking forward to being waited on hand and foot for the next nine months.”
Joe grinned before he dipped his head under the duvet. “Where shall I start? Hand or foot?”
The End
About the Author
Barbara Elsborg lives in West Yorkshire in the north of England. She always wanted to be a spy, but having confessed to everyone without them even resorting to torture, she decided it was not for her. Vulcanology scorched her feet. A morbid fear of sharks put paid to marine biology. So instead, she spent several years successfully selling cyanide.
After dragging up two rotten, ungrateful children and frustrating her sexy, devoted, wonderful husband (who can now stop twisting her arm), she finally has time to conduct an affair with an electrifying, plugged-in male—her laptop.
Her books feature quirky heroines and bad boys, and she hopes they are as much fun to read as they are to write.
The author welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and e-mail address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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Also by Barbara Elsborg
Anna in the Middle
Perfect Timing
Something About Polly
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