by Bella Andre
But when she tried to shift beneath the sheets, excruciating pain knocked the breath out of her.
"Don't move, sweetheart."
She immediately recognized Luke's voice. She would know it anywhere. Warm and sexy as hell. She tried to open her eyes, but they felt like she'd been walking through a sandstorm.
Fear hit her, then. What was wrong with her?
She tried to fight the pain, tried to surface all the way from her sleepiness. And then she felt his lips on her forehead, heard him softly say, "Shh," and his voice, his presence, was just what she needed to calm her down and lull her back to sleep.
* * *
“So thirsty.”
She felt the rim of a plastic cup being held to her mouth and as she tried to gulp it down, she heard Luke say, “Not too much, sweetheart. Not yet.”
She vividly remembered him saying nearly the exact thing when they were in bed together, when she was desperate to take all of him inside of her as fast as she could. But while she was presently in bed, they obviously weren't making love.
Everything hurt, especially her abdomen where it felt like someone had cut into her with a saw. Suddenly, it all came back to her, a series of flashbacks. The plane. The taxi. The truck hitting them. And then nothing but pain and darkness.
And a bone deep longing to be back in Luke's arms, safe and warm.
Her eyelids felt heavy, but she forced herself to open them anyway.
Just as she'd intended, she'd made it to Luke's hospital. Just not the way she'd planned to do it.
“I love you, sweetheart.”
His sweet words had her shifting her somewhat blurry focus to Luke's face. Which was when she finally saw the tears streaking down his face.
“I love you,” he said again, his voice thick with emotion.
And even in her fog, even as pain moved through her, she could see that everything was different.
This love Luke spoke of wasn't the same kind of love that he'd felt before.
“I love you too,” she said, but the act of speaking had her grimacing.
“Just breathe, sweetheart. I'm not going to leave you. I promise.”
And even when a nurse came in and gave her more pain medication, Luke not only never let go of her hand the whole time...he didn't try to hide his tears.
Or his love for her.
She saw it, saw what she'd wanted more than anything, but even as the power of his love for her settled in, she suddenly realized that she couldn't believe it.
Now it was her turn to ask, “How can you?”
“How can I what, sweetheart?”
“How can you love me?”
She was surprised to see a small smile on his lips, his hand brushing a wisp of hair off of her forehead. “I love you because you're good.”
She knew what he was doing. He was repeating all of the things she'd said to him back to her. But she knew it wasn't enough.
“You know I'm not good, Luke,” she made herself say through the fog of pain, of exhaustion.
“Yes, you are.”
“But I wasn't.”
“I loved you even then.” His eyes sparkled with something slightly wicked. “Even when you were bad. I wanted to be bad with you.”
She didn't know what to say to that and in her silence he hit her with, “I love you because you're honest.”
But even though she never lied, she had to say, “There are things you don't know about me. About my past. About what I've done. Things you won't like.”
Her words all came out in a rush and she only stopped when he put a finger to her lips. “I love who you are now. And I promise you, sweetheart, I love who you used to be too.”
“You couldn't.”
“I do, sweetheart. I love you for everything you do and everything you are. No exceptions. Past, present, and future.”
She'd never thought to hear him say this to her. Never dreamed he could accept her all the way through. And then she realized why that was.
“I never thought I'd find someone to love me for who I really am,” she said, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“You don't have any idea how loveable you are, do you?”
She shook her head and pain shot through her. But that was wasn't why she was wincing. It was because he was right. In her heart of hearts, she hadn't thought anyone could ever really love her. Because she hadn't truly loved – or accepted – herself.
“No,” she whispered.
“I love you because you're kind. I love you because you're sweet. I love the softness you keep hidden from everyone but me. I love you because you're the most loving person I've ever known.”
He shifted his face so close to hers that his breath feathered across her lips.
“I love you because you're you.”
And then, as he gently kissed her, Janica felt a true, deep warmth spread through her, starting deep in her heart.
Finally, amazingly, she'd found real love.
Chapter Twenty-five
Later, when she woke up in the dark, Luke was still holding her hand. His chair was pulled up to the side of her bed and his head was resting on the mattress in what had to be a distinctly uncomfortable position.
Even though she still felt like crap on the outside, on the inside, in the place where her heart had started to shrivel up and die, she felt great.
Amazing.
Fantastic.
Because she knew, without even a shadow of a doubt, just how much Luke loved her.
Sensing that she was awake, Luke lifted his head and smiled at her. He looked gorgeously rumpled, a world apart from the tightly wound doctor he'd been for so long.
Her love for him had been the last thing she'd thought of before everything went black after the crash.
“You saved me.”
His smiled fell away, but he didn't let go of her hand. “No, I didn't. I didn't want anyone else to touch you, I didn't trust anyone else to save you, but I couldn't operate. Not when cutting into you would have been like slicing open my own heart.”
Her insides warmed, her heart beating even stronger, steadier with every word he spoke.
“You stepped aside?”
“I'm sorry, Janica. I should have been stronger. I should have been the one—”
She didn't have the strength to throw her arms around him. Instead, she squeezed his hand and said, “Don't you see? You did save me. Because you made sure I got exactly what I needed.” She paused as a tear slipped down her cheek. “You made sure I would be here to keep loving you, Luke. Forever.”
* * *
He knew how weak she was, how tired, and yet he had to kiss her again. Gently, he pressed his lips to hers, only a little surprised when she kissed him right back much harder.
Janica Ellis was one tough chick.
His tough chick.
He wanted to believe her, wanted to believe he really had played a part in saving her.
“I can see your brain whirring into overdrive,” Janica said. “Share with me. Please.”
He looked at her, her big brown eyes so full of love. Understanding. He'd never given her his complete trust. He'd never shared all of himself with her. Because he'd been afraid.
But almost losing her had scared him more than anything else ever could.
Even letting her into the deepest darkest parts of his heart.
“When my mother died, everything changed.”
“Of course it did.”
“No.” He didn't want her to let him off the hook this time. “I changed. I thought that maybe, somehow if I'd been a better son, a better person then maybe I could have saved her.”
“You were ten years old.”
“And I've spent the last twenty-five years trying to save her.”
Tears were coming again now, not just from Janica, but from him too. He never cried, hadn't cried one single time since he was ten years old.
Not until last night.
“It's time for me to let go.” He ran his thumb across t
he top of Janica's hand. “I know that now. Because of you. I need you so badly. I've always needed you.”
He wasn't surprised by her smile, even as tears ran from her eyes. “I know that. I've always known it.” Her smile wobbled. “I need you too.”
But that was still what he didn't understand. “Why me? You're beautiful, incredible, brilliant. You could have anyone.”
“I kept telling myself to stop loving you. To stop being stupid and praying for you to come around, but I couldn't help it. You're it for me, Dr. Carson. The only man I'll ever want again. The man I want to have children with and share my future with. I want you to be the husband I can count on and I want nights of incredible passion with you and I want you to be my best friend. I even love all of the things I tease you about.”
Working like hell to take everything she was saying in and knowing he was failing, that he was going to have to ask her to say it all again and again, he said, “And you taught me how to have fun. You showed me everything I've been missing, everything I've been blind about. I don't want to be blind anymore.”
“Don't worry,” she said with that wicked grin he couldn't help but love. “I'm always going to make you try wild things. And I'm always going to drive you crazy.” But then, her grin shifted to something far less joyful. “But I'll try not to embarrass you too much in public. And here at work.”
Something shifted in him, again, that awful realization about what she'd said regarding Travis that night out on the beach. I see the way he treats Lily. I know how good he is to her. But that doesn't change his past.
Her past. Even after all the reasons he given her about why he loved her, she was worried about the things she'd done. Worried that he would use them against her.
“I know who you were, Janica. And I know who you are now. I love every part of you. The old. The new. Everything you're going to be. I will never be embarrassed by any part of you. You're not going to make me spank you for not listening, are you?”
She blinked at him, a myriad of emotions crossing her face. “No. I won't make you spank me. Not for that anyway.”
His cock stirred even as he tried to stay on task. “I am going to keep loving you every single second for the rest of your life. When we're laughing. When we're making love.” He paused, grinned. “Even when we're fighting and I have to turn you over my knee and bring my palm down on your sweet little ass to make my point.”
She grinned. “We are going to fight, aren't we?”
“And then we're going to make up.”
Her wicked smile came back, bigger, more full of sensual promise than ever before. “Oh yes, we are.”
Chapter Twenty-six
Two months later at the Festivale di Matrimonio (The Festival of Weddings) in Saturnia, Italy....
“I can't believe we're back,” Lily said as she hugged Janica tightly.
Janica could hardly believe it herself. The Tuscan village was as beautiful as she remembered. Music was playing on every corner, people were dancing in the street. Lily laughed when Travis came to steal her away and twirl her around in his arms as the sun began to set behind the ancient buildings.
Luke came out of their hotel then, and stole her breath away as he looked at her with those dark, dangerous eyes.
“I love you.”
She lifted her mouth to his and kissed him with all the emotion in her heart.
“Will you marry me?” he asked against her lips.
“How about we do it tonight?” she whispered back, loving his laughter.
* * *
Italian women in wedding gowns walked hand-in-hand with Italian men in their finest suits. Lanterns blinked colorful lights along every narrow street. Bells rang out from the church tower as children splashed in fountains.
A middle-aged woman reached for Janica's hands and with a final loving look at Luke, she let herself be led away to a tent full of women.
One of them held a beautiful, old-fashioned wedding dress and tears sprang to Janica’s eyes. She would have never designed a dress like this for herself.
But it was perfect.
Soft hands removed her dress, then slipped the wedding dress on over her head. Other hands brushed her hair, added makeup, sparkly glass jewelry. At the end, they covered her hair and face with a thin lace veil.
When they were finished, there was a loud whistle and the band began to play again. While everyone clapped in time to the music, Janica walked into the piazza. She looked up at the stage, saw Luke waiting for her there with the priest, and nearly stumbled on the cobblestones.
He had on a traditional bright red, orange, and yellow striped sash around his waist and he'd never looked more beautiful than he did right then, on the verge of declaring his love for her in front of an entire town.
She'd been in love with him for so long that she could hardly believe this was real.
But it was. Wonderfully, amazingly real.
She saw Lily holding Travis's hand off to the side of the stage, but before Janica could make it all the way to Luke, Lily came down toward her.
“Luke is the only person I could ever give you up to. I love you so much, baby sister.”
“I love you too, big sis.”
Lily held her hand all the way up the steps. And then Janica's hand was in Luke's, and the priest began speaking, the language lyrical and beautiful and mysterious. When he was done, he handed her a thin green vase.
She vividly remembered Lily and Travis's wedding here on this very stage and knew what she and Luke were supposed to do. Judging by the laughter in his eyes, she knew he remembered too.
“I'll bet you've been dying to smash this vase for five years, haven't you?” he asked softly.
She laughed and reached for him, but he was faster than she was, and instead of throwing the vase down, when he kissed her and she forgot everything but him, everything but how much she loved him, everything but how good it was to be loved right back, the vase slipped from her fingers.
And shattered at their feet.
Cheering broke out, loud, happy, and then she and Luke were being lifted off the stage while bright confetti seemed to fall straight out of the sky.
* * *
Luke carried Janica up the winding staircase to their hotel suite. Her eyes were closed and she snuggled against his chest.
“How are you feeling?”
It had only been two months since the car crash and he'd had serious reservations about Janica overdoing it on their trip.
“Good.” She snuggled in tighter, her breasts rubbing provocatively against his chest. “Horny.”
He almost stumbled on the final step. Had he heard her wrong? She hadn't opened her eyes, wasn't giving him that wicked little smile that he knew—and loved—so well. She had to be tired, didn't she?
But with one word, his cock had gone from half-mast to practically bursting.
He carried her into the bedroom and moved to lay her down on the bed. Her arms tightened on his neck.
“Stay.”
God, he wanted to stay with her, wanted to take her, wanted to be inside of her more than he wanted to take his next breath. But two months ago she'd almost died. He didn't want to hurt her.
“It's been a big day.”
Anger flared in her beautiful eyes. “I am sick to death of being treated like porcelain.”
His own anger flared. “Damn you, we haven't even been married one night and you're talking back to me.”
At his response, her eyes flared again, but not with anger this time. With lust.
“Then I guess you'd better find a way to shut me up,” she challenged.
His cock throbbed in his tuxedo pants and he knew what she wanted. What they both needed.
“Get on your knees, wife.”
She immediately complied, a sinfully beautiful bride in her wedding gown, kneeling in front of the groom. Waiting for his next command.
“Show me how much you love me. Now.”
Her long, slim fingers went to his zippe
r and the diamond on her wedding ring glinted in the light as she pulled it down.
And then, he was inside her mouth, his new wife's sinfully hot lips surrounding his throbbing cock. She licked and sucked at his arousal and he loved her so much he knew he wouldn't be able to hold on. Not tonight.
A second later, she was flat on her back and he was driving into her, hard, fast, deep.
“Love me, Luke,” she whispered.
And he did.
* * *
He cradled her into his body, feeling safe and complete. “I was too rough.”
“I love it,” she whispered sleepily. “You've always known exactly what my body needs.” She didn't say anything for several moments and he thought she was asleep. Until she said, so softly that he almost missed it, “My heart too.”
And as he fell asleep, his new wife warm and soft in his arms, it was exactly the same for him.
Janica knew him better than anyone ever had. Especially what his heart needed.
Her.
Forever.
THE END
Get ready to find out how it all began in TAKE ME, Lily and Travis's incredibly passionate love story.
TAKE ME by Bella Andre
http://www.amazon.com/Take-Me-ebook/dp/B000FCKKZ8/?wwwbellaandre-20
An appetite for sensual pleasures must never be denied. . . .
Lily Ellis has curves--soft, beautiful curves. The kind of voluptuous body she fears Travis Carson, the man she's always loved from afar, would never crave. But Lily is about to be proven wrong. Her sensual adventure begins when, despite her inhibitions, the demure San Francisco interior decorator agrees to model a plus-size dress for her fashion designer sister. Watching this sensual beauty move down the runway with mesmerizing power, Travis can't believe it's the same Lily he's always known and always rejected. In a whirlwind of electric attraction, Lily is soon moaning Travis's name in his bed, not just in her wild fantasies. But Lily is all too aware that she's nothing like his past lovers . . . and now that she has him close at last, she's praying Travis likes what he sees and feels. Determined to beat Travis at his own game by guarding her true feelings of love and lust, she spontaneously partners with him on a business deal that takes them all the way to Italy. In the seductive warmth of the Tuscan sun, Lily is about to unwrap her real self, and play a game of desire with the hot-blooded Travis. Will she be burned by an ecstasy that's so all-consuming it has her seeing stars? Or will Travis open his heart to the sexy, exciting, and lasting love she has to offer?