Last-Chance Marriage Rescue

by Catherine Mann

  “I’m sure she was just testing the waters. We’ll keep an eye on her, but we can’t prevent her from growing up.”

  “Okay, I hear you,” he agreed. He put the car in Park in front and turned to his wife.

  Her eyes went wide, and she opened her mouth for what he was certain would be an argument. He leaned over and pressed a quieting kiss to her lips, his hands clasping her arms gently, savoring the soft give of her under his touch.

  “Nina, tonight is for you, about you. You call the shots. Do you understand what I mean?” He would never push her. He simply wanted tonight to be whatever she chose. Whatever she needed. He wasn’t much of a communicator, but he would make sure she understood that.

  Her eyes flared with warmth. She cradled his face in her hands. “Completely. Attraction has never been our issue. We just have to figure out how we are going to deal with it going forward,” she said, always so good at cutting straight through to what mattered. “Even if—when—we have sex tonight, that doesn’t change anything between us.”

  He chose to ignore the part about nothing changing and focus on the fact she was open to having sex. He knew what tonight was about and he’d put his best foot forward in planning. “Do you trust me?”

  She studied him with a gaze that pierced to his core. To his soul.

  “Actually, Douglas, yes, I do.”

  Relief flooded him and he realized her answer, her trust, mattered so much more than he’d realized. He needed to know he hadn’t failed her, that she believed he could come through for her and the girls. Even if he couldn’t deliver the dream they’d once shared, at least he could build a new one.

  Starting tonight. Stakes were high, and as his brother would have said, he was swinging for the fences.

  * * *

  Nina held her hands out in front of her, the blindfold covering her eyes, Douglas’s strong hands on her shoulders, guiding her along some kind of dirt path.

  “Careful,” he said. “There’s a big root. Go right. Now step up onto the sidewalk.”

  She inched her foot forward until she found the end of the concrete. “Oh my goodness,” she said, grimacing, “please say there aren’t people watching me stumble around.”

  “I wouldn’t do that to you. I promise that your dignity is intact. We are completely alone.”

  A shiver of anticipation tingled up her spine. She breathed in deeply to steady her racing pulse...and smelled sulfur? “Are we near the cave?”

  “Actually,” he said, swiping off the face mask, “we are inside the cave.”

  The space sprawled before her lit by dim lights recessed in stone, showcasing their artwork from earlier with the springs bubbling in the distance. A pile of pillows was stacked Bohemian-style beside the steaming waters. A round table with two chairs had been set up as well. Covered in a white tablecloth, it had been set with china and candles. A cart was parked beside it, laden with covered dishes.

  She barely knew what to say. It was such a sweet and romantic gesture. “You did this? For me?”

  “For both of us.” He held out his hands. “May I take your coat, madam?”

  “Yes, sir, you may.”

  As he pulled her jean jacket off, his hands slid down her arms in a slow glide that brought goose bumps under her silky sweater. Her toes curled in her leather boots.

  Dinner could wait. “Do you think our food would keep while we go back to the truck to, uhm, make out?”

  A slow smile spread over his face and he stepped closer, his hips so very close. “Why go to the truck? We have our own sauna right here.”

  Surprise sizzled through her, along with a hefty dose of desire. Her husband wasn’t impulsive, or rather, she hadn’t thought so. She’d been wrong. Tonight was all about following impulse to see what feelings still lived within them, and how to find balance for that before the real world full of responsibilities intruded again.

  He’d understood better than she gave him credit for. Tenderness stirred, an affection threaded through the desire. Whereas once she would have embraced that half of the equation—the roots of their old love—now she needed to lean in to the physical. To savor the part of their relationship that wouldn’t break her heart again.

  “Are you sure no one will walk in on us?” She slid her arms around his neck, toying with his hair.

  “Absolutely certain.” He nodded without hesitation. “There’s no way I would leave you vulnerable that way. I planned out this evening with Jacob’s help—including reserving the springs. We have the place to ourselves until midnight.”

  “And afterward?” Her hands glided to his shoulders, digging into the muscles rippling under her fingertips.

  His eyes lit with a mesmerizing blue flame. “We have the use of an empty cabin and just need to vacate by noon.”

  “That’s a lot of time for...talking,” she teased with a smile. “Do you think you’re up to the task?”

  A husky laugh rumbled from him as he skimmed his mouth over her lips, along her jaw, down to the pulse in her neck. “I do like it when you talk to me.”

  “Oh, really?” she moaned, tipping her head, giving him better access. “Well, for when we get to the time where talking stops, I brought condoms.”

  He angled away, lifting an eyebrow. “I did as well.”

  She gave herself two heartbeats to digest his words on what had been such a flash point for them in the past, then she decided to let it go for now. “Then we’ll be well set for the night.”

  Done with talking, she cupped the back of his head and urged him in for another kiss, a full kiss, open mouths and sweeping tongues. As much as she’d tried to tell herself she was looking for level ground for the sake of their children, she couldn’t deny this night was for her. She’d lost so much, she needed—deserved—to capture this memory with Douglas, regardless of where it led afterward.

  Walking her backward, he eased her into a chair at the table and knelt in front of her to unzip one of her boots, his fingers trailing along her leg as he tugged. Then the other boot and another delicious stroke that ramped anticipation higher. Hotter. Made all the more intense by the utter isolation of the cave, the rest of the world and worries so very far removed.

  She looked down the length of her leg at him while peeling her sweater up and over her head. “One of us is still way overdressed.”

  She flung the pink angora aside, reveling in how his eyes took in her white lace bra. While she’d mourned not bringing racier lingerie, she still felt utterly delicious, completely desirable in his eyes. She swayed forward to pluck at the buttons on his chambray shirt.

  He covered her hands with his and helped speed the process. “Someone’s impatient.”

  “Someone’s—I’m—also done with talking.” She stood slowly, hooking her thumbs in her jeans and with deliberate precision sliding the front button free.

  His gaze went molten hot and he stripped off the rest of his clothes without looking away from her for even an instant. Denim, cotton and lace landed in a haphazard array on the rocky slab until they stood in front of each other, bare. She soaked in the sight of him, bronzed muscle and man. Hers.

  For the first time in months, they were going to have sex.

  How could it have been that long since they’d been intimate? She’d never imagined they would be that couple who drifted apart...

  She stopped that thought short before it stole this night from her.

  Clasping hands with her, he stepped into the bubbling waters, leading her, the heat easing over her flesh like delicious silk until it lapped around her legs, her hips, her breasts. Douglas stood in front of her, arms sliding around her waist and cupping her bottom to pull her closer. So close the heat of his arousal pressed against her stomach as they sank deeper into the pool.

  She needed this. Needed him.

  Maybe he felt the same way about her, because their
kisses took on a frenzied edge, hunger billowing as tangibly as the steam rising from the churning waters. This moment, this man, was the stuff of fantasies. Her fantasies. And she didn’t linger overlong on the thought, losing herself in the now, in the timelessness of the cavern and the thoughtfulness of his choice to bring her here.

  The waters felt healing, like they washed away the hurts of the past and bathed them in new opportunities to connect. Such a beautiful sensation.

  As he walked backward, he drew her with him, each step teasing her senses as their bodies shifted together. His strong thighs grazing hers. The hard planes of his chest teasing her aching breasts. A needy whimper escaped her, and he answered her by drawing her deep into the water with him until he sat on a step, bringing her to rest in his lap.

  Straddling him, she moved closer, as close as she could get while still not nearly enough. Her fingers glided over his glistening muscles, steam rising around his body, outlining his powerful frame in the mist. She wished they could just finish this right here, right now.

  But they needed birth control. “Let’s move this to shore.”

  His growl of agreement rumbled low in his throat and he hooked an arm around her waist. Standing, he lifted her with him, water beading down and off her body. He carried her with powerful ease, his strength made all the more thrilling for the way he tempered it with gentleness.

  He stretched her out onto the pile of cushions, covering her with his heat. His roughened body was a gentle, tempting abrasion against her skin. His caress aroused her in the way of a lover who knew her body well, teasing along her breast, leaving a lingering kiss on the sensitive inside crook of her elbow. And more, so much more.

  She’d missed him, missed being with him, and didn’t intend to waste a moment together, reciprocating touch for touch, temptation for temptation. Skimming a foot along his calf, she arched up with impatience and stretched out a hand to search for her purse without breaking what had to be the best kiss of her life.

  “Nina,” he whispered against her lips. “I’ve got it.”

  His hand slid from her hip for an instant before coming back with a condom. She didn’t even care where he’d stashed it; she was just relieved they didn’t need to stop.

  She plucked the packet from his palm and sheathed him, taking a moment to enjoy the heat and length of him. He eased into her with such beautiful familiarity it brought tears to her eyes.

  And then he moved and rational thought scattered, replaced by passion, a driving desire for more of him, more of this, however long it lasted. She stored sensations and memories, steam floating over them, slicking between them as she sank further into the pillows and sensation.

  The need gathered tighter and tighter inside her, her heart pounding. Each breath heavier and faster than the last until...

  She flew apart, unraveling in his arms, locking her heels around his waist to hold on to the pulsing sensations as long possible. His hoarse shout of completion echoed in the cave along with her own. She clutched him tighter, all the while knowing that no matter how hard she held on, he was already slipping away.

  * * *

  Dread had been skipping rocks across her stomach all morning since Kelsey woke up to Aunt Ashlynn’s eggs-and-bacon breakfast. It wasn’t that the food had been bad. In fact, she loved her aunt’s cooking. It was that with each bite she kept thinking about what would happen after she finished.

  Zip-lining.

  Shivering in spite of her jacket over her sweatshirt, she trailed behind her aunt and fearless Kacie on the wooded path to the zip-line area. Kelsey toyed with the safety harness, playing with the slack in her right hand.

  She’d barely slept after the wagon ride and stargazing. Her mind had been so full of worries about how things were going for her parents, it was all she could do not to throw up. She didn’t know how much longer she could hide her symptoms from her parents. Why couldn’t they just figure out their problems and love each other again?

  Kelsey tried to steady her breathing, drawing in deep gulps of mountain air, and exhaling slowly the way her teacher had taught her to do when she got stressed before a test. Kacie never needed to breathe into a bag to calm down. Kacie was the bravest person she knew.

  Kacie skipped ahead, waving to the boy from the night at the drive-in movie. Her twin fell into easy conversation with the skinny, brown-haired fellow. Dad would blow a gasket. Kelsey tugged her sleeves down over her hands.

  Ashlynn placed a hand on Kelsey’s back, cutting through her thoughts. She looked at her aunt, wondering if she’d guessed how upset Kelsey was, in spite of trying to hide her nerves. Aunt Ashlynn was like Kacie. Fearless and bold. Aunt Ashlynn adjusted her own harness, which somehow looked cute atop her deep white V-neck with billowy sleeves, black leggings and brown leather boots.

  “Here, kiddo.” Ashlynn offered her a pair of gloves. “It should warm up soon.”

  “Thanks.” She took the black wool gloves and tugged them on.

  Ashlynn kept pace alongside her. “Is something on your mind?”

  She shook her head. “I’m just nervous about zip-lining. My stomach hurts.”

  “Are you sure that’s all? There can be more than one worry on a person’s mind at a time. Even little things can build up into a big something until you don’t feel good at all.”

  Kelsey looked ahead at the activity station coming closer with each step. She gulped, looking at the first hurdle she would have to overcome. Zip-lining. Then her mom and dad’s divorce.

  Then all her symptoms and her illness.

  “Or sometimes it can be a big thing and you’re really sick.”

  Ashlynn paused for a step before walking again. “Would you like to talk about it? That can help.”

  Nothing was going to make the pain go away. She’d researched all of her symptoms on the internet. But she needed to tell Aunt Ashlynn something. “I’m worried about my mom and my dad. You probably know why since you and Mom tell each other everything.”

  “I’m here to see you girls and give your parents time alone to talk.”

  “Talk?” Kelsey snorted, so frustrated and angry and hurt she could scream or cry. Or both. “All they do is talk and fight. Or ignore each other, which is just as bad.”

  Her voice cracked, her chest going tight. But she took another breath and pressed on.

  “When adults say ‘we’ll always be a family no matter what,’ that’s just code. I’ve heard enough of my friends at school share about their parents’ breakups to know that really means they’re splitting and the kids are going to be shuttled back and forth between houses.”

  Ashlynn swept back a strand of hair that had fallen loose from Kelsey’s braid and tucked it behind her ear. “That must sound really scary.”

  Kelsey flinched away from her touch, angry at the world. “What would you know about that?”

  Ashlynn looked at her in surprise. “Are you really asking me that question? I grew up in foster homes with strangers.”

  “Oh, uh, I’m sorry?” Her face went hot with humiliation. How could she have been so self-centered? Her head started hurting. She just wanted to run back to the cabin and crawl under the covers for the day and read a book.

  “It’s okay. I understand how when you’re in the middle of something painful it’s hard to see what others are feeling.”

  “Was foster care that bad?” She knew her mom had been in foster homes, but she never talked about it much. She said it was in the past.

  “I wasn’t abused, if that’s what you’re asking,” she said gently. “But yeah, it was scary not knowing what might happen next and when I could be moving.”

  Kelsey kicked at a cluster of dried leaves, launching them into the brisk breeze. “Our mom lived that way as a teenager.”

  “I remember. It was a good day for me when she came into my life.”

  Kelsey nodded t
oward her sister skipping alongside the boy. “She loves the farm. She kept telling Dad they could save it if he just wouldn’t give up. He said she wasn’t being realistic.”

  “I didn’t realize it was your mom who wanted to hang on to the farm.” Ashlynn swept aside a low-hanging branch, then stepped to the end of the line of people. “I always assumed it was your dad.”

  “I thought you two told each other everything.”

  “Sometimes we hear what we assume and get all worked up only to find out we totally misunderstood.”

  “Well, that’s not a problem for people like you and Kacie.”

  Pausing, Ashlynn stepped over a rotten log. “Well, that’s where you would be wrong.”

  “Really?” Kelsey asked, arms wrapping around her chest in a self-hug.

  “I was absolutely terrified when I got to my first foster home. I was eight. Not much younger than you, actually. All the sounds and smells were strange. I cried myself to sleep and woke up crying all over again. My stomach hurt so badly I couldn’t eat for days.”

  “I bet you were worried you were sick, sometimes, or, uh, that maybe you were going to die.” Kelsey looked at her aunt. “What did you do?”

  “Well, my foster mom took me to the doctor only to be told there was nothing wrong with me. But my stomach was still so upset, night after night. Then one of the older foster kids handed me a stuffed animal and taught me how to calm down by using my five senses—think of five things you see, five things you hear, and so on. It helped me keep perspective and slow my brain down when I felt overwhelmed. It still does.”

  Kelsey filed away the idea, curious about it but unable to fully appreciate what Aunt Ashlynn said as they shuffled closer to the zip line. Whoops of terror and excitement carried on the breeze.

  Her aunt continued speaking, her relaxed tone reminding Kelsey that she was the only frightened one in their group this morning. “When your mom arrived at our foster home, she was terrified, too. But I could tell we were destined to meet each other, to become sisters. As soon as we started talking, I felt like I had known her my whole life.”