by Ginna Gray
"Are you sure you won't leave Molly here with us for a few days? Mike is staying for a week. If you left the baby, too, you and Ryan could have some time alone, maybe take a trip," Maggie wheedled while she helped Tess pack the last minute items into the baby's bag. "You could go to Erin and Elise's beach house on Rincon Island. They were serious when they offered to let you use it for a honeymoon. I promise you'll love it there. It's such a beautiful place, and so secluded and romantic."
"I'm sure it's lovely," Tess said with a regretful smile. "But I'm afraid that won't be possible. Wildwood is beginning to take shape and Ryan is swamped with work. He can't get away right now."
Even if he could, given the practical and prosaic reasons for this marriage, a romantic honeymoon in an island paradise would be awkward. Deep down in her lovelorn soul Tess might long to walk hand in hand with Ryan down a moonlit beach, to experience warm, silken nights of sensu-! ous delight in his arms, fun-filled days totally absorbed with one another to the exclusion of all else, but she tamped down on the feelings, knowing she might as well wish for the smoon.
"Nonsense. Reilly can look after things for a few days. I swear, that eldest son of mine doesn't have a romantic bone in his body. Maybe if I talked to h—"
"No! Don't do that," Tess said, putting her hand on Maggie's arm. "It's all right. Really, Maggie, it is. Besides, it's not just Ryan's schedule. The truth is, even though Molly is weaned to a bottle now, and I know that you would take excellent care of her ..." Tess's mouth twisted in a rueful grimace. ''You're probably going to think I'm silly, but ... I can't bear to be away from her just yet. Not even overnight."
"Ahh, I see. It's new mother separation anxiety, is it? Well, I can certainly understand that. When mine were babies I didn't want them out of my sight." She patted Tess's shoulder. "Maybe when Molly's a little older and you feel more comfortable about leaving her, you and Ryan can take a delayed honeymoon."
"Maybe," Tess mumbled, ducking her head again.
But Maggie was much more astute and observant than Tess realized. When she zipped the diaper bag and straightened, her mother-in-law was watching her with compassion and concern. She searched Tess's face and looked deep into her eyes. "You love him very much, don't you, my dear?" she asked gently.
Tess felt exposed. She had never been good at hiding her feelings. She stared back helplessly and fought the urge to cry. "Yes. I do," she murmured.
"Good. I'm glad. Ryan needs a good woman to love him." With a sigh, Maggie pulled Tess into her motherly embrace, hugging her tight. "Don't give up on him, Tess. He'll come around. You'll see."
❧
They arrived home a little after nine that evening. Molly, who usually slept like an angel in a car, had been cranky throughout the entire trip. For Tess, the two-hour drive had been fraught with nervous anxiety, and she was sure her daughter had picked up on her jitters, but at least trying to soothe the fussy baby had kept her busy and helped her ignore the awkward tension.
That was no longer possible once they reached the apartment complex. During the climb up the stairs Tess's nerves wound tighter with each step. By the time they walked through her door, they were twanging like a plucked string on a cheap guitar.
She stopped in the middle of the living room and glanced uncertainly at Ryan, holding the baby to her like a shield. "I, uh...ril go put Molly to bed," she said, gesturing vaguely toward the nursery.
Ryan watched her. "Fine. While you do that Til go check my place. But first I'll put these bags in our bedroom."
Blushing, Tess nodded, ducked her head and almost ran from the room. In the nursery she took several restorative I breaths and listened to Ryan moving around in her bedroom—their bedroom—across the hall. Had the remark been deliberate? A pointed reminder of their changed relationship? She suspected it had. If so, who could blame him? She had been acting like a skittish virgin ever since the ceremony.
Tess had no idea why she was so nervous. It was ridiculous. She hadn't been this jumpy when she married Tom, and she had been a virgin then.
She jumped at the sound of the front door closing, and quickly set about readying her daughter for bed.
Molly's eyelids began to droop as Tess bundled her into a warm gown. When she placed the baby onto her tummy, Molly assumed her bottom-in-the-air sleeping position and drifted off before Tess had laid the blanket over her. Smiling, she kissed the downy head, tucked the blanket in all around and left the room, pulling the door partway closed I behind her.
Tess was in the kitchen, rinsing out the empty baby bottle she had taken from the diaper bag when she heard Ryan come in. Her nerves had settled to a low hum but they im-imediately began to jangle.
Sensing his presence, she glanced over her shoulder. He stood in the doorway, one shoulder propped against the jamb, watching her.
He had discarded his suit coat and tie and the white dress shirt was unbuttoned halfway to his waist, the sleeves rolled up over his powerful forearms. His face was unreadable, but there was a glitter in his eyes that made her pulse jump. She knew his indolent pose was deceptive. He looked big and gorgeous and utterly male... and dangerous. Like a big jungle cat, waiting for the chance to spring.
"I'll be through here in just a minute. If you don't rinse the formula out right away these things are the devil to clean." Oh, Lord, now she was babbling.
"Is Molly asleep?"
"Yes. She went out like a light. It's hours past her bedtime and she wore herself out on the way home."
Tess stuck the bottle under the faucet again. It was almost full when Ryan's hand settled on either side of her waist.
She gasped and jumped.
"You've rinsed that bottle about ten times already. Don't you think that's enough?" His voice was a low rumble, a rough, tender sound tinged with a hint of amusement.
"I, uh... you can't be too careful."
She felt him step closer, felt his heat all along her back. He nuzzled her temple. The baby bottle overflowed and water poured over her hand and into the sink in a steady stream. She didn't notice.
"I think you're stalling." His breath stirred her hair, its moist warmth seeping through to her scalp, making it tingle. "What's the matter, sweetheart? Are you nervous?"
"Yes. No. Yes! That is... ," Tess groaned, and Ryan chuckled.
"There's nothing to be nervous about, honey. I promise." He buried his face in the fall of silky hair at the side of her neck.
Tess sucked in her breath. The plastic baby bottle slipped from her fingers. It hit the sink with a dull thunk, bounced three times and wobbled to a stop, water gushing out of it.
"Ry-Ryan, wait." She tried to infuse her voice with stem command, but it came out breathless and wobbly. "I... I was going to shower and... and put on a pretty gown."
"Why? I'd just take it off. And we can shower later. Together.' '
Tess gasped, faintly shocked, yet excitement zinged through her. She hunched her shoulder against his marauding mouth, but a quaking had begun deep inside, robbing her of both strength and will.
"Relax, honey. You know you like it when I do this." Nuzzling aside her fragrant hair, he nibbled her neck and her shoulder, as far as the neckline of her wedding suit would allow. He worked his way back up to her ear. "And this." He nipped her lobe, then batted it playfully with his tongue.
A shuddering breath fluttered through Tess's parted lips. Her head lolled back and she closed her eyes. "Ryan..."
''This, too," he whispered, pressing his open mouth over the delicate shell.
Hot breath filled her ear. Then the tip of his tongue traced each delicate swirl, and a delicious, prickling sensation rippled over Tess's skin.
Ryan's hands slid around her and splayed across her abdomen, pulling her back against him. She felt his arousal pressing against her bottom and made a helpless little sound somewhere between a moan and a sigh.
She grasped his arms with the half-formed intention of removing them. Instead, her forearms came to rest on top of his and her finger
s flexed around the wide wrists. His flesh was warm and hard, the silky hair on his arms an erotic abrasion against her tender skin.
"Feel what you do to me," he whispered huskily, moving his hips against her.
"Oh, Ryan." This time his name came out on a sigh.
Tess's head fell back against his shoulder. She felt weak, her body burning with a delicious lassitude.
"I've been going crazy for the last few months.. .wanting you... fighting wanting you." he growled. "This last week I've barely been able to keep my hands off you."
A shiver rippled through Tess at the evocative words, and she felt some of the tension drain out of her.
Since he proposed, over a week ago, Ryan had been even more distant. Other than to put a guiding hand at her elbow or the small of her back when they walked together, he had not touched her. He had not offered so much as a chaste kiss on the cheek. In addition to her other doubts and worries, she had begun to fear that he no longer desired her. His strong attraction to her and the possibility that it could grow into something deeper was the only hope she had for their marriage. It was a relief to find she had been wrong.
Sighing, she relaxed and gave herself up to the sensations coursing through her. At that moment all her worries and fear about the future flitted right out of her head and she surrendered willingly to the sweet rush of passion. She was passive in his arms, absorbing his heat, his strength, greedily breathing in the heady masculine scent that surrounded her, reveling in the exquisite assault on her senses.
Her breasts were heavy and aching, and when Ryan cupped them, Tess spread her hands over his and pressed them closer. His thumbs swept back and forth over her nipples, and they peaked, pebble hard. Moaning, Tess rocked her head on his shoulder. He growled softly.
"Come here," he whispered, turning her in his arms.
He stared down at her, his face taut. Desire glittered in his blue eyes as he studied her flushed face. Tess was so aroused she was shaking. She clutched his shirt and leaned against him for support, aware that her slumberous gaze and bemused expression betrayed her longing—perhaps even more—but she was too entranced to care. Her chest rose and fell rapidly with each shallow breath that hissed through her parted lips, and when the tip of her tongue stole out to glide in a swift circle, something hot flared in his eyes.
The water still gushed into the sink. Never taking his eyes off her, Ryan reached around her and turned it off. In the pulsing quiet that followed, Tess was sure he could hear her heart thudding.
Wordlessly, he cupped her cheek. His thumb brushed over her chin, her lower lip. Then, with slow, sure movements, he pulled her closer, tilted her face up and lowered his mouth to hers.
The first touch sent excitement streaking through Tess like summer lightning. She moaned and pressed closer, her arms shding up to encircle his neck of their own accord. Her heart overflowed with love and her body thrummed with desire. Oh, Lord, she hadn't known how much she wanted this. Needed it.
The kiss was unrestrained, hot and hungry, unleashing in both of them the fierce passion so long held in check. He parted her lips with his tongue and speared her with pleasure that shot like an arrow straight to that hollow ache deep inside her body.
The hand beneath her chin slid around her neck, his spread fingers threaded through her hair to cup the back of her head. His other hand moved downward, slid over her back and hips, grasped her buttocks and pressed her to him rhythmically, matching the undulating movement with the slow, deep thrusts of his tongue.
Tess moaned. She felt on fire, her body clamoring for fulfilhnent. She wanted to get closer to Ryan, to writhe and clutch and coil herself around him.
Ryan ended the heated kiss with an abruptness that was shocking, but he didn't release her. They stared at one another, breathless, their hearts knocking together, bodies taut.
Without a word, he swept her up into his arms. Plagued by a sudden return of shyness and nerves, Tess buried her face against his shoulder. With long, determined strides he carried her swiftly through the living room and down the short hall to the bedroom.
The lamp on the bedside table lit the room with a soft glow as he set Tess on her feet. The instant he straightened, he bracketed her face with his hands and tipped her head back. In the dim light the eyes that roamed her face glittered like sapphires. "God, you're lovely," he whispered. "Irresistible. I should have known from the moment we met that this was inevitable."
That startled an embarrassed chuckle from her. "How could you? I was pregnant."
"You were beautiful." His thumbs swept the hollows beneath her cheekbones. "I thought then it was just that maternal glow that expectant mothers have, but I was wrong." His gaze dropped to her mouth and his head began a slow descent. "You're still exquisite."
He whispered the words against her lips, his breath striking her skin in warm little puffs. Then his mouth slanted over hers.
Never had Tess had such a soul-stirring experience. The kiss was as different from the previous one as night to day. With impeccable care, his lips rocked over hers. It was the merest contact of flesh to flesh, but oh, so warm and tender. His tongue slicked over her quivering lips, probed the corners of her mouth, then swirled enticingly around its inner edge, without ever quite entering that yearning sweetness.
Tess trembled beneath the sensuous assault. The excruciating gentleness aroused her almost beyond bearing.
One of Ryan's hands slid down and lightly cupped the side of her neck, his fingertips playing softly over the velvety rim of her ear and the sensitive skin behind it. His other arm looped around her back to hold her close.
At last he ended the tormenting caress. Raising his head slowly, he eased back a step. He smiled at her with that rare flash of warmth and tenderness that never failed to steal her breath away. Slowly, he slid his hand down her neck, turning it so that the backs of his knuckles skimmed over her collarbone and chest to the button at the top of the wide V-neck of her suit jacket. His fingers deftly released the top covered button and sought the next one, his knuckles grazing the rounded tops of her breasts on the downward glide.
"You're trembling." Ryan's eyes flared as he felt her helpless response. He released another button... and another. Slowly, his knuckles skimmed down over her bra, the silky skin of her midriff. Encountering the waistband of her skirt, he stopped, watching her. "Do I frighten you, Tess?"
"No. It's...not that," she said in a tremulous voice. "It's just..." Cool air feathered over Tess's skin, sending another delicious shiver rippling through her as Ryan released the last button and eased the champagne-colored silk jacket off her shoulders. He tossed the expensive garment into a chair.
"What then? Tell me what's wrong."
"Nothing's wrong." Tess looked at him uncertainly and bit her bottom lip. "It's just that it's been so long for me, and... and there's never been anyone else but Tom. It's... it's almost like the first time all over again," she said in a rush.
Ryan's hand stilled on the front clasp of her bra. "Oh, Lord, sweetheart,'' he groaned in a voice that went low and rough with emotion. "Do you have any idea what it does to me to hear you say that?"
He took her mouth in a hungry, hot kiss that left them both shaken. With considerably more haste, he released the clasp on her bra, and it joined the silk jacket on the chair. Tess sucked in her breath and gripped his upper arms as he cupped her breasts and swept his thumbs back and forth across her nipples. He bent and suckled a hardened peak, drawing it deep into his mouth. Each rhythmic tug seemed to pull at her feminine core, making it throb and yearn.
"Oh, Ryan!" Gasping, Tess arched her neck and clutched his head with both hands, burying her fingers in his hair, holding him to her as he lavished the same fierce attention on the other breast. Her heart beat against her ribs Hke a wild thing, while the rest of her body seemed to grow weak and liquid.
Hazily, Tess felt the easing of pressure at her waist as the button was released, heard the soft rasp of the zipper being lowered. The champagne silk
skirt slithered to the floor and pooled around her ankles. Hooking his thumbs under the tops of her beige half slip and panty hose, Ryan went down on one knee and lowered them to her ankles. Tess held on to his shoulders for balance as he removed first one, then the other high heel pump then eased the stockings over her feet and tossed them and the other garments aside. The tiny triangle of toffee-colored silk and lace quickly followed.
Ryan wrapped his arms around her hips and pressed his face against her stomach. "rve lain in my bed on the other side of that wall night after night, tormenting myself imagining this. Going crazy with wanting you," he said in a raspy whisper as he strung hot kisses over her silky skin.
Tess trembled and held him close, her fingers buried in his hair. Her emotions overwhelmed her, and she closed her eyes against the sweet rush of feelings that surged inside her.
Against her belly, she felt the slight rasp of his beard stubble, the hot wetness of his mouth, the warm, silky feel of his hair. The pleasure became so intense it was ahnost painful, and finally, trembling, Tess gripped his shoulders and urged him upward. "P;ease, Ryan. Please."
He stood at once. Pausing to look at her, he took in every line, every dip and curve of her naked body, his burning gaze promising untold delight. "Yes. Oh, Lord, yes," he said with throaty urgency.
Quickly, he tossed back the bedspread and covers and eased her down onto the bed. Trembling, Tess watched as he snatched off his own clothes. He pulled impatiently at the buttons on his shirt, and when the last one wouldn't cooperate, he tore it off. Bare-chested, he hopped on one foot, then the other as he yanked off his shoes and socks. He bent and shucked out of the suit pants, and when he straightened, Tess caught her breath at the sight of him in only the jrief, dark maroon underwear. Then it, too, was gone.
The lamphght painted that magnificent body with light and shadow. Naked, his shoulders seemed broader, his chest more massive. Muscles rippled in his legs and arms as he owered himself beside her. His arousal was awesome, and Tess knew a moment's fear.