gathering her into his arms.
“It’s all right, Lily,” he said, cradling her to his bare chest. He wiped the tears from her cheeks with the pad of his thumb. “I’m here, sweetheart. Everything is going to be fine. It was just a nightmare.”
Leaning back to look at him, she couldn’t tell him that it might have been a bad dream, but it was one that she feared would turn out to be all too prophetic. In the dream, she had told him about the baby and watched the attraction in his eyes turn to utter contempt.
When she had ended their affair, she might have told herself that she was calling a halt to things before she got in too deep and suffered a broken heart when he lost interest in seeing her after learning about the baby. But the truth of the matter was, she had already fallen in love with Daniel, had most likely loved him from the moment they met.
She knew it was foolish and that she would suffer more emotional pain when he learned her secret and severed all ties with her, but she couldn’t resist wanting one more night in his arms. Snuggling against his solid strength, she asked, “Will you please keep holding me, Daniel?”
“I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart,” he promised as he ran his hands up and down her back. “Not until you tell me to.”
Lily rested her head on his shoulder and her hand on his broad chest. With the steady beat of his heart beneath her palm and his strong arms wrapped around her, she felt more content, more secure than she had in several weeks. It felt as if in his arms was where she belonged, where she would always belong.
“Lily, don’t get me wrong,” he said, his voice a bit rusty. “I love the way your hand feels on my body. But if you keep that up, I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to continue being a gentleman for much longer.”
Realizing that she had been moving her fingers over his pectoral muscles and the upper part of his abdomen, she stopped immediately. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize …”
When she started to pull her hand away, he covered it with his and, holding it to him, gave her a kiss that sent heat streaking to the darkest corners of her soul. “I’ve missed holding you, Lily. I’ve missed you touching me like this and me touching you. It’s all I’ve been able to think about for three weeks. But you’ve had a lot of trauma in the past several days and I won’t take advantage of that. I came in here to comfort you and I promise that’s all that’s going to happen.”
As she stared up at him, she realized that he was trying to do what he felt was honorable. But was that what she wanted? To simply be held by the man she loved? Possibly for the last time?
Considering his views on love and having children, they had no future together. She knew that and, although it made her sad, she had accepted the inevitable. Could she resist one last night of knowing the strength of his lovemaking and the ecstasy of their bodies coming together as one heart, one soul?
“You wouldn’t be taking advantage of the situation,” she said, realizing that her decision had already been made. “I want you to make me forget that outside the doors of this house there’s a world waiting to intrude.” She kissed his strong jaw. “I want you to make love to me, Daniel.”
She watched him tightly close his eyes and swallow hard before opening them again as he eased her to her back. “Are you sure that’s what you want?” he asked, propping himself on one elbow to stare down at her. “I’d rather go take a dozen cold showers than to have you regret one minute of my making love to you.”
“There are a lot of things I’m not certain of,” she said honestly. “But I do know that no matter what tomorrow brings, I won’t regret being with you tonight.”
It was apparently all the assurance he needed to hear, because, without hesitation, Daniel lowered his head to capture her lips with his. Teasing and coaxing, he masterfully built her anticipation of deepening the kiss and when he did take it to the next level, his tongue stroking hers sent a tingling wave of excitement flowing throughout her entire body.
As he explored her inner recesses, he moved his hand down her side to the tail of her nightshirt. His fingertips grazing her thigh as he slowly inched the garment upward caused a shiver of pure delight to race up her spine and she had to remind herself to breathe. But when he continued up her side to the swell of her breast, then paused to worry her taut nipple with the pad of his thumb, heated sensations spread to every cell in her being.
Unable to lie still, Lily raised her shoulders to help him remove the nightshirt. She wanted to feel his hands over every part of her and she wanted to touch all of him as well. In one smooth motion, he tossed her nightshirt over the side of the bed, and the feel of her sensitive skin pressed to his bare flesh caused the stirrings of an empty ache deep in her core.
Running her hands over his chest and abdomen, she reacquainted herself with the width of his shoulders and the dormant power lying just beneath his smooth skin. She loved his body, loved that it contrasted so perfectly with her softer feminine form.
“I’m going to love every inch of you,” he murmured against her skin as he nibbled his way down to her collarbone and beyond. “And when I get done, there won’t be a doubt left in your mind how much I’ve wanted and missed you these past few weeks.”
The promise in his voice caused a quiver of anticipation to course through her. When he reached the slope of her breast, then kissed his way to the sensitive tip, her breath caught and a coil of need began to tighten deep inside her. She held his head to her when he took her into his warm mouth. Unable to stop a tiny moan of pure pleasure from escaping, she reveled in the many sensations he was creating inside her. He was driving her completely insane and she loved every minute of it.
“Does that feel good, Lily?” he asked as he trailed his lips down her abdomen to her stomach.
“Y-yes.”
He traced the elastic waistband of her panties with his finger. “Do you want me to stop?”
“I-if you do … I’ll never forgive you,” she said, gasping for breath.
His deep chuckle seemed to vibrate all the way to her soul. “Sweetheart, there’s no way I could stop now.” When he slid his hand down inside her panties, she automatically raised her hips to help him and in no time, the scrap of silk and lace joined her nightshirt on the floor. “Those three weeks without you have felt like a lifetime.”
Before she could tell him that she felt that way too, he caressed her side, her hip and the inner part of her thigh. Her heart pounded against her ribs as she waited for his touch. When he finally cupped the soft curls at her apex, then slipped his fingers inside to stroke her with tender care, the aching desire he created was almost more than she could bear.
“P-please … Daniel,” she gasped, reaching down to find him. She gave to him as he was giving to her, but she wanted more. She wanted him to fill the empty ache that threatened to consume her. “I … need you now.”
Lily felt him shift as he removed his underwear, then the feel of his body pressed to hers, his arousal strong against her thigh, caused an answering flutter in her lower belly. She wanted him to join their bodies, to make them one heart, one mind, one soul.
“Sweetheart, I got so carried away, I forgot that I don’t have anything to protect you,” he said, his voice filled with regret.
“There’s, um, no need … to worry about that,” she assured him.
“It’s
