Sarah's Child (12 page)

Though shed put everything away, the kitchen was still a surprise to her. She had to hunt for the coffee maker; then she couldnt find the dipper that she used to measure the coffee. She opened all the drawers and searched through them, slamming them shut in increasing temper when the search failed to turn up the missing object. She simply wasnt in the mood for anything to go wrong, and she muttered dire threats to the dipper for hiding itself.

Finally she found it in the can of coffee. She closed her eyes at her own stupidity, because now she remembered putting it in the coffee can where it wouldnt get lost She hated moving! She hated turning everything topsy-turvy, with nothing where she was accustomed to finding it. The refrigerator was on the opposite side of the stove from where it had been in her old apartment, and she turned in the wrong direction every time she wanted something from it. This kitchen was larger than her old one, and she rattled around in it. She felt small and lost, just as shed felt as a child when she lay in her neat, colorless room and listened to the bitter arguments her parents had.

She knew that Rome was customarily an early riser, so she started breakfast, trying to force herself to relax and perform the familiar routine even though all her cooking utensils were in the wrong places. As soon as the coffee had finished brewing, she poured a cup and sipped it, closing her eyes and trying to will herself to calm down. She knew that, in time, shed become accustomed to her new surroundings. It was just a matter of adjusting herself.

But what about Rome? He was the cause of at least half her nervousness, because she didnt know what to say to him, and she knew shed have to face him soon. What could a woman say to a brand-new husband whod spent the night alone? Perhaps she shouldnt have married him; perhaps he simply wasnt ready to form any sort of permanent relationship with another woman. Should she have turned down his proposal and hoped that hed ask again when time had healed him? But what if he hadnt asked again? What if hed simply shrugged and gone his way, then eventually found some other woman and married her? Sarah cringed inside at the thought. It had been bad enough losing him to Diane. She simply couldnt have borne the idea of him being married to someone else, some stranger.

The smell of bacon frying was a universal magnet; soon Rome entered the kitchen, sniffing appreciatively. Sarah darted a glance at him, then just as quickly looked away, before their eyes met. Hed taken a shower, because his hair was damp, and hed dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt, which hed left unbuttoned and hanging outside his pants. He wore socks but no shoes. She was so used to seeing him in more formal clothing that his casualness that morning caught at her heart, for it was such a homey, comfortable thing. He was dressed the way husbands usually dressed on lazy Saturday mornings.

Why were you trying to tear the kitchen down? he asked, smothering a yawn and covertly watching her with more than a little uneasiness, wondering what his reception would be that morning. What hed done would be unforgivable for most women, and he felt like a heel. He should at least have talked with her about it.

Sarah was tense, and she felt ridiculously close to tears. Did I wake you? Im sorry; I didnt mean to.

No, I was already awake.

Quickly she poured a cup of coffee for him, and he took it, moving to the small breakfast table and dropping into a chair, sprawling his long legs out before him. She was upset, though she didnt seem to be angry. He drank his coffee, not knowing what to say to her.

Sarah took up the bacon, then turned to the refrigerator to get out the eggs, but once again she turned in the wrong direction. She made a choked sound, then jammed her fists over her eyes to hold back the threatening tears. Oh, damn, she said weakly. Im sorry, but I cant get organized. I cant find anything! she burst out, her voice cracking with strain. I I feel so lost!

Rome sat up, his brows drawing together at the hint of panic in her voice. She was falling to pieces because she had to cook in an unfamiliar kitchen! It wasnt artifice, and she wasnt using it as an excuse; her panic was real, and she couldnt deal with it.

Without thinking about it, just knowing that she needed comforting, he got up and went to her, wrapping her in his arms and hugging her close against him. Hey, calm down, he advised soothingly, stroking her moonbeam hair and pressing her head to his chest. Whats all this about?

He must think she was an absolute ninny. Sarah could feel herself trembling as he resumed his seat and pulled her onto his lap, cradling her against him as if she were a child whod hurt herself while playing. He rubbed her back, his big hands moving slowly over her spine.

Didnt you put everything up yourself? he asked easily.

Yes. Thats what makes it so stupid! She sought his warmth, her hands going inside the open shirt to clasp his ribs, and she burrowed her face against him like a cat. Its just that everythings so turned around, and Im not used to it. I hate for things to change! she muttered. You wont find me moving the furniture around every month, or even every year. I like to feel safe in my own home, not a constant stranger.

Struck by her words, he rocked her gently, wondering why hed known her for so long without realizing that she had such a strong need for a stable base. He tried to remember if hed ever heard anything about her home life while shed been growing up, but he drew a blank.

She was usually so serene and competent that it was a little startling to feel her cuddle against him, seeking the safety of his arms, but he liked it. She was so delicately built, she was only a puffin his arms, soft and light, but with the warm, beguiling curves of a woman. She sighed and moved her hands up the strong muscles of his back, and he quivered in delight, and something more. Her hair spilled over his arm in a pale cascade, warm and silky, and he could smell the sweet perfume of female witchery that came from the velvet curves of her breasts. She had a scent all her own, not based on perfume but on the wondrous chemistry of her own sleek, soft skin, warmed by the coursing of her blood, and it wafted into the air with every breath that lifted her breasts like a tantalizing offering.

Desire, heavy and urgent, began tightening his body. He lifted her hair away from her neck and bent his head to trail his mouth down the slender column, taking his time, tracing the source of her female scent. I promise not to ever move anything around, he murmured as he found the tiny betraying flutter at the base of her throat. He didnt deserve it, but she was responding to him without even commenting on his behavior of the night before; she wasnt going to reject him, or spend the day pouting and feeling hurt. She was accepting him for what he could give, and accepting him joyously, tilting her head back to allow him better access.

He took advantage of her unselfishness, his greedy mouth plundering her flesh as he bared it. Sarah clenched her fingers in his hair, gasping as he pulled open her robe and dispensed with it, then rapidly slid down the straps of her nightgown until the silk fell away from her breasts. He bent his head and closed his hot mouth over one sensitive nipple, wringing a cry of pleasure from her.

Do you like that? he muttered fiercely against her, filling his hands and his mouth with velvet mounds and firm jutting nipples.

Yesyes. Her answer was thin and faraway, and she tried to put her arms around him, but the strap of her night-gown prevented her from moving her arms. She struggled in mute frustration against the silk bindings, trying to draw her arms out, but he held her too tightly, and he was too close, the things he was doing to her too delightful to halt.

He kissed his way back up to finally claim her mouth with deep thrusts of his tongue. Breakfast was forgotten in the heated clash of their bodies, and she wouldnt have stopped even if she had remembered the meal shed been preparing. She couldnt touch him enough, couldnt satisfy her need to press fully against him, and she twisted on his lap, seeking to nestle her breasts, so naked and sensitive, in the crisp dark curls on his chest. He aided her, lifting her and settling her astride his lap, grasping handfuls of silk and lifting it out of the way until her naked bottom pressed against him.

You make me crazy! he growled jerkily, tearing at his jeans until they opened and he could push them out of the way. Sarah moved her mouth back to his, holding the kiss as he eased inside her, his entry taking her breath.

She moaned his name, moving against him, her skin so hot that it felt like wildfire. She was wildfire, her slender body dancing, searing, taking him until the only sounds he could make were incoherent words of passion and need, of rising sexual desperation that held him taut in the chair, on the edge of madness. She finally worked her arms free of the nightgown and lifted them to his bronzed shoulders, clinging to him. He held back, killing himself with the effort, but he wanted to feel her delicate inner shivering, feel her ripple against him in satisfaction. When she tired, he took over the motion for her, his hard hands on her hips. Tiny mewing sounds came from her throat, sounds that he caught with his mouth, urging her onward. Waves of pure physical ecstasy began to crash upon her, and she collapsed on his chest, sobbing with joy and relief, and totally unaware of it, feeling only his body as he held her securely and took his own pleasure.

When the heated rush of her blood had subsided, Sarah lay tiredly against him, not wanting to move. Shed never thought that her marriage would be consummated on a kitchen chair, but the impatient desire with which hed taken her was so reassuring that she didnt care. Murmuring contentedly, she closed her eyes and brushed her lips against his chest.

Rome, she said with aching tenderness, and he stood up and carried her to bed.

Breakfast became lunch, and they eventually ate the bacon on sandwiches. She was glowing from the hours of passion theyd spent together in a tangle of arms and legs on her bed. Not even guessing at the satisfaction he felt whenever she lost herself in desire, when her face revealed her need nakedly, she simply gave herself to him and in return took a physical satisfaction that shed never before dreamed existed. He kept such a tight rein on himself, and devoted so much time and care to bringing her pleasure, that she never realized how rare it was for a woman to find such delight while she was still so inexperienced. He lingered over her, deliberately stamping her senses and her flesh as his, using his expertise to make certain that whenever she thought of making love, she thought of him.

The day passed in a fog of sensuality, her mind dazed while her body greedily sated itself. Reality was that night, when Rome made love to her with mind-shattering intensity. Sanity returned only when he kissed her lightly on the mouth and left the bed and the room, quietly closing the door behind him as he sought his own bed to sleep alone because, Sarah knew, in his heart his only wife was Diane.

She lay willing him to return, silently begging that there not be a repeat of the night before. But the door didnt open again, and she curled up sadly, dying a little inside. Hed told her once that when the night came, he spent it alone, and shed never reproached him with it, had even chosen their apartment with that in mind. But in the magic of the day theyd spent together, for the most part in that very bed, shed forgotten, and now she cried silently, not wanting him to hear.

Chapter 6

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Rome put his key into the lock and opened the door, stepping inside the apartment with a deep sense of relief and anticipation. This trip had seemed to drag on unendingly, and he was deeply, utterly weary of hotel rooms and hotel food. Just stepping inside the foyer, he was instantly aware of the comfort and serenity that Sarah had brought to the apartment, a sense of being home, which was something that hed been missing for a long time now. He couldnt say just what it was that she did, but somehow everything was more comfortable. Even though theyd only been married two weeks, hed looked forward to the trip, feeling an uneasy need to distance himself from the soft, unseen bonds that were pulling at him. It wasnt that Sarah demanded anything; rather, she demanded nothing. But still he found himself thinking of her at odd times during the day, wanting to talk to her about some little detail of the job, or wanting to make love to her, an urge that could have embarrassing results when he was at work. It took very little to remind him of making love to her: hearing her name mentioned, or walking by Maxs office. Any small detail could plunge him into the memory of how she tasted, how she felt, how she responded. She was so astonishingly sensual, he was still astounded by the contrast of her cool, quiet image and the moaning, writhing woman in his arms.

Hed wanted time away from her, but the trip had dragged on too long; what was originally to be a three-day trip had become eight, and Sarah hadnt seemed upset at all when hed called and told her hed be delayed. Shed simply said All right; just let me know when youll be home and gone on to other subjects. Hed felt a little deflated by her lack of interest, and suddenly the trip and the myriad details he had to deal with had become tiresome. He wanted to go home.

The need to relax and be with Sarah had become so compelling that hed pushed himself and everyone else to the breaking point, but hed wound everything up a day earlier than hed told Sarah to expect him, and now he looked around the quiet apartment, the sunlight streaming in the windows, a faint, tantalizing aroma, the smell of homemade apple pie, lingering on the air. He sniffed and grinned, because apple pie was his favorite.