Worthy of Love (18 page)

“Disappointed?” he asked.

She shook her head. “It’s perfect,” she murmured. “Just like the day.” Although she’d dreamed of a traditional wedding surrounded by family, those dreams belonged to the child she’d been, not the grown-up she’d become. And the small but intimate ceremony with Janine, Kevin, and the life growing inside her met all her current needs and dreams.

She grabbed for his hand and as he laced their fingers together, a curling ribbon of warmth flowed through her. Just for tonight, Nikki wanted to put all thoughts of the future out of her head. She wanted to focus on the present. Tomorrow she would build from there.

“Come on.” He turned toward the hall, giving her hand a light tug.

“Where?” she asked, playing along.

“Come to bed. My bed.” His husky voice pulled at her, luring her with its depth and need.

She followed him down the hall, anticipation building with every step. She paused at the entry to the master bedroom. “I thought it was our bed now.”

He swept her off her feet again, and deposited her on top of the mattress. As an answer, she supposed it sufficed. And she had to admit, it gave her hope.

He lowered himself over her, bracketing her shoulders with his hands. The intense pull stretched from her breasts downward, where between her legs, a pulsing, throbbing beat picked up a steady rhythm.

His dark eyes bore into hers and she was drawn in all over again. Kevin pulled her up into a sitting position and worked at the buttons on the front of her suit. The lapels of her jacket fell open and slipped off her shoulders.

Nikki shouldn’t be embarrassed. Kevin had seen her before, night after night when they’d made love in her bed. But he’d never looked at her as his wife—the woman he’d tied himself to—for as long as they both shall live. Or at least for as long as Nikki could hold onto the hope that lived inside her at this moment.

But she couldn’t help the seeds of doubt, the concern that maybe he regretted his decision. “Disappointed?” It was her turn to ask.

He shook his head. “You’re perfect. Just like…”

“Don’t tease me, Kevin. Not about this.”

He grabbed for her hands, which now covered her chest, and pulled them down to her sides. “Look. And see yourself as I see you.”

She glanced downward. Her breasts, fuller now than ever before, spilled over the lace cups of her bra. “I guess I can see how they meet with your approval.”

His hands cupped her breasts. His darker skin against her whiter flesh, combined with his heated touch, had an erotic effect on her senses. And when his mouth came down hard on hers, concerns about what he thought fled. Because she couldn’t mistake the reverent way his hands caressed her body or the deliberate way he made love to her with his mouth.

With every touch, with every shift of his body against hers, he told her she was special. He left no doubt in her mind that he didn’t regret his decision and that he wanted her every bit as much as she wanted him. As always, their inhibitions fled beneath the covers, but this time, their union meant so much more. And she prayed that, for once, it would last into the light of tomorrow.

Kevin entered her, creating exquisite friction as every hard ridge of his erection touched the deep recesses of her body. And in the burst of light that followed, Nikki caught a glimpse of her future.

*     *     *

Nikki came awake by degrees. A delicious warmth heated her body and a tantalizing masculine scent greeted her with each breath. “Kevin,” she murmured.

In response, his hand slid upward to cup her breast. She sighed at the strong touch and buried her face in the crook of his neck while her fingers splayed over his hard length.

He groaned aloud. “Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you in the middle of the night,” he said, pressing a kiss against her cheek.

The butterfly-light touch whispered against her skin, creating a tingling sensation she didn’t want to end. With his other hand, his fingers moved idly across her breast, sending a direct current flaring to life between her legs.

He pulled her closer until she felt the weight of his erection hard against her thighs. She felt his hand on her cheek, his thumb beneath her jaw, stroking and arousing. He really could affect her with the softest touch.

“Look at me, Nikki.”

She tilted her head back until she met his steady gaze, dark and filled with need. “I want you.”

“I…” His fingers touched her lips, stopping her from expressing her thoughts.

She’d allow him to silence her. For now. Their intimate moments were wonderful but they weren’t enough to compensate for the other times. Times when they needed to relate and connect on a deeper level.

She wanted the
possibility
of love… for them both. There had to be a beginning before there could be a middle or an end. He’d taken a risk by marrying her. She’d have to accept it as a start.

She tipped her head upward and he kissed her lips once before she pulled back, wanting her chance to view him as he’d viewed her last night. She took in the bronzed skin, the dark hair on his chest, and the well-muscled body around which she’d awakened. No wonder she’d been warm. No wonder she was burning up now.

He drew her finger into his mouth and she sucked in a startled gasp, cutting off what she’d been about to say. His teeth and lips grazed her finger, causing an answering pull low in her belly. Relaxing her head against the pillow, she closed her eyes and gave herself up to sensation. To his lips on her face and neck, to his hands on her breasts and stomach. To whisper-soft kisses and gentle caresses that had her sighing with pleasure and moaning with need.

He wrapped his hands around her calves and began kneading the muscles in a firm circular motion, moving upward as he worked. When his strong fingers splayed across her thighs, she stiffened and her eyes opened wide.

“Not relaxed any more, huh?”

She glanced down to where his tanned hands rested against her lighter skin. His thumbs caressed the inside of her thighs, inching upward. “Not quite.”

“And after all that hard work,” he murmured. “I’ll have to do something about that.” Pulling himself up, he positioned himself over her, legs touching legs, her breasts beneath his chest and his erection pulsing solidly against her stomach. Her hips jerked upward in response.

She trailed her fingers down his back, savoring the ripple of hard muscle and the contrast of his soft skin. Her hands followed around his waistline to the coarse trail of hair in front.

“God.” He exhaled a harsh groan and Nikki felt the strain in his body and the flex of his arms as he struggled to remain in control. And she hadn’t even touched him yet.

She’d wanted a chance. Maybe, just maybe she’d gotten one. She pressed a kiss against his throat and followed with a light lick of her tongue. With a harsh groan, he ground his hips against hers in a rough thrust that didn’t come near to satisfying the empty ache that had been building inside her. She shifted her legs, raising her hips, desperate to give him what he wanted, to find what she needed. That she’d lost control, as well, didn’t matter.

In the back of her mind came the realization that she’d lost something more, something she couldn’t possibly get back. She’d lost her heart.

*     *     *

Kevin felt the sweat bead on his forehead. The muscles in his arms jerked with the strain of attempting to take things slow. His control hung by a fragile thread. She affected him on so many levels, he couldn’t begin to count.

He didn’t want to think about what that meant and the only thing to do was bury himself deep inside her willing body. Her moist heat beckoned and blocked out all thoughts other than of the release they both sought.

Lose himself in her again. With Nikki, sex wasn’t an impersonal act because she had the ability to reach inside him. As much as he fought the notion, she wasn’t just some woman he’d taken to bed. She was his wife, as much by choice as by bargain.

If he let her, he had the feeling she’d be his friend as well as his lover.

“Kevin…”

“No talking. Not now.”

She nodded, but he caught the glimmer of disillusion in her eyes. But as he’d asked, there were no more words. No need for them. Their bodies spoke for them and with more meaning than anything they could say.

She wanted him. He felt it in her caress, heard it in the soft moans and contented sighs that escaped from her lips. Settling himself between her legs, he eased inside her bit by excruciating bit. She’d never know how difficult was his restraint.

He stroked a kiss across her lips, pausing to nibble and savor her sweet taste. As if to prove her words, she raised her hips a fraction, taking him ever deeper.

He groaned. Moist, warm, welcoming, and his. Kevin couldn’t say which thought drove him over the edge, but with one thrust, he edged firmly inside. An expression of pure ecstasy covered her flushed face and he’d put it there.

“Kevin.” Coming from her lips, his name sounded like the sweetest caress.

“Right here.”

She sighed and whispered something that sounded suspiciously like “mine,” before her muscles clenched around him. That’s all it took. He hadn’t realized he was so close to the edge, so ready to fall. He thrust in and eased out, each motion harder and deeper than the last. Caught up in the rhythm and beauty of Nikki, he came hard and fast. His climax not only caught him by surprise, but shook him to the depths of his soul.

Even as the aftershocks pulsed through him, Kevin knew he was in trouble. The only consolation he could find was knowing that Nikki was right there with him.

TWELVE

M
arried. Nikki rolled over expecting to find Kevin stretched out beside her, but her husband apparently had other ideas. She sat up in time to see him, fully dressed, attempting to slip from the bedroom. The disappearing act had eerie undertones of a night long past.

“Looking to avoid me?” she asked lightly, though she couldn’t have felt more different.

He turned. Expecting to see guilt etched into his features, Nikki was relieved to see he merely looked like a man who’d gotten up earlier than his… wife. Since she was stumbling over the word, she hoped Kevin was having an easier transition to their newly married state. Of course last night had been spectacular, but then nights with Kevin always were. “I didn’t realize you were awake.”

“I wasn’t till a minute or so ago.”

“I thought so. You were out cold.”

She smiled. “That’s because you wore me out.”

He stepped toward the bed, heat and desire unmistakable in his dark gaze. “I could say the same.”

She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “Then where are you off to so early?”

“To visit Max. His doctor checks in around ten A.M. and I want to make sure I’m there to hear everything. Otherwise I won’t get near the truth.”

The slight wrinkles around his eyes testified to the concern he felt for his father. Though he wouldn’t admit it aloud, and perhaps he’d never admitted it to himself, he loved the older man. Nikki was certain.

She just wished he didn’t have to beat his head into a brick wall every time he dealt with Max. But at least he wasn’t alone anymore. She tossed the covers off and swung her legs over the bed. “Give me ten minutes and I’ll go with you.”

He stiffened. “No.”

“I’ll be quick. You’ll be there by ten.”

“You don’t need to deal with Max and his addiction. I’ll go alone.”

Nikki narrowed her eyes. “At this point it’s his health and he’s your father.”

“Right. Which makes him my problem. Besides I have a few stops to make first. I’ll see you when I get home from work.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “Whatever.”

He walked toward where she sat on the bed and leaned down to brush a kiss over her mouth. He lingered, moistening her lips with his tongue and arousing her with the simplest touch.

She recognized his attempt at pacifying her, but he’d left her feeling more frustrated than placated. Still, when he lifted his head, she felt the loss.

“I know you mean well, but you don’t need to be there for Max.”

She’d have been there for him. But she wasn’t surprised he didn’t recognize the distinction. He may not feel she needed to be there, but she did.

Only after he left the house did she head for her old room downstairs to retrieve the information she’d accumulated from the local library. In her bag, she put literature she’d printed off the Internet and her stomach filled with a growing sense of dread. Kevin had problems letting her in—creating that sense of family and togetherness she needed, that her baby needed. Nikki had known that going in. But she’d also hoped he could learn to open up. Learn to love her.

But he was also the child of an alcoholic, and as she’d learned over the last few weeks, overcoming his past was a prerequisite to them having a future—and that was something he had to want to accomplish on his own.

Nikki wasn’t averse to giving him a push in the right direction. All she could do then was hope for the best.

*     *     *

“He checked himself out.”

Kevin glanced around the empty hospital room. Only the white rumpled sheets evidenced that Max had been there at all. “And you let him?”