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Caleb ain Needed…as a woman Desired…as a lover And yes, wicked He made her feel very, very wicked

Until him, she had not kno badly she needed that

Between bites, he took a sip of wine, then turned to ain Under me Baby, I want to fill you up so deep I can’t wait to hear you pant rip every inch of na With those words, a totally different hunger overtook her Food could be reheated The oven at the kids’ house worked In so decades to start living again She didn’t want to wait another ?"

Carlotta clenched her fists, not sure how or if she could say this out loud "We have known each other more than two years We have waited, and now it feels like forever"

"And a day," he groaned and clasped her thigh in a strong grip, his hand edging up under her skirt, so close to her wetness that she gasped

"Damn panties"

"You were not going to touch me here?" The idea shocked her--and aroused her

"Oh, yeah, I was" He sighed "But it’s probably better if I don’t I want you to understand this is more than sex I don’t know exactly howout with you"

"I want that, too" She sle and her eyes simmer

"I wanted to make love to you for the first time on a bed, so at Deke and Kimber’s, and you over at Mari’s… Hotel?"

She wrinkled her nose "Impersonal"

"Co drive to Tyler, but you don’t knoyou in my bed" Caleb kissed her neck

Carlotta verybed, feeling like she belonged with him, beside hier, and he understood Caleb would not run over her and neglect her feelings as Gordon had

"Yes," she breathed

He pressed a hard, breathless kiss to her lips, then slid out of the booth A moment later, he returned with two boxes and a receipt

"Are you finished with your wine?" he asked as he scooped their dinner into the little Styrofoam containers

"I do not care about it"

"Me, either Let’s go" He took her ared her from the booth She tottered to her feet and let him usher her to the door

"Well, if it isn’t the ex-ball and chain," a terribly familiar voice drawled from behind her as they neared the exit

Gordon His voice dripped with reprisal Carlotta froze

She had not actually seen him since Hunter had carried her out his door The little bit of speaking they had done had been conducted through attorneys Now, standingherself to turn and face hi her up inside

Carlotta dug her fingers into Caleb’s ar to say to diffuse Gordon’s anger Then she paused They were divorced No longer did she owe hiated to try to make his life comfortable or happy She could waltz out the door without a word

"We have nothing to say, Gordon" She tugged on Caleb’s ar In fact, she would probably have ed harder, before this confrontation turned ugly

"Sure we do," Gordon corrected "Or I do Your hair is longer It seems your clothes are sexier But you’re still fat Does he know yet what a cold, uptight bitch you are?"

Her ex-husband wanted a fight, probably because she had left him and his dented pride could not tolerate it After nearly fourteen years of ive hi him in his place was not worth the heads that would turn or the tongues that would wag He was not worth another ain "Please, I want to leave"