Page 125 (1/2)

She started to unbutton her sweater, and he grabbed her hand The minute he did it, he felt like a fool He tried to smile it off, but she’d seen the truth in his eyes “I don’t know if I can do it, Mad,” he whispered, humiliation a cold stain in his stomach

She didn’t smile or pretend not to understand “Your doctor advised you that you could resume sexual relations whenever you felt… up to it”

A smile quirked one corner of his mouth “I have to admit, it turned me on when she said it”

“And how about now?” she asked softly, unbuttoning his shirt

He shook his head “I don’t know Maybe we should wait…”

She smiled and undid another button Her hand splayed across his che

st, each finger as hot as a brand on his flesh “Should we?”

He couldn’t concentrate with her doing that He felt her fingers, working ni the tender flesh of his chest She peeled his shirt away, revealing the bright red scar

He felt aher, and he was afraid he couldn’t do it Afraid his secondhand heart would just give out

She pressed onto her tiptoes and kissed the very top of his scar Her lips arainst the new flesh, and he shivered in response He couldn’t hold himself apart from her He wanted to crush her to him, bury himself deep, deep inside her, so deep he couldn’t tell where she began and he ended

With a groan, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her with a passion he’d never felt before He kissed her until he couldn’t breathe for wanting her Slowly he lowered hiers still working on the buttons When they hit the rug, she pulled his shirt off and tossed it away

He wrenched her soft green sweater off and threw it over his head, then he unhooked her bra and let it slide through his shaking fingers to the fur

She knelt on the rug before hiht She reached up to cover them

“The baby—”

He pulled her hands away and studied the tiny, silvery lines she was trying to hide He could tell by looking at her that she thought she was dairl’s he’d loved before