Page 60 of Burn for Me
On the drive home, he began to wonder if he’d done the right thing. Buying a house was a big commitment. What happened if Kitty only liked the house online and hated the real thing? They’d be stuck with a house she didn’t like, and he’d feel like a prize putz for deciding without her. Unlikely she’d ever let him forget it either. Smiling wryly to himself, he acknowledged it was too late for thoughts like that. The deed was done. The best he could hope for was that she would love the real thing as much as the online images.
He knew his wife pretty well, sometimes better than she knew herself. He was confident he’d made the right choice. But only time would tell. In the meantime, he needed to decide where to take her to celebrate this milestone in their marriage. They had a handful of favourite restaurants, but he wanted tonight to be extra special.
Inspiration struck as he pulled into the driveway. Making a quick call to book reservations, he kept an eagle eye out for Kitty. Since her car was already parked in the garage, he knew she was home. He didn’t want her to overhear his plans. He wanted tonight to be a night for surprises.
As he entered the kitchen from the adjoining double garage, Gray called out for Kitty. When he heard her answer from inside the house, he moved toward her voice. Meeting her in the passage, he pulled her in for a kiss, laying his lips on hers. He ran his tongue over that pillowy bottom lip that drove him crazy.
The kiss quickly burned hot as Kitty opened for him, her tongue twining with his, giving back all that he gave to her. Eventually pulling back, they took a second to catch their breaths.
“Hello, gorgeous.”
“Hey yourself, handsome. How was your day?”
“Pretty good, actually. How was yours.”
“About the same, I’d say.”
She grinned up at him. Something in her tone made Gray pay closer attention to the expression on her face. It seemed his wife might just have news of her own. His curiosity piqued, he smiled back.
“Sounds interesting. What did you get up to?”
“Quite a bit actually, but I’ll tell you in a minute. Before we start exchanging news about our day, what are we doing about dinner? I’m in the mood to go out for dinner this evening. Somewhere nice.”
Chuckling to himself, Gray replied, “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I think I know just the place. I’ll make the reservations. Okay if it’s a surprise?”
Shrugging, Kitty asked, “What’s the dress code?”
“Fairly formal.”
“Got it. How much time do I have?”
Looking at his watch, he answered, “Is an hour enough time? I have a quick stop I need to make before dinner.”
“It’ll be close, but I can do it. Where are we going?”
“Another surprise.”
For a second, it looked like she was going to launch into a game of twenty questions, but in the end, she simply nodded, then headed for the bedroom.
* * *
Despite askingwhere they were going several times, Gray wasn’t telling. She didn’t recognise the road they were travelling. It didn’t lead to anyone she knew. So, it seemed she was going to have to be patient.
After a ten-minute drive, they pulled up to a security gate of a house she still didn’t recognise. She didn’t know anyone living in the beautiful, leafy suburb of Claremont. Gray consulted his phone, lowering his window at the same time. Then reached out and entered a code into the keypad beside the car. Slowly, the exquisitely crafted safety gates began to open.
“Why do you have the gate code for this house?”
“Wait and see,” was all Gray would say.
Making a sound of irritation, Kitty sat back and took comfort in the fact that she had a secret of her own. She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when she told him about the baby at dinner. Putting her hand in her handbag, she reassured herself that the initial pregnancy test she’d taken was there.
When she’d begun to suspect she was pregnant, she’d taken a home pregnancy test. When that had come up positive, Kitty had made the appointment with the doctor to confirm the result. Almost unconsciously, her hand made its way to her still-flat stomach. Realising what she was doing, she snatched her hand away before she gave herself away. It would be so disappointing if Gray figured it out before she could tell him.
He stopped next to a car already parked in the driveway. Climbing out, he came around to her side and opened the door for her. He took her hand, making his way to the front door. Grinning at her, he gave a quick knock before opening it.
“Beth?” Gray called out.
“Who’s Beth?” Kitty whispered, trying to see past him into the house.
