Page 31 of Miracles and Marriage
It was after three when they reached Zoe’s apartment building. Cal insisted on going up with her. He waited until she opened the door, then put her bag and the food just inside.
“I’ll take a rain check on that run,” he said.
She nodded. “Go, they need you.”
“It wasn’t the wedding day I know you expected. If you get pregnant, we can do it over with all your family.”
“It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
Chapter Five
It was unexpected. It was glorious. It was as if she had never been kissed before. Her toes curled, her knees threatened to give way. His arms held her pressed against him. She could feel every muscle in that solid chest. But her mind could accept little beyond the pure pleasure of his mouth, his lips moving against hers, his tongue pressing her lips.
When he deepened the kiss, she knew she wanted it more than anything she’d ever craved before. Locking her arms around his neck, she held on, giving back as good as she got, feeling the flare of awareness that threatened to burst out of control. If they stayed this way forever it would end too soon for her.
But end it did, when Cal reluctantly pulled her arms down, sliding his hands down to grip hers.
“I’ve got to go.”
She nodded, wishing he’d done this when they first reached the cottage. How differently the night might have turned out.
Raising her gaze to his, she found her voice.
“I know. Go find those girls and charge the parents extra for not raising them right.”
Amusement lit his eyes. “That’s one tactic I’ve not tried. Does it work?”
She shrugged, her hands clinging to his. Forcing herself to release his grip, she pulled back.
“I’ll be at work on time.”
“Good.”
He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers lightly, then turned and hurried off.
“Good grief,” Zoe said as she closed the door, leaned against it and slowly slid down until she was sitting on the floor. Shefelt more alive than at any time in her life. She could move mountains.
She wanted to call her sister and ask if this was the feeling she had when her husband kissed her. She suspected it was.
Oh, wow, when could they do it again?
Maybe there’s be more to this marriage gig than she expected.
Only—she had to watch things. To Cal she was a means to an end. As he was for her.
The kiss changed all that. Now she wanted more. Wanted to learn every single thing about the man. Was it too late to change the parameters of their agreement? Tell the world, live together and pray a baby came before it was too late?
Spying the bag of groceries, starting to look damp with melting ice, Zoe scrambled up and took the food to the kitchen. Practicality was called for, not daydreams. She had to be at work early. She’d better get some sleep.
Having been up most of the night, she thought she’d fall asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow, but not so. Instead she relived every heart-stopping second of that kiss. Savoring every remembered touch, feeling, delight.
Zoe found it more difficult than she’d expected to walk into work the next morning as if nothing had changed in her life—or rocked her world. She checked with Emily to see if Cal was in, but he wasn’t. Emily reported there’d been a crisis in the night and he was in the field. Zoe didn’t reveal she knew the situation, merely asked if she could have some time with him when he returned to the office.
It was difficult to get back into the swing of the routine, but by midmorning, the memory of the kiss had been pushed aside as she updated her information on the situation in Eastern Europe that looked like it was about to explode.
Twice she called Steve Carrington, but couldn’t reach him. Had things gone from bad to worse in the meantime?
