Page 44 of Miracles and Marriage
He leaned over and brushed his lips against hers. Pulling back he met her gaze again.
“Tell me when to stop,” he said softly, brushing his lips along her jaw, giving short, sweet kisses along her throat, pausing at the pulse point at its base.
Never was about right, she thought as she closed her eyes to better savor Cal’s lips against her skin. He put his hands on either side of her head, tilting it up slightly for his kiss—like a man kisses a woman he wanted. She was being seduced and it was heady stuff.
She felt a thrill of excitement and reached out to draw him closer. Her heart pounded and blood rushed through her veins. It might be a bargain made, but she was not thinking of that now, but of the way Cal made her feel—special, cherished, sexy.
Slowly Cal began moving her toward the stairs. When they reached the bottom step, he lifted her into his arms and began to climb.
“I’m too heavy,” she protested, secretly thrilled.
What woman didn’t wish for some dashing man to sweep her off her feet and carry her away? When he didn’t reply, she trailed light kisses along his jaw. The scratchy beard tantalized. She drew in a deep breath, savoring his scent. Her heart pounded so fast she knew he had to feel it.
When they reached the top, he was not even breathing hard. He looked at her.
“Are you sure?”
“Oh, yes,” she said, gazing into his dark eyes.
She’d never felt so right about anything.
He nudged the door to her bedroom and stepped inside, slowly letting her slide from his arms until she stood pressed against him.
She liked the cocooning feeling. Just the two of them, together in the night.
“Come, share my bed,” she whispered, leading him to the edge.
There was no going back.
Sunday morning the sound of rain on the roof woke Zoe. She rolled over and bumped into Cal. Opening her eyes, she lookedat him in surprise, the memory of last night flashing into mind. He was still asleep.
For a moment she panicked. Then reason returned. Taking advantage of the situation, she studied Cal as he slept, memorizing the way his eyebrows arched over his eyes, his lean cheeks, not softened by sleep. He could waken and be ready to go in an instant, she thought.
Slowly she eased from bed and snatched up a robe from a nearby chair. She gathered fresh clothes and headed for the bathroom to shower and dress.
What was the morning-after protocol? She should wait for him to waken. But that would prove too awkward. She’d feel more in control if she was dressed. And maybe had a couple of cups of coffee to bolster her confidence. She could have breakfast ready when he came down. That would be a wifely kind of thing to do.
The bathroom was cool. The outside temperature obviously dropped significantly last night. She’d have to turn up the furnace. As she stood beneath the hot water, she mentally ran through a checklist of all she wanted to do today, which helped her to keep from dwelling on last night. On every glorious touch, caress, kiss. It was amazing how much she craved his touch again. She tilted her face to the cascading water and tried to think of something else.
In a short time she was downstairs, dressed, and warm, the memories of their night accompanied her.
Preparing coffee, she heard the shower running and began to gather ingredients for an omelet. What time would Cal wish to return to Washington? She had things she could do to fill the hours if he wanted to leave after lunch. Glancing out the window, she wished it wasn’t raining. A run on the beach would do wonders.
“Good morning,” he said before she had gathered her thoughts.
“Hi. Coffee’s ready.”
Great opening, she thought. Should she kiss him? They’d made love far into the night and all she could think of was she hoped no one at work would find out. How did coworkers manage affairs?
“Up to a run this morning?” he asked, casually crossing the large kitchen and helping himself to a cup.
“It’s pouring.”
“You don’t run in the rain?” he asked.
“Not when it’s forty degrees. Summer rain, maybe.”
“Then we’ll have to find something else to do today.”
