by Sara Orwig
She leaned away a fraction, placing her mouth at his ear. “I wasn’t going to do that. I was going to be sensible, cautious, and get to know you.”
“Oh, what you do to me,” he whispered, trailing his tongue lightly behind her ear. “You’ve brought me to life. Sensible went out the window with our first kiss. Life is filled with hurt. When we find fireworks and rapture, I say go for it.”
“I have to agree. Life is filled with risks, Nick. We both took big ones with this loveless convenient marriage. We didn’t factor in kisses and more.”
“We didn’t factor in the hottest sex ever. Talia, you should come with caution signs on you.”
“I don’t think it’s me. I think it’s us.”
“If it’s ‘us’ we’ve complicated our lives.”
“I hope we haven’t,” she said.
He picked her up again to place her in his big bed and then stretch out beside her. He drew her close against him, tangling his long legs with hers.
Wrapped in euphoria, she held him while she ran her hand lightly over his shoulders and chest, marveling at his strong, masculine body. “You know, I could stay like this with you forever. In your arms, touching you and—” She broke off and gasped.
He opened his eyes and looked at her. “What is it?”
She sat up like a bolt. “Your brothers! We’re lying here...like this, and for all we know they could be somewhere in this house waiting for you to return.”
He smiled and patted her shoulder in a gesture meant to calm her nerves. “Trust me, Talia, they’re not here. They have that much sense. They’ve gone and locked up and forgotten about us.” He glanced at the monitor on his nightstand. “And Hattie is asleep and I have you here, naked in my arms against my naked body, and I’m going to want to make love to you again.”
He pulled her back down to him, and the instant she felt the heat of his chest, she felt herself relax. “I think I want you to do just that,” she whispered, sliding sensuously against him. At her touch his body came to life and she began stroking his manhood. As if she hadn’t found ecstasy in his arms twice already, she needed him again.
“Oh, yes, Nick,” she said, sliding over him and sitting up astride him.
“You’re a sex-starved woman,” he said, but she knew it wasn’t a complaint. Nick needed no coaxing to participate in another round of lovemaking.
With one hand he toyed with her breasts while the other stroked her inner thighs, up and down, each time venturing closer to the apex of her womanhood but never giving her the satisfaction she craved. She undulated her lips, giving him access, letting her body tell him what it wanted, needed.
Gently he pushed her down so his thick erection was between her legs, hot and hard, and he shifted his thighs, closing her legs against him. She gasped with need and moved against him, rubbing against him, relishing the silky smooth feel of him as she heightened his pleasure. But it wasn’t enough. She wanted him inside her until she cried out with a mind-blowing climax.
Taking the matter into her own hands, she led him where she wanted him. Nick needed no further instructions. In one fluid motion he entered her to the hilt, eliciting a long moan from deep in her throat. Then he thrust into her, and she rode him hard and fast, until she didn’t think she could take another second of this insane pleasure. With one final movement, they both climaxed at the same second, and letting out a sigh, she collapsed on him.
He wrapped his arms around her and she lay against him, relishing the feel of him still inside her. She didn’t think she’d ever felt so comfortable. She’d certainly never felt so satisfied. Burrowing her head against his chest, she gave herself over to the feeling of utter contentment.
* * *
Her eyes flew open and were captured by the only light in the room. His alarm clock. It was almost four in the morning and they had made wild, passionate love all through the night. She’d lost count of how many times but she’d loved each and every one of them.
And what about the man who’d taken her to those heights?
She looked over at Nick, sleeping beside her. How deep did her feelings run for him now? She couldn’t say. All she knew was that each day together, each moment of lovemaking, was stealing her heart away. There in the darkness of his bedroom she finally admitted what she’d feared all along. Despite her caution, despite the warning, there was no way she was going to be able to resist falling in love with Nick Duncan.
She’d always be grateful that he had given her the chance to become Hattie’s mother, and for that reason she was glad she’d married him. But in securing Hattie as her daughter, she’d set something else at risk. Her heart.
Nick stirred and his arms blindly reached out for her. She went into them and knew she was in big trouble.
* * *
For the second day that week, Nick’s grandmother had invited Talia to bring over Hattie for a visit. Once again, she found herself in Myra’s smaller ranch house, sipping coffee while Hattie played on the floor and Myra joined in.
She couldn’t help but think the older woman seemed to become more animated and kind whenever she was in Hattie’s presence. And Hattie, too, seemed to enjoy playing with her great-grandmother.
“I’ve been thinking, Myra,” Talia said. “Would you mind if I painted a picture of you with Hattie? I like to do portraits and I think it would be fun to have one of the two of you.”
With a little doll in hand, Myra looked up. “That’s fine with me. I’d like it, but I don’t see how you can get Hattie to sit for a portrait.”
Talia smiled. “I don’t expect her to sit for the painting. I’d take a picture and then paint from that. I do it a lot of the time. She’ll have to be still only a few seconds while I take her picture and she’s accustomed to doing that.” Talia couldn’t count the number of Hattie photos stored on her phone.
“I’d love that,” Myra said, smiling and glancing back down at Hattie, who was busy with a small dollhouse and a set of tiny dolls. “Can you dress her the same way she was for your wedding? She looked adorable.”
“Actually, I have a good picture of the two of you from the party. Here, let me show you,” she said, scrolling through her phone till she found the shot she was looking for. She showed Myra.
“Ahh, I like that one.” In the picture Hattie was sitting on Myra’s lap and they were both smiling at the camera. Hattie had her pink bunny in her hands.
“Then I’ll do a portrait of this. It’ll be fun.”
“I can’t wait to see the result,” Myra replied. Then she looked up at Talia. “You know, I’ve enjoyed having you here on the ranch. Both of you. I have a feeling now that you’re here, I’ll probably get to see Nick a lot more, too.”
Hattie pulled herself up and stood holding on to Myra’s leg. She gave a little giggle as she took the doll the older woman was holding.
“You’re a beautiful little girl, Hattie,” Myra said as she leaned over to kiss Hattie’s cheek. “I had to wait a long time for another grandchild, but I couldn’t ask for a more delightful one.”
Talia knew all her concerns were unfounded. She needn’t worry that Nick’s family wouldn’t accept and love Hattie. It was right in front of her eyes.
Myra sat up and looked at her. “You know, Talia, I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t in accord with this wedding. But now I am so happy that you and Nick married. You’re good for him and Hattie is a joy. You and Hattie are erasing his grief and for that I’m so thankful.”
Talia felt a surge of love for Nick’s grandmother. Another of her concerns went by the wayside. It seemed the Duncan family matriarch had accepted her, as well.
“Thank you, Myra. Nick has made it possible for me to be Hattie’s mother and for that I will forever be grateful to him.”
“Just be patient with him. You and Hattie are going to take away his hurt.”
That was the
one thing she was still worried about. That Nick still hurt over his late wife and son. She’d never be able to erase his pain fully but maybe one day she could make it more bearable.
She reached over and patted Myra’s hand. “I hope so.”
* * *
Her hands were shaking.
As she twisted her hair and fastened it with a clip at the back of her head, she could barely keep her fingers from trembling. She smoothed down the navy suit and white silk blouse she’d chosen to wear and gave herself a final once-over in the gilded mirror of her suite in Dallas.
She could hardly believe this day had finally come. She was scared and eager at the same time to go to court for the adoption hearing. Taking a big deep breath, she left her room and went to pick up Hattie.
She’d dressed Hattie as she had been for the wedding, in her best dress. The little girl had no idea what was happening, the importance of this day. Talia figured it was just as well.
She carried Hattie downstairs to the library to meet Nick and Stan. Nick’s brother had come to Dallas with them to help with Hattie while Talia and Nick were in court. Both men wore charcoal suits and black boots and hats. Stan’s was Western style and he wore a bolo, while Nick’s was a classic cut with a red tie. Stan was a handsome cowboy, but it was Nick who took her breath away. Just looking at him made her weak in the knees, made her think of the incredible pleasure he’d given her night after night.
But today she had other thoughts when she walked into the library and saw him. Today all she could think about was that he had made this moment possible. If all went well, she would be Hattie’s legal mother by noon.
She walked to them, greeting Stan, who took Hattie from her and walked away to give her a moment with Nick.
“You look gorgeous,” Nick said. “I’m sure the judge will take one look at you and give you whatever you want.” He glanced down at his slim black watch. “We’re right on time. Horace said he’ll meet us at the courthouse and he said this won’t take long.” His hand at the small of her back urged her out the door, but she couldn’t move.
“Nick, I am so scared.”
“Don’t be. Horace said everything will be fine. Believe me, he would know. Let’s go get this done and you can relax and be happy,” he said as he took her hands in his and led her to the car.
She felt as if she was in a daze when they walked into the empty courtroom with Nick’s attorney. Stan sat on a front-row seat with Hattie with some toys in his pockets for her. Talia’s nerves were prickly and she tried to breathe deeply and be calm. She glanced at Hattie, who sat looking at Stan’s bolo and was quiet as if she, too, sensed this was a monumental moment in her life.
Looking official in his black robe, the judge appeared. Dazed, she went through questions she had to answer, listened as Nick answered questions. Fear enveloped her and she hoped she appeared calm. She told how she had known Hattie and how much care she had given her, how close she had been with Madeline, Hattie’s mother. In addition, she had printed out all the pictures of her with Hattie and Madeline from her phone and iPad. The pictures started the day Hattie was born and chronicled her life until now, visible proof of Talia’s presence and friendship with Madeline.
At one point Judge Wentworth wanted Hattie brought forward and Stan gave her to Talia. To her relief, Hattie was on her best behavior as she often was in new surroundings, and Judge Wentworth relaxed and smiled for the first time. When he spoke to Hattie, she turned to hug Talia and Talia held her close, glad Hattie had hugged her. She smiled at Judge Wentworth.
Time stretched, seeming endless, and Talia’s nerves remained on edge. Shortly, she handed Hattie back to Stan while she and Nick signed papers. She had no idea how much time passed until she officially became Hattie’s mother.
“Congratulations. You have a beautiful daughter,” Judge Wentworth said when it was official.
Talia felt giddy with happiness. She looked at the official document in her hand, and tears of joy and relief stung her eyes as she smiled and looked at Nick. She hugged him.
“Thank you,” she whispered in his ear.
He hugged her lightly in return, and when she stepped back, he smiled. “Thank you, Talia. She needs you.” Nick’s attorney congratulated her and gave her best wishes before doing the same to Nick.
She couldn’t keep back tears of relief and joy as Stan came up with Hattie to congratulate her. Hastily wiping away her tears, she took Hattie into her arms and hugged her.
“I love you, my precious baby. You’re my baby now,” she whispered to Hattie, not even knowing if Hattie heard her or understood her. Hattie wiggled and Stan took her again. As soon as he did, Nick hugged Talia.
Tears came again while she held him. “Nick, thank you. I’ll be forever grateful to you.”
“You’ve always loved her like she’s your child. Now I’m glad she’s your child by law. We’ll all be better off. This is what I wanted when I proposed this marriage of convenience. Hattie needs your love.”
She looked at Stan holding Hattie and pointing to something out the window as he talked to her. She realized that when he was around Stan gave more attention to Hattie than Nick did, and she wondered when Nick would really treat her as his little girl.
Her gaze shifted to Hattie and joy made her smile. Hattie was really her daughter now. Nothing could mar the happiness she felt today.
* * *
She had another week lined up in Dallas. She needed to select wallpaper and decor for Hattie’s rooms, as well as select the rest of the furniture for Hattie’s nurseries in both Dallas and the ranch. Nick had said he would make arrangements for the contractor to get the work done on the suites. Whenever she had time and wanted to deal with it, she could make decisions about what she wanted for her art studio. Nick insisted she have a studio in Dallas as well as on the ranch, so she would. Nick’s contractor would work on that, too, once he had Talia’s input. That was something on her to-do list for this week.
She’d be in Dallas this week and Nick would be on the ranch. It was just as well that they were apart. It’d give them a chance to adjust to this new life they had. Sex was fantastic, but making love to Nick also meant she was becoming more emotionally involved with him. If they had too big an emotional conflict, it could hurt Hattie. And that was something she could never do.
* * *
At the end of the week, Nick waited on the porch for Talia and Hattie to get back from Dallas. He had on fresh jeans and a white cotton shirt that was open at the throat. He had missed them both—a surprise because he didn’t think they had been in his life long enough to miss them at all. If he was truthful with himself, he’d admit that he missed Talia constantly, and he especially missed her at night. Their lovemaking had stunned him. She was hot, sexy, amazing in bed, though she’d given no indication of being that way until they were alone and began to touch and kiss. She had brought him back to life with an overwhelming burst of lust. At the oddest times throughout the day he was bowled over by thoughts of her, by the need to have her right there and then, naked in his bed.
After the loss of Regina and Artie, he had thrown himself into ranch work, which he had always enjoyed. He’d worked late and then gone home to take care of paperwork regarding the ranch. Beyond being a board member, he wasn’t active any longer in the family energy company in Dallas. Since marrying Talia, though, he had started work earlier and, whenever possible, cut out some of the late-night work. On those unavoidable late nights when he missed dinner with her, she would come join him and he looked forward to having her there, to just being with her. He didn’t know what it meant, but Talia seemed to draw him to her, like a magnet.
Something else was strange. In the time since she’d been in his life, his dreams had diminished. Those horrible nightmares that made him wake up in a sweat and in pain over losing his wife and baby.
He paced the porch and looked down at hi
s watch. Where were they?
All week he’d been counting the hours until tonight. He had missed her enough to be shocked at how important she had become in his life. Along with that, he felt nagging twinges of guilt, because he still loved Regina and Artie. He tried to reassure himself that Regina would want him to go on with his life, but that didn’t assuage the guilt. In fact, it increased the more he was drawn to Talia. In some ways it was difficult for him to relate to a little girl, but Talia made up for any lack of love from him because she poured out her love on Hattie. So did his grandmother and brothers.
He squinted down the road, looking for any sign of kicked-up dust that would signal her arrival. Damn. He wished she’d get back soon. He’d carry her off to bed the minute she arrived.
Each day she’d been away they had talked several times and for more than an hour each time. The text messages had flown back and forth, too. But it wasn’t the same as having her beside him. And Hattie, too.
He drew a deep breath when the limo finally appeared. Nick was down the steps, running to meet them, when Talia stepped out. She wore a maroon dress that ended just above her knees, leaving her long, shapely legs bare. She unbuckled Hattie and then turned around to face him.
He hugged her lightly, catching a whiff of some exotic perfume, surprising himself again how glad he was they were home.
When he picked up Hattie to hug her, she put her slender little arm around his neck to hug him. She leaned away. “Wuv you,” she said, smiling at him, and Nick felt a clinch to his heart.
“Oh, sweet baby, I love you,” he said, feeling a knot in his throat as he looked into green eyes so like his own, only on a sweet little face that made him weak in the knees. It still hurt to know he would never hear Artie say those words to him, but he was hearing his little daughter say them.
