Heartbreaker (The Warriors)

by Laura Taylor

  Micah pulled her into his arms. He held her so tightly, he nearly cracked her ribs. He found her mouth then, plundering it with a thoroughness that weakened her knees and sent her pulse into overdrive. She felt a corresponding need shudder through his large frame, the same need that sent a surge of hard power into his loins. Bliss molded herself to him, loving the feel and the promise of his aroused sex until he abruptly separated their bodies.

  Bliss steadied herself and stared up at him. Lifting her hands, she bracketed his head between her palms. "Listen to me, please. I believe in you, Micah. And I love… "

  He shook his head. "Wait. There’s something you don’t know yet, and you need to hear it all before you say anything more."

  She sobered when she saw his serious expression, and she put the brakes on her relief that he loved her. Something still troubled him. "Why don’t we sit down?"

  They walked over to the couch. Micah sank down onto it and then drew her into his lap. Removing his glasses, he massaged the bridge of his nose.

  Bliss decided he was gathering his thoughts. She found the patience to let him speak in his own good time, despite her concern about what he might say.

  "My vision is only partially restored, and the doctors feel certain it will fail again. Probably within the next three to five years. Unless some pretty revolutionary technology comes down the pike between now and then, I will be permanently blind." He replaced his glasses and met her gaze. "Can you live with that? Can you really spend your life with a man incapable of seeing the results of your creative skill or the faces of our children as they grow up?"

  She looked into his eyes. "It makes me sad for you, but it doesn’t frighten me. I fell in love with Micah Holbrook, the whole man. I will love you under any and all circumstances. As long as we’re together, I’ll be happy." Bliss slipped her arms around his neck. "With a bit of luck, you’ll see our babies, but it won’t matter to them as they grow up whether or not their father can see. What will matter to them will be your ability to make them feel secure in your love."

  "You’re absolutely certain, Bliss? Once I have you, I won’t let you go."

  "Would you leave me if I had an accident and lost the use of my legs?"

  "Of course not. I love you, Bliss, more than my life."

  "Then we’re both willing to take the same risks, aren’t we? I can’t remember a time since I was seventeen years old that I didn’t love you, but now I love you with the passion and maturity that makes a permanent commitment possible. Did you honestly think I’d have reservations about us because of your vision, especially after all we went through during your month on the island?"

  He had the good sense to look chagrined. "I hoped you wouldn’t, but I wanted you to be certain, for both our sakes."

  "My only concern is that you trust me to know what I want, because I want you, whether you can see or not. There’s an upside to the prognosis you’ve received from the doctors. You’ll have more time to prepare yourself, and I can help you." She smiled and she pressed a hard little kiss to his lips. "Since you didn’t protest the possibility of having babies, is it safe to assume we’re getting married?"

  He laughed for the first time that evening. "Makes sense to me. Oh, I should warn you. Cyrus wants me on board as a security consultant once the Navy cuts me loose." Micah stood, keeping her cradled against his chest. "Where’s the bedroom in this place?"

  Bliss grinned as she waved her hand in the direction of an open doorway. "Are we starting on the babies already?"

  "Not this time, but soon." He nuzzled the side of her neck. "We have to call Cyrus first, anyway."

  Miffed, she reminded him, "His permission isn’t required. I thought I already explained that to you weeks ago."

  He dropped a gentle kiss on her parted lips. "I need to know when he’s available to escort you down the aisle."

  "I’ll make sure he’s free on Saturday," Bliss promised.

  Micah crossed the bedroom, tossing out an oblique comment about too many antiques as he made a beeline for the bed.

  Seconds later, she knelt naked atop the mattress, Micah’s fingertips skimming the surface of her sensitive skin. "You’re still dressed," she pointed out breathlessly, her breasts firming and her nipples tightening to dagger points beneath his busy fingers.

  He shed his clothes without any further urging. As Bliss watched the remarkable flex and flow of his muscled frame, she thought about the sculpture she intended to do of her future husband. It would be a nude and confined to their private collection, because she had no intention of sharing him with the world.

  THE HEARTBREAKER sculpture would also remain a part of their collection, but only as a symbol of her love for Micah.

  He joined her then and drew her into his arms. "I love you, Bliss. I always will."

  She smiled, emotion filling the brilliant blue of her eyes. "And I love you, Micah."

  As he tucked her beneath him and gathered her even closer, he told her about all of the ways in which he intended to love her for the rest of their lives.

  –End–