The Gift of Love

by Lori Foster

  To make herself clear, Briana looped her arms around his neck and leaned into him. That felt good. Too good.

  Voice trembling, she said, “Wendy will sleep for a while, right? She always naps for an hour or more.”

  Jack said nothing, but his eyes darkened.

  “I’m ready now. I’ve been ready.” Whether he realized it yet or not, she’d waited her whole life for him. “Will you please make love to me, Jack?”

  He went still for two heartbeats, and then he grabbed her hand and started walking her down the hall to his bedroom. Briana couldn’t believe this was happening. He left her at his door long enough to peek in on Wendy again, and then he came back, rushed her inside, and closed and locked the door.

  Before Briana could even take a breath, he started kissing her and undressing her at the same time.

  She hadn’t thought about it until just then, but she’d been outside all afternoon playing with Wendy. In the sunshine. In the heat.

  “Jack?” He took her mouth and didn’t give her an opportunity to speak again until he pulled her T-shirt off over her head.

  Shocked at being bare-breasted in front of him, Briana said, “Shouldn’t I … I don’t know. Freshen up?”

  His gaze devoured her. His nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed.

  Rather than reply, Jack wrapped a strong arm around the small of her back, arched her upward, and drew her nipple into the heat of his mouth. All hesitation on her part disappeared. She sank her fingers into his thick brown hair and went lax in his embrace. The way he stroked her with his tongue, how he drew on her …

  She whispered, “I had no idea,” on a soft groan.

  Just when she thought her knees wouldn’t support her, he scooped his other arm beneath her bottom and lifted her to carry her to his bed.

  He came down over her, kissed her long and hard, and then rose up to say urgently, “Briana, I’m sorry.”

  Without her glasses, she couldn’t accurately read his expression, but he sounded worried. “For what?”

  “It’s been a long time for me …”

  She knew that. Jack was a most discriminating man, and he rarely afforded personal time for himself.

  “Me, too.” Like forever. Or never. But he didn’t need to know that yet.

  He closed his eyes. “I need to slow down, but—”

  “Please don’t. What if Wendy wakes up? What if you change your mind?” Anything that kept him from her now would be unbearable. “Please don’t slow down or apologize or anything.” Biting back words of love, she kissed him and said, “I want this. Exactly as it is.”

  He put his forehead to hers, and then a second later he was standing again, his hands at the waistband to her jeans. He undressed her hurriedly. While staring at her body with absorbed fascination, he stripped off his own clothes.

  Briana came up to her elbows. She’d seen him in nothing more than swim trunks, so she already knew how his body turned her on, how lean and hard and athletic he was built. But now, naked … wow.

  He turned to the side a moment, and Briana realized he was donning a condom. When he came back to her, he stretched out beside her and kissed her again. This time, when they touched, it was skin to skin, and so exciting that she forgot to be reserved.

  Provoked by love and curiosity, Briana reached down and clasped his erection.

  He went rigid, suspended on a held breath, and then he cursed low and caught her wrist. “Not yet.”

  Awed, she said, “I love how you feel.” It was pretty amazing.

  He didn’t understand, saying only, “I like how you feel, too.” Pressing his hand between her thighs, he explored her, stroked over her—and then in her.

  It was too much. Briana kissed him, clung to him, and when he moved atop her, she opened her thighs around him and locked her ankles at the small of his back.

  For only a moment he looked at her with a wealth of sentiment in his gaze. But it didn’t last long before he was kissing her hard and deep, and then he thrust into her.

  Briana stifled a gasp at his burning intrusion, clenched her whole body around him, and held herself still. She’d known what to expect physically, but she hadn’t counted on the emotions swamping her, choking her, leaving her eyes damp.

  She loved him so much, and finally they were together.

  Jack froze. Against her breast, she felt the furious pounding of his heart; deep inside her, she felt the pulsing of his erection.

  He put his face against her neck and, more gently now, withdrew.

  Briana was about to protest when he slowly sank back in again. She caught her breath.

  “That’s better.” While leisurely kissing her neck and stroking her hip, he started a rhythm that rocked her.

  Everything felt amazing, every touch of his mouth or hands, the friction as he repeatedly filled her, and it all contributed to a near frantic need that kept growing stronger.

  “Jack.”

  “Much better.” He eased back enough to slip a hand between their bodies, and when his fingertips moved over her clitoris, she felt every sensation sharpen and burn until the climax rolled through her.

  Only vaguely was she aware of Jack’s response, how he fisted a hand in the sheet beside her head and began thrusting hard and fast, so powerfully, until he muffled a deep groan against her throat and went rigid over her.

  Briana was still breathing too deeply when Jack rolled to his back and pulled her into his side. She glanced up at him and found him watching her.

  “I was a virgin.”

  He choked on a sound of humor. “Yeah, I know that now. You could’ve told me beforehand.”

  “You might not have—”

  “Oh, I would’ve all right.” He inhaled and let his breath out slowly. “But I’d have made it easier on you.”

  “It was …” There were no words. “I loved it.”

  His grin went crooked. “You’re a surprise, Briana. An amazing surprise.” He yawned.

  She said, “Can we stay like this for a few minutes?”

  As an answer, he kissed the top of her head with clear affection. He closed his eyes, but he was smiling.

  Satisfied, Briana allowed herself to doze off.

  JACK awoke with a start. His first thought was of his daughter; panic wracked him—until her soft laughter reached him. It sounded like she was in the kitchen, and she wasn’t alone.

  As he assimilated her safety, his second thought was that Briana wasn’t beside him anymore. He heard her say something indistinct to Wendy. So they were in the kitchen together—and he’d been napping like a child?

  He never napped.

  Sitting up, he found a sheet covering him and the bedroom door ajar. No doubt Briana had left the door that way on purpose, knowing he’d awaken with alarm.

  He dropped back again against the rumpled bed. So many things ran through his mind: Briana’s virginity, her sweet sexuality, her … love.

  He scrubbed both hands over his face. The idea of her loving him was strangely satisfying. He didn’t want to dwell on why that might be, on what his own feelings for her might encompass.

  There were worries and a niggling of guilt, but damn, the smile wouldn’t stay away. For once the future—his future—looked bright.

  All because of one innocent, uber-smart young lady. Without even trying, Briana had just rocked his world.

  Anxious to see her, Jack threw off the sheet, left the bed, and dressed in a hurry. He wanted to talk to her, to be with her.

  Because it was all new, he told himself. Not because he already half loved her. Not because, without him knowing it or accepting it, she’d crawled into his heart.

  And yet, he knew when he’d thought of marriage again, his brain had gone to Briana, and only Briana.

  Shaking off the disturbing possibility that he didn’t know himself or what he wanted, Jack walked into the kitchen. Briana and Wendy were at the sink together. Standing on a stool, Wendy helped Briana with salad preparations. They kept bumping hips,
laughing about it, and then doing it again.

  Seeing them together like this sent insidious warmth curling through Jack.

  It was … contentment.

  Because he hadn’t felt it for a very long time, Jack took a few moments to relish the sensation. It was a nice thing to know that, with Briana in the picture, he and Wendy would have everything they needed.

  Though not more than an hour or so had passed since he’d taken her, he already looked forward to having Briana tonight. They’d be less rushed, and he’d be able to hold her all night long.

  Wendy suddenly glanced over her shoulder, saw him, and hopped down off the stool. She ran into his arms and Jack swung her up for a hug.

  Damn, but this just might work out.

  four

  By the end of the week, things were looking great. Jack was stunned by how quickly they all fell into an easy routine. It was almost as if Briana had been with them forever. And now, God willing, she would be.

  Yesterday they had married. What should have been a momentous occasion proved only a hiccup in their lives. There was no fanfare, no crowds or formality, just their immediate families, a judge, and lots of smiles.

  Briana had surprised him by wearing a blue print maxi dress that gave her the look of a flower child from the seventies. Thanks to Wendy’s assistance, tiny flowers were haphazardly arranged in her hair. His daughter wore a matching sundress and flowers laced together as a necklace.

  Both of his ladies had looked adorable, but then, they always did. He’d teased Briana, whispering in her ear, “A dress?”

  She’d said back, “Not traditional white or lace or uncomfortable. In fact, I could get used to dresses like this.” Then she’d confided, “Your mother suggested it, and I have to admit she was right.”

  Jack had already noticed that his mother beamed whenever Briana was near. Her approval couldn’t have been more apparent. Luckily, Briana liked his mother just as much.

  And to prove the point, she wore a dress now, at the zoo. Seeing her bare shoulders, the delicate nape of her neck, made him want to kiss her. But he didn’t mind waiting, especially since Wendy was having so much fun.

  They’d spent the week enjoying an odd, impromptu honeymoon by visiting local places such as the water park, the theater, the history museum—and today the zoo. It was Briana’s idea, a way to commemorate their marriage without interrupting Wendy’s schedule.

  Like him, she put Wendy first.

  Jack lifted Wendy off his shoulders, where she’d been perched to better see the bears. The second her feet hit the ground, she reached for Jack’s hand—and Briana’s. They stayed that way through the aviary, the aquarium, and the reptile house.

  When they boarded the trolley, Wendy climbed into Briana’s lap, and Briana put an automatic kiss to her crown. As the trolley rode along, Briana pointed out the sites and Wendy repeated each one.

  For his part, Jack watched them, charmed, emotionally moved, and more than a little in love.

  “I want ice cream,” Wendy said.

  Briana looked at Jack, caught him staring at her, and smiled. “I could use an ice cream, too. What do you think?”

  “I think it’ll be a sticky mess in this heat, but why not?”

  She shrugged a bare shoulder. “If you can’t be messy at the zoo, what’s the point?”

  Wendy repeated, “What’s the point?”

  Jack couldn’t help but laugh. “True enough. We’ll get off at the next stop.”

  Acting silly, Briana got Wendy to cheer with her.

  She wasn’t like Melanie, Jack admitted to himself. It wasn’t that she was better or worse. She was just … different. Unique.

  And how he felt about her was special.

  He should probably tell her that he loved her. He knew he did. Again, not in the same way that he had loved Melanie. Five years changed a man. Being a father added dimension to his character in unexpected ways, forever changing him. He wasn’t the same person that he’d been with Melanie.

  He wasn’t even the same person he’d been before marrying Briana.

  As if she read his thoughts, Briana leaned against his shoulder. And damn, that felt right, so naturally comforting and secure.

  He loved her.

  In myriad, mysterious ways, Briana had taken his heart without him realizing it. Everything about her, her scent, the small sounds she made during sex, how she looked at him right before she came, filled some deep emotional well that had been empty for far too long.

  He found himself looking forward to her company more than ever, but he now realized that he’d grown to rely on her in ways he hadn’t before considered, ways that had nothing to do with his daughter.

  Love.

  He had to admit it to himself … but to her? His throat tightened, and a pang struck his chest, his heart. He’d loved once, and he’d been demolished. Wasn’t it enough that they’d married? She was happy; she told him so every day.

  For now, that would have to be enough.

  IT had been so easy to move in with Jack. Before him, she’d never really seen herself as a wife. A student, yes. A teacher, eventually. Even a mother, given how she loved caring for Wendy.

  But a wife was something different, and Briana found that it suited her.

  Mysterious things became clear to her almost overnight. Like how Jack wallowed in her natural sexuality. Who knew that a previously virginal woman who was mostly uninterested in things of a carnal nature would love sex so much?

  And she did love it. A lot.

  She knew many women complained that the reality wasn’t as magical as the storybook telling. But for her, it was.

  She enjoyed surprising Jack; she could turn him inside out without even trying. A look from her, a whisper, and he was ready. And patient and tender and unselfish.

  Thanks to him she now understood a woman’s power over men. Before Jack, she hadn’t associated power with her femininity. In fact, she’d never felt all that feminine.

  Now, in so many different ways, he showed his appreciation of her female qualities. But he also appreciated her intelligence, when usually it intimidated people. He constantly smiled over little things she’d do, especially when it involved Wendy. She’d give the little girl a hug or show her patience when Wendy struggled with a new concept, and Jack would look at her with so much … emotion in his gaze.

  She wanted to believe it was love that she saw, but he remained so protective of his heart that she just didn’t know.

  Still wearing her knee-length nightgown, Briana went to the counter to pour a cup of coffee. She wasn’t exactly a morning person, but she wasn’t someone who needed hours to wake up either, which was a good thing considering how active Wendy was in the morning and how cheerfully Jack faced each day.

  She heard the shower shut off and knew that Jack was dressing. She sighed. Life couldn’t be more perfect—unless he loved her.

  But she knew going in that this was a marriage of convenience for him, so she wouldn’t let it shadow her happiness. He would learn to love her; she had to believe that. Somehow, in some way, she would eventually win his heart.

  A few minutes later, Jack walked in, shoes and a tie in one hand. He was still buttoning up his dress shirt, and to Briana, he looked gorgeous all freshly shaved with his hair still damp.

  Wendy reached up for him, and as usual, he paused at the table to give her a hug. Always so much affection, Briana thought as she watched father and daughter.

  “If you’re all done eating,” Jack told Wendy, “you can go brush your teeth.”

  She loved doing things on her own, so she raced off to the bathroom.

  With love filling her heart, Briana smiled at Jack. “Coffee?”

  Stepping into his shoes, he looked her over with proprietary admiration. “Thank you.” He came close, took the coffee with one hand, and with the other he drew her closer, bending for a kiss. “I always knew you were a brilliant little nerd, but I swear, I never realized how sexy you are, too.”


  Her nightgown was cotton, striped, and practical—far from sexy. And right now, her hair stood on end, and behind her glasses her eyes were puffy.

  Briana laughed at him. “If I’m sexy, it’s because of you and what you do to me.”

  Setting the coffee aside, he put both arms around her. “Yeah, well, I’d love to do it to you again …” He gave her a soft kiss. “But I have to get to that meeting.”

  She sighed, accepting that the honeymoon was officially over. “I know.”

  “I can be home before you have to leave for your classes.”

  “There’s no rush.” It was rare that Jack got to take in an actual business meeting, and this would be to discuss a promising project, so she didn’t want him hurrying on her account. “I’ll drop Wendy off at school, so you just need to be done in time to pick her up.”

  “You’re sure?”

  They had a partnership, and she always wanted to do her part. Besides, she enjoyed her time with Wendy.

  “Positive.” And then, because she couldn’t help herself, because the words were bursting inside her, Briana said, “I love you, Jack.”

  Wendy chose that inauspicious moment to come running back into the kitchen. She wrapped her arms around Jack’s knees and repeated, “I love you.”

  He continued to look at Briana with a special heat in his gaze.

  She bit her lip and waited.

  After the tension became nearly unbearable, he smiled and lifted Wendy up into his arms. “You’re becoming a regular little parrot, aren’t you?”

  Wendy nodded. Jack scooped an arm around Briana, too, including her in the embrace. “Hearing that I’m so loved by my ladies is a very nice way to start my day.”

  He didn’t say words of love in return, but Briana decided that he didn’t have to. The look in his eyes, the way he touched her and spoke to her, said it all. Together they made a happy family, and that was what mattered most.

  AFTER Jack left, Briana dressed and helped Wendy get ready. The exclusive private school was wonderful for Wendy, and Briana looked forward to the day when she would be qualified enough to teach at a similar place. She had plenty of education ahead of her, but she enjoyed the educational process, and now, by living with Jack, she had a much smoother schedule so she saw no reason not to continue.