Body Heat (Vintage Category Romance) (24 page)

“
Why are you here?” she finally whispered.

There was nothing he could say but what he felt.
And now was the time to say it, if there ever was a time. “I love you, Pixie,” he murmured, just a hairbreadth louder than a whisper. “I want you. Forever.”

His heart beat even faster when she stopped the gentle massage on his feet, tears spilling over onto her cheeks.
She leaned forward over him, touching his hair, his beard.

“
You’ve let them grow out again,” she whispered, staring into his eyes, threading her fingers through his shoulder length hair.

“
It just felt right.”

She nodded and half-smiled at him.
“I like it better. I like your shirt, too.” She let her fingers trail down his chest over the soft, green flannel.

He grinned, and slid his hands around her waist.
“Yours too,” he growled.

For a moment, their eyes met and played.
“You’re so cold and wet,” she softly stated. “Let me take care of you.” Then before he knew it, her hands were at his belt, unfastening, unzipping, pulling his blue jeans and underwear down around his ankles. Then she inched closer and slid her hands over his shoulders, removing his jacket, and then under his shirt, removing that also.

She straddled his body, her face only inches from his.
“We’ve got to get you warm,” she whispered.

“
I know.” He reached out and touched her cheek with one finger. He couldn’t stand not being able to touch her any longer.

“
Hypothermia is very dangerous,” she murmured in his ear and then let her lips glide down over his neck to his shoulder.

“
Very,” he added, the word almost lodged in his throat.

“
Body heat, I understand, is the best remedy.”

He couldn
’t stand it one moment longer. Pulling her into his arms, he clasped her to him, his hands searching and finding, ripping the flannel shirt off her body, tossing the thermal underwear aside, removing her blue jeans and underwear and shoes and socks in one quick movement—all the while his lips connected with hers, tongue to tongue, heart to heart, skin to skin.

“
Body heat…” he breathed into her hair as he rolled her over near the fire. He lifted himself off her then and stared into her face. Laying his hand gently on her breast, he felt the pulsing of her heart. Watching his hand, he let it glide down to smoothly palm her small rounded belly. For several seconds, he caressed and sat staring at her, as if mesmerized by what he saw.

He was.
She was carrying his life inside of her. Their child. There was nothing more mesmerizing and fantastic than that.

He dragged his gaze back to her face.
She was watching him, tears streaming down her face. “I almost blew it,” he whispered.

Blaire shook her head no.
“I knew you’d come around sooner or later. If you hadn’t, I was coming for you. I’d already decided I wasn’t going to let you push us out of your life. You know, Darian, I want you. I don’t care one bit about your money.” Reaching up, she cupped his cheek in her palm. “How did you know?”

Grinning, he dipped his face low and lightly brushed his lips over hers.
When he rose up, he searched her eyes. “There’s a very worried soon-to-be grandpa out there who let it slip. Don’t be mad. I’m glad he told me. But I had already decided to find you before I knew. I went to him to find out where you were.”

He closed his eyes and lay completely beside her, nuzzling his head between her neck and shoulder.
“I’m going to make it up to you, though. I mean it, Pixie. I love you. I want you. I want our child. Now…and tomorrow…and the next day…and….” He lifted his face and rained tiny kisses over her pert face and then raised his head away from hers as he felt her hot tears trail down her temples to dissolve in her hair.

“
I know,” she answered softly. “I’ve always known. As I said, I was just waiting for you to come around.”

He grinned.
“I’ve come around.”

Blaire arched her upper body up to his to capture his lips in another kiss.
Then she pulled away from him, cradling his face in her hands, “But what about…Nicky?”

For a moment, he simply looked into her eyes.
“I’ve come to an understanding there, too, Blaire. I’ve found a way to deal with it. But I needed to find you to help put the last piece of me back together again. I would never have been able to put any of this behind me if it hadn’t been for you. I need you.”

“
How did you know where…?”

He shook his head.
“Actually, it was something Mastin told me that you had said before you left. Something about the only place you’d ever felt loved…”

He watched her eyes brim with tears once again and leaned over to capture her lips with his.
“I had to come find you,” he whispered against her lips. “I can’t survive without you, Blaire.” Then he sat back on his haunches and looked at her, a smirk on his face. “Before I forget, though, I’ve got something here I need you to sign.”

Blaire
’s face held a look of astonishment. “Sign? Now?”

Reaching over to his damp, blue jeans, he pulled out a piece of paper and tossed it to her.

Alarmed, Blaire sat up. “What is it?”

He chuckled.
“Don’t panic, just read it. All it needs is your signature.”

Blaire hesitantly unfolded the paper, looked at him
and then back to the paper. When the tears sprung forth in her eyes, Darian knew he had his answer. She dropped her hands that held the paper in her lap. “Got a pen?” she laughed.

“
Of course.” Darian dug into his jacket pocket and tossed that to her also.

Without hesitation, Blaire signed her name to the bottom of the form, completing all the necessary information,
and then handed it to Darian.

“
I guess that makes it official.”

He leaned closer, took the marriage license out of her hand, and laid it on the floor next to them.
“Guess so.” He nuzzled her neck and brought his hands around her, drawing her into his body. “Now, what was that you said about body heat…?”

But his lips captured hers before she could reply and it was a long,
long time before they talked—they simply let their hearts speak the words they needed to hear.

Epilogue

“Hey! Over here!”

Blaire tucked a strand of her shoulder length hair back in the ponytail holder.
She needed a haircut. Bad. That one piece of hair was always giving her fits. When in the world would she ever find time to get it cut?

Max pulled at her shorts leg.
“Mama? Need a dwink of wa-wa,” he whined.

Leaning over to her son, she
tweaked his rosy little two-year-old cheek and smiled at him. He was just the cutest thing—and just like his father. Impatient as hell.

“
Just a minute, sweetheart. Daddy is coming. Look, he’s talking with that nice man over there by the new pool. See, he’ll be here in a minute, and then I can take you back up to the snack bar and get you a drink.” She leaned in a little closer and whispered. “Maybe even some ice cream?”

“
What’s this conspiracy?” Darian swept his son up into his arms. “Did I hear ice cream? Is Mama going to let you have that awful stuff? I know she’s addicted to it, but you too?”

Max smiled at his father
and then gave him an open-mouthed kiss on the lips. Darian grimaced but withstood the affection.

“
Just a little, Darian. It won’t hurt. How did everything go with Mr. Peterson?”

He sat Max down on the ground.
“Oh, fine. Said the pool would be done by August. Too late to see much action this year, but next year it should be swarming with kids.” He glanced down to his son and frowned. Suddenly, he picked him up again and held him face to face.

“
And you, young man, are going to take swimming lessons. Along with every other kid who comes into this camp. No whining about it. Deal?”

Max eyed his father
and then stuck his chubby little finger in Darian’s ear. “Dweal!” He nodded sharply and grinned broadly at his father.

Darian threw back his head and laughed.
Blaire thought it was a wonderful sound. “So, how about that ice cream?”

With his son perched on one hip, he turned and held out his arm to his wife.
“Think I can spare a few minutes. The Raccoons are off on a hiking trail about now, the Frogs are on the basketball court, the Squirrels are doing arts and crafts, and I think I saw the Kangaroos huddling over there by the back door of the cafeteria waiting for the cook to throw out some cookies. I think they’re sufficiently occupied. What flavor shall we have today?” He directed his question to his son.

“
Stwaberry!” Max giggled. Darian tickled his tummy and Max giggled some more.

He turned to Blaire.
“And what for you, madam?”

Blaire turned her gaze upward and scrunched up one corner of her mouth as if in thought.
“Umm…I think I’ll take… No, perhaps today I’ll have…” She shot her gaze to Darian. “Pickle.”

Darian chuckled, walked a few steps,
and then stopped. Blaire stopped beside him. Slowly, he turned to her with a blank expression on his face. Max was lowered to the ground and he took both of her upper arms in his hands.

“
Pickle.” He state blandly.

“
Uh-huh.” Blaire nodded.

“
Pickles and ice cream.”

Smiling, Blaire nodded again.
“Yes.”

“
You’re pregnant.”

“
Yep.”

It took a moment to fully register
; then Darian swept her up in his arms and swung her around. Then quickly, he planted her firmly back on the ground. She didn’t think the smile would be gone from his face for maybe a millennium, or two.

THE END

ABOUT M
ADDIE JAMES

Multi-published and bestselling romance novelist, Maddie James, trips between contemporary, historical, and paranormal worlds, as she pens stories within, and frequently crossing, a variety of romantic genres. With over three dozen published titles, written under several pen names, she feels fortunate to work with some of the quirkiest characters around—those in her head, and in her life. She lives with her muses—who most days manifest themselves as four-legged furry creatures—and often laments that her animals have become her children, and she has become her mother. Que sera, sera. Life goes on…

Learn more about her work at
www.mjnovelist.com

More Books by Maddie James

Crazy for You

The Heartbreaker

Falling for Grace

A Perfect Escape

Red: A Seduction Tale

Blue

Freshly Dead

Broken

Convincing Nora

Rawhide and Roses

The Matchmaking Chef Series

Hard Candy Kisses

Better Than Chocolate

Romancing
the Scone

Mate to Order

Side Dish

Dates Du Jour

Hot Crossed Buns

Perfectly Matched

Ladies of Legend Series

Finding Home

(with Jan Scarbrough, Janet Eaves, and Magdalena Scott)

Bed, Breakfast and You

Home for the Holidays

Murder on the Mountain

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