The Family Plan (The McClouds of Mississippi 1)

“I love you, too,” she whispered, arching to welcome him. “And you can consider that signed, dated and notarized.”

He chuckled, then crushed her mouth beneath his, joining them with an exultant thrust.

Nathan couldn’t have said how much time passed before he raised his head from the floor with an effort and glanced around them. He couldn’t help smiling a little at what he saw. Caitlin was sprawled nude beside him, her eyes closed, her arm draped limply over her stomach. Their clothes lay scattered in tangled clumps all around the formerly immaculate office.

He couldn’t help wondering what Irene would say if she knew what had just happened in the offices she considered her domain. He sincerely hoped she would never find out. Though he had grown to respect the office manager quite a bit during the past weeks, he was still afraid of her.

“Caitlin?”

She responded without moving a muscle. “Hmm?”

“We really should get dressed.”

“Why?”

“Because if you lie there like that much longer, we won’t be leaving this office for the next week.”

The corners of her mouth lifted with a slight smile. “Sounds nice.”

“You really want Irene to find you like this Monday morning?”

She groaned and opened her eyes. “You had to bring up Irene’s name now?”

“Sorry. She sort of comes to mind whenever I’m in the office these days.”

Smiling, she reached up to trace a fingertip around his mouth. “I’m sure I can change that.”

“I’m sure you could,” he muttered, catching her hand and pressing a kiss in her palm. “But, I have to go. Mrs. T. and Isabelle will be home soon and they’ll be wondering where I am.”

She sighed and reluctantly pushed herself upright. “Okay, you made your point. The office isn’t the place for this sort of thing, anyway.”

He grinned and pulled her toward him for another long, deep kiss. “With you, anywhere is the place for this sort of thing,” he said when he finally released her.

She cleared her throat, blinked her hazy eyes, then reached for her clothes. “That sort of thinking could get us arrested.”

“I think we should keep Mrs. T. on. She’s pretty much irreplaceable, I think, don’t you?”

Caitlin paused in her dressing to look at him in question. “Why shouldn’t we—I mean, why shouldn’t you keep Mrs. T.? She’s, like, the greatest housekeeper in history, isn’t she?”

He chuckled as he zipped his jeans. “Probably. I just meant that there’s no reason to change her schedule after we get married. You and I are both too busy here to have to worry about housework and cooking and laundry.”

He pulled his shirt over his head, talking through the folds of fabric. “She and Isabelle seem happy together. I think Mrs. T. would really miss the job if we let her go. So there’s no reason why—”

As he emerged from the top of his shirt, he realized that Caitlin was standing in the middle of the office, half-dressed and staring at him with her mouth open.

He lifted an eyebrow. “Was it the M word that made you go comatose on me?”

She closed her mouth and stepped into her slightly wrinkled slacks. “You did bring it up rather casually.”

“Oh. Sorry. Too soon?”

“Maybe. You suppose you could give me a day or two before we start booking honeymoon suites?”

“Sure, even though I do like the sound of that honeymoon suite thing,” he added meditatively.

She looked at him repressively. “This is serious, Nathan.”

“I’m completely serious,” he assured her. “I love you, and I want to marry you. But I understand if you need a little time to think about it, knowing how you are about long-term planning and such.”