She touched his cheek with a shaking hand. “I have many reasons,” she murmured. “None you’d be comfortable hearing. But I’m here and I’ll do my part to make this work. As long as you do the same.”
He nodded. It wasn’t the answer he’d hoped for and yet she was right. Anything more and he’d be in deep trouble.
He’d thought of Nikki in a variety of ways over the years. First as Tony’s sister, then as the woman he couldn’t forget and lately as the mother of his child. He stared into the eyes of his soon-to-be wife. “I’ll do my best,” he promised her.
He wondered if, like him, she questioned his ability to manage even that.
* * *
Nikki stood at the doorway to Kevin’s house. Behind her, she felt his solid presence. Her life had changed yet again and this time it was for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, till death us do part. A chill shook her and she trembled.
She felt Kevin’s hands on her shoulders, steadying her. To his credit, he’d been just as steady and sure from the moment he’d linked hands with her outside the small house and throughout the brief ceremony. He’d anticipated her emotions and squeezed her hand when she thought of the people who weren’t at her wedding—Tony and her parents. He was a good man and the sooner she could get him to realize that the stronger their chances were at making the marriage work.
“Second thoughts?” he asked.
She shook her head. “None.” And she meant it.
“Then you’re waiting for me to carry you over the threshold?” he asked, amusement in his voice.
“I’d like to see you...” The rest of her sentence trailed off in a shriek as he swept her off her feet and into his arms.
“Never dare a man, Nicole.” Laughter lit his eyes, but so did banked desire.
She knew. She understood. Because she felt it too. And when they came together this time, they would be husband and wife. Considering the significance she was amazed at his lighthearted banter. If this was his way of trying, she appreciated the attempt.
Once inside the house and back on her feet, Nikki took charge. She’d promised herself if she had to walk away, it wouldn’t be for lack of trying to make her marriage work. She glanced down at the ring on her left hand. While not a sparkling, glittering diamond, the simple gold band meant more to her than any jewel.
“Disappointed?” he asked.
She shook her head. “It’s perfect,” she murmured. “Just like the day.” Although she’d dreamed of a traditional wedding surrounded by family, those dreams belonged to the child she’d been, not the grown-up she’d become. And the small but intimate ceremony with Janine, Kevin, and the life growing inside her met all her current needs and dreams.
She grabbed for his hand and as he laced their fingers together, a curling ribbon of warmth flowed through her. Just for tonight, Nikki wanted to put all thoughts of the future out of her head. She wanted to focus on the present. Tomorrow she would build from there.
“Come on.” He turned toward the hall, giving her hand a light tug.
“Where?” she asked, playing along.
“Come to bed. My bed.” His husky voice pulled at her, luring her with its depth and need.
She followed him down the hall, anticipation building with every step. She paused at the entry to the master bedroom. “I thought it was our bed now.”
He swept her off her feet again, and deposited her on top of the mattress. As an answer, she supposed it sufficed. And she had to admit, it gave her hope.
He lowered himself over her, bracketing her shoulders with his hands. The intense pull stretched from her breasts downward, where between her legs, a pulsing, throbbing beat picked up a steady rhythm.
His dark eyes bore into hers and she was drawn in all over again. Kevin pulled her to a sitting position and worked at the buttons on the front of her suit. The lapels of her jacket fell open and slipped off her shoulders.
Nikki shouldn’t be embarrassed. Kevin had seen her before, night after night when they’d made love in her bed. But he’d never looked at her as his wife—the woman he’d tied himself to—for as long as they both shall live. Or at least for as long as Nikki could hold onto the hope that lived inside her at this moment.
But she couldn’t help the seeds of doubt, the concern that maybe he regretted his decision. “Disappointed?” It was her turn to ask.
He shook his head. “You’re perfect. Just like...”
“Don’t tease me, Kevin. Not about this.”
He grabbed for her hands, which now covered her chest, and pulled them down to her sides. “Look. And see yourself as I see you.”
She glanced downward. Her breasts, fuller now than ever before, spilled over the lace cups of her bra. “I guess I can see how they meet with your approval.”