Triplets for the Texan (Texas Cattleman's Club: Blackmail 5)

“I wasn’t planning anything,” he insisted. “But when a man finds a gift on his porch, he isn’t dumb enough to throw it away.” Deliberately taking his time, he lowered the zipper on his pants.

Simone shivered. “Are there any beds upstairs?”

“Not even a measly cot. Don’t worry, little mama. We’ll make do.”

“Hurry,” she said.

When the tail of his shirt caught in his zipper, Simone laughed. “For a doctor, you’re awfully clumsy.”

She was taunting him deliberately. It was an old game they played, one guaranteed to drive him insane. At last he managed to free his erection. He was burning up, but a shiver snaked its way down his spine as he looked at his very first houseguest.

“We can do this,” he muttered. Somehow.

Simone scooted closer to the edge of the counter. “That refrigerator seems awfully sturdy.”

“Good point.” He lifted her into his arms and groaned when she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.

“You won’t be able to do this too much longer,” Simone said.

“Couples can have sex until very late in the pregnancy.” He was counting on it.

“I was talking about carrying me, silly man. But I like where you’re headed.”

Where he was headed was to a padded room if he didn’t get inside her soon. “Hold on,” he muttered. He pushed her up against the refrigerator and grinned when the cold metal against her bum made her squeak. “I hope you’re not attached to this underwear.” Panting from exertion, he kept one arm around his prize and used his free hand to shove aside the narrow strip of fabric that was the only thing standing in his way.

When he joined their bodies, Simone moaned and buried her face in his neck. “Oh, Hutch.”

He loved the way she said his name, her bedroom voice drowsy with pleasure. Simone could be a firecracker, a sharp-edged combatant. But when he had her like this, she was an entirely different person.

“Hold on, darlin’,” he said, barely able to form a coherent sentence. The position taxed his strength, but

it also gave him a jolt of satisfaction. Slowly, steadily, he thrust upward, taking her again and again until there was nothing left to take.

In this position, Simone was helpless. He was the aggressor. If there had been anything on top of the fridge, it would have crashed to the floor. He thrust wildly, coming in a climax so powerful it blurred his vision.

Through it all, Simone clung to him and never let go.

At last, the storm passed. He thought he heard and felt her orgasm. He hoped so. In his own delirium, he hadn’t been the most considerate of lovers.

He eased her to her feet and steadied her when her legs wobbled. The water had been turned on, so the kitchen tap worked. There was nothing in the house, though. No paper napkins, no cloth towels.

Simone wrinkled her nose. “I should go home now. I need a shower. And it’s late.”

He nodded. “You want some company?”

She looked up at him, smaller and less combative than in many of their confrontations. Her smile bloomed, her blue eyes clear and happy. “What a lovely idea, Dr. Hutchinson.”

* * *

That first evening set the tone for days that followed. He and Simone, by unspoken agreement, tabled their arguments and their differences. Often, he slept at her place. Other nights he worked at his own home, unpacking boxes until his eyes crossed with exhaustion. Simone tried to help, but he’d been forced to exile her when he found her lifting a container of heavy glassware in the kitchen. She’d pouted at him, but she hadn’t gotten mad.

They were living in a fantasy world, totally ignoring the fact that Simone’s life was about to change radically. Not to mention his.

Once the triplets were born, he wouldn’t see much of Simone anymore. She would have her hands full caring for three small infants.

The thought of losing her again made his stomach clench. He reminded himself that he hadn’t been home from Sudan long. Royal had dozens of available women, one of whom might even be his soul mate if he believed in such a thing. He was a man in his prime. During med school, he hadn’t sown many wild oats. He’d been focused on getting through and excelling. It was what his parents expected and what Hutch wanted.

Now was the perfect time in his life to see who was out there for him. Not that he was foolish enough to think that there was another woman who could set his blood on fire like Simone did—but a man could hope.