‘Secondly, and maybe thirdly and fourthly, I want to do this—and this.’ He slid his hands down her spine, then up to her breasts, cupping them as he bent his head to take a nipple into his mouth, his fingers teasing its twin. She made a sound he stifled with a kiss, and then moved his lips over her face as his hands continued such subtle torment she felt she’d die if he didn’t take her soon and, just as she was about to pummel him in desperate demand, he sheathed himself inside her to the hilt and she gave a moan of passionate relief.
‘I love you so much, Katie,’ he said, his voice gruff with the raw need he was fighting to keep in check.
‘I love you, too,’ she said breathlessly, the last word swallowed in a gasp as he began to move and her body responded ardently as he thrust harder and deeper. Her hips rose to meet him, flesh meeting flesh as the relentless rhythm accelerated to a wild crescendo that sent her gasping into orbit seconds before his own release engulfed him and she held his face to her breasts in fierce possession as his body poured its tribute into hers before collapsing on top of her, taking away what little breath she had left.
When he found the will to move, Jack turned over on his back, rolling her with him and Kate drew in a deep, reviving breath as she settled in the crook of his arm.
‘This is how it should have been all along,’ he said, a lazy note of contentment in his voice.
‘If we had been together all along—fourteen years to be precise—we would be an old married couple, and “this” as you put it, would surely be less frenetic by now,’ Kate pointed out.
‘I meant just being here together, in bed in each other’s arms instead of all the nights we spent alone. At least I did,’ he added, and put her away a fraction to look into her eyes. ‘You shared a bed with this banker of yours.’
‘You make that sound like a rude word,’ she protested. ‘His name was David, and I was engaged to him. Of course we shared a bed. But he had a television in the bedroom so I often fell asleep while he was watching England play cricket on the other side of the world, or whatever.’
‘No wonder you packed him in.’ He pulled her closer, his cheek against hers. ‘When you come to live at Mill House you sleep—or not sleep—with me. No television in my bedroom.’
‘I noticed,’ she said absently, and pulled back a little, frowning. ‘Jack, if we manage to sort things out with Joanna, and we do move in with you at Mill House one day, what will I do with this one? I hate the thought of selling it.’
‘Make it over to Joanna,’ he said promptly. ‘It can be leased out until she’s old enough to decide what happens to it.’
Kate sighed. ‘It sounds so easy when you talk about it like that, Jack, but first we’ve got to get over this great big hurdle of telling her she’s ours.’
‘At least you said “ours” not “mine”,’ he said, kissing her.
Kate kissed him back, then turned to look at her alarm clock. ‘It’s after midnight,’ she said with regret. ‘Time you were going, Jack.’
He pulled her close again. ‘Why?’
‘You work long hours and need your sleep. Besides,’ she added, batting her eyelashes at him, ‘I’m not sure I want that Jensen of yours parked outside my house all night.’
‘I came in the Jeep.’ Jack smiled triumphantly. ‘And I left it near the park gates, well away from your smart front door.’
‘Did you now!’ Kate’s eyes narrowed speculatively. ‘And you left Bran with your father.’
‘I certainly did.’
‘So you intended to stay from the start.’
‘While I was driving from London I decided to come here after seeing Dad and tell you I was ready to do any damn thing you wanted as long as we were part of each other’s lives again. I left Bran with him so I could spend time persuading you after Jo was in bed.’ He smiled crookedly. ‘I thought she was much younger than she actually is, Kate. When Dad mentioned the photographs the truth hit me in the face.’
Kate looked at him in entreaty. ‘Were you angry with me, Jack?’
‘I was euphoric!’ He pulled her close, his cheek against hers. ‘I’m still trying to come to terms with the miraculous fact that we’ve got a daughter. All I have to do now is persuade you to let her know she’s got a real live father—and a mother I want to marry as soon as I can get the ring on her finger.’
Kate stirred next morning, afraid she was dreaming again when she felt the touch of coaxing lips and hands. But she opened her eyes to find Jack was there in the flesh, real and warm and already aroused as he caressed her awake. He kissed her in tender possession as he slid slowly home inside her, waking all her senses one by one, the subtle seduction so perfect she never wanted it to end and held him close to experience every last nuance of pleasure as the throbbing died away.
‘Good morning,’ he said against her mouth.
‘It certainly is,’ she agreed breathlessly and winced as she looked at the clock. ‘A very early good morning, Jack!’
‘Some people go out to work,’ he told her and slid from the bed to pull on his clothes. ‘And, much as I’d like to stay all day with you in that bed, I must dash home to shower and dress. I’ll scribble a note to Molly to leave us something for dinner, and pick you up tonight about seven. Unless,’ he added, looking down at her, ‘you have something better to do?’
‘I haven’t got my diary with me, but offhand I can’t think of anything,’ she said flippantly, then smiled at him. ‘What could possibly be better?’
‘Exactly. What are you going to do after I’ve gone?’
‘My usual shift at the computer.’ She looked at him questioningly. ‘I thought I’d ask your father round to lunch later and tell him my story. Or would you rather do that yourself?’