The Expectant Executive

“I’ll give you a quarter for your thoughts,” he said, resting his head against hers.

“I thought that was supposed to be a penny for your thoughts,” she said, feeling more relaxed and at peace than she could ever remember.

“Inflation, sweetheart.” He drew her a little closer and kissed the top of her head. “I’ve heard that even the tooth fairy is having to pay a buck a tooth these days.”

She leaned back to look up at him. “What was the going rate when Jessie was growing up?”

“Fifty cents.” His smile made her tingle all the way to her bare toes. “At least it was until she learned the fine art of negotiation.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope.” Chuckling, he shook his head. “One time, when I went to get her tooth from beneath her pillow and leave a couple of quarters, I found a note for the tooth fairy.”

Curious to hear more about what Jessie had been like as a child, Fin asked, “What did the note say?”

“Something to the effect that since it was a little farther back in her mouth and because she used it for chewing, she thought it was worth at least seventy-five cents.”

Laughing, Fin shook her head. “She didn’t.”

“She sure did.” He grinned. “The tooth fairy laughed so hard, he damned near woke her up.”

“Did she get the seventy-five cents?”

“No, that tooth netted her a cool five bucks.” He shook his head. “I figured the note alone was worth that much.”

“You’re a wonderful father,” Fin said when they stopped laughing.

He shrugged, but she could tell from the sparkle in his incredible blue eyes that her comment pleased him. “I did what I thought was best.” He kissed her cheek and placed his hand over her stomach. “The same as I’ll do with this baby.”

Emotion filled Fin’s chest and she had to swallow around the huge lump that formed in her throat. “I’m so glad you’re my baby’s father.”

His tender smile increased the tightness in her chest. “Our baby. Remember, we’re in this together, Fin.”

She couldn’t keep a lone tear from sliding down her cheek. “Thank you.”

He looked taken aback. “For what?”

Reaching up to cup his lean cheek with her hand, she smiled. “For being you.”

Her stomach fluttered with anticipation at the slow, promising smile curving his firm male lips. He was going to kiss her and, if the look in his intense gaze was any indication, more.

When his mouth covered hers, Fin surrendered herself to the moment and the overwhelming sense of belonging that she’d come to associate with being in Travis’s strong arms. Never in her entire existence had she felt more wanted or cherished than she did when he held her, made love to her.

It didn’t seem to matter that they’d only known each other a short time or that they had very little in common. She’d never felt anything as right or as real as she did when she was with him.

Her heart pounded hard against her ribs. Was she falling in love with him?

She really didn’t have a lot of experience at being in love, so she wasn’t certain how it was supposed to feel. She’d been positive that she loved Jessie’s young father, Sebastian Deveraux. But that had been a long time ago and she suspected every fifteen-year-old girl was convinced that she loved her first boyfriend. Unfortunately, in the years since, she’d concentrated all of her energy toward building her career instead of personal relationships and she had nothing else to compare to the way she felt about Travis now.

As his lips moved over hers, coaxing her to open for him, encouraging her to respond, she abandoned all speculation and gave herself up to the delicious sensations beginning to course through her. She could analyze her feelings once she’d returned to New York.

When he slipped inside to tease her inner recesses, sparkles of light danced behind her closed eyes. But as he stroked her tongue with his it felt as if a starburst lit the darkest corners of her soul. The hunger of his kiss, the taste of his passion, sent heat surging through her veins and made every cell in her body tingle to life.

Shivers of delight slid up her spine when she felt his hand slip beneath the bottom of her sweater to caress her abdomen, then come to rest just below her breast. Restless anticipation filled her when he paused his exploration long enough to unfasten the front clasp of her bra. She needed to feel his hands caressing her, wanted his moist kisses on her sensitive skin.

The hard muscles of his arms suddenly bunched as he lifted her, then stretched them both out on the long couch. She reveled in the rapid beating of his heart and the hard ridge of his arousal against her thigh where their legs tangled, but when he created a space between them to cover her breast with his large palm, her own pulse began to race and a moist heat began to gather at the apex of her thighs.