When she straightened, she flashed him a quick smile. "You"re staring."
"Caught in the act," he joked. "You look pretty today. But more than that. Freer somehow."
"It was nice being in the house alone with the babies the few hours before you came. Don"t get me wrong. I"m so grateful for how Angie and Ellie help. I love being housemates with them. But I also like the feeling that I"m Sophie and Grace"s mother and no one means as much to them as I do. Isn"t that silly?"
"Not at all. But you don"t have to worry. Their eyes are starting to follow you. They know you"re their mother, no matter who takes care of them. You have an innate bond with them, just as they do with each other. Nothing will change that."
"Not even me going back to work?"
"Not even."
The breeze suddenly picked up, tossing Lily"s hair across her shoulders. "Uh-oh," she said, looking up. "We might not make it back before it rains."
"The rain could hold off," he a.s.sured her, yet he knew it probably wouldn"t. Once the weather cycle was set in motion, nothing could stop it.
"I"m not wearing running shoes. You are."
"I promise I won"t race ahead of you. Sophie and Grace are protected by the state-of-the-art stroller your friends gave them. So I don"t think we have to rush on their part."
Still, he rolled the stroller around in a half circle and headed back the way they"d come.
Lily stepped up her pace beside him. "I don"t like sudden storms."
"You"d rather have planned storms?" he asked, amused.
She cast him a sideways glance. "I know you think that"s funny, but just imagine. What if you knew ahead of time about the crises in your life? You could prevent them."
"Maybe. Or maybe fate would just find another way to get you to the same spot so you"d have to make the same kind of decisions."
"Oh my gosh! You"re a philosopher and I never knew it."
Mitch had to laugh. "That"s one t.i.tle I"ve never been given."
"It"s a compliment," she a.s.sured him, with a teasing tone in her voice that made him want to tug her into his arms and kiss her right there and then on the street. But in Sagebrush, that would almost be a spectacle.
She must have guessed what he was thinking because she slowed for a moment. He didn"t stop, and she took a couple of running steps to catch up.
The wind buffeted them with a little more force now and large, fat drops of rain began to pelt them. Lightning slashed the sky not so far away and thunder grumbled overhead. The flashes and booms reminded Mitch of faraway places. He fought to keep memories at bay. Even though he was practically jogging with the stroller, he took deep, even breaths, reminding himself where he was and what he was doing.
A half block from the Victorian, the rain became steadier, rat-a-tatting on the pavement, pelting the leaves of the Texas ash trees blurred in Mitch"s peripheral vision. The thunder became a louder drumroll.
Mitch blocked the sound as best he could.
Almost at the front yard of the big, blue house with its yellow gingerbread trim, Lily"s sandal caught on the uneven pavement. Mitch sensed rather than saw what was happening and training took over. He reached low for Lily, catching her around the waist before she fell. Her body was warm, her shoulders slick with the rain dripping down. One of her arms had surrounded his waist as she"d steadied herself to keep from falling. His face was so close to hers he could almost feel the quiver of her chin as emotion and desire ran through them both.
Yet they seemed to recognize where they were and what they were doing at the same time because in unison, they murmured, "The twins."
Mitch tilted his forehead against hers for just a moment then released her and pushed the stroller up the walkway to the porch.
Lily unlocked the door while he easily lifted the stroller, carrying it up the steps and into the foyer.
Moments later she switched on the Tiffany light to dispel the shadows while he rolled the twins into the living room and stooped down at Sophie"s side of the stroller to see if any pelts of rain had made their way to her.
Lily did the same on Grace"s side. "They"re dry," she said with amazement.
"At least their clothes are," he returned with a wink.
When Lily laughed, he felt as if he"d done something terrific. He also felt as if the lightning strike had sent supercharged awareness through him. When his eyes met Lily"s, he knew she felt the same way.
Ducking her head, she lifted Grace. Her pink-and-yellow playsuit with the dog appliqued on her belly was a little big. It wouldn"t be long until she grew into it, Mitch knew.
Grace cooed at Lily and Lily cooed back. "You"re a happy girl today. How would you like to sit in your swing?"
Grace"s little mouth rounded in an O and her very blue eyes studied her mom"s face.
Mitch held Sophie in the crook of his arm. "Do you want to join your sister?"
Sophie"s outfit was pink-and-green with a cat appliqued on the bib of her overalls. When she waved her arms and oohed and aahed in her baby language, Mitch chuckled.
He and Lily set the girls in their swings and wound the mechanism that would start the motion. Then of one accord, she and Mitch seemed to come together, standing close behind the twins.
He brushed his hand down her arm. "I think you need a towel." She was wet from the rain and he was, too. The result of that seemed to be steam rising from both of them.
"I need to change," she murmured but didn"t move away.
He fingered one of her combs. "I like these in your hair."
"They were my mother"s," she replied softly. "I haven"t worn them very much. I was afraid something would happen to them. Suddenly today I realized she wouldn"t want me to just leave them in my jewelry box."
Lily"s skin was lightly tanned as if she"d taken the babies for walks many days in the sun. He clasped her shoulders and ran his thumbs up and down the straps of her dress. "I"ve been wanting to kiss you since I got here."
"I"ve wanted you to kiss me since you got here."
She tilted her head up and he lowered his. He told himself to go easy, not to scare her with too much need. He didn"t want to need her at all. But the moment his lips settled on hers, he couldn"t keep the hunger at bay. The feel of her in his arms was exquisite, the soft pressure of her lips was a temptation that urged him to claim her. When his tongue thrust into her mouth, her gasp was only a preliminary response. She followed it with a tightening of her arms around him. A return taste of him became a chase and retreat that had them pressing their bodies together.
Outside, a bright flash of light against a darkening sky was soon followed by thunder that seemed to crawl up one side of the roof and down the other. The crackle and boom sounded very close.
All at once the light in the foyer went out and the hum of the refrigerator ceased.
Mitch held Lily tighter, ended the kiss and rubbed his jaw against her cheek. "The electricity." Huskiness hazed his words. "The lightning must have hit a transformer."
After a few moments, she leaned away from him. "I"d better find the oil lamp in case we don"t have power for a while. I had a stir-fry planned for supper."
"We"ll have to make do with lunchmeat and cheese."
"I made a coconut cake. We don"t need power to eat that."
"You have flashlights and candles?"
"I think they"re under the kitchen sink. The oil lamp"s upstairs. I"ll get it when I change."
"Go ahead. I"ll watch Grace and Sophie until you come back down. Then you can stay with them while I rummage."
After a last longing look at him, sending the message their kiss had ended much too soon, she ran upstairs.
Mitch took a hefty breath.
Sandwiches eaten, candles and oil lamp lit, Lily forgot about time and just lived in the moment. She and Mitch had talked as they"d sat on the sofa and exchanged fussy babies. They"d played patty-cake and peekaboo with Sophie and Grace in between talking about books they had read, movies they"d seen, first experiences swimming, diving, surfing, hiking. There seemed to be so much to talk about. Yet underneath it all, whenever their gazes met or their fingers brushed, memories of their kisses danced in her mind.
After a few hours, Lily breast-fed Grace while Mitch bottle-fed Sophie. Sophie finished first, and he laid her in her crib, starting her mobile.
They"d brought the oil lamp to the babies" room while they fed them. A flameless candle Mitch had found in a cupboard glowed in place of a night-light. Shadows were heavy in the room and Lily could see Mitch caring for her daughter, gently making sure she was settled, watching her for a few moments, then touching his fingers to her forehead.
He would make a wonderful father.
Turning from the crib, he stooped to pick up the bottle he"d set on the floor. "I"ll wash this out."
Grace had stopped suckling and her eyes were closed. Lily raised her to her shoulder until she heard a little burp, and then she carried her to her crib, settling her in for the night, then she took the oil lamp to the bathroom where she set it on the vanity. A small candle burned next to the sink where Mitch was rinsing the bottle. He"d rolled up his shirtsleeves and for the first time, Lily saw the scars on his right forearm. She didn"t look somewhere else, but studied the lines that still looked raw...the gashes that had healed but would never fade away.
Slowly she raised her eyes to his.
He turned off the spigot and blew out the candle.
He was about to roll down his sleeve when she stopped him, her hand clasping his. "You don"t have to hide them from me."
"They"re ugly."
"No, they"re a badge of honor." Without thinking, only feeling, she bent and kissed one of the welts.
"Lily." He said her name in a way he never had before. His words were thick with need, with desire that needed to be expressed.
Her lips lingered on his skin for a few seconds, maybe because she wanted to antic.i.p.ate what might happen next, maybe because she was afraid of what might happen next.
When she straightened, he took her face in both of his hands. "Do you know what you"re doing?" he asked, his voice raspy.
"I"m feeling," she said without apology.
"d.a.m.n," he growled, wrapping his arms around her, possessing her lips with his.
His kiss was long and hungry, wet and wild. Lily felt like someone else, like a woman who could throw caution to the side and be free from the chains of what she should and shouldn"t do. She kissed Mitch with a fervor that shocked her, yet gave her hope.
Lily"s b.r.e.a.s.t.s pressed into Mitch"s chest. Instead of trying to touch her with his hands, he let their bodies communicate. His breathing was as hot and heavy as hers. They fit together with perfect temptation, perfect antic.i.p.ation, perfect exhilaration. He seemed to wait for some sign from her that she wanted more and she gave it, pressing even closer. She felt his hardness, the desire he"d been controlling up until now. There would be no turning back from this.
She didn"t want to turn back. She wanted tonight with Mitch. Did he want her as badly? Would he let his scars be an issue?
She lowered her hand from his shoulder and insinuated it between their bodies, cupping him, leaving him with no doubt as to what she was ready to do.
Still holding her securely, Mitch backed her out of the bathroom...across the hall...into her bedroom. The area was pitch-black, the glow from the oil lamp in the bathroom the only light, reaching just inside the door. But that didn"t stop them. The dark seemed to hold some comfort for them both. Once they were enveloped by it, their mouths sought each other, their arms embraced, their fingers touched. The dark held more excitement than anything else.
Mindlessly, Lily reached for Mitch"s shirt b.u.t.tons.
He searched for the edges of her top and somehow managed to pull it up and over her head.
After he"d tossed it, she asked, "Do you have a condom?"
His hands went still on her waist. "Yes, I do." He reached into his pocket, pulled out the foil packet and dropped it on the nightstand.
They"d both known this night was coming, hadn"t they?
"I"d hoped," Mitch said honestly. "That"s why I brought it."
His hands slid to her bra and unhooked it. She shrugged off the straps quickly and leaned forward, kissing his chest. She couldn"t see but she could feel hot skin against her lips. Her hands became her eyes as she ran them down his flat abdomen and stopped at the waistband of his jeans. His belt was pliant but fought her hands as she tried to unfasten it. He helped her with it. A few moments later, he"d shed his sneakers, jeans and briefs. She"d flicked off her sandals. Now he slid his hands into the waistband of her shorts, sliding them down her hips along with her panties.
She knew he couldn"t see much more than shadows, either, and she asked, "Should I light a candle?"
"No time," he muttered as he pushed her hair aside and kissed her neck, trailing his lips along her collarbone. His foray to her breast made her restless, flushed and needy.
"Mitch," she moaned, but he didn"t stop. He just kept kissing lower, down her belly to the mound between her thighs. She couldn"t let him be that intimate. She just couldn"t. The reason why eluded her.
She grasped his shoulders and said again, "Mitch."
This time she felt him shift, felt his head tilt up. He straightened, flung back the covers, and climbed into bed, holding his hand out to her.
Thunder grumbled again outside and she thought fleetingly of Grace and Sophie and whether or not they"d awaken. She listened as the sky rolled but heard nothing from the babies" bedroom.
As if he read her mind, Mitch asked, "Do you want to check on them?"
She knew she"d hear them if they awakened, even without the monitor. "They"ll let us know if they wake up," she replied, crawling in beside him, moving closer to him.
He wrapped his arm around her and stroked her back. "You"ll have to tell me what you like."
She suddenly couldn"t speak and didn"t know why. So she tilted her head against his and finally managed, "I want you, Mitch. Kiss me and everything else will be okay."
His lips were searingly hot, his tongue an instrument of pleasure that urged her to caress his back, his sides, his manhood.
"Lily," he gasped. "Are you ready?"
"Yes, Mitch. I am."
Reaching to the nightstand, he grabbed the packet and ripped open the foil. After he slid the condom on, he stretched out on top of her, letting her feel his weight. He spread her legs and lay between them. As he braced himself on his elbows, she tensed a little. He must have felt it because he kissed her again until all she wanted was him filling her, giving her pleasure, helping her to forget.
Forget what? a little voice inside her head whispered, but she ignored it, not bothering to find the answer.
When Mitch entered her, she was ready. Each of his thrusts made her call his name, asking for more. Mitch"s body was as slick as hers with their pa.s.sion. His chest slid against her b.r.e.a.s.t.s as they rocked, tempting each other, provoking each other to the next level of pleasure. Lily held on tightly as a strong o.r.g.a.s.m overtook her, shaking her world until it was upside down. Mitch"s shuddering release came moments later.
She felt as if the storm had somehow come inside. Stunned by the pleasure still tingling through her, she also felt overwhelmed by the intimacy she"d experienced with Mitch. She wobbled on the verge of feelings that terrified her and she didn"t know whether to run or to hold on to Mitch for dear life.
After Mitch collapsed on top of her, he whispered in her ear, "Are you okay?"