KISS AND MAKE-UP (14 page)

“I won’t. I love you, wife,” he whispered into her hair as he held her tightly in his arms, pressing soft kisses on her temple and her forehead.

“I love you, too, husband.” She leaned away and tilted her head back to look up at him.

“I assume you were speaking metaphorically?”

“Only for as long as it takes for us to get back to Vegas and track down the appropriate Elvis.”

“That won’t exactly be necessary.”

“What do you mean?”

She took an audible breath and then admitted the truth. All of it. The reason she’d come here, the fact that she’d planned to tell him off and then make him sign. Everything.

He couldn’t quite take it all in and focused on the most important part. “Wait, you mean…we’re still married?”

“Yep.”

It only took a second for him to realize how utterly impossible that was. “Cassie, I’m not sure where you got that impression, but it’s not true. I have a copy of our divorce decree.”

“But…”

“Why do you think we’re not?”

“Well, my grandmother told me her lawyers…” A gasp, then she closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. “My God, I can’t believe it.”

“Believe what?”

“I think I’ve been played.”

“Played?”

She was half-smiling, half-laughing as she admitted, “My grandmother has been nagging me for several years to try to find out why I’ve been so unhappy for so long. I have the feeling she found out about my history with you.”

“She hadn’t known?”

She shook her head. “And once she found out, I have no doubt she got somebody to track you down and make sure you were single, then came up with an excuse I wouldn’t be able to ignore. She made sure I’d have to come see you.”

“And trusted that fate would take care of the rest?” He tightened his arms around her waist. “That once we were together again, we’d realize we should never have been apart?”

She twined her arms around his neck and leaned up to brush his lips with hers. “Something like that.”

“Wise woman, your grandmother.”

“Very wise.” She rolled her eyes. “And so damn sneaky.”

“I think I’m going to forgive her,” he said.

“I think I already have.” She kissed him again, deeper this time, her soft lips parting so their tongues could slide together and dance. Eventually, a long sigh emerged from her mouth and she admitted, “I want you so much.”

Wyatt reached down and dropped the towel.

Cassie’s eyes flared in excitement. She wiggled against him, but she also chuckled. “I meant, I want you forever.”

“Not now?”

Her eyelids lowered and her smile turned sultry. “Oh, yes, I definitely want you now.” She leaned up to kiss him again. “But forever, too.”

He began to stroke lazy circles around the small of her back. “You’ve got me forever.”

“I want us to live together again.” Her voice sounded breathy now as that familiar, wild spark of desire danced between them.

“We will.” He pulled her shirt free of her waistband, tugging it off so he could feel her smooth skin against his.

She shook and moaned, whispering, “I want your children.”

He tossed the shirt away, then her bra. “Three at least.”

Cassie arched toward his hand, rubbing her breast against his palm. “I will never let anyone or anything—not money, not a job, not family—come between us again. I’ll always put you first, Wyatt. I’ll always put
us
—our relationship—ahead of everything.”

His hands grew still. “I’ll do the same thing, Cassie. I’m not the impatient hothead I was and I’m sorry that I reacted so badly in the past.” He kissed her temple, breathing in the sweet smell of her skin. “I won’t doubt you again,” he whispered, before lowering his mouth to hers, kissing her deeply until their hearts beat in unison and they shared every breath of air.

Wanting her again, desperately, Wyatt bent down to lift Cassie into his arms. “I’d do anything for you,” he said as he carried her into his bedroom.

She nodded, tucking her head in the curve of his neck, tasting his skin with delicate little nips. “Will you read me the letters you wrote to me?” she asked.

He lowered her to his bed and followed her down. “How do you know about those?” Then he shook his head. “Never mind. Jackie?”

She nodded. “Will you read them to me?”

“I don’t have to read them,” he said as he gently removed the rest of her clothes. He began to stroke her, the long delicate lines of her thigh, the curve of her hip, the sweet indentation of her belly, where he hoped to soon feel one of those babies she wanted. “I know them all by heart.”

Cassie sighed and caressed him in return, her hands gliding over his body as if she wanted to memorize him. “Prove it.”

So impatient. Always so impatient.

“I will.
Later.
When I can think of something besides how much I’m going to enjoy loving you every day for the rest of my life.”

She stared up at him, emotion shining in her blue eyes. “Starting now?”

He nodded and lowered his mouth to hers, whispering, “Yeah, Cassie. Starting right now.”

I
t was official.
Ellen Devane was dying.

She didn’t mind that so much. Dying seemed pretty fair after eighty-four years of a good, strong, secure and wealthy life.

Others would say she’d been completely blessed, spoiled even. While she might disagree with that, she couldn’t deny she’d been fortunate.

Maybe her life could have been happier. Perhaps she could have had a little less money and a little more love.

Or maybe not. Maybe things happened for a reason and things had happened exactly as they were supposed to.

It wasn’t for her to decide. She could only look back on all the things she’d done, the choices she’d made, and accept the results of those choices.

But that wasn’t her concern right now. Not today. This death the doctors had warned her about wasn’t at the top of her to-do list, at least not for the rest of this year. She had a while yet—time to get things in order. To see her sweet Cassandra happily settled with the man she’d loved through her entire adult life. A man Ellen liked very much.

There was a wedding planned for the fall, and Ellen fully intended to be there, wearing rust silk because the autumn colors really had always favored her.

There were flowers to choose and cakes to sample. There were photographs to look over and toasts to make.

Mostly there were words to be said. Words like
I love you.
And
I’m so very thankful I had you in my life.

Yes, there was time. Time for all those things. Maybe a short amount of time…but time enough.

Then it would be over. Ellen could go on to whatever was waiting for her around the next corner. Hoping—always hoping—that somewhere along the way that unknown future would include Rex.

And maybe even one more adventure.

The End

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Watch for Leslie’s next release, REFORMING JAKE, coming April 2015!