Risky Pleasures (19 page)

He discovered moments later that remaining still wouldn’t be easy when she eased all the way down on him, slowly, while staring deep into his eyes. Her body was tight, and at one point it was like making love to a virgin all over again. But she refused to stop and as she continued to sink deeper, he felt her inner muscles clench him.

“Leah!”

He called her name when she began easing up and down on him, slowly at first and then in a faster rhythm. She was tearing at his sanity, his hold of his senses and his control. The look he saw in her eyes was stunned, filled with a profound need, and the movements she made on top of him reflected that. When he saw that lying still was no longer an option, he nearly lifted his hips off the bed to thrust upward into her at the same time as she surged downward, riveting their bodies to the hilt. Each time they touched, her stomach, pelvis and thighs rubbing against his, a gnawing ache that had been within him since the last time they’d made love almost five years ago was being soothed. And when she increased her pace, pistoning her downward and upward strokes to a degree that was as intense as it could get, his hips continued to surge up, making each thrust that much deeper, more meaningful, unforgettable.

Reese closed his eyes when he heard her scream out his name, and he drove himself deep inside her as he locked his legs around her. He might have hell to pay later, but he needed this. He needed her. A coil of need tightened inside him and then snapped when his own climax exploded in a ball of gigantic sensations that ripped through every part of his body. He screamed out her name, and at the same time he felt all the love any one man could have for a single woman emanating from deep within him. Emotions he’d held back for almost five years tore from him.

“Reese.”

His name was whispered from Leah’s lips in a hoarse, enervated breath before her exhausted body collapsed on top of him.

Reese shifted his body in bed and pulled the covers over his head as his dreams got more intense. He had dreamed that he and Leah had made love several times and she had been in control by taking the on-top position. His body felt hard at the thought, and in sleep he grabbed the extra pillow in the bed and sank his face into it.

His eyes flew open when he inhaled the scent. Leah’s scent.

He jerked up in bed and glanced around, suddenly realizing it hadn’t been a dream. He and Leah had actually made love in this very bed.

And now she was gone.

Hell!

Jumping out of bed he slipped into his pajama bottoms, wondering where to search for Leah first. He could imagine the setback what they’d done would cause. He had to find her, apologize for losing control and—

“Going to a fire, Reese?”

He jerked around. She was standing in the doorway holding folded laundry in her hands. And she looked…at peace.

He blinked. It might have been his mind playing games on him, so he had to be sure. He inhaled deeply as he slowly walked over to her, not really knowing what to expect when he got close.

He came to a stop in front of her and searched her face before asking softly. “You okay, baby?”

She nodded as a small smile touched her lips. “Yes, Reese, I’m fine. I had washed my clothes earlier and thought I would dry them while you were…”

“Forget about the clothes, Leah. How do you feel?” he asked with deep concern in his voice.

She glanced down at the floor before lifting her head to meet his gaze again. Then to his surprise, the corners of her lips tilted into a smile. “Mainly sore.”

For a quick moment he was startled by her words, and then he released a relieved sigh before taking a step closer to her. “You wanted it,” he said in a low husky voice, not taking his eyes off her as he remembered that they really had made love several times.

He watched as her smile widened. “Yes, and if I recall correctly, I even took it. The nerve of me being so bold.”

He grinned. “Yes, the nerve of you.”

Then moments later the amusement vanished and was replaced with concern. “Other than being sore, how do you feel, Leah?”

This time it was Leah who took a step forward and in a surprising move she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Other than sore, I feel wonderful. Reborn. Rejuvenated. I feel like a woman who has been given her life back, Reese. I had to be shocked into it. The thought of losing you, not sharing my love for you in a physical way again, made anything Neil had done to me no longer central in my life. To me, what’s important is moving ahead with you, sharing my love and my life with you, for better or worse. Good times or bad. I love you. I want to marry you. I want to have your babies. And,” she said in a softer voice. “I want to get your family together and tell them the truth. I couldn’t stand it if they opposed our marriage.”

He took the clothes out of her hand and gathered her to him. “You don’t have to tell them anything, Leah. All they need to know is that I love you.”

“But I want to tell them. I have to. Your mother and brother deserve to know the truth. And I want them to know what a wonderful man you are to have stuck by me for these six months, to have gotten me through some pretty difficult times. You are truly a special man, Reese Singleton.”

And then she was on tiptoe kissing him with all the intensity of a woman in love. Reese swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed. A quiver of love and happiness flowed through her because she knew that once again she would receive sexual healing of the purest form in the arms of the man she loved.

Two weeks later, Reese swept his wife of just a few hours into his arms to carry her over the threshold of the house they would share. The wedding had been private, with only family and close friends. That’s the way they had wanted it.

He placed Leah on her feet and closed the door behind them. She smiled up at him, looking beautiful, totally radiant in her light-blue pantsuit. She had been a beautiful bride.

“Jocelyn looks happy, doesn’t she?” Leah asked, smiling up at him. “Sebastian is good for her.”

And then she took a step and wrapped her arms around his neck. “And you, Reese Singleton, are good for me. And I love you.”

He pulled her tighter into his arms. “And I love you, too, Leah Mason Singleton.”

She smiled, liking the sound of her new name. She looked into his eyes. “It might be too early even to think about something like this, but I want a baby. Your baby. If it’s a boy I want to name him after you and if it’s a girl, I want to name her after my mother. I felt her presence today, Reese. Hers and Dad’s. They are happy for me. They are happy for us. And your mom and Danny are happy for us, as well.”

And she truly believed they were. Since she had tearfully told them the truth, they had been so supportive of her and Reese. And every day she was building a better relationship with his family.

“I want a baby, too,” Reese said, pulling her closer to him. “Are you happy?”

She smiled. “I’m very happy.” She glanced at her watch. They would drive to Memphis and spend the night, and the next morning they would fly to Hawaii to begin their honeymoon. “Do we have time?” she asked him grinning.

He knew what she was asking. Ever since that night they had made love again, it was as if they were making up for lost time. Her fears had been destroyed by his love. He swept her back into his arms. “Baby, for that we’ll make time.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck as he started for the bedroom. “There’s a lot that can be said for sexual healing, don’t you think?”

He looked down into her eyes. “Yes, but then what we share is a powerful force because no matter what, in the end true love will conquer all.”

He leaned down and kissed her. Unhurriedly. They had the rest of their lives together. Forever.

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