Текст книги "Danny's Main"
Автор книги: Lisa N. Paul
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Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 18 страниц)
“Aw man, I love that story,” Chris chimed in. “Nothing funnier than having your dad ask you to keep it down via Post-It note. Fan-fucking-tastic.”
Julie’s cheeks flamed. “No disrespect, but you guys aren’t so quiet yourselves.”
Instantly Allan and Anita fell silent and Danny’s shoulders shook.
“It’s true,” Danny admitted, his lips twitching with humor. “Time we came home for Christmas—first time we met you, Anita—you guys wouldn’t have a sleepover while we kids were staying at the house. But when I took Julie out one evening to look at the Christmas lights, you two used the alone time to your advantage. It seemed Jules and I came back a bit too soon, though you both came right on time.”
Julie giggled and Danny squirmed.
“Oh… oh…” Anita gasped. “That’s horrifying. You’re right, we should never talk of those times again.”
“Agreed,” said Julie, Danny, and Allan.
###
THE WEEKS PASSED with dizzying speed as Danny and Julie prepared for the inevitable changes coming to their lives. Chester’s move had gone off without a hitch, leaving Maryland a little less…merry. That said, it seemed as if Julie spoke with him more after his relocation than she had when he lived just a few towns away.
An introduction had been arranged between Julie and Danny and Ivy, the birthmother of their future child. The meeting felt awkward, stilted, strange, but as Danny reminded her after the fact, how was something of that nature supposed to have gone? The three of them met a second time, and as Julie and Ivy chatted, a connection blossomed. Because Ivy was a minor, she was covered by her parents’ health insurance, but that didn’t stop Danny and Julie from offering financial support during Ivy’s pregnancy. All of Ivy’s maternity clothing, stretch mark prevention creams, and bi-weekly pedicures were on the Marcuses’ tab, and they relished every second of it.
But that wasn’t all. Julie wanted to give their future baby her full attention. Whether due to maturity, priority adjustments, or plain old guilt, she was ready to step back from her career and focus on being a stay-at-home mom.
“Honey, are you sure this is what you want?” Danny carefully removed the coffee pot from her grip, placed it on the breakfast table, and in one fluid movement, had her facing him on his pajama-clad lap.
“Yes,” Julie answered softly as she stared into understanding eyes that forever stole her breath. “I’m completely certain. I want to be home with our baby. I know I felt differently last time.” She cleared her throat, as well as the emotion that still came to the surface when she thought about the loss of their child. “But last time, I thought it was just the beginning. This time…it’s most likely the only.” Her hand met the perpetual scruff that lined Danny’s jaw but never masked his face. Its feel brought instant comfort to her soul and pleasure to her body. “I want to savor every minute of the mommy time”—she wiggled her ass against his crotch, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as he hardened beneath her—“and still have energy to savor you.”
A shiver ran up her spine as Danny meticulously swept her long hair around his fist, exposing the sensitive flesh where her neck and shoulder met. “Honey, any child we have will be loved the world over, but you will always be my reason.”
His large hands spread her knees as his palms worked up to her panty-covered core. The pad of his middle finger stroked tenderly over the satin panel. The contact with her clit made a soft moan escape her lips before she could think to hold it back.
“Don’t you worry about energy, baby, I got enough for both of us.” Husky authority laced his tone. “Only one thing you need to do.”
She peered up at him through hooded lids.
“When you’re home, the underwear is gone. Any opportunity I can find to sink into my pussy, I’m gonna take it, and you’re gonna love it. Just. Skin.”
The warmth of his breath mixed with the unique force of his words had goose bumps multiplying over Julie’s skin before his first kiss ever made contact.
“Take ‘em off now.” His command made her nipples tighten, and the fire in his hazel gaze had her peeling off her panties. “Good girl, now sit back down on my lap. Gonna make you come, honey.” With her back to his front, and her bare legs draped over his, he widened his feet, baring her sex to the empty room. “Mmm, can smell you, Jules,” he whispered in her ear, making the fine hairs on her neck wakeup while he rubbed her clit with gentle circles. “Waiting for me to touch you, stroke you, fuck you with my fingers. Yeah?”
“Danny…” She writhed into his hand. His touch wasn’t enough, and he knew it. It was his brand of foreplay, and she loathed it and loved it. “I need…more.”
“More?” He flicked her earlobe with his tongue, sending chills through her body as he continued light play to the sensitive nerves above her entrance. “Got more to give, baby. Tell me what you want.”
“Make me come.” She panted, her nails pressed against his thighs. “Please, Danny, I need to come.” Her request was barely out when his fingers plunged into her wetness. “Oh… oh… fuck, Danny.” She moaned, thrusting into his touch.
“Goddamn, yes, fuck my fingers baby. Your pussy’s so greedy. Fuck, Jules…”
She rocked onto his fingers as his thumb worked her clit. Sparks began to light in her belly.
“Don’t stop,” she mewled shamelessly, the climax building, climbing, ready to crest.
Danny leaned in and swept his tongue up the column of her neck, sending ecstasy careening through her. Breathless, she shifted on his lap, torquing her torso in an awkward position. Danny lifted his brow.
“I want to see your face, handsome,” Julie answered his unasked question. In less than a second, she sat face to face, straddling the man who’d brought her unbelievable pleasure and unconditional love.
“Mmm, watching you fall apart may be my favorite pastime,” Danny rasped before licking his glistening fingers. “Close second is tasting your sweet cream.”
The way his tongue seductively swiped Julie’s arousal from his finger mimicked the oral pleasures he often bestowed, revving her just-sated body up for another round. God, the way she wanted her man couldn’t possibly be normal. She craved him.
With her legs still shaking and dangling off the sides of the kitchen chair, she lowered her small hands from his shoulders to his biceps, leaning in to press her lips to the tattoo scribed across his chest.
Julie’s Main
She’d thought he was crazy when he opened his shirt on their wedding night and presented her with what many referred to as the vow vaporizer. People swore that inking your lover’s name on your body was as good as setting your relationship up for failure. She’d frantically reminded her new husband of that very fact while openly admiring the beautiful script.
But as always, passion licked his eyes as he pulled her close and unzipped her simple wedding dress. “I’ll always be yours, Jules,” he said in a hoarse whisper, “no matter what.”
Taut skin over hard muscle rippled under her tongue as she traced each letter of her name.
“While I’d love to play some more…” Danny groaned, reaching behind him and unhooking her ankles before standing them both up. “I need to get to work if I’m gonna meet you and Ivy at the ultrasound appointment today at five o’clock.”
Desire was evident on his face and below his waist, the unmistakable evidence tenting his pajama bottoms. However, as always, he focused on the tasks that needed his attention first, knowing his needs would get tended to when time allowed.
Going to be an amazing father, she thought as she trailed him to their bedroom. “We won’t start without you, babe.”
She and Ivy had spoken the day before. The teen was as anxious as they were to make certain the baby was healthy, and she was grateful that Julie and Danny would be at the ultrasound appointment with her.
“Good,” Danny called from the bathroom, “because I wanna be there when the tech tells us we’re having a boy.”
The sound of water beating on tile muted but didn’t erase Danny’s chuckle. They had been battling over the baby’s gender since the first time they met Ivy. While Julie didn’t agree with Danny’s assessment, truth be told, she couldn’t care less if it was a boy or girl as long as it was a Marcus.
Julie’s full smile reflected in the mirror as she stripped off her T-shirt and walked naked into the shower stall.
***
“HONEY,” DANNY MURMURED in surprise. His semi-hard cock stiffened the minute his sexy wife entered the shower. The best kind of mischief glimmered in her gray eyes.
“You said you had to get ready for work.” She lowered to her knees in front of him, water spraying her firm tits and dripping to her thighs. His breath locked in his chest the second she fisted his hardness. “I certainly can’t let you go to work like this. I’d feel horrible.”
Her pink tongue gliding across her bottom lip had his dick throbbing with need.
“So you go ahead and wash your hair”—an impish grin curled the corners of her mouth—“and try to forget I’m even here. I’ll just take care of business and leave you to finish your shower in peace.”
Even the hot water didn’t compare to the heat of Julie’s mouth the moment she wrapped it around his cock.
“Fuck…” His groan echoed in the tiled space as Danny widened his stance to keep from falling over from pleasure.
Like a scene from his wildest fantasies, his wife was naked before him, steam surrounding her perfect body. Her strawberry hair darkened as she slicked it back from her face, showcasing her steel eyes. She stared up at him with a perfect storm of lust, satisfaction, and power. Each time her cheeks hollowed with suction, the tip of his cock touched the back of her throat.
“Christ, Julie, oh…that’s it, take it down.” He growled the command as release gathered in his spine.
There was no disguising Julie’s mewls of pleasure, even over the pounding water and his own grunts. That, in its own right, turned him on even more. With her sitting back on her heels and her knees spread wide, just as he’d taught her, he could imagine the wetness pooling at her core and knew it was from more than just water.
“Fuck, honey, your pussy…is it dripping for me? You love sucking me off, yeah?” His dirty words were just as powerful as his tender touches, and with her mouth around him, dirty words were just about the only thing he had to offer. “Touch yourself, Jules. Let me see how you rub that pretty little clit.”
His dick vibrated with her moan as Julie’s long fingers rolled her swollen nub. Her nipples were drawn into hard points that had his mouth watering and his balls aching. But before he could so much as move to touch her creamy tits, her tongue glided around his cock head, touching the sensitive spot underneath. Release pushed through his body like a freight train as Julie took him deep into her throat.
“Fuck!” he shouted, and his hands twisted through her hair as he fucked her mouth, incapable of holding back. An endless orgasm rocked his body to exhaustion. His eyes fell closed, and his head hit the tiles behind him. “That was…”
Soft kisses marched from his abdomen to his lips before he could peel his eyes open.
“Delicious,” Julie announced, touching her lips to his. “And exactly how you made me feel in the kitchen. Now hurry up and get done. You’re going to be late for work.”
The cool air of the shower door opening did nothing to squelch the heat still thrumming in his body. The woman blew his mind, ridiculous pun not intended.
“And, baby,” Julie cooed over her naked shoulder, “the shampoo Mohawk went out in the 80s. May wanna wash that out before the water runs cold.” She blew him a kiss and shut the door, leaving him sated, steamy, and clean. No better way to start the day.
Chapter Seventeen
He Was Ours
“IS EVERYONE READY?” The ultrasound technician smiled as she entered the small exam room.
Danny was more than ready. Hell, he’d left work early to make certain he wasn’t late for the appointment. Not that he’d been late to any of them, but because the baby wasn’t biologically theirs, the need to be perfect felt tangible. Part of him knew the irrational feelings would pass once he held their baby, but for the time being, punctuality was the best he could offer.
“We’re ready,” Julie and Ivy responded.
“Can’t wait.” Danny grabbed for his wife’s hand, lacing their fingers together.
After fifteen minutes of measurements and snapshots, the baby appeared perfect. As its tiny heart fluttered on screen, Danny found it difficult not to tear up just like Julie, but with a deep inhale and a throat-clearing cough, he held himself together as he held onto her.
The tech nodded, moving the curser over the screen. “Are you interested in knowing the gender of your child?”
The question was addressed to Ivy, but before the girl could answer, Danny did. “Yes, of course we want to know.” His chest puffed with pride. “We’re his parents.”
The tech spared a quick look at an unusually quiet Ivy before pointing at the screen. “Well, Mr. and Mrs. Marcus, it looks like you’ve already guessed. You’re having a boy. Congratulations!”
“A boy,” Julie said as tears rolled down her face. “We’re having a boy.” Julie pivoted, craning her face up to his. “A baby boy, Danny.”
“I know, Jules. Happy as hell no matter what God gave us, but it’s a boy.” He waggled his brows. “Since this ain’t the time to tell you I was right, I’ll wait ‘till later.” He winked before touching his lips to hers. The kiss was chaste, given the company they kept, but the promise for more lingered.
A quiet sniffle immediately shrouded the tiny room in silence.
“Ivy,” Julie spoke with reverence, “thank you so much for giving us this gift. I wish I could explain what this means to us, but there are no words to describe how your act of selflessness is changing our lives.” Danny’s heart pounded as Julie placed her hand over the young girl’s belly. “There will never be a day where this little boy goes unloved. He’ll spend his entire life knowing everyone in his life wanted only the best for him, that both of his moms loved him with their whole hearts. And I swear to you, Ivy, Danny and I will give him the best life any child could hope for. Thank you for trusting us. We won’t let you down.”
Ivy’s wide brown eyes shifted from Julie to Danny before she nodded. “I know you won’t. You two have been incredible. Thanks for being here with me today. You helped to make things so much easier for me.”
Danny’s heart broke for the teenager. He would teach his son to be responsible, and honorable, and to be a stand-up man. His boy would learn that if he was man enough to get a woman pregnant, then he would be man enough to stand by her side until decisions were made. No boy of his would walk away from a woman he cared about, nor would he walk away from one he’d claimed to care about long enough to get her pregnant. “Anything you need, just call. Yeah?”
“Thanks, Danny. I’m just going to get dressed and head home.” Ivy quickly averted her eyes as she swung her legs to the side of the table.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go out to dinner with us?” Julie asked.
“Umm, no thanks.” A stilted silence filled the room before Ivy spoke again. “I have a term paper due on Monday, and my parents said I couldn’t go out for my birthday this weekend unless it’s finished.”
A knot formed in Danny’s gut and tightened as she spoke. It wasn’t what the girl was saying, but how she said it that had red flags shooting up around her.
“So, I need to get crackin’. After all, I can’t miss out on my eighteenth birthday celebration. Even if this little guy makes it so I can’t celebrate the way most of my friends do.”
“Oh, your birthday!” Julie bounced on her toes. “We’ll wait for you in the waiting room. We have a gift for you.”
“You didn’t have to, Julie,” Ivy whispered.
Danny noticed the pale blush spread over the girl’s cheeks. What the hell? Another bright flag sprang up in his mind. Something felt wrong.
***
“HEY, BABY, YOU got time for a quick lunch?”
“Danny! Of course, sweetie. Let me just tell Sheila and Chris that I’m heading out,” she said.
Julie loved when her husband surprised her with lunch dates. It used to happen more frequently when he worked at the Red Bar because his shifts started later in the day and ran until the wee hours of the morning, but a couple of years prior, the hours and scenes of club life had become too much to handle. They decided together that he’d enjoy the intimacy of a pub or bar like Chester’s or O’Brian’s.
That said, neither Danny nor Julie thought it would be smart for them to work and live together, so he found a job managing a bar that was a cross between the two places. While it wasn’t perfect by his standards, learning the business from the inside out was priceless. However, his hours mimicked Julie’s, so lunch dates became scarce as dinner dates became more common.
After popping her head into the back office to announce her lunch break, and after grabbing her purse and coat from the locker, Julie practically floated through the bar to where Danny waited. She rose onto the balls of her feet and wrapped her arms around his neck. The familiar scents of pear and driftwood, a combination that had become more of an aphrodisiac than the freshest oysters and finest chocolate, hit her nose, making her insides quiver. Hunger for more than food whipped through her body as she pulled her husband close, pressing their lips together. When his strong hand wove through her hair, cupping the back of her head, she practically purred in delight, giving Danny the perfect opportunity to claim her mouth.
“Ahem, this is a public place,” Chris teased from behind the bar, whipping Julie from her lust-induced haze.
“First of all”—Julie touched her kiss-swollen lips—“this is a bar. I’ve witnessed a whole lot more than kissing go on between these four walls. Second”—Julie glanced at the ceiling—“unless I’m mistaken, that, my friend, is mistletoe. You and Sheila are practically begging people to kiss. So as I see it, you should be thanking me for following orders…boss.”
Danny’s body shook with laughter as his arms wrapped around her torso. “Looks like she got you there, Chris.”
“I’d have to agree.” Sheila smiled as she joined her husband behind the bar. “You two go have lunch. I have to continue training my man here on management.” Sheila gazed lovingly at Chris. “It’s hard to go from being a silent partner to a hands-on manager, but I think he’s doing just fine.”
“It’s all the positive reinforcement you give me.” Chris winked, and Sheila blushed.
“Okay, umm, we’re out of here. Stay away from the mistletoe,” Julie teased before grabbing Danny’s hand and leaving the bar.
Sitting in a cozy booth at their favorite café, they chatted about a new employee at Danny’s job and Julie’s early morning conversation with Chester.
“Oh, I meant to tell you!” Julie’s insides bubbled with excitement. “I had to go to Home Depot yesterday for Sheila, and while I was there, I found the sweetest shade of pale blue paint for the baby’s room. I was thinking we could go back together and check it out.” Julie bit her upper lip, memories of the empty pink nursery gripping her heart. “We can buy it and wait to paint until a little closer to the due date.” Julie caught the frown that marred Danny’s lush lips before he had time to cover them with his palm. “Danny? What’s wrong?”
His chest rose with an audible heave of air, air that he seemed to hold for longer than Julie thought possible. She watched as his chest constricted slowly, silently.
“Honey, you spoken with Ivy?”
Danny’s question didn’t feel like a question at all. It felt like the beginning of something unpleasant. Like the lid of a box she’d rather keep closed. But Danny’s loving eyes implored her to open it. Her trust in him told her he’d be there no matter what was inside.
“Umm, kind of. Well, not really, but…” Julie replayed the past two weeks in her head. “She called the night of the ultrasound to thank us for the watch.” Julie had found the waterproof watch a few weeks earlier, after Ivy had talked about going to a beach for the summer to clear her mind once the baby was born. The card attached read, Have the Time of your Life.
“How ‘bout since?” Danny’s rigid posture had her on guard.
“She’s returned my calls, but I haven’t spoken with her. She’s busy studying for finals, and when she does call, it seems to be when I’m working. Why are you asking? What do you know?”
Danny frowned. “Is she calling you at home? Or on your cellular?”
“At home. Danny, what do you know?” Julie snapped, not noticing or caring about the prying eyes of other diners.
With brows pulled tight, Danny rubbed his hand through his hair. “Honey, I don’t know anything. But at the ultrasound appointment, I got a strange vibe after the technician announced that Ivy was carrying a boy. Something changed, and I couldn’t put my finger on it. I’m just scared, Jules. I’m worried that—”
“No,” Julie interrupted. “Don’t go there, babe. Please, don’t go there. That’s our baby, our son. Ivy is a young girl who has no plan, no support, and no clue. She’ll do what’s right for the baby.”
Danny nodded. His Adam’s apple bobbed as Julie forced air into her lungs.
“You’re right,” he finally said. However, there was no conviction in his face or his voice.
###
FOR FIVE DAYS and nights, Julie attempted to contact Ivy. She left messages on the young woman’s answering machine, and when no calls were returned, Julie contacted the adoption agency.
“What’s up, beautiful?”
Just the tone of Danny’s gravelly voice through the phone settled the nerves that had been churning in Julie’s stomach for the past ten minutes. “I just spoke with Ilene at the agency.” Julie barely recognized her own brittle tone.
“Go on.”
“She, umm, she’s got several appointments today but will be back in her office at five and would like to speak with us. Says we can either go see her there or talk with her over the phone.” Bile rose up Julie’s esophagus, threatening to escape, but she swallowed it back, refusing to make a scene at work.
“Julie, listen to me,” Danny spoke in a low voice. She knew he did that so she’d have no choice but to calm down and listen to what he was going to say. “I’ll be with you for that five o’clock call. I’ll come get you and bring you home. I do not want you driving, you understand? If you’re too upset, frustrated, angry, or just don’t want to be at work for any reason, call me and I’ll come get you. I can think of at least ten different ways we can spend our afternoon that will leave us exhausted but have nothing to do with work.”
Some flirtation was added to the command, but it wasn’t the playfulness she was used to. It felt forced, contrived, and she knew her husband was as scared as she was.
“Okay, sweetie.” I can fake flirty for his sake too. “I’ll tell Ilene to call us at home at five. And Danny, only ten things? Really?” She tsked. “I’m disappointed.”
His chuckle warmed what had been cold inside her since her talk with the agency worker. “I’m yours, Julie.”
“I love you, Danny.”
“Thank God for that.” The call ended, and Julie sighed. It was bound to be a long day.
Ever since it was decided that Julie’s position at O’Brian’s would be filled by Chris and moving the head waitress, Renee, up to floor manager, her work had become even more entertaining. For years, Julie had known Sheila and Chris as a strong couple, supportive of each other, and fun to be around. But with Chris working as an accountant and a volunteer firefighter, something he and Danny bonded over from the get-go, he’d never spent much time at the bar. Julie had feared how spending large quantities of time together would affect him and Sheila, but it only seemed to bring them closer together. Sheila was more relaxed, less tired, and when Chris walked into the room, her smile reached her eyes before it ever touched her lips.
“Hey, lady,” Chris called from the hall that led to the office. “It’s time for your break. Let Renee handle the front, and you come eat with Sheila and me.”
Suspicious, Julie asked, “Did Danny call you? Maybe ask you to keep an eye on me?”
Chris’s brows shot to his hairline. “I’m appalled. You act as if we never eat together, Julie.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, Julie continued to stare at him.
“Okay, fine, he may have called and requested some extra eyes on you. But you know damn well that Sheel and I love you like a sister. So get your ass back here and eat with us.”
Even with her gut wrapped in knots, Chris’s quirky invitation was too sweet to turn down. Julie giggled. “Okay, since you asked so sweetly.”
Over burgers and fries Julie opened up to her friends about what had been going on with Ivy. She explained that she hadn’t shared her worries sooner because discussing it even with her closest friend made everything feel too real. She’d been avoiding the topic as much as she could while trying her best to get in touch with Ivy.
As best friends did, Sheila and Chris came up with multiple reasons why everything would be “just fine.” They were so convincing that by the time Danny came to pick her up at four o’clock, Julie was certain that their worry was for naught. She spent the ride from work to their home relaying all of Sheila and Chris’s perfectly rational excuses. The problem was, they didn’t sound nearly as logical coming from her. Shit. What the hell was going to happen at five o’clock?
***
HAD IT NOT been so pathetic, it may have been comical the way Danny and Julie sat—huddled close, bodies touching, breaths mingling—yet not the slightest ripple of sexual current flowed between them. Two cordless phones lie inches away on the coffee table. Thank goodness neither of them could shoot laser beams from their eyes, or the phones would have disintegrated fifteen minutes earlier.
“She said she’d call at five.” Julie huffed, looking once again at her watch.
Danny cracked his knuckles as the sofa cushion shook beneath him. Julie’s knee had been bouncing as if she were a kid on a pogo stick since the moment they sat down, and with each passing minute, the spring increased. He rested his hand on her knee. “Honey, she’s gonna call. And when she does, I don’t wanna be seasick. Can you please settle?”
“Sorry, I’m just…” She shrugged, and worry etched her creamy skin. “You know.”
“I do. I—” His thoughts were cut off when the phones rang loudly, sending them each scrambling for a headset.
The conversation wasn’t long. In fact, it was barely a conversation at all. For the most part, Ilene spoke and Danny and Julie listened. The agency worker explained that Ivy had decided to keep her baby and wouldn’t give him up no matter what. She and her parents had worked out an agreement, and they would help her once the baby arrived.
“But”—Danny’s heart cracked as his wife whispered—“he’s our baby.”
“I’m so sorry, Julie. I really am. I know how long you both have waited for this. I can put you back on the list,” Ilene offered.
Danny’s gut clenched at the mere thought of that goddamn list. He squeezed his eyes closed and cupped his hand over his wife’s, but he stayed quiet. If she needed to continue on this journey, he’d stand by her side, but he…he was wiped out. He opened his eyes when she squeezed his hand. Through her tear-filled eyes, he saw something he hadn’t seen before. Before he could determine what it was, she spoke.
“No,” she croaked. “Don’t put us back on the list, Ilene.”
He nodded his approval, grateful that she felt the same way and heartbroken that they would never have the family they so desired.
“We’re done,” she said.
The agency worker rambled on a few minutes longer, but Danny had stopped listening, his attention focused solely on the woman next him. Her eyes were stormy gray with tears already falling across her downturned features. Danny slid from the sofa to the carpeted floor and crawled between his wife’s legs. The minute Julie bid farewell to Ilene, he took the phone from her grip and, without clicking it off, pushed it aside. On his knees, Danny was only a few inches taller than her, but when he opened his arms and she leapt into his embrace, those inches felt like feet.
“He was ours.” Her thin voice vibrated into his chest. “I already loved him, you know?”
God, he knew. He absolutely fucking knew. “Yeah, honey, I loved him too.”
“I meant what I said to Ilene. I can’t do this anymore.”
Danny’s heart pounded. He felt her pain on a visceral level, as if they were connected by more than just love and last name.
His gut shredded when she said, “I’m sorry I couldn’t give you a family. I’m so sorry.”
“Oh, Jules.” Pulling her tight to his chest, he inhaled deeply. Gardenias and Julie filled his senses as he kissed her soft forehead. “Woman, you are my family. When are you going to learn? I love you, honey. I’m yours.”
“And I’m yours.”
