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*
Taylor and Justin had agreed it would be best to postpone a tropical honeymoon until after they'd both fully recovered from surgery and Taylor's B&B and Justin's new lab had the kinks worked out. But they were able to sneak away for one perfect day and night at Safari West, a safari park set on four hundred acres in Sonoma County. They loved sleeping in a luxurious tent cabin that had been shipped in from Africa and then touring the property in a Jeep to see cheetahs, giraffes, warthogs, and wildebeests. Even better was their night of breathtakingly sexy--and romantic--lovemaking.
Now, on the day of the transplant, the staff at UC Davis were going out of their way to make them feel comfortable and at ease. It should have been the most frightening day of Taylor's life, but with their parents and siblings all there, including her brother, Austin, who had stuck around after the wedding to help out at the B&B for a couple of weeks, it felt almost like a party.
Granted, a recently married couple didn't normally get stuck with a bunch of needles and sliced open during a party...
Too soon, it was time to head into pre-op. Taylor and Justin held hands as they were hooked up to IVs on side-by-side hospital beds.
The anesthesia was slowly being administered as Justin said, "Don't be nervous."
Even as he began to swim before Taylor's eyes, he was still the most handsome man in the world. "I'm not," she promised him in a slightly slurred voice. "How many wives get to have a piece of their husband inside of them?"
He grinned, just as she'd known he would. And even the drugs taking hold couldn't keep the wickedness--or the pure love--from his gaze as he said, "I'm all yours, Taylor. Forever."
*
Though Justin's surgery would take place several hours before Taylor's, they had asked to share a recovery room so that she wouldn't have to wait to see him when she woke up. Logically, he understood he would have to wait several hours for her to come out of surgery--but it turned out that there was a huge difference between knowing something on a rational level and actually having to live through it.
As soon as he woke up from the anesthesia, Justin's family came in to keep him company. But even their deliberately cheerful chatter couldn't change the fact that time had never gone so slowly--or felt so agonizing. Once three and a half hours had passed, Justin could no longer deny that he was on the verge of losing it.
Why wasn't Taylor out of surgery yet? Had something happened to her? Was her body rejecting his kidney? Or worse?
At the thought of losing her, he swore his heart stopped beating. Just came to a complete halt. Without Taylor...
God, no, he couldn't even imagine it. Couldn't let himself spin out into panic either, not when they were so close to what he hoped would be the end of pain and fear.
The nurses had ushered out his family so that he could rest, but how could he sleep when he was desperate for news of Taylor? He was about to reach for the call button when a nurse pushed open the door.
And wheeled Taylor inside.
Seeing that he was awake, the nurse smiled at him. "How are you feeling, Mr. Morrison?"
His body felt remarkably fine, considering he'd just come out of surgery. But he couldn't honestly answer her question until he knew if Taylor's surgery had been a success. "How is she?"
"Your wife is doing great," she replied as though he should have expected nothing else. "She will probably sleep for the next hour or so, and then the transplant surgeon will come in and give you both the full update. There were a couple of unexpected complications during her surgery, but it was nothing the transplant team couldn't handle--and nothing that should have either of you the least bit worried. Now, why don't you try to get some rest?"
But he didn't want to miss the moment when Taylor woke up. Thankfully, the nurse put their hospital beds directly beside each other. Scooting to the edge of his, he reached across for Taylor's hand, relieved to feel how warm it was.
Somehow, he managed to keep his eyes open for long enough to see her eyelids flutter open--and a smile curve her lips.
She didn't speak, but she didn't need to.
The love in her eyes told him everything he needed to hear.
EPILOGUE
Six weeks later...
Their doctors' orders were crystal clear: After being sent home from the transplant center with matching five-inch scars, Taylor and Justin were supposed to take it easy to ensure the best possible recovery. They were strictly forbidden to lift anything heavier than ten pounds. They needed to eat nourishing food filled with vitamins. And getting eight hours of sleep every night was imperative.
Only, after six weeks of good behavior, it was getting harder and harder for Taylor to fall asleep at night. Of course she loved how Justin held her in his arms, stroking her hair as he coaxed her to fall asleep. But in some ways, that made her insomnia worse--she longed for him to stroke more than just her hair. Maybe she was being melodramatic, but she swore her skin actually ached for his touch.
Tonight was the first night her B&B was empty since she had opened for business. It would fill up tomorrow afternoon, but for one night, she had Justin all to herself, with no chance of anyone interrupting them. And she was bound and determined to make the most of every second with her husband.
She looked at herself in the mirror one last time, making sure everything was in place, before she headed out of her bedroom, picking up the box on the kitchen counter on her way out to the garden.
Justin was trimming the lavender plants around the edges of her garden, and the scent was heady. Nowhere near as heady, however, as the sight of the man she loved working in the fading sunlight with no shirt on and a pair of jeans slung low on his hips.
God, he was gorgeous. And even though it was still hard to believe--all hers.
Finally, he spotted her, doing a double take and nearly dropping his shears. "Taylor?"
Gratified at the way he barely got out her name, she continued to make her way across the garden to him, only pausing to put the box on the table beneath the pergola. "I was thinking it would be nice to take a break and share a little treat in the garden."
"A treat?" Again, his words were hoarse. And his eyes were huge as he ran them down, then back up, her body. "You're gorgeous."
After so many years of thinking Justin would never be interested in her, it was gratifying to know that he would always think she was beautiful, no matter what she was wearing, whether or not she had makeup on, or had even brushed her hair. But that didn't mean it wasn't fun to knock his socks off from time to time.
Earlier in the week, she'd gone into the lingerie shop on Main Street and made a purchase. Her cheeks had flamed the entire time--the woman ringing her up had to know what her intentions were for something so sheer, so daring. But a few moments of embarrassment in front of a stranger were well worth it if it meant she could convince Justin that their convalescence should be nothing more than a distant memory.
"So are you," she said, her voice husky at the thought of all the delicious things she wanted to do to him.
She took the shears from his hands and put them down, then slid her fingers through his and led him over to the outdoor table. Once there, she all but pushed him onto the cushioned seat, then climbed onto his lap so that she was straddling him.
Quickly, she reached for the box and opened it up. "Doughnut?" She held up the enormous chocolate confection, not waiting for his response before lifting it to her lips and taking a bite.
Mmmm, it was good, the perfect hit of sugar, the only "bad" thing she'd had to eat in weeks. But it was so much better when Justin threaded one hand into her hair, then pulled her mouth down to his and licked the chocolate off her lips.
"Want another bite?" Her head was spinning when he finally let her mouth go, and not from the sugar rush. This rush was all Justin.
"Hell yes. But not of the doughnut." He put it back in the box. "You're the only treat I want." His free hand slid over her hips to pull her closer, and she moaned softly at the feel of him b
etween her thighs. "I've been counting the days. Six weeks is a hell of a long time."
"Too long," she agreed as she tried to get even closer. "What do you suggest we do about it?"
"Funny you should ask," he said, his eyes lit with a wicked gleam. "Because I've had a fantasy ever since the day you first brought me out into this garden."
