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“It kind of was magic, wasn’t it?”
“I thought so. And in that office that day I think the magic made me kind of lose it for a second. I hadn’t planned to make any demands of you. I was only there to tell you I was going to fund your research, that was it.”
“No Rumpelstiltskin?”
“No, not even a little bargain with a minor demon. Until I saw you and wanted to find a way to be near you. As I said, I’d been thinking about having a child, even if I didn’t have a wife. I had investigated possibly hiring a surrogate, and so that’s why I thought of it, I believe, to tie surrogacy to the funding. And I figured that once our child was born, I might get another shot at reconciling with you.”
“That’s kind of crazy.”
“But mostly kind of romantic crazy.”
“I’ll go with romantic crazy.”
“Damn. I hope that’s not the whiskey talking.”
“You need to quit worrying about the scotch. I’m not that big a lightweight,” she said.
“I want to kiss you so badly.”
She unconsciously licked her lips. “Not yet.”
“Fine. But I think I’ve admitted to everything now. The story is told.”
“Almost. I want to know why you didn’t see me again, after we made the deal. We only spoke on the phone, or we Skyped or texted or whatever. But we didn’t meet in person again.”
“I thought you wanted it that way. And I accepted it so we could get to know each other,” he said. “Oh, when you went into labor, and I was told, I was absolutely beside myself. I was so happy but also worried that something might go wrong. I’d never felt anything like that in my entire life. Something about not only getting to see my child, but the opportunity to get a second chance with you filled my heart full. I didn’t get the chance for any of that, of course.”
“You don’t have to talk about that, Quint. I was always drawn to you, too. I respected how you’d changed and how you respected my wishes to keep us distant during the pregnancy. And after everything that’s happened with Hampton — I never could have held onto hope without your help. And I never could have gotten him back without you. You made me feel safe. Even in the darkest moments, you were there for me, telling me to believe that all would be well.”
Now was the time to confess, she thought. “I can’t imagine being away from you,” she said. “Not anymore.”
Chapter Forty
QUINT CAME AROUND THE BAR and took her in his arms. “I don’t want you to imagine it. If you’ll have me, we never have to be apart again, Amara.”
Having him pressed against her made her shudder. The sensation of firm pressure, the scent of his expensive cologne, the warmth of his touch, it all combined into a heady mix, igniting a fire inside her.
Amara looked deeply into his eyes and wrapped her arms around his thick neck. “You’ve changed my life in so many ways. I can’t bear the thought of living without you.”
“It’s time for that kiss now,” he said, staking a claim she wouldn’t deny.
Quint brought a hand to her cheek and leaned down, his eyes drifting closed as he pressed his lips softly to hers. Amara leaned into the kiss that deepened by the moment. Soon, their bodies were intertwined, Amara’s hand slipping up into Quint’s hair, her kiss as hungry and desperate as his.
She reflected for the barest moment on the last time they kissed this way, and how different it felt. Love had lingered barely below the surface, constantly kept down — Amara withholding her declaration out of fear and grief, Quint keeping his for Amara’s sake, knowing how conflicted she must feel with everything that was going on.
This kiss was different. It was pure — no worries at the back of their minds, nothing kept back from each other, an unclouded and unmistakable expression of their love, even if they hadn’t said the words.
They’d kept the promise that there would be no more lovemaking until they were home safe with Hampton. Now that everything was resolved, there was nothing holding them back.
Amara found the both of them moving toward the hallway, their bodies tugging them toward the master bedroom.
With reluctance, she pulled back from the kiss and motioned toward the bedroom. “Do you think we should …?” A playful smile was on her lips, and she knew what the answer was going to be.
“Absolutely.” He stripped off his suit jacket and tossed it over the back of a chair, hastily unbuttoning the sleeves of the dress shirt he wore and loosening the tie.
While he worked at getting out of his usual, complex outfit, Amara sauntered off toward the room, pulling her shirt off and stepping out of her skirt, leaving the gleaming, shimmering white of her satin bra and panties standing out on her fawn-colored skin.
Quint’s hand slowed two buttons down, his eyes transfixed on the swing of her hips, the soft curve of her back as she brought her arms up to slide her fingers through her hair.
