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He released his seat belt and turned to her, reaching out to gently cup her cheek and capture her attention. “Nina…” His eyes glowed with commanding intensity, and his voice was furred with deep emotion. “I love you. I don’t say that lightly. Let me show you….”
He leaned over. Before she could even think of stopping him, his mouth claimed hers with a seductive, tender yearning t
hat melted any resistance she might have mustered if it had been a storming kiss. It was so gentle, so sweet, a sensitive tasting, begging a response, not trying to force one.
She ached for more, the emptiness of all the lonely months without him surging into a desperate need to be filled, to have doubts and fears obliterated by a flood of love so overwhelming it could carry everything in its stride. Her lips moved instinctively, encouraging, inviting, hungry for what he was offering, blindly seeking the reassurance of the passion she had known with him.
She lifted her hand to his chest, loving the warmth and strength she could feel through the light fabric of his shirt, the exciting thud of his heart, beating hard and fast with his need for her. It was the same as before.
Intoxicated by the wonderful familiarity of touching him again, Nina slid her hand over the smooth roundness of his shoulder, up the strong column of his neck and tunnelled her fingers through the thick springiness of his hair, exulting in the tactile reality of what had become only a haunting dream.
Jack…his mouth filling hers with enthralling sensation, feasting on her eager response, drawing on the desire that had always exploded between them. It flowed now, a torrent of wanting that craved fulfilment. Her body trembled with the force of it, weakness draining through her legs, ripples of arousal spreading to her stomach, her breasts straining to be caressed and held.
Slowly, reluctantly, Jack leashed the power of the passion they shared, leaving her still pulsing with sensation as he drew back, breathing roughly yet stroking her cheek and lips with feather-light fingertips. She dizzily opened her eyes, breathless, wavering between a protest at his parting from her and a plea for what had started to be finished.
He looked anguished. “I could have been with you all this time….”
She didn’t want to look back. She wanted…
“I would have been, Nina, if only you’d told me.”
Was that true? Had she robbed them of what should have been? This magic that was theirs?
His eyes swore it was so. “I wouldn’t have let anything get in the way of what we have together.”
Her desire-drenched mind thrilled to the constancy he avowed…until slowly, inexorably, it grasped the logic of what he was saying.
He wouldn’t let Charlotte get in the way.
Which surely meant he would resent their child if she did. It was all too easy to forget her, not take her into account at all while she slept, a silent, non-interfering presence. But it wouldn’t stay like that.
“Charlotte.” It was a husky croak, loaded with the guilt of her own forgetfulness.
“She’s okay for a minute or two.”
“No.” Nina scrabbled for the release mechanism on her seat belt, jerking her head away from Jack’s tempting touch and dropping her gaze from the heart-searing heat of his. “I don’t want to talk about this now, Jack. I want to get unpacked and settled into my flat again.”
“I wasn’t blaming you for the decision you made, Nina, just regretting the waste of time,” he said softly. “It’s made me very conscious of not wasting any more of it.”
“Fine! Let’s get moving.”
The seat belt zipped away. She opened the passenger door and leapt out of the cabin before Jack could detain her further. Her legs almost crumpled under her. She had to hang onto the door to steady herself. The physical upheaval of giving birth to a baby was debilitating enough without adding sexual and emotional upheavals.
Nina instantly vowed to keep Jack at a firm distance until she could gauge his real reactions to having a baby in their lives. She didn’t want to be torn in two by conflicting loves. If she gave in to what she felt for Jack now, it would only make everything ten times worse if she had to part from him for Charlotte’s sake.
“Are you all right?” he asked in concern.
“Yes.” Apart from being hopelessly vulnerable to you, she added, silently railing at her weakness. She scooped her handbag from the floor in front of the passenger seat, shut the door and leaned against it, willing herself to be strong as Jack alighted from the driver’s side.
He didn’t press her. Much to Nina’s relief, he set about the business of releasing Charlotte’s capsule and collecting her suitcase from the back of the Rover. He carried both, leaving Nina to lead the way down the side path to her flat at the back of Sally’s house. Her legs were still shaky, but she managed the walk with some dignity, grateful that Jack had assumed the role of porter.
All the lights were on, a welcoming gesture from Sally, no doubt. Nina unlocked the door and waved him inside, acutely conscious of the danger inherent in letting Jack invade her home, yet aware of how unfair and ungracious it would be to deny him entry. He would respect her wishes, she assured herself. All she had to do was take control of the situation and remain firm, no matter how persuasive Jack set out to be.
“Straight into the bedroom?” he asked quietly, nodding at Charlotte.
“Yes, please,” she whispered, flushing at the reminder of having shared a bedroom with him many times in the past.
Having been let in by Sally to provision the refrigerator earlier today, Jack was clearly familiar with the layout of the flat. Nina watched him manoeuvre the capsule and suitcase down the narrow hall, past the bathroom and laundry. The bedroom door was open. There was no need for Nina to accompany him or follow him. Better to keep her distance.
