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“Listen up, kid. You and I need to come to an accommodation. Give your mum a good rest tonight, and tomorrow I’ll introduce you to my dog. How’s that, Spike?”
A bark of approval.
“We’ll be having a few changes around here soon, Spike. I’ve got myself a family. Well, almost. Nina’s holding out on marrying me, but I’m sticking in there, and sooner or later she’ll say yes.”
He bent to give his faithful companion a good ruffle behind the ears. “Happy days are coming, Spike. We might even get a little dog for you to boss around and lick into shape for Charlie girl. You are a bit big for her.”
The growl could have been pleasure from the scratching, but Jack saw a doubtful gleam in the beady brown eyes.
“You’re right. I’m big, too. The trick is to be gentle with her. No rough stuff. Okay?”
Spike nodded.
“Good dog. Come on. It’s early dinner again for you, but I got a great bone from the butcher to make up for it. Lots of meat left on it.”
Bone was the magical word. Spike perked up and pranced towards the staircase, his great bushy tail swishing with eagerness. Jack was just as eager as his dog. They raced down the stairs together, barking and laughing.
Once in the kitchen, Jack wasted no time in handing over the special treat. Spike growled his delight and approval and retreated to his corner to gloat over it. Hours of gourmet pleasure in this bone. He watched his water dish being filled and was content. This man was definitely the best of all possible friends. He even smelled good.
“Well, Spike,” he said, “I’m off now. Wish me luck.”
Having been given his heart’s delight, Spike howled encouragement.
“Right on, Spike. Tonight could be the night.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
NINA settled Charlotte for the night, fussing with the bunny rug, delaying the moment when she’d have to face Jack alone with no more responsibilities to claim her attention. At least, not for hours. It was only ten-thirty. Sometimes Charlotte slept through until almost three o’clock.
It wasn’t as though she didn’t want to make love with him, and the doctor had assured her there was no reason to hold back, yet a host of inhibitions were crowding her mind and playing havoc with her nerves, making her tense and apprehensive. She simply couldn’t put aside the fact that it wasn’t the same as it had been before she fell pregnant with Charlotte.
She wasn’t carefree. She didn’t have only herself to consider. Most of all, she was afraid that having sex wouldn’t feel as satisfying as it should, either to her or to Jack. Giving birth to a baby had to have caused some physical difference, and if making love was a disaster, it would be awful.
As she straightened up from Charlotte’s capsule she flashed a smile at Jack, who had accompanied her into the bedroom, ostensibly to say good night to his daughter. “I have to go to the bathroom. Won’t be long.”
She fled before he could say anything, shutting herself in the bathroom like a panic-stricken virgin. It was ridiculous. Jack had been so patient, understanding, kind and thoughtful. She loved him. And tonight he was so excitingly attractive she’d barely been able to eat any dinner. Her stomach kept curling. Even the smell of his aftershave lotion had a tantalising appeal.
Aware that she was slightly sticky from breastfeeding, Nina whipped off her dressing gown and panties and stepped under the shower. Perhaps a warm spray all over would help her relax. Feeling freshly clean was an appealing idea, too, although she had showered before Jack’s arrival this evening.
Her breasts weren’t so tight since Charlotte had taken her fill. They weren’t a worry. Fortunately, her skin was not disfigured by stretch marks, although she hadn’t regained good muscle tone yet. The flesh on her abdomen felt slightly loose to her. Would Jack notice? It shouldn’t matter, she sternly told herself. All in all, she was in good shape.
Except for the stretching inside. There was surely some. Her internal muscles had to be fairly elastic to have coped with a baby’s passage, but Nina doubted they were as good as new again. What if she was, well, spongy? She wished Sally had had children. She could have asked her about it. Her doctor had said there was nothing to worry about, but he was a man. It was times like these when a woman needed a mother who cared enough to have an intimate discussion with her daughter.
Nina sighed and turned off the taps. She vowed to be on hand when Charlotte grew up and had a baby. Her daughter was not going to lack a sympathetic female ear, nor the loving reassurance a mother could give. There were many problems in being a woman. Many pleasures, too.
As she towelled herself dry, Nina concentrated on the pleasures. She didn’t want to spend the rest of her life in a sexual vacuum. Jack was a great lover. Impossible to imagine anyone better. He really cared about making her feel good, and he knew how to do it.
Whether he turned into a loving father to Charlotte or not, Nina reasoned she owed it to herself to extend the loving experience with Jack, as long as he wasn’t stirring up tensions and problems with their child. Tonight was the night. If she didn’t jump this self-conscious barrier about her body, it was only going to get bigger and bigger in her mind. Maybe she should suggest dancing. Jack had a very seductive way of making her forget things when he danced with her.
Nina slid on the Christian Dior dressing gown again. She looked at her panties and decided no. She was going to do it. Make love with Jack, no matter what. Barriers were out. She moved over to the vanity bench and slid open the mirror cabinet above it. She took out the tiny bottle of perfume Sally had given her the morning after Charlotte was born, saying it was to remind her she was still a woman, as well as a mother.
Spellbound, by Estee Lauder. She dabbed some on her pulse points. It had a sexy scent. Definitely sexy. Jack would certainly get the message. No backing off tonight.
Nina returned the bottle to the shelf, slid the mirror door shut, took a deep breath and left the bathroom on a wave of unshakable determination and a waft of telling perfume. She heard Jack’s voice in the bedroom. Without hesitation she went to join him.
“That’s it, Charlie girl,” he was saying as she walked in, his voice low and intense.
“What’s it?” Nina asked curiously. Jack had a weird way of talking to Charlotte, as though she understood everything he said. Nina sometimes wondered if it was a subconscious defence against his dislike of babies. If he spoke to Charlotte as though she were an adult, she wasn’t one of them.
