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It was one thing to sleep with her, to knock her up and have a child with her. But to think such permanent thoughts seemed like going over the line. It had him feeling hot and cold at the same time.
Seeking her steadying, solid presence, he pulled her close and simply held her. "I didn't desert you," he spoke against her hair.
Her body went tense in his arms, and he knew he'd struck a nerve. She had thought he'd left. But she merely pulled back a fraction to look into his eyes. "I never said you had."
"I was upset and, yes, scared and I just... I needed... I don't know. I just needed to step back and clear my head, figure out what to do next."
"I told you, you didn't need to do anything, Malloy. You're not—"
"Stop pissing me off," he hissed, clutching her chin and forcing her to look up at him. "I didn't leave you. I checked on you every freaking day. I had officers driving by to make sure things looked fine. I just couldn't pull into your driveway. I didn't know if you were going to kick me out or give me the beating I deserved. I..."
"Raith," she said quietly when the words became choked in his throat. His eyes slid to hers. She touched his face. "It doesn't matter. You're here now."
"I was always there," he promised. "We're having a baby together, Willow. I'm going to be a parent with you. Whatever we have to face regarding Bubble, we do it as a team. Fifty-fifty. This is our child. Not yours. Not mine. Ours."
Willow looked a little stunned by his impassioned words, but it didn't take long for a slow smile to spread over her face.
She gave a small nod and whispered, "I like the sound of that." Then she let out a little exclamation of pleasure and launched herself at him, kissing him full on the mouth.
He caught her, and they both stumbled against the wall of the hallway.
"God, you feel good," he murmured, sliding his lips and tongue up her jaw.
"Raith," she gasped, lifting her face to expose more of her throat. "What... what're you doing?"
He smiled and moved closer until they were pressed together, knee to hip to chest. "I'm following your dad's example."
She was explosively hot in his arms. He wanted to burn up in flames and sizzle for weeks, with nothing but Willow and a bed... or against a wall—a wall remarkably like the one he was currently maneuvering her toward.
; "Raith," she gasped. "We can't... the party..."
He growled and covered her breast with his hand. She whimpered. "Your mom gave in to your dad a lot easier than this, you know."
Letting out an outraged yelp, Willow struggled to get loose. But he merely kissed her some more, all the while sliding his hands down her body until he reached the hem of her dress. Once there, he picked up her leg and skimmed his fingers up her thigh, inside the skirt until he encountered silk panties. From there on, she was putty in his hands.
Twenty Five
They were both winded as they strolled back to the party. Holding Raith's hand, Willow drifted through the crowds and grinned at every person as if she'd just had the best orgasm of her life... which she very well might have, he thought grumpily as he once again readjusted his pants.
His own throbbing erection still hadn't gone down, even after he scrubbed the scent of Willow off his fingers. The line on his wrist where the waistband of her panties had left a mark remained. Raith smiled to himself with pure masculine accomplishment as he glanced at the red crease and lifted his other hand to rub at it.
"Cut it out," she hissed beside him, grabbing his hand and pushing it down to his side, out of sight.
He chuckled and moved closer to her so he could smell her hair.
God, he was crazy where Willow DeVane was concerned. Anyone could've come along and caught them with her dress up around her waist and his hand hidden in her... he shivered thinking about the moment afterward when she promised to return the favor later.
"Raith," she muttered, her face turning a dull red as she glanced over his shoulder as if to check if anyone was watching them. "Stop looking at me like that."
Grinning, he slid even closer until their faces were almost touching. "And how am I looking at you?"
She lifted her eyes. His stomach dropped to his knees. Didn't matter how much he fought it, this woman was his life, his very soul.
"How much longer do we have to stay?" he asked huskily.
Willow licked her lips and darted a glance around. "We should probably stay 'til the end."
