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“Oh, Zane . . .”
“Tiffany, please. Listen. I want you to marry me.”
The words settled in the kitchen and echoed in Tiffany’s mind. Her knees gave way and she fell against him. “I want you to be my wife, bear my children, stand at my side. . . .” He kissed the top of her head. “I want you to be with me forever.”
She felt the tears stream down her face, and she wondered if they were from joy or sadness. “I can’t,” she choked. “I can’t until I know for certain that Ellery is dead.”
Zane’s back stiffened. “I thought you were convinced.” “I am.” Her voice trembled. “But what if there’s a chance that he’salive?”
His arms wrapped around her in desperation, and he buried his head into the hollow of her shoulder. “I’ll find out,” he swore, one fist clenching in determination. “Once and for all, I’ll find out just what happened to your husband.”
“And if he’s alive?” she whispered.
“He’ll wish he were dead for the hell he’s put you through.”
She shook her head and pushed herself out of his possessive embrace. “No, Zane. If Ellery’s alive, he’s still my husband.”
“A husband who used and betrayed you.” Anger stormed in his eyes, and his muscles tensed at the thought of Ellery Rhodes claiming Tiffany as his wife after all these years.The man couldn’t possibly be alive!
“But my husband nonetheless.”
“You’re still in love with him,” he charged.
“No,” she admitted, closing her eyes against the traitorous truth. “The only man I’ve ever loved is you.”
Zane relaxed a bit and gently kissed her eyelids. “Trust me, Tiffany. Trust me to take care of you, no matter what happens in the future.” He reached for her and savagely pressed her body to his, lowering his head and letting his lips capture hers.
Willingly, her arms encircled his neck, and she let her body fit against his. The warmth of him seemed to seep through her clothes and generate a new heat in her blood.
When his tongue rimmed her lips, she shuddered. “I love you, Zane,” she murmured as her breath mingled and caught with his. “And I want to be with you.”
He leaned over and placed an arm under the crook of her knees before lifting her off the floor and carrying her out of the kitchen. She let her head rest against his shoulder and wondered at the sanity of loving such a passionate man. Zane’s emotions, whether love or hate, ran deep.
Carefully he mounted the stairs and carried her to her bedroom. Rain slid down the windows and the room was illuminated only by the shadowy light from the security lamps near the barns. “I never wanted to fall in love with you,” he admitted as he stood her near the bed and his fingers found the knot to the belt of her robe. Slowly the ties loosened, and he pushed the robe over her shoulders to expose the satiny texture of her skin.
She was naked except for a silky pair of panties. Zane kissed her lips, the hollow of her throat, the dark stiffening tips of each gorgeous breast as he lowered himself to his knees.
She wanted to fall to the floor with him, but his hands held her upright as slowly he removed the one scanty piece of cloth keeping her from him. His fingers lingered on her skin and rubbed her calves and thighs as he kissed her abdomen, moistening the soft skin with his tongue. His eyes closed, and Tiffany felt his eyelashes brush her navel. Tingling sensations climbed upward through her body, heating her blood as it raced through her veins.
The heat within her began to turn liquid as his tongue circled her navel. Tiffany’s knees felt weak, and if it hadn’t been for the strong arms supporting her, she would have slid to the floor and entwined herself with him.
Zane’s hands reached upward and touched the pointed tip of one swollen breast. It hardened expectantly against the soft pressure of his fingers and Tiffany closed her eyes against the urge to lie with him. Zane groaned against her abdomen, and his hot breath warmed her skin.
“Zane,” she pleaded, the sound coming from deep in her throat as her fingers caught in his black hair. “Love me.”
“I do, sweet lady,” he murmured against her skin, his warm hands pressing against the small of her back, pushing her closer to him.
As if in slow motion, he forced her backward, and she fell onto the bed. Her hair splayed against the comforter in tangled disarray. Her cheeks were flushed, as were her proud breasts with their alluring dark peaks.
As she watched him, Zane quickly removed and discarded his clothes. When completely naked, he came to her. Lying beside her elegant nude body, he caught his fingers in the silken tresses of her hair and rolled atop her. Corded male muscles strained against hers as he captured one blossoming nipple in his mouth. His tongue slid enticingly over the soft mound, and she cradled his head against her, moaning in contentment as he suckled. Her breasts, swollen with desire, ached for his soothing touch, yearned for the tenderness of his lips and tongue.
“Tiffany, I love you,” he vowed as his hands roved over her skin, exploring the exquisite feel of her. His lips murmured words of love against her ear, forcing the heat within her to expand until she could stand the torment no longer.
“Please,” she whispered into his ear, her fingers running over the smooth skin of his upper arms and back, feeling the ripple of solid muscles as he positioned himself above her. “Now!”
The ache in his loins throbbed for release, and he took her eagerly, becoming one with her in the heated splendor of his love. His lovemaking was violent, explosive, as he claimed her for his own and purged from her body forever any thoughts of the one man who had betrayed them both.
Tiffany soared to the heavens, her soul melding with Zane’s as the clouds of passion burst open and showered her in hot bursts of satiation. She shuddered against his hard male frame; her love for him was complete and infinite. Trliany knew that no matter what the future held, she would never stop loving him.
