It didn’t take long for the passion to intensify between
them. Their bodies began to strain with the need to get closer. The heat became
unbearable. Whether he intended it or not, Mike moved until Emma was sandwiched
between him and the wall. She almost cried out when he broke the kiss off.
“God, I’ve missed you!” were the first words to pass through
his lips. “More than I thought possible.”
“I missed you too,” she breathed huskily, trembling against
him. “So very much.”
“It didn’t look that way when Pete was kissing you; he’s
damn lucky I didn’t deck him.”
“You wanted to kill him,” Emma corrected with confidence,
smiling as she recalled his fierce expression. “It was the mistletoe.”
“Mistletoe, hell! He made damn sure I was looking your way
when he grabbed you and planted one on you.”
“You think you’re the only man allowed to kiss me?” She
leaned back far enough to meet his eyes. The hallway they were in was gloomy,
but the small window in the door leading to where the party was emitted enough
light so she was able to see him clearly.
He seemed to hesitate, unsure of himself. “After how I
treated you that morning, do I have that right?”
He had that right and more as far as Emma was concerned.
“What are you doing, Mike?” Lonely weeks had passed since they’d last seen each
other. There’d been no phone calls, nothing. “Is this a case of just running
into each other at a social event?”
The look of guilt on his face was Emma’s answer but he
quickly smoothed it over by saying, “If it hadn’t happened tonight I promise
you it would have tomorrow. I’d made up my mind to call you.”
Her heart skipped a beat at his admission but she carefully
schooled her expression so as not to give it away. “Why?”
“I love you,” he said without hesitation, as if those three
little words explained everything.
Emma wasn’t about to assume anything. “You’ve said that
before,” she reminded him, ignoring the thrill his words produced. “And the
last time you brought me home and just walked away.”
“I’m not going to walk away this time, honey.” Mike’s tone
was rough, filled with strong conviction. “I can’t.”
Emma gasped as a seed of suspicion began to take root in her
mind. “What do you mean, can’t?” Had he been talking to Amanda? “What about
your plans?”
“That was before…”
Now Emma was certain Amanda had told him something. “Before
what, Mike? How come all of a sudden you’ve changed your mind about us?” There
was no way she was going to accept him if he was only there because he had a
strong sense of doing the right thing. “Has Melissa miraculously skipped the
last few years and gone straight to eighteen?”
He appeared surprised over her reaction, a mild frown
furrowing his brows. “I was a fool before, and if you want the truth, running
scared. I’ve come to my senses…”
“Before or after you talked to Amanda?” she asked, moving away
from him. “Look, Mike, this isn’t the Middle Ages. I love you but I don’t need
you to take care of me. I raised Amanda…”
“What?”
He looked at Emma as if she were speaking a foreign
language.
The look that came over his face should have warned her that
he didn’t know what she was talking about, but she continued without taking a
breath.
“Just because I’m going to have a baby doesn’t mean you have
to do the noble thing. I don’t want you under those conditions.”
“I can’t pretend to know how to make things right between us
but…”
They’d spoken at the same time and all at once her words
registered with him.
“What?”
His bark sounded like a clap of thunder, clearly revealing
the truth that what she said had shocked him to the core.
“You’re pregnant?” he asked softly, a slight tinge of wonder
in his voice.
Emma stepped back nervously when she began to realize he was
hearing the news for the first time. “Yes,” she answered, watching him
carefully. At that moment it occurred to her that Mike had changed his mind
about them on his own, but she was careful to keep her emotions in check. It
was too soon to get her hopes up.
“How…”
She burst out laughing; she couldn’t help it. “You want a
lesson about the birds and the bees, Detective? There were a few times when protection
was the last thing on our minds.”
Mike’s answering grin was slow in coming, filling the depths
of his eyes with amusement in spite of the gravity of their discussion. “I was
going to say, how do you feel about it?”
“Oh.” Emma felt her cheeks grow warm. She was ecstatic over
having his baby. She could see in his eyes that her answer mattered to him. How
did he feel about becoming a father again, at his age?
As the silence grew between them, she knew she had to say
something, they couldn’t go on staring at each other. In the end she decided
honesty was the only recourse. “I want this baby, Mike, as much as I want you.
I couldn’t be happier.” Her voice caught. She was almost afraid to ask. “How do
you feel about it?”
An emotion flared in his eyes, a desperate sound escaping
him before he could rein it in, which revealed more than words. Losing control,
he crushed Emma against him as though never to let her go. For a moment there
was nothing but the soft muted sounds of the party swirling around them.
“You know I love you too, sweetheart,” he finally rasped.
“And I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.” He pulled back
enough to meet her eyes. “Will you forgive me for hurting you, Emma? Will you
put me out of my misery and marry me?”
Marry him? She hadn’t expected that, yet as quick as the
elation washed through her, reality hit her like a ton of bricks. “Because of
the baby?” She couldn’t bear it if that was the only reason he asked.
“Hell no!” Mike retorted heatedly, quickly putting her at
ease again. “I’m happy over having a baby with you. But I want you for my wife
for strictly selfish reasons.”
“Are you sure, Mike? Melissa is almost grown up. You’d be
starting over again, at an age when…” She couldn’t finish. Not while her mouth
was being devoured by his. However, the sweetly passionate kiss was ending all
too soon.
“Are you saying I’m not up to it?” he asked with mock
ferocity.
The devious gleam in his eyes caused a flutter in Emma’s
belly.
“Because if you are, there’s ways of proving my point.”
Emma’s heart sang for joy. “Why, Detective, that sounds like
a threat,” she returned, before nipping his chin playfully. She purred like a
cat when his hand glided from her neck down the curve of her breast, splaying
over her flat belly. His tender touch brought tears to her eyes.
“Well? What’s it going to be, honey? Are you going to make
an honest man out of me?” All of a sudden his expression turned to worry. “If
you need time to think about it…”
Mike’s words broke through the silken cocoon of euphoria
that gripped Emma. As she gazed into his eyes, her heart swelled with love for
him. She didn’t want him believing for one moment that she needed to think
about anything.
“Yes!” she nearly shouted, before kissing his face wherever
she could reach him until her mouth finally settled upon his for a brief kiss.
“As long as it’s okay with Melissa,” she continued, after pulling away.
“Oh, I don’t think we have anything to fear,” he responded,
with the crooked grin she loved so much.
When his gaze moved past her to the door, Emma swung around,
her eyes widening with surprise to see Melissa watching them through the small
window in the door. She had a smile on her face that stretched from ear-to-ear.
And standing right behind her was an ecstatic Amanda.
Emma turned back to Mike, surprised to see the faint
glistening of emotion in his eyes. Her heart overflowing with love, she raised
her hand, laying it upon his cheek as her own eyes filled with stinging moisture.
She opened her mouth to speak but before she could get a word out, he lowered
his head and kissed her, tenderly, passionately, holding nothing back.
It didn’t matter anyway. No other words were necessary.
Their fate was sealed now. She wound her arms around Mike’s neck, holding on
tightly as they began a journey into forever after.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tory Richards is the alter-ego of Debbie Wallace. Born in
Maine but living in Florida, writing has always been in her blood. Since
before computers and word processors, she would pen short stories on notebook
paper, until receiving her first manual typewriter at the age of thirteen.
Tory likes to travel, loves chocolate, good coffee and sweet
iced tea. She lives with her daughter and her family, and shares her
mother-in-law quarters with four furry felines.
You can read more about Tory Richards and her books at:
www.toryrichards.com
For your reading pleasure, we invite you to visit our web bookstore
TORRID BOOKS
www.torridbooks.com