Secrets Of The Heart (Book 1, The Heart Series) (15 page)

The discipline, hard work, daily chores, thankless duties, and endless lessons in how to behave fell onto Bree’s small, overtaxed shoulders.

Nick cleared his throat. “He couldn’t have gotten a better man for the job.”

“That’s funny, that’s what Mommy said, too.” Sydney beamed a megawatt smile at him, and then did the same to her mother. “Oops, we almost forgot to say Amen.” She smacked her hand against her forehead and shook her head, saying, “Oh, brother.”

Nick chuckled, releasing some of his pent-up emotions. A weight lifted from his middle, shifting the darkness to a dull gray. Maybe if he continued to view things through Sydney and Bree’s perspective, their unusual perception of events, he’d become reacquainted with light and life once again.

***

“She’s asleep,” Bree whispered to him as she shut the door. The soft click sounded deafening in the ensuing silence.

Nick faced her as he stood on the landing. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he waited, unsure of what to do or say next.

She halted a few feet away, hugging her arms. The shadowed space concealed her usually expressive eyes so much so that Nick was at a lost on how to gauge her feelings.

She fidgeted with the wisps of hair caressing her neck, sending a need surging through Nick to do the same. “It’s been some night, hasn’t it?” she asked avoiding his stare.

“You can say that again.”

She giggled, an obvious escape of nerves.

Part relief, part empathy flowed through Nick’s middle. “Look, sweetness, let’s just forget about our earlier…ah… plans. We’ve been to heaven, to hell, then back again in only a few hours. We’ll pick up where we left off another time.”

“Heaven?”

He gulped hard. “Holding you in my arms and kissing you felt like it.”

She gasped, taking a tentative step toward him. “Me, too. But I thought I was the only one.”

He saw the sparkle of her eyes in the dim light. His heart beat picked up speed. He inched forward, and then halted, uncertain of his reception. “Maybe we shouldn’t be doing this,” he said, his voice taking on a deeper edge.

“You’re probably right. It’s a big mistake.” Her tone sounded breathy and he felt little darts of desire prick his core. But she drew closer, another small step.

“We should stop,” he mumbled as he too advanced.

She nodded. “Now.” With one last movement she stood toe to toe with him, only a few centimeters separated them.

Hesitantly, Nick lifted his hand and cupped her face. Her soft skin lured him and he rubbed his thumb over her cheek. “This is all wrong. The time, the atmosphere… Nothing is romantic or perfect the way it should be for you.”

She leaned close. “For
us.
”

Her heady scent filled his nostrils, stirring the tangle in his center. He lowered his head, his lips scant inches from hers. “We should wait.”

“You’re absolutely right.” She spoke the words against his lips. The hot, feathery strokes were his undoing.

Capturing her soft luscious lips, Nick brushed his back and forth against hers, eliciting whimpers from the back of her throat. The highly erotic sounds sent liquid warmth flooding Nick’s blood. His abdomen tightened, curling like a hot coil.

Bree melted into him as Nick licked open her lips with his tongue, finding hers. The warning bells in her head vanished. Only a lightheadedness remained.

She inhaled, detecting the clean masculine scent of him. The slightly rough texture of his fingertips on her skin caused a longing to burst forth. She wished for him to touch every part of her with his big warm hands, to bring her alive.

As he deepened the embrace, Bree’s knees buckled. She grabbed for him, hanging onto his solid strength. With one arm wrapped securely around her waist, Nick crushed her to him.

“Delicious,” he whispered when he ended the kiss, only to trail his lips along her jaw to her ear. Nick nibbled gently, and then slowly suckled the lobe.

Bree clung to his broad shoulders. Warmth surrounded her. His mouth tugged once again and a dagger of desire shot through her body like a lightning bolt. She quivered in response.

“Stop me now, sweetness, or I won’t be able to in a few minutes.” His hot breath on her neck fanned embers of a fire banked years ago.

Pressing her face into the curve where his neck and shoulder met, Bree whispered brokenly, “I’ve wanted this for so long, Nick. Please, don’t stop now.”

She absorbed the tremor that racked him, catching his sharp, indrawn breath. The rapid increase in his heart beat thumped erratically against her full breasts, and the sudden leap in his pulse strummed in the vein on his neck where her lips lay.

One moment she was on her feet, the next in Nick’s arms as he picked her up and strode to their bedroom, cradling her close to his wide chest. He kicked the door shut, the click resounding in her head, creating an even higher degree of intimacy in the dark room.

Gently, he placed her in the middle of the big bed, and then quickly joined her. She welcomed the weight of him pressing her into the mattress.

Shrouded in darkness, Bree’s other senses took over, heightening and anticipating his every move.

His hot, ragged breath fanned her face as he propped himself on his elbow. With his free hand, he caressed her hair, his thick fingers tunneling through the short length over and over again.

His tall, hard frame melded to hers. She inhaled sharply at his arousal pulsing against her thigh. His potent sandalwood scent heightened her senses, enticing her even more. She licked her lips, tasting him and longed for more.

“I’m shaking, Bree. Just being this close to you, with so few barriers, I’m a mass of nerves.”

His confession twisted her heart and gave her the courage to move forward. Blindly, she sought his face. She traced his features and smoothed away the tension.

“Me, too,” she confessed in a tight, breathy voice. “We do pretty good at kissing, don’t we? Why don’t we just start there and see what happens.”

He sucked in a breath. “You come up with some of the best ideas, sweetness.”

A smile pulled one corner of her mouth upward. He bent down and nibbled on her lips. The little bites only increased her desire to taste him fully. She put action to her thoughts and held his head firmly in her hands while deepening the embrace.

The slow, deep, wet kiss went on and on. Bree, lost in him, released all hold to reality. She welcomed the surrender to the magic, to the sensations coursing through her body.

Liquid heat mushroomed from her core and spread its heavenly tentacles to the far regions of her body. She relished the feel of Nick surrounding her, cradling her in his big protective arms.
Warmth. Safety.

Wanting him closer, Bree spanned his shoulders with her hands, drawing him nearer. Still not completely satisfied, she hugged him tightly, wishing to merge with the strength and breadth of this incredible man.

He moved his hands down her back. The hot imprint seared through the thin material of her blouse. His fingertips skimmed the space where hem and waist band parted, awakening nerve endings she didn’t know she’d possessed. She quivered, and then noted the answering tremble shoot through him.

When his slightly roughened thumb found her navel, she gasped and stilled. Breaking the long kiss, he repeated the gesture. She shook uncontrollably, clutching at his shoulders.

“Nick.”

“You’re so damn beautiful.”

The declaration, along with his husky voice, sent a thrill arrowing through her. No one had ever meant it as much as she sensed Nick did at this moment.

Tears pricked the backs of her eyes and the desire, mingled with a well of caring, encompassed her heart and soul.
Oh, to be cared for by this man.

The hungry desperation building inside her a moment ago, twisted and took on a new direction. Longing, sweet and aching, suffused her from head to toe like a tidal wave. Overwhelming emotion nearly choked off her reply, but she managed to swallow past it, saying, “I’m so lucky, Nick, to have you in my life.”

Tenderly, she kissed him, attempting to show him with actions rather than just words. He must have tuned into the change in her, because he gentled his own response. He stroked the entire length of her body, softly, slowly drawing out the hidden pockets of her passion.

Bree reveled in his adoration, soaking up the poignant caresses and murmurs. The constant neediness inside her finally quieted, getting a heavy dose of devotion to quell the ever present pebble gnawing at her middle.

Like exquisite torture, Nick carefully peeled her blouse and jeans from her, discarding them in a pile near the bed. He shrugged out of his shirt and rejoined her.

She gasped as his hair-covered chest brushed against her. Even with the scraps of silk and lace of her bra and panty set separating them, Bree felt every hot inch of his torso pressed into hers.

Heat rolled off of his body, drawing Bree closer to the fire within. Tentatively, as if she’d soon disappear, Nick touched her, sending tingles coursing through her veins. The reverent way he trailed his fingertips over her caused Bree to shake.

“So delicate,” Nick murmured in awe. “I’ve wanted to touch you like this since forever, sweetness.”

She shivered. The coil of yearning in her center curled a little tighter. “Can I…feel you, too?”

“God, yes.” It came out on a groan.

With a shaky hand, Bree reached up and felt his rock solid upper arm. “So much strength.”

“I’d never hurt you, you’ve got to believe that.”

A current of confidence took hold and she caressed him freely, delighting in the sheer magnificence of her husband. “I know.”

He trembled beneath her seeking fingers and a flare of feminine power surged through her like a thunder bolt. “Kiss me, Nick, and please don’t ever stop.”

“Never?” She heard the smile in his voice.

He captured her lips in a searing embrace, robbing her of rhyme or reason. An ache, low and deep, tugged at Bree’s center. The heat billowing inside of her grew to a fever pitch. But it was the flowering of her heart that stole the breath from her lungs and caused her to whimper.

Something inside her expanded, unfurling like a butterfly’s wings. A sense of being lifted higher and higher, taking over as if she soared.

Spellbound by the sensations coursing through her, Bree suddenly found herself nude beneath Nick’s naked body. Instead of being frightened by this, she delighted in the exquisite feel of his long, wide body sliding sensuously along her smaller, smoother one.

The tangy taste of his flesh as she brushed kisses over his face made her even more hungry for him. He was hot to the touch, the flame within burning as brightly as hers.

His purely masculine scent filled her senses, spiraling her upward. And his hands, so big and so powerful, stroked and teased every inch of her body to life.

Rapture sang in her middle, spreading out in rivers of utter bliss. His moans of pleasure and his steamy, ragged breaths in her ear sent shivers down her spine.

When he entered her, filling her completely, Bree gasped at the welcome intrusion and flew higher still. Clutching at his broad shoulders, she urged him to join her there. The ache increased, winding itself tighter in her core.

Being one with Nick, being the center of his sensual attention, nearly overwhelmed her. She basked in his unlimited supply of tenderness. His unqualified patience, uncanny sensitivity, and total consideration tugged at her heart, filling it to overflowing. No one had ever taken such great care of her, treasured her, as Nick did. She gloried in the way he cherished her.

The constriction inside of her intensified to almost painful degrees. She clung to Nick, to his rock-solid strength and reassuring presence, unsure of this new and scary sensation suffusing her.

Then suddenly, the coil sprung open, bursting into daggers of light, shooting stars, and unbearable ecstasy. She rode the wave of astonishing elation, marveling in Nick’s similar reaction.

As Bree floated slowly back to Earth, still enfolded in her husband’s comforting arms, she knew she’d never get enough of Nicholas Carletti’s brand of loving.

Nick stirred. Surrounded by Bree he longed to stay wrapped in her arms forever. But, for her sake, he forced himself to withdraw his weight and roll over onto his back beside her. Panting, he gazed unseeingly up at the ceiling. Reality nudged his conscience.

He cursed under his breath, sat up quickly, and then swung his legs over the side of the bed.

“Nick, what’s wrong?” She touched his back in a feather- light caress, making him shiver with desire. He yanked away from any further enticement.

As he stood and faced her, he raked a hand through his damp hair, saying, “I hope you’re using some kind of birth control, because I sure the hell didn’t have any presence of mind to wear protection.”

Her hurt gasp tore a hole right through him.

“Hey, Bree, wait a minute,” Nick called as he rushed out of the cabin. He had to get her to accept his apology or he wouldn’t be able to live with himself another moment.

Nick squinted against the harsh glare of morning sunlight. With only his jeans on, he ran after her as she headed to his SUV. The sharp edge of a stone bit into the tender part of his foot. He cursed, and then hobbled the rest of the way to her.

“Didn’t you read my note?”

Her cool, controlled voice put him on alert. She averted her eyes, looking anywhere but at him as he halted in front of her, the vehicle at her back.

He dragged in a breath, painfully aware he’d forced himself to spend what little had remained of the night on the sofa. He longed to take her in his arms and recreate the magic they’d shared.
I want you
. But he held himself in check, trying to make amends first.

Highly attuned to every move she made, every breath she took, he rubbed the back of his neck, saying, “Listen, I owe you an apology. I was a jerk for snapping at you last night.”

She visibly relaxed, her stiff shoulders dropping slightly. “I thought you were going to accuse me of…trying to get pregnant.”