The Very Thought of You (20 page)

“No, I wasn't that loud.”

“Baby, you almost made me deaf.”

She laughed and the sound made her feel a hundred times better. “Beast.”

“Only with you.”

He leaned down and took her mouth with his. Miranda could barely squelch a moan as her body temperature rocketed upward.

“Have you two made up yet?” Kelly's voice drifted down the hallway.

Miranda pulled back and giggled like a school-girl. “I think we have.”

“Not yet,” he contradicted. Caleb's gaze locked with Miranda's; his heartbeat somehow tripled. “I need a promise.”

“Anything,” Miranda confessed, her heart warmed with a ray of hope.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the box. He pried open the black velvet box and revealed a silver band with a stunning solitaire diamond. “I took my mother, sister, grandmother, and Savannah to Atlanta and spent half a day searching for this ring. I wanted it to be perfect and a symbol of how I felt.”

Tears welled up and rolled down Miranda's face. “It's gorgeous.”

Caleb lowered to one knee. “Miranda Elizabeth Tyler, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

“Yes,” she answered softly.

She watched mesmerized as he took her left hand and slowly slid the ring on her left finger.

“Miranda's getting married. Miranda's getting married,” Kelly began to sing.

Caleb stood and kissed her on the cheek and sang, “Caleb's getting married.”

“You do know how to make an impression on a girl.”

“I'd planned to propose at the end of the movie, when you were in tears.”

“How did you know that I would cry when Beauty and the Beast were reunited?”

“The same way I knew Darren wouldn't be home and Kelly would pretend to be asleep.”

“My brother knew you were going to propose?”

He squeezed her tight and smiled down. “Love, he and I thought the same thing. About time.”

“I
don't see what the big rush was all about,” Darren groused, loosening his necktie and taking a seat at one of the empty banquet tables. Everyone had rushed to the dance floor to humiliate themselves with the electric slide. Although he wouldn't admit it to a soul, he would have enjoyed being out there alongside his family. Caleb had agreed to remove the cast from his leg a week ago, but he wouldn't be cleared for dancing for a least a month.

He took a sip of chilled champagne and sat back.

“My dad is dancing,” Kelly announced pulling up a chair next to his. Her shoes had been tossed aside and the flower girl was sporting numerous holes in her white stockings.

“He's doing a good job.”

“My dad is dancing with your mother,” she said in a scandalized voice.

“You turned him down.”

“I don't dance,” Kelly replied primly while toying with her corsage.

“Not yet, but you will dance at my wedding.”

“No, I won't.”

Darren smirked. “Yes, you will unless you want me to tell your dad about our little bargain that you skipped out on.”

“What?”

“Remember our deal? You get a nice Christmas present for breaking up Blackfox and my sister.”

Her eyes doubled to the size of small saucers. “Oh, that deal. You wouldn't tell my dad…would you?”

“In a heartbeat.”

“One dance.”

He stuck out his hand. “Deal. Now go fetch my future wife.”

“Boy, are you going to have problems.” Kelly rolled her eyes upward before launching herself out of the chair.

Darren laughed and enjoyed the sight of his parents, but his gaze turned to the woman dancing with his father. His woman; all he had to do was lay down a little more loving and it would be impossible for her to turn down his marriage proposal. His eyes drifted toward his little sister and the smile on his lips didn't dim. And then the couple broke away from the crowd and headed in his direction. He'd only grudgingly admitted Blackfox into the family. Now, he was fielding consulting engagement requests from the man's corporate office.

Caleb took a seat in the chair beside him and his sister sat in the man's lap. Miranda glowed like a lightbulb. “I still don't see why ya'll had to rush. There's nothing wrong with having a long engagement. Unless…”

“Unless what?” Miranda grinned.

Darren's eyes went from his sister's beaming smile to her stomach. “Unless you had to get married.”

Caleb tore his gaze from his wife's tempting neck and addressed Darren. “No, we didn't.” Then, angling his neck forward, he looked at Miranda. “Did we?”

She laughed and leaned back into his chest. “No. But I almost wish we had. I've lost count of the number of times I've been asked by your family and mine when we're going to have a baby.”

Caleb grinned. “As your doctor and your husband, I'll be more than happy to do whatever it takes to make it happen.”

“Stop.” Darren choked and set aside his champagne glass. “I don't want to hear any more. I'm too young and handsome to be an uncle.”

“Don't worry. Caleb Junior will age you quickly.”

The newly married couple broke into peels of laughter at the horrified look on Darren's face.

The nuptials had been held a mere two months after Caleb had proposed in her parents' foyer. They had been harried for months in which Miranda and Caleb had moved her personal things from D. C. to his house. They had decided to keep her condominium as a convenience for the times that she would have to go back to her home office or for him to attend medical conferences.

Although they'd planned to have a small ceremony with a few friends and immediate family, Caleb's grandparents wouldn't hear of it. In the end, they had taken their vows in the largest church in town and in front of what felt like half the state of Georgia. Afterward, everyone had been invited to the country club for dinner and reception.

Caleb held his bride close. He hadn't slept in forty-eight hours, and the sight of her gliding down the aisle clad in creamy silk almost brought him to his knees. He had rid her hair of the dozens of pens and now his fingers drifted up her neck to play with one of the fat curls.

“I think it's way past time we made our exit,” he murmured as he nibbled on her neck.

“The party's just getting started.” Miranda giggled.

“Not the one I made reservations for,” he drawled.

“You have another party?”

“Yes, we do. And I don't want to be late.” He kissed her soundly and Darren cleared his throat.

“Good Lord, just because you married my sister doesn't mean you get to kiss her in front of me.”

“Good point, my new brother-in-law. Now, turn around so that I can kiss your sister behind your back like I did when we were in college.”

Darren's eyes narrowed and Miranda stood up and pulled Caleb with her. “I'm ready to go home now.”

 

They tried to leave at ten o'clock, but it was well past midnight before Caleb carried his wife over the threshold of their house. He didn't set her feet down until he'd reached the bedroom. She turned toward him and reached for the buttons of his shirt. Her fingers trembled, but they worked steadily. Moments later, she dropped it and his undershirt to the floor.

Caleb's long, lean fingers began to work on her dress. He leaned over and trailed kisses upon her neck. With his left hand, he slowly pulled down the zipper of her dress. Miranda stepped toward the bed and the silky material joined his clothes on the floor.

At the sight of the lacy lingerie, he made a mental note to send his mother three dozen bouquets for Mother's Day. He laid her down on the bed and braced himself above her.

He smoothed her hair back and said softly, “I am the luckiest man on the planet, Mrs. Blackfox.” His kiss was tender and loving.

“Likewise, Mr. Blackfox.”

“I don't know how I kept myself from throwing you on the corporate jet and eloping in Vegas.”

“I wouldn't have put up a fight. In fact, I would have packed our bags.”

“Now she tells me.” Caleb leaned her back on the bed and leaned over and nuzzled his face in her chest and used his teeth to tug open the small bow nestled between her full breasts. In no time at all, his tongue grazed each bud. Then he suckled them, pulled them into his mouth and enjoyed their fullness as much as he treasured the moans from Miranda's lips.

Taking her time, Miranda rubbed the contours of his chest. Then she leaned closer and her lips followed the same trail. The painful pulse in his pants shot from barely manageable to merciless; he fought with all that he had not to lay her on the bed and make his way inside. His hands soon moved from her back to her front, roamed across the plains of her belly and then slipped beneath her panties to explore the bountiful territory of downy soft curls.

Another moan escaped from her lips the moment his fingers entered her passage. He knew what he was doing and he did it well. Using his mouth and using his fingers, he stroked, circled and petted. And when she was ready and her hips lifted from the bed in polite invitation, Caleb removed her panties and flung them to the floor. In short work, his pants followed and he rejoined her on the bed. He stretched out over her once again and made his way south, leisurely. This was a night that he wanted them both to remember.

Every touch, delicate kiss and warm breath was like a beautifully read scripture of loving prayer. He kissed everything, making his way down to the valley of her thighs. His lips were loving. His tongue was skilled and hot.

“Caleb!” Miranda groaned at the unexpected feel of his mouth and tongue. The sharp pleasure would have sent her to the ceiling had it not been for Caleb's strong arms locked around her thighs.

Her breath seemed to stop in her chest and it was difficult to draw in her next breath as ripples of pure pleasure streamed through her veins and she splintered with shards of bliss.

She opened her eyes and stared into his and the smile on her lips was a reflection of her body.

“I love you,” Caleb groaned. He sank deep inside her. Her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms clasped his neck. And she whispered in his ear all the things she felt for him. And he moved in and out of her with long, measured strokes.

His head lowered and he claimed her mouth. In and out, his tongue probed in sync with his hardness.

When her body tensed with release, she cried out in his mouth as they exploded together, blazing up like an inferno reaching to the stars, and consumed to ashes. She was floating, warmth flooding her body, and he was there with her. He was holding her tight, his breath hot against her skin, his moan low in her ear.

Spent, he closed his eyes and relished in the feeling of bliss. Life at the moment was all he'd ever dreamed. His great-uncle and extended family were rejoining the Blackfox fold. His grandfather had stopped threatening to get his shotgun whenever Savannah brought Jack to the family dinners. Regan, his little sister, was expecting her first child. Trey was engaged to Sasha, the feisty research specialist had won their parents' affection and turned their parents' house upside down when she brought her Persian cat up for the weekend.

Marius was his only reason to worry. His older brother's demeanor grew colder and colder, and he was spending more and more time at the office, most likely structuring new deals. Caleb made a mental note to talk to his father about it when he and Miranda returned from their honeymoon.

Minutes or hours later, Miranda shifted beneath him. “Am I too heavy?” he asked, opening his eyes.

“If I say yes, will you hold it against me?” she teased.

“Want me to hold it against you?”

“I'd rather you kept it inside of me.” She chuckled.

He rolled her over and she snuggled up against him. “Would you?” he growled with a mock ferocity against the top of her head.

“Oh, yes…”

“And what do I get, wife?”

“You get a son with your eyes.”

“What if I want a daughter with your smile?” He looked down into her upturned face.

“Boys are easier,” she replied.

Caleb thought about the misadventure and headaches Regan had put his parents through and sighed inwardly. If he couldn't say no to his wife—he'd never be able to deny his baby girl. He looked down into her heavy-lidded eyes.

“We'll see love…we'll see.”