"Come on, sweetie… up… up." I patted the bed, but her little legs were too short. I picked Moki up and put her in the middle of the bed. She had her favorite chew toy with her… a yellow rubber ducky. I squeezed it for her and she attacked, settling in to gnaw its orange beak. I smiled and leaned back against the headboard. For the last two hours, I'd carried the envelope with me everywhere. I tapped it against my thigh… held it up to the light… The paper was thick, expensive. I couldn't see a thing.

I would have called India… or even Vivian for advice. But more than anything, I wished Jack was with me. A year ago, I might have just thrown the envelope away, sure that I already knew the truth. That Mom didn't want me, and that I'd grown up strong enough not to need anyone. But now…

Jack's company was in jeopardy, and his whole family was pulling together. They'd welcomed me with warmth and kindness. With every passing day, I was learning more and more, how wonderful it felt to have Jack beside me. Safe, dependable… and loving. Moki crawled into my lap. For the first time, I was learning, not just how much I needed to be loved, but how much love I had to give. It was like a dance… a give and take that only found its balance somewhere in between us…

If I read the letter, there was no going back. Whatever it said would be part of me forever. Good or bad…

Or I could burn it. Toss it into the lake and watch it sink. I could pretend it hadn't ever even existed, and then nothing would change…

Moki barked, sharp and high, her tiny ears perked toward the drive. Jack's car was pulling up the drive and she bounded off the bed, heading down the stairs at a run to meet him. I sat up and smoothed my hair, thinking back on his promise for tonight. My husband had wanted to give me all the answers I'd never had before. He'd given me choices I'd never had before. He'd done it all because he loved me… because he wanted a life with me.

I smiled and listened to him downstairs as he lavished his love on our puppy. His voice was so warm, so kind. The voice of the very best man I'd ever known. I headed down the stairs, my heart full of love and my body tingled with anticipation… The decision had made itself.

And I went to greet my family.

"What happened?" I looked up into his velvety brown eyes as he wrapped his arms around me. "Did the merger go through?"

Jack scooped Moki's dinner into her bowl and closed her safely into the kitchen.

"Wyler faxed it back with his signature today. We're safe… Mason's safe." He touched his fingers to my lips. They were warm… rough… He led me over to the sheepskin throw by the fireplace and lit the fire. "I'm going to have to let Spencer go… He could have cost us everything… there isn't any other choice." He ran his hand behind my head, threading his fingers through my curls. He tugged slightly, tipping my head back. "You look more delicious than ever, sweetheart…" He kissed me right below my ear. "I think I need to find out for myself…"

"I've been waiting all day… and I think it's your turn," I teased, tugging at his belt. He was already huge, aching to be set free. I unzipped him. "I think there's someone here who didn't get any attention this morning…" His cock sprang free.

We had each other undressed in seconds. I ran my hands over him, his chest… his abs. He was all muscle, huge next to me. Then I kneeled down in front of him and felt his heat, his rock-hard length in my hands and I tasted him. His balls lifted and swelled. I took his whole head into my mouth.

"Oh, fuck," he gasped the words and his body swayed. "God, sweetheart… your mouth… so… fucking… good…" He caught my shoulders and rocked his hips. Each careful stroke made him longer, even harder. His head was at the very back of my throat. I swallowed hard, purposefully, and he gasped.

I ran my hands between his legs pulling him to me, unwilling to let him back away. He'd made me come in his mouth, I was determined to give him the same pure pleasure. I spread my hands to cup his ass and worked him with my tongue, sucking and swallowing. I could feel him getting close. I was dripping wet and it ran down the insides of my thighs. "I need to be inside you, sweetheart… I want to come in your sweet fucking pussy. Let me… Libby… let me…"

I would have sucked him off anyway, if my own body hadn't been screaming. But I let him go, shifting fast. I was on hands and knees, poised with my ass high, my knees spread apart. I let my nipples graze the furry rug beneath us and offered myself up to him. "Fuck me, Jack," I begged over my shoulder. "Come in me… hard…"

He was inside me with a single, powerful thrust. There was no time to adjust to his size, he was stroking me fast and hard, just like I needed. I was jolted with every move he made. He was churning my body, driving me hard, driving himself deep, pushing and pulling… giving and demanding… He leaned into my back and cupped my swinging breasts tight. Then he shifted his hips up higher over mine. The head of his cock was right in my sweet spot. Every thrust was an explosion of its own, like one long, unending orgasm that would never, ever end…

He came as my pussy clenched down on him. I bucked as he rode me. I could feel his seed hot down my thighs. And still he pumped into me. Neither of us could get enough. We didn't let go until we finally collapsed together. It was as if, by joining together we created something even more. Something bigger and more powerful than either of us alone. He wrapped me in his arms, resting his head on the pillow of my breast. I stroked his hair until we both dropped off to sleep.

"I love you, Libby. I wonder if you'll ever know how much…"

"I do know…" I turned in his arms to see the morning light on his face. "For the very first time…" I tried to smooth his hair. He smiled and pulled me closer and kissed me long and slow. He took my hand and put it on his chest. His dark eyes were serious.

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about the letter, sweetheart. If you've read it… or if I never should have searched into your mother's past…" He shifted and my nipples rested against him. "Was it a mistake?"

I wrapped my leg around his, pulling his hips closer, and felt him begin to stiffen again. "Nothing's been a mistake," I whispered. I looked up at his beautiful face, full of love and the heat of desire. "I put it away, in the top of the closet. I almost read it… I wanted to… until I realized I already have everything I need. Right here, with you…" I kissed him, letting it deepen until I was aching again inside. "The past is gone. And we have a future to look forward to… a family of our own, someday."

He rolled over, trapping me deliciously underneath him, his eyes shining.

"I think I'm more than up to it, Mrs. Mason." He slipped his fingers down to tease my very ready clit. "And I promise to devote myself to the job… no matter how long it might take…"