Chapter Fourteen

Will

I bring Rebecca home from the restaurant, driving along the dark roads with a smile on my face. She’s talking about her friend Michelle coming to visit and I’m happy that she’s going to have company soon. I want her by my side all the time, and she’s happy to be with me every day, too, but I worry she’ll start to miss things. Like work and friends. I want to carry her off to my lair and hide her away from the world. She can have company in my dark lair, but I don’t want her to leave. Ever.

I am a greedy bastard, especially when it comes to Rebecca.

When we get to the top of the porch steps, I pull her into my arms and kiss her. It’s gentle. Mostly. But with a promise of what’s to come. I’m hungry for her. Rebecca’s not the shy girl she was when I first laid eyes on her. Anytime I kiss her, she melts in my arms, submitting to my kiss instantly.

The house is dark except for a light coming from Ben’s room. I release Rebecca’s hand and jog down the hallway, a slow coil of panic twisting in my gut. Ben sits in his bed, a pinched, frightened look on his face. I hate that he’s scared, but am relieved that he’s okay.

“Hey, what’s the matter, buddy?”

I scoop him up in my arms and he wraps his arms around my neck.

“You never leave,” he whispers. “I woke up and looked for you and Becca. You were gone.”

His voice shakes. I stroke his head and soothe him for a few moments. Rebecca stands in the doorway, silently waiting to see if I need anything. I motion for her to turn off the light and then to go on. If Ben notices she’s come to his room he’ll want a story, and then hot chocolate and a parade of requests that Rebecca is too tenderhearted to turn down.

“Why didn’t you wake up Mrs. G?” I ask.

“I did. She said you’d be back and I should go to sleep.”

“Becca and I went out for dinner.”

He grumbles. “You should have taken me.”

I close my eyes and smile at the longing in his voice. “You’re right. I’ll take you there tomorrow for dinner.”

“Really?”

“Sure.”

With that happy thought dancing in his head, Ben yawns and murmurs a few sleepy words about chocolate cake. I’ll need to call and make sure they have it on the menu. It helps that I have a working phone now, just like the rest of the civilized world, Rebecca likes to tell me.

After Ben sinks into a restful sleep. I return to my bedroom to find Rebecca sleeping in the bed. A shaft of light from the bathroom falls across the bed and in the dim light I can make out her soft form. I keep my attention on her while I undress.

I’d rejected the idea of taking Rebecca to the restaurant in Colter Canyon until the solution came to me to just buy the damn place. I’d called Harvey Atkinson and told him he could take care of that transaction for me since he’d fucked up by sending me two bride candidates. He’d practically fallen all over himself making that happen, along with setting up the nonprofit for my mustangs.

I have no idea what the place cost me, but the price was worth seeing Rebecca’s smile when we sat down. After dinner, she’d told me how romantic the evening was and how hot I looked in a coat and tie. Can’t put a price on making my woman happy.

Settling beside her in the bed, I draw a deep breath, reveling in her scent. She doesn’t wear perfume even though I’ve offered to buy her anything she wants. I’m glad. I prefer her scent to any French fragrance.

She turns in my arms and sighs softly. “I’m so tired.”

“You better rest. I’m taking you and Ben riding in the morning.”

“Nice.”

I’d love to press her back to the bed and take her, but won’t. She was already sleepy when we drove home. I stroke her flank and when my hand brushes the side of her breast, she flinches. Usually, when I touch her, she arches beneath my touch.

In the last six weeks, I’ve studied her every response and learned what she likes. She’s never flinched when I’ve touched her breast. My heart beats hard against my ribs. What if…

My mind rejects the possibility of Rebecca being pregnant. I can only take in so much happiness at one time before self-preservation kicks in and shuts down the idea of something I want so much. Sinking back onto the bed, I close my eyes and try to push the thought away.

The harder I try not to think about Rebecca carrying our baby, the more I imagine her with a round, gorgeous body. My blood heats in my veins with a sudden and savage surge of lust. I fist my hands and shudder with the primitive pleasure.

Tomorrow, I’ll sweet talk Margie into going to town to buy a pregnancy test. She and Mrs. Gustafson will probably be doing cartwheels. Sometime later, I drift off to sleep, probably with a contented smile on my face.