“I almost lost you two. I never should’ve left you.” His thumb skimmed the skin under her bruised cheekbone. “How can I protect you and Emmy from the other side of the world?” His voice was strained, the question more directed at himself.
Tears rushed to her eyes. She rested her hand on his wrist and gently squeezed. “Cameron’s dead. There’s no one who wants to hurt us. Roarke, you mean so much to me—to Emmy. In such a short time, you’ve become important to her.”
And he’d already been important to her. For as long as she could remember. God, the thought of not having him in their lives made panic rise in her chest.
“You two mean everything to me. I just want you to be fulfilled ... not always waiting around for this asshole to come home like you did with Cameron.”
Her sinuses tingled. “The difference is that when you’re here, you’re actually here.” She reached forward and placed her palm on his cheek. The short bristles abraded her flesh, sending awareness through every cell in her body. “I love you. I want you to be part of our lives for good.”
He got to his knees and leaned across the tub. He brushed his knuckle beneath her tear-moistened eye. “Then I need you to tell me what you want.”
“I want you.”
A muscle in his jaw jumped. “No, tell me what you want to be happy while I’m away. A new house? A cat? Hell, do you want to leave Pittsburgh?”
She laughed. “A cat?”
He grinned. “Not really my cup of tea, but doesn’t matter to me. Whatever makes you and Emmy feel at home.”
She smiled and pressed a kiss to his lips. Pulling back an inch, she stroked the bristles on his face. “Since you won’t be home all the time, let’s go with a dog. I’d feel safer.”
“All right. What else?”
She shook her head with a light chuckle. “I honestly don’t?—”
“Lainie,” he growled. “Tell me what you want, babe. Anything. What do you see when you picture our life together?”
She saw something similar to what she and Emmy had had in London. “A backyard ...” she breathed, the words pulled from her deepest desires. “Something private and big—lots of trees and flowers. Emmy loves gardening. Berry bushes,” she added, sounding almost idiotically whimsical.
He grinned. “That’s pretty fucking specific.”
She laughed and wiped the dampness from her cheeks. “I don’t even know where that last part came from. All I want is for us to be a family. Can we just have that?”
He kissed her forehead, his lips warm and promising. “Yeah, baby. We can have that.”
She leaned back against the tub. “Why do you insist on knowing everything I want?”
His gaze lowered to the now-smooth, glassy surface of the bathwater. With the bubbles evaporated, there was no obscuring her body. Her cheeks warmed as she watched his focus drift over her.
He lowered his fingers to the water and twirled them in a circle near her thigh. “Because it’s my job to make you happy, Lainie. To give you everything you want and need.” His already-deep voice dropped lower.
Every syllable he spoke was like a caress. A guarantee. She bent her leg, popping her knee out of the water. “It’s not your job, Roarke.”
His gaze slammed into her, and heat warmed her face. He brushed his fingers over the inside of her thigh, sinking his hand lower into the water. “Like hell it isn’t.”
Need spiraled through her, tightening her core and gripping her throat. His fingers brushed over her sex and she moaned. He eased two fingers into her, and she bit back a cry. She tipped back her head and her mouth fell open as he worked into her.
Pleasure swarmed her senses, making the room spin. She clutched Roarke’s forearm and arched her back.
“Come for me, Laine.” As he spoke, he brought his thumb to her clit.
She jerked with the slight pressure, and her eyes rolled back. Her orgasm rushed through her body, nearly blinding her. She swallowed a scream. Her heart pumped wildly. Ecstasy exploded her senses. Her legs shook as she let the release take over.
A guttural cry sounded from her throat, and she went limp against the tub. Sweat coated her brow, making the water far too warm to tolerate. She opened her eyes.
Roarke stared at her, his face inches away, his breath hot and heavy. “You’re so fucking sexy.” He withdrew his fingers and gently rubbed her leg.
“Um, I don’t know about that. But what you just did was fucking sexy.”
