Thank God she didn’t try to withdraw her grasp from his. She was the only thing keeping him anchored to solid ground. Without her, he’d crumble. He needed her. He needed her soothing touch as much as he needed to breathe. “I haven’t been with anyonesince.”
Slowly, Laura pulled free from him. Her fingers drifted up his arm over his shoulder and touched his cheek. It was all he could do not to curl into herpalm.
“And you feel like you betrayed her memory withme?”
King had to force the words out of his throat, and damned if it wasn’t one of the hardest things he’d ever done. “Maybe. I vowed I’d never love anyone again after her, but I care about you somuch.”
Would she think less of him now that he’d admitted his weakness? He searched her gaze for any hint of disgust but found none. Instead, her irises turned to a dark green, filling up with an emotion so intense he couldn’t even put a name toit.
“Stay here,” she said in a gentle, yet firm voice and rose from the bed. Like a moth to flame his eyes were drawn to her exquisite naked form as she slowly walked over to the fireplace. When she reached up high to pull the candles down from the mantle he swiped a hand over his mouth. Before returning to the bed with her bundle, she stopped at the bed stand and extracted a small lighter and then resumed her position next to him, sitting up Indianstyle.
She’d taken the three candles down, the large cylindrical shaped one in the center of white ivory and the two smaller cone-shaped ones of the matching color. Wordlessly she passed him the larger one, positioning it in his hand so that he held it upright. Curiosity took hold in his despair. “What are youdoing?”
“Sometimes our emotions are too hard to explain with words. They’re too complicated. And I would never dishonor your wife’s memory with something shallow or cheap.” As she spoke, Laura struck the lighter, leaned forward, and lit the candle in King’s hand. A small flame flickered and then grew strong and bright, its glow illuminating the dark room. Still unsure, he kept a wary gaze onLaura.
She placed the lighter to the side and then picked up the other two smaller unlit candles. “That flame represents your love for your wife and child. It’s still just as bright as it used to be. And I would never want to take that away from you.” Laura’s voice crackled slightly, her eyes deepening to an even a darker green. King’s heart clutched. But damned if he could talk. His entire soul was at war, the honor and love he’d once felt for Trinity battling the new intense feelings he felt forLaura.
She tipped forward the long, tapered candle in her right hand until it touched his, and sure enough, that candle lit, with the flame equally as bright and burning. “And this is the love I feel for you, Kingston Kenrich. Just as strong and just asbright.”
A subtle tremor worked its way up his back, his foundations shaking. Heaviness filled theair.
Laura leaned forward again, lighting the third candle with both hers and his before pulling them away. Three flames danced in unison, burning as bright as the fire in Laura’s gaze. “And this is the flame for Faith, because I love her as much as I love anything in this world. As much as you love your family. Love isn’t a fixed thing. It’s infinite. It never stops growing and it can be shared. I’ll never try to put out your love for your family, just as I know you’ll never try to put out the love I have for mine. But we can all exist together, equally as important and equally asstrong.”
All the air left his lungs as he stared at Laura in awe. He’d never imagined that God could create anyone as perfect for him as her again. And yet, there she sat, beautiful, bold, compassionate, and knowing exactly what to say. In that instant the past five years of guilt and shame melted, dripping slowly down like the hot wax down the candle. It didn’t go away completely, but King drew in a breath and felt…warm. The cold, hard, aching knot had loosened. And the woman sitting before him was the reason forit.
His hands shaking like a damn baby, and him completely uncaring, King lifted up onto his knees, careful to keep the candles upright. Moving them to the side carefully, he leaned between her two outstretched arms and kissed her soft lips. Once. Twice. Pulling back, keeping his gaze locked fully on her, he took the candles back to the mantle and then returned toLaura.
His body surrounded with emotion, he carefully placed one knee on the bed, stretched out, and leaned down, at the same time taking Laura down with him. He rolled over, trapping her beneath him. Threading his fingers through hers, he pinned her hands on the mattress next to her head and did exactly what he needed to do. He took her mouth fully, thrusting his tongue into hers, slanting his head with the intensity and the rawness she evoked in him. He needed her like he needed to breathe. That little bit he’d been holding back inside had been set free. He was hard now, so hard heached.
Without breaking his mouth from her, he shifted his knee between her legs, settled himself against her moist heat, and thrust inside. She moaned into his mouth, wrapping her legs around his hips as he began to thrust into her with all the fever he felt inside. Slow and hard, he took her until she cried out her release and hehis.
And when he was done, he rolled onto his back. Taking her with him, he settled her head on his chest, sifted his fingers through her hair once more, and locked her to him. Still breathing hard, he turned his head to the side and stared at the candles. He knew now that he was free to love Laura as much as he wanted. His heart swelled inside his chest, pushing against the boundaries of his ribs. “I loveyou.”
Laura stared at the flames, feeling King’s steady hard heartbeat beneath her ear. Her heartbeat matchedhis.
She closed her eyes in pleasure, her heart breaking and searching for his all at once. It made sense now, why he’d pulled from her after their first time together. She’d been so stupid to think for even one instant that he found her lacking. King was an honorable man. He was a good man. And he was an honestman.
And he’d been struggling with this guilt this whole time. She’d been falling for him before, but now, she’d nosedived right over thecliff.
“I love youtoo.”
She’d never felt this intensity for another human being in her entire life. Her love for Faith had been easy and swift, fierce like a mother. But this feeling she had for King went beyond that, to a soul deep connection. The kind she knew that she’d feel even after their life together. No matter what happened, she would always have this forhim.
But she didn’t want to think about what might happen in the future, all she wanted was the here and the now. She wanted to snuggle up beside him and never leave. There could not be a moment in her life that could possibly be more perfect thanthis.
After the intense lovemaking, and a deep emotional connection, she ought to be exhausted, but she was wide awake. Her mind whirled, racing in circles, flitting around like a hummingbird but always coming back to land on King. She tickled the thick, wiry, black hair on his chest, skimming her fingers over the various scars hidden beneath, testing the rough, hard planes of his muscles. Even stretched out fully, her toes only reached his shins and her head was just at his shoulder. And when he wrapped his arms around her she felt as though she were completely protected. Surrounded by hislove.
“Laura?”
“Hmmm?”
“Faith needs a father. I want to be thatman.”
Dear Lord.The blood drained from her fingers and rushed to her chest. She hadn’t told him. She hadn’t told him the truth. The thoughts ricocheted around hermind.
King squeezed her to him. She tried to pull back. “King—”
A boom shuddered through the room. Followed by another. And another. Vibrating the walls and rattling the glass of water on the bed stand next to them. Laura lifted her head. “What isthat?”
