“I want to show you why it matters to me what you think.” He reached for her hand and shocked the living shit out of her when he pressed it to his erection. “I’ve been dealing with this problem all day as images of last night ran through my mind. Every time you come near me, I get hard. Every time you insult me, I get hard. Every time you tell me what to do, I get hard. Every time you freaking look at me, I get hard.”
Stunned and aroused and confused and annoyed by his audacity, Stephanie stared at him.
“That’s never happened to me before.”
“Oh. It hasn’t?”
He shook his head. “It’s starting to seriously irritate me.”
She tried to pull her hand free, but he only tightened his grip. “It’s not my fault you have the self-control of a fifteen-year-old.”
“It is absolutely your fault.”
She forced herself to meet his gaze head-on. “
How
is it my fault?”
“Ever since I watched you get dressed this morning, all I’ve thought about is getting you undressed again.”
“I knew you were watching me.”
His cock surged under her hand. “Is that why you made getting dressed into the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen?” His free hand landed on her leg, heating her through her jeans.
Refusing to be the first to break the intense eye contact, she licked her lips and notched a victory when his eyes shifted to her mouth. “I have no interest in being your rebound girl, Grant.”
His gaze shifted back to her eyes. “And I no longer want to be that clueless idiot who doesn’t know a good thing when it’s staring him right in the face.”
“How can you think this is a good thing when all we do is fight?”
“We’re not fighting right now.”
She was fighting all right—she was fighting the magnetic pull that drew her to him so forcefully she could no more resist him than she could avoid taking her next breath. Maybe this was the stupidest thing she’d ever done. No doubt she would regret it before it was over, but right here, right now, she wanted him more than she’d ever wanted anything. Taking a deep breath for courage, she raised her hand to caress his face.
His eyes darkened with desire and what might’ve been confusion. He didn’t get why this was happening between them any more than she did, and knowing that comforted her.
“Steph—”
Her hand shifted to the back of his neck, bringing him closer—close enough to kiss. Even though they’d done much more than kiss last night, this felt like the first time all over again. With both of them fully aware of what they were doing, this kiss would signal the start of something.
“Are you sure?” he whispered.
She shook her head. She was sure of nothing where he was concerned.
A grin tugged at his sinfully sexy lips. “That makes two of us.” And then he tilted his head ever so slightly and captured her lips in a light, undemanding kiss that blew through her in a flashpoint of desire and need and want. Her reaction was so powerful that she immediately sought to defuse the tension the only way she knew how. “Are you writing this whole seduction scene just so you won’t have to sleep on the loveseat?”
He threw his head back as laughter seized him, and sure enough, under her hand his erection throbbed and surged. “I can see there’s only one way to silence that saucy mouth of yours.” His eyes still danced with amusement as he came back for another kiss that rocked her just as completely as the one before. “Open for me,” he said against her mouth as his tongue traced the outline of her bottom lip.
Her fingers found their way into his silky hair as she opened her mouth to accept the deep thrusts of his tongue. A groan rumbled through him, firing her own desire as she pulled her hand free and pushed her core tight against his erection. His hands seemed to be everywhere at once. Discovering she was braless under her sweater generated another deep groan.
All at once, he broke the kiss, lifted his head and found her eyes in the light of the fire. “I want a do-over of last night,” he said, pressing kisses to her forehead, cheeks and nose. “This time I want to remember every detail.” As he spoke, he shifted off the loveseat, pushed the table away and knelt before her. With his hands on her hips, he tugged her closer to the edge and settled himself between her legs. Pushing up her sweater, he bent to kiss her quivering belly.
Stephanie closed her eyes and surrendered to the overwhelming sensations. It’d been so long since she’d taken anything for herself that she was determined to have one more perfect night with him. Tomorrow was soon enough to face reality again.
He tugged at the button to her jeans and had them off before she could process his intentions. His lips were soft against her leg as he moved from her calf to her knee to the inside of her thigh. Her entire body burned for him, and he’d done little more than kiss her.
“Wait, Grant—”
“Shh, relax. It’s okay.”
She let her head fall back against the cushion as he tongued her through the silk of her panties. He had her on the verge of climax with just a few determined strokes of his tongue. And then he pushed aside the cloth to zero in on her throbbing clit, sending her screaming into an orgasm she felt from her scalp to the soles of her feet.
“Mmm,” he said, “very hot.” He slid his fingers through her dampness, teasing and tormenting until he finally pushed two of them into her.
Stephanie wouldn’t have thought it possible to come again so soon, but he had her on the razor’s edge with only the slow movement of his talented fingers.
God
, she thought. If he’d rocked her world the night before when he was half drunk, she wondered if she’d survive him when he was sober.
Grant used his free hand to raise her sweater and tug it over her head, revealing small, pretty breasts. He zeroed in on the tattoo on her belly and kissed his way up for a better look. Was that…Winnie the Pooh? Despite her outer toughness, the Pooh tattoo told the truth about who she might be on the inside. She was a never-ending contradiction—full of attitude, yet the vulnerability she’d shown him when talking about her beloved stepfather had touched him deeply. She fascinated him and turned him on like no one else ever had.
He pressed his lips to the image of the bear and looked up to find her watching him. “You surprise me,” he said.
“Because I like Pooh?”
“Among other things.” He continued to kiss his way up, bewitched by her musky, feminine scent. Keeping his gaze fixed on hers, he tugged a tightly budded nipple into his mouth while continuing the gentle slide of his fingers. She was so wet and tight that the thought of sinking his cock into her made him ache from the effort of holding back.
Her fingers combed through his hair, tightening to keep his focus on her breast. Gasping and panting, she arched her back, responding to the tugging suction of his mouth. “Grant.”
“What, honey?” He loved the way she responded to him.
“I want you. Now.” She pulled at his shirt, her movements clumsy and awkward and insanely provocative.
Grant withdrew from her only long enough to shed his own clothes and roll on the condom he pulled from his wallet with fumbling hands.
“How old is that thing?” she asked, her brows furrowed.
He laughed and scooped her up as if she were weightless. “Brand new and acquired with you in mind.”
Her eyes widened, and her lips pursed in surprise. “When?”
“Never mind,” he said, kissing the pucker off her mouth as he carried her to the bedroom, tripping over a dog toy on the way.
“I want to know.”
Grant sighed and lowered her to the bed. Hovering over her, he tried to silence her with another heated kiss, but she turned away from him. He dropped his head to her shoulder, which drew his attention to the small, tight nipples that brushed against his chest.
“Everything was closed today,” she said.
He uttered a growl of frustration. “I bought them a week ago, all right?”
Her mouth fell open in shock.
Reaching for her hand, he curled it around his erection. “This problem I seem to have around you didn’t start today—or yesterday.”
“Oh.”
Damn, she was cute and sexy and apparently baffled by his confession. “So are we going to let this condom I bought for you go to waste?”
With her free hand, she reached up to bring him in for another kiss while directing his erection to where she wanted it.
Grant didn’t need to be told twice. He flexed his hips and entered her in one smooth thrust. God, she was tight and hot and so sexy.
She gasped and pulled her lips free of his.
“Does it hurt?”
“No.” Her hands on his back urged him to move.
When she wrapped her legs around his hips, he almost lost it. “Even better than last night,” he whispered as he pushed into her again. “I didn’t think that was possible.”
“You don’t remember last night.”
Laughing, he said, “Oh, honey, trust me. I remember.” As Grant gathered her in close to him, it occurred to him that at some point during the long day that began and ended with her, she’d managed to worm her way into his heart.
Afterward, Stephanie slept like a dead woman until her bladder woke her up. Shivering in the chilly darkness, she slid back into bed and was surprised when Grant reached for her, bringing her in close to him.
He surrounded her with heat that warmed her inside and out. As she nuzzled her face against his soft chest hair, it occurred to her that she could become rather accustomed to sleeping with him.
“I just got a text from Janey,” he said, his voice sleepy sounding. “Her ex-fiancé is a doctor. Apparently, he’s on the island. She called him for Maddie.”
“Wow. That must be awkward the day after she married someone else.”
“Just a little,” he said with a chuckle. “But what a relief to know there’s a doctor tending to Maddie and the baby.”
“Yeah.”
“Janey said it’s been pretty rough. Maddie’s in a lot of pain, and Mac is half out of his mind with worry.”
“I can’t imagine how scary that must be. If I ever have a baby…”
“What?” His voice was soft, so very soft.
“Nothing.” Her face burned. What was she thinking talking about such things with him?
“Tell me.”
She sighed. “I’d want to be in the biggest hospital around with the best drugs money could buy.”
That made him laugh. “Do you
want
kids?”
“I don’t know. Someday. Maybe.” She bit her lip, grateful all of a sudden for the darkness. “Do you?”
“Someday. Maybe.”
Stephanie smiled. “I’d think such an
accomplished
writer would be able to come up with his own words.”
“I’m not that accomplished.”
“Should I remind you about a certain Academy Award?”
“Please don’t.”
Intrigued, Stephanie wondered if he would say more. Even though she couldn’t see him, she could picture him staring up at the ceiling. He was quiet for so long, she’d all but given up on him.
“I haven’t written anything in a really long time.”
The pain she heard in his voice made her ache for him. “Why not?”
He released a short, bitter-sounding laugh. “Damned if I know.”
She didn’t want to ask, really she didn’t. “Is it…because of what happened with Abby?”
“Maybe.” She could hear him running his fingers through his hair. “I want to tell you something. It’s kind of weird, and you may think I’m crazy.”
“I already think you’re crazy.”
He laughed, which helped to dispel some of the tension.
“What is it?” she asked.
“When I’m writing, when it’s going really well, it’s like the highest of highs, you know?”
“Not really, but I can imagine it must be quite a thrill.”
“Yes, exactly. It’s thrilling. That’s a good word for it. When something grabs me, an idea or a character or a story, it’s like an electrical current travels through me. That’s how I know I’m really on to something.”
Stephanie sensed he was sharing a part of himself with her that he’d never shared with anyone else. Of course that probably wasn’t the case, but under the cover of darkness, she was allowed to believe anything she wanted.
“Every time that’s happened, every time I’ve had that particular sense of excitement over a story, something good has come of it.”
“That’s really cool.”
“You think so?”
He sounded so sweet and uncertain that she smiled. “I do.”
“Earlier tonight, when you told me about Charlie, about what the two of you have been through, I felt it, Stephanie. The charge of excitement.”
As if she was the one who’d been struck by electricity, Stephanie went still. Her heart, which had been beating so fast since he got in bed next to her, slowed. “You…you can’t.”
“I know that. What you told me was in confidence. It’s safe with me. I promise.”
She couldn’t seem to breathe.
He tightened his hold on her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. The only reason I did is because it’s been such a long time since I felt the charge that I thought it might’ve been gone forever. I was relieved to discover it wasn’t. That’s the part I wanted to tell you.”
Stephanie’s mind raced as she tried to process what he’d said.
“Do you believe me when I tell you I won’t do anything with your story?”
It seemed to matter an awful lot to him. “Yes,” she managed to say. “I believe you.”
“Good.”
“If you felt the charge for my story, then it’s possible you’ll feel it for another one. Maybe it’s a sign that it’s coming back.”
“That’d be nice. I’ve missed it.”
Stephanie knew she was probably making a mistake letting him hold her so closely and share confidences with her, but she couldn’t seem to bring herself to move away from him, to put distance between them. Her last conscious thought before sleep claimed her was that his arms around her made the dark a whole lot less scary.
Mac couldn’t take another minute of watching his beloved wife writhe in pain as she struggled to bring their child into the world. It was, without a doubt, the most excruciating thing he’d ever endured.
Despite the room full of people supporting them, no one could imagine his torment at knowing he was fully responsible for putting her through this.
His mother, Maddie’s mother, Victoria, the nurse-midwife, Janey and, of all people, Janey’s deadbeat ex-fiancé Dr. David Lawrence, were tending to Maddie as she worked through something they called transition. Whatever that was. To Mac, it seemed like pure torture.
From his position behind Maddie, he could feel her convulse when every new pain gripped her body. Sweat had long since soaked through her nightgown, dampening his shirt. Even though he couldn’t bear to see her in so much pain, he couldn’t bring himself to leave her either.
“Mac,” Victoria said, possibly sensing his dismay. She was young and pretty with a ponytail of curly brown hair and hazel eyes that brimmed with kindness and calming energy. “Why don’t you get some more ice chips.”
Thankful for the generator that was running the refrigerator and freezer during the blackout, Mac eased himself off the bed and settled Maddie against the pile of pillows that had been propping them up. He kissed her forehead. “I’ll be right back, okay?”
She nodded, but he doubted she’d heard him. Her eyes were glazed with pain, her face red from exertion, and to him, she’d never been more beautiful. Wanting to get right back to her, he hurried downstairs where his father, Joe and Ned were sprawled out on sofas. One of them had added wood to the fireplace, which cast a cozy glow over the big room.
Mac went into the kitchen and stopped short when the magnitude of the situation struck him once again. Maddie was giving birth—two months early—on the island in the middle of a tropical storm that had cut them off from the mainland. His chest tightened with pain. Fumbling around in the dark, he gripped the countertop and held on as the room spun around him.
Jesus
,
I can’t flake out on her now. Get it together man!
Strong hands landed on his shoulders and stopped the spinning.
“It’s okay, son,” his father said. “You’re okay.”
Mac turned into his father’s arms the same way he had at seven when he crashed his first two-wheeler. The embrace was no less comforting at thirty-seven.
“Take a deep breath,” Big Mac said as he ran a hand up and down Mac’s back.
Their father’s effusive love used to mortify his children. Tonight, in the darkness of crisis, it was downright comforting.
“Scariest thing I’ve ever been through in my life,” Big Mac said. “Five times. Never got any easier.”
Mac shuddered at the idea of doing this four more times. No way. He was never going near her again. “I’ll be keeping my distance after this.”
Big Mac let out a great big laugh. “You say that now. Wait until she gets the green light at six weeks. You’ll have forgotten all about tonight.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever forget tonight.”
Big Mac released him but kept a hand on Mac’s shoulder. “She’ll be just fine. I know it. That gal is strong and resilient. That’s why you love her. That’s why we all love her.”
Mac glanced up at his dad. “What about the baby? It’s so early…”
“The baby is a McCarthy. He or she won’t give up without a fight.”
Nodding, Mac let his father’s faith and confidence bolster him. “I need to get some ice chips and get back up there.” He set the icemaker on the fridge to crush and filled a plastic cup.
“Mac.”
Turning back to his father, he raised an eyebrow.
“I don’t know that I’ve ever said this before, but I want you to know how proud I am of the father you’ve become to Thomas. It takes a special kind of man to raise another man’s child. He’s lucky to have you, and this new one will be, too.”
Damn if that didn’t have Mac blinking back tears. “I’ve certainly had the best possible example to follow.”
Big Mac enveloped him in another tight hug and kissed the top of his head. “Go take care of your wife, son. I’m here if you need me.”
Fortified by his father’s love, Mac headed for the door. Turning back, he said, “Thanks, Dad.”
Big Mac nodded and smiled. “Any time.”
On his way back upstairs, Mac said a silent prayer of thanks that his father had survived the accident earlier in the summer.
What would I ever do without him?
Thankfully, he didn’t have to find out any time soon. His father had given him the strength to help Maddie through the last stage of labor. Soon they’d have a new baby to love, and all at once, Mac was excited rather than terrified.
“Oh, good, you’re back,” Victoria said when Mac stepped into the room. “We’re ready to push, Dad.”
Mac handed the cup of ice chips to Francine so she could feed them to Maddie and resumed his position behind his wife. He was relieved that she seemed to have lost the glazed look and now seemed more focused and determined. He tucked himself in close to her and put his arms around her.
“Are you ready, baby?” he whispered in her ear.
“I think so.”
“I’m right here, and I love you so much.”
“Love you, too. Sorry I didn’t listen to you. You were right.”
Normally, he’d jump all over that. “None of that is important now. All that matters is you and the baby.”
“Okay, Maddie,” Victoria said from her position between Maddie’s legs. “On the next contraction, let’s give it a big push.”
Janey and Linda were holding Maddie’s legs. David was across the room preparing to receive the baby, and Francine seemed to be in charge of pacing from one end of the room to the other.
While they waited for the contraction, Mac ran a cool cloth over Maddie’s face and neck.
“Feels good,” she murmured, sounding sleepy.
He felt the tension seep back into her body as the next contraction made its presence known. “Here we go, honey.”
She gripped his arms so tightly he was sure there’d be bruises, not that he cared. “Mac,” she said, sounding frantic for the first time.
He focused on remaining calm for her. “I’m here, honey. I’m right here.”
“Scared. The baby…”
“She’s a McCarthy,” he said, borrowing his father’s words. “She’ll be just fine.”
The next hour was a blur of contractions and pushing and sweating. Mac had no idea how Maddie could withstand the pain. Watching her go through this was beyond unbearable.
“One more good push,” Victoria said, endlessly cheerful.
“I can’t,” Maddie said, her voice noticeably weaker. Tears streamed down her face.
Mac wiped them away with another cool cloth. “Yes, you can. I know you can.”
She shook her head, whimpering as the next contraction began.
“Here we go,” Victoria said. “Big push, Maddie.”
With both arms around her, Mac gave her everything he had, wishing he could do it for her.
Maddie let out an unholy shriek of agony as the baby emerged into Victoria’s waiting hands. “It’s a girl!”
The room erupted in excitement as the baby’s grandmothers and aunt got a first look at her.
“Oh, God, Maddie,” Mac said. “Look! There she is! She’s beautiful.” She was also small and blue and silent. A stab of fear caught him in the belly. They couldn’t lose her now. Not after all that Maddie had gone through to give birth to her.
As soon as Victoria cut the cord, David took the baby from her and went to work across the room while the midwife tended to Maddie.
With tears running down his face, Mac held Maddie, kissing her face and then her lips when she turned into his embrace. “You did it, honey. I’m so proud of you.”
“Baby,” she said between panting breaths. “Why don’t I hear her?”
“David’s with her. He’s taking care of her.” Mac’s heart was pounding as one minute became two, then three and four. The silence was deafening. Desperate to take Maddie’s mind off the silence, Mac said, “What’ll we name her?” They’d bandied about a variety of names but hadn’t settled on one since they’d thought they had two more months to decide.
“How about Hailey, after the storm?” Maddie said.
Even though Mac would prefer to forget about the damned storm, he couldn’t deny that the name seemed to fit. “That’d be perfect.” He kissed her again, glancing at David who was bent over the baby. “David? Is she okay?”
After another charged moment of silence, David straightened and turned to them, holding the baby wrapped in a receiving blanket. “She’s pink and perfect, with ten toes, ten fingers and from my guess, weighing in at just under five pounds. I suspect you were further along in your pregnancy than you thought. Congratulations, Mom and Dad.”
As David put the baby in Maddie’s arms, Mac experienced a moment of gratitude so profound it hurt. They were fine. They were both fine. Thank God.
“Oh,” Linda said, “she’s so beautiful! Welcome to the world, Hailey McCarthy!” She bent to kiss her new granddaughter’s forehead.
Wiping away tears, Francine followed suit.
“Let’s give the new family some time to get acquainted,” Victoria said, ushering everyone from the room.
When they were alone with their new baby, Maddie tugged at her nightgown. “Will you help me get this off?”
Since taking off her nightgown was usually one of his favorite pastimes, Mac was glad to help out. As soon as she was free of the gown, he watched in stunned amazement as she guided the baby to her breast.
Tiny pink lips rooted around frantically.
Maddie stroked the baby’s cheek, whispering words of encouragement until she finally latched on.
“Oh,” Mac said, filled with amazement. “Look at that!”
Maddie glanced up at him, a victorious smile gracing her gorgeous face. “We did it.”
“
You
did it.” He reached for her free hand and brought it to his lips. “I’ve never loved you more than I do right now.”
“Were you scared?”
“Nah. I had complete faith in you.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “
Sure
, you did.”
Mac laughed at her skeptical reply. He could fool a lot of people, but no one knew him the way his beautiful wife did. “I’m just glad it’s over.”
“This time.”
Her words struck his heart like an arrow laced with fear. “We are never, ever,
ever
doing that again. In fact, we may never, ever,
ever
again do the thing that
led
to it.”
“We’ll see,” she said, full of her own power. “We’ll just see about that.”
“David,” Janey said as the group headed downstairs to announce Hailey’s arrival.
He stopped at the landing and turned to her.
She looked up at him, so familiar after thirteen years together. His dark hair was mussed from the long night, his brown eyes were rimmed with fatigue and his jaw rough with whiskers. Seeing him that way reminded her of waking up with him on hundreds of mornings in another lifetime. “Thank you.” The words seemed so inadequate in light of what he’d done for them.
“Sure.”
“The baby… She wasn’t breathing, was she?”
He shook his head.
“You saved her.”
“I just did what I’ve been trained to do. I’m glad I was here when you needed me.”
“I won’t forget this. None of us will.”
“Thank goodness they’re both okay.”
“How about you? Are you feeling well?” He’d been treated for lymphoma a year ago.
“Still in remission. Fingers crossed.”
“I’m so happy to hear that.”
“The wedding went well?”
Janey’s face heated under his intense gaze. “Yes, it was very nice.”
“Good. Congratulations, Janey. I’m happy for you.”
“Thank you for coming when I called.”
He surprised her when he bent to press a kiss to her forehead. “It was the least I could do after all I put you through.”
Catching him in bed with another woman had been among the most shocking moments of Janey’s life, but it had led her to Joe, and she could never regret that.
“I’ll let you get back to your family,” he said. “Take care.”
“You, too.”
She watched him go down the stairs where he was thanked with a hug from Linda and a handshake from Big Mac. Even though it no longer mattered, it was still nice to see him gain some redemption with her parents.
After David went out the sliding door to the deck, Janey shifted her gaze in search of her husband and found him looking up at her, his face marked by displeasure. No doubt he’d seen the kiss David had bestowed upon her and was not at all happy.
Time for some damage control
, she thought as she headed down the stairs.
She went right to Joe and took him by the hand. “Let’s go.”
“Where?” he asked, resisting her directive.
With quick hugs for her parents, she led him out the sliding door and down the stairs to his Gansett Island Ferry Company truck.
“Janey—”
“Don’t talk, just drive.”
He scowled at her but did as he was told.
As they made their way along roads scattered with branches and flooded with deep puddles that slowed their progress, the first inkling of dawn stretched across the sky. The light pink hues did battle with the dark storm clouds in a riot of color over the Great Salt Pond.
After the incredible experience of helping to bring her niece into the world, Janey was filled with euphoria and energy that she planned to put to good use once she got her husband alone in their hotel room. The thought made her giggle.
“What’re you laughing about?” he said with a growl that indicated he was still annoyed.
“Nothing. Everything. Life is good.”
Joe didn’t reply to that as he pulled into the parking lot and turned off the truck. They ran through the wind and rain, using their key to gain access to the back door of the hotel.
She followed him up three flights to the top-floor honeymoon suite.
He took off his coat and started to turn to her, but Janey was one step ahead of him.
Dropping her wet coat on the floor, she launched herself at him.
Joe had no choice but to catch her.
She peppered his face with kisses, her lips skimming the whiskers on his jaw.