Lethal Exposure (16 page)

Julie smiled. In Sebastian’s face, she saw the vulnerable man beneath the charming facade. She knew this was not easy for him. That he was really going out on a limb. She stared into his black eyes and what she saw reflected in those dark depths moved her deeply and allowed her to let go of any lingering doubt. This declaration of love wasn’t impulsive or casual. He meant what he was saying.

Her pulse rate, which had been bounding through her veins ever since she’d spied him in the parking lot looking a little lost and hesitant, finally slowed to a normal rhythm as her man dipped his head and whispered, “I love you, Julie. Now and forever and always. This isn’t a game. It’s not just about sex. It’s real. You can count on that and you can count on me.”

For a starry-eyed romantic, he said exactly what she needed to hear most. The wide-eyed girl who’d spent her life planning her wedding and daydreaming of Mr. Right felt it all come together. Her deepest fantasies had finally come true.

“Oh, Sebastian, I love you, too,” she murmured.

“I want it all, Jules. You, the house, the kids, the white picket fence. However, there are a couple of other things I want to iron out first,” he said.

A skitter of anxiety ran through her. “What is it?” she asked breathlessly.

“Do we have to name the dog Rover? Because I’m really partial to Spot.”

She laughed and all her fears completely blew away. He was teasing her. His sense of humor was one of the things she loved most about him. “Spot it is.”

“And I’m allergic to cats, so I hope that isn’t a deal breaker.” He wrapped his arms tightly around her.

“What about hamsters?”

“Hamsters are good.”

“Hamster it is then.”

“You know what?”

“What?”

“I’d kiss you, but I have a feeling we’re being watched.”

“Huh?”

She turned to look over her shoulder to see that they were standing right in the path of one of the parking lot scanning surveillance cameras. “Hey, after we made the cover of the Inquisitive Tattler everyone at Confidential Rejuvenations knows we’re exhibitionists. So to heck with them. Kiss me anyway.”

“And risk lethal exposure?”

“The only thing that’s lethal is what’s going to happen if you don’t kiss me.”

“Gotcha,” he said.

Then, camera be damned, Sebastian kissed her.

Sebastian looked up from painting the walls of their new home on the banks of the Colorado River to see his wife standing in the hallway, a pregnancy-test kit in her hand. “What?”

A huge grin spread across her face. “We’re pregnant. Happy?”

He tossed the paintbrush in the tray and rushed across the room to take her in his arms. “Wildly. Who shall we call first? Your mom? Blanche? Elle and Dante? Vanessa and Tanner?”

“Whoa,” she said as he scooped her into his arms and spun her around the room. “It’s a little premature for announcements. I just skipped my period.”

“But I want everyone to know,” he said, the warmth of utter happiness suffusing him from the inside out.

“You can tell them. All in good time.”

The glow in her eyes caught him low in the belly and flamed his passion the way it always did when she looked at him like that. Julie made him feel like five kinds of hero.

How on earth had he ever believed love and marriage was a trap? In six weeks of marriage, he’d had more fun than he’d had in all the previous thirty years and it sounded as if things were really about to get exciting.

Imagine. A baby. His and Julie’s baby. The thought turned him inside out with joy.

They had to consummate this moment. Burn it in their memories forever. He carried her to the bedroom and spread her on the new bed they’d recently bought for their new home. He’d sold his house in Beverly Hills, given up his PR business and bought a quarter share in Confidential Reju venations. He had lots of ideas for taking the hospital to a whole new level.

He looked down at her and his heart filled with so much love it hurt. He nestled his face against her neck, felt her pulse pounding at the hollow of her throat.

“Sebastian,” Julie whispered and he decided there was no lovelier sound on earth than her voice, calling his name.

She smelled of vanilla and sweet, wonderful woman and her skin was silky soft beneath his fingers.

His blood ran feverishly hot. He wanted her so badly he couldn’t stand himself. He wrestled out of his clothes, and peeled Julie out of hers.

She took his hand and guided him where she wanted him to go. He found her slick and ready and waiting for him. When he stroked her, she hissed in a breath. It constantly amazed him how receptive she was to his touch.

“Make love to me, Sebastian.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

He got to his feet, tugged her to the edge of the mattress while he stood on the floor between her spread legs. Greedily, he pushed into her, groaning as her sweet, slick heat encased him.

JULIE ARCHED HER BACK, raised her hips, pushed her body forward onto his steel shaft, welcoming his eager thrusts.

The poignancy of their union, on the day she’d found out she was having his baby, captured her mind and her heart. This is what she’d been searching for her entire life. This connection, this intimacy.

He looked into her eyes and she looked into his and they were one. She could feel his love for her as he poured himself into her body. This vast, wonderful, unconditional love.

More, more, she wanted more of him.

He matched her frantic rhythm and soon she felt the power of orgasm grip them both.

Simultaneously, wave after shuddering wave rippled through their joined bodies, lifting them together on joyous peaks of pleasure. A keen wail ripped through both their throats at the same time. Their sounds reverberated off the walls of the house where they were going to raise their baby and live their lives.

Sebastian collapsed on the bed beside her, and then drew her into his arms. She rested her head on his chest, listening to the pounding of his heart as he tightened his embrace around her.

“I love you so much, Julie,” he murmured. “More than I ever thought possible.”

She pressed her lips against his salty skin. “I love you, too, Sebastian.”

For a long time, they stayed in the circle of each other’s arms. Julie realized she’d never felt so complete, so wanted, so whole. He’d given her what she’d spent a lifetime searching for. True and honest love.

LETHAL EXPOSURE

Copyright © 2008 by Lori Vanzura.

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3K9, Canada.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

www.eHarlequin.com