LITMIR.BIZ

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eased his hands over her tummy, down along her hips, hugging her body against his. “What do you say?”

      She looked deep into his eyes, her lips parted, her hair spread across the pillow. “You never cease to amaze me, Aidan,” she whispered, her fingers continuing their course over his cheek, down his neck.

      “How so?” he asked, loving this game, this moment when she would succumb to him. It had always been that way. He would entice her with something, a dinner out, a trip, a night in, just the two of them. Until recently, Grace had always gone along with his plans. And now, with the whole issue of a baby settled, he wanted them to go back to the beginning, back to the way things were.

      “I agree we need to get away, time to ourselves. It would be really nice to spend a couple days in Charleston. You win, my love. I’ll cancel my lunch date.”

      He kissed her, cradling her head in his hands. “Thank you. You won’t regret going with me. Besides, how can you resist the chance to have me all to yourself?” he teased, aware of the times he’d wanted her to go away with him when he’d be gone for days without her, and she’d remained at home, either for a doctor’s appointment, redecorating the baby’s room or a quilting event.

      “Aidan, I love you,” she whispered as her body writhed under his caress, a groan of pleasure escaping her lips.

      “And I love you,” he murmured against her skin.

      Two hours later, he and Grace arrived in Charleston. “Why don’t I drop you somewhere along King Street, give you a little time to shop? And before you say anything about the cost, I want you to buy whatever you want. Promise me you’ll do that,” he said.

      She smiled at him, her body still humming from the time they’d spent in bed making love. It was as if everything that had stood between them, all the pain and uncertainty of the past few years, had slipped away. It was as if they were back to the way they’d been when they first got married.

      Aidan was so right about what they needed—the time together without anyone interfering. She smiled at the memory of those early morning hours. As they’d packed to leave, joking and talking with each other the way they once had, she was certain they would work everything out.

      She was confident that this trip was meant to be. The next couple of days together would work its magic on them. She’d never stayed at the Planters Inn, but she’d heard about it from a friend who had spent her wedding night in one of its beautiful suites. Grace had helped her plan her big day and had seen the photos of the inn, all gold and cream with deep hues of blue and roses everywhere. She couldn’t imagine a more perfect place for a getaway. “I promise to buy whatever I see that I like,” she offered, stroking his arm.

      “Perfect. I’ll call you the second I’m out of my meeting and we’ll go for a late lunch,” he said, navigating the tight lanes of traffic leading toward Broad Street, the hallmark of Charleston civility.

      “I wish we’d planned to do this with Lucas and Maria. She’s such a great shopper, and we always have a good time together. I was never so happy as when Lucas arrived back from a business trip to Spartanburg to tell me he’d met the woman of his dreams. Do you think they’ll get married? I mean, Lucas talks about her all the time, and I want him to be as happy as we are.”

      “Lucas and Maria are not on my mind at all. They have their life and we have ours,” he said, his gaze direct, a small furrow forming between his eyes as he turned to her. “All I want is to let the world go away and you and I focus on us,” he said as he maneuvered the large SUV into a narrow parking spot.

      “Okay. No more talk about anyone or anything but us,” she said. She didn’t want anything to ruin their minivacation. Reaching across the wide console, she squeezed his hand where it rested on the steering wheel. “I can’t wait for you to be finished. You’re right. We need to get away. Starting today, we’ll plan to do something like this once a month. We deserve time alone together, don’t we?”

      “Exactly. Why can’t we just take off, act like a pair of teenagers in love? The way we used to do,” he said, his smile intimate, wrapping around her, signaling that whatever was bothering him had gone.

      She kissed him quickly. “After I’m done shopping, I’ll call a cab and go to the inn. I’ll check in and be waiting for you. Just for you, I’m going to buy something really sexy to wear tonight.” She kissed him again before she reached for the door handle. “You’d better be ready,” she teased, seeing the love in his eyes. Her body tingled. “I’ll order a bottle of champagne.”

      He pulled her to him and kissed her, his mouth moving over hers in a way that made her weak with desire. “I can’t wait, woman.” His smile radiated happiness as his lips brushed hers. “I’ll see you later. We’ll order room service and you can model your latest purchase...before I remove it.”

      * * *

      FIVE HOURS LATER, Aidan lay sprawled on the bed, Grace in his arms, the sheets crumpled around them, his need for her completely sated.

      “You are the most beautiful woman in the world,” he said, his throat filled with emotion as unexpected tears tingled behind his lids. He hadn’t felt this way for a very long time. He’d come to the inn and been met at the door of their suite by his wife dressed in a skimpy lace item that covered just enough and hinted at a lot more. He’d fallen into bed with her, and they’d had the best afternoon of lovemaking he could remember.

      Slowly he kissed her lips, his fingers caressing her cheek. “I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you.”

      She returned his kiss. “I love you, too, so much,” she whispered, her gaze on him and only him.

      “I’ve missed this,” he said, his heart filled to overflowing.

      “What do you mean?” She toyed with the hair on his chest.

      “The way we made love, the closeness, the sheer excitement of simply enjoying each other.”

      She pulled back a little. “But we’ve always—”

      He placed his fingers gently over her lips to silence her. “Not like this. Not with this intensity and simply for the sheer pleasure of being with each other.”

      Her gaze never left his face, and he saw the shimmer of unshed tears in her eyes.

      “I don’t mean to say we haven’t made love to each other these past years, but there was always the other—”

      “We’ve been over this before,” she said, her voice soft with a tinge of hurt.

      Aidan wished he’d said nothing. “I’m sorry. This has been fantastic, and I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s just that I feel like I have you back. The Grace I married and have loved for so long. That’s all I meant. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

      “Me, too,” she said, her voice wistful.

      “Then let’s not think about anything other than ourselves for the next two days. If I have my way, we won’t leave this room. We won’t need to.” He leaned up on one elbow and smiled at her. “I don’t ever want to leave this bed, but I am a little hungry. Why don’t I order room service? Another bottle of champagne, even?” He winked at her.

      Grace chuckled. “You think you’ll get me a little tipsy and have your way with me again?”

      “I’ve already had my way with you. Or did I leave such a poor impression that you didn’t notice?” he asked, kissing her again, feeling the heat rise, the tremble of her lips against his.

      “I noticed,” she whispered, her hands moving over his chest, feeding his desire.

      He held her close, his mouth claiming hers, his hands spreading across her back, moving down her body, her answering intake of breath music to his ears. “Yes,” he whispered against her lips. “We will put food on hold for a while longer—”

      The chime of his cell phone startled him. “What

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