Special Deliveries Collection - Kate Hardy Mills & Boon e-Book Collections

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She used her other hand to wipe away a tear that slipped out.

      “Amber was born. Mom went into remission. Things were good for a while. When Mom got sick again, we had a rough year and then it was over. She was gone.”

      “And you were alone again.” He reached out and brushed another tear from her cheek. His hand cupped her cheek, making her feel cherished.

      “Amber and I carried on. The end.” If only it had been that easy. If only it hadn’t been a constant struggle for her.

      “You’re a wonderful person, Maggie.” His soft words startled her.

      She searched his eyes for the hidden meaning behind his words. “I kept you from your daughter for eight years and you think I’m wonderful?”

      “You were protecting yourself and Amber.” Brady touched his forehead to hers. “We all run away sometimes. In our own ways.”

      He was right. She hadn’t run away physically but she had emotionally. Too afraid that the voices telling her he would hate her would be true. Too afraid that he didn’t want Amber.

      Now he wanted them both to go to New York with him. She’d never considered that he’d want them as a package deal. She’d never considered that he would want them at all.

      Could he learn to love her? She pressed her lips to his. The brief touch sent warmth throughout her body. She loved him. Maybe not when she’d been eighteen, but the man he was now, the one she’d gotten to know over the past week. In all her life, she’d never loved anyone the way she loved Brady. He made her think. He made her laugh. He made her sigh with pleasure. He made her feel as if everything would be okay as long as he was in her life.

      “Let’s go inside,” she whispered. The decision for New York could wait until morning. Denying that she wanted him was only driving them in circles.

      “Are you sure?” His thumb caressed her cheek. His blue eyes searched hers.

      “Aren’t you?” She leaned into his hand. They both needed to heal and they needed the other to help. Even if it was only one more night, she wanted this.

       Chapter Nineteen

      Maggie held Brady’s hand as they made their way upstairs to her bedroom. No disruptions tonight. No mindless passion.

      Tonight Maggie would give Brady her heart the only way she knew how.

      He turned her until they were face-to-face. “I’ve always wanted you, Maggie.”

      Want. Lust. Desire was easy. Just standing next to him had her pulse racing, her nerve endings waiting for his touch, her breathing choppy. His thumb traced a path of fire over her bottom lip.

      She met his eyes and began unbuttoning his shirt. No rushing. No hurry. Every moment would be savored and remembered. His blue eyes glittered in the dim light of her room. His hands smoothed over her shoulders. He paused at her zipper and lowered it until his hands reached the base of her spine.

      Helping him shrug out of his shirt, she never broke eye contact. It kept her centered, reminded her that this was for her heart. To be with Brady and see if she could stand loving him, when he didn’t love her in return.

      He drew her closer and lowered his lips to her forehead. Light kisses trailed over her face, closing her eyes and making her body pulse with need. When his lips finally took hers, she drew in his breath as her own.

      The urgency of last night was forgotten as he sipped slowly on her lower lip. As he rediscovered her mouth, his fingers slipped through her dress’s open back and touched the trembling flesh beneath.

      She didn’t want to hurry, but her body was beyond ready to move to the next step. Her fingers threaded through his hair as she deepened the kiss. He followed her lead and slipped the dress from her shoulders. She kicked off her heels without relinquishing his mouth.

      This time wasn’t about hiding behind passion. Or even about succumbing to a chemistry neither of them could deny. This time she wanted the way her lover touched her, the way he kissed her as if it were the last time they would be together or the first, to touch her soul.

      The rest of their clothes followed the dress and shoes. Each piece brought a new sensation until nothing but air separated their bodies. Her breasts pressed against his lightly haired chest. Her stomach shivered inside as it pressed against his heat.

      And yet his hands remained low on her hips. He wanted her to lead this dance. She broke off the kiss and gasped in air, causing her body to fit tighter to his.

      He groaned as he kissed the side of her neck. “You are so beautiful,” he muttered against her skin. His fingers flexed into her hips, pulling her tight against him.

      Fire and heat coursed through her veins, pooling between her legs. She pulled away from him slightly and caressed the stubble growing on his cheek. The words I love you hovered on her lips, longing to be released. To share with him the joy and fear, but she couldn’t.

      “I’ve waited a long time for this.” She pulled the covers back on the bed and held her arms out to him. “Do you remember what you said to me that night?”

      Closing the distance between them, he wrapped his arms around her. Her ear rested against his beating heart. She wondered if hers pounded like his.

      “I said that I wished I hadn’t wasted my time.” He kissed the top of her head. “That I’d really seen you when we were in school.”

      He tipped her chin up and lowered his lips until his barely touched hers. “That we had more time.”

      “We have time now.” Maggie met his gaze, hoping he could see how much she wanted him to love her. Knowing it left her vulnerable but not caring.

      “We have the rest of our lives.” His words sent a shock wave through her being as his lips claimed hers. They moved together on the bed, connected lips to lips until they lay beside each other.

      She forgot to breathe as his hand wandered over her breast, encircling her nipple until it hardened. When his hand left her, his mouth claimed her other breast. His fingers drew circles down her belly until he cupped her in the palm of his hand.

      The need to touch him, to give him the pleasure he was giving her, filled her. Her fingers traced over his tightened abs and caressed his hip bone. His moan made her smile, but then he changed positions, taking her other breast into his mouth. Her breath hitched. His fingers moved over her until she could think of nothing but the next touch, the next sensation. The heat built until she feared she’d burst into flames if something didn’t change soon. If he didn’t let her find the release that had been building for the past week.

      Her fingers closed over him and he stilled. His harsh breath bathed her breast in warmth. She explored him with the lightest touch. His tongue flicked out at her nipple. His hand resumed the slow tortuous pace until her hips rose to meet him.

      It was right there, so close she could almost touch it. He moved up her body and took her mouth with his. She clung to him as her body burst with sensation and pleasure.

      Her breath caught as he caressed her breast. The fire started to rise within her again. He shifted on the bed until they were chest to chest, stomach to stomach, thigh to thigh.

      He made short work of a condom. When he lifted his head, his eyes were liquid pools in the darkness. She could feel her heart quietly singing as his thumb stroked her cheek.

      He entered her slowly, making their bodies one. Never once taking his gaze from hers. She needed to see his eyes, to see if there was even a little hope that he could love her. A little hope that she could cling to as her heart broke.

      As he moved within her, the flames built until thought became impossible. His lips found hers in the storm and they clung to

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