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Nick followed her out of the room and caught her in a tight hug as soon as they were out of sight. “Stop it, you’ve caused me enough trouble.” She pushed at his shoulders but he didn’t release her.
“I like having my mark on you.” He lowered his head and tickled her skin with his tongue.
She swallowed her quick giggle and renewed her efforts to get away. “If Dad sees us, he’ll throw you out on your ear.”
Nick lifted his head, his devilish grin sparkling in his eyes. “Your father isn’t much different than me, Miss Caroline. How do you think you arrived in this world?”
She gave an enormous push and succeeded in backing away from him. “That, Nick, is just gross.” She shuddered. “I do not want to think about my parents having sex.”
Her shock at the easy way her mother had used the term “shacking up” still lingered.
“And they don’t want to think about you having sex,” he retorted. “Go on, get changed. I’ll meet you in the living room. And I’ll be the perfect gentleman all evening.”
He was true to his word. He held the door open for her mother, waited for Caroline and her mom to be seated before sliding into the chair opposite Caroline, and leaned forward with rapt attention during all conversation. At one point, Caroline kicked him under the table, sure that his attentiveness would be seen as sarcasm by her usually aware father.
But her dad was intent on sharing information about their community with Nick, detailing recent developments, the progress the city council was making in marketing their community, and the many businesses advertising for employees.
“Your father wants us to live here after the wedding.” They were several paces behind her parents as they walked back to the car.
“He’s proud of Mustang.” She wouldn’t be surprised if her father had finally found the right place to settle down. Her parents had lived there since her freshman year in high school. Longer than anywhere else they’d lived.
Nick shook his head. “You’re his little girl, Caroline. He wants you to live close by.”
Caroline stared at her father’s solid back. He was holding hands with her mother and she felt an enormous wave of love flow through her.
Followed by a dull ache in her chest right below her heart. She’d be leaving them when she married. She’d always be their daughter, but once the vows were spoken, she’d be Nick’s wife first.
Her vision blurred and she stumbled over the pavement. Nick caught her arm. “You all right?”
She nodded, ducking her head so he couldn’t see the tears. How could she explain the feelings coursing through her? She loved him, she knew she did. Marrying him was the right decision and she could hardly wait to start their life together.
But she had never really considered what she was giving up by making a new family.
He bent down and kissed her cheek. “It’s okay, sweetheart. We’ll see them whenever we can.”
“What?”
“Getting married is a big deal.” His voice was as serious as the day he had proposed. “We’ll have to work out all kinds of holiday visits between our two families. But you and me, we’re going to be great together.”
She cupped his cheek with one hand, all doubts washing away. “You’re right. We are.”
“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU ended up getting married in the biggest church in town.” Lily adjusted the filmy cape around Caroline’s shoulders.
“I know.” Butterflies danced in her stomach and she could hardly stand still. Twice, Lily had threatened to send her up the aisle with her panty hose showing to the world if she didn’t stop moving.
Caroline held her head still while Lily tucked the hood of the cape around the braided bun at the base of her neck. “Mom kept saying it was our choice. But we all knew it wasn’t.”
Her mother had been clever, never outright asking them to use the church. Instead, she had casually mentioned that any elderly relatives they invited might find it difficult to stand for very long and getting chairs into the wooded glade could be a challenge. The lack of bathrooms and limited parking could also be a problem. Not a major one, of course, since the wedding would be short. And as long as it didn’t rain and no one had to rush up the wood-chip path to their cars…
Nick had finally conceded defeat and told her mother to reserve the church. Caroline had said they didn’t have to change their plans just because her mother was being manipulative. He had given a rueful laugh and hugged her close. “Caroline, you’re her only daughter. It’s one day. As long as we’re married at the end of it, I don’t care what happens.”
Now Lily stepped back, her eyes narrowed. “Well?” Caroline asked. The mirror was across the room and she couldn’t see anything.
The door opened behind Caroline and footsteps rushed into the room. “Caroline, your aunt…” Her mother’s voice trailed away.
Caroline turned her head. Evelyn stood frozen in the middle of the room, her hand pressed against her mouth. “What?” Was something the matter with the dress, with the way it fit? Her aunt?
Her mother advanced into the room, stopping next to Lily. Both women stared at Caroline for several long seconds and then her mom wrapped her arms around Lily in a tight hug.
“I assume that means everything looks good,” Caroline said in a dry tone.
Her mom nodded, dabbing at her eyes with the handkerchief she had been carrying all day. By now, she could probably fuel Niagara Falls. “You look perfect, darling. Absolutely perfect.”
“Can I see?”
Lily nodded. Lifting the hem, Caroline picked her way to the large mirror at the side of the room.
“Oh, Lily!” she breathed, staring at her reflection. She was a princess in a fairy tale.
“Oh, Caroline.” Lily bent down and straightened the skirt. When she stood up, she had flickers of tears on her lashes. “Let’s get you married.”
Her father’s reaction matched that of her mother. “You look lovely,” he whispered.
She tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. “Thank you, Daddy. And thank you for being so nice to Nick.”
“He’s a good man.” They started the march down the aisle. “As long as he remembers to take care of you.”
The wedding passed in a blur. She saw Nick’s eyes light up when she came into view and her lips curved into a wide smile that didn’t disappear the entire evening. She danced with uncles and cousins she hadn’t seen in ages. Her father whisked her into the father-daughter dance with old-world charm and then made her giggle when he swung her in a wide dip. Her brothers each claimed a portion of a dance, teasing her until their wives dragged them away.
The last dance was with Nick. His hands rested on her waist, their feet barely moving across the floor. She couldn’t take her eyes off his face or the love she saw mirrored in his eyes.
“Happy?” he said.
She nodded. “Deliciously so.” She had found words welling up in her mind all night, fulsome words she would never use any other time. In her Cinderella dress, with her handsome prince in his dark suit, the music playing around them, their family and friends surrounding them, she couldn’t help thinking that no bride had ever been so lucky.
He deftly swung her out of the way of two little cousins dancing a jitterbug of sorts to the slow music. “How much longer before we can get out of here?”
The urgency and desire in his voice made her quiver. She had thrown the bouquet, he had tossed the garter. The cake was almost gone. “Now?” she murmured.
He stopped dancing and the cousins bumped into her hip. They scowled and jiggled around them. Nick grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the door.
She dug her heels into the flooring. “We can’t just rush out. We have to tell our parents goodbye.”
He growled but detoured toward the front tables and halted in front of her parents, his hand tight on hers. The wedding band she had slipped onto his finger felt smooth against her palm. “Thank you for a lovely wedding. We’re leaving now.”
Caroline’s cheeks heated up. Without waiting for her parents’ reply, he tugged her along to his parents. “Mom, Dad, we’re leaving. Have a safe drive.”
She caught his wrist with her free hand. “Nick.”
He glanced over his shoulder at her. “Caroline, I’m not stopping again until we’re at our motel. Do you have a problem with that?”
Desire shimmered in the air between them. A fine sheen glistened on his forehead and his lips were pressed together in a tight line.
They’d waited long enough. She leaned toward him. “How fast do you think you can get us there?”
A grin lit up his face. “Watch.”
CHAPTER TWO
Career changes
Twenty-six years earlier
THE GARAGE DOOR slid closed behind him, but Nick made no move to get out of the car. Caroline’s car occupied her space, sparkling from a recent washing. She must have stopped on her way home from school.
He inhaled slowly and then let the breath out just as carefully. He needed to go in, not sit noticing the lack of dust on her vehicle. He’d eat dinner, chat as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened and then offer to do the dishes. Once the kitchen was clean and they were relaxing in the living room, he’d bring up his news.
The door between the kitchen and the garage opened and Caroline hurried through, a cloth bag over her shoulder, her head down as she watched her step. She paused to push the garage-door opener. Halfway down the second step, she saw him, grinned and hurried over to his car.
“Hey!” She leaned over, tapping on his window.
Rather than roll it down, he opened the door, careful not to bump her skirt, and climbed out. “You going somewhere?”
She nodded. “The school-board meeting, remember? I’m giving my presentation. I told you last night.”
He had a vague recollection of listening to something about her third-grade class and the books they were reading, but sometimes Caroline rambled on about her school day in such detail he found it easy to ignore most of it. If he made a few “uh-huhs” or “reallys?” during the monologue, that sufficed.
“When will you be home?”
“I don’t know. Most of the time, we can slip out after we finish our part. I’ll see if I can do that without making a scene.”
She took a step closer and leaned in, kissing him on the cheek and nuzzling his chin. “I won’t stay a minute longer than I have to.”
His body tightened at the promise in her voice. Four years of marriage and that whisper of longing in her tone still made him want to push her up against the wall.
His hand stole around her neck and he tugged her closer for a solid kiss. Her bag bumped against one hip and the door scraped his other one. He edged around the door, keeping their mouths melded together. With his free hand, he pushed the car door shut and wrapped his arm around her waist, catching his balance against the car.
A whimper slid over her lips and he swallowed the soft sound, using his teeth, his tongue, his lips to explore her mouth. She tasted of minty toothpaste and he wanted to devour her.
Her hands pressed against his chest and she backed up. He lifted his head. “I have to go,” she whispered.
Her lashes were lowered, her cheeks flushed. “You sure?” he asked, a sense of satisfaction filling him. He had the same power over her that she wielded over him.
“Yes.” She smoothed several locks of hair behind her right ear, then ran her hands down her skirt. “How do I look?”
He leaned back and gave her a once-over, moving slowly past the soft curves at her hips, her waist, her breasts, and back to her face.
“Not that way!” She gave him a push that knocked him against the car.
He grinned. The momentary pain had been worth the view.
“Do I look okay for my meeting? I don’t have time to go back in and repair your damage.” She brushed at the front of her blouse.
“You look fine.” He patted her on the rear, chuckling at her squeak of annoyance. Nothing irritated her more than that patronizing action. She was back to her normal, public self. That half-out-of-bed look he wanted to keep for himself.
Whistling, he closed the garage door after her car turned into the street and wandered in to the house. The kitchen light over the sink was on, sending a soft glow into the room. Their rented town house was twice the size of the apartment they had lived in for the first three years of their marriage.
The silence of the extra rooms echoed around him. He opened the refrigerator and peered inside. Grabbing a package of ham, he fixed a sandwich. He carried it into the living room, flicked on the television and plopped down on the couch.
The local sports announcer was giving a quick rundown of the coming baseball games, promising highlights during the special Friday night segment that ran during the season. The announcer added that the starting pitcher for the high-school team was considering several area colleges and that scouts from a prestigious university had been seen at the last game.
Nick frowned, the information bringing back the afternoon’s conversation with his boss, the pitcher’s dad. The opportunity to move up in the company had been handed to him, with a substantial pay increase. The only problem was that the promotion included a move out of state.
He slumped against the back of the couch, staring at the swirls on the ceiling. The extra money was secondary to the chance to head his own department. After months of following orders, he would be the one giving them.
The design in the ceiling formed itself into Caroline’s face. Even before she saw him, he had seen excitement in her walk, in the way she swung down the steps. He couldn’t have told anyone about the program she was going to discuss for the school board that evening, but he did know it was something that had involved most of her waking free moments for the past school year.
Good teachers are needed everywhere, he thought. Her principal would be sad to lose her, but he’d give Caroline a glowing recommendation. The man had been full of praise for her abilities when they met at the school’s Spring Fling. Nick had been proud she was his wife.
“Nick?” Caroline’s voice sounded from the kitchen.
“In the living room.”
“What are you doing sitting in the dark?” She clicked on a lamp and dropped onto the couch next to him.
“Did you wow them?” He muted the television, now in the middle of a weekly variety show, and draped an arm around her waist.
She leaned her head on his shoulder. “Yeah.” Her lips briefly touched his neck. “The kids were so good. The board members asked several questions and not one of the kids faltered in their answers.”
“Did you think they would?”
She shook her head, her hair rustling against his shirt. The silky movement brought a clench to his groin, reminding him of the unfinished business between them.
He looped his arm around her and tugged her into his lap. She giggled, her skirt flipping up and baring her legs to the tops of her shapely thighs. “What are you doing?”
“Celebrating your wonderful performance.” She wasn’t wearing stockings. His free hand caressed the soft skin under her knee and her giggles shifted to a lower pitch.
“Tell me what happened at the meeting,” he murmured, his index finger tracing lazy circles over and behind her knee.
She swallowed and licked her lips. “After a couple short announcements,” she managed to say in a higher-than-normal voice, “the vice superintendent introduced me.”
He added another finger to his tracing and navigated a few inches higher on her thigh. “And?” he asked.
She shifted, her hand tightening on his waist. He followed her leg, alternating his tracing with gentle squeezes on the soft thigh muscles.
“I, um, I told them about the books that we use, how much we read each day, some of the activities—”
He watched the skin of her throat ripple as she swallowed. Using the pad of his thumb, he trailed down the faint ridges, slowing at the hollow at the base of her throat.
