Nathan's Child - By Anne McAllister Page 0,62

late, she had never unbent.

She hadn’t bolted as she had when she’d been going to marry Dominic. She had shown up. She had said her vows. But the woman who had married him yesterday was definitely a woman fulfilling a duty. He had his work cut out for him.

“Can Zeno come?” Lacey asked.

Since Zeno had already jumped in the Jeep, and was even now panting happily at Nathan, there was only one answer. Nathan was inclined to say yes, anyway. “Sure. Why not?”

Lacey talked all the way home, making plans for tomorrow, who to go see, who to tell about her adventures, who to regale with the story of her parents’ wedding.

Nathan let it all wash over him, making appropriate noises when required. It went with being a father, he’d discovered. He had no problem with it. So far fatherhood had come remarkably easily.

It was being a husband that was going to be tricky.

He wanted to be a good one. He wanted to be a real one.

So when Carin opened her mouth as he carried the bags upstairs, he said flatly, “We’re married. We’re sharing a bedroom.”

Carin’s expression grew shuttered and unreadable. But she closed her mouth and gave an almost imperceptible nod of her head.

So much for romance.

Of course she didn’t expect it. She’d warned herself not to. They were married, but it was hardly a marriage of love.

Still, somehow she had hoped.

Fool, Carin derided herself. You knew better. But even so, it hurt that he was so abrupt, so harsh. He wanted her physically, that much was clear. He would share his body with her. But he wasn’t going to give her his heart.

She wished she could refuse to sleep with him. She couldn’t. Lacey would expect them to sleep together. But even acknowledging that, Carin knew it wasn’t the whole truth—the truth was she wanted him. It was pathetic. She was pathetic.

But if this marriage was not going to be complete misery, they had to start somewhere.

They might as well start in bed. It was the place their relationship had begun to go wrong. Maybe now they could start to put it right.

They managed to be pleasant and polite, even teasing a bit, while Lacey was still up. But as soon as she’d gone to bed, the tension between them grew like a storm filling the sky. It wasn’t terribly late, but all Carin could think about was her bag upstairs in Nathan’s bedroom, about what it meant, about what the night would bring.

“Do you want a glass of wine?” Nathan asked. She was standing on the deck, staring out at the ocean, hoping that the evening breeze would cool her heated flesh.

Quickly she shook her head. “I’m fine. I…think I might like a bath.”

When she’d finished she put on a thin silk nightgown—a gift from Mariah and Sierra and far more elegant than the T-shirt and gym shorts she’d worn in New York—and went into the bedroom.

Nathan was already there. He took one look at her, and something flared in his gaze. His jaw tightened and his whole body seemed to grow taut.

He’d already begun to undress. His shirt was unbuttoned, hanging loose and affording her a glimpse of his hard muscled chest. The glimpse only made her want more. She remembered the night she’d seen him coming up from the sea, remembered the sight of his naked body, and her breath caught and her pulse quickened as she anticipated seeing it again.

Nathan, hearing the catch of her breath, scowled. “Don’t go all innocent virgin on me,” he said, misinterpreting it.

“No fear,” Carin retorted sharply, annoyed. “You already took care of that.”

They glared at each other, electricity arcing between them.

“I damned well never forced you.”

Carin’s gaze slid away. “I know that,” she muttered.

“And I don’t want to force you now.” Then he let his shirt fall to the floor and crossed the room to her. He put his hands on her arms, slid them down, then touched her waist, drew her close. His breath stirred tendrils of her hair. His stubbled jaw scraped lightly against her own.

And Carin trembled.

Nathan stilled, then stepped back. “Are you afraid of me?”

She shook her head resolutely. “N-no.” It wasn’t Nathan she was afraid of. It was her own traitorous heart.

“Then love me,” Nathan said hoarsely. “Let me love you.” And he drew her to the bed, and they lay down upon it.

Together, where they had longed to be, their bodies seemed unable to resist. Their limbs tangled, their mouths met,