The Tycoon's Baby Revelation - Elizabeth Lennox Page 0,39

felt sticky and strangely alive. She wanted to wake him up and convince him to do that all over again but…she looked at his profile in the shadows. He looked exhausted. Josh always pushed himself too hard, she thought as love filled her chest to the point of bursting.

No longer able to conceal her feelings, she let herself accept that she was completely, madly in love. She loved him so absolutely that her heart ached. It wasn’t just sex, she told herself, although…she smiled, thinking about the way he’d touched her and the tender way he’d initiated her into the world of lovemaking.

Her feelings were definitely mixed with feelings of joy because of the sex, but she’d felt love for Josh before tonight. In fact, she’d probably been in love with him for years. When had her emotions shifted from hatred to friendship to love? She couldn’t remember any specific moment, but as she’d gotten to know him over the years, she’d understood him better. He might be gruff and demanding, but he was more than fair and outrageously generous. But love…Sloane wasn’t sure when that had happened either. She’d denied her love for him for so long, it had skewed her perceptions. Still, she loved him. Loved him with all of her heart.

She loved his strengths and weaknesses, loved all of his quirky habits, and she loved the way he took care of the people in his life. She loved…him. That’s it. That’s all of it. She loved him because of who he was, not because of what he represented.

And that love warmed her heart and…scared her to death! Sloane knew that he didn’t love her back. No way. He wasn’t that kind of a man. He was too focused on work and…well, that’s what she’d do as well. Sloane knew that she loved him too much to burden him with her feelings.

With that in mind, she shifted again, looking up at his dark jawline and the ridiculously long lashes that lay against his skin. His hard muscles were…tempting, but he needed his rest.

Slipping slowly away so she didn’t wake him, Sloane gathered up her clothes and tip toed out of the bedroom. Dressing outside, she realized that her underwear was completely ruined. With a smile, she tucked them into her purse and smoothed her skirt down over her hips, hoping that no one would notice she wasn’t wearing panties! She smiled to herself as she grabbed her bag and slipped out the front door, setting the security alarm. She knew his codes since she’d been the one to have the system installed. She’d shown him how to reset the alarm, but he’d never changed the code.

A half hour later, she pulled into the space beside her cottage. Everything was dark inside and she stared at the small house. She’d lived here for eight years. Eight wonderful, challenging, scary years.

And she was in love with Josh Starke. Good grief, how the world had changed.

Stepping out of her car, she moved silently through the house, listening for sounds. But there weren’t any because Pepper and Rayne were gone. Off to start their own lives.

Instead of thinking about her sisters, she showered and changed into a tee shirt, found another pair of panties, and slipped into bed. She was asleep within seconds.

Chapter 14

Sloane stepped into the office the next morning, her knees quivering with fear and embarrassment. She’d loved being with him last night, reveling in his arms and feeling the power of his touch. He kissed as if he’d been taught by a master and…the way he’d made her body sing? She hadn’t thought that was possible!

The office was dark and quiet, thankfully. It allowed her to move down the hallway towards her own office and get settled in before she had to face the reality of what she’d done. Gone were the feelings of happiness she’d felt last night, replaced with anxiety over Josh’s potential regret for what they’d done together.

With a sigh, she settled into her chair, connected her laptop and, surrounded by her familiar work world, felt balanced and in control again. Working here was good, she reminded herself. She loved her job and…well, she respected Josh. It wasn’t love. Even after last night, she didn’t love him. Not really. Her revelations last night had been…!

Closing her eyes, she sighed and bowed her head. She loved him. Loved him completely. He wasn’t perfect. But he was pretty amazing. And she loved him so damn much that it