Chapter Ten #2
She clutched onto him for dear life and didn’t let go until they’d both calmed. She breathed in the steam from the shower as Jace washed her hair, her body, her sensitive core. God, did life get better than this?
With someone capable of emotional intimacy, yes. That wasn’t her husband, nor could it be. He’d made that clear.
A girl can dream.
Absolutely not. That wasn’t the way to go. To not be able to give her heart away to this amazing man was one thing; it was another altogether to give it away in the hopes he’d accept it, only to be rebuffed.
No, she needed to keep her feelings in check, no matter what.
Which was easier said than done, as it turned out.
That evening passed in a blur of laughter for her and Jace and giggles from Maddie. Jace was amazing with the little girl, and she’d really taken to him. Even Owen couldn’t keep from smiling as he watched the two of them together.
In what must have been a move on Paige’s part, the two were now spending the night away. She tossed Aurelie a wink, like she was giving her the night to sneak around with a boy. Too bad that ship had wholly sailed.
Still, the three of them—she, Jace, and Maddie—made a cute little trio.
“She’s so smart,” Jace noted at dinner. “See how she tracks each bite I take? It’s like she’s learning from every movement I make.”
Aurelie laughed. “She’s doing exactly that. Babies learn the most in their first five years—more than any other five-year span in their life.”
He kissed her over the top of Maddie’s head. The baby just squealed with more delight.
“I love hearing you talk nerdy doctor stuff to me. What else do you know?”
She shook her head, laughing. “No way, mister. I’m not falling for that. You know you’ll have me filibustering the whole evening away with my nerdy doctor talk.”
He kissed her again, and this time, lingered with his forehead against hers.
With the baby between them, it felt too much like this was real life.
In fact, every time they’d shared a moment like this the past few days, she’d wondered if the accident with the condom from the other night didn’t go their way, and she ended up pregnant, if this is what life would look like.
She had to imagine it wouldn’t be like this at all. He’d be up at dawn or before to take care of the ranch—if he quit acting altogether—and she’d be up all night with the baby. It wouldn’t be a luxury anymore; it would be a responsibility.
A crushing one.
“Why don’t you tell me about your nerdy ranching stuff instead? I hardly know anything about what you do.”
His smile was downright devilish. “Aw, hon, there’s nothing nerdy about ranching. It’s the sexiest profession on the planet.” He’d purposely lowered his voice to imitate a low cowboy rumble, and she giggled.
“Okay, there, Butch Cassidy. Simmer down now. But really, talk me through your day. What, for instance, got you so muddy this afternoon?”
He blushed. “Yeah, sorry about that. I was gonna clean out the bottom of the shower, but a beautiful woman distracted me with her mouth around my cock.”
Now it was her turn to blush. “Jace William.”
“Anyway,” he said, popping one of Maddie’s crackers in her mouth and earning a playful slap on the hand from Aurelie, “I do a lot in a day, and no day’s the same.”
“Kind of like acting?”
He smiled. “Kinda, yeah. Although this work is much more fulfilling. I can see the difference in everything I do right away.”
She took Maddie and washed her hands off with water from her glass. “How so?”
“I dunno. Like take the horses, for instance. When I’m done grooming them, I can see the difference, not just in their coats, but their attitudes as well.
Without it, they’re grumpy, get unhealthy, and their workload declines.
That affects the cattle, which affects the sales, and the whole thing crumbles if you don’t do what needs to be done.
” She took his hand and squeezed it. “I guess I like being needed.”
I need you. The thought was fleeting but true. Still, she didn’t let it pass her lips.
“Well, it’s neat to see you light up the way you do when you talk about it. Call it what you want, but you’re a nerd about this stuff.”
He took Maddie back from her and whispered in her ear, “If you want to see what really gets me going, meet me in the bedroom in ten minutes, Mrs. Michaels.”
Moisture pooled in her panties as if she were a horny twenty-year-old and not a professional.
They made love again, Aurelie surprised at not only how many ways there were to appreciate this man, but how much that appreciation grew and expanded each time they had sex. It was some sort of cosmic math problem she’d never be able to solve.
Right before bed, she checked her email to discover that their court date and interview for her green card had been scheduled. A wave of dizziness washed over her. She should drink more water, given all the exertions they’d been up to that week.
“We meet next week with the immigration agent and are scheduled for court after,” she told him.
He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her tight into him. How was she supposed to keep her feelings in check when he kept being so amazing?
“You nervous?”
She nodded. “I am, mostly because I hate lying. But I know what we’re doing is for the right reasons, and a lot of people stand to be helped by this fake union. So, maybe yes and no.”
He kissed the top of her head. “You’ll do great. We’ll do great. Besides, there’s no way I’d let anything happen to you.”
“Thanks, Jace.” But there was so much he couldn’t control. Still, the sentiment was sweet. In minutes, he was snoring, but Aurelie didn’t think there was any way she could sleep, not with the myriad thoughts racing through her brain, starting with how altruistic Jace’s act of marrying her was.
And here she was, wishing for more. Thank goodness she had work at the clinic tomorrow so she could at least feel slightly less selfish.
The problem was, he’d given her a glimpse of what life could look like if she just leaned into his affection. But he’d said he couldn’t give her more. Was this enough?
Moreover, if they did try this out for real, would they last? The way they met, then married? No, that story was a fairy tale, and her life was anything but. Just like Aurelie was anything but a princess.
By some miracle, her body gave out on her and she fell asleep, but that sliver of time had been restless, littered with horrific images of her father, of a faceless Isaac, both hell-bent on tracking her down, destroying her life.
The sun was high overhead when she finally woke, feeling unrested despite the late hour.
Turning to find Jace, to talk to him, she was met with his side of the bed squared away and made up.
Sometime during the brief period her eyes had been closed, he must have snuck out, leaving her to sleep.
Maddie wasn’t in her bed, either. It was also made, blankets folded, the room picked up from the night before, but no baby in sight.
When she finally found them, her heart lurched.
Jace stood over a pan of bacon, a cup of coffee in one hand, Maddie in the other.
He’d configured some sort of blanket-tarp-protective wrap for Maddie, an adorably intricate design that did the trick to keep the baby safe from splattering grease.
A song wafted over her, the delectable aroma of the breakfast carried to her on the same invisible breeze.
Was Jace humming? It sounded like a lullaby, but either way, it did nothing to lull Maddie into submission. Small squeals of delight came from beneath the makeshift tent, and her chubby legs pumped with excitement.
Aurelie cleared her throat. Good Lord above, seeing Jace like that with her niece made her warm in places that were barely hidden by her small sleep shorts.
“Hey there, babe,” he said, putting down his coffee and coming over to her.
He planted a kiss on her cheek, the stubble on his chin longer than the day before.
When his mouth closed in on hers, she tasted caramel and coffee.
Strangely, neither made her as hungry as Jace’s tongue teasing hers into a passionate kiss that ignited her core, sending waves of heat shooting through her limbs. “How’d you sleep?” he asked.
“Um, not so great last night, so thank you for letting me sleep in this morning. I never heard Maddie cry.”
“Of course. I figured you must be exhausted, so this little squirmer and I came to an agreement that we would be as quiet as we could to give you some rest. I figured a little breakfast couldn’t hurt, either.”
It’s not real, her head whispered.
It might be, her heart shot back. Give it time.
Dizziness overcame Aurelie again, and she sat on a barstool.
“Well, thank you. Can I take her?” Aurelie asked, her arms outstretched. She missed the feel of her favorite baby.
“Nope. You grab a cup of coffee and a seat. Bacon’s almost done, and eggs are in the oven with the toast. We’ll eat, then map out our plan of attack with the case, starting with how needed you are at your job.
I have a lawyer friend who can talk us through what we need to prepare for.
He’s also doing double duty and finding out how to shut down Puckman. Guy’s a saint.”
That was her term for Jace, come to think of it.
“Dammit,” a voice said from behind them.
Aurelie’s gaze shot up. Owen had come in, his face somber and pulled tight.
Had the night gone poorly? Paige came in on the heels of her husband, and it was obvious she’d been crying.
Her cheeks were stained with tears, confirming Aurelie’s suspicions.
It was made worse when Brad and Sophie followed close behind, both looking shell-shocked.
More than Isaac, more than the looming presence of her father, more than the imminent court case to decide her fate, seeing her friends in such agony filled Aurelie with terror. An alarm rang in the back of her mind. This was more than just a spat between lovers. Something serious had happened.