Baby for the Billionaire(43)

He couldn’t help but smile. “I’m working on it.”

A soft laugh escaped. “Work faster.”

Jack didn’t listen. He took his time, not wanting to alarm her or do anything that might remind her of that long-ago event. He needn’t have worried. With each touch she loosened, opening more and more of herself, both physically and emotionally. Shards of moonlight caught in her eyes, allowing him to witness her intense pleasure.

He cupped her breasts, filling his hands with the delicious weight of them while he teased the tips into excited buds. Then he tasted, reveling in the unique flavor of her. He felt the pounding of her heart against his cheek and the swift burst of her breath ruffling his hair. Sliding lower, he delved across the tensed muscles of her abdomen to the protected delta below. Cautiously, he drifted inward. Her small gasp of pleasure was all the encouragement he needed. He pleasured her until he felt the early ripples of impending climax. Only then did he pull back and settle himself between her thighs.

Cupping her bottom, he lifted her and slowly surged inward. Her hips shifted to meet his, fighting to find the appropriate rhythm. It took her only a moment to discover it. And then instinct kicked in and she followed the beat. Moved with it. Drove it. Caught within her rapture, she was sheer radiance. She rode them toward a peak, further and higher than anything he’d thought possible. They teetered there for an endless moment before the first tiny convulsions shimmered through them. And then they shattered.

As he flew apart Jack realized that the cold had disappeared, replaced by a raging fire he didn’t think could ever be doused. Annalise had done that to him. Had done that for him. Somehow, in some strange, unfathomable way, she’d freed him from the arctic wasteland in which he’d been living and brought him into the sun’s balmy light.

“Are you all right?” Jack asked much, much later.

Annalise stirred against him. “I think so.”

Her tentative comment alarmed him and he rolled over. Cupping her chin, he lifted it just enough so that the moonlight revealed her expression. Her mouth curved in a tremulous smile and a melting softness burnished her gaze. But he could also see a vague bewilderment that tautened her muscles and gave him a worrying sense of uneasiness.

“I’m sorry if it wasn’t all you hoped it would be,” he said. “It gets better with practice, I promise.”

“I can’t believe that’s possible,” she retorted with satisfying speed. She feathered a string of kisses across his chest. “That part was amazing. Incredible. And there’s absolutely no comparison between last time and this.”

Relief crashed over him. “I would hope not.” He gathered up fistfuls of her hair so she had no choice but to look at him. “If that’s not the problem, then what is?”

“It’s not a problem, exactly.”

“But …?”

She caught her lower lip between her teeth. For some reason the small gesture threatened to send him straight over the edge again. He wanted his teeth on that lip. Wanted to give it a small nip and tug. And then he wanted to soothe it, kiss it endlessly while he sank into her honeyed mouth. Before he could act, Annalise spoke again.

“Will it be like that every time?”

“Like that … good?” he asked cautiously.

“No, not good.” His heart stopped in his chest, until she added, “That was incredible. That was amazing. That was …” She shook her head. “That was beyond belief. I had no idea. None.”

“Your previous experience isn’t a fair basis for comparison,” he explained gently. He waited for her to absorb that. Once she did, his smile turned wicked. “In my opinion, we need more practice in order to improve.”

Her eyes widened. “Improve? On that?” She lit up. “Are you serious?”

He didn’t bother to respond. There was a far more satisfying way to answer her question. He applied himself to the task with all due diligence. He was going to enjoy married life, he decided. He was going to enjoy married life a lot.

The next few weeks passed in a blissful haze, overflowing with days of constant laughter, a heartwarmingly joyous Isabella and a fat and sassy Madam. And the nights were even fuller, each moment spent in Annalise’s arms richer and more life-affirming than the one before. The changes served to solidify Jack’s certainty that he’d done the right thing, both for his niece as well as for himself. Even Mrs. Locke cooperated, delaying her final visit so that the new family had an opportunity to settle into a comfortable routine.

Though Annalise continued to fuss because her father remained out of touch and she’d been unable to tell him about their marriage, Jack’s father had given his opinion in no uncertain terms.

“Have you lost your mind?” Jonathan Mason demanded. “You married your nanny? What were you thinking?”

“Wasn’t your second wife the au pair of one of your business associates?” Jack shot back. “Or was that wife number three? To be honest, I’ve lost track.”

“I believe she was my third mistake,” his father retorted. “I paid through the nose to escape that noose. At least tell me you had that woman sign a prenuptial agreement.”

Defensiveness swept through Jack without thought or intention, an instinctive reaction to what he perceived on a gut level as an attack on one of his. His employee. His nanny. His wife. He couldn’t explain when Annalise had come to mean so much to him, or even why. It wasn’t their marriage alone, or the fact that she now shared his bed. It was more than that. Little by little she’d eased past his barriers and infiltrated every aspect of his life. Warmed it. Healed it. She wasn’t just his employee, despite what their prenup might say. She was his wife, and he would defend her against everyone and everything, including his father.

“That woman has a name. She’s Annalise Mason,” Jack replied in a hard voice. “And you will treat her with the respect my wife deserves. Are we clear?”

To his surprise, his father apologized. “Call me once the two of you are past the honeymoon period. Suze and I will have you over for dinner. And, Jack …?” He paused, his hesitation out of character for a man so decisive. “One of the few comforts I’ve had these past few months is knowing that Joanne and I were able to rebuild our relationship before she died. I made a lot of mistakes when you were young. Terrible mistakes that I’d give anything to undo. Would you be willing … Do you think we—” He broke off abruptly.

Jack forced himself to pick up the ball. “Could start over?”

There was another long pause, and then: “I know I don’t deserve it,” Jonathan said in a rough undertone. “But I want to have my son and granddaughter in my life again. Your wife, as well, if you’re willing.”

For some reason, picturing Annalise’s face stayed Jack’s cold refusal. She would want him to take the proffered olive branch, as would Joanne. If his father could humble his pride—something Jack would have once thought an impossibility—so could he. “I’d like that, Dad. We’ll call you and set a date.”

“Thanks, Jack.” Uncharacteristic emotion trembled in Jonathan’s voice. “Anytime you’re free. Anytime at all will be fine with us.”

The weeks flowed by after that, and Family Bed became a Sunday morning staple. Little by little they accumulated furnishings that would better accommodate both a five-year-old and a massive klutz of a dog. Madam, in particular, reveled in her new home, her coat gleaming with health, while the regular nutritional meals kept her nicely filled out.

Or so he thought until Isabella woke them in the early morning hours with a piercing shriek. He was out of bed a split second before Annalise and raced flat out toward his niece’s bedroom. She wasn’t there. The covers of her bed were thrown back and Isabella was nowhere to be seen. Jack’s heart began to pound in dread.

“Where is she?” Annalise said, slamming into him as she darted into the room. “What’s happened?”

Her question was answered by another scream, coming from the direction of the playroom. The two of them flew down the hallway. It took him a minute to find his niece. He finally discovered Isabella and Madam inside the giant playhouse that occupied one end of the room. The dog lay on her side, straining, while his niece frantically petted her. She raised a tear-stained face to Jack and held out her arms. He scooped her up, checking her desperately for any sign of injury.

“What’s wrong, Baby Belle?” he murmured. “Where are you hurt?”

“Jack, it’s not Isabella. It’s Madam. Look.” A wet bundle of fur was tucked close to the dog. Madam licked the pup clean and nosed it toward her belly where it latched onto a nipple. Annalise stooped beside Jack and Isabella. “Don’t cry, Isabella. Madam isn’t hurt. She’s having babies.”

The change in his niece was instantaneous. Her eyes grew huge and a brilliant smile lit her face. She gave a little bounce that Jack swiftly stilled. “We need to be quiet. It’s a lot of hard work to have puppies.”

“I guess this explains why she was putting on so much weight,” Annalise murmured, as Madam whelped another pup.