Kyle frowned. “At sixteen you were just a kid. What makes you think you actually loved him and that it wasn’t infatuation?”
“Believe me, Kyle. It was love. I truly loved him.”
He said nothing as he continued to hold her. He couldn’t help wondering about the guy she’d fallen in love with at sixteen, the one who had broken her heart. Had she gotten over him? Would she ever be able to love anyone else? After finding his fiancée in bed with another man, he’d sworn never to fall in love again. Had she made that same vow? He wasn’t given a chance to dwell on his questions any longer, for at that precise moment Kimara shifted in bed. Her movement made them more aware of their connected bodies.
Passion, sudden and acute, flamed between them. Kyle captured her lips in a kiss that racked them both. “I want to make love to you again, but I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t hurt me, Kyle. I’m not in any pain, and the soreness will go away soon. You could never hurt me while you make love to me. Besides, I want you too.”
Kyle moved, and without separating them he positioned himself over her. “I’m yours,” he whispered just moments before his lips captured hers again.
* * *
Passionate. Romantic. Heated. Intimate. Steamy.
Those were the words Kimara used to describe the days that followed in a mist of sensuality. The only damper was in knowing they were numbered. She glowed from the hours of physical loving Kyle bestowed upon her, never in her wildest dreams believing that she could lose herself in desire. All it took was a look from him, a touch, a special smile, to make her want him. She basked in the physical satisfaction that was more than she dreamed possible. And she gloried in their newfound relationship. Each day they were getting closer and closer, becoming friends as well as lovers.
The two weeks of their honeymoon were almost over. Neither of them spoke of what was to happen after they returned to Atlanta. Kimara knew she would be moving into the Garwood estate. Kyle headed the office of Garwood Industries that was based in New York, which meant he would be out of town most of the time. Those thoughts were on her mind on the eve of their final day at Special K. It seemed they were both tense and on edge, and had been all day. Neither of them wanted their time at Special K to come to an end, but knew that it would.
“Are you still worried about how the Valentine’s Day ball will turn out, Kimara?”
She looked up to find Kyle watching her as she sat in front of the fireplace, watching the flames. She’d been quiet since dinner, lost in her thoughts. But they hadn’t been about the Valentine’s Day ball, as he assumed. She hadn’t given much thought to that since her arrival at Special K. Her thoughts had been on Kyle and their relationship. She could not remain married to a man who did not love her, and she wasn’t fool enough to think she would ever have his love. He’d lost the ability to love any woman after the hurt he’d endured nine years before. All she wanted was the strength to get through the days they would share until she found out she’d conceived. Then he would be free to walk away, and there was no doubt in her mind that he would.
“Kimara?”
She watched as he came and sat next to her. “No, I’m not worried about the ball. Thanks to your help, I believe it’ll turn out better than I could have ever hoped for. My mind was on something else.”
Kyle pulled her closer in his arms. “Something else like what? Talk to me.
Share your thoughts with me, baby.”
Kimara breathed deeply. Over the past two weeks she’d found those two things easy to do-- talk to him and share her thoughts with him. But this topic of conversation wouldn’t be easy for her. She didn’t speak for several heartbeats, and then finally, “I was thinking about us,” she admitted softly. “Where do we go from here?”
Kyle stared at her, running her question around in his mind. It was a question for which he had no answer. A part of him wanted to believe his attraction to her was purely physical, but deep down he knew that wasn’t the case. The only thing he was completely sure about was that once they returned to Atlanta, he didn’t want the special relationship they’d shared for the past two weeks to end. He didn’t know if he would be able to handle it if she began withdrawing from him. But another part of him wasn’t ready for anything permanent. Nine years of pain couldn’t go away easily.
“I can’t answer that, Kimara. But I’d like to offer a suggestion if I may,” he said, taking her hand and locking it with his.
“What?”
“Let’s take things one day at a time. When we get back to Atlanta, things will be different. We’ll both be involved with our respective jobs, and you’ll be busy with last-minute preparations for the ball. We won’t have the complete privacy we had here, and every single minute of your day won’t be centered on me, or mine on you. Let’s not get uptight about anything right now. Let’s just take things one day at a time and see how they go, all right?”
“All right.” She couldn’t deny him anything, although deep down she knew she could be setting herself up for another heartbreak. “What time will we leave here tomorrow?”
“Around noon.”
Kimara heard genuine regret in his voice. “So until then, our hours together are precious ones,” she whispered, turning into his arms. “Let’s use them wisely. Give me memories to last a lifetime, Kyle.”
He pulled her to him and kissed her. His lips were warm and possessive as he covered hers.
That night Kimara sensed something different in the way Kyle made love to her. Although it was still mind-consuming and shattering, it was gentler than ever before. And when he held her, it was as if he didn’t want to let go.
As she lay in his arms after he’d drifted off to sleep, a feeling of joy bubbled deep within her and a warm inner glow flowed through her. She knew in her heart and soul that sometime during their two-week stay at Special K their child had been conceived.
Special K had lived up to its name.
Eleven
“Welcome back, girlfriend.”
Kimara and Nicky embraced warmly as they stood in the middle of Kimara’s office. Nicky took a step back to assess her friend. “There’s something different about you, some kind of special glow. I think marriage truly agrees with you. Kim.”
Kimara smiled at Nicky’s compliment. She refused to dwell on the fact that her marriage was rather unique. It wasn’t a marriage in name only; it was a marriage in baby only. She had been back in Atlanta for two days and was already back at work. Kyle had gotten called away on business to his branch office in Virginia. He’d caught the plane that morning and wouldn’t be returning for a couple of days.
She smiled deeply. “Thanks for thinking that marriage agrees with me, but considering the circumstances, I’d think you of all people would know better.” Nicky was the only person she’d confided in about the conditions of Poppa Garwood’s will.
“Circumstances have a way of changing over time,” Nicky hinted, smiling.
Kimara chuckled. “Perhaps. But I’m not going to get my hopes up about anything, especially my marriage to Kyle.”
“And the baby?”
Kimara’s smile widened. She placed a hand on her stomach. “We did it.”
Nicky’s eyes widened. “You’re pregnant? But how do you know so soon?”
“I won’t know for sure for a couple of weeks,” Kimara said softly. “But in my heart I know.”
Nicky smiled, happy for her friend. “Where’s Kyle?”
“He’s out of town on business and won’t be back until Friday night, which is just as well,” Kimara said, smiling. “I have a lot of stuff to unpack and Kyle has a tendency to be a distraction.” Kyle being a distraction was putting it mildly, she thought, thinking of yesterday and how it had taken her half a day to unpack her luggage, something that should have taken less than thirty minutes at most. They’d spent more time making love than unpacking. She couldn’t help but wonder what Mrs. Glass, the housekeeper, thought of her and Kyle locked in their bedroom most of the day.
“Kim? Are you okay?”
Nicky’s question intruded into Kimara’s thoughts. “Yes, I’m fine. I was just thinking about something.” She walked around to her desk and sat down. “How are the plans for the ball coming along? We have exactly two weeks left.”
Nicky took the chair across from Kimara’s desk. “Super. I have to give special thanks to Kyle. Did you see the names of the people he was able to get a firm commitment from? I don’t know what strings he pulled or what IOUs he called in, but I for one am eternally grateful. So far the number attending is well over five hundred. That’s the largest crowd we’ve ever had.”
“What about the menu?”
“Everything’s under control. I’ve hired extra help for the evening and the agency in charge of decorations has confirmed they’ll be able to get all the red and white balloons you requested.”
Kimara nodded. “And the music?”
“The Davenport Orchestra will alternate with a number of musical groups, performing all love songs.”