Of course, she could find it easily enough. But it seemed awkward to call one of the Sterling & Wilson offices and ask, “Hey, did Justin survive?”
She was Justin’s wife. She should be the first one to know. And if she hadn’t been so damn insistent about keeping their relationship secret, she would have been.
Keys jangled at the door, and she turned sharply. Justin walked in, and for a moment her brain couldn’t process what it was seeing.
“Hey,” Justin said, opening his arms.
“You’re not dead!” She jumped into his arms, linking her hands behind his neck. “You’re not dead.”
“I’m fine, baby. I’m fine.” He wiped his thumbs over her cheeks, and she realized once again that she’d been crying.
“I thought… I couldn’t reach you and nobody knew anything.”
“I know, I’m so sorry. I forgot to charge my phone last night.”
She shook her head. “No, it’s all okay now. Are you hurt?”
“Nah. A couple of bruises, nothing to talk about. It’s almost a miracle.”
She pressed her palms against his cheeks and brought his head down for a kiss. She couldn’t believe he was with her, healthy and whole.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
He kissed her back, his mouth desperate for her, and she poured her soul into the moment.
Without breaking the kiss, he carried her to the bedroom. They stripped each other out of their clothes, hands hurried and clumsy. His fingers tunneled into her hair, coiling it around them. He gripped her pelvis, and she spread her legs, wanting to feel him inside her so much, to know he was really here with her.
He pushed into her, his thick cock gliding into her right where it belonged. There was no slow savoring, just desperate relief and joy that they had cheated death.
He adjusted the angle, grinding into her sensitive nub with every thrust. Legs wrapped around him, she held onto his wide, solid shoulders, and sobbed out her relief and pleasure.
He let go, his face stark in climax. She put her hand against his flushed cheek.
Mine.
* * *
After a few moments Justin rolled off so he wouldn’t crush her. She turned to face him, her hair spread around her. “Justin…”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t think it’s working.”
Something cold wedged in his heart, turning the post-orgasm glow to ashes. “What do you mean?” he asked, keeping his voice neutral.
“It drove me crazy, not knowing. When nobody contacted me. If people knew I was your wife, they would’ve called me first.”
“That’s true.”
“So…maybe we should out ourselves. You know, announce the marriage. Then we could’ve avoided all this. You wouldn’t have to sneak around or risk your life.”
Justin smoothed a hand over her creased forehead. “This wasn’t your fault. It was the weather. The Bay area can get pretty foggy. Visibility was poor, and my pilot made a mistake. It’s not like I’m flying into a battle zone every day.”
“Still—”
“I’m serious. I know how important this July is for you. Didn’t you say you wanted to get promoted based on your own merits, and not because you’re married to me?”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t matter. I’m not getting promoted this year.”
He pulled back slightly. “You’re not?”
She shook her head. “The partners are giving me BS work. They also aren’t letting me do more than forty hours a week. You know what that means at a law firm?” She didn’t wait for his response. “It’s a not-so-subtle hint that I have no future there.”
Put it that way, it did look pretty bad. But he’d done it to ensure she wouldn’t work too much, and he didn’t want to change the way things were, not even to appease her self-esteem. A hundred billable hours a week was ridiculous for a pregnant woman. When would she find the time to see her doctor or eat regularly? He remembered how Gavin Lloyd’s wife had a pregnancy scare, and the woman had staff waiting on her. “Have they said anything to you directly?”
“No, but…”
“Well, you know what happens when you assume. Maybe your partners have a reason.”
“I guess.” She sighed, as though in resignation, but her thoughts were going a mile a minute from the way her eyes flashed.
“Hey. It’s okay. Everything’s going to be fine.”
She smiled. “You’re right. What do I have to complain about when you’re back safe and sound?”
He smiled back, swallowing the guilt twisting his gut.
Chapter Fourteen
The next morning, Vanessa thought that maybe she’d spoken too soon.