Their Second Chance(8)

More bits of plaster fell from above. She glanced up and gasped. There were cracks in the ceiling. The building swayed around them. Anxiety curled around her stomach with a wild, terrifying grip.

Her gaze met his. They’d been through so much and were at the verge of losing it all. Tears gathered in her eyes, turning her vision of him hazy.

She’d always loved Nick. So much. So hard. When she’d miscarried, she’d felt so alone. The pain from losing the baby had been excruciating. She’d lost an ovary, had to have a surgical procedure to be scraped internally, and their chances at having another baby had disappeared. She’d been warned about her low chances at conception. At the time, her whole world seemed to have crumbled and stopped. Nothing mattered anymore. She couldn’t be the wife Nick wanted.

“We should have tried adoption,” she murmured, glancing up at him. His features were haggard. Nick hadn’t had it any easier than she had.

He pushed her hair over her shoulder, holding her close to him. “We should have. Why didn’t we? Whenever I brought it up, you seemed so…unsure about it,” he said softly.

She cleared her throat. “Grace kept saying that all I had to do was keep trying. Do IVF or try some other treatments. That an adopted child should have been our last recourse.”

His brows flew up. “You let my mother’s thoughts sway you?”

She glanced away. She’d been weak at the time. Wanting to give him what Grace said he desired so badly.

“I thought you wanted biological children more. That’s how she made it sound.”

“God,” he groaned and cupped her cheek. “Any child, biological or adopted that entered our family would have been ours. One or the other didn’t matter.”

“I’m sorry, Nick.” Regret for their relationship pierced her heart. The mounting sorrow she’d felt before only increased knowing that he too had been hurting. “I’m sorry for my selfishness.”

He lifted a hand and cupped her cheek. What he did next, she’d never forget. He dropped the harsh mask that usually covered his features and allowed her to see. She saw the torment he suffered over their failed relationship, the sadness and the loss. Their inability to conceive had been devastating for him too. Once she’d had the miscarriage, she’d pushed him away. He was right. She’d stopped talking to him.

For the first time in all the years they’d been together, she truly felt connected to him. They were grieving together, for the mess their once beautiful marriage had turned into. She remembered how he’d been the only man who’d done everything and anything to make her happy. The man who’d loved her and who she’d loved. The man she still loved. He slid a thumb over her cheek, removing the tear marking its way down to her jaw.

His head lowered, tentatively, almost as if he were afraid she’d reject him, until their faces were mere millimeters from each other. She held her breath and waited…and wanted. Oh God how she wanted. Her body silently begged for his caress. Hunger sparked in his eyes and turned his already handsome face into a decadent treat. It had been so long since they’d even done something as simple as kiss. Already her lips tingled, and he’d yet to touch her. Their gazes still locked, he nuzzled her lips, caressing hers with his own. She sighed and shut her eyes.

“I’m sorry too.” His voice was low, raspy. “I’ve missed you so much.”

Her heart flipped and butterflies took flight. Their lips met in a soft kiss. A different emotion than grief filled her heart—a longing for the man she’d loved and lost. The kiss deepened into a sensual mating of their tongues. He pulled away. His gaze sent waves of heat in her direction, the same kind she’d missed and desperately wanted back. He kissed her again, harder and more demanding. The feeling of his tongue sliding in and out made her body shudder. She moaned. Intense arousal flooded her core and expanded to each of her limbs. He nipped at her lips. Each small nibble dragged her further from reality and into the realm of need.

It became a mental strain to focus on anything other than him, his hands, and his lips and oh yes…his body. Since the first time she’d seen him, his body had done the unbelievable—it turned her hormones and sharp mind to mush. She’d missed him so damn much. The memories of the many lonely past months tugged at her heart. If only they could go back and change things.

He held her tighter to him, pressing his erection into her belly. She whimpered and shut down all thoughts. Only her need for him expanded in her mind. Her brain tried to tell her to stop, to think about what was going on. They were about to get a divorce, yet all her body wanted was to be filled by him. She almost growled when he pulled away from her.