The Best of Us (Sullivan's Crossing #4)(39)

Leigh laid on her back, flushed from head to toe. Beside her, Rob lay, panting.

“Dear God,” she said. “Have you been slipping extra hormones into my food?”

“You don’t appear to need any extra hormones,” he said.

She turned on her side. “This is not normal!” she said.

“It’s not?”

“Are you always like this?” she asked him.

He turned and looked at her with those gorgeous brown eyes of his. “If I was, I’d have bedsores,” he said.

“Listen to the doctor. You don’t get bedsores when you move around a lot,” Leigh said. “Seriously, this is confusing the hell out of me. I don’t remember ever feeling this crazed before. And I was practically married!”

“I was married and it wasn’t like this. It’s probably the forbidden fruit thing,” he said.

“What forbidden fruit thing?”

“You know—hard to find time to be together so when we get a chance, we go berserk. We’re dodging my kids or your aunt.”

“I hate to tarnish my lily-white image but you’re not the first man with kids I’ve, ah, dated...”

He laughed. “Well, to be honest, my dates, infrequent as they were, haven’t been as lively as this.”

“I’m a maniac!” she shrieked. “What have you done to me?”

He laughed again and pulled her on top of him. “If I knew, I’d bottle it and make a fortune. Hey, feels like you bring a little of the maniac out in me, too. I’m certainly not complaining.”

“Can I ask you something personal?”

“You can always ask,” he said.

“What was your marriage like?”

He thought for a moment. “I can honestly say it was good. It was fulfilling. Satisfying. It was not like this. And that almost-marriage of yours?”

“No,” she said with a little shrug. “But we were so young...”

“I’m no expert but I don’t think many people have this thing we have. And I don’t mean to be a downer but I don’t think it was any great wisdom on either of our parts. I think we got lucky.”

“What if nothing else works this well with us?” she asked.

“Leigh, we have a very nice relationship. We enjoy each other and the conversation is good. Mind-blowing sex appears to be a bonus. Now why would you worry about that?”

“It takes me by surprise, that’s all,” she said. “Not that you’re not a totally studly guy...”

“Thanks,” he said, laughing. “Are you hungry?”

She kissed him. “I’m not that hungry.”

“You’re getting that look in your eye again.”

“I should probably see a professional, find out if there’s something wrong with me...”

“Please don’t do that,” he said, right before rolling her onto her back.

Fifteen minutes later, he said, “My God, woman.”

“I know. Something is definitely wrong with me.”

“Not in my opinion,” he said.

“Um, Rob? Be sure to keep your shirt on around your sons. And others.”

“Why?”

“I think I might’ve accidentally scratched your back a little.” He gave her a wide-eyed look. “Well, it’s mostly your fault!”

There were indeed scratches on his back and he could remember the exact moment. He’d brought her to a thundering climax and as she shuddered in pleasure her nails raked across his shoulders. He caught her in his embrace and held her as she fell to earth.

He looked over his shoulder to the mirror. The memory of their lovemaking sent a river of pleasure running through him. All the emotions that had been on the back burner while he started his business and raised his boys were now consuming him. He craved her, all of her, like he never had before. He loved her innocence—she couldn’t believe her own abandon! He loved her feistiness. She made him laugh, she made him gasp. When he was with her, he felt cherished.

How had he managed this long without her in his life? He didn’t even know he needed someone like her.

He left Sid and Kathleen to run the pub and close up for him. He went to the park to watch Sean practice baseball, then home to shower and wait up for Finn.

He wondered how the kid could hold it together.

Finn showed up at about ten. “You didn’t have to wait up for me,” he said.

“I might not even be home yet but I took the night off. I wanted to watch Sean hit and pitch for a while. And I wanted to talk to you. How are you holding up?”

“I’m not worth a damn but Maia has been cracking the whip, getting me through the last few weeks of school. She won’t be finishing the year. She’ll graduate, no problem there. And she’s incredibly strong. Focused. Positive. Jesus, it puts the rest of us to shame.”

“Any news?”

“They’re going to Denver tomorrow for a couple of days. Maybe three or four days. They’re trying to make decisions. They’ve talked about trying to shrink it with radiation. They’re talking about the pros and cons of surgery. One of the cons is she could die. If the odds of her surviving the surgery are terrible, they’ll probably try the radiation. But one of the other problems is disability. They’re talking about seeing a couple of other doctors—UCLA and the Mayo Clinic. But they have to do something pretty quick. Before the goddamn thing grows.”