whispering, was a perfect whisper. It was little more than a breath, a vibration of air that was felt more than heard.
She leaned forward and touched his lips with hers. When she withdrew, her eyes skated over his face, taking in his features, which he knew weren't classically handsome. Not even close. He'd never minded his looks until now. Miserably he wondered if there was anything in his off-center face that she could possibly find appealing.
Her hand came up, and he felt her fingertips, as soft and cool as flower petals, touching his scruffy cheek and chin. Then, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his again. And this time they stayed.
He made a sound that, had he been a woman, would have scared the hell out of him. It sounded like something you'd hear in the darkest heart of the jungle. But Caroline didn't flinch. Instead her lips relaxed invitingly, and his tongue did what tongues seem to do by instinct. A few heartbeats later, he couldn't remember what it had been like to kiss any other woman because he was kissing Caroline. The word
Even more miraculous, she was kissing him back with a boldness and fervor that stunned and thrilled him. It was she who first left off mouth kissing for other parts. She pushed aside the collar of his shirt and pressed her open lips to his neck. If she was doing that, then surely she wouldn't mind if he slipped his hand under the back of her shirt and touched her skin. She didn't. When he splayed his hand against her delicate spine and applied pressure, she scooted closer to him, until her body was flush with his, and their middles started rubbing against each other.
He wasn't sure how a guy went about getting a decent woman out of her clothes. He had no experience with that. But Caroline solved the dilemma for him. She began gracefully peeling off her garments. He tore at his as though they'd caught fire.
When she lay beside him on her back, fully naked, he was struck with a terrible case of stage fright. She was so beautiful, he felt like he was about to defile a national treasure or a religious icon. Some might think her nose too pert and her lips too narrow, but he thought hers was the most beautiful face he'd ever seen. Her spare frame didn't represent the ideal of womanhood, but he had never desired a body with the passion he felt for hers.
The sunlight coming through the slats of the blinds painted peaches-and-cream stripes across her pale skin, which was adorably sprinkled with freckles. Her nipples were virgin pink, and the hair over her sex was a soft, golden red.
She smiled up at him. 'Are you ever going to touch me?'
Gingerly, he placed his hand on her torso, and it almost spanned her rib cage. He felt burly. Hairy. Huge. 'You're so ... pink. And little. I'm afraid I'll hurt you.'
'You won't.'
'Your ribs--'
'They hardly hurt at all anymore.' She put her hands on his shoulders and pulled him down to cover her. 'You won't hurt me, Dodge.'
They began kissing again, and his inhibitions were soon abandoned. One brush of his tongue, and her nipples went from sweet to wanton. She sighed his name and moved restlessly beneath him. Her small hand closed around him and guided him. He nudged her with the tip of his erection, and she was soft and wet and receptive, so, with a low groan he claimed her.
His fingers threaded through her hair to cradle her head. He put his lips directly against her ear. 'The first time I saw you, I wanted this. I wanted to be up you like this. Inside you. I wanted to feel your ... your...' He knew all the crude words and phrases to say, none of the sweet and romantic ones. 'I don't know how to say it right.'
She turned her face toward his and rubbed her lips across his jaw. 'You're saying it just fine.'
Pressing deeper, he groaned. 'God, you feel good.'
'So do you.' Folding her legs around his hips, she arched up. 'Stay as long as you like.'
He didn't, he couldn't. Not that first time. Months of pent-up passion drove him toward a quick completion. But the next time lasted longer, and the time after that...
Dodge didn't know that happiness like this was possible. He'd never experienced it before. In the days and weeks that followed, he was saturated with a soul-deep peace and contentment that even his sadness over Jimmy Gonzales couldn't reach.
He didn't think he could be any happier.
He was wrong.
Six weeks after the morning they first made love, Caroline shyly informed him that they had made a baby.
CHAPTER 22
WAKE UP, LADIES. SKI JUST CALLED FROM MERRITT.' Dodge whisked aside the blackout drapery.
Berry came up on her elbows and blinked against the sudden light.
Caroline sat bolt upright. 'What's happened?'
'Starks has been at it again. I'll give you the scoop on the way.'
He disappeared through the door connecting his room to theirs. Caroline and Berry looked at each other, each taking a moment to remember where they were, why they were there, what had happened to Sally Buckland, and what they'd talked about long into the night.
Then, as if a starting pistol had been fired, both flew into motion. Dodge returned within five minutes to find them dressed, suitcases packed, ready to leave. Because Ski had checked them in, and the sheriff's department was handling the bill, they were able to skip the checking-out process.
Dodge was curt with the valet parking attendant, who didn't retrieve their car as quickly as he wished. Berry couldn't help but be amused by his impatience, because she could relate to it. Like father, like daughter. The thought made her smile.
She wanted time to reflect on everything that her mother had told her last night. Caroline had talked until she was exhausted and Berry was too sleepy to retain any more information about the unorthodox love affair that had brought her into being. She and Caroline had agreed to wait for morning to continue, but the situation in Merritt had evidently become imperative. The rest of her parents' story, specifically why they'd been apart for thirty years, must keep for now.
Dodge snarled imprecations at Houston's rush-hour traffic. Caroline insisted that he allow time to get coffee at a fast-food drive-through. 'You'll be unbearable until you have some.'
'I guess a cigarette is out of the question.'
She didn't even deign to answer, asking instead, 'When are you going to tell us what happened? Has Oren Starks been captured?'
'No.'
'Then what?'
'When I've had my coffee.'
'You're just being mulish because I won't let you smoke.'
'Sue me.'
The drive-through line at McDonald's seemed interminable, but when they'd been fortified with steaming cups of coffee, Berry spoke from the backseat. 'Now, Dodge. Start talking.'
His summary of events was inadequate. Berry and Caroline began firing questions. 'That's all I know,' he said, talking over them. 'Ski was called away before he could give me the details. He just
