adventure and excitement she craved, yet kept her grounded and would never, ever deliberately hurt her. A tender, generous man who wasn't afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve.
A gorgeous, sexy man who loved her and was waiting for her to come to her senses.
Passing her cousin, Liz went to her bedroom and changed into a pair of jeans, T-shirt, and tennis shoes. After putting her hair into a quick ponytail, she grabbed her purse and keys and left the apartment and Valerie behind so she could begin her new life.
The street lamp illuminated the interior of her vehicle and glimmered off the ring encircling her left ring finger. Swallowing hard, she removed the band of gold that gave the impression that she was taken, and put it on her right hand, leaving her openly single and available, with a heart that yearned to belong to the bad boy who owned her soul.
Steve was waiting for her, and there was only one thing left to do-go and stake a claim on her man.
Steve picked up the portable phone next to the living room couch on the second ring, and with his mind on other matters instead of the game show playing on TV, he answered with an absent and automatic, 'Hello?'
'Hi, Wilde Thing,' a familiar feminine voice whispered, grabbing Steve's full attention. 'How are you doing tonight?'
It was Liz, speaking to him in the same husky tone she'd used for their nightly phone sex calls. His body responded to that provocative voice, even while he wondered what she was up to.
What had changed, and why? He intended to find out.
Ever since she'd walked out of his office two days ago, he'd been distracted, his mind constantly thinking of Liz and wondering if he'd pushed her too hard and fast for a commitment. Wondering if he'd lost her for good because he wanted and needed her love like he needed nothing else in his life.
And now here she was, taking the first step to contact him when he'd believed it was over between the two of them. He was hopeful but still cautious.
Lowering the volume on the television with his remote, he answered her question honestly. 'I could be better.'
'Me, too.' A believable amount of regret infused her soft voice. 'I'm sitting here all by myself, feeling so alone, and I knew you'd keep me company. I'm thinking maybe we could make each other feel better.'
He settled into the corner of the couch, all too willing to follow her suggestion and see where it led. 'What do you have in mind?'
'I want to tell you a fantasy of mine.'
Knowing just how potent their fantasies could be, awareness stirred within him-a physical reaction that was backed up with a wealth of emotion. 'I'm listening.'
He heard her draw a deep breath for fortitude before speaking. 'I work in a coffee shop, and there's this man that comes in a few times a week. He wears a leather jacket and drives a Harley that's inscripted with the appropriate name
A slow smile curved the corner of Steve's mouth, and he stood, wandering restlessly around the living room. 'And did you follow through on that desire?'
'Oh, yes,' she breathed, and he imagined she was smiling, too. 'Circumstances brought us together, and we began a hot, erotic affair that exceeded anything I've ever imagined. He's exciting and adventurous, and also a wonderful, generous lover. But he's also incredibly sensitive and tender when it counts. And when I'm with him, I feel like I've finally found my other half.'
Steve's hand tightened on the receiver, matching the sudden pull across his chest. 'So what's holding you back?'
'I was afraid to trust in my feelings for him,' she said, a vulnerable catch to her voice.
His doorbell rang, twice, and Steve ignored the interruption, because at the moment nothing mattered but Liz and this conversation with her-and how it would all end. 'And now?'
'I'm ready to take a chance on you. On us.'
'Valerie came home tonight, and confronting her forced me to confront my own fears. I realized that you were right, that I had to stop living my life for everyone else. I'm taking chances and making choices that make me happy.'
That revelation pleased him, because she deserved to be happy in any way she chose. Even if that meant choosing a life without him in it. 'Good for you, sweetheart,' he murmured.
'There's something I need to tell you,' she went on, an anxious note to her voice. 'Something I should have told you days ago.'
Another knock, this one more insistent, demanding that Steve find out who was at the door. 'Damn it,' he growled in pure frustration, suspecting that Liz was on the verge of saying something profound. 'Hold on to that thought a second.'
Steve stalked into the foyer and yanked open the door, prepared to tell whoever was standing on the other side of the threshold to get lost. But it was Liz, haloed in the buttery glow of the porch light, her green eyes shining with hope and affection and confidence.
She disconnected her cellular unit. 'What I have to say needs to be said in person and not over the phone. This is the best part of the fantasy, because it's become my reality.' She held his gaze, her expression glowing with the kind of promises he longed for with this woman. 'I trust you, Steve Wilde. With my heart and soul, and I'm ready to give you both, completely and unconditionally. I need you in my life, and most importantly, I love you.'
Fearful that she'd change her mind, that all this was a figment of his imagination, he pulled her inside his house and kicked the door closed. In seconds they were in his bedroom, right where she belonged.
Framing her face in his hands, he kissed her, a long, deep, soulful joining that expressed his own feelings for her. When he finally lifted his head, they were both breathing hard, and he couldn't wait to get inside her, be a part of her. He removed his shirt, then stripped off hers as well. She wasn't wearing a bra, and he cupped her breasts in his hands, caressed her nipples with the brush of his fingers over the hard tips.
Closing her eyes, Liz sighed blissfully and arched into his touch. 'I know you're not looking for marriage, but for as long as this lasts between us, I want to be with you.'
He'd forgotten about his vow never to marry again, but he'd changed over the course of their affair, just as Liz had, too, and he needed to rectify that original impression. 'I love you, Liz, and I intend for it to last forever.'
Liz's lashes snapped back open, and she stared at him in confusion.
He smiled and explained. 'I'll admit that I didn't go into this relationship looking for more than an affair, but it happened, and what I feel for you is so much richer and more mature than anything I've ever felt before. But you have to want it, too, not just physically but emotionally. I've discovered that I'm a very greedy man, and I want it all.'
'What does 'all' encompass?' Her eyes were wide and brimming with anticipation as she waited for his reply.
'I never thought that a woman could make me want to get married again, or start a new family, but I want that with you,' he said, his own heart beating rapidly in his chest. 'Marry me, Liz.'
'Yes, I'll marry you.' Tears of joy shone in her eyes. 'I want you to be that shoulder for me to lean on, and it's your smile I want to see every morning, to get me through the day. And I need your hugs to soothe my fears and let me know that I'm not alone.'
He remembered asking Liz who would be that person for her, and he was so glad it was him. 'I'll be there for you. I promise.'
'I want to be all those things for you in return.' She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his mouth to hers in a silent, heartfelt affirmation of their feelings for each other. He laid her back on the bed, and their kisses
