drawing the fabric of her little black cocktail dress tight. She still had a good figure. She’d exercised during her pregnancies and watched her diet, but there was no denying she possessed the body of a mother.
Her stomach twisted and for a moment she thought the nerves might overwhelm her. She reached out and grabbed her jeans, prepared to toss aside the dress and forget everything she’d planned. But then the doorbell rang and the decision was made for her.
There would be no time to change, no time to unset the dining room table or throw water on the fire. Taking one last look in the mirror, she forced a smile and sucked in her stomach. “Just go for it.”
When she pulled the door open, he was standing on the stoop, his arms filled with bags, his briefcase dangling from his hand. He was still dressed in his suit, but his tie was unknotted and Roxanne knew that he’d come right from the airport.
“Hi,” she said, stepping back and letting him come inside.
He bent close and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Hi. I thought I’d never get here. My flight was late and then traffic was terrible. Where are the kids?” Kit set the bags down and began to rummage through them. “You should see what I got them. There was this toy store just across the street from my meeting and I had some time to kill and a credit card.”
He pulled out a remote-controlled police car. “This is great. It has speed control and direction control, plus the headlights flash and the siren works. And I got a steam shovel for Michael because I remember how fascinated he was by that one we saw over near Inner Harbor. Only, I’m not sure how good he’ll be at the controls. And a teddy bear for Jenna. And look at this.” He pulled out a pretty pink dress, covered with sequins. “Rachel is going to love this. The lady said it was a ballerina dress, but I think it’s more like a princess dress, don’t you?” He glanced up. “Where are the kids? Danny, come here and see what I got for you!”
Roxanne clutched her hands in the fabric of her skirt. He hadn’t even noticed what she was wearing! She’d spent an hour on her hair and makeup and he’d barely looked at her. “The kids aren’t here.”
Kit slowly stood. “Where are they?”
“They’re spending the night with Renee.”
“Why?”
Roxanne’s frustration grew. She’d imagined that he’d come in, see her and promptly begin ripping her clothes off. But it seemed that Kit was more interested in seeing her children than her cleavage. Was she really that bad at seduction? “I thought we could spend some time alone. We really haven’t had any private time since we met, unless you count the few minutes we had in my hall closet.”
“We’re alone all the time after the kids go to bed. And we’re alone at the radio station.”
“No, we aren’t. There are always people around. I wanted to be alone. Completely.”
He stared at her, a frown furrowing his brow. “What is this about? Do you have something to tell me?”
“What would I have to tell you?”
“I don’t know,” he countered. “You tell me.”
Roxanne moaned softly, then turned and stalked into the living room. He followed behind her, but stopped short when he saw the dimmed lights and the candles, the wine and the crackling fire. “I’m dressed in a sexy dress, I have makeup on, if you haven’t noticed. And I’ve added all the romantic details. Right. I wanted to talk to you about tax shelters.”
Kit’s face relaxed into a smile. “I’m sorry. I’m just a little tired. This is really nice.” He stepped over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. He gave her a long, leisurely kiss. “Better?” he murmured.
“A little,” she said.
He kissed her again, this time more deeply. “How about now?”
“Almost.”
With a low growl, Kit swept her up in his arms and carried her to the sofa, kissing her as he stretched out on top of her. When he finally finished, she was flushed and breathless. “I could keep doing this all night.”
Roxanne reached up and ran her fingers through his hair, then smoothed her palm over his cheek. “That’s what I’m counting on.”
“You know, I did bring a present for you. But maybe I shouldn’t give it to you.” He jumped off of her and hurried back to where he’d dropped the bags. When he sat back down on the edge of the couch, he was holding a long, velvet-covered box. “It isn’t remote controlled and it doesn’t sparkle. I hope you like it.”
“You didn’t have to get me a gift,” Roxanne said.
With a grin, Kit pulled it away. “No, I didn’t,” he teased. “On second thought, maybe I should take it back.”
“No. I want to see it.”
He handed her the box and she slowly opened it. Inside was a perfect string of pearls. Kit reached out and took them from her, then fastened them at her nape. “They’re beautiful.” Roxanne wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him and he pressed her back into the pillows until he was lying on top of her.
“So how long have you been working on this?” he asked.
“Almost all day. I got a new dress,” she said.
Kit slipped his fingers beneath the spaghetti strap and gently pulled it off her shoulder. Then he pressed his mouth to the spot and bit softly. “I like it.”
“I bought new underwear, too.”
His eyebrow arched and he shifted above her, sliding his hand down her hip and slowly gathering the hem of her skirt in his fist. He pushed up on his elbow and watched as he revealed the lacy top of her black stocking. “Very sexy.”
“I figured I needed all the help I could get.”
“Rox, believe me. You don’t need sexy underwear to make me want you. I don’t care if you’re wearing a little black dress or a baggy sweatshirt. It doesn’t make any difference to me. I always want you.” He pressed a kiss below her shoulder, then moved to the soft swell of her breast. Roxanne closed her eyes and arched her back, reveling in the feel of his tongue on her skin. This was going much better now. Although she hadn’t removed any of her clothes yet.
Maybe it would be best to just get it over with, to take control. Gently pushing against his chest, she rolled him over and straddled his hips. Her skirt bunched around her waist and she reached around to unzip her dress. But Kit brushed her hands aside and did it himself. When her dress fell in the front, she grabbed it and held it up, unable to completely banish her fears.
“I think I should tell you something,” she said. “Not so much tell you as warn you.”
He reached up and grabbed her fingers. “You’re shaking,” he murmured, pressing his lips to her palm.
“I’m-”
“What? Tell me?”
“Scared. That-that you won’t…like me. I’m not perfect, Kit. I’m a mother. Of four children. Do you know what that does to a woman’s body?”
With a soft sigh, he grabbed her waist and swung his feet to the floor. Then he slowly pulled her up to stand in front of him. “From the first moment I saw you, I thought you were the most beautiful woman in the world. Nothing is going to change that opinion.”
“You hated me the first time you saw me.”
“I was an idiot.”
Roxanne let her arms drop and her dress slid off her shoulders and over her hips. The straps caught on her wrists, but she twisted her hands and, a moment later, the dress fell to the floor. Holding her breath and trying to gauge his reaction, she watched as his gaze raked her body. It had taken her nearly an hour to choose the underwear and from the low moan that slipped from his throat, she could tell it had been an hour well spent. “Now you,” she said, sliding her hand over his chest.
He shrugged out of his suit jacket and tossed it aside, then added his silk tie to the pile. A few moments later, he pulled his shirt over his head rather than unbutton it. Roxanne took it from him and dropped it with the rest of his clothes. After he kicked off his shoes and socks, he stopped, choosing to leave the rest for later.
The beauty of his body took her breath away-the wide shoulders, the muscular arms, the flat belly. With deliberate ease, she ran her hands over his chest, exploring the hard sinew and smooth skin. A soft line of hair traced a path from his collarbone to a spot beneath his belt. Suddenly, she wanted to know where it led. She
