Page 4 of A Burning Rage

“I want to remember this moment forever.”

“That sounds serious.”

“It is.” He gently skims his hands down my face, my throat, to my shoulders. “It seems like it was just yesterday we got married, and now we have two amazing kids and we’re working diligently on a third.” He rests a warm palm against the bare skin of my belly. “Sometimes I want to freeze time and enjoy the moments we have.”

I feel tears prickling my eyes. “Stop it. You’re going to make me cry.”

“I didn’t mean to make you sad.” He grasps my hands. “I just want you to know you are everything to me.” He brings one of my hands up to his mouth and kisses it. “Everything.”

My throat tightens. He’s always loving and affectionate, but there’s an unusual somber quality to his mood tonight. His words settle so heavily in the quiet between us, I feel a shiver ripple down my spine. “Is everything all right?”

He smiles. “Yes. Perfect.” His hands begin meandering beneath my nightgown until they settle on my bare ass cheeks. He pretends to be shocked. “You’re not wearing panties, Mrs. McIntyre.”

“You’re very observant.” I lean forward and press my lips to his. “Do you want to make a baby tonight?”

He grins. “You know I do.”

We’ve been discussing having another baby for a while now. I haven’t been on birth control since I got pregnant with Ava—not while I was pregnant, of course, and not while I’m still nursing her. We stopped using condoms a few months ago when we decided to let nature take its course.

“Your period is late,” he points out. Of course he’s been keeping track. He misses nothing. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

I shrug. “It doesn’t mean anything. I’m still nursing. That can mess up a woman’s periods.”

“True. Or, you could be pregnant. Do you want to test?”

“Right now?” I laugh softly. “I thought we were going to have sex.”

“Can’t we do both? Pee on a stick now, and then have sex?” He gently squeezes my butt cheeks. “Who knows? Maybe we’ll have something to celebrate.”

Or, not. If the test is negative, I’ll be disappointed. I like keeping the possibility alive a little while longer. “Not tonight.” I lean forward to kiss him. “Soon, though, I promise.”

I can tell he wants to say more about it, but he refrains. He knows I’m careful about what I eat and drink, especially as I’m still nursing Ava. And he knows I’d never do anything to jeopardize a pregnancy.

“Okay.” His hands slide up beneath my nightgown, grazing my bare back and making me shiver. One of his hands continues up to the nape of my neck, which he grips firmly.

Liquid warmth pools between my legs, and suddenly I’m aching to feel him inside me.

“I love you,” he says.

He says those words often, and at random moments, like when we’re in bed, or when we’re at the grocery store, or when we’re doing the dishes together.

“I love you, too.”

His free hand comes around to the front of me, and he slowly unties the ribbons holding the front of my nightgown together. The sheer fabric falls open revealing my larger-than-normal breasts—one of the benefits of breastfeeding. He cups them in his hands and brushes his thumbs over my sensitive nipples, watching the dusky pink tips tighten into little pebbles.

With a groan, he leans forward and licks my left nipple, sending a tingle straight down to my already heated core. My breasts immediately begin to ache.

“Careful,” I warn. “You’ll make my milk start flowing.”

He just chuckles.

As I lean forward to kiss him, I rub myself along his hard length. He’s fully erect now, long and thick. The broad head of his erection hits my clitoris just right. A deep groan reverberates through his broad chest, and he clamps his hands on my hips as if he’s ready to hurry this process along.

But I’m in no hurry tonight. I want to take this slowly and savor it. I want to prolong our pleasure, both his and mine. I want to make him squirm a bit.

Impatient, he releases my breasts and motions for me to go up onto my knees so he can shove the bedding down off his lap, baring his naked erection.

Reaching between my legs, he slips his index finger between my lips and gathers some of my slick arousal. He groans. “God, you’re so wet.”