He didn’t care; all that mattered was getting to her. Too much time had passed with too much distance between them. He strode across the dance floor to claim his wife. Without a word he pulled her into his arms, against his chest, and breathed a sigh of relief. It was amazing how much he’d come to need her touch; how her nearness could calm him.
They danced wordlessly for several minutes. He closed his eyes and allowed her to seep into him, to soothe him. She melted against him just like in his dreams. She was more than content there. There was no doubt in his mind that she was every bit as happy to be in his arms as he was to have her there.
“You okay, sweetheart?” he whispered softly into her ear.
She nodded against his chest, her answer little more than a murmur on a sigh. Kane cupped his hand beneath her chin, needing to see her face. The pure love he saw there nearly brought him to his knees, but there was another look, too. One of longing mixed with confusion.
It was the same look she’d had when he’d sat himself down in the jungle and told her to go on without him. The same one he’d seen when they’d sat on the porch of her little Victorian and he tried to apologize. He didn’t recognize it for what it was either of those times, but he did now. Rebecca wanted him to say or do something, even though he had no idea what that something was. Kane leaned down and kissed her; there was nothing else he could do.
The moment his lips touched hers, her hands tightened around his neck, his arm. There was a desperation in her surrender that ripped through his chest, as if he’d done something incredibly right. He’d felt this before, too. Twice. Once, in the jungle, when he had neutralized those that would have done her harm and scooped her against him in a run for cover. She had clung to him then, so tightly that he was able to maintain the ability to use his weapons without fear of losing her. The second had been after he’d gone down on bended knee and proposed.
He wasn’t sure why kissing her had been the right thing to do, but he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Rebecca was feeling conflicted. For whatever reason, she hadn’t yet shared exactly what she was conflicted about with him, but she would, when she was ready. And apparently holding her and kissing her was what she needed most from him at that moment, and he was definitely onboard with that. As a matter of fact, he would be more than happy to devote the next several hours to kissing and pleasuring every inch of her.
A low growl rumbled through his chest as he considered all the ways he would make love to her the minute they were alone. Rebecca’s smile was hungry when he finally pulled away.
“I love when you make that sound,” she whispered, discreetly licking his neck as she resettled her head on his shoulder, making his cock throb. “It makes me want to go down on my knees.”
Kane groaned. If only they weren’t in the middle of a crowded dance floor. If only it wasn’t their wedding. The evening couldn’t pass fast enough for him. “Soon,” she purred against him, sensing his thoughts.
He gave her a little squeeze, making sure she felt every inch of his desire through his tux and her gown, a promise and a challenge. She subtly rubbed against him on the premise of checking her bustle, accepting his challenge and offering one of her own. God, he loved her.
He closed his eyes, reaching deep for the patience and self-control that had always come so naturally to him. Rebecca had a way of threatening both.
After tonight they would be leaving for his – their – remote cabin. Just the two of them. Yeah, that was worth waiting for. For now, he would be content to hold her and try not to dwell on just how well their bodies fit together. Instead, he would put his mind to work on the puzzle at hand, let it sift through what he did know in an attempt to deduce what he didn’t.
Rebecca wasn’t one to confide in others. If she hadn’t told him, then she probably hadn’t told anyone else, either, which meant that whatever it was, those who “knew” had simply guessed based on obvious clues. He felt he knew his wife better than anyone. If others had been able to figure it out, then he would as well.
Kane held her close against him and looked around as they moved to the music, pleased to feel her melt into him with each step. She moved perfectly with him, letting him guide her even as she anticipated his every move with unerring precision. It gave him great comfort. Whatever was consuming her thoughts, he still apparently had the ability to soothe her, and that shot great waves of both relief and hope through him.