Madeline’s voice slowed. “If that will make you feel best; however, I’ve found that the longer I put off turning on the light, the bigger the monster under my bed becomes.” Once again, she squeezed Claire’s hand and then reached into her pocket and handed Claire a tissue. “May I get you anything else?”
Claire wiped her eyes and cheeks. Miraculously, the tears served as a vent, releasing some of the pressure from her temples. Her headache wasn’t as intense. With a sad smile, she replied, “You’ve given me a lot, thank you. Have a good night.”
“Good night, Madame el.”
Enjoying the calm of the darkness, Claire reflected on Madeline’s words. If only Madeline knew the truth—at one time—that monster in the dark was actually the man in the other room. Now the monster was a woman Claire trusted. Could she ever trust her own instincts? A faint smile came to her lips as she remembered Phil’s words. He told her to do just that—listen and trust her instincts.
When Claire stood to move to their room, she saw the shadow near the end of the lanai move; instead of going through the house, Claire followed her intuition and walked toward the darkness. Just outside of their suite, Tony stepped from the shadow and gently took Claire into his arms.
His freshly showered scent overpowered the salty sea breeze and penetrated her senses. Claire loved the scent of his cologne. In the morning, she’d order some.
Tony looked down into her eyes. “I like that smile. After what I heard, I wasn’t expecting to see it.”
“How much did you hear?”
He led her to a lounge chair, sat first, and tugged Claire down in front of him. It was their talking position—where their bodies touched—their worlds connected—yet their eyes remained private. Claire felt his chest rise and fall. While she waited for him to answer, he wrapped his arms around her, hugged her chest, and splayed his large hands across her midsection. Settling against his chest, Claire felt the warmth of his toothpaste scented breath blow against her neck. Their bond held a sense of intimacy she’d never shared with anyone else. His hands on her body didn’t feel foreign—they felt right. By the time he spoke, she’d almost forgotten her question. His Anthony Rawlings—CEO tone told her that he’d contemplated his answer. “Enough—I heard that you love me and that, before we marry again, you have questions that you want answered.”
Claire nodded. “I do.” However, at this moment in time, her heart wasn’t in the asking mood. It wasn’t that she wanted the monster Madeline mentioned to grow bigger. It was that, for the first time in over a month, she felt secure. His embrace completed the release of pressure her small cry had begun. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head against his shoulder and enjoyed the internal peace—never had anything felt so right.
“Do you want to ask anything?”
“I do, but not tonight.”
Tony turned her shoulders so that they were facing one another. “You aren’t concerned about that monster growing?”
Claire shook her head as their lips touched. “No, it’s not going anywhere, but I’m pretty sure it can’t get any bigger. Remember, I said I wanted tonight to be just about us.”
In the faint moonlight, Claire saw Tony’s grin. His tone was lighter, with a hit of seduction. “I do remember that”—his finger traced her lips—“I also remember something about that beautiful mouth.”
She stood with her emerald eyes shimmering and the butterflies of desire stirring deep within her. Offering her hand, she grinned. “Come and remind me.”
Tony didn’t need to be invited twice. As they disappeared into the master suite, the cares and concerns remained outside. There were cards to be revealed, and in time, they would. Theirs was a long, complicated story with a monster and a knight. What made their story unique was that these two players were the same person.
At that moment, Tony was her knight in shining armor. She’d been alone in paradise, imprisoned by the evil witch. Her future had seemed uncertain; then, out of the blue, he arrived. Just like in the fairytales, he came to her rescue, freeing her from her prison of isolation.
The rest of the world disappeared as his lips suckled the sensitive skin between her neck and shoulder. Despite the tropical heat, her arms and legs prickled with goose bumps. A familiar moan escaped her lips. With skilled hands, he eased her sundress over her head and dropped it into a pink puddle. Taking a half of a step back, Tony’s eyes scanned her exposed body. His approving smile radiated to his eyes, as dark desire swirled with the chocolate shades of love.
Seconds later, Tony fell to his knees and tenderly kissed her enlarged stomach. Fighting to remain standing, Claire exhaled and wove her fingers through his hair. Instead of enjoying the sensation of his caresses and kisses, she was momentarily overwhelmed with relief. In the last six weeks, their baby had grown, and her body had changed. “I was so afraid...” she mumbled.
Still kneeling, he looked up. “Of what?”