****
Daniella awoke and listened. By his steady breathing she could tell Cyrus was fast asleep. Easing from his arms, she moved slowly and quietly so as not to wake him. She stood for a while beside the bed and listened to make sure he stayed asleep. When she was certain, she picked up her purse and went into the bathroom. She removed the pack of birth control pills and was about to take one when she noticed she’d miscounted. She paused, studying the packet.
There was an extra one in there, which meant somehow she’d skipped a day. With the time change, she’d lost track and missed one. Or had it been a subconscious decision?
She snapped the container shut. There was no reason for her to continue taking the pills. They were getting along so well, why delay having a child when they both wanted one? She smiled a tremulous smile at the bathroom mirror, acknowledging that yes, she wanted to start a family with him. She loved him, and even though she couldn’t tell if he loved her or not, she knew he cared for her, and it was obvious he was trying to make up for the past.
The prospect of having his child no longer seemed daunting. It would be okay. They would be okay.
Daniella dropped the pills back into her purse and turned out the light. She climbed into bed, but this time she woke Cyrus when she settled down.
“Why are you all the way over there and I’m all the way over here?” he mumbled drowsily. She smiled. There was barely two inches of space between them.
He pulled her closer and she settled her back against his chest. He kissed the top of her spine, provoking a flicker of desire in her loins. When his hand cupped her breast and started to knead, her desire escalated into a full-on bonfire. She rubbed her ass against his rigid erection, and he groaned.
“Minx,” he muttered, grabbing her hips.
He sucked her neck and kneed her legs apart. Throwing her head back, she let out a whimpering moan. He filled her and she gave her body over to the sensations only he could create. She thrust back harder, her heart aching for this temporary connection.
He increased the tempo, almost outpacing her, but she kept time with him. With half her face in the pillow, her lusty cries were muffled and breathless. Her orgasm broke free, and at the same time she felt him stiffen above her.
“Dani,” he said, his voice a helpless, broken pant. His entire frame shuddered through the release.
Spent, he kept his weight from collapsing on top of her by bracing himself on his elbows. His warm breath fanned the back of her neck, where damp tendrils clung to her skin. She didn’t move and allowed his breathing to return to normal.
He dropped a tender kiss to her shoulder blade. “Missed you so damn much,” he said, his voice thick.
She’d missed him, too and had purposely requested they only communicate through their lawyers because to see him or talk to him on a regular basis would have been too hard. Her feelings for him and her decision to leave had warred inside of her for a long time, and now she realized what a mistake she’d made when she left him. She’d been so afraid of losing herself to his dominating personality and afraid of the hurt she’d been sure would eventually come.
Daniella twisted onto her back. She hated the loss of intimate contact with him, but she had to look him in the eye. In the dark, her eyes were adjusted enough to see his proud, angular face. A thin layer of perspiration dotted his forehead and made his dark brown skin shine in the ambient light. “I missed you, too. I won’t leave again.”
Cyrus dropped his head to her chest and breathed what sounded like a sigh of relief.
Chapter Seventeen