When she pulled her fingers away, he saw that they were wet-his tears clung to them.

Rolling to the side, he pulled her with him but did nothing to hide his emotions from her. G.o.ddess, how did someone go about sharing their soul with another?

"I've been so alone," he managed to get out. The emotion choked him, making the words difficult to say, but he knew he needed to. "When I thought you were going to die, that Tony would kill you, I knew if that happened, my life would be over."

She reached up and traced a lazy circle over his chest. "Why didn't you say something to me before?"

He knew she would be able to feel his heart pounding beneath his chest, but he was long past caring. Fallon was his shallen, his beloved. He didn't need to hide what was in his heart any longer.

"Calantha broke my heart when she shut me out. I thought what we had together was love. When you said the words, I thought..."

163.

Fallon placed a kiss on his chest and snuggled close. "I want to stay with you. Not just because of the way you live your life but because of how much you value the people in it. I knew from the moment you walked into my bar you were a man I could trust."

"And I knew you were different. A woman who would understand me."

They were quiet for a time, simply enjoying each other's company. When Fallon shifted, opened her mouth and quickly closed it, he knew there was something she wanted to ask him. Rather than reach out to her with words, he opened his mind, hoping to find the connection he'd felt back in the corridor.

Instead of the blinding mix of thoughts and feelings he'd felt with Calantha, there was a light tingle of emotions, something that was distinctly Fallon. Reaching out, he stroked that pa.s.sionate wall with his own thoughts and was rewarded with a warm buzzing in his head. When she gasped, he knew she'd felt the connection too.

"Is that...?" she stared, giving her head a shake.

"It's different from what I felt...before. But I can feel you." Only once he gave her a moment to adjust to that thought did he press on. "What's bothering you?"

Fallon looked up at him and smiled, a blush coloring her cheeks. "I was going to ask you if you had ever thought of...f.u.c.k."

He ran his fingers through her hair and tugged her head back lightly so she relaxed into his hand. "You can ask me anything. You can feel that, can't you?"

"Yes," she said with a small smile. Fallon took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I was wondering if you'd ever thought of having a family? I mean, not right away, but I've often wanted to have children and was hoping-"

Taber was kissing her before she was able to finish her sentence. He projected thoughts of love toward her and prayed to the G.o.ddess that she understood. Only when his head was spinning did he pull back, leaving the two of them gasping.

"It would be my greatest honor to get you with child. I would be truly blessed."

Fallon's smile grew to a grin and she kissed him hard again.

"You'll be such an amazing father. I would be the blessed one."

"You'll be the pregnant one. You should speak with Haylie before you agree to bear my children. Fourteen months is a long time, from what I understand."

"Fourteen months!"

"Change your mind?"

She gave her head a shake. "Just be warned, I'll need lots of peanut b.u.t.ter and jam sandwiches. And I'll expect you to make them all."

Taber kissed her forehead and smiled. "Anything for you."

They curled up beside each other, and as Taber drifted off to sleep, he said a silent prayer of thanks for the bond he now shared with Fallon-his beloved.

164.

About the Author.

It took Christine a lot longer than the average bear to figure out what she wanted to be when she grew up. When she was home on maternity leave, she decided to take a stab at saving her sanity and sat down to write a romance novel. After dabbling with various sub-genres, she realized she really enjoyed creating strange new worlds and writing about s.e.x. Whether due to the pregnancy hormones or sleep deprivation, she thought this was a great combination.

Many years later her kids are in school and she's back at her day job, but the writing bug is here to stay. When not torturing her characters, she's busy playing with her children or conducting "research" with her husband.

Christine welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

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Eternal Bonds 1: The Bond That Ties Us.

Eternal Bonds 2: The Bond That Heals Us.

Primal Elements.

Wizard's Thief.

Discover for yourself why readers can't get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora's Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.

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