Satisfaction soared. "You want your husband to f.u.c.k you?"

She nodded. "I'm aching..."

Beneath her, he rolled his hips as he lifted her, then lowered her back onto his erection. Tingles clawed up his spine. His body went electric as he watched her come apart for him. Her brown eyes darkened, softened as her cheeks flushed and her lips parted with a silent moan. Gia wriggled, trying to rush him. Her p.u.s.s.y clenched tight around his d.i.c.k.

He impaled her on his length again and grabbed her nape, forcing her to look at him. "You don't determine the pace, do you?"

"No, Master," she whimpered.

He released her neck and again used his arms to lift her into his strokes. Faster. Rougher. Deeper. Jesus, she was like lightning in his veins.

Leaning in, he nipped at her shoulder, then bent and caught one nipple in his mouth. As he sucked, she let out a keening cry.

"That's it, baby. Make noise for me."

"I shouldn't." Worry wrenched the words from her.

"You will. I'll take care of everything." He pulled on her nipple again before switching to the other. "I just want to hear you."

His wife might be worried about being discovered, but this turned her on. Around him, she felt so slick and tight. So stunning and breath stealing.

"Yes..."

The flush broke out across her chest. Gia gushed all over his c.o.c.k again. Her little whimpers picked up in volume. She was close.

"Come for me, my sweet wife, and scream."

Her hard breathing became outright pants, then she dragged in one long breath and held it. Jason pumped hard straight into her depths, praying he could fuse them together in a way that would last far longer than the o.r.g.a.s.m and its afterglow.

Then he wasn't thinking any more as the ecstasy shot through him like he'd injected it straight into his heart. It zipped through his body, taking over. And as she let out a high-pitched squeal of pleasure in the sound of his name, he released everything he had to her, shuddering through every thrust, doing his best to claim her once and for all.

Chapter Seven.

An hour later, Gia left the department store still blushing to the roots of her hair and dazed. Beside her, Jason held her hand and carried three huge bags of things he'd bought for her in the other. Behind them, two clerks carried the boxes of shoes her husband had insisted she needed. All eight pairs of them. When she'd pointed out that she only had two feet, he smiled and whispered that he only had one p.e.n.i.s, but it really appreciated the view of her in s.e.xy stilettos. Any other objection she'd raised, he'd waved away. His credit card had taken even more of a pounding than she had in the dressing room.

The thought made her blush again, especially when she recalled the way the sales a.s.sociate had returned a few minutes later with a gentle clearing of her throat and a repressed smile. Gia herself hadn't been sure whether to smack Jason for inducing her to do something arrest-worthy or simply giggle. No denying that she felt happier, lighter than she had in over a year. Being with him fulfilled her, and it had nothing to do with what he bought her and everything to do with the way he coaxed her out of her comfort zone and made her feel special with just his touch.

She was head over heels in love with him again. Well, still. She sighed.

What could she possibly give him in return? A blue-collar outlook on life? Arrest procedures? He knew how to cuff someone without her pointers. Gia shook her head. She liked herself, but didn't at all see why a billionaire would pursue her. Was it because she'd left him for the better part of a year and he wanted what he saw as the unattainable?

The thought gnawed at her as they loaded the car and left the mall. It chewed some more at her as they glided down the highway, heading west toward her part of town. He drove his sleek black Porsche like he conducted business-aggressively and without paying much attention to the rules.

"You get a lot of speeding tickets?"

He grinned. "Maybe a few. What can I say? I like the adrenaline rush."

"You one of those idiots who jumps out of perfectly good airplanes with just a canvas backpack?"

"Yep." He laughed. "I love skydiving. I'll get you to try it someday soon."

"No thanks."

"Baby, we'll tandem jump. You'll enjoy it. I'll keep you safe," he promised.

For no logical reason she could think of, that actually made her reconsider. Jason would do exactly as he said. He would ensure that nothing happened except a crazy jump from five thousand feet and a smooth landing. She trusted him.

Of course, would she really be with him long enough to make that a reality?

Maybe...she should think about their future more. Yes, she was better rested and more relaxed since she'd come to Jason's condo. But if she stayed, it would only be because he made her genuinely happy. And because they were both in love.

Once in her neighborhood, she and Jason had a fabulous lunch at a nearby j.a.panese hibachi and sushi place she'd been wanting to try. Afterward, he drove her to the pediatrician's office, where she dropped off the insurance card.

When she hopped back in the car, it wasn't quite two in the afternoon. She a.s.sumed Jason would head back toward the city. Instead, he drove directly to her old house and parked in front of it.

Gia stared at the cozy little ranch-style abode. It hadn't been much. Small with an ancient kitchen and a c.r.a.ppy master bathroom. But she'd been proud of the little fixer. She'd bought it with her own money and spruced it up as finances allowed. Seeing it now gave her a terrible pang. She'd lost so much in the last year. Her brother. Her husband in so many ways. She'd also lost her independence and missed it deeply. The thought made her feel selfish, so she tried to squelch it. Truth was, she simply hadn't been prepared to shoulder the responsibility of her entire family while she'd been in shock and mourning.

"Why are we here?" Her voice shook.

"Why did you sell your house?"

Such a complicated question... "Long story short, after my brother's death, Mila couldn't cope without me. I was running myself ragged driving the nine miles between her place and mine, sometimes in the middle of the night when Bella was sick or Tony Jr. had nightmares, and grief was eating her alive. She really didn't function for a good three months." Gia paused. "My mom had just had a knee replacement. My dad was a great cop in his day, but he doesn't know much about being the primary caretaker for two kids under the age of three. It was just easier to move in with Mila."

"Why not rent your house out while you stayed with your sister-in-law so you'd have a place to come home to?"

She let out a huge sigh. After the way she'd avoided him for months following their wedding day, she owed him this explanation. He'd probably seen her disconnecting her phone and moving away as her means of avoiding him, rather than trying to deal with the tragedy and accept the obligations she'd suddenly inherited.

"When Mila learned she was pregnant again, my brother overextended himself to buy her and the kids the house they now live in. They needed a place with three bedrooms because if they put the baby in with Tony Jr., she'd keep him up half the night. Nothing worse than a cranky toddler."

Jason grimaced. "I'll take your word for it. So you...sold your house and gave her the money?"

"My brother would have done the same for me if our roles had been reversed."

"Your parents couldn't help out?"

"My mom raised kids and never worked outside the home, and my dad is retired. Their income is fixed and tight. Mila didn't want to burden them any more."

"You sacrificed a lot to help your brother's wife and kids."

Yes, including her marriage to Jason. "I'd help them all over again. Mila would never have been able to stand on her own this past year. The kids are adorable, but a constant handful. But if I had to do it again, I'd try much harder to include you. In my head, leaning on you so much didn't seem fair."

"Giving me up was?"

Her only defense was that she hadn't believed he'd miss her that much. She still didn't know what it was about her he'd latched on to. "You're right. My sense of duty and my pride got in the way."

Jason sent her a pensive stare. "That can't happen again, Gia."

"I know."

He caressed the crown of her bowed head, a silent gesture of acceptance and forgiveness. "So you grew up around here?"

"Yes."

"Show me where you went to school."

It might be stupid, but his request made her feel giddy. Would he ask if he didn't care? No, nor would he fight for her to stay by his side. She hadn't bothered to truly open up to him before they said "I do." It wouldn't kill her to do so now. In fact, he was trying so hard to keep them together, putting...well, not his heart on the line, but his pride at least.

"Sure. I'd like that. You can tell me about your crazy high school days while I do."

It didn't take more than three minutes to reach her alma mater, but he was already regaling her with tales about playing football as a teenager. Even in the schools for the wealthy kids, they still pulled pranks on rivals and coaches alike.

He parked, and several of the male students stopped to gawk at his car. As Jason took her hand in his again, he patiently answered questions and even gave a few a peek at the interior. This relaxed version of her husband was giving, fun to be with. She more than respected the driven, take-no-prisoners man she'd married, but in this moment Gia really liked him, too.

Once the boys had gone, they walked the grounds of the school. The teenagers' day of learning had come to an end. Behind them, students peeled out of the parking lot as she and Jason walked together. On campus, they ran across the group of color guard girls taking advantage of the last of the nice weather before winter. They danced and tossed bright flags in the air to the beat of a dramatic tune.

After observing their routine and clapping at the conclusion, the girls giggled. Jason led her inside the halls and asked about her favorite cla.s.ses, teachers, and memories. They watched part of a basketball game in progress and had a little footrace on the track. Since her husband was so athletic and he wasn't wearing heels, he won by a lot, but she laughed all the way back to the car, surprised to see that sunset was near.

Back at his sleek Porsche, he opened her door. Gia paused before climbing in, curling her hand around his shoulder and stepping on her tiptoes to kiss him. "That was fun. Thank you for a wonderful day."

His face softened. "You're welcome. I wanted to hear about this part of your life. Thank you for sharing it."

Gia blushed. They should be far past the innocent joys of "getting to know you," but here she was, feeling like an adolescent with her first love. A little backward since they were already married, but she liked feeling the b.u.t.terflies in her tummy.

She smiled at Jason, wondering again what she could possibly give him to make him half as happy as he made her?

Jason slid into the driver's seat beside her and looked something up on his phone. Moments later, he revved the engine. It purred out of the parking lot, and she found herself lost in a haze of contentment.

Gia had married her husband once because she'd believed they would be happy together, but she'd never had the opportunity to test that theory. After today in particular, she knew she'd been right. s.e.x in a dressing room wasn't something she wanted often, but Jason somehow understood her craving for that edge of wild-within a net of safety. He always delivered. She was the one who had failed him, first that summer night long ago when he'd arranged a sensual tryst in the park. She had failed him again when she'd a.s.sumed he would want nothing to do with her family problems. She hadn't stood by their marriage.

"Thank you for refusing to give up on us."

He turned to her, stare sharp as he slid to a stop at a red light. "You're not angry any more?"

"More than anything, I was afraid. And I felt guilty. I knew so much of the blame for our separation could be laid at my feet. I didn't think I mattered to you any more and that you'd ordered me to your condo to punish me."

"And now?"

"I know you're trying to put us back together. Our last nine days have been better than anything I could have dreamed of."

Gia had a hard time admitting all that when Jason wouldn't tell her that he loved her. But he cared. Neither of them were perfect. Maybe they would grow together in time. Maybe...but it still bugged her. Could she live the rest of her life feeling his adoration but never hearing the three most powerful words a husband could give his wife? Were they a cliche or some vital glue that held a marriage together?

Jason reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze, then punched on the gas pedal when the light turned green again. "I'm relieved to hear you say that. We have another nine days together, and I'll enjoy every minute of them. But I would enjoy it more if you told me you would stay beyond our anniversary."

"It's crossed my mind. We have some issues to work through if we're going to try."

"We do. And I want to start now."

With those cryptic words, Jason took her hand from his and gripped the steering wheel. His stare on the road looked somewhere between focused and grim.

"What do you mean?"

He didn't answer right away, and she stared at the clock. Five forty. Her family would just be sitting down to her dad's birthday dinner. She hadn't had the chance to drop her father's birthday gift off at the restaurant, and it was too late now. Gia cursed under her breath. She would just have to hang onto it until her father's actual birthday.

She pictured her family chatting, singing, moaning over good food. They would miss having her there. The kids must be confused. She'd been a constant in their lives for the last year, and not seeing them felt like someone had punched a hole in her heart. They were so close to the restaurant... Gia thought of telling Jason about the gathering and suggesting they go. But as she glanced down at her three thousand dollar outfit and the gorgeous rock on her finger, she knew her parents would be shocked. If she remained Jason's wife, she would tell her family when they'd married and why she'd hidden the union from them, but not while they celebrated her father's birthday. Not in public. Not when she wasn't sure if she and Jason had a future.

As the familiar streets pa.s.sed, she focused on Jason's strong profile and waited for an answer. Finally, he turned off one of the town's main drags and down an ancillary street, slowing down as they approached Delvecchio's. Her heart stopped as he pulled into the parking lot.

c.r.a.p! He'd overheard her on the phone with Mila earlier. "Jason..."

He shoved the car in park and turned to her. "You admitted that we have some issues to work through. The fact that I haven't met your family is a huge obstacle. I want to remove it now. h.e.l.l, do they even know we dated?"

No. She'd been worried when she'd met Jason that her folks wouldn't understand. He represented so many things her old-school, old-world parents didn't like-establishment and money. He'd never worked with his hands. He wasn't a part of the Church. No one in her family-not a single one of her sixteen cousins-had married anyone who wasn't both intensely Italian and devoutly Catholic. She didn't care about any of that, but her parents would. They would understand even less that she'd concealed her marriage from them.

Most of all, she didn't want to put her family through this upheaval unless she believed that she and Jason could truly make a life together.

"It's complicated."

"It's not," he contradicted. "I'm not who they would have chosen for you. I understand that, but it's your life and ultimately your choice. You say they 'love' you."

"They do, but-"

"No buts. If they value your happiness, then they will allow you to make the best decision for you and respect it. Am I wrong?"

"You're oversimplifying. They're parents; they always think they know best."

"You're an adult with your own life."

He was absolutely right. "But they've been the biggest part of it for years. I couldn't do without them."

"Well, I won't be your dirty little secret any longer." Jason gritted his teeth and sucked in a breath. "We are going to walk into that restaurant, and you're going to introduce me as your husband. Or you are going to say your safe word. Tell me again what it is."

"Divorce," she choked out.

"That's right. And we will never escape that possibility as long as you hide me from your family. All refusing to introduce us does is prove that you never intended to incorporate me into the important parts of your life."

"I need time." But as soon as the plea slipped from her lips, Gia knew she asked for too much.

"You've had nearly a year."

She had more objections, but they were all about her escaping her family's disappointment. About her not having to endure their shock and anger. Waiting did nothing but convince Jason that he wasn't important to her. And that wasn't true. If they could work it out, she wanted to stay with him. She loved him and wanted his happiness.