Again, she wondered what was her future? What if Rafe never felt anything more for her than a convenient sort of passion? Her stomach knotted at the thought.

Before she knew it, the chauffeur parked the limo and she and Rafe entered the court building. In front of a magistrate, she promised and he promised. In the sterile surroundings, he lowered his mouth to hers in a kiss that stood for an oath of a lifetime.

Nicole stared into his dark eyes, praying she hadn’t made a mistake. He took her hand and didn’t let go, even as he led her outside. “Where do you want to eat?”

She swallowed over the lump in her throat. “I haven’t even thought about it.”

He met her gaze. “Think about it now. What fast food do you want to eat to celebrate our marriage?”

Her heart skipped a beat and she took a deep breath. “Some sort of terrible cheeseburger with extra mustard and pickles. Greasy French fries. Something chocolate.”

He nodded. “I’ve got just what you want.”

He had no idea, she thought, how much she wanted him.

A half hour later, they ate greasy cheeseburgers, fries, ice cream and champagne in the back of the limo.

“This has got to be one of the worst possible gastronomic combinations,” she said, taking a drink of champagne and following with a spoonful of ice cream.

He clinked his glass against hers. “Tastes good going down,” he said and swallowed a glass of bubbly in two gulps.

Nicole’s head was spinning. “But will we pay in the morning?”

“Maybe,” he said. “I say if we’re going to get a hangover, then let’s make it worth the pain.”

He lowered his mouth to hers and her head spun even more. His kiss heated her from the inside out.

“You’re so cool then you’re hot,” he muttered against her mouth. “I spend too much time wanting to make you as hot as I feel.”

He slipped one of his hands over her breast, the other beneath the hem of her silk dress. She gasped at the heat that rolled through her like lava from a volcano.

“Rafe,” she whispered.

“You’re my wife,” he said, rubbing his mouth against her cheek then lower against her throat. “We’re married. We may as well make the most of it.”

He was now her husband, her man. The knowledge unleashed something primitive inside her. Arching against him, she didn’t fight when he slid her dress up over her hips and pushed her panties down her legs. The world seemed to spin around her. She thrust her fingers through his hair, steeping herself in his strength and passion.

His kisses sent her into another galaxy where only he existed. His erection thrust inside her intimately, taking her. Shocking herself with need, she craved being taken. The rhythm took her up and over to heights she’d never experienced.

“Rafe,” she whispered, clinging to him.

“Nicole,” he muttered, flying into his own climax. “You’re mine. All mine.”

A half hour later, they pulled into the drive of his house. Rafe’s eyes were lowered to a sexy half-mast.

“We will have a honeymoon,” he said. “Just later.” He took her mouth in a sensual kiss. “Damn, I’d like it to be now.”

“We don’t want to leave Joel yet,” she said.

“I agree,” he said, sliding his hands through her hair and taking her mouth again. “Just keep reminding me.”

She could almost believe that he wanted her, not just because she was Joel’s mother. “There’s so much I don’t know about you.”

“You’ll learn,” he said. “And so will I.” He sighed. “The mother’s helper took Joel to preschool, right?”

She nodded.

“I hate it, but I need to do a little business,” Rafe said. “We can meet again after dinner.”

“Okay,” she said. “In the den?”

“No,” he said, his gaze dark with sexy possessiveness. “You’re my wife. You’ll sleep in my suite now.”

That afternoon she rode with the chauffeur to pick up Joel after preschool. Rafe, Nicole and Joel shared a barbecue prepared by the chef for dinner. Steak for Rafe and Nicole, hamburger for Joel. Tired from his active day, Joel took an early bedtime.

Rafe took advantage and led Nicole to his big bed. “I’ve wanted you since I met you,” he whispered, removing her clothes from her body.

He made her feel sexy and sensual, forbidden and powerful. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make you and Joel happy,” he said, sliding his mouth down over her throat and breasts and lower down her abdomen.

Nicole’s breath caught in her throat. She’d never felt so sensual and sexy in her life, but she couldn’t help wondering if she was a means to an end. She tried to push the doubt aside.

She felt him lower his mouth to take her femininity and her mind scrambled. “Rafe.”

“Let me have you,” he urged. “In every way.”

His mouth took her to a level she’d never been, sending her into spasms of pleasure. Rising upward, he plunged inside her again and she felt herself tighten around him. His gasp of pleasure took her over the top again.

“More,” he muttered, climaxing inside her. “Can’t get enough of you.”

She embraced him intimately and slid her fingers through his hair. She understood. She couldn’t get close enough. Sliding her legs around his waist, she embraced him. She wanted more of him. She wanted everything. But would he give himself to her the same way she gave herself to him?

Rafe had never felt better in his life. He awakened the next morning with Nicole naked in his arms. His first instinct was to roll over and slide inside her, but he restrained himself.

Best to give his new bride a chance to adjust, although she’d done a damn good job of taking him to Neverland last night.

He luxuriated in the sensation of her naked skin against his. Her breasts meshed with his chest, her thighs twined through his. Her cheek nuzzled against his throat.

He could take her again at this second. The only thing that kept him was that she was his bride. Since Tabitha, he’d never believed he would get married, but Nicole had changed his mind.

She thought he only wanted her because of Joel, but that was wrong. He wanted her in every sense of the word. He wanted her because she made him feel things he’d never thought he could feel. She reminded him of things about himself he’d forgotten. She made him feel cherished and needed. She made him feel as if he wanted to step up and meet her needs, Joel’s needs.

“Good morning,” she said. Her eyes fluttered open and she dipped her head, sighing against his bare skin. The sensation was soft and sensual.

“Good morning,” he murmured. He trailed his fingers down the sides of her breasts, groaning as she rubbed against him.

She lifted her hands to his shoulders, tracing the contours of his muscles all the way down his arms to his hands. Then she stroked his chest and lower with a feminine curiosity that made him hard.

“I thought I would give you a break,” he said, groaning again as her hand barely skimmed his erection.

“Why would you do that?” she asked.

Unable to resist the sexual challenge in her gaze, he rolled on to his back and pulled her on top of him.

Her eyes widened in surprise, but two heartbeats later, she rose and slowly lowered herself on to him, encasing him in her moist femininity.

He’d known there was a fire underneath her cool composure, but he hadn’t suspected the siren who would take his breath away as she began to ride him. Her breasts rubbed against his chest and she lowered her mouth to his. He suckled her tongue into his mouth and quickly felt himself pushed to the edge, but he held back until her body clenched and shuddered in release.

“Can’t get enough of you, Nicole,” he said, and finally allowed himself to climax.

The following morning, Nicole awakened, dimly recalling Rafe’s kiss before he left her. It almost seemed like a dream, but her lips were swollen and her body ached in secret, sensitive places.