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fury of the fire arcing through him, he had no choice but to surrender. And in that moment, Caleb did something he hadn’t done in five years of marriage. He lost control.
    The climax hit him hard and fast, a knockout punch that left him a heavy weight on her, drained, heart racing at a thousand miles an hour. “I’m sorry,” he rasped when he could speak.
    To his surprise, she kissed his neck and said, “Do you really want me that much?” Her free hand lifted to brush sweat-damp hair off his forehead.
    “I’ve always wanted you.” The single reason he’d never before surrendered so completely was because the wanting had seemed one-sided. That painful knowledge had always blunted his physical pleasure. He’d gone to her bed but part of him had stayed separate, trying to protect himself from the hurt he knew would come.
    “I want to please you again,” she whispered, nuzzling his throat. “I want to feel you wanting me. I need to know that you like it when I…when I let go.” She swallowed and he felt the movement. “I can’t quite convince myself that it’s okay to be like this with you.”
    He sucked in a breath when he realized she was still holding him intimately. “Sweetheart, believe me, I’d love to oblige you but I’m thirty-four years old. I don’t recover quite so fast anymore.”
    Her hand began to stroke and squeeze, while her lips trailed along the edge of his jaw. “Please, Caleb?”
    He’d taught his body to be satisfied with barely a taste when he wanted to gorge. About to tell her it would take time no matter how much he wanted to indulge her, he felt his body roar to life. She began placing suckling kisses on his neck as her free hand played over his chest.
    “I want to give you…” he began.
    Her hand tightened a fraction, sending shock waves over his body. “You’ve given me enough pleasure for two lifetimes. I owe you. Let me, Caleb, honey. Let me.” The last was a sensual plea.
    He didn’t stand a chance.

    When he woke the next morning, Vicki was gone from the bed but he could hear her singing in the kitchen. Grinning, he got up, feeling like a teenager. They hadn’t made love last night but he wasn’t complaining. It would come.
    If he was patient.
    Caleb had never been much good at patience but damn if he wasn’t going to win a gold medal in it this time around. He was still grinning as he ducked into the shower. Fifteen minutes later, he finished putting on his tie and walked into the kitchen.
    Vicki was at the stove, flipping pancakes. He loved pancakes but she usually only made them on weekends. Coming up behind her, he slipped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. “Good morning.”
    She went bright red as she mumbled “Good morning.” Turning off the stove, she put the pancakes on a plate.
    He knew that part of her had to be worried about what they’d done last night, whether she’d acted the right way or not. Knowing that something was okay, and accepting it were two different things. “I’m looking forward to being patient tonight.”
    “Caleb Callaghan!” Whirling around in his arms, she met his laughing gaze. “Don’t you tease me about this.”
    “Why not?”
    “Because I made you pancakes.”
    Unable to resist, he kissed her. Her hands wrapped around his waist. They were still a little hesitant but they were there. And her mouth…her mouth was pure temptation. He kissed her with every ounce of passion in him.
    When they parted, her lips were swollen, her eyes wide. He never wanted to let her go. She was his wife, the only one he’d ever wanted. If they could get past this, they could get past everything else. “We’ll be okay.”
    “Caleb, this isn’t the only problem we had. It might even have been the least of them. I’ve always wanted you. I just didn’t know how to show it.”
    He was startled by the echo of his thoughts. “But if we can talk about this after so long, we can talk about anything.”
    “Can we?” Clouds