Kate Hoffmann - Paris or Bust!

“And I love you,” Roxanne said. “And I am afraid of what that means.”

“You never have to be scared of me,” he murmured, covering her mouth with his. “I promise, I will never, ever hurt you.”

When he drew away, she looked up into his eyes. Then with a tiny smile, she slipped out of her jacket and tossed it on a nearby chair along with her purse. “I could really go for a swim right now.”

Kit watched as she took her clothes off in front of him. But this time, he knew there wouldn’t be a swimsuit underneath. When she stood in just her bra and panties, he expected her to stop as they had the night before. But Roxanne just smiled and discarded them, as well.

With a giggle, she stepped around him. “I’ll race you.” She dove into the shallow end, just skimming the surface. He watched her stroke through the water, her naked body slick and smooth. When she reached the other end of the pool she stopped. Stretching her arms out on the edge and kicking her legs, she smiled at him, daring him to come and get her.

He drew a deep breath and slipped beneath the surface, swimming underwater the entire length of the pool. He came up right in front of her, allowing his body to slide along hers. The contact was electric, the water amplifying the sensations, her breasts against his chest, his hips against hers. Kit grabbed her around her waist and held on, bobbing in front of her.

“Now that I have you, what am I going to do with you?”

She smiled, then pushed his head underwater. Caught by surprise, Kit let go of her and when he came up again, she was swimming for the other end of the pool. He caught up with her halfway to the end, grabbing her foot and pulling her down. But she was slippery and wriggled through his arms, a reluctant mermaid.

By the time he reached her, she was waiting. Tired of chasing her around the pool, he grabbed her and pulled her legs around his waist. Then, holding her tightly, he carried her over to the steps at the far corner of the pool. Though she weighed nothing in the water, she weighed next to nothing out. Kit carried her over to a chaise and laid her down, bracing his arms on either side of her head.

He wanted to take his time, to enjoy her the way he had last night, to make her moan with pleasure. But they’d waited long enough.

She grabbed her purse and pulled out a box of condoms.

“You came prepared,” Kit murmured with a smile.

“I was optimistic.” She tore open the foil package and gently sheathed him, then leaned back and drew him down with her. When she arched against him, he slipped inside of her.

Desire raced through him, heating his blood and making his pulse pound in his head. As they made love, Kit knew that this time, for the first time, it meant something. The physical pleasure was intense, but with every stroke, he felt the emotional connection to her grow stronger.

He loved Roxanne. He loved the color of her eyes and the scent of her hair, the feel of her flesh beneath his hands and the sound of her voice urging him on. He loved her laugh and her smile and the way she blushed after he kissed her. And he loved her children, as if they were his own.

And as he brought her to her release, then joined her there, Kit knew that no matter how many years they had, it would always be like this, so sweet and so perfect and so simple.

That’s what it was to love Roxanne.

“COME ON, KIDS!” Roxanne shouted. “Get down here. Kit is going to pick us up for the zoo soon. You need to find your shoes. And it’s windy, so everyone has to wear a hat.”

She smiled to herself. Shoes. How much of her day was spent searching for shoes? Like socks, they always seemed to separate themselves. She walked over to the living room sofa where Jenna was sitting. The toddler held out a sock and as Roxanne took it from her, she realized it didn’t belong to one of the children. It belonged to Kit.

Roxanne fingered the soft wool and smiled. Such a simple domestic chore, picking up his socks. But there was a time when she thought she’d never have that responsibility again, that she’d spend the rest of her life as a single parent. Now she had a partner. Although they hadn’t discussed marriage, Roxanne knew that their relationship was serious. Kit had become part of the family. They hadn’t spent a day apart in an entire month. She and the kids had all come to depend upon him.

Still, he didn’t spend the night. Roxanne had been adamant about that, unwilling to confuse the children with questions about the relationship. So they found the occasional afternoon or evening when Renee offered to take the children or they’d lock themselves in Kit’s office at the station. Once a week, the baby-sitter Roxanne had hired to take care of the kids while she worked at the station would stay late and they’d go out for dinner.

Though having a sex life was complicated, that made it all the more exciting and passionate. She was in love with a wonderful man and Roxanne wasn’t about to ask for anything more.

The doorbell rang and she walked over and pulled it open. Kit stood on the porch, a huge box in his arms.

“What have you bought them now?” Roxanne said.

“Just a little present. Come on, Mommy, don’t be such a stick in the mud.”

“A little present? You spoil them. You have to stop this.”

“This is the last present for a while, I promise.”

“Wow! What’s in the box?”

Kit grinned as Danny, Rachel and Michael came thundering down the stairs. “It’s a present.” He set the box down and Danny pulled off the huge bow. Then Rachel opened the top.

“A puppy!” she screamed.

Roxanne gasped. “A what?”

“Look, Mommy, it’s a puppy. Kit brought us a puppy.” Danny reached into the box and withdrew a wiggling cocker spaniel pup. He gave it a kiss then set the little dog on the floor and Roxanne knew the puppy wasn’t ever going to leave the house.

“May I speak to you?” she said, sending Kit a look that made her feelings perfectly clear. “In the kitchen, please?”

When he joined her there, she turned on him. “How could you do this without talking to me? We can’t have a dog. We live in a busy neighborhood in a house that has a yard the size of a postage stamp.”

“Dogs are easy,” Kit said.

“Do you know how much work a dog takes? You have to feed it and walk it and the vet bills can be horrible.”

“The kids can help take care of the dog. It will teach them responsibility.”

“They had a goldfish once. It went belly-up.”

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small box, then placed it on the counter next to her. “I gave the kids a dog. I figured I’d better bring you a present, too.”

Roxanne snatched up the box. “A present for me is not going to make up for the dog.”

“Just open the box,” Kit said.

Roxanne did as she was told, fishing through the tissue paper. She pulled out a key ring with two keys dangling from it. “What’s this? You didn’t buy me a car, did you?”

“Those are keys to my house,” he said. “I want you and kids to move in. That way the dog will have a yard. So will the kids. I live in a nice neighborhood with good schools. And parks.”

She stared at the gift for a long moment, knowing she’d have to refuse. But as she put the keys back into the box, the light caught something on the ring and she froze. Slowly, she held the key ring up. A diamond ring hung between the two keys. With a soft sigh, Roxanne looked over at Kit.

“Marry me?” he asked.

She bit her bottom lip to keep it from trembling as she tried to get the diamond off the key ring. But her hands were shaking and Kit finally had to take it from her. When he had the diamond in his fingers, he took her hand.