“But have you ever known anyone else who’s had them?“
“No.“ He leaned over to nuzzle the curve of her neck. His leg angled across her thighs. “But, then, I’ve never spent the night there with anyone else except you. I also am not in the habit of discussing my dreams with other people. How would I know if someone else was having the cave dream unless he or she volunteered the information?“
“It’s not normal, Colby.“
“Maybe all married couples share their dreams.“
“If the phenomenon was common, we’d have heard about it by now,“ Diana retorted.
“Maybe we’re unique.“ His hand slid down over her hip, and his mouth followed the line of cle**age that disappeared beneath the low bodice of her nightgown.
“Colby, I’m trying to have a serious discussion.“
“Could we have it in the morning? I’m sort of busy at the moment.“
Diana laughed softly, the uneasy spell of the dream broken by his unabashed lust. “It’s nearly two o’clock. We should go back to sleep.“
“Ill make this fast.“ His hand slipped between her thighs.
“No, you will not make it fast.“ Diana pushed at his shoulders. He went over onto his back, his eyes gleaming in the shadows.
“I won’t?“ he asked.
“No. You will make this nice and slow.“ She let her br**sts brush his naked chest as she leaned over him and found his mouth with her own.
“Anything you say, honey.“
BUT everything was NOT quite as she said, Diana reflected the next morning as she dressed for work, not by a long shot. Colby was accommodating enough in bed, but he could be intransigent out of it. She was learning the hard way that marriage required a great deal of adjustment. As far as she could tell, she was the one doing most of the adjusting.
Colby had never really given her a reasonable explanation as to why he wanted to leave Fulbrook Corners before the summer ended. She knew he was uneasy about the pranks that had been played on her, and she thought he had been more concerned about that late-night race on River Road than he had admitted to her, but he’d refused to say much about it.
“Just kids playing dangerous games,“ he’d explained briefly when she’d grilled him. “What’s the problem, anyway? You wanted to go back to work as soon as possible. Here’s your chance.“
She’d been happy to head for Portland, but not for the reasons he’d assumed. It was true she wanted to start back to work as soon as possible now that she’d made her decision, but as they’d driven out of Fulbrook Corners, Diana’s main feeling had been a sense of relief that they were going to be beyond the reach of Harry the Ox.
She’d abandoned the attempt to get Colby to sue, but she wasn’t happy about it.
Diana sighed and examined herself closely in the mirror. She could still fit into most of her expensive business suits, but it wouldn’t be long before she would have to go shopping for maternity clothes. The first signs of changes in her body were starting to manifest themselves.
Colby seemed to take great satisfaction in watching for them, but Diana found the changes disconcerting. She had always kept her figure firmly under control by dint of exercise and diet. But now her body seemed hellbent on following its own path. Just one more example of how her life had begun to slip out of control since she’d met Colby Savagar.
Nothing would ever be the same again.
She walked into the kitchen a few minutes later and found Colby stacking the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher.
He glanced up and surveyed her from head to foot, taking in the neat sophistication of her tawny brown hair, the small gold earrings, the cream-colored suit and silk blouse and the matching cream-colored heels. He grinned possessively.
“I wonder if you have any idea how intimidatingly professional you look when you’re dressed for work,“ he said as he closed the dishwasher and leaned back against the counter. “A twentieth-century amazon warrior.“
“Are you intimidated?“
His grin widened wolfishly and he folded his arms across his chest. “Do I look like the kind of man who’d let himself be intimidated by an amazon? Especially when I know I’m responsible for getting this particular amazon pregnant?“
Diana walked toward him, letting her hips sway with just enough emphasis to get his attention. She stopped very close to him and tapped her enameled nail against the side of his mouth. “Mr. Macho, hmm?“
He shrugged with fine modesty. “What can I say? When a man’s got it, he might as well flaunt it.“
“If I see you flaunting it in front of any other females, I’ll show you just how much of an amazon I can be.“ Diana drew a quick little breath as the teasing threat left her lips. She was still new to the kind of games lovers play.
Colby’s eyes narrowed swiftly. He made no attempt to hide the flare of masculine pleasure in his gaze. His voice lowered to a rough, sexy growl. “I love it when you go all primitive and jealous.“
“Do you?“
“Yeah. Gets me hot.“ He unfolded his arms and put his hands around her waist. “What do you say we get in a quickie before you leave for work?“
“You’ve got a book to finish and I’m late.“ She kissed him briefly and stepped back. Her lashes lowered mischievously when she said, “Save it for me, tough guy. I’ll see you later. Try not to get into an argument with Specter.“ She swung around and started to sashay out of the kitchen.
“Specter’s not as dumb as I once thought. Ever since it dawned on him that I’ve now got control of his dog biscuits all day long, he’s been negotiating for a truce.“
“Don’t abuse your power, Colby. Nobody likes a tyrant.“ Diana leaned down to scratch Specter’s ears as he padded over to say goodbye.
Colby’s voice stopped her just as she reached the door. His tone was no longer teasing or sexy.
“Diana, try leaving work on time this afternoon. You’ve been getting home later and later all week. Crown’s sucking you back into the overtime routine. I don’t like it.“
Diana glanced back, her hand on the doorknob. “There’s a major project on,“ she explained. “We’re putting together semiannual financial forecasts.“
“You mean Crown’s using you to put it together.“
“Colby, this sort of thing is what I do. It’s my job.“
“You already gave Carruthers and Yale enough overtime during the years you worked for them. Look how they rewarded you.“