Christmas Secrets. Barbara Dunlop

arms stretched out, hands clenching into fists. And then her panties were gone. His boxers disappeared, and he had a condom. Thank goodness he had a condom.

      He was on top of her, pressing into her, so slowly, so exquisitely. She arched against him, wrapping her arms and legs around him. She’d never felt anything that came close to Cole Parker.

      He smelled of fresh air and wide-open spaces. He tasted like chocolate and brandy. His callused fingertips were rough and hot as he caressed every intimate spot on her skin. His body was shifting iron beneath her hands.

      His weight felt good. His thrusts were focused, and her body reflexively adjusted its angle to accommodate him. He whispered her name. Then his arm braced the small of her back, pressing them tighter and tighter together.

      Everything else was forgotten except the sensations cresting endlessly through her body as she climbed higher and higher. Colors glowed behind her eyes while white noise roared in her ears. Her world contracted to their joined bodies, tighter and tighter, until the dam exploded. The colors turned to fireworks, and sound boomed like a symphony as Cole called out her name.

      Her pulse was in overdrive, and she was dragging in oxygen. Her limbs lost all feeling as she sank deeper and deeper into the soft mattress.

      “You still with me?” Cole asked from what seemed like a distance.

      “I think so. I’m not sure. Are we in Kansas?”

      He chuckled. “I was definitely over the rainbow.”

      Reality floated its way back. “Oh, my.”

      “Don’t second-guess,” he warned.

      “That was a lot more than just a kiss.”

      He brushed back her hair and looked into her eyes. “It felt kind of inevitable.”

      She knew what he meant. Every second they spent together seemed to draw them closer and closer.

      “Maybe it was good to get it over with,” she ventured.

      “At least we’re not wondering anymore.”

      “Were you?” she couldn’t help asking. “Were you wondering?”

      “Absolutely. From the first second I laid eyes on you. That’s why I botched it so bad that night at the dance.”

      “It was a rocky start,” she agreed. “But you rescued me. Then you rescued my shoes.”

      “You hate those shoes.”

      “True. But you do get points for trying.”

      He skimmed the backs of his fingers along her side. “Are those points redeemable?”

      His touch was distracting, and his eyes were taking on that dark glow again.

      “For valuable prizes,” she told him.

      He traced the curve of her hip. “What do I get?”

      “What do you want?”

      He seemed to hesitate for a moment. “To stay.”

      A shimmer of anticipation warmed her chest at the thought of sleeping in Cole’s arms, waking up next to him, having breakfast together with Zachary.

      “Are you serious?”

      “Absolutely.”

      “Okay.”

      Cole awoke to the feel of Amber spooned in his arms and the realization that he had to tell her the truth. Up until last night, he’d been prepared to breeze into town, make sure Zachary was settled and breeze back out again. But things had changed. She had changed them.

      She rolled onto her back, blinking her eyes in the dim light from the window.

      “Morning,” he said softly.

      A pretty smile grew on her face. “Morning.”

      Otis whimpered at the door.

      Then Zachary let out a cry down the hall.

      “Is Isabel in yet?” Cole asked.

      Amber craned her neck to look at the bedside clock. “Not for an hour.”

      Otis whined more insistently and Zachary’s cries grew steady.

      Cole grimaced. “I’ll walk the dog if you feed the baby.”

      “Sorry,” said Amber.

      “Not your fault at all.” He sat up, shaking off sleep. “We jumped from a one-night stand to an old married couple in the blink of an eye.”

      “Not the morning you had in mind,” she asked from behind him.

      He turned, already smiling. “Oddly, it feels like the perfect morning. Shall I pick up some bagels while I’m out?”

      She rose from the other side of the bed, gloriously naked and indescribably beautiful. “Make mine blueberry.”

      “You got it.” He forced himself to look away and pulled on his jeans.

      Otis’s leash was at the front door, along with Cole’s jacket. They took the elevator, and once they were on the sidewalk, they headed to the park.

      Cole let the fresh air clear his brain. While they walked, he formulated and discarded several versions of a speech to Amber. Should he plunge in with the fact that he was Samuel’s long-lost son? Or should he go about it chronologically, outline his motivation and rationale before hitting her with his real identity?

      He didn’t want to upset her. He didn’t want to worry her. And he certainly didn’t want to make her distrust or dislike him any more than he already had. But last night had been too amazing for anything less than complete honesty.

      He and Otis ended up on the opposite side of the park. They made their way down the block to a bakery Cole had found a couple of days ago. He left Otis outside and chose a variety of bagels, then they started back to the penthouse.

      He found himself wondering what Zachary ate. Would he like to try a bit of bagel? Or did he stick to pureed foods?

      Cole knew absolutely nothing about babies or toddlers. All he knew was that Zachary was adorable, and that he was curious about the stages of development to come. He hoped once he told Amber the truth, she’d be willing to send him pictures and videos. Maybe he could even come back occasionally and check up on Zachary.

      The more he thought about it, the more he realized acknowledging their blood relationship was the right thing to do. He wasn’t sure why he waited so long.

      Nearly an hour had gone by before he returned to the penthouse. Amber had given him her spare key, so he let himself in, wondering if Zachary would have finished his bottle and might be having a morning bath. He hoped he wasn’t being fussy for Amber.

      When Cole opened the door, he did hear Zachary’s cries. But they were interspersed with adult voices. At first he assumed Isabel had arrived. But it was a man speaking, then another answering.

      Cole and Otis rounded the corner to the living room to see Roth Calvin and four other men standing with Amber in the middle of the room. Two of the men were on cell phones, while Amber was holding a crying Zachary. Cole reflexively moved forward to take the baby.

      “What’s going on?” he asked, worried that something had gone wrong in the court battle.

      “Thank you,” whispered Amber as Zachary’s cries quieted. “Isabel’s running late, and we’ve got a problem.”

      Cole glanced at the other four men. “What’s wrong?”

      “A Coast Eagle flight is in trouble,” said one of them.

      Cole went instantly on alert. “What kind of trouble?”

      “Hydraulic