“Someone like me?”

He kissed her briefly. “A woman who’s warm and gentle and caring. Someone unselfish and—” he hesitated “—desirable.”

Her throat tightened with emotion, and it was all she could do to meet his gaze. Zach found her desirable. He wanted to make love to her. He didn’t need to say it; the message was there for her to read in his eyes. It wasn’t the desperate passion she’d once craved, but his love, his need to have her in his life, was far more potent than any action he could have taken, any words he could have said.

“Love me, Zach,” she whispered simply.

Zach’s mouth touched hers with a sweet desperate ardor. If she had any lingering doubts they vanished like mist in the sun as his lips took hers, twisting her into tight knots of desire.

His arms locked around her and he rolled onto his back, pulling her with him. His hands outlined her face as though he half expected her to stop him.

“Make me your wife,” she said, bending forward to brush her moist mouth over his.

Zach groaned, and then he did the strangest, most wonderful thing. He laughed. The robust sound echoed across the room and was so infectious that it made Janine laugh, too.

“My sweet Janine,” he said. “You’ve changed my life.” And then he kissed her again, leaving her with no doubts at all.

For a long time afterward, their happiness could be heard in their sighs and gasps and whispered words of love….

* * *

The buzzing sound refused to go away. Janine moaned softly and flung out her hand, hoping to find the source of the distraction. But before she could locate it, the noise ceased abruptly.

“Good morning, wife,” Zach whispered.

Her eyes remained closed as she smiled leisurely. “Good morning, husband.” Rolling onto her back, she held her arms open to him. “I had the most marvelous dream last night.”

Zach chuckled softly. “That wasn’t any dream.”

“But it must’ve been,” she said, slipping her arms around his neck and smiling lazily. “Nothing could be that incredible in real life.”

“I didn’t think so, either, but you proved me wrong.” He kissed her tenderly, and then so thoroughly that by the time he lifted his head, Janine was breathless.

Slowly, almost against her will, her eyes drifted open. His were dark with desire. “You’ll be late for work,” she warned him.

His smile was sensuous. “Who cares?”

“Not me,” she murmured. And with a small cry of pleasure, she willingly gave herself to her husband.

Zach was already an hour late for the office when he dragged himself out of bed and headed for the shower. Wearing her husband’s pajama top, Janine wandered into the kitchen and prepared a pot of coffee. She leaned against the counter and smiled into space, hardly aware of the passage of time.

A few minutes later—or perhaps it was longer—Zach stepped behind her and slid his arms around her waist, nuzzling her neck.