Her husband didn’t answer her—hell, he was incapable of words at that point. All that mattered was making Gillian his own, bonding with her, joining with her until they ceased to be two entities and were one.

Gillian uttered his name in a brief shriek and arched up beneath him. Sunlight exploded behind his eyes as he drove into her one last time, crushing her beneath him, pulling her into his soul just as surely as she pulled him into hers. Noble and Gillian ceased to exist; there was only a united pair. Together, joined, one body, one breath, one heartbeat.

An eon later Gillian gave a contented sigh, and wrapped her arms around the man lying limp on top of her. Her husband. Her life. Her Lord of Lovers. Forever he would be hers and hers alone. She stroked one hand down the damp muscled planes of his back and sent profusions of thankful prayers heavenward. Suddenly her hand paused.

“Noble?” She nudged him. He didn’t move.

Oh lord, she had killed him!

“Noble?” Her voice rose to a near scream. He bucked upward and sucked in one huge breath like a drowning man surfacing for air. Gillian was surprised there was any oxygen left in the room.

“I thought I had killed you!” she cried with relief, and placed a cautious hand over his heart. It was beating madly.

“You almost did,” he replied grittily; then, grinning, he wrapped his arms around her and rolled them both onto their sides.

“It’s amazing how well we fit together, don’t you think? Considering how very large you are and all.”

“Mmm.”

She snuggled into his chest and let a languorous sigh of fulfillment escape. “When can we do it again?”

Noble drew a deep breath. “I might have recovered enough to give it another try in eight or nine years. We’ll have to see how it goes.”

Gillian tipped back her head to see whether or not he was jesting. His eyes were closed, but the corners of his mouth were quirked.

She snuggled back onto his shoulder. He was jesting.

***

“…and that is how I met your father. Isn’t it a romantic story?” Gillian strolled with Nick and the two dogs around the rose garden early the following morning. Nick peeked at her out of the corner of his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. Gillian had realized that something was seriously troubling her new son but was content to let him come to her with the problem rather than force him to tell her his woes. Mothers, after all, had an instinct about such things. He would come to her in his own time and explain everything.

“Oh, dear, Piddle, I don’t think the gardener is going to appreciate that.” Gillian ignored the soft snicker beside her and avoided looking at the dogs altogether. She loved them dearly, but they did have a penchant for embarrassing her at the worst time. All she needed now was for Noble to pop up and notice the gift the dog…oh, no, both dogs, had left in the middle of the formal, pristine, not-a-leaf-out-of-place garden.