Secrets in the Marriage Bed by Nalini Singh

passion—embers that their marriage had stifled instead of nurtured.
    “What?” Vibrant life in that single word.
    A little of his guilt receded. “What did your grandmother tell you when she invited me to that dinner party where she introduced us?” Lately, he’d begun to wonder if Ada had lied to get Vicki to trust him enough to let him court her. How else could he explain her faith in him from the very start? Especially when his no-holds-barred personality must have been immediately obvious.
    Laughing, she tipped her head back to meet his gaze. “She said she’d found the perfect man for me. He’d keep me in line because I’d need a strong hand to ensure I didn’t turn out like my mother. Oh, and he’d make sure I was taken care of.”
    He winced, his theory in ruins. That was hardly likely to get a woman to trust a man. “Did she force you—”
    “I fell for you about ten seconds after you started talking to me. She saw a man who’d use his strength to crush. I saw someone who’d use it to protect.” She smiled. “You had so much energy, so much heart that you made me feel truly alive for the first time. I couldn’t bear to return to the life I had before I met you.”
    Despite his decision to be honest, Caleb couldn’t bring himself to ask the question that continued to haunt him. What about now? Did the woman she’d become trust him as that vulnerable girl had? Or had that love crumbled after years of being trapped in a marriage that made her desperately unhappy?
    Instead of asking questions that might destroy him, he joked, “I’m glad because once I saw you, that was it.”
    “Good.” Her laughter was a gift. After hugging him tightly once more, she pulled away. “Come on, let’s eat. I’m starving—our baby is a hungry little thing.”
    “What does it feel like?” he asked, curious.
    “The baby? I think I can feel her moving but it’s probably all in my mind. According to the baby books, it’s too early.”
    “Her?” That quickly, their baby became real, a little person with hopes and dreams, and a heart that he could bruise with a careless word.
    Vicki gave him a sheepish smile. “I just started thinking of it as a girl. Would you prefer a girl or a boy?”
    “I don’t mind,” he replied truthfully. “I only want it to be healthy.”
    “Me, too.” Her face became solemn. “It’s scary thinking about a child who’s going to rely on me for everything.”
    “On us.” He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and nudged her into a seat. “But yeah, it’s not like either of us has a good example to follow. Are these baby books for dads as well?” Books he understood—they taught you things. Maybe they could teach him how to be a good father, a concept that caused raw panic inside of him whenever he dared think about it. Like now.
    Her smile was huge. “Yes. I’ll give you a good one.”
    Sitting down, he nodded. “So,” he said, deciding that that was about as much baby talk as he could handle for one night, “you get any interesting phone calls today?” It was meant to be a lighthearted comment but her expression grew pensive.
    “Mother confirmed her plans to visit.”
    He paused, trying to catch the emotions passing over her face like storm clouds. “What else did she say?”
    Vicki shrugged and made a face. “Nothing much—you know her. Do you want some more salad?”
    He let her change the subject, having learned that she didn’t like discussing her mother. Danica contacted Vicki once or twice every year and inevitably left behind a mess. After her last visit, Vicki had locked herself in her study and sobbed as though her heart was broken. Although he’d tried to talk to her about it, she’d pretended nothing was wrong. It frustrated him but her emotional armor on this topic was so tough, he’d never made much of a dent in it.
    Figuring they had bigger problems to solve, he didn’t press the issue this time. But part of him worried about exactly