Taking Chloe by Anne Rainey Page B

fiery fist.
    He pulled back and thrust forward one more time. Chloe lost it. Merrick kept his arms locked around her shoulders as she burst all around him, screaming his name. The orgasm went on and on, Merrick seemed intent to pull every last drop of pleasure from her.
    After she came down from the euphoric high, Merrick lifted his head. “Look at me, beautiful.” Chloe opened her eyes and stared at her husband. “Come for me, Merrick,” she murmured.
    “Anything you say, sweetheart.” He thrust his hips upward once, twice, three times before he filled her with his hot seed. The swiftness of it shocked her to the core. He’d been waiting, riding that shaky edge until she found her own completion.
    Chloe couldn’t drag her gaze away as Merrick’s entire demeanor changed, became more intense.

    “Do you see how we fit? Do you feel me inside you?”
    “Yes, Merrick.”
    “No other will ever fill you like me. This isn’t about chemistry or body size either. It goes deeper than that. This is about love.”
    “And no other will ever fit you like me?” she asked, hesitant about this new side to her husband.
    “Exactly. I will not let you go.” His arms crushed her to him, his head buried in the valley between her breasts.
    She pushed his sweat-soaked hair away from his face. “We don’t always get what we want, Merrick. It’s called free will.”
    He nuzzled her bosom, kissed each of her nipples before leaning back. “Yes, free will. But I happen to know a secret, baby.”
    “And what’s that?”
    “I know you, inside and out. If you really thought I was beyond help, you wouldn’t have hesitated to dump my workaholic ass.”
    Damn. He had her there. She had thought he was worth the effort and she did think their marriage worth saving. Merrick hadn’t neglected her on purpose. She knew that in her heart. The question remained as to why he’d put her on the backburner.
    He’d claimed to tell her everything tomorrow. They’d talk then. She’d finally get some long overdue answers.

Chapter Eight
    Merrick sat at the little table on the terrace of their suite, soaking in the fresh morning breeze as he read the latest headlines. He took a sip of the fresh coffee that had arrived moments earlier.
    He’d always been an early riser, but he’d actually slept until eight. He couldn’t believe the time when he’d looked at the clock. He hadn’t slept past six in the morning since his college days.
    It hadn’t been easy to leave the warmth of Chloe’s naked body. She’d been draped over him like a human blanket, but he’d had a lot of thinking to do. Things to plan. Today he’d promised an explanation for his obsessively focused attitude toward work. Christ, he’d practically abandoned her. His pride stung when he thought of how he’d treated her. The most precious thing in his life, and yet his need to prove himself had overshadowed that fact. There could be no changing the past, though. All he could do now was prove he’d never neglect her again. He only hoped she gave him a second chance.
    A rustle of fabric behind him caught his attention and pulled him out of his thoughts. He turned in his chair to see Chloe standing in the doorway. Her long hair lay in tangled waves over her shoulders, down past her breasts. Her cream-colored silk robe delineated her sleek lines and full, rounded hips. She could wear a burlap sack and it still wouldn’t hide curves like hers.
    His mouth watered.
    Merrick held out his hand and murmured, “Come here, angel.” Chloe padded barefoot across the patio, rubbing her sleepy eyes. “How come you didn’t wake me?”
    He chuckled and pulled her onto his lap. “And risk a limb?” She smacked his chest. “I’m not that bad and you know it.” Chloe grumbled and groused until she had at least two cups of coffee. “You don’t do mornings well. Remember the time right after we were married? I decided to wake you and surprise you with breakfast in bed. Big