He’d give the world to hear Matt snap back some smartass response.

Paul went to his room, dug around in his shaving kit, then went to Vanni’s bedroom door. He quietly turned the knob until it opened a crack. “Can I come in?” he whispered.

“What are you doing?” she whispered back, sitting up in her bed and flicking on the lamp. “Are you completely crazy?”

“Suicidal,” he said. He entered her room, softly closing the door behind him. The first thing he did was glance at the baby to make sure he was asleep. “I have to spend more time with you.”

“With my father right down the hall? With me in bed?”

“I don’t care if the whole Army is down the hall. If you won’t come away with me tonight, I just couldn’t stop myself. Are you naked?”

She rolled her eyes and grinned at him. She was wearing a gray T-shirt with ARMY printed on it. Yet on her, it sure looked sexy. And God, that grin—it was everything. It was his world. She was so strong, so sure of herself. He should have known she was ready for him, for them, or she’d have told him she wasn’t, because that was Vanessa. She didn’t play around, didn’t make mistakes with her feelings. She knew where she was headed; she had a will as powerful as the general’s.

He grinned back at her. “You should try to be quiet,” he said. And she giggled. “Vanessa! For once in your life…can you be quiet this once?”

“I don’t know, Paul. What are you going to do to me?”

He smiled and knew his eyes grew hot. “I’m going to get under that Army T-shirt. Unless you ask me not to.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I want you under the T-shirt. But really, this is way more bold than you usually are…”

“I’m turning over a new leaf. No more waiting for an invitation. No more waiting for just the right moment. I need you. God, do I need you.” His mouth covered hers, his hands slipped under the T-shirt, finding her breasts, and he groaned. “Aw, Vanni. Your bottom half is totally naked.”

She grinned against his lips. “Yours isn’t.”

“I’m trying really hard to talk sense into myself,” he whispered against her lips.

“I don’t think he’ll break down the door and shoot you in the back of the head,” she said. “He’s much more direct. And he hates dealing with me when I’m depressed. But you might want to listen for that rifle cock…”

“I tried like hell not to do this,” he said, lifting her T-shirt, his lips finding her nipples. “Turn that light off.…”

“Not until you take off your jeans,” she said.

He raised his head. “You’re crazier than I am,” he whispered. “Are you going to be quiet?”

“I’ll try. Really. But if he comes knocking?”

Paul gave her an evil grin. “Anyone who touches that door is really going to have his hands full.” He tossed the towel that had been around his neck over the back of a chair in her room. Before unsnapping his jeans, he pulled some condoms out of his pocket and put them on the night side table. There were several.

She glanced at them and lifted one tawny brow. “That’s very optimistic, Paul,” she said with a smile.

“It’s probably delusional,” he answered, pulling the T-shirt over her head and tossing it away. His breath caught at the sight of her; she was breathtaking. And not the least shy. Then he stood, his hands went to the snap and zipper and he shed his jeans quickly, kicking them away.

Her eyes grew round. “Oh my. Dear God.” He was simply beautiful. A soft mat of brown hair covered his chest, his hips were narrow, legs long, and he was huge. Huge and erect.

He sat down on the bed and his expression took on an earnest look. “Are you all right since the baby? Are you worried about having sex?”

Her eyes were glued to his male parts. “I’m a little more worried about being quiet,” she said thoughtfully.

Paul turned off the light, claimed her lips and slipped down into the bed with her. His hands were all over her, caressing her back, her breasts, her firm, round bottom, her lush hips. And her hands were on him immediately, examining every part of him with her fingers and palms, stroking, rubbing. “I want you,” he whispered. “I want you so bad.” And his fingers slipped down to that damp place where her legs were joined. “Open for me, baby.” He didn’t have to ask twice; her legs came apart. He slipped a finger through her silky, slick softness and inside. He whispered against her parted lips, “Oh man, that didn’t take long.…”

“Look who’s talking,” she whispered back. “You came out of your jeans ready.”

“Vanni, I’ve been ready for hours. I tried a shower, a walk outside, a drink…”

She reached over to the bedside table for a condom, began taking it out of the foil, but she didn’t quite get the job done. His fingers on her, in her, his mouth on her neck and breast, it was almost more than she could take. She began to tremble and grabbed his wrist to pull his hand away. “Stop,” she whispered. “I’m already too close. Wait.”

“No,” he whispered back. “No waiting. Let go,” he told her. “It’s okay. Come for me. Hard and fast.” And he kept touching her, stroking her, moving against her while he kissed her.

She spiraled up and over the top instantly, climaxing before she could even help with the condom. It was crunched in her clenched fist and she made a rather loud, growling moan and Paul covered her mouth as fast as he could, trying to muffle the sound under his lips, but he didn’t let her fall alone—he carried on with his rough caresses, taking her beyond pleasure. He continued until the storm was past and she collapsed, breathless beneath him, soft in his arms. The only fear he’d had was that for some reason he wouldn’t be able to do it for her—but he hadn’t even gotten started and she was gone. Off like a rocket. It thrilled him.

“Aw, baby,” he said. “That was special. You do that very well.”

“Whew,” she answered, weak. “I meant to wait for you.…”

He took the package out of her hand and applied the condom. “I should have known. You’re a fireball. Let’s have some more of that, huh? Let me in, baby. We’re not done.”

With a passionate sigh, she lifted her knees and he worked his way inside, slowly, easily, until she took all of him. “Paul,” she whispered, clutching him. “Paul…”

He rose above her and began to move, slowly, evenly, deeply. He had to cover her mouth with his because the sounds she made would give them away. He grinned down at her. “You’re a screamer, aren’t you, sweetheart?” He moved some more and his voice was hoarse, strained. “Do it again, Vanni. Give it up.” Then he covered her mouth again and pumped and she went out of her mind, over the moon, beyond the stars—and an explosion of pulsing pleasure that left her totally limp and completely spent. “That’s my girl. You are very good at that.…I am the luckiest man alive.”

“Paul,” she whispered weakly. “I can’t keep doing that without you. What are you waiting for?”

He pecked at her lips and she could feel his smile, she could feel his teeth. “Just once more, sweetheart, come on. It’s so good.”

“I can’t,” she said, exhausted. “I just can’t.”

“We’ll see.…” He slipped down, kissing and licking his way down past her breast, over her tummy and, pulling her thighs apart, gave her a few hearty strokes with his tongue, right in her center. She threw her head back and moaned loudly. Paul’s hand came up to cover her mouth firmly, which only made her squirm more wildly. He didn’t torture her long. He rose, entered her again and shifted his hips slightly, creating a perfect friction. In the darkness of the room, he could see her eyes were wide, her lips apart slightly as she gasped in anticipation. “One more,” he whispered. “One more, for us.” She arched her pelvis against him, digging her heels into the mattress, and again he had to cover her gasping mouth to quiet her. “I love you, baby,” he whispered against her parted lips. “I love you so much.” And then she exploded, drowning him in pulsing heat.

Paul was done holding back. He’d never had a feeling like this before. He let it go with a powerful blast and believed in his heart he was making Vanessa his till the end of time—his woman, the head of his family, the love of his life. And he was hers. He released himself at her exact moment and emptied himself into her, giving her his heart, his life, his soul.

And then he held her, soft against him, stroking her hair and pressing soft kisses into her temple. “I’ve never had an experience like that in my life,” he whispered. “You’re an amazing woman. I think I might be the luckiest man in the world, to have this with you.”

“Shew,” she whispered, letting out her breath. “I think you’re catching on.…”

She was answered by a deep, low chuckle. “You make it so easy.”

“Come on, Paul,” she said, laughing softly. “Don’t pretend you don’t know—you’re an incredible lover. And I know there have been women…”

“Not very many,” he said. “There are things about this that are brand-new.” He rose up on an elbow and looked down at her. “It’s the first time I’ve ever made love with someone I want to spend the rest of my life with, someone I want to be my partner, my best friend, my lover until the end. The mother of our children. It’s what’s been missing from my life.”

She was quiet for a long moment; her eyes might’ve glistened. “That’s very sweet.”

“It’s very true.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek, chin, lips. “Should I get out of here?”

“No. Stay with me,” she whispered. “Please…”

“Okay, baby. As long as you want me here,” he whispered back.

“Forever,” she said. “Is forever too long?”

He kissed her cheek and pulled her against him. “Might not be long enough…Give me a second in the bathroom. I’ll be back.”

He grabbed the towel and wrapped it around his waist. He was lucky; no traffic in the hall. He made it a quick, quiet trip and was back in bed beside Vanessa, pulling her close. Paul lay awake for a long time, just listening to her breathe, drinking in her scent. Holding her like this, naked against him, it was like a miracle. You don’t just go to sleep on miracles. You savor them, give thanks for them.

It wasn’t until Paul looked out Vanni’s bedroom window at dawn and caught sight of the general trudging down to the stable to feed the horses that he finally made the short journey back to his own bedroom.

Vanessa was in the kitchen in the morning with a cup of coffee, Mattie in his bouncy chair on the table beside her, when Walt came back from the stable. “Good morning, Daddy,” she said brightly. She looked at her watch. “You must have had a very early start.”

“About the regular time,” he said, going for a mug of coffee. “I’m going to miss the hell out of Tom. I’m just starting to realize what it must have been like for him, up so early, getting all that stable work out of the way before school.” He took a sip. “I’m going to miss more than that, of course.”

“But you wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said. “We’re all so proud of Tom. He’s going to do well.”

“That’s the hard part—sending him off like this, knowing it’s the best thing, even while it feels like the worst thing. And I’m losing you, too,” he said.

Vanessa had no trouble imagining how the general could look scary as hell to his troops. But this morning, at the kitchen table with just his daughter and grandson, he was soft as a puppy. She reached across the table and patted his hand. He played with the baby’s foot with his other. “You’re not losing me, Daddy. Not ever.”