Riley intended for the kiss to be uncomplicated, a gesture of apology, a form of absolution for the hurt they'd inflicted upon each other. But once his mouth met hers, all was lost. Moaning, Hannah opened to him. He reached for her, entwining his fingers in her hair, dragging her closer to him. Deepening the kiss, he sought her tongue with his own.
When she shyly moved her tongue against his, Riley felt as though the bed had fallen out from under him. They kissed again, and it was slow and gentle, so damned gentle that it produced an overpowering ache. Not a physical ache, as Riley would have expected, but an emotional one, buried so deep that at first he couldn't identify it. He felt close to Hannah, closer than he had in all the time they'd been married. The walls of misunderstanding and pride were down, broken, shattered by a newfound willingness to help each other.
His hands caressed her cheeks and tenderly brushed aside the stray tendrils of hair from her sweet face. Their gazes met in a rush of need and longing. The questions were there, as bold as ever, but they didn't bother with words, didn't bother with explanations.
Riley had never known a silence so blissful. A contented silence. The sweetest silence he'd ever known. Precious moments of tenderness unlike anything he'd ever experienced.
Shyly, Hannah leaned forward and kissed him, curling her tongue around his. Heat against heat. Hand against hand, fingers entwined. Their mouths dueled in a love-starved battle as though they had an eternity to do nothing but savor one another. Wherever his life would lead him, whatever happened between him and Hannah, Riley realized he would always treasure these few, precious moments with her.
Ending the kiss slowly, Riley buried his face in her shoulder and dragged several deep breaths through his chest. He dared not look at her when he spoke, afraid of what he would read in her eyes.
"Can you feel Junior move yet?"
"I…don't know," she whispered back, her smile evident. "Sometimes I'm sure I do, but then I convince myself it's all part of my imagination. The doctor said I should feel him kick any time now."
"Can I feel?"
She smiled and nodded. Taking his hand, she pressed it against her stomach, holding it there. Her hand over his. His hand over her abdomen. Riley lifted his gaze until it met hers, waited for movement, then sadly shook his head. He was barely able to distinguish the slight thickening at her waist, and only then because she was so thin.
"There… are other changes," she whispered.
Once more he raised questioning eyes to hers, not sure he understood.
"My breasts are fuller."
Risking all, Riley gently cupped his hands over her glorious breasts, lifting them, allow them to fill his palms. Touching her so intimately had an immediate effect upon him. The hardness eloquently portrayed his plight. He wanted her. He needed her. It would be weeks before he'd be able to hold her and touch her again, and knowing that lent an urgency to his desire. For two weeks he'd been patient, doing nothing to pressure her, but he needed her now as. he never had before. So much so that he was willing to broach the forbidden subject.
"I want to make love to you." Riley had always been direct. He might have dressed up his desire with a bunch of fancy words, or drugged her with kisses until she willingly submitted. But he wasn't willing to do either. When Hannah came to his bed, he wanted her to be fully aware of what she was doing and with whom.