“Wonderful,” Jenny sighed.
Her husband had found her already in bed when he entered their master bedroom, after having checked on their sleeping son and making certain that the extra bed had been turned down for Linc. Kerry was using the guest bedroom.
Cage had undressed quickly and joined Jenny in their wide bed where he was now massaging soothing lotion onto the stretched, tight, itchy skin of her abdomen. It was a nightly ritual that both of them enjoyed immensely.
“The baby isn’t moving very much tonight,” he commented.
“She’s resting after her performance at dinner.” Ever since the doctor had confirmed that she was pregnant, Jenny had insisted that this baby was a girl. She fancied having a blond-haired, tawny-eyed daughter to round out their family.
“That was quite a show, all right.”
“What do you mean by that?” Jenny asked testily.
“Only that I wasn’t sure if those cramps were real or just your sneaky way of getting Linc to stay.”
Jenny moved his hand aside. “I don’t like your implication, Cage.”
He only laughed at her pique. “That’s what I thought. You’re guilty as hell. Otherwise you wouldn’t be protesting so much.” He leaned over and stopped her flimsy denials with a kiss. When he pulled back, he asked, “Should I be jealous?”
“Over what?” She traced the hair on his chest with her fingernail. His kisses still had the power to curl her toes.
“Over your going to such great lengths to keep Linc under our roof?”
“I haven’t admitted that yet, but if I did urge him—”
“Urge! I thought you were going to hogtie the poor guy to the dining room chair when he mentioned leaving.”
“Well, I do think he should stay and take photographs of the orphans when they meet their new families. And I did have a cramp.”
His hands fell still and his handsome face registered concern. “A bad one?”
“No. It was one of those little contractions that don’t mean anything.”
“Sure?”
“Positive.”
He reached for the bottle of lotion and poured some into the palms of his hands. He laid them on her breasts and began rubbing in the scented cream with lulling, circular motions.
She sighed, and her eyes slid closed. Cage gazed down at her with love. “How can you be so very pregnant and still so very beautiful?”
“You think so?” Lifting one hand, she idly brushed a dark blond strand of hair off his forehead.
“Um-huh.”
“Do you think Linc thinks Kerry is beautiful?”
“I thought that’s what you were up to.”
She stared at him guilelessly. “What?”
“Matchmaking.”
“Well, anyone can tell—”
“Jenny, stay out of it.”
“That they’re attracted to each other.”