Page 27 of The Gold Rush Bride

“Like my world will explode if you stop.”

“Then I won’t stop.” He kissed her deeply.

All her feelings came to a head. She’d never felt so wonderful. His touch was tender and gentle. He didn’t seem in a hurry to get the deed over with. Barnaby was taking his time with her.

He finally touched her breasts.

She melted before him.

Later, much later, he made love to her. Slow, passionate love.

She fell in love with her husband that night. What would she do now if he didn’t love her back?

CHAPTER7

Sunshine shone through the curtains. Sadie lay with her back curled into Barnaby’s stomach, his right arm around her waist. She barely needed a blanket with him holding her like that.

“You’re awake.” His gravelly voice sounded in her ear.

“I am. And I can see you are, too. I need to get up, though, and I can’t with you holding me.”

“I like holding you.” His voice was gravelly against her ear.

His dark arm stood out against the white of her stomach. “I like it, too, under most circumstances, but I must get up.”

He lifted his arm.

She rolled away and did her morning business behind a screen before returning to his warm embrace.

“Now, you’ve done it. You’ve awakened the beast. I’ll be right back.”

When he returned to bed, he pulled her close. He moved her hair out of the way and kissed her neck just below her ear.

She shivered as a wave of pleasure traveled through her.

“Barnaby. Why did we only make love once last night? I know you wanted more. I could tell.” As heat traveled up her neck to her face, she wished she didn’t blush so readily.

“Mo ghra, it was your first time, and whether you knew it, you were sore from our lovemaking. Today, you’ll be better, and there won’t be any more pain when we make love.”

She rolled to her back and opened her eyes wide. “Really? Are you sure? Because I would like to make love again.”

He rose up on one elbow. “Never let it be said that Barnaby Drake left a woman wanting.”

Leaning down, he kissed her as though she was a drink of water and he was a man dying of thirst.

Later, after he made love to her again, he lay on his back and she lay with an arm over his chest, running her hand through the curly hair she found there. The curls seemed to want to capture her fingers as she caressed him.

“I hate to bring our little sojourn to an end, but we must check out and have breakfast before we start back to our claim.”

She closed her eyes and sighed. He had fulfilled all her dreams of what being married should be and had granted every wish except one. He wasn’t in love with her.

Considering the spontaneous decision to come to the Yukon had forced him into a marriage he didn’t want, just so she’d be safer, didn’t escape her mind. And he didn’t want children, but she wanted a dozen. Or at least, one. What if she didn’t become pregnant? Ever? Or what if she did and Barnaby couldn’t handle the thought of another child?

She dressed and packed without even realizing it, as if her body knew what to do.

“Are you ready? Everything packed?” asked Barnaby.

“I think so.” She looked around the room, making sure nothing was getting left behind. “I don’t see anything left, so we can go now.”