Callie waited in the hall and watched Burke as he tucked the covers around a sleeping Seamus. She thought about the kiss they’d shared in the kitchen a couple of hours ago. Indeed, she’d been able to think of little else since it happened. Heat suffused her body when she remembered the way she’d felt and the way she had reacted. His actions had been so unexpected that she’d barely had time to realize what was happening before her traitorous body responded. The kiss had gotten out of hand quickly, but passion had been subdued by their son’s giggles. He had toddled over to them and inserted himself between their legs. Burke had pulled back from her, both of them breathless. When he’d lifted Seamus in his arms, they’d all three laughed. In that moment they had been a family.

“Bring the monitor so we can hear him,” Callie told Burke. “And leave the door partly open. If he wakes and the door is closed, he’ll be frightened.”

When Burke joined her in the hall, he handed her the monitor, which she stuffed into the pocket of her bulky sweater. “He played hard today and tired himself out.”

“He should sleep the night through,” Callie said as she walked ahead of Burke toward the stairs. “He usually does when he’s really tired.”

“There are so many things that I don’t know about him.” Burke reached out and laid his hand on Callie’s shoulder, halting her.

She glanced at him. “You’ll learn everything there is to know about him soon enough. He’s still just a baby. He won’t ever remember a time when you weren’t a part of his life.”

“I do realize that you had legitimate reasons for not coming to me when you discovered you were pregnant, but…” He shook his head and sighed. “I don’t blame you. Not entirely. After all, I’m the one who was drunk that night. I’m the one who didn’t bother using a condom. And I’m the one who can’t remember all the details of that night.”

“I’d like a cup of tea,” she said, deliberately changing the subject as she moved away from him. “Would you like some dessert? Mrs. M. brought over a cake while you were giving Seamus his bath.”

“Mmm. Cake and tea sounds quite nice.”

When Callie started down the stairs, he caught up with her and said, “Let me help you. You fix the tea and I’ll cut the cake.”

Callie nodded. They busied themselves in the kitchen. Like an ordinary married couple spending a Saturday night at home together, she thought. But they weren’t an ordinary married couple. There was nothing ordinary about Burke Lonigan or about her marriage to him. Her husband, whom she’d believed to be an arms dealer, was actually some sort of super agent for a secret organization. And her husband had as many women in his life as the famous fictional agent 007. Unless Burke was willing to retire from his dangerous fieldwork and put an end to his playboy lifestyle, she couldn’t be his wife no matter how much she loved him. And she did love him. In the deepest, most private recesses of her heart, she had probably loved him since the night Seamus was conceived. But even then she’d known that Burke was a lethal combination of charm and danger.

She finished preparing the tea, placed their cups on a silver tray and added the two cake plates. “Shall we take this into the parlor?”

“Excellent idea. I built a fire in there earlier, while you put dinner on the table.”

In the parlor, Callie placed the tray atop the walnut table between the two Louis Philippe armchairs that still had their original cut-velvet upholstery.

Burke glanced around the room. “It’s cozy, I suppose. But it needs completely redoing. New paint on these old walls is the first order of business. The floors are in good shape, so they probably need only a good waxing. But the furniture needs recovering and—”

“Are you truly interested in redecorating this house or are you simply trying to make conversation?” Callie asked as she reached for her cup.

“Both,” he admitted. “I do want you to redo this house to suit your own tastes. I haven’t had anything done to it since I bought it because I’ve spent little time here.” He clasped her hand before she lifted her cup. “Trying to make idle conversation with you is difficult, when what I truly want to do is to take you to bed and make love to you all night.”

Callie jerked her hand from his. “I would have thought after half a week in London, you wouldn’t need the attentions of your wife.”

Burke glowered at her. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that I’m not a fool, despite evidence to the contrary. Why else would you want to stay in London during the week other than to carry on with your life as usual, and that includes all the sophisticated, exciting women you know.”

His gaze narrowed. “You think I’ve been having sex with one or more of my old lovers these past few nights?”

“That’s precisely what I think.” Callie sat ramrod straight, her shoulders squared, her backbone rigid.

“Would it do any good for me to deny it? Would you believe me if I told you that not only have I not touched another woman in quite some time, but I haven’t even wanted another woman?”

Callie’s heart gave a little flutter. She truly wanted to believe him. But did she dare? He was a known charmer, a man accustomed to getting whatever he wanted by whatever means necessary.

She sat there, speechless, staring at him. She knew he wanted to make love to her. If her instincts hadn’t told her before the kiss in the kitchen that Burke wanted her, that kiss had spoken loud and clear. Would he lie to her in order to get her into his bed? Ask him outright. An inner voice egged her on. If he swears that he hasn’t been with another woman, then believe him. He had never lied to her, except by omission.

“Have you had sex with another woman?” Callie asked boldly. Her accelerated heartbeat hammered inside her head.

“I’ve had sex with numerous women.” The corners of Burke’s lips twitched with humor.

“Dammit, that’s not what I meant and you know it!” Callie shot out of the chair and glared at Burke. “Have you been with another woman since you and I were married last Saturday?”

Burke got up. His big, lean body leaned ever so slightly toward Callie. She drew in a deep breath and held it until he said, “You kept my son a secret. You lied to me. You disapprove of my lifestyle and you hate the fact that I’ve been a government agent most of my adult life. You’d think I wouldn’t want you, that I’d prefer a woman who didn’t care who I was or what I did. But the truth of the matter is that I haven’t wanted anyone but you for several months. Not since the day you walked into my office for a job interview.”

Callie released her breath. A shudder rippled over her nerve endings. “Then why…why stay in London? Why—”

Burke slid one arm around her and brought her against him. She trembled as he lowered his head and brushed his lips over hers. “Two reasons,” he said. “I honestly thought it would be easier for you to adjust to our marriage if I didn’t come home every night. At least not at first. And second, I do have an import-export company to run and there are important negotiations with SPEAR that need to be wrapped up.”

“Business is the reason you’re staying in London?”

“Do you honestly think that I wouldn’t prefer to come home to you every night?” Dipping his hand beneath her hair, he grasped the back of her neck and held her face to his, only a hairbreadth between their lips. “If sex alone could make a good marriage, then you and I would have the most solid marriage in the world.”

She longed to cry out her true feelings, to declare that she loved him beyond reason, but how could she confess her love when he hadn’t even mentioned the word?

“Say something.” Burke kissed her jaw, then her chin and followed up with a string of soft, moist nips down her neck. “Tell me that you believe me.”

“I believe you,” she replied as she draped her arms around his neck and dissolved into shapeless putty. Breathless with expectation, she went weak in the knees.

His mouth descended as his arms tightened around her. She opened herself up and welcomed him. Like hungry savages ready to devour the beast that tormented them, Callie and Burke kissed and touched and quickly began undressing each other. Passion rode them hard.

Her sweater dropped to the floor. His shirt landed on one of the Louis Philippe chairs. Her blouse and bra fell over their untouched teacups. His trousers and hers pooled into cloth puddles on the floor, and they stepped quickly over them as they made their way to the sofa. Socks and shoes and underwear flew this way and that, landing haphazardly throughout the parlor.

“I’ve thought of little else but you while I’ve been away,” Burke whispered in her ear just before he nibbled on her earlobe.

“I’ve missed you,” she said, then gasped when he pushed her onto the sofa.

“We have so many problems that aren’t resolved, but right now none of them seem to matter.” He came down over her, scooped her buttocks up and lifted her to meet his descending body. “Nothing matters except this—” He spread her legs with his knees, then thrust into her.

She moaned with pleasure the moment he filled her, relishing the incomparable feeling of having Burke buried deep inside her. Rational thought ceased as she gave herself over completely to the sensations spiraling through her body. Whenever she was with him, she lost all sense of herself and the world around them. She existed only as a part of him, only to belong to him, as he did to her. They were one. Bodies joined. Hearts combined. Souls touched.

“Feel it all,” he murmured, increasing the tempo of their mating. “Feel everything I’m feeling.”

She met him thrust for thrust. Hot kiss for hot kiss. Fiery passion for fiery passion.

“I am,” she whimpered. “Oh, Burke, I am!”

They came together with a ravaging hunger, fueled by a week of celibacy. Days of longing. Nights of deprivation.

Callie tightened around him, her body pulsing with tension. And then with one hard lunge, he sent her over the edge. Her climax hit her with the impact of a freight train. As she cried out, her body trembling with completion, Burke came undone. He tensed as a powerful release claimed him. Breathing hard, moist with perspiration, he slumped on top of her until his big body covered her completely. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his forehead, his cheeks and then sought his mouth. He captured her lips, loving her anew.

The harsh pounding on the front door jerked them out of their intimate cocoon, but it took Burke several minutes to fully comprehend that someone was trying to beat down the door.

“Who—” Callie tried to speak.

Burke kissed her. “Get dressed, my darling, while I find out who it is.”

He picked up his trousers and slipped into them hurriedly, then lifted his shirt out of the chair and put it on, leaving it unbuttoned. Callie rushed about, picking up her clothes and trying to dress as quickly as possible. By the time Burke returned to the parlor, she was partially dressed and had regained enough composure that she worried about who might be with him.

Burke came toward her. She glanced past him and saw a man’s shadow in the hallway.

“Leland came up from the Mayfields’. It seems I left my mobile phone upstairs and we didn’t hear it ringing.”

“What does Leland want that is so urgent it couldn’t wait until morning?” Callie asked.

“My mobile phone is how SPEAR contacts me,” Burke explained. “When my superior couldn’t reach me, he contacted Leland.”

“Leland? I don’t understand. Why would they contact—”

“Leland works for SPEAR, just as I do,” Burke told her.

“Oh.”

Burke pulled Callie into his arms, rubbed his cheek against hers and then kissed her temple. “There’s an emergency I must handle immediately. I’ll have to take the jet from Heathrow tonight. I can’t explain further, but believe me, I have no choice but to go.”

“Orders from SPEAR?”

“Yes. And I’m afraid I might be out of the country for a couple of weeks.”

She clung to him. “You’ll be in danger, won’t you? Oh, Burke, please…” She sucked in a cry of despair. “Please, be very careful. I…we…Seamus needs you.”

“If you need anything while I’m gone, contact Ardell Healy, my solicitor.” Burke released her long enough to delve into the back pocket of his jeans for his wallet. He withdrew a credit card and handed it to her. “You’re authorized to use this card. Why don’t you start redecorating while I’m gone? And find a nanny for Seamus.”

Callie glared at the card. Burke took her hand and laid the credit card in her palm. “You’re a rich man’s wife, my darling. Why don’t you enjoy it?”

“Must you leave now?” She grabbed the open flaps of his shirt.

“Yes.” He kissed her again. Hard and deep and powerful. And then he released her.

Callie didn’t leave the parlor until long after Leland had driven Burke away. To London. To Heathrow. And from there, only God knew where. Into the wild blue yonder. Off on a dangerous assignment for SPEAR. She slumped on the floor, wrapped her arms around her body and cried. How could she live this way? How could she raise a child with Burke when she would never know from one moment until the next if his undercover work would take him away from them—permanently?

Three weeks! Twenty-one days. She’d heard from him twice since he’d been gone and both times he had assured her that he was well, but she had easily picked up on the tension in his voice. She’d filled her days with plans to remodel Oakwood Farm and had hired a local architect, contractor and interior designer. The first renovation—turning one of the upstairs bedrooms into a nursery for Seamus—was almost complete.

A week after Burke had left her so abruptly, a new BMW had arrived for her. And a few days later, a pony for Seamus had been delivered. She couldn’t help wondering when Burke had ordered the car and the pony. Probably before he’d come down from London that last weekend they’d spent together.

Callie paused, taking a respite from her nervous pacing in the kitchen. Laying her hand over her flat belly, she glanced down and remembered how she had felt in the early stages of her first pregnancy. For several days now she had suspected that she was pregnant again. She’d missed her period. That was a definite sign for a woman who was as regular as clockwork. And there were other more subtle signs. She had picked up a home pregnancy kit when she’d driven into town earlier in the day but hadn’t worked up enough courage to use it.

“You’re eager to see him, aren’t you, dearie?” Mrs. Mayfield smiled warmly as she continued kneading the dough for her homemade bread. “I believe you’ve missed him even more than our little Seamus has. It’ll be good to have him home.”

“I wish he could have said exactly what time he’d arrive.”

“You’re wearing yourself out walking the floor this way,” Mrs. Mayfield said. “While Seamus is taking a nap there in Mr. Burke’s library, why don’t you go upstairs and have yourself a nice long bath.”

“But what if Seamus wakes up? You’ll have to stop your baking and see to him.” Callie sighed wearily. “I suppose I should have tried harder to find a nanny, but after Mrs. Goodhope couldn’t arrange things with her family to move to Kent, I just didn’t want to rush into hiring someone I didn’t know.”

Using her flour-covered hands to motion to Callie, Mrs. Mayfield scolded, “We can manage fine without a nanny until you find someone perfect for our Seamus. We can’t settle for just anyone. Not for our young man. You just leave me the monitor and I’ll listen for him.”

Reluctantly, Callie agreed. She’d been in an absolute tizzy ever since Burke had phoned from London to tell her that the assignment had been successfully completed and he would arrive at Oakwood Farm by midafternoon. She hadn’t mentioned a word to Seamus about his father because she’d known he wouldn’t have gone down for his nap if he’d been anticipating Burke’s return.

“Here’s the monitor.” Callie withdrew the item from her pocket and set it on the counter. “I’ll be in the bathtub for a while. Call me if you need me.”

Just as Callie opened the kitchen door, she heard a resounding thump. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed that the vibrations from Mrs. Mayfield’s kneading had bounced the monitor onto the floor.

“I’ll get it,” Mrs. Mayfield said. “Go on now. If you don’t relax a bit before Mr. Burke arrives, you’ll be nothing but a bundle of nerves. And what sort of homecoming would that be for him?”

Callie smiled, nodded and hurried out of the kitchen and upstairs to her bedroom. While the warm water ran into the old claw-foot tub, she added scented bubble bath. The scent she’d worn that night so long ago when she’d met Burke for the first time. She’d stopped using that particular fragrance after her night with Burke. She had put away the perfume, the lotion and the scented bubble bath. But tonight was special. It was the beginning of a whole new life for Burke and her. Whether or not he was able to free himself from the arms business, she couldn’t leave him. Not now or ever. She loved him far too much to walk away again. Especially now, when she might be carrying Burke’s second child.

Slowly she removed her clothes and added them to the basket sitting in the floor at the bottom of the linen closet. Lifting one foot, she tested the water. Ah, just right. She eased into the bubble bath. Heaven. Sheer heaven.

As she relaxed, she thought about Burke. About his homecoming. About tonight. After they’d put Seamus to bed, they would have time to be alone and catch up on three weeks of loneliness. Closing her eyes, Callie drifted off into a sweet fantasy. Burke, naked and aroused, joining her in the tub. She could almost feel the strength of his big body as he encompassed her in his embrace, as his mouth covered hers and he claimed her with total abandon.

Callie’s nipples peaked. Her femininity moistened and throbbed. Hurry, my darling, her heart sighed. Hurry home to me.

Burke tried to relax in the back seat of the Rolls as Leland sped out of London toward Kent. He could hardly wait to arrive at Oakwood Farm—to go home. Home to his wife and son. Home to the new life he could offer them. This lengthy, complicated assignment for SPEAR had been his last. Jonah had given him permission to retire from the field. He would continue as the CEO of Lonigan’s Imports and Exports for a few years, but a new agent would come aboard as a vice president, a man who would inherit the job from Burke and would immediately take over the role as arms dealer.

Burke smiled when he thought about how happy and relieved Callie would be to learn that from now on he would be strictly a businessman. When he left Lonigan’s sometime in the not too distant future, he fancied spending his days as a gentleman farmer. After all, he had more money than he could spend in a lifetime. Not billions, but several million. More than enough to give his family a comfortable life.

He wondered what Seamus thought of his pony and if Callie liked her BMW. The new SPEAR agent was due to arrive in London tomorrow, so he had alerted his staff that a new VP would be taking over some of his responsibilities while he took a much-needed vacation. He intended to spend the next two weeks romping with his son during the day and romping with his beautiful wife at night.

He wanted to be the best father in the world. He promised himself that he would have the type of relationship with Seamus that he had so desperately wanted with his own father. His stomach clenched at the thought of how much he cared for Seamus. That he was capable of loving someone so much almost frightened him. His son meant more to him than anything in the world. And he knew that Callie loved their child just as dearly. She was a wonderful mother. Loving and gentle and devoted to her child.

His feelings for Callie puzzled him. He cared for her. Deeply. He wanted her. Beyond all reason. But there was more. He wasn’t quite sure what, but he somehow knew that if he could ever remember her clearly from that first night, the mystery would be solved.

A satisfied smile spread across Burke’s face as he remembered that last night with Callie at Oakwood Farm. They’d both been aware of a dozen reasons they shouldn’t make love, but they hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other. It had been exactly the same way the night they’d first met, hadn’t it? He could recall the way he’d felt, the hunger that had pushed him to act irresponsibly, to take Callie without precautions of any kind. He wanted to remember everything about that night, but most important to him was being able to remember Callie—her face, the true essence of who she was.

Just thinking about his wife aroused him. He leaned his head against the back of the seat and closed his eyes. The image of Callie naked, her sweet body open and giving, flashed through his mind. Flowing red hair hanging around her shoulders. Tight nipples begging for his touch. Soft, pink lips longing for his mouth. Nicely rounded hips waiting for him to caress them. A fiery triangle of curls that beckoned him to enter her.

By the time Leland pulled the Rolls to a stop in front of the manor house, Burke was asleep and dreaming of making love to Callie.

“Wake up, sir,” Leland said. “It seems there’s something going on here. It appears that quite a few of the neighbors are running about over the grounds.” Leland got out of the car, rounded the hood and opened the back door.

Burke’s eyelids fluttered as he roused from sleep, then he stepped out of the Rolls onto the brick walkway. That’s when he noticed Callie running toward him. The moment she drew near, he saw the tears streaming down her face. His heart stopped beating for a split second.

Callie raced into his arms. “Oh, Burke. Thank God, you’re home. Seamus—” She gulped down her sobs. “Seamus is missing. We’ve searched the house and Mr. Mayfield rang several neighbors and we’ve begun a search of the grounds. Oh, Burke, what if…what if he’s been kidnapped!”