"Come here," he said, holding out his arms.

She slid easily into his embrace, pressing against his muscled chest. Her fingers idly brushed over where she knew the scar lay under his shirt. A reminder of how close she came to losing him. She closed her eyes, willing those memories away.

"You know we'll handle this, no matter what," he said.

She nodded. And she did know. It wasn't as if either of them had anything against children. She just wanted . . . time. Time with Gray. Time to enjoy it being just the two of them. Later when they were comfortable in their relationship, comfortable with each other and some of the new and shiny had worn off, then they could think about children.

"Here's what I suggest," he said as he pulled her away from his chest. "I think we should go out and celebrate. Dinner, some good conversation and then come home and make love until we pass out. The only unknown is what we'll be celebrating, right?"

She leaned forward and linked her arms around his neck. "That sounds absolutely wonderful. Especially the part about making love until we drop. I've missed you, Gray. As much as I love surprises, I don't like them at the expense of you being away so much."

He kissed her nose and then her cheeks and finally her lips. By the time he nuzzled a path down her neck, she'd forgotten what it was they'd been talking about.

"I have plans for you tonight," he murmured.

A delicious thrill ran up her spine and exploded at her nape. She loved it when he got all mysterious and brooding and sexy.

Then she frowned. If she was pregnant, they'd have to curb some of their sexual activities, wouldn't they? Not that Gray would ever hurt her, but the lash of a crop, a belt, sometimes a flogger ... A dreamy sigh escaped her lips as she imagined him stroking her skin, raising red-hot heat across her body.

No, she couldn't think that way. If she was pregnant, it would only be a temporary restraint on their part. But then she began to imagine sleepless nights, never being alone. No more kneeling in the living room as he fucked her mouth. No more lying over the arm of the couch while he fucked her long and hard.

With a groan, she buried her face in his neck, quivering with nervousness.

"Baby."

The single endearment stroked over her ears, soothing and quieting her worries. She was being selfish. Children meant change, and if she was pregnant, she certainly couldn't escape the inevitable.

She raised her head, disgusted by the sheen of tears hanging in her vision.

"I think it's been five minutes," he said softly.

She started to look over but he caught her chin, forcing her gaze back to him.

"I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered. "Think we should look now?"

He reached over without looking and snagged the test. His hand covered the result window as he pulled it between them.

"You look," she said.

Slowly, he opened his hand, staring down at the test lying on his palm. When he frowned, her heart dropped.

"What does it say?"

"You're not pregnant," he said softly.

Her eyes widened. Simultaneously relief and, oddly enough, disappointment swamped her. Why was she disappointed?

"That's a good thing, right?" she asked cautiously, still unsure of his reaction. He didn't seem happy.

He stared back down at the test. "Yeah, it's a good thing. We're not ready. You're not ready, honey, and I don't want you to have a baby until we're both sure it's what we want."

"I hear a but in there," she said gently.

He pressed his lips together in a rueful expression. "Would you believe that just for a teeny, tiny moment I was imagining what our baby would look like? Whether it would be a girl who was as gorgeous as her mama, or a boy who was as ornery as his father?"

Her heart ached just a bit too so she knew exactly what he meant. For a little bit she'd actually allowed herself to indulge in the fantasy of what a child would mean. And even though she knew without a doubt they'd escaped a kink in their relationship they didn't need, a part of her was disappointed.

"What it means is that you and I will make wonderful parents when the time comes," she said with a smile.

He cupped her chin and kissed her again. "We'll make a great mom and dad. In five years or so."

She laughed. "Exactly! Now, you and I have a date to go celebrate not being pregnant."

"You know," he said thoughtfully. "I have an even better idea."

"Oh?"

"Let's get married. Tonight."

She gaped at him. "But we can't get married tonight!"

He gave her a sly grin. "We can in Vegas."

A sharp tingle of excitement ran circles around her belly and then climbed up her throat.

"We could call Damon, who has already offered us the use of his jet. We go to Vegas, get married, spend a few days having really great sex and then we come home and move into our dream house."

"Oh, Gray," she breathed. "You really know how to present an argument, don't you?"

"I sure as hell hope so. Is it working?"

She gripped his hands in hers, the test still trapped against his palm.

"I should ask you if you still want to marry me."

"Of course I do. Oh gosh, do you really think we could do such a crazy thing? What about our jobs? I'm not sure Pop could spare us both. And what if Damon can't loan us the jet on such short notice?"

"Then we go book a commercial flight. If all else fails, we get in the truck and we drive. Come on, Faith. Let's get crazy and do it. I'm tired of waiting. I want you as my wife."

"Let me call Pop," she said breathlessly. "If he can spare us then yeah, let's do it."

"Tell you what. You call Damon. I'll call Pop. I'll need to smooth his feathers for upsetting his daughter anyway."

She kissed him exuberantly, letting all her excitement and passion bleed into that one kiss.

"Last one packed is a rotten egg!"

"Hi, Julie. I know you're out with Nathan and didn't want to bug you on your cell, so I thought I'd leave a message here. I'm not pregnant. God, am I relieved. Gray and I are both relieved. I mean, the test said I wasn't."

There was a long pause, and Julie could positively see Faith grappling with the sudden realization that tests weren't completely infallible. She grinned and shook her head.

"These tests are reliable, aren't they? Oh shit. Okay, well, I won't think about that right now. Anyway, I wanted to call to tell you that Gray and I are getting married. Tonight, I mean. We're flying to Vegas to tie the knot and won't be back for several days. Try not to kill Nathan while I'm gone. Give the man a break. He's obviously crazy about you. You and Serena try not to have too much fun without me. We'll catch up when I get back. And hey, thanks for the shoulder today. You're the best."

She made noisy smooching noises and then hung up.

Julie erased the voice mail and put the phone back on the kitchen table. The girl was certifiable. She'd called the wedding off, had a pregnancy scare and had eloped to Vegas all in twenty-four hours. And she had the nerve to call herself boring?

Clearly Julie needed to be taking lessons from her.

It was late, and Julie was tired, but she knew without a doubt she wouldn't go to sleep very easily. Too much occupied her mind, Nathan Tucker being the main distraction.

He'd surprised her tonight. He'd seemed alternately comfortable and ill at ease with her, almost as if she made him nervous. Was that why he'd never made a move before? His shyness was actually pretty endearing.