No amount of cajoling was sufficient to persuade the little girl to sample the array of international dishes spread before her. Bonnie Louise McKechnie took one look at the unfamiliar fare and crossed her arms in refusal. Her forehead creased into a scowl and she shook her head adamantly from side to side.

“You are on your own with this one, Daddy,” Jessica quipped in response to the pleading look Duncan threw her way. “The haggis and shepherd's pie were your idea. You convince her to eat it.”

Duncan's scowl was a mirror image of his tiny offspring's. “I just want my wee lass to know more about Scotland.”

“I think you've done enough for now,” Jessica responded in a tart voice. “Or must I remind you of your daughter's latest tendency to express her feelings with the phrase ‘Oh, bloody hell!'”

A sheepish grin spread across Duncan McKechnie's face. “Aye, and I have apologized for that. Very well.” He beckoned for a nearby waiter to clear the dishes from the table. “We would like to order again when you are through.”

As they watched the serving staff clear the assortment of dishes from the table, an older woman seated nearby rose and began to exit the restaurant. Smiling, she stopped beside their table and spoke softly. “I hope you don't mind my saying what a beautiful family you have,” she complimented Duncan. “Your daughter has you wrapped around her little finger, you know.”

“Aye,” Duncan relaxed at the stranger's friendly demeanor. “Tha' she does.”

Jessica could not resist teasing him. “There, you see. I am not the only one who thinks you spoil her too much.”

“A little beauty like this could never be spoiled enough.” Having said that, the elderly matron continued on her way out of the building.

“There. You see!” Duncan was triumphant. “Someone else who agrees.”

Jessica merely shook her head. She glanced up to see a motionless waiter standing patiently beside her. “I'll have two orders of grilled chicken breasts in lemon garlic butter; one cut into strips suitable for a child her size.” She indicated Bonnie, who sat watching the proceedings with interest. “I'd also like an assortment of freshly steamed vegetables.”

“No broccoli!” Bonnie instructed the amused waiter.

The young man glanced at Jessica, who conceded to her daughter's demand. “No broccoli,” Jessica agreed.

The waiter made a production out of writing the order in his book. With a smile for the little girl, he repeated teasingly, “And no broccoli.”

As Duncan added his request to the meal order, Jessica took in the scene with pleasure. It had taken hard work and a lot of effort, but the satisfaction she felt when she looked at her family made it all worthwhile.

“Alright, sleepyhead,” Jessica informed her daughter, “it's time for bed.”

Without protest Bonnie rose from the floor strewn with toys and made her way to where they sat. She was so weary from the day's events that her eyes struggled to stay open. Jessica accepted the soft kiss which Bonnie placed on her mouth. With a mumbled “g'night”, Bonnie clambered onto the familiar back which presented itself before her.

It had become a nightly ritual to ride to bed on the back of her personal ‘stallion'. Each night Bonnie kissed her mother goodnight and was carried to her bedroom by way of a pony ride.

The little girl loved the chance she got each night to spend a few moments of private time with her favorite man. Jessica did not ask just what their private time entailed. From the details Bonnie inadvertently revealed over time, the telling of outrageous stories and the making of fantastic promises seemed to be the routine.

“You know,” Jessica remarked, “when you promised to teach Bonnie how to ride, I had no idea you would volunteer to be her mount.”

Stefan Cassadine turned around in the doorway and flashed her a look filled with promise. “Don't worry. You are next.”

Jessica felt the heat of his glance and swallowed quickly. The love she felt for Stefan was rivaled only by her constant desire for him. It was a truth she would never have believed could happen in so short a time.

Absentmindedly, she began picking up Bonnie's things. Though Stefan had chided her time and again that Wyndemere employed staff to perform such tasks, she still could not adjust to such a thing. Like so much between them, it would take time and adjustment.

What needed no adjustment was the fire between them. With a simple look, Stefan gave freedom to the sensual side of her which Jessica kept so rigidly controlled. Alone, in the confines of his suite, the trust she felt for him was empowering. It made her bold. It made her free. It made her-

Jessica could not prevent the small yelp of surprise which escaped her lips as Stefan seized her from behind and swept her up into his arms. “Did I not promise you were next?” he growled as he strode purposefully toward the suite they shared.

She shivered in delicious anticipation of his caresses. Down the hallways of Wyndemere they traveled. Since Stefan seemed totally unconcerned with the picture they presented to the staff, Jessica chose to do likewise.

With a soft grunt of satisfaction, Stefan stepped through the doorway of the master suite. He closed the heavy door with a firm push and then slowly lowered Jessica to the floor.

Sinuously her body molded to his as she slid against him. What she felt during that journey downward left Jessica no doubt that Stefan desired her.

“I missed you,” he whispered before lightly nipping her earlobe. Jessica felt his warm breath upon her neck. It triggered another warmth lower within her body and she shifted restlessly. “I was only gone a week,” she moaned, trying unsuccessfully to concentrate in the midst of his caresses.

“A week with your ex-husband.” Stefan pressed his hard body against her. Pinned between both Stefan and the wall, at that moment Jessica could not have said which was harder. “Need I remind you that you are mine?”

“No.” Jessica claimed his mouth in a passionate kiss. “But if you insist, I won't try to stop you.” Fiercely, almost desperately, they clung to one another. Jessica tasted Stefan's mouth greedily, taking time only to suckle gently on his tongue.

Breathless, they broke the kiss. “Wouldn't you like to continue this in the shower?” Jessica moaned.

Stefan could feel the pounding of her heart, so tightly pressed against her was he. Just as Jessica could no doubt feel the throbbing of the erection he rocked gently between her thighs. He was so aroused it was painful. Nonetheless Stefan released her from his embrace and braced his arms on the wall beside her, effectively blocking her escape. “That reminds me,” he gave her a feral smile, “you never did explain how you knew such information about my preferences .”

The frustrated attorney saw the gleam in his eye as he posed the question. “Simple deduction,” she replied flippantly. “That first night at Wyndemere, just like tonight, we wound up in this position with far too much ease. And since I don't believe you've made a habit of, shall we say, indulging yourself in the halls of Wyndemere . . . I guessed shower.” She raised a brow in challenge. “Was I wrong?”

Stefan swept her up into his arms. “Let us find out.”

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THE END