Dear God, but what would shehave when this was over?
Margaret hesitated outside thedoor of the studio, then quickly opened it and sailed into the room. "Goodmorning, Kartauk. How are you today? I know I'm a little late, but I hadto—"
He was coming toward her, andhis expression…
She didn't want to acknowledgewhat was revealed in that expression. She lowered her eyes to the gleamingwhite mosaic floor. He had stopped before her and she could see his broad,strong feet encased in brown leather sandals, smell the familiar scent of wax,wood, and plaster of Paris. She moistened her lips. "I suppose you'regoing to lecture me on coming back here. It will do you no good. I thought longand hard about it. Ian is going on' about my needing distraction, and I decidedthere was no reason why I shouldn't when he—"
"Hush." His voicewas thick, almost guttural. "I don't want to hear his name." Hishands tangled in her hair and he jerked her head back to look into her eyes."You should not have come back."
"I told you, I wasn'tgoing to, but… " She couldn't take her gaze from his face. He was staringat her with the same consuming intensity she had seen on his face when helooked at one of his statues. "But Ian wanted—" She swallowed to easethe tightness of her throat. "A seal."
"The hell he did."
Then his lips were on hers,hard, warm, brutal with need. He was pulling the pins from her hair, mutteringwords in a language she didn't understand as his lips moved from her mouth toher cheeks to her throat in hot, bruising caresses. She could feel the soft,silky texture of his beard as it brushed her flesh, and his big hands were nowon her shoulders, kneading, learning, then on her throat, the swell of herbreasts... She was wrong, they were not caresses. It was like being devoured,absorbed. He pulled her into the hollow of his hips, and she felt the shockinghardness of his arousal against her softness. Shocking and yet right. Mother ofheaven, there must be something evil in her heart for this to feel so right.
Her hair was tumbling abouther shoulders in wild disarray; his fingers were combing through it. He liftedhis head. "You want me." His words came fiercely. "Me."
"Aye." Nothingseemed more clear at the moment. "Aye, Kartauk."
His arms crushed her back tohim, robbed her of breath. Desire. Lust. Safety. How could she feel so safewhile tottering on this precipice? It was going to happen. She had thought shewas prepared, but now she was trembling, frightened as a child taking its firststep. "What do I do?" she gasped. "Help me. Do you want me to dothe things you told me to do with Ian?"
He stiffened against her, hishands halting in midmotion in the thickness of her hair. "I told you notto—" A shudder ran through him. "Christ, I wish you hadn't saidthat." He pushed her away from him.
She immediately tried to movecloser.
"No." He gratedthrough set teeth as he kept her at bay. "No, Margaret."
"Why not?" She couldnot believe he was rejecting her. "I thought—"
"So did I." He drewa deep breath as his hands slowly unclasped her shoulders and dropped away fromher. He took a step back. "I thought about it all night. I've beenthinking about it since you started this lunacy weeks ago." He turned andmoved jerkily back to the worktable. "Sit down."
She stood there, staring athim, feeling more uncertain then ever before in her life. "Why? You findme pleasing. I know I'm no Ellen MacTavish, but you're not unmoved by me."
"Unmoved? God in heaven,that's true enough." His voice was hoarse as he sat down at the worktable."Yes, you could say that you move me."
She started toward him. "Thenit seems unreasonable not to—"
"Stop right there,"he said sharply. "Don't come near me."
She halted and smiledtremulously, "If you don't find me distasteful, then why do you not strikeme with your divine lightning?"
"Because you're not likeother women."
"I believe I have therequired limbs, eyes, and breasts."
"You also have a tenderheart, a priest's conscience, and the softness of a feather mattress beneaththat cool exterior." He shook his head. "I cannot hurt you. Iwillnot hurt you."
"But you want me."
"I love you."
Her eyes widened in shock.
"You're surprised?"His smile was bittersweet. "Oh yes, I knew from that first moment youwalked out of the castle into the courtyard and started ordering meabout."
"You could not." Hervoice was barely audible even to herself. "I'm no Helen of Troy to sobedazzle men."
"You bedazzled me. Youshone like purest gold in the sunlight, all strength, courage, and lovingheart. You still shine with it. At times, when you're weary or discouraged,it's only a dull glow, but at other times you sparkle and shimmer as if—"
