He nodded. “That day, when you were in my arms, we touched one another and there were no secrets between us. For days I have known why you said what you did. And it is honorable. I honor you.”
Angelia nodded, a slight movement on her part. Another thought occurred to her. “Are you certain it was honorable, Mr. Hawk?”
Again he lifted that eyebrow of his.
“In truth, if I am as honorable as you say, why should I care what others think?” she asked. “Why should I beconcerned about what they say? Am I not my own person?”
“But a person must live with others.”
“Yes. And people must also live with themselves. They must be true to who they are—no lies, not even to oneself. Mr. Hawk,” she said, trying her best to meet his gaze, “I have done you and myself a disservice. After all, when a person’s heart races at the mere thought of being near someone else, when she thinks of him constantly, when she wants to be near him, should she not be with him? And when a person loves another person?—”
She got no further.
In an instant, he had come up onto his knees and knelt before her, taking her in his arms, his lips paying tribute to her, kissing her cheeks, her hair, her neck, her lips.
“You love me.”
“Yes.”
She wondered if this was the answer he wanted to hear, for he frowned. After hesitating, he looked at her and said, “Why do you love me? I, who can give you none of the things a woman desires most?”
“Can you not?”
He shook his head. “What I said to you is still true. I cannot put you above my duties. At least not now. And you deserve better than what I have to offer you.”
“Do I?”
“Haa’he.”
“Are you trying to discourage me, Mr. Hawk?”
“No,” he replied instantly. “No, it is only that I do not understand.”
“I see. Perhaps that is only so because you are not looking at this directly. What you must comprehend is that you give me what I desire most: the shelter of your arms, the offer of spending the rest of your life with me. And besides…”
He drew her in toward him and held her face against his breast. “Besides?”
“I yearn to be with you, Swift Hawk.”
She could feel the movement of his head as he nodded. With the back of his fingers, he touched her cheek, letting his hand fall down to her neck. “We will marry.”
“Yes.”
He exhaled deeply, as though he had been holding his breath. “Do you know that from the first moment I saw you, I have been enchanted with you? From that time forward, there has been no other woman in my thoughts, in my dreams. And it is my belief that for the rest of my life there will be no other woman for me.”
“My darling.” She threw her arms wide around his neck. “I love you so very much.”
“And I, you,” he affirmed, and with the tip of his finger, he brought her face to his and kissed her. Somehow within that kiss, the blanket fell away from her shoulders. But neither of them seemed to care.
Cool air swept over her torso, but only for an instant before he covered her with the warmth of his body. His hands caressed her up and down, over her back, around to her waist, up to her breasts.
“You are so beautiful, so womanly.” He grabbed hold of the blanket, and taking a scarce moment, he spread it beneath her. Then he eased her to the ground, pausing briefly to gaze at her. “So very beautiful.”
“As are you.” She smiled and caressed his chest in much the same manner as he was doing to her.
He captured her hand, kissing her palm. While an earthy sensation spread throughout her, he grasped that hand and the other, pulling both over her head while he positioned himself at her side. He massaged her everywhere, paying particular attention to her breasts, as though they were an altar upon which he would worship.
She squirmed beneath him. “That feels good,” she whispered. “I have dreamed of our coming together again eversince that one morning. In truth, I think I have been waiting for this all my life.”
