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His tongue flicked out to tease her into kissing him more deeply. She responded, making a slow, sensual and very intimate assault on his mouth. Pleasure flowed through him. He was sure there was an edge of passion in the feelings she transmitted, her own need and want tightly restrained, yet tugging at her to re-affirm the decision she’d made to marry him, be with him for the rest of her life.
When she drew back, her face was flushed, her eyes glinting with worry again. “You’re sure this is all right?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
It was all right.
He felt the love was still there, set at a distance but still there.
One way or another, he’d close that distance.
Nicole wasn’t going away.
She had agreed to marry him.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
HER wedding day—the day when she said the really big yes to Quin. The reality of it was all around her in this penthouse suite at the Intercontinental Hotel—her mother, Zoe and the bridesmaids all dressed ready to go to the ceremony. In another thirty minutes, a stretch limousine would be taking them to the venue. Three o’clock, Quin had said, and time was ticking away. Yet Nicole couldn’t quite shake the feeling she was in a dream.
“What kind of wedding would you like?” Quin had asked.
“I don’t know,” she had answered truthfully. “What do you want?”
“Something beautiful, truly memorable…”
“Why don’t you plan it, Quin?”
He’d frowned. “It’s the bride’s special day. I want you to be happy with it.”
“Then make it special for me.”
The challenge had tripped off her tongue, spurred by wanting to have some measure of how special the occasion was for him. Let him have his way. All his way. It might reveal quite a bit about how much she meant to him, too.
As Nicole sat still while the beautician moved around her, putting the last finishes to her bridal make-up, she couldn’t help thinking that if one put a money value on this wedding and that was the measure of how special it was to Quin, then it was spectacularly special. On the other hand, she wasn’t sure if he was putting on a show for her or for other people.
Her side of the guest list was relatively small. She had a few friends amongst the mothers of little girls at the dance school, and two of those were her bridesmaids, along with Jade. Her mother’s friends in the world of dance were not exactly numerous, either. Quin’s side not only carried a lot of people from the Sydney social set and important business clients, but quite a large contingent from Argentina—the Gallardo family and their close friends.
Not that it mattered, she told herself.
They were getting married.
That was the only really important thing.
“I’ve never seen you look so beautiful, Nicole,” Jade remarked, a note of awe in her voice.
Amazing what cosmetics in skilled hands can do, she thought, smiling at her friend. “You, too. I really like that burnt copper shade of red for your hair.”
Jade laughed. “Couldn’t leave it purple. Since I’m chief bridesmaid, it might have distracted from the bride.”
“Thanks for everything you’ve done, Jade. You and Jules. The dresses you designed and made are wonderful.”
“Well, we did have instructions from Zoe and Quin,” she said archly. “Got to say that guy has moved to a great address, Nic. Wherever he was in the past, what you have now is a man who’s totally committed to giving his woman a wonderful wedding. Namely you.”
Yes, he had moved, Nicole silently agreed. Certainly since he’d come out of hospital two months ago, he’d won over her mother with his kindness and consideration, bonded deeply with their daughter, and had set about introducing her to his friends, taking her out to dinners and shows, not concentrating their entire relationship on sex, which was still great, but no longer the only thing they shared.
“You do love him, don’t you?” Jade asked softly.
“Yes,” she answered unequivocally, looking down at the magnificent emerald and diamond engagement ring Quin had given her. For better or for worse, she thought, as long as we both shall live.
