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Very deliberately she pulled off her sweater, then put her hand to her jeans zip.
'Hey—what do you think you're doing?' he growled.
'But you said I ought to try a whirlpool bath some time,' she said innocently, and he gave a rumbling laugh.
Aware of Jared's eyes on her, warm with love and desire, and glorying in the femininity of her body, she quickly discarded her other garments, then slid into the warm, bubbling water, facing him.
'Come here,' he said unsteadily, and as he held out her arms to her she went into his embrace.
'You know . . . ' his lips were resting against the pulse of her temple ' . . . we've both had something to learn these last few weeks, you and I. You've learned—'
'That passion and sensuality are a part of me to be enjoyed—and not to be afraid of,' she completed.
'And I've had to learn far more than that—that those things aren't enough. They need to go hand in hand with love.'
'Mmm.' with a contented little sigh she snuggled herself into his body.
'Of course, I should have learnt that long ago from poor Tristan and Iseult.'
'But I thought that, for them, once the magic passion faded it was all over.'
'No. I never did finish their story—maybe because it didn't suit me to.' Half absently he scooped some of the scented foam from her creamy breast and blew it away. 'You remember how, after they'd confessed, Tristan was sent into exile—to Brittany—while Iseult stayed with King Mark?'
'Yes.'
'Well, Tristan married someone else at last, but he never forgot Iseult, and when he was mortally wounded in battle he sent for her. She came at once, because she too had never forgotten her first love, and took him in her arms. Then, as he died, her heart broke and she died too.'
'Oh.' Tears pricked Petra's eyes. 'What a waste of their lives—loving each other but being kept apart.'
'But it won't be like that for us, my sweetheart—I swear it won't.' His voice was muffled in her hair. 'It suddenly hit me today, out there: living without you all these years has been like existing without an essential part of myself.'
Something of the pain she had felt when he'd gone away echoed in her mind. But then she whispered softly against his mouth, 'Tell me, is this the new, improved proposal you promised me?'
'My lover,' he held her away from him to gaze deep into her eyes, 'I want to spend the rest of my life with you, finding out everything about you. Oh, I already know all the little things—how you gnaw that oh, so tempting lower lip of yours when you're worried . . . ' as he touched it with his fingertips she swayed towards him ' . . . and the way you toss back that marvellous flamegold hair when you're angry . . . and the way your eyes turn languid, like a sleepy cat's, when I do t h i s . . . ' h e cupped his fingers round her breasts, and she gave a tiny moan as they swelled tenderly beneath his touch ' . . . and . . . ' sliding Ms hands under her wet body, he lifted it slightly to bury his mouth in the soft cleft between her breasts ' . . . the way your body still smells wonderful—of all the ripe flowers and fruits of summer—waiting for me to gather it.'
'Oh, Jared,' it was a broken murmur, 'I do love you so much.'
'My darling,' he gave her a ragged smile, 'if you knew how much I want to hear you say that—forever and ever.'
As he held her closer she whispered into the satin olive skin of his chest, 'I love you, love you, love you . . .'
But then her sighs were lost as, twined in each other's arms, they surrendered themselves at last to their passion and their love.
