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He stared into her eyes as if he couldn’t quite believe his ears. ‘Are you very sure, Alex?’
‘Quite sure, although I do have one last concern,’ she said gravely.
‘What?’
She smiled unexpectedly. ‘You seem to be able to keep your hands off me with the greatest of ease.’
She saw the little flare of shock in his eyes, then they changed and this time, when he said it, it was with love and laughter. ‘If only you knew …’ Before he swept her into his arms.
‘Comfortable?’
‘Yes.’ They’d moved to the den and they’d brought the wine and canapés with them. They had their arms wrapped around each other and Alex had just been deeply and most satisfyingly kissed. ‘Oh, yes.’ She moved her cheek on his shoulder, then, ‘Tell me something—why yesterday?’
‘It was my birthday. It suddenly seemed a matter of incredible urgency to find out if my life could be made worth living again or.’ He shook his head.
‘Happy birthday for yesterday,’ she said softly, ‘but will today do for the first day of the rest of our lives?’
He rubbed his chin on the top of her head. ‘Yes, oh, yes. When will you marry me? Damn.’
She looked up and laughed into his eyes. ‘Damn what?’
‘I’m not fit to be married for six weeks.’ He looked thoroughly annoyed with himself.
‘Never mind. Perhaps these things should be taken slowly anyway.’
He cupped her cheek. ‘Promise me one thing?’ ‘Of course. What?’
‘Tell me if ever I’m going too fast for you.’ ‘Ah, if you’re worried about my convent background—’
‘Yes, I have wondered,’ he broke in. ‘I thought maybe matters of the flesh—that’s how I put it to myself for some reason—were a bit daunting for you.’
Alex thought for a moment, then chuckled suddenly.
‘I actually mentally undressed you only the third time I met you—that was my green-room drama. Believe me—’ she looked into his eyes, her amazement still showing in hers as she remembered ‘—it came as quite a shock.’
‘I wish I’d known.’
‘It was hard enough to handle without you knowing. So, yes, I’m inexperienced, but not exactly daunted. And if you had problems with the pink room, I came out of it after I twisted my ankle conscious of the fact that what you did to me filled me with desire that was running like wildfire through my veins.’
He hugged her suddenly and fiercely. ‘How could I have been such a fool?’ he marvelled.
‘But I was also convinced you weren’t moved by me at all, that I must have imagined it.’
‘On the contrary. I’ve had an enduring fantasy about you.’ He ran his fingers through her hair. ‘Well, several. Finding myself wanting to run my hands through your hair was one.’
‘And the others?’
He paused and looked at her reflectively. ‘I think I might wait until just the right moment before I tell you that.’ He bent his head and kissed her lightly. ‘So, how are we going to cope for the next six weeks?’
‘Plenty of this?’ she suggested and snuggled up to him. ‘I could quite happily stay like this for hours.’
‘Alex,’ he said in a suddenly different voice, pressing and a little rough.
She drew away and looked at him anxiously. ‘What’s wrong?’
He shook his head. ‘I just can’t seem to believe it. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve it.’
Alex couldn’t doubt the urgency about him. She slipped out of his arms, but only to kneel in front of the settee. ‘Max,’ she said with her heart in her eyes, ‘believe it. I do and I never thought I would say that to anyone. Besides which—’ her lips trembled, then she smiled that unexpected smile that enchanted him so much ‘—I’ve finally called you Max, Mr Goodwin! That’s got to mean something.’
