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Startled, her eyes widened and she drew in a sharp breath.
"I love you, Prudence Agatha. I have since that night in the garden when I kissed you. I'm not being gallant. I didn't realize then that I loved you. But I felt something strange and exciting, and damned if I didn't want to feel more. When your father informed me of your unexpected journey and asked for my help, I couldn't say no. I didn't want to."
"But —but he paid you," she stammered, shaking her head disbelievingly.
"My fee was that he sees to the investment of some stock, which he would have done anyway since I had an appointment with him the following day to ask him to do just that."
"You came after me because you wanted to?"
"Correct."
"You love me?" she asked tentatively, almost fearfully.
"Yes, Prudence, I love you."
"Honest?"
He laughed and roughly pulled her up more firmly against him, forcing her head back so she could look into his eyes. "Honest, I love you. All of you, from the tip of your naked toes, up those sexy legs and doubly sexy bottom, to those gorgeous breasts and to the prettiest face I've ever laid eyes on. You're mine, honey, and I'm never going to let you go. Do you honestly think I'd make love to you and allow you to walk out of my life?"
"Could it be obligation you feel toward me? I mean, since I was a virgin and inexperienced, perhaps—"
"Obligation has nothing to do with our relationship. Love is the only factor here. Before anything had occurred between us, when I wired your father about our marriage, I told him it was a permanent situation. There would be no annulment."
"But he brought annulment papers. I assumed you —"
"You assumed wrong," he finished. "He explained to me that he wanted to give you a choice. I told him you had no choice. You were my wife and would remain so for the rest of our lives."
"You really love me?" she asked again, fearing that this was all a dream and she would soon wake and find herself alone.
"Yes, I really love you. And if I must tell you over and over for the rest of our lives to convince you, then so be it. I really love you."
"Oh, Zac, I don't know what to think. I'm so confused, so tired of being hurt," she cried and laid her head against his chest, seeking the comfort he had often given her.
He wrapped his arms around her. "I understand, Pru. We'll take this one day at a time. But I honestly love you. Cross my heart," he whispered.
She buried her face against his chest. She wanted to believe him. Oh, how she wanted to believe him. But her hurt was so raw that she was afraid to open herself up to him and tell him that she loved him. If she did, she'd be vulnerable. And she wasn't certain if she could handle that delicate feeling right now.
His hand rubbed her back in a steady and sure motion. It was a simple, reassuring touch, but one that stirred her need for him. Perhaps if it was too difficult to speak her love, she could at least demonstrate it.
She pulled away from him taking hold of his arms, and looked into his eyes. They burned with the same hot desire.
"Make love to me, Zac." Her whisper was a soft ache.
He nodded slowly, understanding what she was trying to tell him. "I love you, too, Pru." He took her in his arms, drawing her back onto the bed.
His touch was like magic. It brought her body alive. She had never felt so sensitive, so attuned to his every caress. His lips found and worshiped every responsive spot, raising gooseflesh across her warm skin.
Her breasts ached and her stomach fluttered, each stroke of his hand and tongue making her wet with anticipation.
It wasn't long before she begged him to fill her and quench her raging thirst. And when he did, she cried out his name repeatedly, until she exploded and his name echoed from her lips. His words that joined hers, more softly but with equal strength, were simply, "I love you."
They lay wrapped in each other's arms, content to listen to the howling wind and rain outside. It had turned into a worse storm than expected.
"You're not afraid?" he asked.
"Afraid?" she asked, cuddling against his warm naked body.
"The storm. On the steamboat, you were afraid of the storm."
Prudence listened for a minute and noticed that the intensity of the rain had picked up considerably. There was even a distant rumble of thunder. "No," she said, surprising herself. "I'm not afraid. I feel safe and secure."
"And here I thought I'd have a good excuse to entertain you with more of my stories."
She poked him playfully in the ribs. "You can still tell me your stories. I enjoy hearing them."
