by Kay Hooper
He set her on her feet just inside the sitting room, keeping his arms around her. Kissing her tenderly, he muttered, “God, Kendall—I was afraid you were going to run away from me!”
Kendall stood on tiptoe to fit her body more firmly against the hard length of his, her fingers smoothing the dark hair at his nape. “I could never have done that,” she whispered. “No matter how scared I was of committing myself, the thought of leaving you was even more terrifying. I love you, Hawke—I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“I don’t think that will be long enough,” he told her thickly. “Eternity won’t be long enough. I love you so much, honey—I’ll never be able to tell you how much.”
In spite of knowing, deep inside her, that Hawke loved her, she still felt a sense of wonder at hearing the words. “You love me? Really love me?”
He smiled a little wryly, but the gray eyes were looking at her with much the same wonder. “Why do you think I’ve been chasing after you like a man demented ever since you walked through the doors? I’ve loved you from the very beginning.”
“When did you know?” she asked huskily.
“That first day, after you pulled Robbie from the pool. I told you that Robbie was an orphan, and you were staring off into space, that hurting look in your eyes. I wanted to wipe the expression away, to make sure no one ever hurt you again.” His arms tightened around her. “What about you? When did that stubborn little heart of yours finally cave in?”
“I have a sneaking suspicion that I was falling all along.” She smiled ruefully. “But I didn’t really admit it to myself until the night you walked out on me.”
“That long ago?” He frowned fiercely. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Are you kidding? You were being a perfect gentleman those next few days. Almost brotherly, in fact. Leaving me at my door every night. What were you trying to do—break my spirit?”
His frown turned into a grin. “So that started getting to you, huh? I was hoping it would.”
“Beast.”
“But lovable.”
“True.” Kendall stared up at him curiously. “Tell me something. Did you really hear the bell?”
He chuckled softly. “Of course. Honey, I had my ear to that damned door every night!”
She started laughing. “Romance!”
“Of course. And that’s what threw you off balance, wasn’t it? You thought I was playing some kind of game.”
“Well, you can’t really blame me! There I was, being outrageously courted by a man I’d just met. A man who had this strange habit of picking me up and carrying me, giving me sometimes puzzling gifts, making love to me in elevators, and embarrassing me in front of people. It’s a wonder I didn’t feed you to the flytrap!”
Hawke gave her a quizzical look. “You’re the one who finally gave in under the eyes of half the hotel guests.”
“It seemed appropriate,” she murmured.
Reproachfully, he told her, “And you threw the necklace at me. The first gift you’d ever given me, and you threw it like a hand grenade!”
Kendall grinned slightly. “That seemed appropriate too!” She hesitated for a moment, then said slowly, “We both know why I didn’t admit how I felt, but what about you? You never once said that you loved me.”
“Because I thought you’d run like hell. Every time I even hinted at commitment, you changed the subject in a second. I was going crazy trying to think of some way to keep you here long enough to convince you I wasn’t playing games.”
He looked at her wryly. “You were the only one who didn’t know. My mother knew after a single phone call, and Rick’s been giving me silly grins every time he sees me.”
Kendall sighed. “Well, they knew how I felt too. Why were we the last ones to find out?”
“You were stubborn.”
“I resent that.”
Hawk smiled, but said huskily, “I was going to tell you how I felt this morning. I’d felt hopeful after last night. So I decided to tell you that I loved you, and try to convince you that I meant it. But then Rick called, and you were being evasive again;”
“I’m sorry, darling,” Kendall whispered, reaching up to kiss him lightly.
His eyes flared. “Do you realize,” he said thickly, “that you’ve never called me that before?”
Kendall tilted her head to one side, considering. “I think I like the sound of it.”
“So do I. It’s something I’ll never grow tired of hearing.” His arms tightened around her and he bent his head, nuzzling the side of her neck. “Or saying. I love you, darling. You’re the beautiful love I’d given up all hope of finding.”
Kendall held his face between her hands when he raised his head, looking up at him with glowing eyes. “And you’re the love I didn’t believe in, the dream I thought I’d outgrown. The other half of myself. Oh, Hawke, I love you so much! How did I ever exist without you?”
He kissed her gently, and then passion arced between them like a live spark. Kendall clung to him, returning the kiss feverishly, her fingers locked in his hair. She could feel the need in him, the matching need in herself, and gave herself up totally to the joy of this moment.
Hawke lifted his head at last, breathing roughly, silver fire in his eyes. But before he could say anything, a slight sound caught their attention reluctantly. Both of them looked toward the doorway to his bedroom.
Gypsy stood there, lashing her tail irritably as she stared at them with baleful yellow eyes.
“I think we disturbed her,” Kendall murmured.
“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Hawke agreed hoarsely.
With offended dignity Gypsy stalked to the door connecting the suites. Opening it with her usual deftness, she went into Kendall’s suite, tail still twitching.
Bemused, Hawke and Kendall watched as a black-spotted paw reached carefully underneath the door, gripped it securely, and then drew it closed with a soft click.
“Tactful soul, isn’t she,” Hawke observed.
Kendall tore her eyes away from the closed door and stared at Hawke. “She’s never done that before. Closed the door behind her, I mean. I wonder when she learned to do that.”
“I don’t know, but she’s obviously on my side now.”
“What do you mean now? She defected to your side a long time ago! Ever since you seduced her with fish.”
“Speaking of seducing…”
“Listen to the man!”
He laughed, then sobered abruptly. “When will you marry me?” he asked softly.
“Whenever you like.” Kendall laughed suddenly. “Won’t Daddy be surprised!”
Hawke smiled sheepishly. “Well, as a matter of fact, he won’t be.”
“What?” She blinked at him. “But I haven’t talked to him since I arrived here.”
“I have. I’ve been trying to get in touch with him for days. Finally reached him through the American embassy. That was yesterday afternoon.”
“But why?”
“To declare my honorable intentions, of course.” Hawke grinned. “I told him that if he didn’t want to miss his daughter’s wedding, he’d better get here by the end of the week.”
“Sure of yourself, weren’t you?”
“You know better than that. By the end of the week, though, I would have been desperate enough to marry you whether you liked it or not.”
“Charming.” She frowned slightly. “Wait a minute, now. Are you telling me that you went through the American embassy to locate my father in South America just to tell him that you were going to marry his daughter?” When Hawke nodded, she asked uncertainly, “Have you ever met my father?”
“Not to my knowledge.”
“Well, what did Daddy say?”
“He laughed a lot and said he was on his way.” Ruefully, Hawke added, “He didn’t seem at all surprised.”
“And he told me to beware of the hawk,” Kendall muttered. She stared at her Hawke wryly. “Has your mother, by any chance, been trying t
o marry you off?”
“Constantly. Do you smell a conspiracy?”
“Don’t you?” She sighed. “Ten to one we find out at the wedding that they know each other.”
Hawke chuckled. “Then we’ll have to thank them, won’t we?”
Pushing the speculation from her mind, Kendall smiled invitingly. “Speaking of thanking…”
“Yes?” he asked.
“When are you going to thank me—properly—for your medallion? I think my feelings are hurt!”
“I’m going to start thanking you right now,” he replied somewhat hoarsely, lifting her into his arms with the easy strength that always had the power to steal her breath. Striding toward the bedroom, he added, “And it may take a while.”
Reaching the bed, he tossed her playfully onto the middle of it, and Kendall bounced a couple of times, laughing. “You forgot to make sure we won’t be interrupted,” she pointed out happily.
“You’re so right.” Hawke bent over to take the phone off the hook, then turned and went into the sitting room. Kendall heard the door open and shut, and the distinct sound of the bolt being thrown. Then he was back with her.
Almost as if it were the first time for them, they undressed each other lovingly. Playful at first, but not for long.
Passion flared between them, and the playful caresses became fierce, hungry. They couldn’t get enough of one another, holding, touching, kissing.
Hawke raked his fingers through her hair, staring down at her with that intensity she no longer feared, that expression she now recognized as a love greater than she had believed possible. A love matched by her own for him.
“I’ll build you a castle,” he vowed huskily. “I’ll surround you with beauty and love and laughter—take care of you. And if I can’t scare away the nightmares, then I’ll be there to hold you until they don’t matter.”
“Not a castle,” she murmured, tracing his lips with trembling fingers. “Just a home. I haven’t had a home in a very long time. I want to live with you here on your island and build a family.”
His eyes flared with that fierce, loving possession. “A large family. Lots of little silver-haired girls with their mother’s eyes.”
“And dark-haired boys with sinful charm!” Kendall wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. “Love me, Hawke … I need you so much….”
“And I need you….” His hands moved over her body with hungry eagerness, rediscovering all the secret areas of pleasure. Touching her as though the feel of her smooth golden flesh was an addiction he had developed.
Kendall moaned as she felt his mouth on first one nipple and then the other, felt his hands shaping her willing body. Her own hands were far from still, moving over his muscled form. She could hardly bear to stop touching him.
And then the passion exploded between them, beyond their control, and they joined in a violent, exhilarating consummation. It took them to an enchanted land, a woman wearing a glittering golden hawk and a man wearing a gleaming opal unicorn, and left them at last to drift slowly home.
It was a long time before Kendall could summon the strength for speech, and when she did speak, it was in a wry voice. “There’s something vaguely indecent about this, you know. Making love in broad daylight.”
“The hell you say.” Hawke sounded amused.
“I didn’t say that I didn’t like it. Please don’t misunderstand.” Kendall rested an elbow on his chest and stared down at him gravely. “In fact, I think it could become a habit. Aren’t you shocked?”
“Terribly. I’ve caught myself an utterly shameless woman. Thank God.” He opened his eyes finally and stared up at her, “Which reminds me … for someone who was amazingly innocent this time yesterday, you catch on very quickly.”
“Thank you. I had a very good teacher.” She lifted a rueful eyebrow. “You’ll notice that I’m not asking you where you learned to be such an experienced lover.”
“It’s a gift, actually.”
“From the gods, no doubt.”
“Precisely.”
“Modest, aren’t you?”
Hawke chuckled softly. “You’ll have to reform me. In fact, we’ll make it a mutual effort. I’ll reform you too.”
“Why? I’m perfect.”
“You get yourself into too much trouble. Jumping out of planes and getting locked in with harems. And learning how to play poker in jail.”
“That was before,” she declared, biting back a giggle. “If it hadn’t been for your little schemes, I would have been a pattern of respectability here.”
“Nevertheless, I don’t intend to spend half my time wondering what you’re up to. I don’t see how your father stood it for fifteen years. The man has courage.”
“Don’t forget a sense of humor.”
“That too.”
Kendall propped her chin on her hand. “You’re still sore because I beat you at poker.”
“Pride suffered a blow, I’ll admit, but it recovered when I beat you at chess. And tennis.”
“Don’t forget sailboarding.”
“An oversight.”
She tugged at the hair on his chest with a little more force than necessary. “You’re being modest again.”
“Ouch. Sorry.”
“So tell me.” Kendall smiled innocently. “How do you plan to keep me out of trouble? You can’t just lock me up in the suite or chain me to your bed.”
“Why not?”
“People would wonder. Besides, I know how to pick locks.”
Hawke lifted both eyebrows, staring at her with a laugh in his eyes. “Oh, really? There must be a good story in that.”
Casually, she told him, “I learned from a strange little man in Europe. He swore he was the best thief in the world. I didn’t believe him though. He kept getting caught.”
“My God,” Hawke laughed faintly, then added in a stronger tone, “You see? I wouldn’t have a moment’s peace!”
“What are you going to do about it?” she teased.
“Easy. I’ll just keep you barefoot and pregnant, and you won’t have time to get into trouble.”
“Hawke!” Her laughter faded suddenly, and she gazed into his eyes with a tender smile. “That’s a reform I’d enjoy very much.”
“Good.” He shaped her face with gentle hands. “Because I know a good thing when I find one, honey. You’re stuck with me—for the rest of our lives.”
“I’ll go along with that,” she breathed huskily, just before his lips touched hers.
Four months of marriage to Hawke had given Kendall a peace she had never known before—and a glow that caused all the hotel guests to smile at her bemusedly. She and Hawke were obviously ecstatically happy.
Kendall stepped off the elevator early one morning, wearing a pair of indecently short shorts and a halter top that Hawke had taken instant exception to. Her good news, however, had smoothed the frown from his brow. It had also sent them back to bed for an extended period of nonverbal communication.
She had left Hawke shaving and humming fatuous songs to himself and Gypsy, while she slipped downstairs. She had to find Rick. There was one last question … and it was driving her bananas!
She cornered the hotel manager by the unoccupied desk, and pinned him with a look he had already learned implied the steel beneath her innocent exterior. “Rick. Where did he get the scar?”
Rick shifted uneasily and gave her a pleading look. “Kendall, it’s been nearly fifteen years, and I swore—”
Kendall assumed a wounded expression and folded her hands over her tanned, still-flat stomach. “It’s not good for things to prey on an expectant mother’s mind,” she announced, aggrieved. “You wouldn’t want anything to happen your unborn godchild, would you?”
Rick stared at her for a moment, his startled gaze dropping unconsciously to her stomach. Then a cockeyed grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Really? You and Hawke are—”
“Yes,” she cut him off ruthlessly, “we are. And if you don’t want me to
be a basket case for the next seven months, you’ll tell me where Hawke got that scar!”
His grin remained. “Well … I know you’ll tell Hawke, but I just can’t stand it anymore! It’s like this. We all got drunk one night, and decided to take Hawke to a tattoo parlor and …”
Hawke emerged from the elevator sometime later to the sounds of sheer unbridled mirth. The source of the disturbance seemed to be the desk, and half the guests in the building were standing around it with uncertain grins and puzzled eyes.
The lobby was the place to be, after all.
Several long strides took Hawke through the crowd and to the desk, where he discovered his erring wife and erstwhile best friend, both doubled over with laughter. He didn’t really have to ask, but he did anyway. Staring at the former friend, who was trying to wipe tears from his eyes, he said carefully, “You told her, didn’t you?”
Before Rick could answer, Kendall pulled herself upright by clutching the edge of the desk and stared at him in horrified amusement. “Hawke—that scar! Darling, you didn’t … you couldn’t have! No wonder you can’t remember! It’s the funniest thing—” Her voice became choked with laughter.
Unsure whether or not the crowd around them had heard the whole story, Hawke nonetheless felt a tide of red creeping up his lean cheeks. Hastily, he gathered up his laughing wife, striding toward the elevator and telling her fiercely, “You are going to tell me where that damned scar came from!”
“Oh, no!” Kendall was laughing almost too hard to speak. “I—I’ll have something to hold over your head whenever you get too domineering!”
“Kendall, you will tell me!” he ordered in his most commanding voice, shifting her slight weight so that he could press the button to summon the elevator.
“No way!”
By the time the elevator doors slid open, Hawke’s commanding tone had altered to a pleading one. “Honey, for God’s sake—I have to know! What happened that night?”
Kendall only laughed harder, clutching his neck and hiding her face against his throat.
As the elevator doors began to close behind the hotel’s favorite couple, the fascinated crowd in the lobby heard a few words more—and nothing to satisfy their rampant curiosity.
