Devil in Paradise

by Joanna Mansell

  'Damn it, Kate,' he said rather shakenly. 'I think you'd better stay away from me for a couple of minutes, or this is all going to get completely out of control!'

  She grinned weakly back at him. 'It's all your fault. You shouldn't have so much of the Clarendon charm. You know what it does to females!'

  'You're the only female I'm interested in right now,' he told her huskily. 'In fact, the only one I'm going to be interested in for the rest of my life.' He eyed her hungrily. 'Do you think we should risk one more kiss?'

  'I'm not sure that we should,' Kate replied primly. 'In fact, my mother's already warned me about you. She thinks you're a bad influence on me, and that I should stay well away from you.'

  'And do you always do what your mother tells you?' he growled softly.

  'Not any more. So perhaps we could have that kiss,' she suggested, with a deliberate fluttering of her eyelashes.

  It might have only been one kiss, but it seemed to go on forever. And by the time it was finally over, they were both aching for a deeper fulfilment.

  Rafe moved reluctantly away from her. 'No more,' he instructed a little roughly. 'I want to wait until after we're married.'

  Kate's eyebrows shot up in surprise. 'That's a pretty conventional attitude.'

  'I suppose it is,' he agreed. 'But there's another way of looking at it—having to wait for something always makes it a lot better when it does finally happen.'

  Kate's eyes widened. 'Better?' she said slightly breathlessly. 'Than last time?'

  Rafe's gaze glittered very brightly. 'Just wait and see,' he promised in a husky tone. Then his finger traced its way down her bare arm. 'By the way,' he went on, 'don't you think there's something you should be saying to me?'

  'Oh—er—yes, I suppose so,' she said, suddenly feeling ridiculously shy. She cleared her throat. 'I—I love you,' she muttered in a slightly croaky voice.

  He looked at her with some amusement. 'I can't quite hear you, Kate.'

  'I love you,' she repeated, in a much firmer and clearer tone.

  'That's better,' he said with some satisfaction. He gave her another quick, hard kiss, and, short though it was, it actually made her knees shake. 'I don't suppose we'll have a very conventional sort of marriage,' he told her, 'but I've a feeling that it'll never be boring.'

  'I certainly don't feel bored right now,' Kate whispered, sagging rather weakly against him. 'In fact, I feel…'

  'How do you feel, Kate?' he prompted throatily. His hand returned to the curve of her breast, as if it was incapable of staying away, and Kate sighed softly as she felt a familiar heat spread over her skin.

  Rafe dragged in a ragged breath. 'I think we'd better get back to England as soon as we can. I don't think I can take much more of this. A couple more days, and I'll be completely out of my mind!'

  'We could catch a plane this afternoon,' she said reluctantly. 'If that's what you really want—'

  'It isn't,' he said, with a grimace. 'But I'm determined to do this right. A very short engagement, a proper wedding with all the trimmings—and then all the time in the world to spend exactly as we please,' he murmured, his eyes glistening with anticipation.

  Kate suddenly sat up very straight. 'My parents—' she said, with some trepidation. 'Once we're back in England, I'll have to tell them…' At the thought of breaking the news to her mother, she got increasingly flustered. 'How do you suppose they're going to take it?' she asked nervously.

  'I've no idea,' Rafe replied in an unruffled tone. 'But it really makes no difference. I've no intention of changing my mind about this. I love you, Kate, and I'm going to marry you. They might not be too thrilled about it, but they won't stop it happening. And by the time we've presented them with a couple of grandchildren, even your mother might have come round to the idea.'

  'Just a couple?' she teased. 'I thought half a dozen would be quite nice.'

  Rafe raised one eyebrow. 'Half a dozen?'

  'Well, you did like Harry,' she reminded him.

  'So I did,' he said equably. 'All right, as many as you please. Although preferably not all at once!'

  'Perhaps we'll stick at two or three,' she said cheerfully. Then her brows briefly drew together as a last tiny ripple of doubt suddenly surfaced. 'It will be all right, won't it?' she asked a little uncertainly. 'I mean, we've really only known each other for a short time.'

  'Of course it'll be all right,' Rafe replied at once, with total assurance. 'Just trust your own feelings, Kate. They won't let you down. And neither will I.'

  Kate slid her hand through his, and instantly felt calmer. It was going to work out perfectly, she just knew it. She and Rafe fitted together incredibly well. It was the last thing on earth that she had ever expected to happen, but, now that it had, it seemed completely right and natural. And she was absolutely certain that it would just keep getting better and better.

  Rafe's grip on her hand tightened, and she gave him a happy smile. Then she sat back and began to rehearse her speech to her mother. In just a few hours, Kate was going to have to tell her that she was about to become Rafe Clarendon's mother-in-law!