Hand in hand, and laughing hilariously, they ran towards the cottage, and did not stop until they had slammed the door behind them. Flushed from the unaccustomed exertion, they removed their wet jackets and hung them on the peg against the wall.
Kim sobered suddenly and glanced about her. 'Where's Bill?' she asked.
'He dropped me off and left again immediately.'
A smile of amusement hovered about her lips and sparkled in her eyes. 'How very tactful of him!'
'Very,' Adam agreed solemnly, removing his dark glasses and slipping them into the pocket of his jacket. He turned to face her in the now gloomy entrance hall, and gave her the full benefit of his blue gaze. For several breathtaking seconds she stared into those fascinating eyes, overwhelmed by the alarming knowledge that there was nothing she could ever hide from him in future. As though he still had to rely on his sense of touch, his hands framed her face, his thumbs moving gently across her cheekbones as his eyes looked deep and searchingly into hers.
'I love you, Kim,' he said at last. 'I had to tell you before I left, but I can say it now, knowing that there's a future for us together.'
He lowered his head and kissed her then with an awe-inspiring gentleness that sent her pulse rate soaring.
'Did you know right from the beginning that one day you would have to have the operation?' she asked unsteadily when he finally released her.
'Yes, I knew.'
Understanding was beginning to dawn as Kim followed him into the lounge. 'Is that why you were so cynical about… love?'
A rueful expression flitted across his lean face. 'Yes. The original idea was that I didn't want to bind you to me too firmly. You had to be free to pick up the threads of your life if I didn't return.'
The silence that hung between them was pregnant with emotion as she faced him unflinchingly, and with that proud lift to her chin. 'I've never been free from the moment we met, Adam.'
'Oh, my God,' he groaned, raking his fingers through his short, unruly hair. 'You loved me then already?'
Her eyes, large and luminous, gave him his answer as clearly as if she had spoken. 'Nothing would have induced me to marry you had I not loved you,' she whispered, walking straight into his waiting arms.
'Shall I tell you when I first knew that I'd met my fate?' he asked eventually, sliding his lips along her neck.
'When?'
'That very first day when you told me to go ahead and throw myself down the cliff.'
'Oh, Adam!' she laughed in disbelief as she held him off slightly. 'And I always had the feeling that you were still in love with Ursula, and she certainly did her best to confirm my belief.'
'Heaven forbid!' he exclaimed roughly, drawing her against him once more. 'Ursula was intelligent, and she was fun, but one scientist in the family is enough.'
'She's beautiful,' Kim persisted relentlessly, almost as if she could not believe her good fortune that Adam could love her for herself.
'If you go for that kind of beauty that dazzles the eyes and stirs the senses, yes,' Adam teased before his hard mouth claimed hers and created havoc with her pulse rate. Kim slipped her arms about his neck and returned his kisses with a hunger that matched his own. There was no longer any need to hide the love that seemed to be overflowing from a heart that was too full to speak. Adam raised his head then and gazed down into eyes that were dreamy from the passion of his kiss. 'I prefer my women warm, soft, and cuddlesome, with green eyes I could willingly drown in, and lips that are an open invitation to be kissed, and kissed often.'
Kim emerged from her dreamy state of bliss and shuddered involuntarily as she thought of what could so easily have happened. 'My darling, if I'd lost you…'
'Don't, Kim,' he interrupted swiftly, his arms tightening about her slender frame. 'It's over now, and we're together for always.'
'For always,' she echoed prayer-like as she offered him her lips. There was no longer any need for speculation and uncertainty. Adam was hers, as she was his, until time itself elapsed.
Outside the small cottage the rain came down incessantly, beating against the window-panes and running down in small rivulets, but inside two people sat on the couch with their arms about each other, talking softly in between kisses and quite oblivious of the elements of nature. There was so much still to say, and so much to explore, and time was suddenly more precious than ever before.
Where Seagulls Cry Page 16
