Then she slid lower, and he groaned, his hands tightening on hers.
“Jessica,” he panted. “Oh, Jess.”
Desire grew inside her, throbbing and insistent. Marcus suddenly lifted her and rolled her over, then joined himself to her. She opened her eyes to see him staring at her. Tenderness filled his eyes, and she had never seen him more open, more vulnerable. “I want everything to be perfect for you,” he whispered.
She reached for him, and he covered her mouth with his. And when he moved inside her, more than their bodies were joined. Her heart belonged to him, forever.
They lay together for a long time, holding each other, their hands twined together. Finally she said, “Did you mean it?”
“Mean what?”
“When you said you wanted everything to be perfect for me.”
He shifted so that she was pressed tighter against his shoulder. “Of course I meant it. I want everything to be perfect for you, always.”
“Then you know that you’re perfect for me. You’re the only one, Marcus.”
His arms tightened around her, but he couldn’t say a word.
“I love you,” she said. “I always will.”
“You can’t love me,” he said, but his heart ached to believe her.
“Why not? Don’t you love me?”
Slowly he pulled away from her. He knew exactly how much courage it had taken for her to say that to him. And he was ashamed of himself for his lack of courage.
He took a deep breath. “Of course I love you. Why do you think I’ve been so determined to leave you? It’s because I love you more than life. I don’t want you to throw your life away with me.”
She framed his face with her hands. “You’re the only man on earth who can make me happy, Marcus. We belong together. I love you, and I’m not going to let you go.” She grinned at him. “And I’d like to see you try and make me.”
“What kind of miracle are you?” he whispered. “You know you’re everything I want. I just can’t believe you want me, too.”
Her smile faded. “More than anything in the world,” she said, her voice shaking. “Please don’t leave me, Marcus.”
He reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand. “I don’t think I could if my life depended on it.” He stared at her for a moment, wonder filling his heart. Then he swept her into his arms. “I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy.”
“You already have,” she said.
“I’m going to call my boss and quit,” he said, ignoring the pang in his chest. “I don’t want to spend my life separated from you.”
She leaned back and searched his face. “You don’t have to do that,” she said quietly. “I know how much you love your job.”
“But I love you more.” He looked at her, amazed that it was the truth. “I never imagined I would say that to a woman. But it’s true. My job isn’t the most important thing in my life anymore. You are.”
“But that doesn’t mean you have to quit.” She traced her hand over his jaw, then touched his lips. “You love your job, and you’re good at it. So why would you quit?”
“Because I might have to be gone from you for months at a time. I don’t think I could bear that.”
“Promise me you won’t make a decision until you catch Simon,” she said. “I know how important that is.”
Before he could answer, the telephone rang. He looked at her, and she nodded, knowing exactly what he asked. “Of course you have to answer it.”
He was back in moments, slipping into the bed next to her. “What happened?” he said into the cell phone, listening to Russell Devane.
“Are you sure?” he asked after a long time. Then he said, “All right. It sounds like it might work. But be careful,” he added softly. “I’ll catch up with you.”
“What is it?” she asked when he closed the phone.
“That was Russell Devane. They got the phone records and found the address where Simon was staying. But by the time they got there, he was gone. They managed to trace him to the airport, but his plane had just taken off. For Australia.”
“What is he going to do in Australia?” she asked.
“We’ll find out. Devane is going to take on Steve Trace’s identity and follow Simon to Australia. Simon never saw Trace and doesn’t know he’s dead. Devane might be able to get close to him and capture him.” He longed to be there, but he didn’t want to leave Jessica.
“You can’t quit now,” she said gently. “SPEAR needs you. You have to go.”
“All right.” He pulled her close and kissed her again, the excitement of the chase blending with regret at leaving her. “But I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“I know.” She curled her arms around him and leaned into him. “I’ll miss you horribly, but I’m going to be busy, too. I have to finish my dissertation and get my Ph.D.” She smiled into his throat. “And just think how much fun our reunions are going to be.”
“I won’t be a field agent forever,” he said. “I’m not getting any younger. What are you going to do with me when I’m a desk jockey and around all the time?”
“I have plans for you.” She reached up and kissed him. “I think you might enjoy them. And I’m planning on keeping you very busy.” She leaned back and grinned. “Someone is going to have to help me with all those children we’re going to have.”
His heart swelled in his chest until he felt like it would burst. Jessica was everything he’d ever wanted in his life and everything he’d been afraid he’d never find. “It sounds like you have me backed into a corner,” he said, his voice husky.
“I hope so. I don’t plan on giving you any choice here.”
As if he would want one. “Then I guess we’ll have to get married.” He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Will you marry me, Jessica?”
Her eyes glittered with tears. “Yes, Marcus,” she whispered. “There’s nothing I want more.”
As he bent his head to kiss her, dawn eased its way into the room, bathing them both in the golden light of a new day. His heart expanded with joy until he thought it would burst. He’d been waiting all his life for Jessica. He just hadn’t known it. She was all the dreams he hadn’t dared to dream come to life.
She leaned away from him and smiled, as if she knew what he was thinking. “I love you, Marcus. You’ve made all my dreams come true.”
She’d been able to read his mind from the very beginning. “I love you, too, Jessica. Forever.”
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Margaret Watson for her contribution to the A YEAR OF LOVING DANGEROUSLY series.
For Dad. Thank you for all you’ve done for us.
But most of all, thanks for always being there for me.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-0694-6
SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER HER
Copyright © 2001 by Harlequin Books S.A.
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