Lord. It was Whitney. Tall, stunning. Gloriously alive.
She’s headed your way, Roche. Those brilliant blues of hers are on fire for you.
“Hank—” She half-sobbed his name. Then she was running toward him, her arms outstretched.
His legs started to move again. He’d been living with so much pain, he could scarcely credit that this was really happening. But her warm arms were real, her luscious body was real. When he felt her melt into him, every doubt, every fear fled as if they had never existed.
“I love you,” she repeated over and over again, burrowing against him in plain sight of the crowd. “I was so afraid something had happened to you and I would never be able to tell you. Mr. Lufka saw the state I was in and knew exactly how I felt. He said—”
“I know what he said,” Gerard interrupted her, crushing her in his arms, burying his face in her gleaming, luxuriant hair. It was a long story. One day he’d tell Whitney all about the famous Lufkilovich brothers, the greatest con artists around. “He knew I was so in love with you, I needed to hear those words as soon as possible or my life wouldn’t be worth living.”
Unable to resist, he captured the mouth she willingly offered him. Words could no longer express the feelings erupting inside. Just like before, Whitney’s kiss transformed him. He felt immortal.
From the beginning, love had been there on both their parts. His instincts hadn’t been wrong. He’d never known this kind of happiness before. With the greatest of reluctance, he finally put her at arm’s length. “How did you get here?”
“In my car,” she answered breathlessly.
“Then let’s go. I fell in love with an eighteen-year-old named Whitney Lawrence. Now I want to get to know Whitney Lawrence the woman. Together the two of you make the most beautiful sight this man has ever beheld.”
Beyond the point of no return, they practically ran through the terminal to the parking area where they could be alone. Once inside the back seat of her Jeep, they reached for each other, unable to stand another second of separation.
For the next while she lost herself in his arms and clung feverishly to the mouth devouring hers. He was her heart’s desire. She wanted nothing else. All the feelings and emotions they’d had to suppress throughout the tour came rushing to the forefront
“You may think I’m moving things too fast, but I want to marry you as soon as we can arrange the ceremony. I’m so in love with you, Whitney, I can’t even breathe anymore.”
“I feel the same way.” Her voice shook. “I’ve wanted you for my husband longer than it’s decent to admit, and I don’t even know your last name.”
“It’s Roche,” he said on a groan of deep satisfaction.
“Mrs. Eric-Gerard Roche. I love it. I love you,” she cried, kissing him passionately once more. Wrapped in his arms, she didn’t have to move a muscle to explore his features with her lips whenever she wanted. “Does everyone call you Eric-Gerard?”
He nodded. “Most people outside the agency. But Roman shortened it to Eric. Since then, it has been pared down to Gerard. Annabelle thought it was more romantic.”
“Was she your wife?” Her heart pounded anxiously.
“No, darling. She’s another PI with the agency. We had a few dates, nothing more. Now she’s married to the man of her dreams.
“My wife, Simone, died in an avalanche in Switzerland in our twenties, but that was all a long time ago. Until I met you, I didn’t think it was possible to feel this way about any woman again. You’re my life, Whitney. I don’t want to go on without you.”
She clutched him tighter. “When I was put on the plane in Paris and thought I might never see you again, I wanted to die.”
“You don’t know how I’ve longed to hear those words. I was afraid there was someone else even though Roman hadn’t uncovered a name.”
“No one serious.”
“That’s hard to believe.”
“Not really. My uncle is a psychiatrist and he told me I should take a lot of time and kiss a lot of frogs in several ponds until I met my prince. He was the most intelligent man I ever met, so I took his advice.
“On the flight to Europe you made me feel safe and cherished. You fit my image of the prince he’d been talking about. That’s when my agony started, because I thought you were the man Christine had fallen in love with.”
Gerard groaned. “My torture started when I saw this beautiful woman standing in line at the library. Even though she was young enough to be my daughter, my feelings were anything but fatherly.”
She clung to him. “If I hadn’t decided to track down my nephew’s father, we would neve—”
He took a long time kissing her quiet. “I don’t even want to think about it. One day I’ll tell you the whole story about Bowen but for now let’s just be grateful he’s going to spend the rest of his life in prison where he belongs.”
She nodded. “What excuse did you give the other teachers?”
“After the police made their arrest in his room, I got word to Mr. Grimshaw that Bowen had become acutely ill. Someone needed to accompany him to the hospital and stay with him.
“Grimshaw said he would pass the word to the others and make sure all the students, including Roger and Jeff, got back to Salt Lake safely. One day the news about Bowen will come out, of course. Until then, I could see no point in ruining everyone’s trip.
“As for the disappearance of a certain Ms. Lawrence, I told him you’d been worried about your grandmother and decided to take an early flight home.”
Whitney stared at him in awe. “You made a wonderful teacher, but you love being a PI, don’t you?”
“How did you guess?”
“Because you’re so good at it.”
He smoothed the hair off her forehead. “After the performance you gave on the tour, I’m wondering if you’re not in the wrong field. Roman would hire you in a shot.”
“He must be a very good friend to do what he did for us tonight.”
“He’s like a brother.”
“I thought so.”
“You’re going to love his brother Yuri, too.”
“The man I met on the ferry in Geneva? He and Mr. Lufka look a lot alike.”
Gerard nodded. “He and Jeannie live in New York.”
“So that’s where you were.”
He smiled again. “They’ll fly out for our wedding. The agency is like one happy family.”
“It sounds wonderful.”
“They’ll all love you, but not as much as I do. Never as much as I do,” he whispered rather emotionally. “Tomorrow I want to take you up the canyon to meet my parents. It’s the one surprise they won’t be expecting. They’ll adore you.”
“I can’t wait to learn everything there is to know about you. Later on, we can stop by my parents’ home. Christine and the baby live with them. Our news is going to make the family ecstatic. But there’s just one thing—”
“What is it?”
“Since I’ve decided against telling Christine about Bowen, we’re going to have to pretend we met in Mexico.”
“That’s a good plan. We can work out the finer parts of our story later. Right now I just want to concentrate on us, but the back seat of your Jeep isn’t exactly the place I had in mind.
“Much as I don’t want to leave you for any reason, I need to pick up my bags and check in with Roman. Why don’t you drive around in front of the terminal? I’ll meet you there in a few minutes. Then we’ll go wherever you want.”
“I just want to be with you. Forever.”
“That’s fine, because I wasn’t going to give you a choice.”
“Where’s my little Greg? I have to hold him one more time before we leave.” Whitney burst into Christine’s bedroom and reached for her sleepy nephew who had been so perfect throughout the wedding ceremony and reception at her parents’ home.
“I just fed him, so be careful. He might spit up on your beautiful new suit,” Christine cried. “That rose silk is beaut
iful on you. Here, let me at least put a clean cloth on your shoulder.”
Whitney thanked her sister and held the baby close. He was almost seven months now and growing more adorable every day.
Much as Whitney despised what Donald Bowen had done, she was crazy about Greg and couldn’t imagine life without him. One of these days soon she hoped to become pregnant with Gerard’s child. She already knew she was going to nickname him Hank, if it was a boy.
“Do you know where you’re going on your honeymoon?”
“No.” Her voice trembled. “It’s a big secret.”
“Whitney? You and Gerard—you still haven’t—”
Whitney shook her head negatively.
“Are you nervous?”
“No! Anything but!”
The two sisters burst into quiet laughter.
“The man’s gorgeous, Whitney.”
“I know.” Her voice throbbed. She was his wife now. In a few minutes they were going to be alone, able to express their love. The waiting had been pure torture, but she wasn’t sorry. Now she would know the thrill of a real wedding night. It was one experience she’d been anticipating all her life.
“To think you met him in Mexico of all places. I love him already. He’s been especially kind to me and Greg. But he can be so funny, too. Honestly, he and the Lufka brothers are hilarious together. You’re so lucky.”
“I am, but so are you, Christine. You have the most wonderful child in the world. Someday you’ll meet the right man and he’ll love Greg, too.”
“I hope so.”
“I know so.”
“Whitney?” Their mother poked her head in the door. “I think your new husband is going to have a coronary if you don’t make an appearance soon.”
“I’m coming.’”Giving him a kiss on the forehead, she handed Greg back to his mommy, then kissed her sister’s cheek before following her mother out of the bedroom.
Gerard was standing at the end of the hall, his expression anxious. The second he saw her, he strode toward her and crushed her in his arms. “Thank God.”
“Darling?” She raised her head. “What’s the matter?”
“I thought—” He groaned, then held her closer. “It doesn’t matter what I thought.”
“What?” she cried softly, intrigued by his mysterious behavior.
“Phil said—” But he broke off talking to give her a kiss that left them both breathless.
“What about Phil?” she murmured against his lips.
“He said Roman and Yuri had kidnapped you as a joke. When I couldn’t find them or you, I began to think Phil was telling me the truth. I had visions of spending half the night trying to find you.”
Whitney chuckled and held her husband tighter. “I love your friends for loving you so much.”
“You call that friendship?” He practically barked the words in frustration.
“Yes. They know how much we’ve been waiting and longing for this night, and obviously wanted to add to the excitement.”
She felt his taut body relax.
“Lord, I love you, Whitney. Let’s get out of here so I can start to show you how much.”
“They’ll probably follow us.”
“I don’t care what they do now that I’ve got you in my arms.”
Whitney didn’t care, either. She’d found her prince. All was well in their kingdom.
ISBN : 978-1-4592-5263-9
UNDERCOVER BACHELOR
First North American Publication 1999.
Copyright © 1999 by Rebecca Winters.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure Invention
This edition published by arrangements with Harlequin Books S A.
Undercover Bachelor Page 15
