by Anna Cleary
He kissed her so deeply and tenderly she nearly swooned. It had been so long. And all the time she was thinking—my darling girl? She was still his darling girl? Her heart began to thrill with the most fantastic instinct. Could it be…?
‘Oh,’ she said at last after she’d gasped in some air. ‘Of course it would all have happened. You’d have still gone to Monte Carlo and found out the real truth about who you are. And I know you’d have gone to see Amelie in the end.’
His face became grave. ‘Possibly, and all of those things were important, of course. But the most important was us. Don’t you think?’
She nodded for seconds, unable to prevent herself from beaming, and, after all she’d done to try to reclaim them, her eyes filled up with more tears. ‘I do think so. Yes, Joe, I do.’
She noticed then that Joe’s eyes had that shimmer she’d only seen once before, the day in Antibes, and her heart surged with love and tenderness for him.
‘I wanted to tell you so many times while we were away.’ His voice was serious, his stunning eyes alight with a sincere, ardent glow. ‘But there always seemed to be so much going on, the moment didn’t arrive. So I’ll try to say it now. I love you, Mirandi. You’re the only one for me. I—love you so much I don’t ever want to be without you again.’
She felt as if pure, incandescent joy must shine from her. ‘And I love you, my darling Joe,’ she breathed. ‘I’ve always loved you.’
‘Really?’ To her absolute amazement, he got off the bed and onto his knees. She stared at him, fascinated. Then he said, ‘Well, then, Mirandi… Will you—will you marry me?’
Her most precious, solemn moment had arrived and she felt composed solely of starbursts and ecstasy and bubbling, hilarious laughter. ‘Oh, yes, yes! I’ll marry you.’
She couldn’t help giggling as he got up off the floor, but he grabbed her to him then with such masculine conviction, kissing her back against the pillows, that she was stirred with nothing but the gravest respect.
She was just settling into position for some fantastic and overdue pre-marital bliss when Joe raised his head and interrupted his passionate appreciation of her. ‘Er…excuse me a second. I’ve only just got off the plane. Customs, you know. And then there was the wait in the hall. Where’s the bathroom here?’
She sighed. ‘It’s just through there and down that hall.’
‘Won’t be a second.’ As he strode off in the direction of the bathroom a shocking thought struck her.
‘Joe.’
She bounded from the bed and raced to catch up with him. Cutting him off, she darted in front of him in the nick of time and stood with her back to the door.
‘Joe, you can’t go in there.’
He looked thoroughly bemused. ‘I can’t? Why not?’
She gazed at him for seconds while a million complex thoughts scrambled to make sense of themselves inside her mushy brain.
His black brows merged together in total perplexity. ‘Why not, Mirandi? What is it?’ His tone grew demanding. ‘What’s—who’s in that bathroom?’
She let out a long breath. ‘Well, Joe…my darling Joe.’ She smiled and trailed her fingers up his gorgeous arms and clung to them as tightly as she could. ‘You see…as it happens…there’s something I may have to tell you.’
ISBN: 978-1-4592-0559-8
DO NOT DISTURB
First North American Publication 2011
Copyright © 2011 by Anna Cleary
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.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
For questions and comments about the quality of this book please contact us at [email protected].
® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
www.eHarlequin.com
