by Maggie Cox
‘I’ve guarded my heart against falling in love for so long because I’ve had no good example of a man being sincere or keeping his word, and I witnessed the devastation that caused my mum. I was determined not to repeat it. But nothing could have prepared me for a man like you, Hal.’ She smiled. ‘Or the effect that you would have on me. I found myself dangerously fascinated by you almost straight away, and that feeling has grown stronger. So much so that I can’t be remotely sensible about what’s the best course of action for me any more.’
‘What kind of action does your heart want you to take?’ Hal prompted, his tawny eyes turning to a deeply hypnotic liquid gold that silently and irrefutably conveyed how aroused he was.
Unable to deny her need to touch him intimately any longer, Kit slid her hand round the back of his neck and slowly brought his face towards hers.
‘My heart tells me to kiss you until I’m drunk with the taste and flavour of you. Until it beats in tandem with yours. God knows I’ve tried, but I just can’t seem to resist you. But I’m sure you know that already, don’t you?’
‘I don’t take anything for granted where you’re concerned, baby, but I was hoping you’d say that. And I want you to know that I’m so sorry you had such a rough time of it growing up. But that time is past. And if it’s a place of your own that you want, then I’ll get it for you. I’m no psychic, sweetheart, but I can tell you right now that your future is looking much brighter.’
Even though his loving words thrilled her, and reassured her that he understood her need for a place that she could call her own, Kit couldn’t totally dispense with her anxiety about it. ‘I—I don’t just want a place of my own any more, Hal,’ she said softly. ‘I don’t care where I live so long as I can be with you. Is that—is that possible, do you think?’
‘Is it possible? Surely you know by now that’s what I want too?’
Even before he crushed her lips beneath his Hal was expertly undoing Kit’s buttons and sliding his hands inside the material of her pyjamas to cup her breasts. Then as their kiss deepened, with both their mouths opening hungrily to accommodate the other’s searching tongue, his fingers tugged on the aching steel buds of her nipples to inflame them even more. If Kit thought anything at all in those incendiary few seconds, it was about for how long and how passionately he would pleasure her. In turn, would she be able to repay him with equal pleasure?
She needn’t have worried. Proving he was as instinctive a lover as she could wish for, Hal’s fingers and thumbs started to ease her pyjama bottoms down over her svelte hips. As soon as he’d done so his hand returned to slide between her silken thighs and stroke over the sensitive bud at her moist centre.
Trembling with anticipation, Kit tore her lips away from his and dropped her head down onto his iron-hard shoulder. She’d had no idea that such staggering gratification was even possible until she’d fallen in love with this man. ‘Hal, please...’ she couldn’t help her voice breaking with need.
‘There’s no need to beg me for anything, baby,’ he responded huskily. ‘I know what you want and I know what you need. I know it because I feel the same. I want you so much that I think I’ll die if I can’t have you.’
He was kissing the smooth skin on her neck and nibbling it at the same time. Then in one smooth movement he lay back on the bed and, with his hands firmly on her hips, eased her body over his.
‘I don’t want you to die,’ Kit breathed, her hands fumbling at the fly of his jeans and tugging them down as carefully as she could over his strong, muscular thighs. Her blood palpably thrummed, because the need to feel his possession suddenly grew urgent.
Hal didn’t hesitate to oblige her. Shoving aside his black silk boxer shorts, he plunged his hardened silken shaft deep inside her and, lifting his hips, pressed upwards. Before, his persistent taps at her door had rendered her terrified, in case it was the precursor to a ghostly visitation, but now Kit’s full-throated cries of pleasure echoed uninhibitedly round the room instead, banishing any sense of sadness and regret that it might previously have held.
If their loving had anything to do with it, from now on she knew that it would be passion and joy that the bricks and mortar here were imbued with. And as heady desire enslaved them, guaranteeing they would be seductively preoccupied long into the night, the forceful storm of their loving shut out every memory of past hurt and disappointment that might have haunted them, ensuring the future was suddenly not half so fearful as they might once have imagined.
* * *
Just before the dawn broke Kit fell asleep in Hal’s arms. There was no question that she would do anything else. All self-doubt had fled. It had been replaced by calm, assured surrender to whatever came next. As long as they were together she knew she could face any adversity or sorrow and overcome it. That was what love did, she realised. It made you strong, not weak. All these years she’d been labouring under a cruel misconception. What was the point of living if you never experienced loving someone? If you were so afraid of being hurt that you never trusted the wisdom of your own heart? Searching for guarantees and trying to work it all out in your head, clearly wasn’t the answer. Decisions should be made out of love, not fear. From now on, Kit vowed, that would be her mantra.
When she woke a few hours later her eyes opened to find Hal examining her thoughtfully, casually resting back on his elbow as he gazed down at her. His arresting golden eyes, hard chiselled jaw and curling tousled hair was definitely a sight she would never tire of waking up to.
‘Are you all right?’ she asked, suddenly afraid that he might have needed her but had decided against disturbing her to let her know.
‘I’m fine. In fact I’m more than fine. I feel on top of the world. I’ve just been lying here wondering how on earth I’ve had the good fortune to attract someone as good and beautiful as you into my life.’
It wasn’t easy for Kit to keep her humour at bay. ‘Good fortune? Some people might think that the circumstances were a disaster. You broke your leg, remember? I suspect that had something to do with it.’
He scowled, gathered a coil of her russet hair between his fingers and for a few seconds examined it intently. ‘I confess I was expecting a much more romantic reply than that, sweetheart. It’s all well and good that one of your qualities is that you’re eminently sensible and pragmatic, but I’d like to know that you can be dreamy and romantic too.’
She hastened to reassure him. ‘I promise you I can. It’s just that it’s become rather a habit of mine to be sensible. In future one of the things I want to achieve is an ability to give myself permission to enjoy life more—to have fun and be silly if I want to and not worry about looking a fool.’
‘I’m glad to hear it. But you could never look like a fool, Kit. Talking of achieving things—do you remember when you came into my study and asked if there was anything else I’d like to achieve, other than all the business awards and sporting accolades displayed round the room?’
She nodded. ‘I do. As I recall, you said there were other things you’d like to achieve, and it did make me think.’
‘There’s not much you don’t remember, is there? I’ll have to watch out in the future if I dare forget your birthday or what kind of flowers you like. I’ll definitely be in the doghouse if I do.’ Grinning, Hal reached for her hand, then raised it to his lips and planted a kiss. ‘Well, to expand on that comment, the one thing I want to achieve above everything else is to find the woman of my dreams, marry her, then settle down to have a family.’
As Kit all but held her breath his golden-eyed gaze deepened meaningfully.
‘To that end, I’m asking you to marry me, Kit.’
She immediately sat up and stared at him. ‘You’re being serious?’
‘I most certainly am. And, trust me, this moment will be imprinted on my memory for many years to come.’ Disconcertingly, he chuckled. ‘Not jus
t because it’s one of the most momentous occasions of my life, but because I won’t be able to forget what you were wearing when I proposed.’
‘What I’m wearing? But I’m—’ Stricken with embarrassment, Kit realised she was naked. Her sensible pyjamas had long been dispensed with during the night. She made a grab for the counterpane and held it firmly over her breasts.
‘Naked!’ Hal finished for her, unrepentantly wrenching the counterpane back and giving her a lascivious smile. ‘And that’s just the way I want you. Because when you’ve given me your answer—and I’m hoping it’s the one I want to hear...’ He paused to deliver a tantalising little kiss on her mouth and then teasingly caught her lip between his teeth for a moment. ‘I intend to shut out the world for the rest of the day...’ another sizzling kiss was dropped at the satin juncture of her neck and shoulder ‘...and make wild, passionate love to you.’
It was difficult for Kit to comment because she was so stunned. Shyly, she determinedly freed the silk counterpane from his grip and tugged it back up over her breasts. ‘I’m far from against the idea, but you’re not supposed to overdo things, remember? We’ve already been up most of the night and... Exactly how wildly passionate are you intending to be?’
‘That’s for me to know and you to find out, angel. Now, stop wasting time worrying about me overdoing things, shut up, and let me propose again...but properly this time.’
Kit lost any inclination to argue. Keeping quiet was suddenly not such a challenge after all.
Pushing back his tousled dark hair, Hal made his handsome face assume a serious expression.
‘Katherine Blessington, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife and making me happy...far happier than any man has a right to hope to be on this earth?’
‘Yes, Henry Treverne, I will. I’ll marry you. Because I can’t imagine ever living without you and I love you much more than words could ever say. But I still won’t stop trying to find the right ones to tell you.’
His strong arms enveloped her then, and there was a magical sense of time standing still. It wasn’t just Hal who would remember these precious moments forever. Kit would hold them in her heart until the day she died.
A sudden sharp knock at the door made her gasp. Her pulse raced in shock. It raced even more when Hal’s father’s resonant voice enquired loudly, ‘Hal? Are you and Ms Blessington ready for a cooked breakfast? I thought we could all have it in the dining room this morning, and Mary tells me it’s going to be ready in about twenty minutes. Does that give you both enough time to shower and dress?’
Shaking his head in amusement, and hardly looking at all surprised, Hal answered, ‘Make it half an hour and we’ll be there on the dot. Thanks, Dad!’
‘Don’t mention it. It’s nice to have you home, son.’
Sir Henry’s receding footsteps echoed clearly round the room as he made his way back down the stone flags of the corridor.
‘Your father sounded like he knew you were in here with me.’ Kit’s blue eyes widened in disbelief. ‘How could he possibly know that?’
‘I told him last night that I was going to pay you a visit and propose to you. Turns out he didn’t have to be so patient in waiting for an answer as to when I’d marry and return home after all.’
‘You mean—you mean you discussed the fact that you love me and want to marry me? What did he say? Was he surprised? I don’t expect he was very happy. I’m sure he must believe you could do a whole lot better for yourself than me. Tell me, Hal—was he angry?’
‘Stop doubting and torturing yourself, will you? Of course he wasn’t angry. My father knows how lucky I am to have found you, and he certainly doesn’t think I could do any better. Class isn’t such an issue nowadays—and nor should it be when two people fall in love. And I’m no Prince Charming, devoid of any faults, so don’t kid yourself that I am, Kit. It’s me who’s the lucky one in this relationship. And the only thing my dad wants to be assured of is that I’m with someone I love, who loves me. He was as pleased as punch when I told him how I felt about you. He said he knew you were something special the moment he set eyes on you. Apparently my sister confirmed it for him. She talks to him on the phone at least once a day and she spoke very highly of you.’
‘All right, then. You’ve convinced me.’
‘Where are you going?’
Having thrown back the covers, Kit was hurriedly stepping into her pyjama bottoms and reaching for the top half that lay discarded on the counterpane. Her hair tumbled in a riot of burnished copper waves down over her slim pale shoulders and alluring naked breasts and Hal thought she resembled an enchanting elfin sprite from one of his and Sam’s childhood fairy stories—but a very sexy red-haired sprite. He almost wanted to pinch himself, to check he wasn’t dreaming that she’d agreed to marry him.
‘I’m going to go and take a shower and then get dressed. I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to turn down the offer of a cooked breakfast any time soon. When I’m done I’ll come and help you.’
Hal couldn’t help releasing a very audible curse and, echoing his frustration, his injured leg began to throb. ‘It’s bad enough that I have to endure the thought of you showering naked on your own when I want to join you. There’s not much I can do about that...but then to suffer the indignity of you looking at me with those big baby-blue eyes like I’m some poor helpless invalid...’ He cursed again and impatiently scraped his hair back off his forehead. ‘You have no idea what I’d give to be able to get up and carry you into that blasted shower myself!’
‘You’re wrong, Hal.’
Her voice was more tenderly compassionate than he’d ever heard it before, and Kit returned to his side of the bed and carefully sat down.
Taking his hand in between hers, she said, ‘I know how much it tears at your self-esteem and your pride that you can’t do all the things you did with ease before the accident. But, honestly, with all the progress you’re making it will be no time at all before you’re walking around again, fully fit, and chasing me round the kitchen for a kiss to boot!’
‘And joining you in the shower?’ Despite the flash of irritability and frustration that had seized him, Kit’s calm-voiced reassurance had done a lot to alleviate Hal’s concerns. With pleasure, he saw that she was blushing too.
‘I’ll look forward to it,’ she said, and smiled.
‘Well, I suppose you’d better go and get ready. We shouldn’t let that cooked breakfast go to waste, should we?’
‘Are you kidding? Something tells me I’m going to need to eat all the cooked breakfasts I can get to build up my strength if I’m to meet your insatiable demands, Hal Treverne.’
Dropping a kiss on the side of his cheek, she got to her feet and disappeared into the bathroom...
EPILOGUE
One year later
KNOWING THAT HER adventurous husband was champing at the bit to be off on the most taxing mountaineering hike he’d undertaken since his leg had fully healed—this time on Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Britain—Kit hesitated outside the stately bedroom in the private wing they’d made their home in at Falteringham House.
They’d moved in shortly after they’d married because Hal had decided it was time he came back to his ancestral home and learned the ropes of running the estate with his father. Kit had agreed. Although it wasn’t easy, getting used to living in such a grand place, she was definitely adapting to it and had been delighted when her father-in-law, Sir Henry, had asked if she’d like to take over the PR aspects of running the estate. She’d taken to the job like a fish to water.
But now Hal was busy packing his gear to head off to Ben Nevis, and she couldn’t help anxiously biting down on her lip at the thought of the adventure he had ahead of him. He would only be gone for the weekend, but any separation from him had to be endured always seemed like purgatory to Kit. Sometimes s
he would swear that they were literally two halves of the same soul, and even after nearly a year’s marriage their need for each other seemed to grow even greater, not lessen. However, she had promised him on their wedding day that she would never seek to curtail the sports and adventures that gave him pleasure just because she was fearful of the danger he might put himself in. Hal was a loving and devoted husband, and challenging himself was part of who he was. Kit wouldn’t want him to be any different.
But maybe today she had good reason to revise that view...
Lifting her hand and briefly sucking in a steadying breath, she rapped on the walnut door. ‘Hal? I know you’re busy, but can I come in for a minute?’
No sooner had she finished speaking than he opened the door, and just as though she’d been brought face to face with his six-foot-two, straight-legged frame for the very first time her heart skipped a beat. He was wearing faded jeans and a dark blue chambray shirt, and his tawny chameleon eyes glinted with pleasure as soon as they alighted on his wife’s face.
Straight away his arms encircled her waist to bring her close against him. ‘Since when do you need to knock on the door to ask if you can come in? This is your bedroom too, sweetheart.’
‘I know.’ She smiled, but her voice was perhaps not as steady as she would have liked it to be. ‘I just thought I’d see how you were getting on with your packing and if you needed any help.’
‘You can’t resist offering to help me, can you?’ Hal lowered his head to brush his warm lips tenderly across his wife’s. ‘I know you mean well, angel, but I’ve been climbing and hiking long enough over the years to know the drill for how to pack and what to take.’ His smooth brow puckered for a moment. ‘But that’s not it, is it? I mean that’s not the reason you wanted to come in and talk to me? Is everything okay? I know you’ve been feeling a little under par since we came back from our trip to Morocco a few weeks ago. Do you think it’s something you ate that’s caused it?’
