Keeping Her Up All Night (16 page)

‘Then that’s what you’ll do.’

He was so confident for her it gave her such a boost.

Maybe she could do it. She could. If she didn’t have to run the shop full time.

‘I’ve been thinking about your shop. How about letting Serena run it? She seems to like the business. She could hire a couple of people to work weekends for her. And you could let her stay in your flat.’

‘But where will I stay?’

He smiled. ‘Here.’

Eventually he led her downstairs where, thankfully for her wobbly legs, he had a sitting room with a proper sofa and chairs. Even a thick Persian rug. The plastic covers were still on the sofas, so instead she let her feet sink into the sumptuous pile of the rug.

‘The whole place needs furnishing properly,’ he said, looking around. ‘I thought you might like to have a say in that.’

She lifted her brows. ‘Me?’

‘Yeah. You see, I was hoping …’

She noted a sudden tension in his stance.

Her pulse made an excited leap and her heart began to bump against the wall of her chest. A throbbing, vibrant tension inhabited the space between them, as if something momentous was about to happen.

He dropped his gaze. ‘You know, I never thought I’d trust a woman to love me after what happened.’

‘I know.’ Her heart ached for him so fiercely she had to apply another tissue to her eyes. ‘I’m not surprised. It was a horrible tragedy. No one would get over it easily.’

He shrugged. ‘Oh, well … Worse things have happened to people. But when I met
you
… When I saw you for who you are …’

It was hard not to cry when someone was saying such beautiful sincere things. But she willed back the tears, pressed her lips together and held her breath.

His eyes were so warm and tender it was worth the struggle. ‘I fell in love with you right away.’

She smiled. ‘Did you?’

‘Yeah. That day you told me off in the shop. I’m still madly in love with you, if you want to know.’

‘I do want to know.’ She felt her smile bubbling up inside and pouring through every pore.

‘Yeah?’ He grinned and kissed her.

She kissed him in return. ‘I want to know every single thing.’

He laughed, and she laughed too, though it was pretty shaky, what with her feeling so excited and emotional and her eyes being constantly washed with salt water.

‘You know,’ she said breathlessly, ‘I’ve been wanting to tell you for so long. About how I love you.’

His eyes glowed. ‘Honestly?’

She beamed. ‘Honestly and sincerely. With all my heart.’

He took her in his arms and kissed her. It was a deep, fervent and intensely satisfying affirmation. Afterwards they were both breathless, and not a little aroused. He was such a passionate, emotional guy. He always brought out the best in her.

‘You know, you’re the most beautiful, unique and special woman I ever knew in my life.’

‘Truly?’ she breathed, hardly able to believe what she was hearing.

‘Absolutely,’ he said firmly. ‘So now I want you to tell me the honest truth about something.’ He held her a little away from him and studied her face. ‘Honestly, now. Do you want to actually get married?’

He crinkled his brow a little. His crow’s feet were charmingly in evidence, somewhere between a frown and a wince.

She hesitated, trying to read his eyes. What if she said the wrong thing here? She could absolutely ruin the moment. But … it was their moment of truth. Would any moment so tender ever come again?

And she knew she just
had
to be true to her inner nerd.

‘Well, actually, Guy …’ she said, her heart bursting with love and hope. Crossing her fingers, she took a deep breath. ‘In actual fact … yes.’

He smiled. Then he laughed. ‘Yeah, I thought you’d say that.’ He grinned again. ‘Great. We’ll get married.’

Her heart nearly exploded, her joy was so rapturous. But other sensations were fast asserting themselves—some of them due to that rug and its marvellous feel under her feet.

There was something truly sensuous and voluptuous about a Persian rug.

As her lover kissed her to the floor, thrilling her with the intensity of his desire, she couldn’t help sparing a thought for that silly, empty woman who’d thrown away the most gorgeous man on the planet. The most honourable. And the most loving. And very possibly the most virile.

Inspired by the impressive manifestations of his affection, she said huskily, ‘Would you like me to show you Straddle Position Number Seven?’

A piercing hot flame lit his eyes. When he spoke his voice was deeper than a subterranean seam of the purest dark chocolate. ‘Oh, Amber.’ The heartfelt growl in his voice was utterly convincing. ‘Sweetheart, you truly are the most bewitching woman alive.’

All the 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 the incidents are pure invention.

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First published in Great Britain 2012
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited.
Harlequin (UK) Limited, Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road,
Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR

© Ann Cleary 2012

ISBN: 978-1-408-97426-1