“One kiss.” His voice hung in the air between them, husky and seductive.
Could he mean…? Sara shook her head. “I’ll not be made a fool of,” she warned.
“I’m perfectly serious. All I ask is one kiss, and the house is yours—every board and brick. I had Pratt draw up the papers this evening. It’s why I came so late—I’ve been waiting for him to finish with the blasted document for three hours.”
He looked so annoyed that a giggle almost slipped out. Sara quickly turned away, aware of a lightening in her heart. Would she deny him even this? Could she? The thought of a kiss was too tempting. Her loneliness swelled to an ache, and she turned back. “Only one.”
Just one, tiny kiss. What harm can it do?
She closed her eyes and waited to be swept into a passionate embrace. Instead, Nick slowly placed his lips to hers, the gesture hesitant, almost reverent.
And she realized it wasn’t just a kiss, but also a promise. A promise of change, so tender, so overwhelming, that she leaned into the embrace, tears springing behind her lids, her own heart leaping in answer.
Nick murmured, “I love you, Sara. I always will. And I will never again close you out of my heart.” He gazed into her eyes, then turned back to the window.
She watched him push back the curtain and swing one leg over the casement. Then he turned to look at her, his heart in his eyes. “Good-bye, Sara.”
She managed to swallow. “I’m leaving in the morning. I hope…I hope you’ll at least write to me. I’m not sure where we’ll be staying, but—”
“Wherever you go, I will find you. I promise.” He turned and stepped onto the ladder.
There was a note of finality to the sound. Suddenly, Sara was moving toward him. “Nick?”
He looked back.
Sara crossed the room to stand in front of him. “I want another kiss.”
His breath passed sharply through his lips. “Of course.”
Just as he leaned toward her, she placed her hands on his chest. “But first, there are a few things we must settle.”
His gaze burned into hers. “Name them.”
A feeling of power tingled through Sara. “I am not a child. In the future, whenever you have a problem, you must promise to bring it to me. I daresay I could handle your illness much better than you have.”
A faint smile touched his lips. “More than likely.”
“Second, you will promise to love me and only me, for the rest of your life.”
“I do.”
“And if you ever again dare presume to decide what I want and don’t want, I will leave you and I will not come back, whether I love you or not. Do you understand?”
He sat very still, his eyes a brilliant blue. “You love me?”
“Of course I love you! Why else would I care if you were with Lucilla—whom I will never forgive for her part in your little deception. I may have to be severe in my dealings with her.”
He swung his leg back over the casement. “I almost pity her.”
“Don’t waste your time.” A thought suddenly dawned. “Oh! And one more thing…the ruby ring? Do you still have it?”
A slow smile crossed his face and he nodded. “I have the whole set, my love.”
Smiling, she twined her arms about his neck and drew him to her. “I believe it’s time I gave up the Lawrence sapphires for the Bridgeton rubies.”
He placed his hands on her waist. “Whatever you want, Sara. Just stay with me and love me. I wish I could promise you that our life will be easy, but I can’t.”
“No one can promise that. And so long as you don’t mind if I continue to try and find a cure for your headaches, I think we will be fine.” Sara met his gaze steadily. “May I come home?”
His eyes darkened, and he pulled her against him. “Every night before I go to bed, I stop by your stillroom and imagine you there.” His voice grew husky. “Do you remember the last time, Sara?”
She could feel him, hard and ready, straining against his breeches. God, how she had missed his touch, the ardor they shared. She ached for him even within the clasp of his arms. “I have to warn you, Nick. Some of the remedies may not taste as good as my last one.” She traced a finger down his chest, lingering at his nipple. To her satisfaction, he caught his breath as it puckered. “And some may require direct application to your naked skin.”
He caught her hand and pressed a kiss to it. “Perhaps we should invest in more beehives, my love.”
“Oh, yes,” she said breathlessly as her handsome husband placed delicate kisses on each of her fingers. “I have the feeling we’re going to need lots and lots of honey.”
About the Author
New York Times bestselling author KAREN HAWKINS recently moved to sunny Orlando, Florida, so she could take her afternoon writer’s nap on a lounge chair on her lanai beneath gently waving palm fronds. A fervent believer in the benefits of Extra Sleep (as well as the cathartic effects of Krispy Kreme donuts), Karen loves her job and enjoys hearing from readers! Please check out her website for her release schedule at www.karenhawkins.com or write to her at P.O. Box 149924, Orlando, FL 32814-9924.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
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Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
THE SEDUCTION OF SARA. Copyright © 2001 by Karen Hawkins. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub © Edition SEPTEMBER 2009 ISBN: 9780061977107
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