The Perfect Temptation

by Leslie LaFoy

  pleased for you."

  ''My destiny came more quietly, but DO less fully than

  yours." Cupping Alex's cheek, she smiled and said firmly,

  "The time for farewells is over. Go with your Aiden and be

  happy. I will see you in a year's time, my Alex."

  Yes, all things in their time. And the time had come to

  walk away. She stepped back and looked at them all, gave

  them each a reassuring smile.

  "Ready to go?” Aiden asked softly, his hand slipping

  comfortingly to the small of her back.

  She smiled up at him and nodded, then let him take her

  hand and lead her to the horse.

  He swung up and smoothly across and then grinned down

  at her. "Would you like me to sweep you off your feet,

  princess?"

  She laughed, remembering their conversation and suddenly

  understanding why he'd ridden a white horse today.

  For just this moment, just to make real that young woman's

  starry-eyed, impossible dream. ''You did that some time ago,

  my handsome prince."

  "And I'm not about to drop you. Ever," he promised.

  ''Thro around, darling, and I'll lift you up."

  Aiden settled her sideways across his lap and wrapped his

  free arm around her waist to hold her close. She slipped her

  arms around him and curled into him, her head nestled into

  the crook of his shoulder. His world right, his head and his

  heart firmly centered. he pressed a kiss into her hair and

  asked. ''Is there anything you need off that ship?"

  She snuggled closer and sighed contentedly. "No. What

  was crated, I ordered unpacked. I simply locked the door of

  the Blue Elephant and left it all behind Even my valise was

  empty."

  ''Why?'' he asked. turning the horse around and letting it

  amble away from the docks. .

  ''In the depths of my heart, I knew you'd come for me,

  that I really wasn't going to leave. It was an act of faith."

  "You know me better than I know myself."

  She laughed softly. "Isn't that the way it should be?".

  "Yes, it is."

  She sat up a bit, just enough to meet his gaze. "I love you,

  Aiden. With all that I am."

  "I know," he whispered, pressing a languid kiss to her

  forehead.

  "You aren't concerned that I told Preeya our children

  would be born in India, are you?"

  India, huh? He grinned. "I didn't know that you had. No

  one translated the conversation for me."

  "I'm sorry."

  "There's no need to be, darling," he assured her, chuckling

  and hugging her. "I heard my name often enough that I

  didn't feel the least excluded. And I think the idea of our

  children being born in India is an excellent one. They should

  know the world that helped make their mother the incredible

  woman she is."

  "You know," she mused, slowly wiggling deeper and

  closer into the space between his thighs. "Marrying a

  princess makes you a prince."

  "Prince Aiden? For God's sake, don't tell anyone. It

  sounds ridiculous."

  She drew an arm from around him and trailed a fingertip

  down the buttons of his shirtfront. "As an Indian prince," she

  said, undoing the button just above the waistband of his

  trousers, "you're rather expected to take other wives and

  mistresses."

  "Well, they're going to be disappointed," he managed to

  say, acutely aware that she was opening the button on his

  waistband. He hardened instantly and had to shift under her

  to accommodate it. "I'm not going to have the time or the

  energy for them," he finished raggedly, his heart hammering.

  "That's good to know."

  He knew what she was going to do and yet she still caught

  him by surprise. The rhythm of the horse's gait combined

  with the slow friction of her hand against his skin was wildly

  provocative, the bold, deliberate caress of his abdomen setting

  his blood on fire. He groaned as she slipped her band

  lower to create the most exquisite torture he'd ever endured.

  "Jesus, Alex," he gasped, smiling down into her upturned

  face. "Do you want me to make love to you right here on this

  horse?"

  Her eyes lit up and her grin went brilliantly bright, deliciously

  unholy. His blood sang, his toes curled, and he

  stopped breathing. If he could just get them as far as the carriage

  house ...

  He lifted her up, turning her so that she faced forward,

  and then settled her astride and fully, firmly between his

  thighs. His arm wrapped tightly around her waist. he pulled

  her close.

  ''We're going home," he promised as he kicked the horse

  into a canter, as the sweet temptation in his arms laughed

  and claimed every last measure of his heart and soul.