She was tempted to say yes, but shook her head anyway. ‘I can manage.’
He smiled wryly. ‘Hmm, just my luck. Don’t lock the door, and shout if you need anything.’
When he had gone, she quickly pulled herself together. Finding some bath salts on a shelf, she added a liberal amount before shedding her clothes and sinking gratefully into the water. It was sheer bliss, and she felt the warmth begin to work on her strained muscles. Sighing, she let her thoughts drift away, only to have them rudely interrupted when she heard the door open.
‘I’ve brought you that drink you refused last night,’ he informed her, looking amused by the frantic attempts she was making to cover herself with the inadequate sponge.
Deciding it was a wasted effort, she abandoned the attempt, and accepted the glass with all the aplomb she could manage. ‘Thank you.’
Grey eyes danced. ‘You’re welcome. I’ll take your clothes and find you something else to wear.’ At the door, he glanced back. ‘Don’t fall asleep and drown, will you? I wouldn’t want to lose you so soon.’
She caught her breath. ‘You plan on keeping me, then?’
Kerr sobered a little. ‘If you want to stay.’
Maxi glanced down into the golden brandy. So, he still had doubts that she might leave. She liked that—it meant he was taking nothing for granted. ‘You’ll have to convince me it would be worth my while,’ she told him huskily, and immediately his smile returned with confidence.
‘Oh, I intend to,’ he promised, and once more left her alone.
Maxi sipped at her drink, a cat-like smile curving her lips. Her visit home hadn’t turned out the way she had expected at all. She had had to fight all the way, but she was glad she’d done it, because now she knew the greatest prize of all was within her grasp.
When she walked out of the bathroom almost an hour later, swathed in an enormous bath sheet, she came to an abrupt halt. Laid out carefully on the bed was a dress—a plain ivory silk shift beneath a chiffon over-dress that would fall in gentle folds to just above her knees. But not only that, there were shoes and underwear, too, and standing by the dresser was her own make-up case. She was still staring at it all in astonishment, when Kerr walked in.
‘Oh good, you’re out. I was just coming to tell you it was getting late,’ he declared offhandedly, increasing her confusion.
‘Getting late for what? And what is all this?’ she cast an arm over the laden bed.
‘They’re not my size, so they must be for you,’ he quipped as he disappeared into his dressing-room, emerging a minute or two later with an armful of clothes. ‘I rang Fliss and asked her to bring something over, as your clothes were ruined. You’re much of a size, so they should fit.’
Feeling weak, Maxi sank down on to the edge of the bed. ‘I don’t understand. What’s going on?’
‘Bear with me, Maxi. We never did do the things I’d planned before. This time we’re going to do it right. So don’t waste time arguing, just go and get ready, hmm? I’ll meet you downstairs later,’ was all the answer she got before he vanished once more.
There was little else she could do but follow his advice. The dress was a perfect fit, she discovered, after she had slipped into the underwear and applied some make-up. Fliss had added Maxi’s own single rope of pearls to the collection, and it provided the finishing touch, with her hair a lush black swath resting on her shoulders. As she descended the stairs, she felt her heart begin to beat a little faster.
She found Kerr waiting for her in the lounge, looking magnificent in his black dinner suit. At her entrance, he froze, and all her sophistication seemed to leave her when she saw the warmth in his eyes deepen to a blaze.
‘Will I do?’
Kerr crossed to her, framing her face with his large gentle hands. ‘Do? You take my breath away,’ he confessed huskily, and brushed a feather-light kiss over her lips before releasing her. He held out his arm, then, in olde worlde gallantry, and with a tingle of delight she took it and allowed him to lead her out to the waiting car.
Maxi spent the first part of the journey in a nerve-tingling anticipation. She stared out of the window, but it was proof enough that her mind was on other things that it was a good ten minutes before she realised she didn’t know where they were going.
‘Are you going to tell me where you’re taking me, or is that a secret?’ she asked, not really minding if they just kept driving forever.
Kerr didn’t take his eyes from the road. ‘I’m taking you home, Maxi. Back to where it all started.’
Her lips parted on a silent gasp. ‘London?’
Reaching forward, he switched on the radio, filling the car with soft music. ‘Full circle. So just sit back and relax. There’s nothing for you to worry about. Nothing at all.’
She was content to leave it at that, but when she found her eyes kept straying to him she shifted in her seat so that she could watch him more comfortably. It gave her a great satisfaction to know he was hers, that their hearts would belong even if they were worlds apart. It was good to know that someone, somewhere, cared about her.
Kerr didn’t drive straight to his house, but to a restaurant tucked away from the main streets. The atmosphere had a friendly warmth, but each table was discreetly secluded with a romanticism that only the French seemed to be able to produce. They were shown to a table by the window, Kerr conversing with the waiter in fluent French. The man then threw up his hands in typical Gallic fashion, turned to her with a beaming smile, and bowed, all the time keeping up a veritable flood of words.
Taken aback, Maxi could only smile and nod, and when he left, turned a questioning face to Kerr. ‘I didn’t understand a word. What did he say?’
Kerr grinned, reaching across the table to take her hand. ‘Roughly translated, he was delighted to see me here with you. He thinks you’re a very beautiful lady, and that we make a perfect couple. But, as he could see we were in love and only wanted to talk to each other, he’d leave us alone. You’re blushing.’
With a self-conscious laugh, Maxi raised her free hand to her burning cheek. ‘It’s silly, I know, because he’s probably said that to every woman you’ve brought here!’
Kerr’s fingers tightened, and his face was all at once serious. ‘I’ve never brought any other woman here. That’s why he was so surprised and delighted. You see, I kept this place for you. I could never have brought anyone else here.’
His confession turned her eyes into sparkling navy pools. ‘Never?’
‘If that makes me a romantic fool, I don’t care. I knew I’d never love anyone the way I loved you. This was to be our special place. I hoped you’d like it,’ he went on softly.
‘Oh, Kerr, I’m sorry I spoilt it for you by seeming not to be woman you thought I was. I would have liked it as much then as I do now. It’s perfect. I’m glad you never brought another woman here. I would have been jealous and hurt if you had!’ Maxi exclaimed with a broken laugh. ‘It’s the sort of place you’d want to come back to each anniversary.’
‘It’s a little unnerving to discover just how alike we think. That was what I thought the very first time I came here,’ Kerr declared, looking about them. ‘It has the sort of atmosphere that makes you think anything is possible.’
‘I know what you mean,’ Maxi agreed, smiling. ‘I had no idea you were such a romantic.’
‘We never got the chance to find out. Fate was against us that night, but something happened that made it impossible to forget. Perhaps we needed to go through the fire to reach this point in our lives. Something so hard-won has to be special,’ he replied gravely.
She stared at him, a tiny frown marring her brow. ‘Does it feel special to you, Kerr?’ How could she help having some uncertainties, when their struggle had been so bitter?
‘Never more so, and by the end of the day I promise you’ll think so too,’ he told her confidently.
And as the evening progressed, it seemed he was right. There was magic in the air as Kerr wooed her with good
food and fine words. He created a world for them that allowed nothing to invade it. This, she knew, was how it should have been, all those years ago. When they left, several hours later, Maxi went into the shelter of his arm easily, feeling cherished. She hummed a tune to herself as they walked back to the car, and it was as natural as breathing to turn up her head to receive Kerr’s kiss as he opened the door for her.
The mood lingered as he drove them back to his house, the place where it had all begun. She followed him inside, and when he closed the front door he shut out the real world, locking them into one of their own making. Her heart fluttered, increasing its beat when she looked at him. Kerr smiled, holding out his hand, and she took it, allowing him to lead her down the hall, wishing time could be suspended, and that they could stay like this forever.
She realised where he was leading her, to the conservatory—back to the very beginning. As he opened the glass door, Kerr spoke for the first time.
‘It was a long time ago, but it seems just like yesterday to me. I remember looking up, and across the room I saw Columbine. It was as if I’d been struck by lightning. There seemed to be this tremendous energy flowing between us. I’d never felt anything like it before.’ Slowly he drew her down the labyrinthine paths to the end overlooking the garden. ‘I’d heard of love at first sight, but I’d scoffed at the idea until I met you. It seemed to me that I’d known you forever, and suddenly I felt complete, although I’d never felt a part of me was missing before.’
He halted, and Maxi went into his arms, resting her head against his chest, hearing the reassuringly solid thud of his heart. ‘I felt that too,’ she confessed softly.
His arms tightened about her, his chin coming down to rub over her hair. ‘I knew. I seemed to know everything. We didn’t need words, although we spoke volumes. We make each other whole, Maxi. The world, without you, is a colourless place. I love you.’
No one had ever said anything so beautiful to her before. Had she doubted him, then he had just removed that doubt as if it had never been, and she glanced up, her heart in her eyes. ‘I love you, too.’
For long seconds his eyes scorched deeply into hers, then he closed them with the touch of his lips, tracing her face until he found her mouth, taking her lips with a gentleness that captured her soul, and sealing them with a vow of eternal devotion.
‘Love is all we need. With it we can move mountains,’ he declared against her lips.
She eased a breath away. ‘When I came back, you were so cold to me, like ice.’
He laughed softly. ‘And you were like an angry volcano. It’s a much proven scientific fact that heat melts ice, Maxi. I might not have given that impression, but you melted me,’ he countered.
‘It didn’t seem like it to me.’
Now Kerr moved, easing her away so that he could look down at her. ‘How could I let you see? I had my pride too. If I’d known then what I do now, it could have been different.’
Maxi frowned. ‘How could I tell you? At first I didn’t think you had any right to know, and later...I thought I hated you too much to tell you.’
With his thumb he smoothed the crease away. ‘Darling, I thought I hated you too, but I soon realised that I couldn’t be hurt so much by what I thought you’d done if I didn’t still care for you.’
Her smile wavered just a little. ‘I never wanted to hurt you, even when I tried to. All I ever really wanted to do was love you!’ she exclaimed, choked, and cast her arms about his neck again, burying her face against his throat. ‘I wanted you to be the first,’ she admitted raggedly, and felt the sudden deep intake of his breath as he realised just what she was saying.
‘God knows, I would have been proud to be,’ his gruff reply grazed her ear. ‘I dreamt of the pleasure we would give each other. Instead of despising you, I should have been suspicious. You needed help, and I could have helped you. When I think of how I abandoned you into his filthy hands... Hell, they can’t lock him up long enough as far as I’m concerned!’ Kerr growled fiercely.
That made her smile, and she struggled free again, raising her hand to his cheek. ‘Don’t think about it. Think only of this. You will be the first for me. You see, I never felt with him what I do with you. I don’t know what physical pleasure is.’
Kerr closed his eyes briefly. ‘Then I’ll show you, Maxi. It’s the most beautiful thing in the world—when two people love each other. I want to love you the way you deserve to be loved. To give you the pleasure that’s yours by right,’ he declared with an eloquence that made her heart want to burst with love.
He picked her up then, and carried her through the house and up to his room. By the bed he set her on her feet, scanning her face for long seconds before turning her so that he could unzip her dress, pushing it from her shoulders until it fell in a pool at her feet. Gentle hands on her shoulders urged her to face him, and his eyes ran in a brief caress over her body, clad still in strapless bra and panties.
Silently he released her, and removed his own clothes down to his shorts. When she raised a tentative hand to touch him, he held her away. ‘Not this time, Maxi. You won’t have to do anything. This is for you.’ He lifted her again, laying her on the bed and coming to join her. One arm cushioned her head, while the other brushed the hair from her eyes.
Very gently his lips began to explore her face, tracing a line of tender kisses over her brow, her eyes and cheeks, skirting her lips to seek the tender flesh beneath her chin, finding and claiming the rapidly beating pulse at the base of her throat. Maxi caught her breath—she had never been kissed so delicately before—and her lashes drifted down as she slowly relaxed, savouring the new experience.
It was strange how a man’s strength could be so gentle, that leashed power held strongly back so as not to frighten or alarm. The brush of his fingers as he released the catch of her bra made her shiver, raising the hairs on her skin and bringing her breasts peaking into hard points. She held her breath, longing for the caress of his hands, but Kerr didn’t touch her. Tossing the lace scrap aside, he eased himself away so that he could look down at her, then his fingers skimmed along her arm to her hand, raising it so he could press his lips into her palm.
She blinked up at him then, in surprise, and found him watching her with an intensity that made the muscles of her stomach clench, and her heart leap into her throat.
‘You are so beautiful,’ he murmured, placing her arm around his neck and finally bringing his mouth down on hers. Yet it was no brutal invasion, but a tender ravishment that urged her to meet him, to join him in this new world they could discover together, and Maxi found herself rising to meet each new caress of his lips and tongue, murmuring incoherent words of pleasure.
But all too soon his lips trailed away, and she gave a moan of disappointment until she felt them moving down over her throat and across her shoulder, with each increased beat of her heart moving closer to where her breasts began to swell and ache for his touch. When finally his mouth closed on her flesh, the shock rocked her, and she cried out in a delight that knifed its way through her body, arching her throat, closing her eyes in helpless wonderment. Unawares, the hands that lay on his shoulders clenched, nails digging into him.
‘Oh, Kerr, I...don’t stop,’ she urged, and heard his pure male growl of satisfaction. Her body contracted in instant response to that wild sound.
With her encouragement, he worshipped each swollen globe in turn, arousing in her a response she had never dreamed of feeling before. She began finding it hard to lie still, and her hands spread out over the supple planes of his shoulders. His shudder of pleasure started a throb deep inside her; some deep part of herself was going molten, like lava, heating her up. When she felt him strip away her final covering, she knew only a glorious sense of abandonment. His hands were like hot silk on her skin, gliding over her thighs, soothing her jerk of surprise as they traversed her inner thigh, seeking the core of her.
The gentle caress of his fingers over that most sensitive part of her made
her gasp as a spiral of pleasure shot through her, tensing and coiling, building towards a burst of alien delight that arched her back and made her cry out loud.
Her long-drawn-out, ‘O-oh!’ ended with the brush of his lips on hers, and she opened dazed eyes to stare wonderingly up at him. ‘I didn’t know anything could fe—’ His lips cut off her words, gently bruising hers as they sought and received her response.
‘That was only the beginning, my beautifully sensuous love,’ he declared with a gasping laugh that set her blood racing.
Her eyes remained locked on him as he rolled from her to shrug out of the rest of his clothes, revealing the aroused perfection of his strong male body, and she held out her arms to him, lips curved in a smile as old as time itself.
Kerr came down on her with a groan, his body trembling in her arms. Yet still he did not let go of that rigid control. He took his time arousing her even further, letting her have the freedom of his body, and Maxi thrilled to his response to her touch. Her heart pounded as she caressed him with all the ingenuity of her love, feeling his heat scorch her as hers did him. Their bodies became slick as they moved together, conducting an electric charge that set the very air around them sparking.
Maxi welcomed the weight of him as he moved over her. It had never felt right before to lie beneath a man. Because this was the man, the one she loved beyond all reason, and when he eased her thighs apart and entered her she felt as if he had taken possession of her very soul. Kerr stopped then, looking down at her. His face was taut with the effort of keeping control, but she wanted him to lose it, to feel the wonderful delirium she felt, so she arched herself into him, moving in silent invitation. Then there was no more time, for at her sign Kerr abandoned that monumental control, thrusting into her with a rhythm she matched eagerly, clinging to him as he bore them both higher and higher on that coil of tension, until finally it broke in a white-hot explosion that carried them way over the edge into their own paradise.
Time stood still for an eternity, until gradually awareness returned. Maxi could hear her heart beating in time with Kerr’s, hear the rasp of his breathing as his head lay buried in her shoulder. He was a weight she welcomed, for he had given her pleasure beyond compare. Reverently her hand stroked the line of his spine, until he stirred, lifting himself from her, taking her with him as he rolled on to his back.
An Old Enchantment (Harlequin Treasury 1990's) Page 17