‘Something I’d better put right, then. Another first,’ he added with blatantly male satisfaction, and began to pay slow, subtle attention to every inch of her until Sarah made it passionately clear she could endure the delicious agony no longer, and Jake surged inside her to take her on a fiery, gasping quest for the rapture they achieved almost in unison.
It was a long time before either of them spoke afterwards, but at last Jake raised his head. ‘Well?’ he demanded.
Sarah let out a deep, unsteady breath. ‘I now realise why the others were so keen on this.’
‘The others?’
‘The other students I knew. Those you’ve met, and a lot more besides. I was the only one who kept my bed strictly to myself.’
Jake propped himself up on an elbow to look down into her face. ‘You must have had a few problems with that?’
‘Quite a lot, at first. But eventually it was taken for granted that my experience with Davy was the problem.’ Sarah smiled up at him. ‘You’re the only one who knows the truth.’
Jake trailed a caressing finger down her cheek. ‘I still can’t believe I was your first lover. I thought I was dreaming when—’
‘When I ordered you to make love to me?’
‘Orders I was deliriously happy to obey!’ Jake kissed her at length, then rubbed his cheek against hers. ‘Tell me you love me.’
Her dark eyes narrowed ominously. ‘If I didn’t, Jake Hogan, none of this would have happened in the first place. Storm or no storm.’
‘Tell me just the same,’ he commanded.
To Sarah’s embarrassment shyness overtook her again. ‘I love you,’ she muttered, eyes falling.
‘Again.’
She stared up at him resentfully. ‘If you keep on making me say it I might change my mind.’
‘In which case,’ said Jake very softly, ‘I’d have to resort to measures to change it back.’
The mere thought of the measures he had in mind hurried Sarah’s breathing. Then her stomach gave a loud, embarrassing grumble, and he threw back his head and laughed.
‘You’re hungry!’ Jake bent his tousled head to kiss the place which protested. His lips lingered, moved downward, then stopped abruptly.
‘What’s the matter?’ she demanded.
He raised his head to give her a smile which made her toes curl. ‘Making love to you, Sarah Tracy, is addictive.’
Sarah flushed and looked away. ‘If you’ll hand me the dressing gown I’ll have a bath. What time’s breakfast?’
‘Eight o’clock, right here. I ordered it last night. Though we can eat downstairs if you prefer.’
‘I don’t. I’d much rather have it here, in private. But I hope you ordered a lot of food!’ She smiled at him as she scrambled into her robe. ‘Shan’t be long. I’m off to play with the dolphins.’
He sighed. ‘Alone, I suppose.’
‘If breakfast is arriving at eight,’ she retorted, ‘very definitely alone!’
After the emotional and physical demands of the night Sarah felt tired, but utterly happy as she shared breakfast with Jake.
‘I wasn’t sure what you’d like,’ he told her, ‘so I took a chance. Coffee, fresh fruit compote, scrambled eggs with grilled bacon, plus the usual toast and butter and so on.’
‘Perfect.’ Sarah tucked in with gusto. ‘I never eat much breakfast normally, but I’m hungry this morning.’
‘So am I.’ He leaned close to kiss her cheek. ‘Our recent activities tend to do that.’
‘Do they?’ Sarah gave him a sparkling, gold-flecked glance. ‘You’d know more about that than me.’
‘True.’ Jake was abruptly serious. ‘But this is a first for me, too, Sarah. I don’t deny that there have been women in my life before. Women whose company I enjoyed. But with you it’s different.’
‘Why?’
‘Because I’ve never loved anyone before,’ he said simply.
She gave him a luminous, rather shaky smile. ‘Thank you, darling.’
‘Say that again.’
‘Thank you?’
He leaned nearer. ‘No. The darling bit.’
She brandished her fork at him. ‘I want to get on with my breakfast, my darling Mr Hogan, so let’s leave the endearments until later.’
Later, packed and ready to join the others for coffee, Sarah sighed regretfully as she took a last look around the room.
‘Are you glad I persuaded them to let me have the bridal suite?’ said Jake.
Sarah nodded fervently. ‘Because we were the first to sleep here it seems like ours. I hate to leave it.’
‘We can come back any time you like.’ Jake looked down at her with the familiar straight look. ‘Which brings me to the next important subject. How soon can we get married?’
‘If it were just up to me I’d say as soon as possible,’ she assured him. ‘But there’s Davy to consider. I’d like to give her time to get used to the idea.’
‘Do you need time?’
She gave him a wicked little smile. ‘None at all. You’ve sold me on the idea already.’
When they went downstairs to the bar the others were waiting for them.
‘Good morning, you two,’ said Frances, smiling. ‘We thought of you last night, Sarah. I hope you cuddled her during the storm, Jake.’
He grinned. ‘I rather enjoyed the storm myself.’
‘I bet you did,’ said Ben with relish, as the others laughed.
‘We’re embarrassing Sarah,’ said Grania quickly.
‘Not in the least,’ said Sarah, and exchanged a long look with Jake. ‘In fact we’ve got something to tell you.’
Jake kissed her swiftly, then turned to the others with a triumphant smile. ‘Last night I asked Sarah to marry me. And she said yes.’
After their announcement, it was a long time before Sarah and Jake managed to make their farewells, and head for home.
‘It occurred to me, too late, that maybe you might not want our intentions made quite so public yet—if at all,’ said Sarah, when they were finally on their way.
‘Are you serious? I want the whole world to know—a.s.a.p. But Davy first, obviously. So how do we approach that?’
Sarah gave it some thought. ‘Perhaps you’d like to take us both to the Trout on Saturday evening, to eat in the garden there if it’s fine. Davy would love going out for a grown-up dinner.’
‘Done,’ he said promptly. ‘Will you tell her straight away?’
‘No. I’ll wait until Sunday morning, after she’s spent time with you.’ She smiled at him. ‘So you’d better put on the charm for Saturday night.’
To her surprise Jake was unamused.
‘I never deliberately set out to charm, Sarah,’ he said shortly. ‘And even if I did I would never try it with Davy.’
Sarah touched his hand in penitence. ‘I’m sorry. You obviously didn’t like that. But I witnessed your masterly performance with the receptionist, remember?’
He nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. ‘I admit that I pull out the stops when absolutely necessary. But never with you, Sarah. You get the plain, unvarnished Jake Hogan, always.’
‘Which is all I want, ever,’ she assured him.
They stopped for a snack after they left the motorway, then drove back in the afternoon to Campden Road.
‘Gosh, I’m tired,’ said Sarah, as they went inside the quiet house. She smiled at him. ‘You must be, too.’
‘We had very little sleep last night,’ he reminded her, taking her into his arms. ‘I suggest you go to bed for a while, darling. On your own, unfortunately. I’m just going to check on things at Pentiles, then I’ll take my gear on to the flat. What time shall I come back?’
‘Whenever you like. I’ll make supper.’
‘Perfect.’ He kissed her swiftly. ‘Then after that let’s have an early night. Together.’
‘Even more perfect,’ she assured him, and kissed him back at such length Jake lost all enthusiasm for anything to do with work.
‘Go,’ said Sarah, pushing him away. ‘I’ll be waiting when you come back. About eight?’
Jake shook his head as he went to the door. ‘Seven.’
Instead of taking a nap Sarah rang the school to report that she was back home in Campden Road. Then, feeling that the occasion called for something special by way of a meal, she got the car out to go shopping for food. She rushed home with her spoils afterwards, had a bath instead of a rest, then set to with a will in the kitchen. A few minutes short of seven she was dressed and ready in a sleeveless white T-shirt dress, her hair shining and her face alight with a glow which owed nothing to cosmetics. The courgette flowers she’d splurged on were stuffed with a savoury cheese mixture, ready to deep fry, a salad lacked only its dressing, and two steaks waited in a marinade, ready to grill. She’d laid the kitchen table with a yellow cloth, and as a finishing touch put out blue saucers to hold the fat yellow candles she’d bought.
When the phone rang Sarah went cold. Jake wasn’t coming! He’d had an accident. Then she flushed with guilt because she hadn’t thought of Davy first. And found it was neither Jake nor the school with bad news, but Margaret Parker making a brief duty call from Florence.
When Jake arrived, right on the stroke of seven, Sarah threw open the door with a smile of such passionate welcome he took her in his arms, careless of the bag of bottles he was carrying.
‘I just had a phone call,’ she said breathlessly, once he’d stopped kissing her.
‘Something wrong with Davy,’ said Jake sharply.
‘No. It was my grandmother, reporting in from Florence.’ Sarah smiled sheepishly as she went ahead of him to the kitchen. ‘But I was certain it was you, saying you couldn’t come.’
‘Why on earth should you think that?’ he said, mystified, and put the bottles on the table. ‘The champagne should be chilled, by the way.’
Sarah put it in the fridge, then turned to face him. ‘Because I felt so happy. I was sure something had happened to spoil it.’
Jake took her hands, his eyes spearing hers. ‘Sarah Tracy, I swear I will never consciously do anything to make you unhappy. Believe it.’
Sarah did believe it, and made it plain in a way Jake liked so much it was a long time before she came back to earth sufficiently to think of food. ‘This won’t do,’ she said severely. ‘Time I started dinner.’
Because Jake insisted on helping her the meal took rather longer to arrive at the table than Sarah had intended. But despite too many cooks everything turned out well. Jake was lavish with his praise, and the occasion was made even more festive by the champagne which Sarah enjoyed much more than the wine at the wedding.
‘Why is that, do you think?’ she said dreamily.
‘Simple, my darling. We’re drinking it to celebrate our engagement.’ Jake grinned. ‘In which case I could probably have got away with something a lot less pricey than this.’
‘Cheapskate!’ Sarah made a face at him. ‘Though you’re absolutely right.’
‘But for tonight I wanted only the best.’ Jake assured her.
‘I did, too.’ Sarah chuckled. ‘Surprising though it may be, Mr Hogan, courgette flowers and fillet steaks are not part of my normal diet.’
Later they made for the sofa in the sitting room and left the curtains open so they could watch the sun set over the garden, Sarah curled up against Jake in utter contentment.
‘We must make the most of this, Jake,’ she said with a sigh.
He nodded. ‘Tomorrow night you want free for Davy, of course, but I’ll see you both on Saturday evening. How do I play that? Do I just drop you back here afterwards?’
‘If she’s happy you can come in for coffee.’
Jake snapped his fingers suddenly. ‘Don’t move. I’ll be back in a second.’ He went out into the hall for his jacket and came back with a square leather box. ‘Go on, open it,’ he said, handing it to Sarah.
She looked at him questioningly, then opened the box, her eyes like saucers when she found four rings inside.
‘I knew you wouldn’t want to make it official until Davy’s in on it, but I was determined to put a ring on your finger tonight, Sarah,’ said Jake. ‘My name is good with the jeweller in the Parade. He let me bring these to see which one you preferred. Don’t worry about the size. That can be adjusted.’
Sarah closed the box with a snap and climbed into his lap to kiss him. ‘I love you so much, Jake Hogan.’
He shook her slightly. ‘Hell, you scared me, Sarah. I thought you were going to throw the box back at me.’
For answer she kissed him with such fervour both of them forgot the rings and everything else for a while.
When Jake released her at last Sarah sat up to open the box again.
‘Which one do you like best?’ she asked breathlessly.
‘Which, roughly translated, means which one costs least, I suppose! All four rings carry much the same price tag, which the jeweller was kind enough to remove before handing them over.’ Jake grinned. ‘You see? I’m getting to know you so well!’
Sarah was dazzled by all the rings. But the one she loved at first sight was a cluster of tiny diamonds set in a cushion round a raised central ruby.
‘The others are modern, but that one’s circa 1905— Edwardian,’ said Jake, and took it from its slot to slide on Sarah’s finger.
‘That’s the one,’ she said immediately.
‘Try the others on.’
‘No point. I want this one.’
‘Then, just like me, Sarah Tracy,’ said Jake huskily, ‘it’s yours.’
CHAPTER ELEVEN
TO SARAH’S relief the evening with Davy was a great success. Full of excitement about going out to grown-up dinner, Davy was impatient for Jake to arrive, and when he did greeted him with an enthusiasm which delighted him. She was impressed by his car, loved eating in the Trout’s garden, and chattered away to Jake during the meal as though she’d known him all her life.
When Davy was in bed later, Jake followed Sarah into the sitting room and took her in his arms, rubbing his cheek against hers.
‘I’d say that that went pretty well!’
She hugged him tightly. ‘Wonderfully well. Tomorrow I’ll give her the news.’ She drew back to look up at him. ‘Unless you’d rather I waited until you tell your family.’
‘I was coming to that. How soon do you think you could bear the ordeal of family Sunday lunch chez Hogan? I warn you now, Mother will round up all the usual suspects for the occasion, so if you can’t face that just yet I can leave it a while.’
‘Only until my grandmother comes back. I’d better break the news to her first, but after that any time you like. I’m looking forward to meeting them.’
‘We’ll take Davy along too, of course.’ Jake chuckled. ‘By the way, when you were making coffee just now she repeated her invitation to sports day.’
Sarah laughed. ‘Something tells me it won’t take her long to get used to the idea of you as a stepfather.’ She sobered. ‘Though you’ll really be her brother-in-law.’
‘No one else on the planet needs to know that,’ said Jake emphatically.
‘True.’ Sarah breathed in deeply. ‘But I’m so glad you do. I never thought I’d find anyone I could share my secret with, Jake. Ever.’
He kissed her very gently. ‘I’m grateful for the privilege. And now,’ he added with regret, ‘I must go. But I’ll be waiting on tenterhooks tomorrow, to hear Davy’s reaction to the news.’
‘I’ll come straight to your place from Roedale,’ promised Sarah. ‘Though somehow I don’t think there’s much to worry about.’
Sarah was right. When she broached the subject next day, straight after breakfast, Davy positively fizzed with excitement.
‘Yippee! I like Jake. Does he like me, Mummy? Can I tell Polly? When are you going to get married? Will you wear a long white dress? Can I be bridesmaid?’
‘Jake likes you very much,’ said Sarah, limp with relief. ‘And of course you can be bridesmaid.
But we have to wait until Grandma gets back before we tell anyone.’
‘OK,’ said Davy, obviously happy to agree with anything. Her suntanned face glowed with satisfaction. ‘I like Jake a lot,’ she added, in case there was any doubt.
‘More than Brian, obviously,’ said Sarah dryly.
Davy gave her a scornful look. ‘Jake’s cool. He talks to me as if I’ve got a brain. I asked him to come to sports day. I hope he does.’
Sarah laughed. ‘I’ll tell him.’
‘Ring him now!’
‘Thank God,’ was Jake’s response when Sarah informed him of Davy’s approval. ‘Now I can enjoy Sunday lunch. Though it’s going to be hard to keep the news to myself.’
‘Just another few days and the entire world can know,’ Sarah promised him.
With Davy back in school, and Margaret Parker still away, Jake took it for granted that Sarah would spend every possible moment with him, and she rushed home every day to do her homework in record time before he arrived. He refused to let her cook, and took her out to eat or ordered something in, but, whether they spent time in Campden Road or at his flat, by mutual consent the evening always ended early, in bed.
‘It won’t always be like this,’ said Jake one night, as they lay in each other’s arms, quiet at last. ‘But right now I need to make the most of every minute.’
‘You mean before my grandmother gets home and Davy finishes school?’ Sarah moved back a little to look into his eyes. ‘Look, Jake, are you really sure about this?’
He grasped her by the shoulders. ‘Loving you?’ he demanded.
‘No. I know you love me—’
‘I should bloody well hope so by now,’ he said fiercely, and kissed her hard. ‘So no more doubts, woman. At the moment I tend to rush you to bed the moment I see you, which means we haven’t discussed certain aspects of our future. So, as soon as my ring is officially on your finger instead of round your neck, I suggest we start thinking about somewhere to live. A house that’s big enough for you, me, Davy, plus any future additions. So don’t even think of backing out now, Sarah.’ He smiled suddenly. ‘You can’t now, anyway. I’ve paid for the ring.’
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