‘Jemma?’
Refocussing, she swung her legs out of the car. A second later she was lifted into the air, crushed against his muscled chest and kissed with a thoroughness that melted her bones. A much better use of his lips than forming words. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back with heartfelt longing.
‘Welcome home, darling.’ His eyes sparked and he jiggled her body against his. ‘This time you’ll stay until we resolve our problems—perceived or real.’
He nuzzled her neck, sending her hormones crazy.
She wriggled, and he growled against her skin, evoking a whimper of pleasure. Closely followed by a protest from Milly on the back seat.
‘I think she recognises your home and wants out.’
Nate set her on her feet with slow reluctance.
‘An impatient chaperone might be what we need. You bring your handbag and Milly. I’ll get the rest.
Jemma released Milly from the carrier, and watched her totter straight for her two bowls. She had no problems adjusting to another move as long as she was fed and cared for.
For Jemma, life wasn’t that basic. She’d lived with her ingrained insecurities for so long she accepted them as a natural part of her being. Now it was time to voice them out loud and deal with them.
* * *
By the time Nate had completed his second trip Jemma had pulled back the drapes, unlocked the glass door, and had coffee ready for him and a glass of iced water for herself.
Nate felt as if he was walking on mountain scree, not sure if the ground would slide away beneath his feet. He’d spent the drive home forcing himself to face the road for safety. Her feet had been in his peripheral vision, and her perfume had filled his lungs every time he breathed, and his own contentment had proved Jemma was there beside him.
Lifting her into his arms had been the natural act of a man taking care of his woman, and nothing else came near the feeling of rapture when she’d returned his kiss. But he hadn’t dared pre-empt the future, and had left her luggage in the bedroom she’d had before.
Seeing her in his kitchen, and Milly crouched over her bowl, his world began to come together. To move forward he now had to make changes, open up to the people he cared for and no longer compartmentalise aspects of his life.
Anything that involved Jemma becoming a permanent fixture had priority. Since bringing her here every morning had begun with exhilarating expectation, and he didn’t want—couldn’t bear—to go back to being the loner he’d been.
As if sensing his presence, she turned, and her lovely face revealed her apprehension—along with her determination to see this through. He walked across to her, profoundly grateful for her bravery, enclosed her hands in his and relished the fulfilment the simple act gave him.
‘I’ve missed you, Jemma, more than words can ever express.’ He drew her into his arms, needing her warmth. ‘It’s not my first wish, but we do have to talk. Clear the air. And then...’
His pulse stuttered, then hammered under his skin as she studied his face. Oh, how he’d missed the way she seemed to read his soul. And yet, like a fool, he’d held back from sharing his true self, and the events that had made him who he was.
Never again.
‘On the veranda.’
Her reply was low and husky. Unsure, yet resolute. He whooshed out the breath he’d been holding.
‘I’ll grab a couple of chairs—you bring the drinks.’
This was no time for recliners, so he took two of the dining chairs out to the corner protected by an extension of the inside wall, leaving the smallest space he deemed appropriate between them.
Was there a right place to start? Would Jemma consider professional or personal omissions worse?
He raised his mug to drink, trying to decide.
‘What do you feel for my sister?’
He spluttered as hot liquid scalded his tongue, and stared at her for a moment before comprehending that the trepidation in her eyes was real. Her knuckles were white from her tight grip on her glass.
‘What the hell kind of question is that?’
He dropped his mug onto the decking with a clunk, oblivious to the splattering, and leant forward. His gut tightened when her body backed away, then eased as she raised her chin in defiance. His admiration grew as tenacity replaced anxiety in her endearing features.
‘I’m not stupid or blind. I saw the way you looked at her, and I understood exactly what you meant by your remark.’
‘That’s more than I do right now. All I said—’
‘You asked as if it were unbelievable that we were related. Then you kept looking at her. I’ve always known I can’t compete with her looks, but I thought I finally had my envy under control. I guess I’m not immune where you’re concerned.’
‘Oh, Jemma.’
He sank back, fisting his fingers, not daring to touch her—not while she harboured that crazy notion in her head. But her unintentional confession spurred him on.
‘Of course I compared the two of you. Vanessa is the perfect example of a genetically attractive woman, pampered with every beauty product and procedure on the market, and showered with expensive clothes and jewels.’
Her body stiffened, her throat convulsed and her eyes squeezed shut—then opened slowly as if by compulsion. Every movement strengthened his growing belief that she cared for him...cared enough to be jealous of her stereotypical sister.
‘Take a photo of her and pin it on a board with a dozen or so other women and you’d be hard pressed to separate them. Yes, I was amazed that you’re sisters. She’ll hate growing older, fight it all the way, and it will show. You, my darling, are innately beautiful, and with your love of life and gentle spirit you will be as naturally lovely when you are ninety as you are now. And I’d like to be there to say, I told you so.’
She might not quite believe him now, but he intended to devote his life to convincing her. In Hahndorf, here or anywhere she wanted to be.
‘You know there were other women in my life before we met. But there was never one I invited to my home—never one whose presence I wanted to feel or remember there—until you.’
* * *
Jemma scrutinised his face. Love, warm and encompassing, had turned storm-grey eyes into molten silver and all traces of reticence were gone—confirmation that she wasn’t competing with Vanessa or any other woman. The depth of his unconcealed emotion shook her, had her gasping for breath.
‘You’re cold.’ The words were rasped out. Protective. Caring.
‘No. I’ve hidden behind an imaginary veil for too long. Maybe if there’d been fewer years between Vanessa and I we’d have been closer, more understanding of each other. But by the time I started school she’d already set her sights on a modelling career and was actively pursuing ways to achieve it. There’s never been a middle ground for us.’
With a masculine grunt he dragged his chair across the gap, took her drink and set it down with his, then wrapped his hands around hers.
‘It’s not too late to find one. Now, will you please tell me about the idiot who broke your heart so we can both wipe him from our minds?’
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
JEMMA COULDN’T HELP laughing at his description of the self-centred man she’d believed she might marry. But she became serious as she remembered how near it had come to being fact.
‘We dated for six months. He was handsome, charming and attentive, and said he loved me. He worked in an insurance office, was determined to climb the corporate ladder to high status and an impressive salary. Working extra hours impressed his superiors, and the extra pay was supposed to go towards the upmarket house he wanted.’
As she spoke Nate’s expression grew darker, triggering a flush of happiness in her at his obvious jealousy. Though tempted to prolong it, she couldn’t. She loved him too much to let him suffer.
‘Or so he said. In fact, a lot of his late nights and special meetings were with a senior female colleague who’d promised to help fast-track promotion for him. I found out not long after he cancelled our dinner at Windy Point to be with her. Any feeling I had for him evaporated, and my trust was shattered.’
‘Not just an idiot—one with bad taste too. But I commend his faults because they kept you free for me.’
‘When I first met you, I saw the same type of good-looking, polite and—to me—arrogant man. The type I deliberately avoided. I allowed you and Brian to coerce me into that writing deal for the chance to be published. When I agreed to come here I had no reason to doubt my ability to resist your charm. In fact I never had a chance.’
He raised his hand to caress her cheek and she almost melted into his palm. The memory of those phone calls held her firm.
‘Tell me about Tess. She has a very distinctive voice.’
She hadn’t meant to blurt it out, but now it couldn’t be recalled. She bit her lip as his eyes widened and his brows arched. A twinge of guilt spiralled in her stomach at her act of shifting the confession obligation back to him, and then waned as she recalled that they’d both promised frank and open admissions.
Only when every skerrick of doubt for both of them had been voiced and banished for ever could they face a lifetime together.
‘Tess...’
He seemed to be mulling over the words to explain, his Adam’s apple bobbing, his eyes open and clear.
His chest rose and fell, twice. ‘You can’t have missed seeing the scars on my hip, yet you didn’t mention them. I don’t know how I would have responded if you had.’
He seemed to focus on the window behind her, but she knew he was in another time and place, reliving some horror.
His voice deepened with anguish as he continued. ‘I was travelling with an army unit into disputed territory when we drove over a landmine and were then targeted by insurgents on a hill. The vehicle flipped, trapping me and two of the men. One of them was killed instantly. I... I watched the other die. I’d seen death before, but never that close. Never heard the awful sounds. Tess protected me as she and the others returned fire. She was shot twice before relief came and we were airlifted out. It’s a debt of honour I can never repay.’
The last few sentences were rushed, as if he wanted them out and finished. Jemma covered his hand on her face with hers, wanting, needing to comfort him.
‘She’s a member of your support group?’ She spoke in a hushed voice, with awe and respect for the woman she’d been jealous of for no reason. Jealousy that had blinded her to the obvious connection.
‘They invited me to be a member before I came home. Any member can call any other, at any time, and he or she will be there, no questions asked. I still have bad dreams of incidents I can’t forget, and still feel the helplessness of knowing there’s nothing you can do to stop the carnage.’
‘Except let the world know the truth.’
* * *
Nate huffed and tightened his fingers round hers on his knee, grateful for her understanding.
‘Tess buried everything and tried to handle it alone. It’s only in the last couple of years she’s admitted to needing help. I’ll never not take her call, nor refuse to go to her if talking on the phone isn’t enough.’
‘I’ll never ask you to. She has my lifelong gratitude too.’
She squeezed his fingers, as if encouraging him to trust her. He gave a wry smile, lifted their joined hands and pressed his lips to her skin.
Staring across the valley, seeing visions he was glad she couldn’t, he continued. ‘I believed that keeping family and work, my overseas experiences and the group, and my writing as three separate aspects of my life would make them easier to manage. My obstinacy almost cost me the most precious jewel a man could have.’
He pulled her to her feet, then settled her onto his lap, cradling her tight, no longer ashamed to admit he needed the close contact. In the days, maybe weeks to come, he’d tell her more. Not now, and probably never everything of what he’d experienced. Instead he’d talk about the courage and fortitude of the other victims, and the compassion of those willing to risk their lives to help.
He cradled her head on his shoulder. One more admission and then he could move on to the good stuff, persuading Jemma to be his for ever.
‘My last confession concerns the woman I told you about. Luckily for me I followed my grandfather’s advice to never take anyone at face value, to always check. She already had a husband, and was counting on a pay-out to keep quiet about a bigamous marriage. Closing down emotion and treating women as colleagues only was my way of ensuring I didn’t get duped again.’
Aware of her body stiffening and pulling away, he looked down, and his chest tightened at the sight of her now not-so-tender astonished expression.
‘You researched me.’
It was stated with true indignation, and he longed to kiss her until her piqued expression became one of desire.
Delaying the inevitable for a moment, he answered honestly. ‘I typed in your name, then deleted it. I didn’t know why at the time. I just decided I wanted anything I learned about you to come from you or from being with you. It was one of my better decisions.’
Encouraged by the softening in her enticing blue eyes, he kissed her with the reverence she deserved, holding back the passion surging through his body. This was a time for making sure they were in tune and all suspicions allayed.
She couldn’t be thinking the same, because she pressed closer, the tip of her tongue teasing his lips.
He pulled away, laughing down at her. ‘Temptress. No more questions or fears, my darling.’
‘No.’
Her eyes outshone the brightest stars he’d ever seen in the clear skies over the mountains, and it took all his willpower to resist kissing her again.
He stood and pulled her to her feet, and led her inside. ‘Did you bring something special to wear?’
* * *
Jemma frowned, tilting her head as she stared at Nate, bewildered by his attitude. Why wasn’t he carrying her to bed? She wanted to be taking clothes off, not putting others on. And it was way too early to be going out to dinner.
‘I have the dresses I wore to Windy Point and in Melbourne.’
‘Go put on the silvery one and meet me here.’
He walked her over to the stairs and picked up a folded sheet of paper from the third step. Placing it into her hand, he brushed his lips over hers.
‘This is for you. Take all the time you want. I’ll be waiting.’
Her legs shook and her heart fluttered as she obeyed, her fingers holding the single sheet as if it were her lifeline. The door to the room she’d originally occupied was open, and her case was by the bed.
Should she read what he’d written now? She looked down at the outfit she wore, chosen because of their first meeting, then thought of the desire that had flared in his eyes on seeing her in the silver gown, and laid his letter on the bed.
After the quickest shower she’d ever had, she sprayed herself with perfume, brushed her hair to lie smooth down her back and slipped the dress over her head.
Curling into the comfy chair by the window, she began to read.
* * *
Nate waited in the lounge, wearing a royal blue shirt and black trousers, wishing he had a flower shop full of roses to give to Jemma. Instead he’d offered his heart, and a lifetime of love.
He’d closed his eyes for a brief moment, picturing her beautiful smile and sparkling eyes, and then had let his love flow from his heart through his hand onto the paper. Every expression came with a wish that she felt the same...every phrase held his desire to cherish her for ever.
He glanced at the ceiling, trying to imagine where she was and how she was feeling. Did she understand that he’d wanted
her to change in order to make this special moment even more memorable?
With a wry smile, he realised that he wasn’t pacing as he normally did when waiting. He had no right to be this calm and confident, and yet his heart was as certain of her love as he was of tonight’s sunset.
A gentle swish of movement and she came into view, taking his breath away and sending his pulse skyward. Shimmers of colour framed a goddess, here within his reach. An engaging mixture of gentle femininity, loveliness and charm. An angel with an endearing sense of fun.
He waited for her to come to him, then took her hand and led her onto the veranda. The sun was beginning to sink towards the mountains across the valley—an ideal picturesque backdrop. Turning to face her, he drew her close, basking in the surge of macho power initiated by having her in his arms.
Eyes sparkling, she gave him the most stunning smile he’d ever seen. As he bent to cover her sweet lips with his she stopped him with a fingertip touch.
‘Thank you for the most beautiful and romantic prose I’ve ever read, Nate. You make me feel precious and loved, as if there’s only you and I in our own paradise, and I’ll treasure every word for as long as I live. I love you—now and for ever.’
If a heart could burst from a chest with happiness, his would do it now. He tightened his hold, fitting her body to his, rejoicing as she wriggled with pleasure.
‘I love you, Jemma. My precious, adorable angel. My own.’
* * *
He loved her.
Jemma had known the moment their eyes had met in the hotel lobby. Had sensed it before, but been too timid to accept it. Hearing him express his feelings in his unique abrasive voice released her from the bonds that had imprisoned her for so long.
She stretched up on her toes to kiss him, and he answered with a passion that made her quiver with ecstasy. He caressed in gentle strokes across her back and she responded, running her fingers up his neck, tangling them into his hair.
He trailed a path of kisses across her neck, nibbled her neck as she sighed with contentment, then kissed his way back, stopping with his lips a breath away from hers.
Unlocking the Millionaire's Heart Page 17