That Man Next Door
Page 18
The blonde girl would not be so easy to dismiss as George, she thought. "I — I hear I have to congratulate you," she told him. "Lee tells me you're getting married."
For a moment she wondered if she had misread his mood and been too outspoken, but there was no relaxation in the arm that held her. "Lee," he said quietly at last, "talks too much, and he's premature too."
"Oh, I see, I'm sorry." Nothing, it seemed, could still the furious beating of her heart, nor the glowing warmth of the blood racing through her — not even the thought of Eve Mellors.
He laughed softly again, close to her ear and she stirred, suddenly and suspiciously light hearted. This was not the kind of outcome she had anticipated when she started out to post Aunt Bess's letters and she wondered dizzily if things were going rather too fast for her. She should perhaps bring them both firmly down to earth again, and she drew a deep breath to do just that — then she felt his lips
brush gently against her neck.
"Do you still think I'm-a sadistic monster?" he asked.
"No — no, I don't think so." It was difficult to speak without her voice trembling betrayingly and the words that had been meant to restore sanity, faded without being said.
"Do you still insist that you wouldn't let me near any child of yours?" he insisted.
She felt the blood warm her cheeks and knew he must feel it too, for his face was close to hers, his lips gently caressing her face and neck. "James!" It was now or never, if she was to behave sensibly.
"Hmm?" He turned her to face him, and she was reminded of the time they had stood on the intoxicating heights of Smugglers' Walk.
"Please, James, you —"
"You talk too 'much as well," he informed her, and his laugh, soft and deep, ended when his mouth found hers, and he held her for what seemed like a lifetime. "You will marry me, won't you?" he asked when she was too breathless to do anything else but nod silently. "I promise not to beat our children, and I'd hate to see Lee appear untruthful about my getting married."
"But —" Kim sought for words. "Eve," she managed at last.
"Eve," he declared blandly, "doesn't like children."
Even if it had not been true, it was no time to argue, Kim realised; there were far too many other things to distract her and quite honestly Eve Mellors seemed to matter very little at the moment.