"IHAVEto admit, it is much more comfortable here," murmured Alex, some two hours later, rolling onto his side and gazing down possessively at the woman to whom he"d just made slow, sensuous love. Flushed among the tumbled covers of his bed, Kate had never looked more desirable, and he thought how amazing it was that even though he"d taken her twice already he wanted her again.
"Is this really your room?" she asked, deliciously uninhibited in the way she didn"t object when he bent to suckle one provocatively swollen breast. "Mmm, that"s nice." Her breath caught in her throat. "Oh, Alex, do that again."
"I intend to," he said thickly, but then he forced himself to draw back. There was still so much they had to say to one another, and he still nurtured anxieties as to why she would choose to leave King"s Montford rather than wait to see if what Lacey had implied was true.
He was not incognizant of the fact that she had avoided any personal questions at her office, choosing instead to indulge in the kind of heavy petting that had left him hard and aching, and mindless with need. Then she"d insisted on calling her mother and explaining that she was spending the evening with him, without ever mentioning the fact that they loved one another.
Why?
His stomach clenched unpleasantly. In G.o.d"s name, surely she had no doubts about him now?
As if she"d detected his uncertainty, Kate chose that moment to reach up and bestow a lingering kiss at the corner of his mouth, and for a moment Alex allowed his senses to spin wildly out of control. It was so easy to give in to emotion, to forget about tomorrow. But he loved her. He wanted to know what she wasn"t telling him.
As it was, he"d had to wait until Rachel was safely tucked in bed before they could be alone together. The little girl had been so excited to see Kate again, and she"d insisted on wringing a promise from her that Kate would bring Joanne to see her tomorrow.
Which was another reason why he wanted to know what Kate was thinking. Rachel had been hurt too many times already. He couldn"t take the risk that she might be hurt again.
And although Kate protested when he drew back he wouldn"t allow her to sway his mood. "We have to talk," he said, sitting up so that he could look down at her. "It"s important."
"I know." Despite his fears, there was only tenderness in Kate"s eyes, and he was sorely tempted to leave all their talking until later. Much later.
"This room will have to be decorated," she said, before he could formulate his questions. "Perhaps green and gold? Do you like green and gold? I do."
"This isn"t the master bedroom," said Alex mechanically, wondering if he was ever going to get a straight answer from her. "You can choose which suite we use when you move in here." He paused. "I"m a.s.suming you do want to move in here. You and Joanne-and your mother, too, if she"s agreeable. There"s plenty of room. She could have an apartment all to herself."
A frown marred Kate"s smooth forehead now. "You"re not still having doubts about my feelings?" she asked faintly. She swallowed. "Or perhaps you"re having doubts about your own?"
"Don"t be stupid!" Alex was harsh, but he couldn"t help it. "I"m crazy about you, you know that. I want to marry you, for G.o.d"s sake!" He groaned. "I just can"t get my head round why you were planning on going away."
Kate hesitated, and then she scrambled up to sit crosslegged beside him. But this time she tucked the quilt beneath her arms, as if she knew how her naked body made him feel. "What else could I do?" she asked softly. "I-I"m pregnant. I didn"t want you to feel-trapped-because I was having your child."
Alex stared at her, open-mouthed, trying to make some sense of what she was saying. "You"re pregnant?" he echoed weakly. "My G.o.d, why didn"t you tell me before?"
"Before what?" Kate gazed at him gently. "Before I made arrangements to leave King"s Montford, or before I knew you loved me?" She touched his hand with loving fingers. "Do you mind?"
"G.o.d-" Alex cast the covers aside and reached eagerly for her. "How could I mind? It"s as much my doing as yours." His smile was brilliant. "And I was thinking that perhaps you thought I was being too impatient. That you needed more time to decide what you really wanted to do."
"Oh, I know what I want to do," Kate a.s.sured him firmly as he bore her back against the pillows and covered her mouth with his. "It just seemed like a dream, the kind of dream that could never happen. Loving you, living with you, having your child..."
It was some little time before Alex recovered himself sufficiently to talk practicalities. "Do you think Joanne will object when she hears she"s not going to leave Lady Montford after all?"
"What? When she"s going to live here with all these horses?" Kate shook her head positively.
"Besides, my mother will be pleased. She always says there"s nothing to be gained by running away."
"Isn"t that the truth?" Alex stroked the moist hair back from her forehead. "What about your mother? Do you think she"ll accept me as her son-in-law after all this?"
"My mother"s a fairly generous woman. And I know when she hears about the baby she"ll be thrilled. As for Joanne, well-she thinks you"re pretty terrific. She"s probably going to be the least surprised of us all."
"Smart girl." Alex grinned. "So we"re going to have three children?"
"To begin with," said Kate provocatively, putting out her tongue. Then she sobered, running her nail over the beard that was roughening his jawline. "What about Rachel? Is this going to be very hard for her?"
"Maybe I"m being selfish, but I think it"s exactly what Rachel is needing," declared Alex, grasping her hand and taking her fingers to his mouth. "A normal home, a normal family, a new baby." He grimaced. "I can even find it in my heart to pity Wyatt after this."
Kate nodded. "I suppose I feel sorry for him. Well, his wife, anyway. I don"t suppose she did anything wrong."
"Except condone her husband"s actions," said Alex wryly. "But, knowing Conrad as I do, I doubt she had a choice."
"Will you let them see Rachel again?"
"Of course. Eventually." Alex gave a heavy sigh and rolled onto his back. "And now, I suppose, we ought to go and tell your mother and Joanne." He grinned. "I wonder if I"ll feel old if Joanne calls me Dad...?"
About this t.i.tle.
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