Page 54 of Bride By Committee

“Remind me to thank Rosy,” he muttered, following her onto thebed.

“Thank her? Ithought you planned to kill her.”

“First I’ll thank her, after that I’ll kill her.”

She wrapped herself around him and her hands chased a nerve-racking path from his chest to his abdomen before drifting lower. “Oh, dear.” Her hands stilled. “Harry?”

He stifled a groan. “What’s wrong now?” he managed toask.

“I’ll have to tell Rosy to forget about the oak leaves next time.”

“Don’t tell me we need pine needles, after all?”

She tugged him down on top of her. “Not pine needles. We’re going to need palm fronds. Great big palm fronds.”

And then there was no more talking, other than the murmured words that fully expressed their moment of joining. They were soft words, like the gentlest of caresses. They were demanding, like the driving need that thrust them together. They were pleading, like the slow, urgent climb toward completion. And they were exultant, like the fierce tumble into ecstasy.

Harry swept the curls from Madison’s face, holding her in the aftermath of a moment unlike any he’d ever known before. Where once she’d demanded an emotionless mating, now she wept from a pleasure that could have only come from a joining that transcended the physical act itself. Instead of the temporary link she’d planned to fashion, an unbreakable bond had been forged. Whether she realized it or not, she’d committed herself tohim.

And he wasn’t about to let hergo.

Madison wasn’t sure how long she slept. But it was the most peaceful night she’d ever known. Harry’s generosity had been beyond belief. She’d asked for an evening of passion and he’d offered so much more. The passion, yes. But he’d given it depth and validity by making love toher.

Her breath caught. Making love. The words had the unmistakable ring of truth to them. How could she have been such a fool? What they’d shared hadn’t been a one-night stand or a casual affair. There’d been a permanence in their joining. When he’d taken her it had been with love, alove that had its core deep inside, their feelings for each other inexorably joined whether she’d been willing to admit it or not. But Harry had known. And he’d forced her to lower her guard and allow him close enough to recognize the truth of what they’d experienced.

She glanced over at him. He sprawled across the mattress with all the indolent grace of a sated lion and she turned to him for reassurance, the physical bond that united them every bit as powerful and unbreakable as the emotional. She froze at the last moment, alarmed by her instinctive actions. Had their connection really grown so strong in just one night?

Silently, she escaped the bed and crossed to the window. Far below, Seattle slept. At least, it slept as much as any large city could. Lights flickered and cars moved along streets laid out in tidy grids. But there was a languid, sleepy quality about the scene, as though time had slowed. She leaned her forehead against the cool glass and faced the unavoidable truth. She’d fallen in love with Harry.

What the devil was she going to donow?

“Sweetheart?” Harry came up behind and wrapped a sheet around her, securing it with his arms. “What’s wrong?”

She sank into his embrace, reveling in everything about him—his strength, his solidness, his caring. His love. “I’m a fool.”

He smiled tenderly. “Why? Because you didn’t recognize what we shared as soon as I did?”

“Yes. Ithought I could keep it casual. That we could get through this without anyone getting hurt.”

“Get through it?” He shook his head in exasperation. “You act like this is a sickness or an accident to be endured and then thrown off. Don’t you get it? Idon’t just want your body. Iwant you. All of you. Your heart and soul, as well as your body.”

“Harry—”

“No, Madison. Don’t interrupt.” He cupped her close, locking her into perfect alignment against him. “I’m talking marriage here, honey. Permanence. Imean ring on the finger, ahorde of kids overrunning the homestead, growing old together, rocking chairs on the porch sort of permanence. The whole enchilada. Iwant to start at once-upon-a-time with you and go straight through until we reach happily-ever-after.”

They were the sort of words a woman waited her entire life to hear. And they hurt more than she’d thought possible. “No, you don’t. I’m not the woman you think I am.”

He pressed his mouth to the top of her head and she leaned into him, her cheek resting close to the steady, dependable beat of his heart. “You’re everything I imagined and more,” he assuredher.

“Harry—” she tried again.

“My turn first, Madison. Before we discuss the future, there’s something I have to tell you. Something I’ve kept from you.”

“That makes two of us,” she murmured.

He didn’t seem to hear. “I’d have told you right up front, but Sunny asked me to hold off.”

“It’s clear I need to have a talk with that woman.”

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