[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
partway inside her and stopped, while her flesh, swollen from the night s excesses, had difficulty
accommodating him.
His soft, amused voice tickled her ear. Mmmn & you ll have to try harder, Marks. We both know you
can take more than this.
Help me, she gasped.
With a sympathetic murmur, he lifted her top leg and adjusted her position. Her eyes closed as she felt
him slide inside her.
There, he whispered. Is this what you want?
Harder & harder&
No, love & let me be gentle with you. Just for now.
He moved inside her with slow, deliberate drives, his caressing hand sliding back between her thighs. He
took his time, and she had no choice but to let him. She was suffused with warmth, sensation building as
he courted her, stroked her. Pressing love words and kisses against her neck, he sank more deeply inside
her. She cried out his name, cresting, and he gently urged her even higher. Her shaking hand went to his
hip and gripped the flexing surface.
Don t leave me. Please, Leo.
He understood. As her wet flesh clenched around him once more, delicately wringing and pulling at the
hardness, he pumped forcefully, letting himself go. And at last she knew the feel of his release, the way
his belly tightened, the trembling of a powerful man rendered helpless in that ultimate moment.
They stayed joined as long as possible, resting together and watching as the dawn seeped through the
parted curtains.
I love you, she whispered, so dearly, my lord. My Leo.
He smiled and kissed her. Rising, he went to drag on his trousers.
While Leo sluiced his face at the washstand, Catherine reached for her spectacles. Her gaze happened to
fall on Dodger s empty basket by the door, and her smile dimmed. Poor weasel, she murmured.
Leo returned to her, instantly concerned as he saw her watering eyes. What is it?
Dodger, she said with a sniffle. I miss him already.
Leo sat and drew her up against him. Would you like to see him?
Yes, but I can t.
Why not?
Before she could answer, she saw an odd movement beneath the door & a furry, skinny body wiggling
industriously beneath the ridiculously narrow space. Catherine blinked, afraid to move. Dodger?
The ferret came loping toward the bed, chuckling and chirping, his eyes bright as he hurried to her.
Dodger, you re alive!
Of course he s alive, Leo said. We put him in Poppy s apartment last night to allow you some rest.
He smiled as the ferret bounded onto the mattress. Mischievous little beggar. How did you get all the
way down here?
He came to find me. Catherine held out her arms, and Dodger climbed up to her and snuggled against
her chest. She stroked him over and over, murmuring endearments. He tried to protect me, you know.
He bit William s hand quite terribly. She nuzzled her chin against Dodger and crooned, Good little
watch ferret.
Well done, Dodger, Leo said. Leaving the bed for a moment, he went to his discarded coat and
rummaged through the pockets. I suppose that leads to the question & in marrying you, am I going to
be gaining a ferret, as well?
Do you think Beatrix would let me keep him?
There s no doubt of it. Leo returned to sit beside her. She s always said that he belongs to you.
Has she?
Well, it s rather obvious, in light of his fascination for your garters. And one certainly can t blame him
for that. Leo reached for her hand. I have something to ask you, Marks.
She sat up eagerly, letting Dodger drape around her neck.
I can t remember if this is the fifth or sixth proposal, he said.
It s only the fourth.
I asked you yesterday. Are you counting that one?
No, that wasn t really will you marry me, that was more will you come down off the roof.
One of Leo s brows arched. By all means, let s be technical. He slid a ring onto the fourth finger of her
left hand. It was the most breathtaking ring she had ever seen, a flawless silver opal with flashes of blue
and green fire hidden deep inside. With every movement of her hand, the opal glimmered with
unearthly color. It was encircled by a rim of glittering small diamonds. This reminded me of your eyes,
he said. Only not nearly as beautiful. He paused, looking at her intently. Catherine Marks, love of my
life & will you marry me?
I want to answer another question first, she told him. Something you asked me before.
He smiled and put his forehead against hers. The one about the farmer and the sheep?
No & the one about what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.
A laugh rustled in his throat. Tell me your answer, love.
The unstoppable force stops. And the immovable object moves.
Mmmn. I like that. His lips brushed hers tenderly.
My lord, I d rather not wake up as Catherine Marks ever again. I want to be your wife as soon as
possible.
Tomorrow morning?
Catherine nodded. Although & I will miss you calling me Marks. I ve gotten rather fond of it.
I ll still call you Marks from time to time. During moments of lurid passion. Let s try it. His voice
lowered to a seductive whisper. Kiss me, Marks&
And she lifted her smiling mouth to his.
Epilogue
One year later
The cry of an infant broke through the silence.
Leo flinched at the sound, lifting his head. Having been banished from the bedroom where Catherine
was giving birth, he had waited with the rest of the family in the parlor. Amelia had stayed with
Catherine and the doctor, occasionally emerging to give a brief report to Win or Beatrix. Cam and
Merripen were maddeningly sanguine about the process, both having seen their own wives safely
through childbirth.
The Hathaway family was proving remarkably fertile. In March, Win had given birth to a robust boy,
Jason Cole, nicknamed Jàdo. Two months later, Poppy had produced a petite red-haired daughter,
Elizabeth Grace, upon whom Harry and the entire Rutledge Hotel staff doted.
Now it was Catherine s turn. And while childbirth was a perfectly ordinary event for other people, it was
the most nerve-racking experience Leo had ever gone through. The sight of his wife in pain was
intolerable, and yet there was nothing he could do. It didn t matter how often he was reassured that the
birth was going splendidly & endless hours of labor pains did not seem all that splendid to Leo.
For eight hours Leo had waited in the parlor with his head in his hands, brooding and quiet and
inconsolable. He was afraid for Catherine, and he could hardly bear to be separated from her. As he had
predicted, he loved Catherine like a madman. And as she had once claimed, she was entirely able to
manage him. They were different in so many ways, and yet somehow it made them exactly right for
each other.
The result had been a remarkably harmonious marriage. They entertained each other with furious,
funny bickering and long, thoughtful conversations. When they were alone, they often spoke in a kind of
shorthand that no one else would have been able to interpret. They were a physical pair, passionate and
affectionate. Playful. But the real surprise of the marriage was the kindness they showed each other &
they, who had once fought so bitterly.
Leo had never expected that the woman who had formerly brought out the worst in him would now
bring out the best in him. And he had never dreamed that his love for her would deepen to such
proportions that there was no hope of controlling or restraining it. In the face of a love this vast, a man
could only surrender.
If anything happened to Catherine & if something went wrong during the childbirth &
Leo stood slowly, his fists clenched, as Amelia entered the parlor with a bundled-up newborn. She
paused near the doorway as the family gathered around her with soft exclamations. A perfect little
girl, she said, beaming. The doctor said her color is excellent and her lungs are strong. She brought
the baby to Leo. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl exclamation.htw.pl
partway inside her and stopped, while her flesh, swollen from the night s excesses, had difficulty
accommodating him.
His soft, amused voice tickled her ear. Mmmn & you ll have to try harder, Marks. We both know you
can take more than this.
Help me, she gasped.
With a sympathetic murmur, he lifted her top leg and adjusted her position. Her eyes closed as she felt
him slide inside her.
There, he whispered. Is this what you want?
Harder & harder&
No, love & let me be gentle with you. Just for now.
He moved inside her with slow, deliberate drives, his caressing hand sliding back between her thighs. He
took his time, and she had no choice but to let him. She was suffused with warmth, sensation building as
he courted her, stroked her. Pressing love words and kisses against her neck, he sank more deeply inside
her. She cried out his name, cresting, and he gently urged her even higher. Her shaking hand went to his
hip and gripped the flexing surface.
Don t leave me. Please, Leo.
He understood. As her wet flesh clenched around him once more, delicately wringing and pulling at the
hardness, he pumped forcefully, letting himself go. And at last she knew the feel of his release, the way
his belly tightened, the trembling of a powerful man rendered helpless in that ultimate moment.
They stayed joined as long as possible, resting together and watching as the dawn seeped through the
parted curtains.
I love you, she whispered, so dearly, my lord. My Leo.
He smiled and kissed her. Rising, he went to drag on his trousers.
While Leo sluiced his face at the washstand, Catherine reached for her spectacles. Her gaze happened to
fall on Dodger s empty basket by the door, and her smile dimmed. Poor weasel, she murmured.
Leo returned to her, instantly concerned as he saw her watering eyes. What is it?
Dodger, she said with a sniffle. I miss him already.
Leo sat and drew her up against him. Would you like to see him?
Yes, but I can t.
Why not?
Before she could answer, she saw an odd movement beneath the door & a furry, skinny body wiggling
industriously beneath the ridiculously narrow space. Catherine blinked, afraid to move. Dodger?
The ferret came loping toward the bed, chuckling and chirping, his eyes bright as he hurried to her.
Dodger, you re alive!
Of course he s alive, Leo said. We put him in Poppy s apartment last night to allow you some rest.
He smiled as the ferret bounded onto the mattress. Mischievous little beggar. How did you get all the
way down here?
He came to find me. Catherine held out her arms, and Dodger climbed up to her and snuggled against
her chest. She stroked him over and over, murmuring endearments. He tried to protect me, you know.
He bit William s hand quite terribly. She nuzzled her chin against Dodger and crooned, Good little
watch ferret.
Well done, Dodger, Leo said. Leaving the bed for a moment, he went to his discarded coat and
rummaged through the pockets. I suppose that leads to the question & in marrying you, am I going to
be gaining a ferret, as well?
Do you think Beatrix would let me keep him?
There s no doubt of it. Leo returned to sit beside her. She s always said that he belongs to you.
Has she?
Well, it s rather obvious, in light of his fascination for your garters. And one certainly can t blame him
for that. Leo reached for her hand. I have something to ask you, Marks.
She sat up eagerly, letting Dodger drape around her neck.
I can t remember if this is the fifth or sixth proposal, he said.
It s only the fourth.
I asked you yesterday. Are you counting that one?
No, that wasn t really will you marry me, that was more will you come down off the roof.
One of Leo s brows arched. By all means, let s be technical. He slid a ring onto the fourth finger of her
left hand. It was the most breathtaking ring she had ever seen, a flawless silver opal with flashes of blue
and green fire hidden deep inside. With every movement of her hand, the opal glimmered with
unearthly color. It was encircled by a rim of glittering small diamonds. This reminded me of your eyes,
he said. Only not nearly as beautiful. He paused, looking at her intently. Catherine Marks, love of my
life & will you marry me?
I want to answer another question first, she told him. Something you asked me before.
He smiled and put his forehead against hers. The one about the farmer and the sheep?
No & the one about what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.
A laugh rustled in his throat. Tell me your answer, love.
The unstoppable force stops. And the immovable object moves.
Mmmn. I like that. His lips brushed hers tenderly.
My lord, I d rather not wake up as Catherine Marks ever again. I want to be your wife as soon as
possible.
Tomorrow morning?
Catherine nodded. Although & I will miss you calling me Marks. I ve gotten rather fond of it.
I ll still call you Marks from time to time. During moments of lurid passion. Let s try it. His voice
lowered to a seductive whisper. Kiss me, Marks&
And she lifted her smiling mouth to his.
Epilogue
One year later
The cry of an infant broke through the silence.
Leo flinched at the sound, lifting his head. Having been banished from the bedroom where Catherine
was giving birth, he had waited with the rest of the family in the parlor. Amelia had stayed with
Catherine and the doctor, occasionally emerging to give a brief report to Win or Beatrix. Cam and
Merripen were maddeningly sanguine about the process, both having seen their own wives safely
through childbirth.
The Hathaway family was proving remarkably fertile. In March, Win had given birth to a robust boy,
Jason Cole, nicknamed Jàdo. Two months later, Poppy had produced a petite red-haired daughter,
Elizabeth Grace, upon whom Harry and the entire Rutledge Hotel staff doted.
Now it was Catherine s turn. And while childbirth was a perfectly ordinary event for other people, it was
the most nerve-racking experience Leo had ever gone through. The sight of his wife in pain was
intolerable, and yet there was nothing he could do. It didn t matter how often he was reassured that the
birth was going splendidly & endless hours of labor pains did not seem all that splendid to Leo.
For eight hours Leo had waited in the parlor with his head in his hands, brooding and quiet and
inconsolable. He was afraid for Catherine, and he could hardly bear to be separated from her. As he had
predicted, he loved Catherine like a madman. And as she had once claimed, she was entirely able to
manage him. They were different in so many ways, and yet somehow it made them exactly right for
each other.
The result had been a remarkably harmonious marriage. They entertained each other with furious,
funny bickering and long, thoughtful conversations. When they were alone, they often spoke in a kind of
shorthand that no one else would have been able to interpret. They were a physical pair, passionate and
affectionate. Playful. But the real surprise of the marriage was the kindness they showed each other &
they, who had once fought so bitterly.
Leo had never expected that the woman who had formerly brought out the worst in him would now
bring out the best in him. And he had never dreamed that his love for her would deepen to such
proportions that there was no hope of controlling or restraining it. In the face of a love this vast, a man
could only surrender.
If anything happened to Catherine & if something went wrong during the childbirth &
Leo stood slowly, his fists clenched, as Amelia entered the parlor with a bundled-up newborn. She
paused near the doorway as the family gathered around her with soft exclamations. A perfect little
girl, she said, beaming. The doctor said her color is excellent and her lungs are strong. She brought
the baby to Leo. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]