Her words warmed his heart. “Come sit by me.” He motioned to the empty chair next to him. “I would like to have a serious discussion with you.”
She nodded and moved past him, but before she sat, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her beside him. He slipped his arms around her waist and brushed his mouth across her lips. Lifting his head, he gazed into her mesmerizing eyes, now laced with desire.
“Why did you do that?” she asked.
“Because I felt like it. I haven’t seen you since last night, and I have missed you.”
“And I have missed you.”
“Then kiss me and show me.”
Without hesitation, she bent her head and met his waiting lips. He turned her and sat her on his lap while he kissed her passionately. Her fingers delved through his hair, and he loved her gentle strokes.
Grudgingly, he broke the kiss. They needed to talk. Now was the perfect time to express his feelings, and it couldn’t be delayed a moment longer. Keeping her on his lap, he relaxed in the heavily cushioned chair. She looked at him with a smile of satisfaction gracing her lovely mouth.
“I have wanted to do that all morning,” he said.
“Me too.”
“Then why didn’t you come to see me sooner?”
“One of us needs to stay strong, Malcolm.”
“And, as always, it has to be you,” he said.
“If I let you have your way, your leg would never heal.”
“Probably not, but I would be one very happy man.”
She laughed and cuddled closer. Wrapping his other hand around her, he held her in place. He liked this sitting arrangement too much.
“What do you want to talk about?” she asked.
He stared into her hypnotic gaze. “Our future.”
“What about our future?”
“I would like you to share it with me.”
Her smile broadened. “Indeed?”
“Yes.”
“But why?”
“Because I have fallen in love with you,” he confessed.
A gasp escaped her throat, and liquid gathered in her eyes. “Are you certain?”
“Very certain.”
A tear slid down her cheek before she buried her face into his neck. “I have fallen in love with you, as well.” Her voice broke.
He kissed the side of her face. “And is the idea so terrible it brings tears to your eyes?”
She hiccupped a laugh. “I’m just so happy you share the same feelings.”
“How could I not fall in love with you? You are my world now, and you have taken over my heart.”
