Christian watched her with wide eyes. He had absolutely no idea what she was about. Was she still angry with him, or did she want to make love to him? He couldn’t tell. He braced his hands behind him on the bed and leaned back, his eyes never leaving her.
Sarah stood, walked over to the wall, and hefted the sword that still rested there. She came back to the bed and, after lifting the weapon with both hands, held the tip of the blade to Christian’s throat.
“Sarah, I—”
“I’m the one with the sword. That means I get to speak first.”
He swallowed against the blade. “By all means.”
She straightened her shoulders and tossed back her hair. Her arms strained under the weight of the sword. Her eyes flashed like green ice. She looked magnificent.
“If you ever take me for granted… if you ever treat me with disrespect… if you ever again make a life-changing choice without consulting me first…”
“You’ll slice me in half?” He didn’t smile. Didn’t dare smile.
“I’ll make you regret the day you were born.”
“Understood.”
She lowered the sword away from his neck and propped it against the nearest wall. “Now, I’d like you to tell me what I’ve been waiting to hear for days but you only saw fit to write in a letter you left on my bedside table before you fled from me.”
Christian jumped to his feet and pulled her into his arms. “I love you, Sarah.”
“You do, Christian? You truly do?”
“Yes. I think I’ve loved you since thefirsttime you threatened me with a sword.”
She smiled at that and he hugged her tightly.
“I love you, too, Christian.”
“Helplessly?”
“Yes.”
“Hopelessly?”
“Yes, and not only that, I missed you, my darling,” she said.
Christian picked her up and swung her around. “Good, because if this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up.” He kissed her long and soundly.
“Neither do I,” she breathed.
He set her back on her feet and held her hand. She lowered herself to the bed, sat on the edge, and patted the space next to her. He sat beside her.
“Christian, I’m sorry. I let my stubborn pride and my idiotic need to please my parents get in the way of our happiness.”
“No, I’m sorry, Sarah. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you I love you weeks ago. I let my fear keep me from finding the happiness I’ve always wanted. But I know now I cannot be happy without you. And I hope you feel the same way.”
She cupped his cheeks. “I do, my darling. I do.”
Christian reached out and touched her face gently. He ran his fingers along her cheek, along her jawline, along her smooth neck. She arched her chin so he could touch her more.
“I want to make love to you,” he whispered.
“Yes,” was her only reply.
With a slightly shaking hand, he reached out and began to unbutton her gown. He pushed it off her shoulders. She turned for him and plucked the pins out of her hair while he set about the painstaking task of unlacing the back of her gown. He had to pull each lace through the series of brackets, and he stopped every few moments to kiss the back of her neck, sending shudders throughout her body.
