Fearless Maverick (29 page)

 
          
A
ragged breath caught in her chest. Her heart was squeezing so much her lungs
hurt. And plump tears were rising, welling in her eyes. Dammit, he wasn’t
playing fair.

 
          
‘You
know how I feel about your childhood.’ She wished she’d been there as an adult
to have rescued them all. ‘But what happened back then …’ She swallowed against
raw emotion. ‘Alex, it doesn’t have anything to do with now.’

 
          
‘I
think it does.’ His voice lowered. ‘Everyone’s destined to take some wrong
turns, like me suggesting at the start that you go against your conscience.
Like shutting you out that day.’ A pulse beat in his throat as he drew her
gently near. ‘That was wrong. I knew it, but I was trying to convince myself
that retaining the championship was more important. I wanted to keep what I
had. What I knew. But being with you …’ His gaze intensified as it roamed her
face. ‘You’ve taught me there’s more than wanting to drive fast cars. I’ve
learned that I
want
more. Can
give
more. That I’m ready.’

 
          
Just
as he’d asked, Libby had listened, with the wash of the waves coming closer and
the hope of his words reaching mercilessly deep.

 
          
Her
question was a hoarse anxious whisper. ‘How much more?’

 
          
‘I
want it all,’ he said simply. ‘Marriage, kids. But only with you. I want us to
have a life. Together I know we’ll do it right.’ His gaze dropped to her lips
before finding her eyes again. ‘I love you, Libby. I love you so much.’

 
          
She
sucked down a breath at the same time a hot tear sped down her cheek. Was this
a dream? Had she heard right?

 
          
‘Are
you saying …?’

 
          
‘I’m
asking you to marry me.’ His warm lips brushed her temple. ‘God knows I can
live without chequered flags. I can’t live without you.’

 
          
Another
tear fell, and another. He wanted her to believe in him. He
loved
her. Couldn’t live without her.
She wasn’t sure which way to turn. What to say.

 
          
She
swallowed back disbelieving, happy tears again. ‘You’re sure?’

 
          
‘As
sure as I know that together we can do anything. Go anywhere. Have everything.’

 
          
She
gave in to the feelings that had haunted her these past days and, wanting so
much to trust—to believe—she finally surrendered and let the words come.

 
          
‘I
love you too.’ Her throat ached with the depth of her love. ‘You can’t imagine
how much.’

 
          
Her
words were barely out before his mouth claimed hers and every fibre in her body
sparked like tinder and caught light. As his arms drew her closer still, she
submitted, to his kiss, to his belief in them both. Most of all she submitted
to their love.

 
          
A
series of car horns, blaring from the street, brought her back. She and Alex
glanced toward the road. Some young men in souped-up cars were beeping and
hooting at the couple shamelessly embracing on the beach.

 
          
Laughing
softly, Alex brought his gaze back to hers, then cocked a brow. ‘You know what
this means, don’t you?’

 
          
‘We’ll
probably wind up in tomorrow’s newspaper?’

 
          
‘In
that case, let’s give them something to talk about.’

 
          
His
left arm hooked under her legs and then her feet were swinging in the air and
she was cradled firmly against his chest.

 
          
She
gasped. ‘Be careful! Your shoulder.’

 
          
‘I’m
strong enough for this.’

 
          
When
he moved toward the water, Libby’s blood pressure dropped and she stiffened to
a board.
‘What you are doing?’

 
          
‘Don’t
worry. We’ll do it together.’

 
          
‘You
mean go into the water?
Now?
’

 
          
‘Do
it this once,’ he said, ‘then, if you want, you can put it behind you.’

 
          
Her
head began to prickle. She broke out in an all-over sweat. ‘I … I
can’t
.’

 
          
But
he began moving again, then she heard his feet swishing through the water and
felt the cool spray of the sea on her skin.

 
          
‘I’ll
keep you safe,’ he said. ‘From this moment on I’ll always be here for you. I’ll
never turn away.’

 
          
Carefully
she laced her arms around his neck but gasped when her foot swept through the
cool wet.

 
          
Concerned,
he pulled up. ‘You okay?’

 
          
She
nodded, at first in reflex, then a second time knowing, remarkably, that she
was, indeed, better than fine. Alex was right. She’d always needed to do this
at least once, and now, safe in his arms, she knew that she could.

 
          
As
the water reached higher, she told herself to relax and soon the familiar roll
of the waves was lapping her body, as it had so many times before, and Alex was
smiling down at her, love and pride shining in his eyes.

 
          
‘How’s
that?’

 
          
‘A
little weird,’ she admitted, ‘but mostly … like I’m saying hello to an old
friend.’

 
          
His
smile said he’d known it all along.

 
          
‘So
how about it, Libby? Will you be my bride?’

 
          
Tears
slid from the corners of her eyes. Happy tears. Tears that made her feel as if
she were the luckiest, most beautiful woman alive.

 
          
Alex
Wolfe, the man she loved with all her heart, wanted to marry her.

 
          
‘There’s
nothing I want more.’ She held his bristled jaw in her palm as the gratitude
inside her swelled. ‘I love you.’

 
          
Those
gorgeous grey eyes glistened and smiled into hers. ‘Say it again.’

 
          
As
the waves gently lapped, she grazed her thumb over his bottom lip and
confessed, ‘I love you … like I didn’t know existed.’

 
          
As
he kissed her again, he waded in deeper and those old affirmations swirled back
into her mind.

 
          
I can do this…. There’s nothing to be nervous
about…. No need, Libby, to
be
scared
.
And then that pleasant tingling heat flooded her body in the same instant a
perfect sense of serenity descended and her eyes drifted shut.

 
          
The
past would always be there but as long as she and Alex were together—for the
lifetime that they’d share and be in love—their lives, their future, would be
an open road. An accepting sea.

 
          
Nothing
and no one would ever stand in their way.

 
          
After
leaving the sanctuary of the monastery and empowered by the monks’ calm
approach to life, Jacob became eager to resume his new life. His path took him
to South America and the building of a new hospital. But quickly he discovered
that the release he had once found in physical labour was missing—Jacob needed
more …

 
          
Frustrated
with the uninspiring designs for the building, Jacob worked on plans of his
own, convincing people with his passion and overseeing a new vision for the
building, inspiring everyone. Soon Jacob was headhunted by a firm eager to see
more visionary designs from this enigmatic man. Jacob took the job, desperately
trying to grasp at a normal life.

 
          
But
Jacob’s blood still thrummed with an unanswered restlessness and he soon tired
of working for a huge faceless corporation. So Jacob did what he did best and
left, setting up his own architecture business. Still unable to settle, he
divided his time between his fledgling company and bland hotel rooms devoid of
any soul, still believing he didn’t deserve to call any place home …

 
          
Share a secret about Alex or Libby?

 
          
Alex
Wolfe has won racing titles and trophies all over the world! But his most
prized possession is a home-made medal his mentor awarded him when he was only
a volatile, directionless teenager starting out.

 
          
Who is the biggest, baddest Wolfe?

 
          
We
certainly have an assortment to choose from! I wouldn’t classify Alex as the
biggest and baddest … perhaps the most driven (and sexy!). I have a soft spot
for Lucas. His way of coping with the past is both charming and
self-destructive. He’s a lucky man to have found a woman like Gracie-Belle.

 
          
Which Wolfe brother did you most fancy?

 
          
Aside
from Alex … I’d have to say Jacob. As the eldest, Jacob had so much weighing on
his shoulders, before and particularly after his beast of a father died. I love
the way he made a commitment to bring the Wolfe pack back together. So much
soul-searching, and adventure of every kind, happens along the way!

 
          
Which is Alex’s favourite room in Wolfe
Manor?

 
          
Trick
question! Although Alex retains snippets of fond memories growing up with his
brothers and twin sister, Annabelle, in Wolfe Manor, by his teens he was
desperate
to escape the house that had
caused him and his family so much grief. Rather than his favourite room,
perhaps the area that haunts Alex most is the staircase. One night at the
bottom of those stairs, so many Wolfe lives, including his own, were torn apart
and changed forever.

 
          
How did Alex pop the big question?

 
          
Although
Australian Libby Henderson was once the female world surfing champion, due to a
shocking accident that ripped her away from that profession forever, she avoids
the sand and the sea. It’s through knowing Alex that Libby begins to overcome
her fear and welcome again what had once been so much a part of her life. It’s
when she’s walking along the beach, wondering what the future holds, that Alex
surprises her with both revelations that leave her weak and never more wanting,
as well as a proposal no woman could refuse.

 
          
What do you enjoy most about writing as
part of a continuity series; how does it differ from writing a single title?

 
          
The
Bad Blood series is my very first continuity! I was
thrilled
to be asked to join with authors I adore as a reader, and
was blown away by everyone’s generosity of time and information as we worked
together to make sure this set of stories developed into the amazing romances
they have. I was sorry to say goodbye to my gorgeous brave hero and the woman
who made the difference in his life. But I’m thankful to have had the
opportunity to become friends with such a great bunch of writers. It was
wonderful to have company while I was creating and tapping away!

 
          
What do you think makes a great
hero/heroine?

 
          
Strength
coupled with a vulnerability that only one special person can truly identify
with and have the ability to heal. Alex Wolfe is that quintessential blend of
raw courage and tenderness. He so deserved a happy ending.