Garden of the Moongate (25 page)

"As the hotel's day manager?" she asked bleakly. "Is that why you need me?"

"
No
!" His temper flared, then subsided quickly. "Allendre, don't act as if you don't understand me."

"I can't give you all you need," she murmured, turning to him, unhappiness darkening her eyes to deep green pools. "I… would get hurt. I would be more emotionally involved than you…"

"What do you know about my emotions?" he growled, sinking down on the edge of the bed and dragging her between his parted legs. His hard hands squeezed her waist as he looked up at her. "Don't you think I'm involved already? I can't sleep for wanting you."

"But only physically. You…"

"You wouldn't still be a virgin if that's all I wanted from you," he muttered harshly, dragging her down onto his lap, gripping her chin between his thumb and fingers to force her to look at him. His hungry blue eyes moved over her as his hand slipped beneath her skirt to cover her thigh. "That night you stayed with me, you would have given me anything I wanted, but there was such a look of innocence in your eyes I couldn't take what you were offering, though heaven knows I wanted to. But you wanted love from me, and…"

"And you couldn't give me that," she uttered desolately. "Could you?"

"Couldn't I?"

"Ric, please don't tease me," she cried, too overwrought to hide the truth any longer. "You know… I… love you."

"I hope you do, because I realized that night, after you went to sleep like a trusting child in my arms, that I'd been falling in love with you since the beginning. And knowing that you'd never given yourself to any man before… Allendre, you'll never know how happy that made me. It made me know I was very special to you, made me think you were in love with me, too. And I would have made you tell me that the next day, if you hadn't run away. Even after I heard you worked for Meredith's, I knew there must be some reasonable explanation. I trusted you."

"Oh, Ric, I'm sorry; I'm so sorry I left," she whispered, cupping his face in her hands, tears filling her eyes. "If I'd only known…"

"Just so you know now," he said huskily, taking her mouth with persuasive force as he lowered her onto the bed, his weight pressing her slender body into the soft mattress. As her trembling hands slipped inside his jacket and shirt to stroke his heated flesh he buried his face in the fragrant thickness of her hair. "Marry me, Allie. Here in New York. I'm going back to Shannon to stay permanently. My younger brother is more the young-exec type. He can take over for me here, and I can start dealing with Shannon House personally. But I'll need you there with me."

"As manager?" she teased.

"Only during the days," he answered, unbuttoning her blouse to seek the rounded curve of her breasts with warm, possessive lips. "As for the nights, I have other plans for you. Allendre, I love you so much. Say you'll marry me. Now."

"I'll marry you," she breathed. Her blouse came off, exposing her sensitive midriff to stroking, caressing fingertips. She trembled, catching her lip between her teeth as waves of desire pulsated through her. "But… but Deb…"

"Is in good hands," Ric murmured. "Derek has had enough of her nonsense and told her so very succinctly." Strong white teeth nibbled her lips. "Now, do we stay here tonight, or would you like to go to my place?"

"Anywhere," she gasped softly as he tugged her skirt off and trailed one fingertip along the slender length of her thigh. Her fingers tangled in the dark thickness of his hair, urging his mouth to hers again. "Anywhere you say, as long as you promise to keep kissing me."

"Oh, I promise," he whispered against her lips. "I'm not letting you go again until we're married, and probably not for a long time after that."

"
Ric
," she whispered back shakily as he undid the front closure of her bra, peeling the lace cups away. Her breath caught as his fingers gently stroked her taut, rounded flesh. "You… you're undressing me again."

"And I don't intend to stop this time until…"

"D-didn't you say something about going to your place?"

"It's too late to think about that now, Allendre," he breathed huskily, searching her face with warm, loving eyes. "Do you mind?"

"How could I mind?" she murmured, touching the corners of his mouth. "I love you."

"And I love you," he said softly, then proceeded to show her exactly how much.