Semi-Detached Marriage (23 page)

'You adorable idiot that was
the television news. I switched it off with the remote control.'

`You mean I've been tormented by jealousy
because of a news announcer? Oh, Simon!' Cassie clung to him as he laughed
again.

`I'm glad you were jealous,' he murmured. `I
want you always to be jealous.' He bent to touch her lips with his, exploring
her mouth with tantalising little kisses, then moving on to trace the curve of
her cheek, her throat, her eyes, coming back to her mouth with ravenous hunger.
`Oh, God, Cassie, I love you. No matter what it takes, we're never going to be
parted again.'

He went to kiss her again, but Cassie stopped
him, looking up at him searchingly. `Would you really have given me a divorce?'

He smiled and carried her hand to his lips,
kissing her fingertips. 'No, but I was getting pretty desperate by then. That's
why I insisted that you come up here. I realised what a stubborn fool I'd been
and that the only chance we had of getting. back together was here, in this
bed.'

Cassie laughed a little. `So this is where I
would have ended up anyway?'

`Most definitely.' Simon looked down at her,
his face suddenly serious again. His voice raw with emotion, he said, `You see,
you're the most precious thing in my life, and there was no way I could let you
go.'

Cassie stared up at him, overwhelmed and
feeling strangely humbled, but then, as he began to kiss and caress every curve
of her body, awaken each sexual nerve end one by one, she was again lost in
passion, her body responding to his touch as he made love to her again and
again, until they both fell into a contented sleep.

It was daylight before she awoke and for a
few seconds she thought she was in the flat, alone in bed as she had been for
so long, and the familiar desolation filled her heart, but then she moved and
felt Simon's naked body beside her. Recollection and joy flooded through her in
a wave so great she thought she would burst with happiness. It was all right.
They were together again and everything was going to be fine from now on.
Carefully she turned so that she could see him, savouring this moment of pure
happiness to try and hold it for ever in her mind.

She wanted to reach out and touch him, to
trace the outline of his hard jaw and straight nose, to smooth away the
beginnings of a grim line at the corner of his mouth that had never been there
before. But she was afraid to wake him, wanting to hold on to this moment for
ever. She lay still until quite a while later when he moved and turned on to
his back, then she glanced at the clock on the bedside table, sat up and
reached for the phone.

She asked the operator to get her the local
cottage hospital and then asked the matron on duty- how Bill Harris and Jeannie
Cooper were.

`Och,' the woman replied in a broad Scots
accent, `they're both fine. We're keeping Mr. Harris in for a day or two, but
Mrs. Cooper will be away home today.'     

`And her child?'

`The bairn's fine. Not a thing wrong with
him.'     

`I'm so glad. Will you please tell them that
Mrs. Ventris called.'

She put the receiver down slowly, remembering
those few hours of danger that had brought a group of strangers so close
together, only to part again when they were safe. Turning, she saw that Simon
was awake and watching her.

'Are they all right?'

'Yes, fine.'

He held out his hand to her, but she
surprised him by saying determinedly, 'Simon, are you very busy at the oil
terminal? Can you take a few days off?'

He smiled rather wryly. 'Of course. I'll be
giving it up anyway to come back to London with you.'
            

Cassie gazed at him as the import of his words
struck home and she became fully aware of the sacrifice he was willing to make
to keep her. Then she smiled and slipped down into bed to snuggle up to him.
'That won't be necessary.'

His eyebrows rose. 'It won't?'

'No, because of the heavy schedule you've got
over the next few days.' She moved against him voluptuously, arousing him at
once.

'What heavy schedule?' Simon asked thickly as
he reached for her.

'Making quite sure you give me a baby.'

His fingers bit into her flesh so hard that
she gasped.             

'What did you say?' His grey eyes stared into
hers. 'Do you mean it? Oh, God, Cassie are you sure?'

'Yes,' Cassie answered softly, putting up a
hand to stroke his face. 'I did quite a lot of thinking when I was stuck on
that beach, and I'm very sure.'

'But what about your career?'

'It will just have to wait until your job
here is finished and the baby's old enough to go to nursery school. If Marriott
& Brown's won't take me back, I'll open a shop of my own. In the meantime
we'll just be together, here in Scotland. Because all I want is to be with
you.'

'Oh, Cassie! My darling girl!' He held her
very close for a long time, until Cassie moved restlessly and he loosened his
hold.

She looked at him impatiently. 'Well, what
are you waiting for? You do want the job I'm offering, don't you?'

Simon laughed, a deep, masculine laugh of
pure happiness. 'I most certainly do. And I'll do my very best to give
satisfaction, ma'am.' And he did.