The Couple Behind the Headlines (24 page)

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Authors: Lucy King

Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #Contemporary, #Contemporary Women, #General

BOOK: The Couple Behind the Headlines

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‘And I’m sorry I hurt you.’ He reached out and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, and her pulse jumped. ‘Nevertheless you had a point,’ he said softly. ‘This is all new for me, Imogen, and I’ll probably screw up even more disastrously and more frequently than I have already. But I promise you, if you’ll let me, I’ll figure it out. And I’ll prove you
can
trust me. Every day.’

Her heart turned over. ‘Every day?’

He nodded. ‘Long weekends and holidays wouldn’t be enough, would they?’

She shook her head and sighed. ‘Not nearly.’

‘That’s what I figured. Which is why I’m moving to New York, too.’

Imogen’s breath caught in her throat as the love she’d been keeping at bay crashed through her defences and rushed into her. ‘Really?’ she said as an unstoppable smile spread across her face.

‘Really. I’m opening an office there and I’ve even been thinking about getting in touch with my father.’

‘Wow,’ she said, because it was all she could manage. ‘You’ve been busy.’

‘Yes, well, both are about time. And incidental.’ He paused, then said, ‘I just want to be with you, and if you’re going to be in New York then that’s where I want to be, too.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Surer than I’ve ever been of anything.’ He shot her a smile that made her heart expand. ‘Besides, you might meet that nice American you mentioned, and I can’t have that.’

With all the love swelling up inside her, Imogen said fiercely, ‘There’s absolutely no danger of that happening.’

He arched an eyebrow. ‘No?’

She took a breath, put her hand on his cheek and looked deep into his eyes. ‘How could I possibly be interested in anyone else when I’m so in love with you?’

That devastating smile of his spread across his face, his eyes lit up and she nearly swooned at everything that blazed there. ‘God, I hoped you were.’

‘I am. Inescapably, it seems. And I’m sorry, too. For not realising sooner and for repeatedly turning you away.’ She ached at the memory of how blind she’d been. ‘And for wasting such a lot of time.’

Jack grinned. ‘Ah, well, you see, the good thing about wasting so much time is that there’s an awful lot of it to make up.’

With perfect timing the seat-belt sign pinged and before she knew what was happening, Jack had hauled her onto his
lap and into his arms. ‘Starting now,’ he added, and pulled her against him.

Imogen laughed with delight, but when his mouth found hers and he kissed her with everything he felt her laughter died in her throat. She could feel his heart thundering in time with hers and she realised that, whatever else she wanted out of life,
this
was where she was meant to be. With Jack. In his arms. And she was never going to let him go again.

‘By the way,’ he murmured against her lips when they broke for air, ‘I realise that you won’t be wanting anything to distract you while you’re studying, but, I think I should let you know in advance, the minute you graduate I’ll be asking you to marry me.’

With her breathing all over the place, Imogen wrapped her arms tighter around his neck and went giddy with happiness. ‘Will you?’

‘It’s a promise.’

EPILOGUE

Three years later

A
NY
more of this awful tension, thought Imogen, and she’d explode. The restaurant was one of the best in New York, and the food was apparently sublime, but to be honest she’d barely taken any of it in.

And was it any wonder? How could she concentrate on food when all evening she’d felt as if she were sitting on knives?

‘Well?’ she said, looking at Jack and so about to burst with expectation that she was unable to stand it any longer.

Jack raised his eyebrows. ‘Well, what?’

‘I’ve just graduated,’ she said, because, despite the celebratory dinner, it might need pointing out.

‘And how.’ He lifted his glass, clinked it against hers and gave her a proud smile. ‘Top of the class. Congratulations. Again.’

‘Thanks.’ She nibbled on her lip. ‘So … Is that it?’

Jack set his glass down and grinned. ‘Only if you want it to be. If you didn’t want to take up the position on the board you were offered, you’d have your pick of jobs.’

Imogen resisted the urge to give him a sharp kick under the table. ‘That’s not what I meant.’

He raised his eyebrows. ‘Wasn’t it?’

‘No.’

‘Then what did you mean?’

Jack looked baffled, as if he genuinely didn’t have a clue what she was trying to get at, and her heart lurched.

Oh, God. Had he forgotten?

She stared at him as he gazed innocently back, her mind galloping. It had been three years since he’d made that promise on the plane, the one that had kept her going through the tough times when she’d struggled with her workload and had been tempted to throw it all in, but not once in all that time had he mentioned it again.

So what with time and the immense effort he’d put into establishing his business and working on his relationship with his father, he could well have forgotten.

Or been having second thoughts.

The high Imogen had been riding for days dipped for a moment and then she pulled herself together because, either way, she could hardly ask.

‘Oh, nothing,’ she said lightly, telling herself that it didn’t really matter anyway. She didn’t need a ring on her finger to know that Jack loved her. She had proof of it daily. ‘Forget it.’

Flashing him an overly bright smile, she twisted round and rummaged in the handbag that hung off her chair, hiding her face just in case the disappointment had made its way there.

‘You didn’t really think I had, did you?’

At the teasing warmth in his voice, Imogen stilled. Her heart skipped a beat and for a moment she forgot how to breathe. Slowly, she lifted her head and turned round to face him. Jack was smiling the smile that melted her bones every time and suddenly everything that had been all wobbly and blurry swam back into focus and settled.

‘Well, it has been a long time,’ she said, letting out the breath that she’d been holding as her heart started beating again.

‘Quite long enough.’ He tilted his head and held out his hand. ‘Is this what you were looking for?’

Her gaze dropped to the ring he was holding and she stared at the trilogy of diamonds flashing in the candlelight, her throat tightening with emotion and the backs of her eyes prickling. ‘I was actually looking for my lipstick,’ she said, and hiccupped.

Jack smiled gently. ‘You know, your sense of humour is just one of the many, many things I love about you. I love your determination, your resilience and your patience. I love the way you put up with my flaws and make me a better man.’ His smile turned wicked. ‘I particularly love that thing you do with your—’

‘Jack,’
she interrupted with mock horror, and glanced round to check that no one was listening.

He laughed, then sobered. ‘Imogen, darling,’ he said, getting up and moving round to kneel beside her chair. ‘I just adore you. Will you marry me?’

As happiness burst through her Imogen flung herself into his arms, smothered him in kisses and murmured, ‘I thought you’d never ask.’

All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.

All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II BV/S.à.r.l. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the prior consent of the publisher in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

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First published in Great Britain 2012
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited.
Harlequin (UK) Limited, Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road,
Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR

ISBN: 978-1-408-97446-9

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