Page 39 of Promise Me Love
‘No. You mustn’t! It’s wrong, David. Wrong! There’s no point pretending otherwise.’ Her eyes closed on a wave of sadness then shot open again when she felt his lips cover hers again in a kiss of such tenderness that it made her ache, made the throbbing need intensify.
‘Pretending, Beth? Do I look as if I’m pretending?’ He caught her hand, holding her eyes as he slid it down his chest and pressed it against the aroused hardness of his body through the folds of the damp towel. ‘Does it feel as if I’m pretending?’
Her face coloured hectically and he laughed deeply, his eyes gleaming with amusement. ‘I see you get the picture. So do you still think that it’s wrong when you know how much I want you?’
‘David, I…’
‘What? Tell me, love.’ He slid down beside her on the bed, curving her into his arms to press her so close that she could feel the hardness of him against her soft flesh.
‘This is wrong,’ she whispered brokenly, repeating the words in a helpless attempt to convince herself as much as him.
He smiled, his lips brushing her cheek, making the skin tingle with awareness. ‘We’re married. How can it be wrong?’ His hand glided down her back, his fingers caressing the ridges of her spine before curling intimately around the curve of her bottom, and she shuddered helplessly.
‘David, please!’
‘Please…what? Hold you closer, kiss you again, show you how much I really want you? It will be my pleasure, sweet.’ He drew her even closer, so close that her bare breasts were crushed against the hard, warm wall of his broad chest. Beth could feel the double beat of their hearts tapping out their rhythm and suddenly she was lost. What did it matter why he held her like this, why he kissed her, why he should claim to want her? Nothing had ever felt as right or as wonderful as being held in David’s arms like this and having him love her.
She relaxed against him, her body going pliant in his hold, her arms holding him just as tightly as he held her. Why keep on denying something that was true: she wanted him just as much as he seemed to want her, wanted him with a desire that went beyond the bounds of right or wrong or reason.
‘Beth.’ Her name was soft on his lips, almost as soft as the kiss he gave her, and she felt her heart go still. He kissed her now not with that wild, hot passion which had set her on fire, but with an aching tenderness which made her tremble. How could one sweet kiss wipe away all the doubts and pain? She couldn’t understand it, but it was so. David kissed her now and suddenly she knew without a shadow of a doubt that this was right.
The soft sound of someone knocking on the door was a cruel intrusion. Beth drew in a shuddering breath, her arms tightening around him for one desperate moment before they fell to her sides. He stared down at her, his eyes still clouded with desire, then slowly bent to rest his forehead against hers for a moment in a gesture of defeat. ‘I don’t believe it! Talk about bad timing.’
Beth smiled faintly, resisting the urge to draw him closer and ignore the intrusion. ‘Are you going to answer or shall I?’
He shook his head, mockery on his face now as he straightened, but there was no denying the warmth lingering in his eyes as he ran a glance over her as she lay against the pillows, her hair a tangle of red-gold silk, her bare breasts rosy-tipped. ‘No, you stay there. I don’t want to spoil the delightful picture you make.’
Beth blushed, pulling the covers up to shield herself, warmed by the gentle teasing.
‘I hope I didn’t wake you up. I’ve brought you some tea. How is Beth this morning?’
David took the tray Maggie was carrying, pushing the door back with one bare foot as he glanced back over his shoulder at Beth. ‘She’s fine. All she needed was a good night’s sleep…and a little tender, loving care!’
Maggie smiled. ‘Stop that, David! You’re embarrassing her. Right, breakfast is any time you want it. Don’t rush. I was planning a nice lazy day. It will be hectic enough tonight.’ She looked at Beth, her eyes warm with understanding as she met Beth’s embarrassed ones. ‘I hope you don’t mind, but we decided to throw a party tonight. It will be mainly friends and very informal.’