until tonight to fit me into your schedule?"
"Hey," he said chuckling, "I thought you'd appreciate not being rushed. Don't I get any points for gentlemanly behavior?"
"It made me nervous." She dropped her eyes to study his chest.
"Because you were beginning to be afraid I didn't want you at all. Then when you decided to take things into your own hands last weekend I blew it by seeing that prowler at the window. That was probably Carrington, the bastard. One of these days I'm going to have to do something about him before his mischief gets dangerous."
"You haven't answered my question," Elly persisted. Jess sighed.
"You mean about why I was such a gentleman for two months?"
"Yes."
"It was because I wanted to be sure of you in other ways, first. You're sweet and sensible and intelligent. I wanted you to see that we could make a good marriage together, that we were right for each other. I didn't want to be accused of using sex to push you into anything you didn't really want." It sounded reasonable to his own ears.
"Because someone once used sex to push you into a marriage you later regretted?"
"That's not going to be a problem with us, though, is it, Elly ? You love me. You want to marry me. You've loved me and you've wanted to marry me all along."
"Yes."
He tipped up her chin, enjoying the honesty in her eyes. "I should have known. I should have guessed how deeply you felt. If I had, I wouldn't have waited two months to make love to you."
"Now you know how I feel," she began carefully.
"Umm." He felt the satisfaction welling up in him, and knew it probably showed in his eyes. Jess didn't try to hide it. There was no need.
"I'd like to know how you feel, Jess." Elly studied him intently.
"Damned good." He stretched and yawned.
"That's not what I meant."
Something in her persistent tone finally got through to him. He blinked lazily. "What do you mean?"
She swallowed, seeking the right words. "I want to know if you love me," Elly whispered starkly.
Jess experienced the first flicker of uneasiness. She looked so serious and concerned. Tenderly he played with her braid. " Elly , honey, I'm going to marry you. I'll take care of you. I think you trust me, and you know that I want you. I know for certain that you want me. Isn't that enough for you?"
"I don't know. Is falling in love with me anywhere in sight on that schedule of yours? Or is this all I'm going to get?"
The uneasiness began to change into anger. "What, exactly, do you want from me, Elly ?"
"I want you to tell me that you love me," she said with stubborn pride. "That you're giving yourself to me as completely as I 'm prepared to give myself to you. That you're passionately, irrevocably, inescapably, deliriously in love with me!"
"Why?"
"Why ! " She freed herself to sit up against the pillows. "Why? Because that's the way this whole thing is supposed to work. That's what getting married is all about. I love you. I'd like some assurance that you love me."
He eyed her for a long moment, taking in the sight of her emotions so openly displayed in her face. "Last weekend you said you wanted the assurance that I could feel genuine passion for you. I've given you that assurance and now you want more. How much more, Elly ?"
She flinched as if he had struck her. "That's not fair, Jess. I'm only asking that the man who claims he wants to marry me also does me the honor of telling me he loves me. But you're not going to do that, are you?" She edged toward the side of the bed, her eyes blazing. All the warmth of the passionate aftermath of their lovemaking had changed to feminine resentment.
" Elly , come back here. Where the hell do you think you're going?" Alarmed and irritated, Jess sat up.
"You're afraid to let yourself love me, aren't you?" she challenged, stumbling to her feet beside the bed. She dragged the comforter with her. "After that disaster with Marina Carrington, you're not about to risk loving another woman."
"You don't know what the hell
"Hey," he said chuckling, "I thought you'd appreciate not being rushed. Don't I get any points for gentlemanly behavior?"
"It made me nervous." She dropped her eyes to study his chest.
"Because you were beginning to be afraid I didn't want you at all. Then when you decided to take things into your own hands last weekend I blew it by seeing that prowler at the window. That was probably Carrington, the bastard. One of these days I'm going to have to do something about him before his mischief gets dangerous."
"You haven't answered my question," Elly persisted. Jess sighed.
"You mean about why I was such a gentleman for two months?"
"Yes."
"It was because I wanted to be sure of you in other ways, first. You're sweet and sensible and intelligent. I wanted you to see that we could make a good marriage together, that we were right for each other. I didn't want to be accused of using sex to push you into anything you didn't really want." It sounded reasonable to his own ears.
"Because someone once used sex to push you into a marriage you later regretted?"
"That's not going to be a problem with us, though, is it, Elly ? You love me. You want to marry me. You've loved me and you've wanted to marry me all along."
"Yes."
He tipped up her chin, enjoying the honesty in her eyes. "I should have known. I should have guessed how deeply you felt. If I had, I wouldn't have waited two months to make love to you."
"Now you know how I feel," she began carefully.
"Umm." He felt the satisfaction welling up in him, and knew it probably showed in his eyes. Jess didn't try to hide it. There was no need.
"I'd like to know how you feel, Jess." Elly studied him intently.
"Damned good." He stretched and yawned.
"That's not what I meant."
Something in her persistent tone finally got through to him. He blinked lazily. "What do you mean?"
She swallowed, seeking the right words. "I want to know if you love me," Elly whispered starkly.
Jess experienced the first flicker of uneasiness. She looked so serious and concerned. Tenderly he played with her braid. " Elly , honey, I'm going to marry you. I'll take care of you. I think you trust me, and you know that I want you. I know for certain that you want me. Isn't that enough for you?"
"I don't know. Is falling in love with me anywhere in sight on that schedule of yours? Or is this all I'm going to get?"
The uneasiness began to change into anger. "What, exactly, do you want from me, Elly ?"
"I want you to tell me that you love me," she said with stubborn pride. "That you're giving yourself to me as completely as I 'm prepared to give myself to you. That you're passionately, irrevocably, inescapably, deliriously in love with me!"
"Why?"
"Why ! " She freed herself to sit up against the pillows. "Why? Because that's the way this whole thing is supposed to work. That's what getting married is all about. I love you. I'd like some assurance that you love me."
He eyed her for a long moment, taking in the sight of her emotions so openly displayed in her face. "Last weekend you said you wanted the assurance that I could feel genuine passion for you. I've given you that assurance and now you want more. How much more, Elly ?"
She flinched as if he had struck her. "That's not fair, Jess. I'm only asking that the man who claims he wants to marry me also does me the honor of telling me he loves me. But you're not going to do that, are you?" She edged toward the side of the bed, her eyes blazing. All the warmth of the passionate aftermath of their lovemaking had changed to feminine resentment.
" Elly , come back here. Where the hell do you think you're going?" Alarmed and irritated, Jess sat up.
"You're afraid to let yourself love me, aren't you?" she challenged, stumbling to her feet beside the bed. She dragged the comforter with her. "After that disaster with Marina Carrington, you're not about to risk loving another woman."
"You don't know what the hell
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