wine? A heavy, rich red wine, and she had not had anything to eat, he reminded himself. Add to that the emotional turmoil she had been through, and perhaps it was not surprising that her body and her mind wanted to find escape in sleep.
He ought to take her home, but he couldn’t let her go until she had explained that frantic, pleading statement she had made to him.
Had she conceived Ritchie’s child? When he had gone to ask her she had told him coldly that she had not conceived. But then, given what he knew now, was it likely that she would have told him anything else?
He bent grimly over her, picking her up.
Luckily Mrs Lindow always kept the spare beds made up. She could spend the night in one of them and then tomorrow they could talk.
Whether she had conceived Ritchie’s child or not made no difference to the way he felt about her, to his love for her.
But if she had... He flinched as he recognised what such an event must have done to her...on top of all that she was already suffering.
There was no point in trying to wake her now. As he carried her towards the door he paused and looked down into her sleeping face, brushing his mouth
gently against hers.
‘I love you, Rosie,’ he whispered against her lips and, even though he knew she could not have heard him, her mouth seemed to soften into a slight smile.
An omen for the future?
CHAPTER SIX
B ECAUSE HE WAS determined there was going to be a future for them, Jake acknowledged as he carried her upstairs and carefully laid her down on the bed in the guest bedroom before removing her dress and then going to get one of his shirts to put on her before he pulled the duvet up over her.
She was so deeply asleep that she had barely stirred while he undressed her, and now he stood beside the bed, looking down at her.
It was just as well that she had called a halt to their lovemaking. He knew well enough that the passion and intensity of her response to him had been caused not so much by any personal desire for him, but by the release of all her pent-up emotions.
He would take things slowly with her, give her all the time and space she needed to feel comfortable with him. And if at the end of that she still rejected him... Love could not be forced, he reminded himself, and nor would he want to do so. But if he could keep her close to him, showed her that she could trust him...
He bent and touched her face gently, unable to resist the temptation to do so, and then, straightening his back, he went downstairs.
In the sitting-room Rosie’s empty glass was on the floor beside the sofa and with it, almost tucked beneath the sofa, was her bra.
He picked it up and took it upstairs, placing it with her other clothes, remembering the way she had responded to him when he had kissed her breasts, the eager feminine response her body had given him. It wasn’t just her physical response he wanted, though. It was her love as well.
* * *
R OSIE WOKE UP RELUCTANTLY , conscious of the dryness of her mouth, of the unfamiliar deepness of her sleep, of the way her head ached.
She moved it slightly on the pillow, frowning as she realised she was not in her own bed.
Immediately she remembered what had happened, her face flushing with mortification as she remembered the way she had cast aside all her normal restraint, all her self-control...the things she had said...the things she had done... Most especially the things she had done ... Her face burned hotly as she shuddered in mute self-disgust.
It must have been the wine. That and the shock of seeing Ritchie...of discovering that Jake Lucas had not disliked and despised her.
Shock did odd things to people.
Including inciting them to physical desire... She pushed the thought aside, throwing back the duvet and then tensing as she realised what she was wearing...or rather what she wasn’t wearing.
Jake must have undressed her before putting her to bed...undressed her and then wrapped her in one of his own shirts.
Beneath its
He ought to take her home, but he couldn’t let her go until she had explained that frantic, pleading statement she had made to him.
Had she conceived Ritchie’s child? When he had gone to ask her she had told him coldly that she had not conceived. But then, given what he knew now, was it likely that she would have told him anything else?
He bent grimly over her, picking her up.
Luckily Mrs Lindow always kept the spare beds made up. She could spend the night in one of them and then tomorrow they could talk.
Whether she had conceived Ritchie’s child or not made no difference to the way he felt about her, to his love for her.
But if she had... He flinched as he recognised what such an event must have done to her...on top of all that she was already suffering.
There was no point in trying to wake her now. As he carried her towards the door he paused and looked down into her sleeping face, brushing his mouth
gently against hers.
‘I love you, Rosie,’ he whispered against her lips and, even though he knew she could not have heard him, her mouth seemed to soften into a slight smile.
An omen for the future?
CHAPTER SIX
B ECAUSE HE WAS determined there was going to be a future for them, Jake acknowledged as he carried her upstairs and carefully laid her down on the bed in the guest bedroom before removing her dress and then going to get one of his shirts to put on her before he pulled the duvet up over her.
She was so deeply asleep that she had barely stirred while he undressed her, and now he stood beside the bed, looking down at her.
It was just as well that she had called a halt to their lovemaking. He knew well enough that the passion and intensity of her response to him had been caused not so much by any personal desire for him, but by the release of all her pent-up emotions.
He would take things slowly with her, give her all the time and space she needed to feel comfortable with him. And if at the end of that she still rejected him... Love could not be forced, he reminded himself, and nor would he want to do so. But if he could keep her close to him, showed her that she could trust him...
He bent and touched her face gently, unable to resist the temptation to do so, and then, straightening his back, he went downstairs.
In the sitting-room Rosie’s empty glass was on the floor beside the sofa and with it, almost tucked beneath the sofa, was her bra.
He picked it up and took it upstairs, placing it with her other clothes, remembering the way she had responded to him when he had kissed her breasts, the eager feminine response her body had given him. It wasn’t just her physical response he wanted, though. It was her love as well.
* * *
R OSIE WOKE UP RELUCTANTLY , conscious of the dryness of her mouth, of the unfamiliar deepness of her sleep, of the way her head ached.
She moved it slightly on the pillow, frowning as she realised she was not in her own bed.
Immediately she remembered what had happened, her face flushing with mortification as she remembered the way she had cast aside all her normal restraint, all her self-control...the things she had said...the things she had done... Most especially the things she had done ... Her face burned hotly as she shuddered in mute self-disgust.
It must have been the wine. That and the shock of seeing Ritchie...of discovering that Jake Lucas had not disliked and despised her.
Shock did odd things to people.
Including inciting them to physical desire... She pushed the thought aside, throwing back the duvet and then tensing as she realised what she was wearing...or rather what she wasn’t wearing.
Jake must have undressed her before putting her to bed...undressed her and then wrapped her in one of his own shirts.
Beneath its
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