Stranger in My Arms(76)

Shaking in delight, she muffled her cries in the counterpane, and felt his face press hard against her back. He was lost in his own cl**ax now, clenching her h*ps hard in his palms, pouring himself into her with a groan of satisfaction.

In the glow of aftermath, Lara was nearly too weak to move. She stirred drowsily as she felt Hunter strip away the remains of her clothes. He removed his trousers and climbed onto the bed naked, holding her against his long body. She relaxed and slept for a time, though it was impossible to tell whether minutes or hours had passed.

When she awakened, Hunter was watching her with eyes like dark velvet.

“You’re the last woman I’ll ever make love to,” he said, stroking her breast, toying with the rosy peak.

She stroked his sun-streaked hair and the hard nape of his neck, loving the feel of him against her.

“Good,” she whispered. “Keep me with you, Lara. I don’t want to leave you.

Bewildered, she slid her arms across his broad back, her fingertips not quite reaching the center.

Why would Hunter worry about leaving her? Was it possible he feared some accident, some unforeseen catastrophe that would part them once again? The thought was truly awful. It hadn’t been so long ago that she’d been told that he was dead… and to her shame, she hadn’t really mourned him. But if something happened again, if they were somehow separated… dear Lord, she couldn’t bear it now. She didn’t want to live without him.

She stared at him with glistening eyes, and her thighs opened willingly as he pushed his knee between them. “Then stay with me,” she said simply.

“We won’t think about the past anymore.”

“Yes. God, yes.” He sheathed himself inside her and groaned. Lara stared into his face, the lean features gleaming with sweat, his jaw clenching. He made love to her slowly, making it last an eternity, until pleasure rippled through her in endless waves, and she felt somehow as if he were staring into her soul and showing her a glimpse of his own, all secrets burned to ashes.

“Do you love me?”

“Yes, yes…”

She didn’t know who asked, or who replied…

only that the answer was true for each of them.

Chapter 17

FOR THE NEXT few days there was an ominous silence from Lord Lonsdale, who made no further attempt to visit Hawksworth Hall. Finally a short, stilted note arrived from Lonsdale, asking to be informed of his wife’s condition. Lara hesitated to reply, feeling that Lonsdale had no right to know anything about Rachel after he’d caused her such harm.

However, the decision was not hers to make. Reluctantly she approached her sister with the letter, as Rachel relaxed on a sofa in the family parlor.

Dressed in a white nightgown with a lace-trimmed blanket covering her lap, Rachel looked as fragile as a porcelain figurine. A novel lay open in her lap while she stared out the window with a blank gaze.

“Is that not to your liking, dearest?” Lara asked, nodding to the book. “I can bring up something else from the library-” “No, thank you.” Rachel gave her a tired, fond smile. “I can’t seem to keep my attention on anything. After a minute of reading, the words stop making sense.”

“Are you hungry?”

Rachel shook her head. “Johnny brought a peach from the garden not long ago. He claimed it was a magic peach that would make me all better, and he insisted on staying while I ate it.”

Lara smiled at the child’s imagination. “What a darling,” she said.

“At times I could almost swear he’s yours,” Rachel continued. “With his collection of turtles and the little animals he brings in from outdoors, he’s very much like you.”

“After the way he behaved during Dr. Slade’s last visit, rummaging through his medical bag and asking a hundred questions, I wouldn’t be surprised if he wanted to study medicine someday.”

“It would be convenient to have a doctor in the family,” Rachel said, then leaned her head back with a barely perceptible sigh.

Lara knelt by her and covered her sister’s cool hand with her own.

“Rachel… Lonsdale has written to inquire about your condition. Shall I reply, or remain silent?”

Rachel’s face went blank, and she shook her head.

“I have no idea.”

They were both silent, while Lara continued to hold Rachel’s hand in quiet support. Finally she dared to tell her sister what she had wanted to say ever since the miscarriage. “Rachel… you don’t have to go back to him. Ever. You may stay with us, or take a house anywhere you’d like.”

“No husband, no children, none of the things that make a woman’s life worthwhile,” Rachel said bleakly. “What choice is that? I must go back to Lonsdale and hope that he will change.” “You can fill your life with many worthwhile things, Rachel-” “I’m not like you,” her sister interrupted quietly.

“I don’t have your independence. I couldn’t do what you did after Hawksworth’s death, and carve out a new life that doesn’t include a man. If I had been in your place, I would have started searching for a new husband right away. I’ve always wanted my own family, you see.

It’s true that Lonsdale has his faults.

I realized long ago that I must learn to accept his limitations-” “He nearly killed you, Rachel,” Lara said. “No, don’t try to argue. In my opinion, Lonsdale’s refusal to send for a doctor was nothing short of attempted murder. He is abominable in every regard, and I will do everything in my power to prevent you from returning to him.”