She looked at him again. “I was not expecting this.” How could she, after repeated rejection from him? But it did not stop her heart from soaring.
He firmed his lips. “Nonetheless, I must insist upon it.”
“You must realize though,” she said, a smile opening over her lips again, “that you are asking me to elope with you.”
He gritted his teeth to keep his heart from leaping out of his throat and into her hands. “I suppose I am.”
“And yet just a few days ago you were adamant about not marrying me. What has changed?”
I stopped being a fool. “Does it matter?”
“It does to me. After all, love is supposed to be one, if not the most important, guiding reasons for making a union .”
“Are you looking for a declaration?”
“More like an explanation.”
Nathan feigned an impatient sigh. “Very well. You seem hell bent on ruining yourself under the misguided notion of being an adventurer.”
Sara laughed at him. “You seek to protect me from myself?”
“If that is the way you wish to view it, yes.”
Another mischievous grin crossed her face. “But if we were to marry, who would protect you from me?”
Nathan stared at her, nearly overcome with lust for this new woman before him. Four weeks ago she would not have considered speaking to him thus. Knowledge that this was the woman he loved thudded through his veins, anchoring his love on a deep level even he hadn’t expected existed within him.
Please God, let her say yes.
The mischievous grin remained as she climbed out of the carriage, her gaze never leaving him. He stared as she sauntered toward him, her hips swinging in a slow seduction and breasts ripe in her wedding dress. His throat dry, he forgot to be polite and dismount until she was so close he could feel her breath on his knee.
“You see,” she murmured, her eyelids half lowered as her gaze traveled down his body and settled on his groin. That appendage leapt in excited anticipation, hurting against the leather saddle. “If we were to marry, you might find me difficult to control. Difficult to . . . appease.” The last word was a whisper as she licked her lips, her eyes meeting his gaze.
Nathan couldn’t even swallow.
“So,” she continued, her voice husky, “are you certain you wish to marry me?” Her hand cupped his calf and stroked it slowly, up and down. Her touch seared through his breeches.
He nodded mutely.
“Why?”
“I love you,” he blurted. He couldn’t keep it in anymore, and once it was out there, he no longer cared that she knew.
Sara’s hand stilled on his calf and her gray eyes widened. Her old self appeared momentarily, uncertainty in her eyes, but it was washed away by the illuminating smile that took its place. “You really must learn to be more romantic, Nathan. You should have started with that statement, rather than leave me in doubt of your affections.”
He shook his head. “I will never be romantic.”
“I think there is hope yet.”
“So you will marry me?”
“Yes. When we get to Scotland, we will marry. It will be a grand adventure, eloping to Gretna Green.”
“The grandest,” he agreed. “Excuse me while I dismount.”
Sara stepped to a safe distance to allow him to do so, and a thrill pulsed through her when he approached her with a determined look on his face. She knew without a doubt what he intended and she opened her arms to him, uncaring of who saw them embracing in a public lane. Or was it a private one? Why was she bothering with such a detail when his lips were descending to hers?
She closed her eyes and lifted on her toes, meeting his mouth halfway. They seared each other with their passion, their mouths melding together and tongues dancing. Rightness sang over her nerves and senses; this was where she belonged, in his arms.
Nathan pulled away abruptly, ignoring her sound of protest. Looking at her suspiciously, he asked, “Do you truly wish to marry me or is it the adventure of the elopement that is appealing?”
She shook her head. “Foolish man. I would have married you without Scotland. All you had to do was ask. I’ve been in love with you now for ages.”
A grin burst onto his face. “Of course you have. I am easy to love.”