‘For God’s sake, Storm,’ Jago muttered feverishly, holding her off, ‘what are you trying to do to me?’
His eyes were smoky with desire, his face faintly flushed, and he was breathing as though he had been running—hard.
‘Only what you’re doing to me,’ Storm admitted, abandoning the last of her self-restraint and pressing herself against him. Keeping her eyes on his face, she whispered against his mouth, ‘Take me, Jago. I want you so badly. Please!’ she begged feverishly, when he made no response, tears of frustration glittering in her eyes. ‘Please love me, Jago,’ she pleaded, brushing her lips against his throat.
His body shuddered against her, his mouth claiming hers in a kiss of intense need, fuelling a fire that left her pliant and trembling, a pulsating ache in the lower half of her body telling her there could be only one satisfactory outcome.
When the kiss ended she opened her eyes in mute appeal. ‘Don’t stop,’ she whispered achingly. ‘I want you so much. I love you so much,’ she whispered frenziedly. ‘But you knew that all the time, didn’t you? And now that I’ve admitted it the game’s over, isn’t it? You don’t want me any more…’
All at once he thrust her away, tears filling her eyes at the savagery of his hands on her shoulders.
‘Say that again!’ he breathed urgently.
‘You don’t want me any more…’
‘Not that,’ he groaned, trembling. ‘Tell me you love me again. God, if you knew what I’ve been through waiting to hear you say that… So many times I thought you would, but always you pulled back, throwing Winters in my face. Are you telling the truth?’ he muttered unevenly, his eyes searching her face.
‘I wouldn’t admit to myself that what I felt for you was more than desire,’ Storm told him bravely. ‘I never wanted to feel like this about anyone.’ Her eyes dropped. ‘I’ve always been frightened that some day I would, and that it would be like handing over a part of myself to someone for all time…’
‘And is it?’ Jago asked softly, his thumbs caressing the fragile bones of her jaw.
‘Worse,’ Storm admitted with a wry smile. ‘I can’t fight you any longer, Jago. I’m yours for as long as you want me, even if it means sharing you with the Madeleines of this world… Don’t you want me now?’ she cried bitterly when he made no move to take her back in his arms. ‘Is that it? Now that I’ve capitulated and you’ve got what you wanted…’
He swung her round suddenly, fierce passion in his eyes.
‘I’ll never have enough of you, Storm. There isn’t that much time; not even in a thousand lifetimes.’
He picked her up, pulling a thick fleecy towel from the rail and wrapping her in it before depositing her on the bed, while he shrugged on a towelling robe.
‘Now,’ he said softly, bending to take her in his arms, ‘with that delectable body covered up, I might recover enough of my self-control to talk to you. Don’t look at me like that,’ he added roughly. ‘God, if you knew how much I’ve wanted you here like this! The other night, when you looked at me and told me you were a virgin, I could willingly have killed you.’ He groaned at the memory. ‘I wanted you so badly, and I told myself that it didn’t matter that you didn’t love me. I turned you on, and I thought I could teach you to care, in time, but when I knew that I would be the first, that you hadn’t had any other lovers, I knew I couldn’t take from you what should only be given in love. I didn’t get much sleep that night, I can tell you. And then in the morning, when I came to tell you that I loved you, and that I wanted to start again, and I saw Ian sitting there half naked, I felt as though I was being eaten alive with jealousy’
‘Is that why you were so angry?’
‘Angry? I damn near burst a blood vessel! When I thought of you with him… I didn’t know what I wanted most—to strangle you with my bare hands, or to hear you crying my name in that little soft voice you only use when we’re making love. I love you, Storm,’ he said abruptly, searching her face. ‘More than I can ever tell you. Will you marry me?’
Happiness flooded through her, her body trembling with eagerness as she reached up towards him.
His kisses had a new tenderness, his expression was rueful as he pulled the towel firmly round her.
‘Having waited this long, I can wait a little longer, but not too long,’ he warned her huskily. ‘The moment your parents get back we’re getting married. I guess they’ll want the full works, white dress and all, but no more scenes like this. My self-control is a mite precarious. You do things to me that I didn’t think possible.’
‘What about Madeleine?’ Storm asked jealously, her eyes darkening as she remembered the pain she had experienced when she saw him with the other girl.
’Madeleine’s a girl who doesn’t understand the meaning of the word no,’ Jago told her dryly. ‘What you thought you saw in my study was her way of trying to convince me that I should help her with her career. If you hadn’t run off when you did, you’d have seen me telling her that I haven’t reached the stage yet where I need to pay for my sex.’
‘I think I’ve loved you right from the beginning,’ Storm confessed, ‘But I was so frightened I clung to David, knowing that my independence would never be threatened by him. Every time you touched me I wanted you more, but I kept telling myself it was just desire…’
‘You were driving me mad,’ Jago admitted. ‘I knew I was getting through to you physically, although you wouldn’t admit it, but that wasn’t enough. Every time you told me you loved Winters I had to stop myself from forcibly tearing him apart. You’ve put me through hell these last few weeks,’ he whispered huskily, kissing her deeply, ‘but soon I’ll be in heaven.’
Storm melted against him, knowing there was no longer any need to pretend, her response instinctive and total.
When Jago raised his head, he was breathing heavily, his taut muscles betraying the self-control he was exerting.
‘When did you know that you loved me?’ Storm murmured, her hands stroking his skin. He captured them, smiling wryly.
‘Do you want an imbecile for a husband? If so you’re going the right way to drive me completely out of my mind. If you must have the truth,’ he said softly, ‘I fell head over heels in love with you the first time I saw you.’
‘In David’s office?’