Closing her eyes against the flood of tears that threatened to spill, she tried to speak, to tell him how much she wanted him. Her lips quivered, but all the words she thought she should say wouldn’t come.
Trask kissed her softly and wound his fingers in the thick auburn strands of her tousled hair. “If only I could make you happy,” he murmured before capturing her lips in his and shifting his weight so that his body covered hers in a protective embrace.
As his flesh touched hers, his body heated until it glistened in a film of sweat. Her arms wound around his back and she clung to him as he became one with her, moving gently at first and then more quickly as her body responded to the familiarity of his touch. His hands massaged her breasts in the rhythm of his lovemaking.
“Oh, God,” he whispered against her ear as the heat within her seemed to burst and he, too, surrendered. “Tory,” he called, his voice raspy. “Just love me again.” And then he fell against her, his weight a welcome burden.
The tears that had been welling beneath her lids began to stream down her cheeks. “Shh,” he whispered, “everything will be okay.”
Slowly Trask rolled to his side and held her close to him. He kissed her and tasted the salt of her tears. For several minutes, they clung to each other in silence and Tory, her head pressed against his chest, listened to the steady beating of Trask’s heart. Surrounded by his strength, she was lost in her feelings of love and despair for this man.
“Regrets?” he asked, once his breathing had slowed. Tenderly he brushed a tear from the corner of her eye.
“No…”
“But?”
Her voice trembled slightly. “I’m not sure that getting involved again is the smartest thing to do. But then I’ve made a lot of questionable decisions lately.”
He propped himself on one elbow and stared down at her. His face was shadowed but even in the darkness Tory could see the seductive slash of his smile.
“Why not…get involved, that is?”
“I only agreed to see you because of the letter…and, well, having an affair with you now will only complicate things.”
His grin slowly faded, and his hands caressed her bare shoulders. “I think you’d better say what you mean and quit beating around the bush.”
Tory gathered her courage. The next words were difficult, but necessary. She couldn’t continue to live in a crystal dreamworld that could shatter so easily. “All right, senator. What I’m trying to say is that I’m not comfortable with short-term affairs. You and I both know that when all of this…note business is cleared up, you’ll be returning to Washington.”
“You don’t like dead-end relationships?”
“Exactly.”
“You could come to Washington with me,” he suggested. His arms tightened around her, holding her close to the contours of his body.
Tory almost laughed. She reached for her jeans. “And what would you do if I took you up on your offer?” she said. “I’m no more ready for the Washington social scene than you are to explain a mistress from Oregon.”
“I was talking about a wife, not a mistress.”
Tory’s heart missed a beat and pain darkened her eyes. “Oh, Trask. Don’t—”
“I asked you to marry me five years ago—remember?”
“That was before the trial.”
“Forget the trial!” He jerked her roughly to him and she was forced to gaze into the intensity of his eyes.
“How can I? You’re here, looking for another conspirator in your brother’s death, for crying out loud!” She jerked on her jeans and reached for her blouse as all of the old bitterness returned to her heart. “And don’t think that just because we made love you have to dangle a wedding ring in front of my nose. I fell for that trick once before—”
Trask’s patience snapped. He took hold of her upper arms and refused to let go. “You’re so damned self-righteous. I don’t know how to make it any clearer to you that I love you. Asking you to marry me isn’t a smoke screen for some dark ulterior motive. It’s a proposal, plain and simple. I want you to be my wife and I was hoping that you could rise above the past and come to terms with your feelings as a mature adult woman!”
“I can.”
He let go of her arms. “And?”
The lump in her throat swelled uncomfortably. “I love you even though I’ve been denying it, even to myself,” she whispered. “I love you very much, but…but I’m not sure that I like you sometimes. As for marriage—we’re a long way from making a decision like that.”
Trask’s back teeth ground together. “Have you been seeing someone else?”