Save the Last Dance (39 page)

He shook his head gently to dislodge her fingers and they fell away. ‘No, it's true.' His gaze softened and her breath caught. It was as if he'd just reached out and dived inside her. ‘I'm going to keep you because you love me, Alice Morton…'

That was also true. And no amount of running away was ever going to change that.

‘You love me the way I love you,' he said. ‘With everything I can give—good, bad and in between. You've got it all.'

And he bent forward to deliver the sweetest kiss yet, one that made the room spin and her feet tingle. Alice kissed him right back, sensing in some way that they were marking each other as the other one's property. Finally she could let herself
pour everything into her kiss, with no fear barring her from giving everything she had in return.

As always, they managed to say a lot of what they wanted to say, resolve a lot of things, without the need for words at all. Alice gave a deep, heartfelt, happy sigh and steadied herself against the glass display case. She was feeling decidedly wobbly.

‘I'm glad you rescued my shoes,' she said, glancing away from him for only a second. ‘They look happy here. I don't think they would have stood up to twenty-first-century abuse. I'd have hated to see them ruined.'

He smiled. ‘And the dress? Do you want it back? I'll get it for you if—'

She shook her head and kissed his neck, right where his pulse was beating, and felt a surge of power at the shuddering response it produced in him.

‘I'm glad about that too.' She smiled up at him. ‘Anyway, I don't think I need it any more.'

His smile grew into a wide grin.

‘I was hoping you'd say that, because I have another dress in mind. I don't care what style it is, whether it's new or old, but I do have one stipulation…'

She chuckled. ‘You're not going to go all
Cameron
on me again now you've got what you want, are you?'

A flash of the old arrogance returned. ‘Of course I am. You wouldn't have me any other way.'

He was right. Who would want anything but this wonderful, determined, romantic,
thick-headed
man? He was definitely a keeper. She lifted onto her tiptoes and kissed him. She seemed to be doing a lot of that tonight. Oh, well…

Then she realised she'd been sidetracked and pulled away. ‘What sort of stipulation?'

She'd expected him to laugh, but he pulled her close and breathed into her ear in a rough voice. ‘Like I said…I don't mind if it's long or short, fancy or plain, old or new. Just as long as it's white. And I have to warn you, it comes with matching jewellery.' Suddenly he got all serious, took a few deep breaths. ‘That means I'm asking you to marry me, if you hadn't worked that out yet.'

Alice threw her head back and laughed. He didn't do
subtle
, did he, this man of hers? When she stopped laughing, he was looking puzzled.

‘That's a
yes
, if you hadn't worked it out yet.' She smoothed his forehead flat with the pads of her thumbs. ‘But I have a stipulation too.'

A flash of fear glittered in his eyes and she kissed it away.

‘Don't make that face, Cameron. Can't you see this look?' She paused and let her eyes do the talking. ‘This is the look of a girl who's fallen in love and isn't about to fall out again.'

Cameron answered her with a delicious kiss, and as he pulled her closer still she whispered in his ear. ‘I love you, Cameron Hunter. But about this jewellery…Let's be clear about one thing—I'm not wearing a tiara for anybody. Not even you.'

He just laughed, picked her up, and waltzed her round the empty gallery.