“Yes?” She would not look at him. Her wedding dress seemed too big for her all of a sudden, and she rubbed absently at where the ring had rested for only a few short days.
“Please look at me.”
At last, she did. Her blue eyes were full of tears.
“Yes?”
“I love you.” It was the only thing he could think of to say, but he was suddenly quite sure that it was the only thing in the world that mattered.
“And I love you.” She paused, and though he saw a smile at her lips, a tear found its way down her cheek. “But it’s not enough.”
“We can make it enough,” he said suddenly.
“What?”
He was across the clearing in an instant, kneeling at her feet, her hand clasped in both of his.
“Clara Dalton, I have loved you since the moment I first saw you. You faced me down not without fear, but in spite of it. You have sheltered your family through trials that would have broken any other person. You have saved the lives of men you did not know, men you could by rights have left to die. You are kinder, more passionate, more intelligent, than any woman I have ever known. I love you with all my heart.”
She knelt as well, heedless of the dirt and the leaves. She was shaking.
“And since the first moment I saw you,” she said, her voice soft, “I have loved you. You asked for what you could by rights have taken, to save your friend. You loved me despite what you had been told about me. You tried to hold yourself apart from me, even when I offered myself to you. You are an infuriatingly honorable man, Jasper Perry, and I love you.”
He laughed at that and reached out to brush the tears away from her cheeks.
“Clara Dalton, will you marry me?”
“But the people in town—”
“But nothing. Will you marry me?”
“They’ll hunt you down someday.” Her face was twisted with fear. “I can’t let you be hurt for love of me.”
“We will find a way,” he promised her. “You and I are meant to love one another all of our days. We will find a way.”
“Her lips curved, and she caught her breath.
“Then, yes. Yes, I will marry you.”
His lips met hers with bruising force, but she did not cry out. He felt her melt against him with a moan, and his blood heated.
“We should...”
“No.” She drew away only far enough to put a finger over his lips. Her hair was tumbling down in a cloud of gold. “Don’t stop.”
He lay back and she did not hesitate for a moment before laying her body alongside his. She gasped when he traced his fingers along her skirt, lifting the hem so he could feel the skin of her calf, her thigh. When her legs parted for him, he gave a groan.
“Do you think we have to go back immediately?” Jasper asked. His eyes were dark and warm, and he snaked an arm around her to pull her close.
Clara caught her breath. Their lips were nearly touching, the air between them warm, and he could feel her heart racing as he trailed his fingers up her other arm.
“No,” she said, biting her lip as she felt him harden against her. She grinned devilishly. “I think we can take a while.”
~ THE END ~