“Then that is good. Have you talked yet? About the baby?”
“Not properly. But Mum, don’t worry, and tell Dad everything will be all right now.”
By the time she hung up, Shanal felt drained. Even so, the weight of responsibility that had so burdened her these past months had lifted. Yes, there was a great deal to sort out and work through, but she could see an end in sight. A happier end. One that began with the man waiting for her across the hall.
* * *
Raif was struck anew by Shanal’s beauty and grace as she walked toward him, the overblown fussiness of her gown serving to accentuate the classical beauty of the darkness of her hair and the burnished bronze of her skin. He handed her the glass of mineral water he’d poured for her, and lifted his wine in a toast.
“To us,” he said.
“Yes, to us.”
Shanal clinked her glass against his and took a sip.
“You okay?” Raif studied her, sensing that she was in a state of turmoil.
“Just thinking, wondering what’s going to happen next with Burton International, with my parents’ home, with you and me.”
“Let me put your mind at rest about the first two,” Raif said, leading her over to the sofa and sitting down next to her. He stretched one arm along the back of the couch and brushed her cheek with his fingertips. “The board will step in at Burton International and keep things running. He’ll be removed as CEO and a provisional one will be installed in his place.”
“How do you know all this?” she asked.
He smiled in return. It hadn’t been easy and it had taken the better part of the morning to meet with the movers and shakers who would take control of the company. But they hadn’t needed much convincing when he’d explained that Burton would be arrested on a manslaughter charge, at the very least, before the wedding. More importantly, he’d done it in time to save Shanal from committing herself to a man who treated people as if they were no more than accessories designed to make him look all the more powerful or appealing.
“I know some people,” he said, keeping the details to a minimum. There’d be time enough to go into the specifics of how things would pan out.
“And my parents? The mortgage Burton held over their house?”
“All sorted out. He didn’t hold that personally. It was done through a company run by some of the same people on the Burton International board. The mortgage will be discharged in full on Monday, as soon as business opens.”
Tears brightened the pale green of Shanal’s eyes. Raif took her glass from her and put it with his on the table in front of them. He then turned to pull her into his arms.
“I can’t believe it’s over,” she whispered against his chest.
“It’s only just begun,” he murmured in response.
He put a finger under her chin and lifted her face to his, capturing her lips in a kiss that conveyed all the promise and hope he had for the future, their future. She was quick to respond. Her hands reached up to cup his face, to hold him to her as if she would never let him go. And he didn’t want her to. He’d waited a long time for this woman. He planned to hold on to her for the rest of their lives.
She protested when he broke their kiss, but came willingly when he stood and took her hands. He led her down the hall toward his master suite, to the place where he could show her, by words and by deed, exactly what she meant to him.
“Raif?”
“Hmm?”
“I meant what I said in the cathedral. I do love you. Not just because you rescued me, again. Not just because you promised to make everything right for me and my parents. But because you make me happier than I’ve ever been. And what makes me happiest of all is the thought of a future with you and our child.”
An incredible swell of joy filled him. She’d put into words the most astounding gift of all.
“Thank you. You humble me,” he replied, resting his forehead against hers and hooking his arms around her waist. “I would move heaven and earth for you and our child. I want you to know that. All you ever need to do is ask.”
“Just love me back. That’s all I’ll ever want or need.”
“I do. Let me show you exactly how much.”
He took his time undressing her, in undoing the row of crystal buttons down her back until her exquisite beauty was revealed without adornment. As he did so, he traced the lines of her body with his fingers, with his tongue, with his lips. She trembled beneath his touch—not with fear or discomfort, but with need and want that was a mirror to his own. And when he lifted her into his arms and laid her gently on his bed, he knew he could explore her every day and never tire of her.